The Many Faces of a Sugar Plum

I’m not certain if the blur in these photos is due to their source (snapshots captured from the DVD we just received) or if it caused by the tears that fill my eyes as the joy mounts, seeing Sonalika come to life in moving frames.

Hi Mommy, Daddy and Devi!

The DVD arrived yesterday in the mail, after several diligent days of checking the mailbox. Daddy and Devi were perched on the back of the sofa giving me the heart symbol with their hands through the living room window as I drove into the driveway after my aerobics class. Once inside, Devi. in ballerina footy pjs, grabbed me by the hand and pulled me to the kitchen island where we set the incoming mail, yelling, “come see, come see.”

Two stools were poised, red carpet style, in front of the TV awaiting the premiere viewing of our feature film. Unfortunately, when inserted, the DVD would not read, nor would it read in our computer. Such disappointed faces we all had going to bed last night.

Today, I’ve been able to convert the files and save them on a disk to bring home and as luck would have it, it is Family Movie Night. We will be postponing Bambi to take in our new release “Sugar Plum” starring none other than Sonalika herself!

Lucky for me, I got the first sneak peak of our two shorts, giving me much needed insight to the mystery surrounding the place where God found our daughter. Instantly, the image brings back memories of that thick, aroma filled warm Indian wind, witnessed in the swaying fabric of saris and in the floating wisps of our dear one’s curly hair. Most noticeable are the clean surroundings and absence of traffic. In fact, this place seems quite rural and serene.

The rooms have the typical marble tiled floors, but the walls are covered in brightly painted, nearly life-sized whimsical characters such as the Pink Panther and Mickey Mouse, in true nursery style. Everything appears to be very clean, orderly and calm. The scene ends showing a surgical masked ayah giving a small baby a bottle on the floor.

Focusing on a set of polka dot doors the camera pans wide and there is a view of the babies room. I can barely make out the tippy tops of black haired heads, each with a set of dark eyes straining to peer just over the top of two rows of cribs. Unmistakable! I can spot her beautiful round head. I know it is her, even though I’ve only laid eyes on a few still photos up to this point. Third crib on the left- this momma knows that girl, that face! The camera person zeroes in on Sonalika and walks toward her. She must know this person, as she pulls herself to standing in the chipped white painted crib, and I see with my own eyes a glimpse of her personality and become completely swept away. Unlike Devi’s mouth open wide smile, Treya shows an impish shy grin with Bambi like eyes that make contact and then look down and away, luring you in. A teaser, I see!!

I can’t wait to bring this gift home with me tonight and watch the reaction of an anxious daddy and big sister as they get to meet our sugar plum too. For now, I breathe this huge sign of relief, now knowing where she is, that the conditions are good and she is well cared for. Smiling the video comes to it’s end as I watch our sugar plum happily zoom in and out of the viewfinders scope, seated in a scooter in a courtyard of playing children.