Happy New Year!

We got a year end adoption update from our O director. We have a passport for N!

Unfortunately, I have not gotten any response from USCIS about our I-600 A approval being sent on to Haiti as we've requested. I have resolved that until next week I will probably not have any success. I'll start the campaign of phone calls and emails again on Monday.

We are also having to have our fingerprints redone next week as they are expiring.

Our birth parent interview is scheduled for January 15th. We're praying no DNA request.

2009! I am so excited about this new year!

We are finally going to come to an end of this terribly long adoption process and our family will be complete.

S and I are committed to eliminating debt.( after we complete our adoption, that is)

Our oldest daughter graduates high school.

We have already had the shortest day of the year so we are on the downhill slide to SPRING!

Okay, I know we still have a lot of winter days left but a girl can dream can't she?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Tomorrow is S's birthday. I've always told him that the whole world parties for his birthday - even if we go to bed at the usual hour.

He got a card in the mail today from our insurance guy. It was a look back to the year you were born card. Here's a blast of the past-

In the news:
Destroying a draft card was a federal crime
Water Quality Act passed
President Johnson sent first U.S. combat forces to Vietnam
Pope Paul VI visited the U>S> and called for world peace
Martin Luther King, Jr. led civil rights march to Selma to Montgomery

Top Tunes:
Stop! In the Name of Love
My Girl
Turn! Turn! Turn!

Top Movies:
Sound of Music
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
The Greatest Story Ever Told

American Living Then and Now:
1st Class Stamp $.05 .41
Average Income 6,956 48,201
Bread .21 2.69
New Home 16,150 246,500
Gas (1 gal) .31 2.99 (today it's 1.39 here)

I went into a store recently where I saw booklets like this. I picked up the one of the year I graduated high school -1985. It said that was the year that cd's were introduced to the American consumer.They didn't make it into my home until much later.

I noticed before Christmas that Walmart is carrying the Inchworm riding toy for toddlers. It brought back sweet memories for me and I really wanted to buy one for N. I couldn't believe how similar it was to the original ones.

I had one of the first Baby Alive babies that really eats, drinks and poops. Mine was much cuter than the current ones on the shelf.

Walmart also had a retro looking bike for girls just like the one I had. It was hot pink with a banana seat. It was so cool and I loved it!

It was a very Merry Christmas!

As usual, I am totally amazed that Christmas is already over. It seems the older I get the faster the year goes by.

We ate way too much junk and had lots of fun with friends and family. We kept many traditions, hopefully made some new ones, and totally deviated from the norm.

We made our first gingerbread house. The kids had fun and actually refrained from eating it for almost 2 days!

I made t-shirts for all my nieces and nephews. It was so much fun seeing the little ones faces as they opened their box and saw their own faces looking back. Elijah and Nathan are MIA in this picture but they loved their shirts too.

S's brother and wife, that we totally adore and don't get to see near often enough, invited us to come up to Gatlinburg where they had rented a cabin for a few days. This was the day before Christmas eve and I still had not even finished my baking or shopping. S called me from the office around lunch and said "How about it?" I believe people are more important than "stuff" so I said "Lets!" We made arrangements for our pets, threw some clothes in our luggage and we were there before bedtime. We enjoyed all the lights on the way in, stayed up until almost 2 a.m. visiting, slept late the next morning, walked around the shops for a while and headed back home. It was a great visit, short it may have been.

Lexi worked really hard in art class to finish her surprise for her dad. We think it turned out beautiful.

One of my four brothers, Joseph, who normally opts out celebrating Christmas, came by this year. He battles depression around the holidays. It was special getting to be with him.

Here's my sister, my mom, Joseph and me.

My youngest brother was the only one of all my 6 siblings missing this year.

I got a chance to get online this morning to check out all the photos posted from our O as a Christmas surprise.

N doesn't look any happier this year than she looked last year when they dressed her up for her photo shoot.
Here's my smiley girl, sans all the Christmas frufru!

Haiti Trip Chapter 4

We had the privilege of meeting Tara Livesay and Sheila. One the visiting moms brought an incredible donation of a suitcase of beautiful fabric for the sewing school of the ministry they are involved with.

They invited us to visit the day before we left. I was so impressed with the heart of this ministry. They sent a car for us and took us to the sewing school/store first.

I have to mention that each building we went to had at least 2 of these huge dogs like Bull Mastiffs

or Bouvier(sp?).


