We received a surprise in my email box today. A photo of our Zoe in her crib at the orphanage. It was in with several photos our friends sent, and it took us a little while to realize what we were seeing.
The room is bright, Zoe is well bundled and warm, drinking a bottle and looking right at the camera. There are pictures of flowers and Disney princesses above her bed. And she is strapped down with what look like strips of cloth keeping her still.
It is so hard to imagine our little princess, so full of movement and curiosity, laying flat on her back staring at pictures of flowers for even a small portion of her life. And yet. And yet there she is. This explains why one side of her head is flatter than the other - she was turned to see the beauty hanging there to her left, just out of reach.
Well now Zoe has real flowers, and beautiful clothes like those princesses on the wall. But there are other children in the pictures, and my heart is breaking for them as well as for her. So I pray for them, that their Mamas and Babas will come and get them soon, and that in the meanwhile someone will give them a kiss and a snuggle to let them know that they are not forgotten.
I am not sure if this helps or not. I had some Chinese friends in Grad school-- the back of their heads were flat (I don't even remember how this topic came up). In China it is considered beautiful/handsome to have a flatter head and it is not uncommon for parents to strap their babies down for periods of time so the back of the head will flatten.
ReplyDeleteYour new daughter (and family) are lovely.
Hugs