And then there were 4

In all the excitement I forgot to mention that the day we left SOFOSH with Treya, was her 2nd birthday! It was quite the celebration indeed.

So our first night together, the sleeping part anyway was okay....I'll just say it....HELL. Four people in one queen sized bed has got to be choreographed just right to work and with a four year old and a child who we've just met, lets just say it was a worse experience than the time that Pat and I were asked to leave the dance floor during a Tango lesson...yes it was that bad.


We started the evening just as we did when we were joined with Devi...we went out to dinner. When in doubt - EAT. The wait staff with the most broken of English and we with no recollection of Marathi ended up with an odd assortment on our table trying to find something that Treya would eat. In the end, she wanted nothing to do with Indian food we ordered, but rather managed to stuff 3 pieces of Devi's cheese pizza down her gullet, which was more than Dev eats. Apparently, Trey has eaten little solid food. Everything is mushed together and slopped up with bread so she easily chokes because she just stuffs the food in and does not take time to chew. It is something to work on. She also has a huge sweet tooth and is constantly motioning to our table full of snacks for more.


Home we went where we thought we would try a relaxing bath. Wrong! It became play time and both girls delighted in splashing each other to the point that the hotel bathroom walls where running with water. All the while Trey squealed with delight and Devi echoed. (Guess we will be enrolling her in swim lessons once home!) Bath time brought on the biggest smiles and belly laughter we have heard or seen to date. She loved it and it was a wonderful bonding time for the girls.


Finally in our jammies, the hard part began. Treya grabbed me by a finger and started leading me to each door looking to go "home" I suspect. Once the closet doors and the door to the adjoining room were checked, the whimpering began and she sobbed heavily for a good 15 minutes in my arms, while huge crocodile tears streamed down her face. It was that mournful hurting kind of cry and just needs to come out. It is heart wrenching to hear, and although we had prepped Devi for this, she was still shaken and became so wound up herself that trying to get her to sleep was futile. Once asleep, Treya dreamily searched for a corner...just as Devi did, meanwhile each time Treya settled down, Devi would say something to her, or wrap her arms around her, squeeze her, poke her or ask if she was asleep and the whole wiggling process would begin again. Treya ended up sleeping between my legs in all sorts of contorted positions most of the night and Devi came within inches of spending her night in the bathtub or out in the hall.

The girls slept until well past eight; Devi with the covers on, Treya, having never slept with a blanket before, with the covers off. Pat and I simply gave up and ordered room service milk coffee. Off for VISA photos by 10 with our escort Meenal, our day was well under way.



We were treated to lunch by C.P. Kapur, the soon to be father-in-law to my bosses daughter. It happens the groom was born and raised in India, but completed his studies in the US where he met Amy. Not only did C.P. take us to a grand Rajastani restaurant, but he also made sure we made it to Pune safely, that our hotel reservations were confirmed and researched the orphanage where Sonalika lived before we arrived to make sure everything was in order. I believe this is the Indian way and it was much appreciated.

After naps we took the girls to do a bit of shopping and then let Treya taste her first french fries...she loved them. Normally we would probably not do bath time two days in a row, but Pune is the second dirtiest city in India and just an auto rickshaw drive around the block is enough to have you covered in dust and exhaust. Most people keep their faces covered except for their eyes with scarves to limit their exposure. So into the tub with a repeat performance of last night.

Tomorrow we head to Delhi and so this evening as I packed our bags, Treya began to help. She delighted in giving me one item of clothing at a time to pack into the suitcase. She also likes to clean up, so much of our play time has been spent emptying a bag of something and then letting her put it away again. Beauty shop has also been a big hit with the girls and since mom's hair can't be combed, daddy has become their only customer.





The crying tonight lasted only a few minutes...with tonight's arrangement taking form in the bed. Dad and I are bookends, Devi is at the pillows and Treya in sleeping horizontally at her feet. I have no idea if this will work, but it is worth a try.

Small update...in the end...Devi ended up happily sleeping on two chairs pushed together beside the bed. Treya rolled around in between Pat and I and at one point fell off the end of the bed (that is how active she is in sleep). Jumping up I found her on the floor rubbing her head, but still ASLEEP.

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