Last will and testament

Oh my, we've been married for over 12 years, have had kids for 10, and have yet to write a will. There is a man at our church who is a lawyer and agreed to help us out for half price! We figured it was about time, and with our trip to Haiti coming up, now is a good time to do it. The problem for us was deciding about custody of our children. We finally came to a decision and are meeting with the attorney on Friday. I am still trying to figure out what we should do about our estate. If anyone wants to call dibs on our stuff, now is the time to give us a shout!

Kylie

My Kylie...what can I say? She is our baby, and Daddy's little girl. She is going to be five in about a week. I can't believe it. Last year she was sick on her birthday too. I hope she will be better before her big day. Last night she was coughing and coughing, and kept calling out for Daddy. He is such a softy and got up every time. I slept through it all, waking a bit, but knew he would get up and go to her. If he was gone, I would have had her come in bed with me, so she would stop yelling! I know these are not the best parenting techniques, but she is sick! Kylie is the worst sick kid, always looks MISERABLE, and whines, sniffles, and cries a lot. But she is the kid who has had to go to the doctor the least amount of times. She gets sick, but not too sick (don't ask her though!). You gotta love her.

Waiting and waiting and waiting...

I just checked the IBESR update website. Elijah's number(15744) has been passed up! They usually are exited in order but sometimes it is random. So it can be a good sign, meaning that we are close! Or a bad sign, meaning that they aren't going to sign him out, there is a problem with paper work, or worse (hate to think that it's possible they can loose our entire file). So if you get a moment please say a prayer for us, that Elijah will be signed out SOON and not get passed by.

I heard from Sarah, and they got bad news about her poor Beanie. While you are praying please add her too! She has been going through a lot lately.

Kylie is sick, I thought she was getting better, but now has a horrible cough. We went to the doctor today and she has croup. She should be OK, but it is hard to listen to, especially at night!

Poor Beanie!

I traveled with Bean today (my friend Sarah's baby) to Seattle Children's. I have been there several times before but every time I go I thank God for the health of my babies. Bean had to undergo a few xrays and a MRI. She was sedated during this process. The anest. let us both stay in the room with her while she fell asleep. It was pretty creepy and scary to see a tiny person get knocked out in no time flat. She did well and woke up with no problems so now Sarah and family will wait for results. I actually had a pretty nice day away from the kids and homeschooling. It is pretty sad that I get excited to drive a friend to the hospital for a break from the kids (I love so dear)!

