Our travel group’s first trip after “gotcha day” was back to the SWI, but we thought that was a pretty stupid place to go with our new baby, so took a pass.
Surprisingly enough, one of the other parents in our group found pictures of our girls in the orphanage on the internet before we got them, and gave the pictures to us. It was very clean and brite, but totally devoid of toys. It was also apparent the girls went from crib to walker, and back again, in their day to day life.
The babies in our group ranged from 8 months to 13 months. Only one was able to sit. One little girl had no stimulation or repositioning at all. Her skull was pushed in a little on one side and the poor thing wore a helmet for a year. Lead was another issue. Most tested with lead but one little girl had a very high level. She had also suffered a severe burn to the back of her calf. The U.S. doctors felt that the medicine they gave her was full of lead so that resulted in high levels. It wasn’t ever disclosed how a baby that wasn’t able to even sit could be burned. It was speculated that she rolled over onto a heater. Who knows?