Tiny Feet!

Yesterday we received a FedEx from the agency with only one piece of paper - on it three little sets of feet (both right and left) were traced and labeled for each boy- adorable, adorable, adorable!!! We've been told the boys will leave the orphanage with only the clothes on their back (literally) and no shoes! They just don't wear them, and likely have never had their own pair. Apparently they have a few pair of flip flops they rotate to whoever has to go out for a doctors appointment. So, now we know roughly what sizes to pack!

After dinner tonight Eric and I finally went through the pile of footwear we've received - we organized, matched pairs and tried to figure out who will fit into the shoes we already have. Well, wouldn't you know it, Little Guy is just a bit too small for most of the "baby shoes" we have (which of course are too big for the older guys); and the older guys don't quite fit into most of the "older boy" shoes we have! Amazing really, when you consider the collection! And this photos doesn't even include the slippers, winter boots, ice skates, cowboy boots, and rain boots that were in a different pile! We did find a few pair of sandals we think will work so I guess we'll just wait until we can try them on together before we spend any money on footwear!

On a separate note, we've been reading news from India online and it looks like the monsoon rains are coming on strong now, just in time for our trip. So far it had been a very wimpy monsoon season, even borderline drought conditions, but now roads are being washed away, roofs are caving in and trains disrupted just as expected. Oh, thank goodness!

I'm heading up to my classroom tomorrow - the last day to get the room ready and meet with the long-term sub who will take my place for the first trimester of the school year. For those of you who may not know, I teach 6th grade social studies at a middle school in rural Maine. I am sooooo relieved they found someone before I leave and I'm especially grateful we'll be able to meet in person tomorrow. He's a great guy, very capable, and I'm looking forward to working with him! It's strange, although I am beyond excited to meet our boys, I'm also a little bit disappointed I won't be able to meet my school "kids" on their first day - don't worry, I'll get over it!

Eric is also working hard to get the "crew" ready for his absence; he is the project manager on a year-long home-building project that is winding down quickly. The jobs he must delegate are complicated and intricately intertwined - payroll, interfacing between the clients, building contractor and subcontractors, e-mailing the draftsman & architect (along with photo updates), making sure the site remains safe and no one parks where they aren't supposed to, and most importantly - making sure the above parties "play nice" while he is away! I think for Eric, letting work out of his mind will be tough - until he meets his sons!

Well off to bed - I stayed up too late again watching Olympics! Okay, maybe just a little bit longer, Michael Phelps is about to swim again....