The kids were terrified of them. They climbed us like trees. The dogs WERE really huge so I didn't blame the kids. Thankfully, the dogs were all sweethearts. N wanted me to hold her but she didn't scream or cry or even whine. I have hope that she will be fine with all our dogs.

We got to meet some of the ladies at the sewing school.

Sheila gave us the tour of the facilities. She is standing beside one of several gorgeous old treadle sewing machines.

These machines have been donated as well as the fabrics.

The ministry teaches these ladies how to sew starting with purses, blouses, and skirts. They even have a store where they are able to sell their beautiful products. It's an incredible ministry where they go beyond just handing out food( which is great) but are teaching these ladies a skill. This ministry also offers pre-natal classes/check-ups for moms so they have a greater chance of having a healthy baby. The moms and babies then can transition into first year of life classes and medical check-ups. They also offer free birth control. This ministry is truly partnering with the Haitians to help them have a better life.

We were all touched by this incredible ministry and I would really like to be a part of it in some way in the future.

This was our last day with our little ones and we all felt a little sad. Those of you who have visited your children understand this heaviness. Everyone with older children explained to them that the visit was coming to an end. Several of the kids went into depression like behavior. I didn't even try to explain anything to N. At her age and the short amount of time we had spent together, I felt she would be just fine.

Later that evening M sent a vehicle to pick up the kids at the hotel. We all wanted to say our good-byes at the O so we decided to squeeze in. There were 15 of us in an 8 passenger jeep. Two parents had large suitcases full of donations so they were just thrown on top. Only in Haiti, huh?

It was evening and the kids were all beginning to get tired. I had N in my lap so I got a chance to just savor being close and cuddly. I kissed her about 5 quick times on her cheek which made her smile and giggle. In a few minutes, I kissed her gently again and saw she had fallen asleep. It was at that point I realized I had already said good-bye. Her last memory would be me kissing her on her cheek.

We made it to the O where we were invited to sit and visit for a few minutes. We got a chance to take a few pictures of some of the kids.

Addie had some donations for a Cuban minister and his wife who lives across from the O in a guesthouse. We took off over there to spend a few minutes with them. Addie had met them last year when visiting. This couple is so glad to be in Haiti. They live in a tiny 6x10 room, now with a new baby. They say the life there in Haiti is so much better than Cuba. Can you imagine? They minister to the medically fragile, the mentally incompetant.They are so full of God's love and eager to share with all who will listen.

They speak a little English but mostly Addie interpreted from Spanish to English for me. I just fell in love with this precious couple. As we started saying our goodbyes, Pastor Eziekel stepped out of the room for a moment. When he came back in he had a guitar someone had recently given him. He started singing How Great Thou Art and his wife and visiting mom joined in. I honestly felt the love of God so strongly that I couldn't stop crying. I looked at Addie and I could see she was feeling it just as strongly. It's really difficult to put into words.

After they finished singing, Pastor E started praying for us. I was only picking up a word here and there since I don't speak Spanish but I could feel the sincerety of his heart as he lifted us up to our Lord. Addie shared with me later how he prayed for our adoptions and our safety in traveling and more. It was so precious.

We adults headed back to the hotel and had a last meal together without our little ones. We all felt somewhat subdued and sad but we were all eager to be heading back to our loved ones at home. It was a wonderful trip with lots of sweet memories. Hopefully the next time back for me will be to bring our N home!

My Haiti Trip Chapter 3

I brought a variety of foods with me, partly, because of not being sure what would be served in the restaurant but also to give variety to N's diet. I brought things like high protein canned meats, fruit cups, peanut butter, and can't forget - candy.

One item, I love, that I couldn't bring was BUTTER. No matter. They served it daily with the bread. It was brought out in individually wrapped pats. All the kids seem to enjoy the buttered bread but not as much as my girl. I buttered her bread with 1/2 of the pat when she promptly took the knife out of my hand and removed the remaining 1/2 and slathered it on her bread. She then would pick up the bread and eat the butter off first then eat the bread.

She then picks up another pat of butter and uses her fingers to remove it from the wrap to eat.When that is not sufficient, she picks up the wrapper and licks it clean. You can see the enjoyment on her face. Everyone at the table kindly passed their remaining butter pats to my little sweetie. Oh well, she could use the calories.

I am always impressed with how little entertainment the kids need to keep them happy and occupied. I told S, the little kids spend a lot of time doing this.....

