If you think of it from her point of view, life had just taken a very sharp turn into WTH?! From what we can gather, almost a week before we met her, Mei-Li had been taken from the foster family that took care of her for almost a year and temporarily housed at the Yuanling Social Welfare Institute, the orphanage. After being there for several days, she was taken by a nanny onto a bus with a group of other confused babies. Then, after the eight hour bus ride over rough roads, she and the other babies were taken into a room full of strangers crying and pointing. It was no wonder she screamed when she was finally put into my arms. (She loves that part of the story.)
At the end of her day, I put Mei-Li into the little side-car crib the hotel had provided. She wore herself out with what quickly became known as the Flip Flop Drop, eventually falling asleep for a little while. She soon made it clear that she did *not* sleep in a crib and insisted on being in the bed with me. And, though she couldn't stand to look at me, she demanded that I keep my hand on her back if she were to sleep. She eventually slept; I didn't.
In the morning, before she realized that I was awake and watching her, she lifted her tiny head and looked around the room, confused. Then she seemed to realize that this wasn't her place and that I wasn't her people. She put her head down on her arms and quietly sobbed. She didn't want attention; her heart was breaking and mine, so newly full of love, broke for her. I put my hand on her back and she slept again for a little while.
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So touching! <3
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