If you cannot cry you might as well laugh and share with all on the blog?

I thought when I left for India, I began a leave of absence from my job as a nurse practitioner. The first time I held Maggie, I could feel that she was wheezing. After hours of worrying and wondering what to do-- I did the next best thing--I emailed our social worker--Eileen, in Boston, MA. I received a daunting reply--you are Maggie's legal guardian.  Thom, Maggie, one of Maggie's care takers, and myself went to a pediatrician(see picture below)--we travelled on a dirt road with a few cows meandering in the road and arrived at the doctor's office.

I think he has a medical degree?

I did not think he was a Blue Cross/ Blue Shield provider, so we payed the bill--all is well the total bill was 60 Rupees ( $ 1.10). The physician handed us a piece of paper with the list of medications that Maggie needed. Then we were off to the pharmacy(see picture below).

We had to visit five different pharmacies before we had all of the medications--one pharmacy was able to fill one half of one of the prescriptions. The medications came to a grand total of  $16.20. We hope Maggie will improve before our flight to Delhi on Friday. We are quickly learning that despite the noise and chaos somehow India functions?? Overall it was good to see Maggie today.
Tomorrow is our big day: We will take custody of Maggie and hope it won't be too traumatic for her.

Today was by far the toughest day emotionally :
(a backstory to this entry is : I was raised in an orphanage for boys in Mumbai for six years).

I spent part of the afternoon reading to the kids from an English book. When finished, I had about 15 girls surround me : each stretching their arms high, wanting me to pick them up. I did each for a second ~ They just wanted to be held, from the very youngest to the 7 and 8 years old. I feel the care takers do a good job and observed many of them gently feeding and holding the children. But institutions are not an answer of raising children however safe and clean it is.

Then the kids asked me to play a game : I didn't really understand it completely but the gist of it was ~ "when is daddy going to come and take me?" At that moment, I felt I wanted to take them home : all of them. It was very tough!

We maybe taking one little girl home with us tomorrow but there will be 59 others remaining behind and each would have wanted to be in Maggie's place when the car drives away through the front gates....