December Photos of Elijah

Elijah January Update

The Boat Room continues to be very active, they are such a busy, inquisitive group of kids always exploring, climbing and trying to escape! They love to play outside on the Lion kids pavilion when they are in school or sit and play in the grass and on the car port. We have a Rubbermaid barrier separating the Boat kids from the older ones in the hallway and most of the babies like to climb on top of it or try to sneak in between rubbermaids, they love to watch their nannies chase them up and down the hallway. Many of them are so much bigger now they have been bathing outside on the laundry pavilion, they like to use bath time as another chance to run around and explore. They were all really excited about their Christmas gifts, we organised presents and each child got two gifts. They received balls, trucks, dolls and music toys which they’ve had a lot of fun playing with. It’s been interesting to watch them all learn to share; some of them are still struggling with that though! Someone very kindly donated some great hair care products for our girls so Katie has been busy washing all the girls’ hair and giving them deep cleansing treatments. We are now spraying the girls’ hair everyday with a special protective mist that helps to prevent breakage; the girls’ hair is already noticeably softer. We were blessed to have a dentist come and stay with us for a few days recently. He examined all the children’s teeth and was really impressed with them, brushing every night has really helped keep them in good shape.
Elijah has been doing so well recently, he’s one busy happy little boy, always on the go and seeing what mischief he can get up to. He’s very sweet natured too and likes to give kisses and help his friends out. I watched him earlier climb up on one of the seats in the hallway and reach for the kids’ cups, he then proceeded to start handing them out to everyone, making sure that all his friends had enough milk; he’s a great little helper.
He is also a great dancer and loves to move around when his nannies sing. Usually when he dances he marches his feet up and down. Another one of his favourite activities is parties, we’ve had a few birthday and goodbye parties recently and Elijah has enjoyed them all. He LOVES cake and tries to squash as much of it as possible into his mouth in one go.
Every morning when I come in to give Samuel his meds the kids have a little competition to see who can shout my name the loudest, Elijah usually wins, he’ll shout my name really loudly and dances around in his crib until I come over and give him a kiss. He loved opening all his Christmas gifts; he got a fun cash register, a truck and a steering wheel toy. He’s had lots of fun playing with all of them and playing with everyone else’s toys too. Elijah isn’t too thrilled with the whole concept of sharing though, if he has a toy he’ll hold onto it tightly if someone else tries to take it. He is well able to stand his ground but if he feels like he is loosing the battle for it he’ll often start to scream and cry loudly to get one of his nannies attentions in the hope that they will give it to him. When he came over to open his gifts from his aunt and uncle he had so much fun with the gift bag. He kept pulling up the tissue paper and looking at it, then when he discovered that there were cars in there in must have put them in and out of the bag about twenty times. Elijah is the kind of kid who likes the little things fun and finds new ways to entertain himself. He was so excited when Katie brought the new kitchen over to his room; he’s been having lots of fun making delicious treats for everyone! His favourite thing to do is to open and shut the oven door; he really enjoys banging shut and makes sure it’s firmly closed. When it’s open he likes to stand on it and uses it as a platform to reach higher up and touch the picture in the kitchen ‘window’. Elijah has been healthy lately; he currently weighs 23 pounds 2.6 ounces.

Feeling Better

Kylie and I are both feeling better. Kylie has a bit of a red eye, wasn't sure if it was pink eye or not, but she is on the mend. I just had an upset stomach from food I ate and am better now. I am eating vegan and am trying hard to not stray. It is hard to cut out the dairy products. I can go without meat, don't even miss it, but cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and ice cream, I miss. I was supposed to see the doctor today for a follow up but he was out of town. Found out after I drove a half hour one way to the office. They had left a message on the answering machine, my husband listened to part of it and deleted the important part! Nice. I am trying to change my attitude but so far I am having a lousy day. I can't get my computer to turn on. We may have to buy a new one, it is about 7-8 years old. I hope we haven't lost all the photos and music on the hard drive!!!
Have a happy day, I will try too!

It's all in how you look at it!

Attitude

Author unknown

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head. “Well,” she said, “I think I’ll braid my hair today!”

So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.

“H-M-M,” she said, “I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today!”

So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.

“Well,” she said, “today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail.”

So she did and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.

“YEA!” she exclaimed, “I don’t have to fix my hair today!”

Attitude is everything.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly…..

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.

Please pray!

Please pray hard for my dear friend Sarah. She is still having adoption issues with Isaac. Pray that they will have wisdom to make some hard decisions. It is not fair, I am getting very depressed about the whole Haitian adoption thing lately. I have not heard of many files getting signed out of IBESR, and I've heard of a family that is having issues trying to adopt a special needs child. Why is this? I don't get it. Pray for all those children out there waiting to come home. There are a bunch who are just waiting on passports and visas.

I am home from church today, sick. Kylie is too, but she just has a cold. I think my illness is from too much rich food I ate yesterday. I was doing really well the last week, only eating vegan. It really made me feel great! I ate a bunch of cream cheese dip, cookies, cake, tuna salad and croissants yesterday. I am paying the price today! Yuck. Jeremiah was leading worship at church this morning, and was going to announce the Ugandan Orphan Choir that will be coming to our church soon. We are hosting 3 children and one chaperone. I can't wait. I should be great experience for everyone. Jeremiah and I have been working on finding host families. I can't believe the petty issues people are complaining about. I wish they would look at the big picture, and realize that these kids are ORPHANS and have NOTHING and that the dumb trivial stuff doesn't really matter! One family was complaining about having to buy white rice for them, and they already have a bag of brown. "Why can't they eat brown rice?" is what I was asked. Is it too much to drag yourself to the store and buy a $1 worth of white rice for the kids? Come on. Enough ranting, I really hope that this experience will shed some light on us spoiled Americans about the world, the AIDS epidemic in Africa, and the needs that these orphans have.