And this....

And even with friends....

I call it "wallowing" but there is a good bit of playing too. I would normally never choose to spend several days in a hotel room with several children but these kids truly entertain themselves.

The kids impress me with how well they play and share their things. I was forever turning around and seeing one of them offering a sip of their drink or a bite of their candy. It was really sweet.

I am terrible about taking pictures because I get so caught up in the moment. I decided to let N pick an outfit to go outside and get her picture made. She chose the most colorful outfit I brought. It was covered in dancing frogs. Really cute! We went outside our Villa where there was a sitting area and plants. I snapped some pictures and she was so cute! Then I had her sit on a this little planter thingy. It was cracked and leaked water so that it soaked her shorts. I wish I had gotten a picture of her face when she realized this. She gave me the dirtiest look like I had done it on purpose! I don't think she appreciated my laughter either.

Addie and I joked that the staff would be glad to see us go. We were needy, I suppose. We spent 10 minutes arguing when we checked in because they were giving us one of our friend's room. We did beg for towels and well, we did get locked out 2 times. I had the key in my pocket and didn't realize it once.

Our friend Laura helped to sully our names. She left her luggage in our room after she checked out while she was waiting on her ride to the airport. Her ride showed up unexpectantly early. She ran down to our room to collect her things while we waited at the pool. She rushes through saying her goodbyes as she follows her ride out only realizing when she gets in her car at the airport that she still has our key. Thanks Laura! :)

It takes 10 minutes of explaining- and no one ever really seems to understand- that WE no longer have a key and WHO does have it. We gave up and just left our room unlocked for the rest of the visit- after waiting for 30 minutes for maid service to open the door... again.

To be continued.....

My Haiti Trip 2

As soon as we got back to our room, I brought out N's backpack of goodies. As she dumped the loot and examined everything, I got a chance to really look her over. I had looked at pictures for a year but that doesn't show you the "real" person. Her hair was darker than I had seen it in the pictures. That tells me she is getting better nutrition. It's still an auburn color, though, with lighter ends. Her skin is much darker than I thought. She's darker than my three at home. Her features are very ethnic, to me. Her face is very round with her profile being almost completely flat. As I sat there drinking in the fact that I was really SEEING her, I thought how very beautiful and dainty she is.

One of the first objects, second to the candy, that she pulled out was the photo album I made for her. I let her just go through it at her own pace. I had pictures of us, our home, and one of our many dogs, Max - the Great Pyrenees. When she came to that page, she slapped it and forcefully said something. I couldn't help laughing but I could tell she wasn't too happy with that picture. From then on, she loved her album but always "spanked" the picture of Max and scolded.

Not too long after meeting my little sweetie, I noticed her with a pained expression on her face and a hand on her tummy. Deja Vu! I recognized this from my week with Kaflaure. I grabbed her up and rushed to the bathroom. We barely made it - she had exploding diarrhea. Uggg! Kaflaure had it the whole week I visited so I wasn't too confident that this with N would pass quickly.

After some time of playing, we decided the kids were sleepy so we all went to bed. (Addie and I shared a room.) After a couple of hours, N raised up in bed while saying something frantically in Creole. In my sleep fogged brain, I thought she might have had a nightmare or maybe woke up confused about where she was. I reached out to comfort her when I realized she probably needed the potty. I grabbed her up and stumbled through the dark to the bathroom. This time we only made it as far as right inside the door. "Stuff" splattered everywhere including the walls. I got her cleaned up, back to bed and then grabbed Addie's container of lysol wipes and cleaned our bathroom. We got up 3 more times during the night but by morning it seemed to subside. Thank goodness!

I had brought several cute outfits and I joked that since my visit time had gotten cut short I would have to change her several times a day. I choose a cute little dress to put on her. It's been a long time since I got to dress a little girl and I loved it! She seemed to enjoy the attention and I got lots of smiles when I pulled out the camera.

Later on we decided to head up to the pool with the rest of our group. Lexi had sent a Hello Kitty! necklace and bracelet that N refused to take off from the time she put it on. I slipped off the bracelet and put it with her other things before leaving for the pool because it was loose and I thought she might lose it. She was not very pleased about that. I opened the door and told her to come. She just stood there with a guilty smile on her face and her hand partly behind her back. She just looked suspicious to me. I pulled her hand forward and in her little fist was her bracelet. Little stinker - she won't be able to get away with anything. You'll notice in the pictures that I gave in and let her wear it anyway. I won't be such a pushover at home, I promise.

