Today is the Day!

Heather, Hiab and Suzanne will board a 1:30 AM flight to return home. It will be a LONG journey home, and certainly with a 3 year old who is completely out of sorts.

Heather emailed again today. She said that Hiab is having significant attachment issues and she has never seen a child cry so hard for hours without wearing herself out. It is heartbreaking for Heather to deal with and she is asking for prayers....and anything else you think might help!

She is hoping to get home quickly to start making progress. She indicated that she researched to prepare for attachment issues, but... here is a direct quote from a portion of her email:
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Last day in-country! We board the plane for the LONG trip home tonight. The above was typed by Hiab in two of the fifteen minutes today she hasn't been crying. Things aren't going very well, and she is defying everyone's assertions that the first couple of days are the hardest. The one about the kids being completely different by the end of the week is unfortunately true, just not the way they told us.

She's been regressing over the last few days, and the meltdowns have taken on epic proportions - I've never seen a child cry this hard for literally hours without wearing herself out. Her grief is heartbreaking and sometimes downright scary and it sucks to feel so helpless to comfort her, since anytime I touch her she just screams harder. We've had one or two good moments but only when one of the caregivers or the daughter of one of the other families are here.

While I have researched and prepared for attachment issues, I didn't think we'd have so many to deal with at one time within the first three days. So, lots of work ahead, and hopefully once we're home we can start to make progress. I told Suzanne I feel like we're just treading water here, and I can't wait to get home to get things moving.

Hopefully the flight home will be uneventful...it will be long and tiring for all. We all can't wait to have them back in the states, and that Hiab and Heather can begin to bond and Hiab can see her as mommy, safety, protection and love.

Michelle