Mother Teresa and the Consulate

This will most likely be our last post from India. We have had an amazing time here - it has truly been a life changing journey.

As for Max, he continues to be very laid back and happy. He is quite a show off and loves to play a gurgle-sound game with his Nana. All Daddy has to do it touch him or look at him and it makes him giggle. And when he's tired or needs cuddling he is not afraid to ask - always for Mommy. We all keep on saying to each other that he is so obviously "ours." We can no longer imagine our lives not leading us to him.

We went to get Max's visa photos taken this morning, and while we were there he flirted with the two beautiful women. They loved him. Turns out we didn't need the photos. Ms. Roy's assistant, Dipak (I know I slaughtered the spelling of that), picked us up at our hotel and took us to the consulate - thank goodness because it's kind of down this alley and hard to navigate. We signed a paper, paid our money, and 10 minutes later we had visa and golden packet in hand! We thought it would be a lot more paperwork, and another trip to the consulate to pick up the visa. I'm sure Ms. Roy and her staff are to thank for that, and we just can't thank them enough - for everything.

We did make it to Mother Teresa's today. We were going to go before we picked Max up on Tuesday, but I was a little emotional and knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm glad that he was with us. What an amazing place of solace and reflection. We were able to pray in front of her tomb, although I didn't do the rosary, Dad. I was overwhelmed and wouldn't have made it all the way through. She was such an amazing woman. Being in this city has made me truly appreciate why she was called to this place. She was where she, and God, were and are needed.

When we came back from the consulate (around 4pm) Max cuddled down and went to sleep. He's still sleeping, and may be out for the night! He slept all night last night, and the only naps he had today were in the car, so he's gotta be exhausted. He has had no problems with eating. In fact, this morning at breakfast as soon as I put him on my lap he grabbed a piece of french toast off of my plate and chowed down. He gets really excited when he sees his bottle or food that he knows is his.

Moo Moo - he wore his "green babies rule" onesie all around Kolkata today :) I'm starting him on the broadway stuff right away!

We will leave Kolkata around 5:30pm tomorrow. With our layovers and such we will arrive in Boston at around 10:30am your time Friday morning. Any and all are welcome at the airport. He's loved a crowd so far, so we're not worried about him. More people to show off for. Who knows what kind of mood any of us will be in after the flight though :)

We can't wait to be home. I can't wait to give Maddie and Myles big hugs and kisses. I've missed you two so very much. I'm glad we can be a fmaily of 5 now!

So, I have to get this story on record now. It is part of our journey, and it really affected me. I'm still trying to recover from how awful it made me feel. . .
As we walked down the alley to Mother Teresa's, a little boy (7 or 8?) showed us the way (it's a tiny little doorway that we walked right by). He was so happy, smiling, and did cartwheels down the alley. We offered him money and he declined, asking instead for milk when we came out. We assured him that we would do this. He was there waiting when we came out, and guided us around a puddle of vomit. He was just a doll. We agreed that Mom and I would get in the car, and Dan would go with him to get his milk (I thought we made that clear, the boy had said milk at least twenty times). So a bit later, Dan comes walking back with his typical confident swagger with a bottle of Pepsi in his hand. He gets in the car, and as we're driving off, the little boy knocks on my window with the saddest, most confused expression, and says "Milk! Milk!" I looked at Dan and he said "What?" I said, "Didn't you get him some milk?" "No, was I supposed to?" "Uh, yeah, that's what he's been asking this whole time." "Oh, I thought he just wanted me to buy something from his father's store."

It was too late to turn back without a big ordeal (remember that traffic in India is unbelievable), but I told Dan that if we went out at all the next day we were coming back to find the boy and buy him some milk. It's silly, but it changed the way I felt for the whole rest of the trip, and even after we got home. I was so mad at Dan for not having as emotional reaction to everything as I was having.