I almost forgot to bring N a bathing suit since I'm not much of a water person. The water felt cold even as hot as the temperature was outside. The kids shivered but still wanted to be in it. I sat on the edge with N sitting on the steps within my reach.

She was hilarious! Most parents are so careful to keep the water out of their children's eyes when bathing because the kids complain. I won't have to worry about that with our girl. She delighted in pouring water over her head or leaning forward until her whole face was immersed. She would wipe it out of her eyes and nose and laugh and laugh.

More to come......

My trip to Haiti

I got back really late on Friday night. As usual it takes me a couple of days to get back in the groove of things.

I left after church last Sunday. S and I had lunch at a favorite restaurant then headed off on the 2 1/2 hour trek to the airport. I get my luggage checked in then off to the security check where I separate from my dear hubby. I felt amazingly calm although it was my first time to fly alone - it had to be a God thing.

I arrived in Fort Lauderdale late that evening where I awaited my good friend, Addie, who was also traveling to visit her Haitian babies. She and I had made plans previously to meet there at the airport. After some delays she finally arrived. We sat up all night chatting and catching up on each others lives. That was another first for me- staying up all night that is.

We left out early the next morning for our final leg of the journey. I was very excited but my brain felt a little foggy from lack of sleep. We arrive at the Haitain airport with no problems. As usual the heat hit us in the face as soon as we stepped off the plane. It didn't seem quite as hot as it was last May when I was there though I was glad I had exchanged my turtleneck sweater for a t-shirt. I quickly stripped off my jacket and wished I had taken off my socks before landing.

The Haitian airport. Uggg! It's what I dislike intensely about the whole visit. That moment when you step out of the airport to a sea of loud grabbing men and the nagging thought that your ride might not be there to meet you. Thankfully, our orphanage director remembered to make arrangements for us. A man named, Big, was there with our names on a sign. Instant relief as he took charge of our luggage and wisked us away to the parking lot where our driver awaited us.

Our driver took us to Visa Lodge. We had heard nice things about this hotel and were meeting some other visiting parents there. We were pleasantly surprised at our accommadations. If you didn't look beyond the walls to the devastion beyond, it seemed pretty upscale. It has a nice indoor/outdoor restaurant, a pool with a beautiful view of the mountains, and dozens of 2 room air conditioned villas. The only downside was the unfriendly office staff and the lack of bath towels available. We started with one towel, period, and had to keep requesting more. By the end of the visit, we had accumulated 4 towels for the 5 of us.

After settling in, Addie and I called our O director to check in. We then relaxed by the pool while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. After staying up all night, we dozed and read then dozed some more.

A few hours later, our people arrive. We had a great time meeting them since we felt as if we knew each other after all the online time we shared.

We all settled down to wait on the arrival of our children from the O. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, that evening we got a call that M had arrived with the kids. Woo Hoo! We all excitedly headed up to the office. We walk in and it becomes a little chaotic. I scan the room and realize my sweet N is not in the group. Oh no! I had had several nightmares over the months before this visit that that happened. I kept thinking, in my dream, that I had come so far to not get to see her. Was my nightmare about to come true?

M tells me that N had a doctor's appointment the next morning so I would see her the next day. I felt like a deflated balloon but what could I do? I decided to enjoy everyone else's reunion- which I did to the fullest. One of the dad's was meeting his 3 little ones for the first time. The other families were having a great time reconnecting. It was just precious!

The next morning we had our I-600 appointments scheduled. We felt as if we could relax and enjoy our visit once that was out of the way. It was pretty uneventful and a lot less stressful than we imagined. Unfortunately, although I was allowed to sign our form, Madame D pointed out that our case was being retained at our home office. Why? Who knows - maybe I filled out the I-600A form wrong. I don't know. Whatever the case may be, she needs the name of the adoption officer at the home office so she can request our case be sent to Haiti. Sounds pretty cut and dried but we are dealing with the government.

We leave the Embassy and head back to the hotel with another mom in tow who had flown in that morning for the appointment. She and I wait and wait until early evening when there is a knock on the door with our little ones!

N came unresistingly into my lap. She seemed a little uneasy in all the excitement. Who could blame the poor child! I tried not to cry and fawn over her too much. We eventually walked to our room where I had a backpack full of little goodies just for her. She decided pretty quickly that this was a good thing!

More later......