PS...if you have been signed out of IBESR this month, don't forget to go to www.ibesr-updates.blogspot.com and email them your file number and dates so those of us who check it everyday will have more hope of our files being signed out too!!! Thanks.

Children of the Promise prayer requests

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.”

Psalm 111:2-4

Praises!!

- Emmanuel turned 4 years old on January 23. We are so thankful for the blessing that he is!!

- Kado is out of IBESR J

- Cassandra, Nelson, Christolla, Obenson, and Fresnel all have their passports!

- Robert and Kassandra had their visa appointment on January 22 and they left for Missouri with their adoptive family on January 25!! Pray that they will adjust well to their new surroundings and family.

- David (the little boy that Vanessa is being adopted with) is out of MOI! Thank you for your prayers!!

- Jesse’s paper has been fixed and he and his siblings will be going home soon! Your prayers are making a difference in the lives of these children!





Prayer Requests

- Pray for health, safety, strength, and energy for Blake, Katie, Arlyn, Maria, Daryl, and Sara as they continue to oversee the daily running of COTP.

- We had a wonderful week with the team of 8 guys from Indianapolis. They got a lot of projects done and weren’t afraid to jump in and help with anything that needed to be done. They were such a blessing to COTP and we are thankful for their hard work and giving hearts.

- Daryl’s aunt and uncle are volunteering their time at COTP right now for two weeks. Pray that their time here will be a blessing to us and that they will be blessed by the children and the work that God is doing here at COTP.

- We have a group of 5 coming in on Saturday from Jasper, Indiana. Pray for safe travels for them and a wonderful week here in Haiti!

- Pray for a healthy baby to be born to Nadia, one of our nannies.

- Henri has returned home to his biological family. He’s our sweet little boy with severe hydrocephalus. Pray that he will go home to see Jesus soon and that his pain and suffering will be relieved. We love him dearly and we pray that he will soon be in Jesus’ arms.

- Please continue praying for Nallie. She is still on oxygen and we are starting to wonder if she will need it long-term until she can get her medical visa for heart surgery. Continuing praying that we will be able to wean her off of oxygen. Her adoptive family is working hard at trying to get the hospital and doctors near them to donate her care/surgery. Pray that they will agree and that she will be able to leave soon on her medical visa.

- Pray that Wich-Love will start gaining weight, that her appetite will increase, and that she will begin progressing developmentally.

- Jesse, Moise, and Isabelle will be headed home in the next few weeks! We are SO excited for them and for their adoptive family as their adoption process has taken 3 years! Pray that they will be able to get a visa appointment next week.

- Pierre and Jeffley continue to wait on Pierre’s paper that is being fixed right now. They are so close to going home, we just need that paper fixed and a visa appointment and then they are done! Pray for that paper to be fixed in the next few weeks. Pray for strength for their adoptive family as they wait.

- Pray that things fall into place and we can get birthparent interviews for Geffrey and Francesca so that they can go home to their adoptive families.

- Pray that Fresnel’s sibling, Totalte, will get out of MOI soon so that they can go home to their forever family together and without waiting too much longer.

- Pray that the papers for Cassandra, Obenson, and Francesca will be fixed this week so that these children can head home to their adoptive families!

- Continuing praying that things will continue to move along in both IBESR and MOI. We are SO thankful for the movement that we have seen lately. It is very encouraging and we pray that it will continue.

- Pray that Noah’s birthparent interview on Wednesday, January 30 will go well with no problems.

