I wrote recently about a couple of Seychelles families bringing Cambodian children home and how very happy we all are about their new additions.

Both were adopted from the orphanage where my kids were cared for (AOA, near Phnom Penh), and since they were going there to get their little ones, we asked them to take some things for us.

AOA gets quite a bit of support from adoptive parents, with some contributing monthly, others donating chunks from time to time and many doing what they can, when they can.

In addition to supporting the orphanage, we also feel it's important to acknowledge the role nannies played in the early lives of our kids.

Both Sam and Cj came to us at thirteen-weeks of age. Those thirteen weeks in another orphanage in another country could have been a miserable stint of five-to-a-crib, propped bottle, diapers changed when scheduled / not when needed, benign neglect ... at best. Attachment issues could have been well in place as defense mechanisms began to build. As it was, however, they both had a nanny who cared for them 24/7, who slept on the floor under their hanging sleep baskets and comforted them in the night, who carried and cuddled and cleaned and fed and loved them ... who cried when we took them away and ran to meet them when we returned for visits.

When we went to AOA for Cj, Sam's nanny had not seen him for two and a half years. As the news of our visit spread through AOA, his orphanage name went out like a call: Sen Chey is here! Within a minute, his nanny ran toward us, tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face, and scooped him up in a big hug that he, surprisingly, didn't object to at all.

"Look, Mom!" he exclaimed, "It's my Nanny!"

He'd seen her in photos and heard how she cared for him as a baby, but he'd not laid eyes on her since he was three months old.

We've not had a chance to return since July of last year when we brought Cj home, but have taken advantage of other parents going for their kids to send photos to both nannies. I put together a page for each with one photo of the nanny with the child as a baby, then others showing the growth and development, with wishes for their good health and happiness.

And, of course, our great thanks for the love and care they gave our kids.

The photo's are Cj's nanny with her at 6 weeks, then studying her photo sheet almost a year later.