Our little Princesses

Michael holding Allison and Ava in 2008.

Michael holding Allison and Ava in 2009.

Ava and Allison - Ho Chi Minh, 2007.

Ava and Allison - Reunion, 2009

Did you notice there's a recurring theme in this post? Well in case I haven't mentioned it in previous posts, Allison and Ava are from the same orphange (Tam Binh). Logan and Max came from two separate orphanages.

Michael and I have a special place in our hearts for Allison since she and Ava were "crib mates" at one time or another. The babies were often times placed in one crib together so they wouldn't get lonely. We didn't get to see that at the Tam Binh orphanage when we were there, but that is what we had read or heard. The caretakers couldn't give individual attention to the babies so the babies were often times left in the cribs for hours at a time. I try not to think about it too long because reality does hurt sometimes.

Allison came down with pneumonia the day after she left the orphanage. I remember getting a call at the hotel in the middle of the night from Allison's parents. They were letting us know that Allison was taken to the hospital and wanted to know if we had an extra pacifier for Allison to help her calm down. My heart just dropped because I knew what they were going through. Sebastian had pneumonia when he was 14 mths old and was hospitalized for three days. He had to stay in an oxygen tent the entire time. The major difference is that Allison was only six mths old, there was no medical history AND in a foreign country! Pneumonia had almost taken Sebastian's life and Allison's life. Our first daughter, who was referred to us in December, 2006 had died of pneumonia before we could come and get her. So we are no strangers to pneumonia.