- Antonio, Paulaine, and Cleguy are doing a fabulous job working on all these adoptions! We are blessed to have such wonderful people that work so well together! Pray for continued strength and energy for them.

- Thank you for all your prayers for Joinise. We were able to get all of her paperwork done in time for her to leave on January 27. We are working with Angel Missions Haiti for her medical visa. There are two hospitals (on the east coast) and one doctor that has agreed to do all of their hydrocephalic kids (about 24 kids) that they have waiting for surgery. We were able to get all of her paperwork done in time for her to leave on January 27. Unfortunately, right before she was supposed to leave, we found out that the hospital she was going to go to doesn’t accept hydrocephalic kids over 12 months old. Joinise is 16 months. She will need to wait until next month when the other hospital is donating the care. Pray that she will stay healthy and stable until she can leave towards the end of Feb!

Going Private

I have decided to go PRIVATE with my blog. There are several people in the adoption world having adoption problems because of things that they have said on their blogs. (Simple things have been turned around into incrimanating negative actions on the parts of hateful people.) For the safety of my family, I need to make the blog private. If you read my blog, and you want to continue to do so please email me ASAP and let me know:

adoptinghaiti@yahoo.com


Or you can post a comment about who you are and please include your email address. (I have to add each email addy of each person that I grant permission to read the blog, so it may take me a couple days!)

Corn Allergy?

My son (almost 11) has been having stomach pain and vomiting off and on this last week. I noticed every time he would feel sick it was after eating some form of corn. A few years back we did allergy testing for him and corn was on the list of allergies. The doctor and I discussed this and we both felt it must have been a false positive test because he ate corn products often and it didn't effect him, that I knew of. But now I think it is effecting him. He has had stomach aches, vomiting, headaches, dark circles under eyes and asthma for about 2 years. He also had a lot of ear infections before he had tubes placed, and he had his tonsils and adenoids removed last year. I wonder if these are all related to corn allergies? I did a bit of internet investigating, there is a huge list of items that may contain corn. Great! I will start keeping a food diary for him and see what happens. Has anyone ever heard of a corn allegy before?

Missing Bug and Ella

My husband and I (and our kids) all have been missing Bugs and Ella a lot lately. To catch some of you up, we helped our good friends (ourhaitianjourney.blogspot.com) care for 2 special little babies last summer. They were from Haiti, had surgery in Texas and lived here while recovering and having more surgery (unexpectedly). I helped to escort them home in September and had a great meeting with their parents and Lori (haitinurse4life). I also was able to visit Children of the Promise and meet Elijah while there. It seems so long ago. I miss the girls, especially Helande (aka Bug) because our family formed a special bond with her. Christella (aka Ella) is missed in a different way. She passed away right after Thanksgiving, basically because of poor health care in Haiti. Lori tried her hardest to help her, but the hospitals and doctors were too late. I miss both girls so much. As I was praying this morning I realized that God brought them into our lives for a special reason. He didn't intend for us to keep them here, although we wanted to. I think they made their way into our lives so our hearts would change. So that we would learn more about special needs children. And so we would learn more about Haiti, where our son in right now. I see change in my life for sure, and also in the lives of my husband and children. We learned so much from these babies, more than I could ever imagine.

Battle On!

I read this post today while visitiing fellow adoptive parents' blogs. http://campgirdwood.blogspot.com It was written so well and I was very moved by it, I hope it moves you too!

"I have yet to come across a family adopting who has not faced tremendous obstacles to bring home their child or children. Whether it be financial, lack of family support, paperwork hurdles, visa issues... ect. Recently, Guatemala shut down completely to adoption and MANY families waiting will never see their babies come home. I have often asked the question... WHY? Why is adoption so darn hard? Well, it is simple... the enemy wants nothing more than these children to stay in darkness and oppression... to never know the love of a family... so they will forever be broken and hurting. Why would Satan ever want any of these kids to come home where they will know God, know love, and heal from the pain of abandonment? No wonder Haitian adoptions are so impossible. Haiti is the voodoo capital of the world where it is openly acceptable to worship Satan. Would Satan want them here or there?

This is a battle beyond what we can ever see or imagine. The battle is fierce.... Some battles on this Earth will be lost. This is not God's world. Do, I believe God is bigger than all of it? YES!!! But, I also know this world is evil, it is not our home, and it is full of injustice, pain and strife. Take a look at the bible. God's most faithful were imprisoned, persecuted, struck down, and even lost their lives all in the name of Christ.

My faith is not in whether or not my kids will come home. My faith is in Him, that no matter what this life brings, I will not be shaken. Victory is His, and one day we will live in Glory with Him where no tears will be shed, where there will be no orphans and we will finally have won the battle. I long for that day."
Thank you so much, Courtney.

Tonight at our church service our pastor had my husband and I come up to share with the church our adoption progress and our plans to travel to Haiti in a few months. How amazing is it that as my husband was sharing about the adoption, he said the same thing? He saw this whole thing as a spiritual battle as well.

Cute Kids

Never Give Up

Sunday morning's message was great. It turns out, I actually knew the pastor and his family when I was younger. One of the things Pastor S. said really stood out to me.
Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Keep praying. Never give up. While there is breath, there is hope!

What did I do last night?

We went to Sarah's house to celebrate Sophie's birthday. We had a delicious meal, ate ice cream with all sorts of fun toppings and played games. I was laughing so hard I was crying watching our kids play charades. If you ever get a chance to go over to Sarah's house, don't pass it up, it is pure entertainment!

Today we are headed to church. There is a guest speaker and I am sure it will be great. I have decided to fast today, for Elijah's adoption. I am praying I will hear some news about his file this week. I think we should be pretty close to getting signed out of IBESR. If you would, please join me in prayer (and fasting if you feel led to). I am concerned about the Haitian government trying to pass some adoption laws that wouldn't allow us to adopt from Haiti. We are supposed to be "grandfathered in" but it still concerns me. See my post below about the petition, I believe anyone can sign it, even if you are not adopting from Haiti.

Clairvoyant?

I had a dream last week. I was pregnant...with twins. I was very happy about the situation, although I could feel them kicking me very hard in the ribs. I woke up wondering what this realistic dream meant. I cannot have any more biological children, and honestly I feel like I do not wish to have any more if I could. I am so content with the idea of adding to our family through adoption.

This is a picture we got in the inbox yesterday. I am going to be an aunt to TWINS! My husband's brother and his wife are expecting, this we already knew, but they just found out they are expecting two! I am so surprised and happy for them. Pray for them, they will be busy with their toddler, and the new babies in July!

Petition for Haitian Adoptions

If you are adopting in Haiti check this out, I found this on adoptivemomhaiti.blogspot.com

Petition - Proposed Haitian Adoption Law
Update: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Haiti-Adoption-Law/
Please sign the petition. In the comment section write whether you have adopted already, you are in the process of adopting or your are a prospective adoptive parent.

UPDATE:
Quite a few people have signed the petition "anonymous" --- Unfortunately, those signatures will have to be removed when I put the petition together for the Haitian Parliament & Senate because "anonymous" is not a signature. We had this issue with a previous letter regarding MOI - there were some in Haiti that used the fact that there were "anonymous" signatures on the petition to try to discredit the petition.
Countries --- it is really important to add what country you are from. Hardly anybody did this in the comment section. It will be a much more powerful petition if the countries are listed.

Thyroid Madness

I went to the doctor today. He said I probably have the worst case of hypothyroidism he has ever seen. Nice. I asked what can he do about it? He went over my blood test results (which I have to go back to the lab because our local lab office didn't do the correct tests order) and my diet (recorded before Christmas). I am going to be taking some vitamin D supplements, a natural thyroid replacement called Westhroid and some other supplement to help my immune system. I am to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners and soda. He said my diet is ok, until dinner. I need to just eat a salad and some lean protein for dinner and not eat 3 hours before bed. I am so hopeful that this new regime helps me. I talked with Sarah and she found a informative website online:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com
It had some really great info. on it, and I really can't wait to see who is right in the medical world as far as my thyroid is concerned. Read up and get educated. It has taken me 7 plus years to finally do a bit of research. I am posting a picture of how puffy my face has gotten in the last year. Don't judge, people! According to the naturopath I have a good diet! I blame everything on my thyriod.

Here I am last year. I think there is quite a change. I have noticed a big difference in my appearance in the last 3 years.

I am strawberry ice cream...wish I could eat some right now!

You Are Strawberry Ice Cream

A bit shy and sensitive, you are sweet to the core. You often find yourself on the outside looking in. Insightful and pensive, you really understand how the world works. You are most compatible with chocolate chip ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

Week one weight loss

I lost 4 pounds last week! Woohoo! I am seeing a naturopathic doctor tomorrow and I hope that he has something that will help my thyroid issue too. I have not been taking any medication for several months, because I didn't notice a difference in the way I felt at all. I am sure he will put me on an elimination diet for awhile. Yuck. I hope it works well but I am sure I will be pretty grumpy for a few days since I won't be able to eat anything.

Anyone???

Can any of you out there recommend a decent hotel near Fort Lauderdale? We just need one for a one night stay in March and I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions. Just leave a comment.
Thanks

Ugandan Orphans Choir

We are helping our church bring these precious kids to our community to perform:
They will be in our area this month and next, and I believe that our family will be able to host several children while they are here for a few nights!

The Ugandan Orphans Choir is a ministry of Childcare Worldwide (formerly Childcare International). Childcare Worldwide has ministered in East Africa for many years and has made a difference in the lives of thousands of boys and girls, helping them survive and succeed.

The Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria, Uganda could be a tropical paradise. There are lush forests, white sandy beaches and a year round warm climate. But there is trouble in paradise! The AIDS epidemic has left hundreds upon hundreds of orphans on these islands. Many have been rescued by Childcare Worldwide and now have found a home at our children's villages where we care for all their needs.

From these hundreds of children in the villages we have selected a group of specially gifted children who have successfully toured churches and schools in Canada and the U.S. The children exhibit an amazing vitality, and they reflect the joy and the hope they have found in Christ as they perform Christian songs and present authentic traditional dances accompanied by the rhythm of drums. They are ambassadors from Africa as they start the concert by bringing "Greetings from Africa." The boys and girls are such a blessing to the audiences that by the time they sing their last song, they are often given a standing ovation.

Ten sponsored children and two Ugandan Chaperones travel with staff from the office in the States. Your church or group too can experience the blessings of the Uganda Orphans Choir. Book now for more information.
www.childcareworldwide.org

Back to School

We had our first homeschool day yesterday after the holiday break and our first day of classes at school today. I am not ready to get back to routine, it was so hard to get up earlier this morning! It seemed like we had a really long break, but it was filled with lots of activities and fun!

I am looking online at rental cars. I am getting so excited to go to Florida and Haiti. We were offered a place to stay for our 3 night layover. An work friend of Jeremiah's had moved down there last year. She graciously offered to let us stay with her. How nice! We will have to drive an hour and a half south to the Keys to her place. It will be fun to be able to see more of Florida. When Sarah and I were there for one night we stayed in a funky, scary motel. I don't think it was in a very nice part of town!

We love the nannies

This is such a cute photo of Isaac (Sarah's son) and Elijah sitting on a nanny's lap. She looks so happy to be with them!

Waiting....

I am praying that we will hear some really good news this month about Elijah being out of IBESR. I hope that God has this in His plans! I miss him a bunch. I just babysat a friend's little girl who is about a month older than Elijah tonight. It really made me think about how things will be when he comes home. I can't wait to see what great siblings the kids will be to him. I know it will change a lot of things about our family, in a good way!