Day Nine - Monday, October 1

Today would be our last day with Hugo until we bring him home for good.

Rise and shine was at 5:20 again and we passed the time until breakfast playing the usual games: chase Hugo, chase the puppies, chase me, check the laundry. When breakfast came at 7:00, we hurried through it so that we wouldn't miss assembly. Breakfast was bread and tea again so it was easy to get going.

We made it in time for the band to play but they did not use any of their new tunes. They did make a point of greeting us and being generally pleased to see us which was good for our hearts. We stayed long enough to carry water to the classrooms but, since we didn't want to disrupt the flow of their day, we left.

Back at the house, we played Boardrocks, practiced carrying things on our heads, and carried Hugo on our shoulders. We played a fun game in which he would take my hat off and pitch it somewhere and then I would tickle him silly. We were trying to take advantage of every moment with him today.

Knowing we were leaving sometime to day but not sure exactly when, we decided we better pack. Hugo found his warm, one-piece pajamas (the kind with the feet in the them) and decided that he really needed to have them on despite the 90+ degrees outside. We let him and, almost immediately, he cuddled up on my shoulder and fell asleep.

It was a nice long nap and he woke up in time for lunch. We went outside just as Jacob was arriving with a tray of food and I heard the band playing at the orphanage. It was unusual for them to be playing at this time of day so I asked Jacob what was going on. He said that the president of Ghana, John Mahama, was in town and that everyone from the orphanage went to see him. The band was playing the Ghanaian National Anthem for all they were worth. I thought for sure Jacob was kidding me but several people confirmed it later on. It's an election year here also and as it turns out, the president was making his rounds and passed through.

While we ate, we noticed how much Hugo had improved over the last week. He came to us with mucus pouring out his ears and nose. His ears are still a little gross but his nose is clearing up. The whites of his eyes had a yellowish tinge but are now quite white. He is still protective of his food but he gets full faster and has even voluntarily shared some things with us from his plate. We thought that was a huge step in the right direction. Today, to Rebekah's lasting pleasure, he ate carrots! Until that moment, he'd pick every vegetable out of his food as if it was made of bubonic plague. He also still has a strange squeaking sound in his jaw when he chews.

We went for a short walk then back to the house to love on Hugo some more. We knew Boat would be there in the evening to take us to Accra but we weren't really sure how to see to it that Hugo got back to the right person. At 3:30, we went back to the orphanage to try and figure out what to do. For the first time all week, Hugo wanted to be put down so that he could play with the other kids. I paid the bill for staying at the guest house and we spent the next hour and a half playing with Hugo and the kids we had befriended. I pulled some of the older boys aside and asked them to keep an eye our son while we were away. I told them I had a big brother that kept an eye on me when I was growing up to make sure I stayed out of trouble and asked them to do the same. They agreed with bright smiles and strong handshakes.

The actual moment of leaving Hugo was awkward and very sad. We had a last meeting with the orphanage director in her office. She assured us that Hugo would be well taken care of and while I know that he will be fine, that didn't make it any easier. We hugged him and kissed him and told him things that he didn't understand but that we meant with all of our hearts.

"We love you."

"We will come back for you."

"Your home is with us."

We handed him over to the director and left. Hugo didn't cry but we did.

Boat arrived soon after but we had to wait on the taxi that would take us to Accra. He finally arrived and we said our final goodbyes to Jacob. He was very sad that we were leaving and I hope this wasn't the last time we get to see him. The taxi driver was better than Crazy Joe but maybe that's because it was night time and I just couldn't see everything that was happening.

We ended the day at the Miklin Hotel in the Shiashi section of Accra. It was a strange feeling to have air conditioning again and the hot shower was one of the greatest experiences of my life. We slept well that night.