We got there around 10:30. The orphanage was going through renovations, so everything was a mess.
We had a little trouble figuring out where to enter, then had to sign in with a guard (we had to do this on each visit). We were led into a very little room with a child sized table and two chairs. The director then talked to us for a few minutes and then he was brought in.
All I can remember about the first interaction is meeting Brayden brought tears to my eyes (which is a big deal for me- I have never had tears). It was emotionally very overwhelming.
Brayden is just cute. He is a sweet little guy who is very timid. He is 3 years old, but size wise closer to 18 months.
He is timid, but likes to play...although he really does not know how to play. We were able to get him interested in a few different toys and show him how to play. He really liked throwing a light up ball and getting us to chase it and bring it back.
We were able to feed him lunch. He likes to eat, but it is obvious that he has never been allowed to feed himself. He would not (even when I encouraged) reach for his food. He would only open his mouth when I got the food close. He would not reach for food when put on his tray. I thought this was very odd...he can grab things.
Brayden has a condition called arthrogryposis. We were not sure how he would be affected by this. The first day all we really could determine is that he can't walk. He has very thin legs. He can move his knees to about 90 flexion. His ankles are very stiff with very little movement, very little rotation. He was wearing tights under his pants (very common in this country), so I was not able to look at his legs at this point.
We left after lunch and were able to come back in the afternoon. He was slow to wake up after his nap. It was a short visit.
During this first day were able to see a little bit of Brayden's sweet personality. He does not make many noises, no words...but he loves to laugh.
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