Leaving for Haiti

We're getting ready to leave for Haiti today. We're so excited and anxious. Our suitcases are full. We have some treats to share with the kids. I picked up some of Josh, Emily & Kaylin's favorite snack foods for Peterson & Gaëlle to try and share with their friends.

We've already heard that the kids at GLA don't like Kraft Dinner. Gasp! Didn't pack that, but we'll see who likes Smarties and Lucky Charms and Crispers.

We'll try to take lots of pictures and give out lots of hugs.

All moved in

Robin's mom has left the town she has been living in for the past 14 years and has moved back to Nova Scotia. It's a big change for her in so many aspects, but she has taken it all so well. We're all thrilled that she is staying so positive. She knows that she has lost her independence and she is remaining gracious and even humorous. She has always liked to laugh and it seems as though her playful nature is coming to the forefront.

After we finished unpacking this afternoon and we headed home, we continued to talk about her spirit and the people she is surrounded by. I really wish I could document some of the hilarious stories and things people say. I'm afraid it would come out a bit disrespectful, but she and her "housemates" over the summer are just so funny. Some of them are funny because of their crankiness. And then others are humourous because of their mental confusion.

Today as we were leaving her new "house", one lady followed us down the hallway. There is a locked door that needs a special code and as we left, she snuck in behind us, and caught the door. While we were waiting for the elevator she opened the door with a big grin on her face.

"It's never done that before!"

I think she was so tickled with herself for catching us off guard. She just shut the door and walked back down the hallway. Undoubtedly chuckling the whole time. Because the lock down unit wasn't very secure with us newbies around.

What a week!

This week has certainly been jam packed. Not only did we get the great news about presidential dispense and parquet, we also received news that all adoptive families now have to make a trip to Haiti to appear before the local Justice of the Peace. This has been floating around all summer but I didn't get too worked up because who knows what the requirement would be when our file got to that point.

Well, GLA decided to follow this new requirement this week and our file is now at that point. So... we're going to Haiti Sept. 15 and we'll get to see Peterson & Gaëlle face to face for the first time.

Quite honestly, it's all a bit surreal. I certainly never expected this and it's not really the way I want to meet them. We only will be there for a couple of days. We won't really get the chance to relax and get to know them in such a short time. They won't really know what to make of us either. It's just so unfair all the way around. Not just for us, but for GLA, and the adoption officials working so hard to facilitate our adoption.

Quite a few people have asked what is left in the process. I've copied a list that GLA uses to help us understand.

Pre-IBESR = We are preparing your dossier to go into Haitian Social Services. There are some legal documents that must be made after you accept your proposal and some of them must be legalized at the Ministry of Justice. If we have problems getting a document, this can delay this step.

IBESR = Haitian Social Services

Parquet = Pre-Courts, they interview the birth parents and give permission for the dossier to go through the Haitian court system.

Courts = The dossier is in the Haitian Courts having the actual adoption declared and legalized.

Attest or Attestation= After court papers are finished, the Act of Adoption must be sent to the National Archives and they declare that the signature on the Act of Adoption is legal.

Legal or Legalization = All court papers must be sent to the Ministry of Justice to be legalized. They declare that the signature on all of the paperwork actually is the signature of the Judge who signed it.

MAE = Ministry of Foreign Affairs must legalize the signature of the person in the Ministry of Justice who signed your paperwork in the step above.

MOI = All Adoption passports must go through the Ministry of the Interior for approval before Immigration will print the passport.

Printing= Your dossier is in Immigration waiting for the passport to be printed.

Visa=Your dossier is in your country's Embassy waiting for a visa to be issued!

As you can see, there is quite a bit left!!!! However, even though it all takes time, the only real big step left is MOI. Of course, this is Haiti, and anything could happen and slow things down for us.

What a week!

OUT OF PARQUET!!!

I can't even believe it. We just received word that our file came out today. This has been such an emotional rollar coaster of a week.

Kaylin started high school.
Emily left for Thailand.
And now after 13 months, we are out of parquet.

Emily arrived safely in Thailand today. I was praying for her safe arrival all day and couldn't stop thinking about her. She sounds great. Her travel - connections - and arrival all went well.

And now my thoughts are turned towards Haiti. And my 2 children there. I'm praying for their safe arrival here. I had stopped thinking of a timeline for that. I just couldn't see past parquet. And there's still a ways to go. But it doesn't look so bleak anymore. It really could happen by Christmas. Or not. But either way, I'm just thankful for the blessings of this week.

Dispense Granted!!!

Finally, our Presidential dispense has been granted. Yeah!!!!! Now we go back to Parquet, where we were last August. And we need to pray that we are signed out soon.

And I Ended Up In Thailand

These past few days have been a whirlwind of activity. Emily has been getting ready to leave for Thailand for 9 months. I want to be completely eloquent and share my feelings as we head towards Wednesday... the day she leaves. But there's just so much going around in my mind. So maybe later, I'll get some thoughts down. For now, here's a video which shows the organization she'll be working with.




