Meeting Nicolas

In honor of Nicolas' six month adoptiversary here are the videos of our first meetings with Nicolas.

I met Nicolas the day after I arrived in Congo. I had time to adjust a bit, sleep...sort of, shower, relax, and get really sweaty driving around in an un-air-conditioned van before heading to Nic's orphanage to meet him. Nicolas' orphanage was closer to a group home than a standard orphanage. They had about ten kids there, and ages ranged from a young teenage girl to a baby slightly younger than Nic. There were actually only two babies, so the crib Nic and the other little guy slept in wasn't very crowded. It was the first orphanage we visited, and I was impressed with how spacious and clean everything was, even though it was clear (based on watching them feed Nic) that nutrition wasn't optimal. However, conditions there were infinitely better than everywhere else we visited. After viewing the yard and home, I went into the sitting room with one of the other moms (who had been in DRC longer and had met her son already) and we all sat down and they brought Nicolas to me. He had on his "confused" face- the deeply furrowed brows, but he came to me, which was a relief.

Here is the big moment:

I didn't actually get to leave with Nic right then. The orphanage wanted us to come back in the evening for the official pick-up with the patroness of the orphanage present (and she was working at the time). I handed him back and prepared to pick him up later on.

Jeff's meeting with Nicolas was very different from mine. When Jeff arrived at the guesthouse, Nicolas had been living there with me for three weeks, and he was napping in our room. Jeff had only a few minutes to settle in before Nicolas woke up, and we didn't have any time to waste on showers or eating because the planned transition period between Jeff and me was so short and Nic needed to start acclimating to his dad. Here they are:

Here are Tommy and Nicolas meeting in the airport: