Doing Well

Carson is adjusting well so far!  Thank you to Jeanel and Madame Jeanel for working so hard on our adoption and taking good care of him in the orphanage Foyer des Petits Demunis!!

dance, dance, dance

So I would love for you all to meet Carson right away but we really need to be careful while he is learning about his new family and household.  All the bonding and attachment that naturally happens when a child is born into a loving family and well cared for will now have to happen for Carson with us.  He needs to know who is Mama and Daddy are and we need to meet ALL his needs for several weeks.    With that said however, we bent the rules a little and allowed Uncle Jeff, Auntie Amanda and cousin Lucy to come over for a few hours to visit on Sunday.  Carson LOVED Auntie Amanda and was a little uncertain about Uncle (as he is uncertain about all men, but seems to enjoy being around caucasian women-especially really pretty ones like Amanda!) 

Here is a little excerpt from our visit, Carson loves music and dancing :

By the way, her photography is amazing, check out her website!!
http://amandajeanphotos.com/#/971293/Home

More later, Carson doesn't like it when Mama is on the computer :)

We Are HOME!!

Wow, what a week it has been and I have so much to say but so little time!  My little toddler is taking a break from his exploring to catch up on sleep and I would love to get a hot shower while he is doing that.  But I wanted to take some time and post some pictures.  

Carson is doing great!  He is very much attached to Mama but will let Papa take him now and then if Mama is in sight.  He has a strong sparkling personality with incredible laughter and has already shown us a few terrific temper tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants.   We stayed with a wonderful couple in Haiti who are also adopting a child, and after just a few days with Carson, Chris said to us, "Well, you better just go buy Dobson's Strong Willed Child book now!"  Yes, I think we will have our hands full with this one.  :)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU -- to everyone who has been supporting us and loving us and encouraging us.  Thank you to everyone who helped out with Caden and Cali while we were gone, filled our fridge with food and greeted us with smiles and gifts and tears at the airport.  Thank you in advance to everyone who couldn't be there at the airport, for loving and accepting Carson, because I know that you do and can't wait to meet him!

Okay, okay, so here's the fun part -- the pictures!
Much love ~ Elizabeth

We leave TOMORROW!

Due to a conflict with some expiration date on our paperwork and the fact that we can't stay in Haiti past 4/28, they moved up our visa appt to 4/12/2012.  That's in 2 days!!!

I just booked our flights including Carson's one way ticket HOME!!!  I just can't believe it, my head is spinning, organizing everything and getting ready to go!!!

Wow, I think I'm in shock.  We will be huggin'and kissin' our boy in Haiti tomorrow as I write this and then soon we'll be home!!  I'll post pics as soon as I can :)

Thank you, thank you, thank you JESUS.  Please keep us safe and healthy.

Most Sincerely,
Elizabeth

WE GOT IT !!!!!

YES!  We received the email this morning for our visa appointment!  They have scheduled us for April 26, 2012 -- oh my head is just spinning!  They actually don't need us there for the appt and suggest that we don't come until the visa is printed (which can take a few days), but we may go down anyway just to have a few extra days to bond and transition him from the orphanage to us.

WOW, praise God, this IS actually going to happen!  I can hardly think straight right now, I may have to post more later when I have some sense about me :)

In Faith ~
Elizabeth

HAPPY EASTER!

JOHN 14:6

JESUS ANSWERED, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.  NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER (IN HEAVEN) EXCEPT THROUGH (TRUSTING IN) ME (AND ONLY ME) [parentheses mine]    Hope you had some time to rest and remember Jesus today. 

We should hear about our visa appt this week... !!!  and hopefully travel to Haiti in 2 weeks!!!!

While We are Waiting...

Okay, I just had to post this because it's so darn cute!  This week a dear friend from church sent this to me as she is following Our Adoption Journey. 

http://pbskids.org/rogers/songLyricsLetsThinkOfSomethingToDo.html
 (Thank you Rita, you are so sweet!)

When I'm feeling crabby or stressed or just plain tired of waiting, I'll have to listen to this song because it has a melody that just has to cheer you up :)

Enjoy!

I-600 Final Approval!!

"The I-600 petition you filed at this office on May 26, 2011 for the above orphan has been approved.  Your case has been transferred to the Adoption Unit of the Consular Section for the visa process.  This completes all action by this service on the referenced petition.  The Consular Section will soon contact you to follow up on your case."

We received this email this morning!!  I didn't know we would get this notice -- this was a step that I didn't realize we were waiting for, but woo-hoo!  we'll accept it! especially when I thought this office would be closed today! 

Based on other families adoption processes that I've reviewed, this likely means that we will hear about our visa appt next week and the appt itself will likely be 10-14 days after that if all goes well.  We could be going to Haiti in 2-3 weeks!!  Do I hold my breath...  and when can I start breathing again ??

There's a smile!

Thank you Madame J !

Last night's update from our adoption agency informed us that the orphanage director was ill yesterday so his wife took our paperwork to the USCIS office for us.  WOW, I am so thankful that she was willing to trek this journey with these important documents in hand!!  Now we still do not know for sure when the offices are closing for the week, we've been told it may be today or it may be tomorrow, it seems a bit confusing.  Then, they will likely reopen on Tuesday after Easter.  It would only be by a miracle that we would hear anything about our visa appointment before Easter.  God in control and God is good. 

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Closed again

The final requested papers should be brought to the USCIS office tomorrow, however, we have been told that now the government offices will likely be closed for a week for the Easter holiday starting Tuesday April 3.  We can only hope and pray that the paperwork will get there on April 2 without problem.  It is highly unlikely that anything will happen until the offices open back up on April 10th.  It is my understanding that they will then review things and then somehow the National Visa Center in New Hampshire is involved to help with the visa issuance but I'm not sure what exactly they do.  Ohhh, we are sooooo close and still it seems as if we are yet another month away from going to Haiti.


Meanwhile, Ryan found some pictures of Carson on Facebook.  He's the one in the polka-dot shirt with his belly poking out!  

These are the stackable cribs that the little ones sleep in.  Apparantly Carson is getting too tall now that he can stand up!   Oh how I long to hug and kiss and love on him and see him smile.  It has been almost a year since we were there to meet him and love on him. 

Please pray for me this week, today was a difficult one.
Sincerely~
Elizabeth