Her blog is linked in the side. I know I'll be closely following to see any and all updates!!!

The tale of 2 weekends

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...

The past 2 weekends were a real contrast. During the 1st weekend we drove down to NJ to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. The actual date was in June but the family was not all able to gather then. So we set aside a weekend in August when we could all be together. My parents from NJ. My brother and family from MA. My sister and family from CA. And my family from NS. We are all spread out so far so it was a real treat to be together and to celebrate the life and marriage of my parents.

I know what a blessing it is to have the love and encouragement my parents have always provided. I know how unusual it is to have my parents together and healthy. And oh so active. Altho I think the youngest grandchild gives them a run for their money. He is active with a capital "A'. But so cute!!!!!




David and Herlinda providing some laughs.



The girl cousins having some quality girl talk.



The 2 big boy cousins going crazy and burning off some energy.

We partied and celebrated and I think we ate the entire weekend. It was wonderful. Wonderful memories. A special time together.

Contrast that to this past weekend. In the spring, Robin's mother was diagnosed with dementia. The family knew some tough decisions were going to have to be made, but then in July she ended up in the hospital while her mental condition rapidly worsened.

So this past weekend we drove to St. John and along with another brother, we packed up her apartment. We loaded up a trailer yet still left quite a bit behind. She will now be living in a facility that specializes in residents with Alzheimers or dementia. She will be going from complete independence to a lock down floor.

After the packing we went into see her and both of us were thinking, "She looks great!" She really did. And we both started questioning the decision. She sounded fantastic...until the confusion started. Moments of clarity laced with complete absurdity. And when we went out to eat, we could see the panic and frustration when the waitress was talking to her. There were other signs too, that she is no longer able to function on her own. And for now, she accepts that. At this point she is embracing the change. And she will be moving to Halifax when the assessment is done.

That will be a huge change for our family. Even though she won't be living with us, we will be responsible for her care. We will have to establish new routines; ones that include looking in on her daily and taking care of basic needs that up until now, she has managed alone.

So today we are thankful for our families. We are thankful for the heritage and the Godly example they have given us.

They are growing

This picture cracks me up because they have such a fake smile and pose. Actually it's a bit unusual for them. They usually seem so at home in front of the camera. I still love it.

And we're so thankful that Melanie is back at GLA and feeling better. She was home for a while after contracting Hepatitis A, which I'm sure was a mixed blessing. No fun to be sick, but it must have been great to be loved and cared for by her family.

On another note, I am so thankful for the dedication and commitment by all the orphanage workers and adoption staff who work so hard to move our paperwork through the Haitian system. I honestly don't know how they stay sane. Vera is an adoptive mom who also has a role in Haiti facilitating adoptions. She isn't connected with our orphanage but she is an invaluable source of information. Read this to get a feel for the madness that is the current state of adoptions in Haiti.

I love my cinnamon

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman back when it was first posted. It looked interesting but I didn't feel the need to try it. I'm a bread maker and every once in a while I make cinnamon rolls. But this summer my husband wanted to give a little something to the staff in his office, so for some reason I decided to try this recipe.

I just have to say.... these rolls are amazing. I made 8 pans from one recipe and I heard things like, "These are the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had." They really are that good. And the recipe is pretty simple.

I made them a second time and I made sure to save some dough for the morning so I could take a pan into the office warm. Let me just say, they are even better fresh from the oven. Yum.

July 25... 3 years and counting

We handed in our paperwork to adopt internationally to Community Services July 25, 2006. I never would have thought we would be here 3 years later with no end in sight. At the time, we thought it would take 6 months to complete our paperwork in Canada. It took 11 months to get our dossier to GLA.

Referrals used to happen fairly fast. Ours took 4 months.

Then it was supposed to take 12-18 months to complete the adoption. We're at the 22 month mark...

And counting.

There have been so many ups and downs in our journey. Times when I thought we might not be allowed to adopt from Haiti. No other country was an option for us. It was Haiti or nothing.

Times of energy.. rushing around to get things done.

But more often, times of waiting. With no word. No change. Nothing new.

There have been times of support from family, friends IRL (in real life,) and friends I've never met in person.

Times of real anguish and sorrow knowing that Peterson & Gaëlle are in an institution. They are just one of many children. Studies have been done to show the impact of institutions on development. Even great institutions. It just is not the ideal environment for young children.

Times when I've fantasized about moving to Haiti until this craziness is over. Robin and I have actually seriously considered that. We have a bit of a plan. But we just don't have peace.

So, here we are. One of my kids thinks I've lost my joy. This adoption is sucking me dry.

One song that always ministers to me is "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong. I know that God can move mountains. He rose and conquered the grave. What's a couple of bureaucrats in Haiti? I believe that if it were God's will, He could bring our kids home in weeks instead of the months that are ahead of us.

So, I'll continue to sing and pray.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus