I'll keep this first part short (for me) since the rest of the post is the fun part! We've been waiting patiently for our adoption decree knowing that it was delayed since most government officials in Haiti take vacation in August (thus slowing things down). With the month winding down I've been looking forward to the excitement of our pending adoption decree {and to be able to share the girls' beautiful faces with you all}! Well, last night I found out that when those who sign off on adoption decrees are back to work, but when they went to sign off on ours they found an error in the paperwork so it has to be fixed before that can be issued. The hardest part for me is not knowing if this is a quick/easy fix (not that those two things always equate) or if this is something that could cause a big hold-up. I'm trying to be patient... this is hardly the first delay we've run into in this process, but honestly my heart is feeling heavy and weary. As I watch other families who traveled for bonding trips the same time as us bring home their children (and I'm genuinely so happy for that!) I ache for that to be us too. I know the time will come and I have complete trust our adoption facilitator and representatives on the ground working hard on our behalf. Some days are just harder than others. Today is one.
I've found an interesting pattern in my coping over the last several months. Each visit that I have to say goodbye to our girls seems to feel more painful than the last... and I find that while I think of them everyday, that I don't overindulge in wanting to post about the details of my recent visit for quite some time. It's just to fresh and beautiful and painful.
Well I woke up this morning and needed to go through pictures and videos from our last visit and put a post together. It was therapeutic for me to look through all of these pictures and feel the gratitude wash over me that we've been blessed to be able to visit them so often during this long wait. Even though the goodbyes are so hard. I indulged myself with taking time to look at their little faces, watch videos and listen to their little voices and realized that sometimes avoiding doing this is a coping mechanism for me...and sometimes immersing myself in this is a coping mechanism as well. I sure look forward to the day we get our adoption decree (hopefully soon!) that I can share their adorable faces and sweetness and sass with each of you. In the meantime here's a re-cap of our amazing trip from July.
We had the blessing of being able to take our two oldest boys to meet their sisters. We were all so excited! Here we are arriving at the airport on July 4th.
Waiting is just part of traveling...and red-eye flights are part of traveling to Haiti!
Arriving at the Port-au-Prince airport! (July 5th)
After a stop at Giant Grocery store we made it to Kenscoff and headed right over to the orphanage. All the pictures we have of the first while seeing them show their faces, except the video headed up to their room (which I'll just crop before we walk up to them). I wish we would have turned around to show the trail of adorable little kids marching behind us chanting "Abby's mom! Abby's mom!" then morhping into a chant of just "Abby! Abby!" Yes, they generally just call them both Abby, so that works for now! The procession was really just so adorable and I can't explain how much we've grown to love the other kids at the orphanage that are just like siblings to our sweet girls.
Once at the guesthouse, first things first...the girls were excited to have their baby dolls. We leave the dolls at the orphanage for community use, but ask to keep them at the guest house for the girls to have during our visits. I'm so glad that I bought duplicates of these dolls for us to have at home when they come home too. Each night before we take the girls back to the orphanage we have them put the babies night-night like this and then they come wake them back up the next day.
This is the next day (July 6th) carrying Il from the green gates of the orphanage down to the guest house.
This is Mark asking Il if she wants some creme on her skin. We bring the same amazing stuff each visit and they love us to rub in in their beautiful skin. They also like being given the choice of which of the two scents they want to use...
After some cream the girls started pointing at the top bunk where they know we keep new clothes that we bring them so we put new outfits on! It is so much fun to put cute girlie clothes on these two!
Next we pulled out their glittery bags we bring each visit and let them just play a bit with things.
The girls were tired for naps so we put them down for nap time at the orphanage and joined the other group staying at the guesthouse on their visit (and lunch) to the Baptist Mission. Here are Noah and I walking away from the orphanage after dropping off the girls...
Lunch with a view!
Aren't the mountains of Haiti just breathtaking??
When we got back to the orphanage the girls were just waking up, so we got them out of bed and brought them back to the guesthouse to play! That afternoon was lots of playing with baby dolls and other toys, snacking and dancing!
July 7th. In the morning we headed to the local church that the nannies and kids at the orphanage attend so we're able to go with the girls! Here is Mark holding El.
Random tid-bit...El loves flowers. Flower prints on clothing, actual flowers, whatever. (Here she is holding a dandelion) Il on the other hand is totally disinterested and if you hand her a flower she'll likely throw it on the ground. Haha!
Here I am carrying Il and Lincoln is carrying El on the way to church...
That is the church building at the top of that hill.
Church was several hours long (staying in the same place sitting on a wooden bench). It was pretty hot and all things considered the kids were remarkably well behaved. I was so impressed with the kids from the orphanage that sat together on the bench in front of us! This is a photo from behind Lincoln as we walked back to the guest house from church.
More photos of us walking back to the guest house/orphanage after church. One of the fabulous nannies that we love is named Nata (not sure on the spelling). She took a liking to Noah and you can see her here with her arm around him and her other hand holding hands with a child from the orphanage.
The twins love birds and get to see wild chickens sometimes so we had to stop and look and point at these. This isn't a great picture, but I just had to document the girls love for chicken and how cute it is to hear their raspy little voices say, "chicken! chicken!"
Back at the guesthouse...
El.
There was a rousing game of soccer that was a lot of fun for the girls and I to watch. Here is a clip that shows a pretty exciting goal!
During the game the girls hung out with me... and their babies.
Lincoln and Noah walking back to the guesthouse after dropping off the girls for the day...
July 8th. Lincoln ready to go see his sisters!
Noah with some of the girls at the orphanage. They loved to touch his hair.
The security guards at the orphanage are so great, not only to keep things safe there... but they are so fun and sweet interacting with the kids. Her some of the girls are trying to wrangle the security guard...
Play time at the guesthouse, then some lunch and a nap!
Mark napping with El.
One of the volunteers (Cowboy) visiting knew how to tie balloon animals for the kids and they loved it.
I had to document this. When the garbage truck comes they of course rush all kids inside to keep them safe. Also, having a garbage truck come is still a relatively new thing and the kids all like to watch! Here is little L. and El watching out the door...
Here are a bunch of other kids that were all jostling to get a look when the truck first started his pick-up.
Dinner! Delicious.
July 9th. Breakfast. Those eggs, that bacon and that MANGO! Mmmm.
I was glad that Lincoln got to see kids here doing chores too, and how lucky we are to be able to just gather up our laundry and throw it into a washing machine.
My sweet girls LOVE being outside. This is Il on the left and El on the right (with the football).
Time for Community Learning Partners!
The kids LOVE to do selfies and have their pictures taken. I love these kids so much.
Getting out a snack for the kids. They were pretty excited!
Lincoln looking at the chickens with the girls...
When we walked back to the guesthouse for a while these goats were out in the hillside field next to the orphanage and the girls were so excited for an up close look! We enjoyed pointing and making goat sounds together.
Dinner! Delicious. And that Pikliz is deceptively spicy!
Noah taking a little walk with El outside before we had to take them back to the orphanage for the night.
Lincoln carrying El on our walk back to the orphanage. There wasn't a chance that Il was going to let anyone except me carry her!
Noah with the youngest child at the orphanage (he's a doll). How cute is this??
We had some downtime at the guesthouse in the evenings. One night Lincoln put this together.
July 10th. We hired a drive to take us to the temple for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While there where we were lucky enough to get a private tour since it wasn't ready for the open house quite yet. A friend of mine from high school was in charge of the construction of the Haiti temple and offered to arrange a tour with the project manager on site, which we were very grateful for! When we arrived this is what we saw...
But just inside the gates once we got clearance...this is what we saw. It was breathtaking.
The tour was so nice (thanks, Rich!) and the temple was beautiful, but most of all it was so emotion evoking to think of the blessing that will pour out within these walls. I can only imagine everything that had to go into building a temple in Haiti especially over the last year...
A few pictures taken from the windows of our van on the drive back...
Luckily with our very early start we were back to the orphanage by 10:30am so we changed our clothes and went right over to to participate in the Community Learning Partners activities at the orphanage. Afterward we passed out cute little baggies that employees at Mark's office put together for the kids! They were super cute and each bag even had a tag with each child's name on it and age appropriate little treats and trinkets inside. The kids had a lot of fun that afternoon enjoying their new treasures. Huge, huge thanks to Courtney at WFAC for putting that together and to everyone that contributed (they sent several more practical donations too which the orphanage was very appreciative of too)! I can't tell you how much that meant to us.
Also, not that any of these people will ever read this, but I'd like to throw a huge thank you out there to everyone that participated in Mr. Barlow's 1st grade donations at our school for diapers & wipes for the orphanage also! Altogether we were able to bring three suitcases of needed donations for these sweet kiddos. Each one of these kids are so wonderful and your generosity is so appreciated. Now some fun pictures and videos!!
I hesitated to include this, but my heart just has such a soft spot for this sweet boy. He has a medical condition that sometimes sidelines him and he must just feel so crummy. Please join us in praying for E's medical visa to finally process so he can get to the family in the United States that is waiting to receive him while he gets the medical care that he needs.
Hair time! El getting her hair styled.
Look at these sweet older girls helping as the nanny does Il's hair. My heart.
Mark feeding El.
Both the girls spent at least an hour just drawing in their little notebooks that came in their little baggies from Mark's work. Here is El really focused...
Noah and Lincoln really enjoyed getting to know the kids at the orphanage and by the end of the week they were running around the grounds playing tag and really interacting with them. It was such a tender thing to see our children get to know and form a bond with these children at the orphanage who are basically siblings to our sweet girls. We love all these kids and it was so, so special to see them play together.
Haitian spaghetti! Yum.
July 11th. We walked a little more slowly to the orphanage this morning knowing we had to say goodbye. It was also our 18th wedding anniversary that day and I was feeling extra grateful for this man. Let me copy here what I posted online with the following photo:
This morning we had to say goodbye again to our sweet girls for now. I saw so many similarities to our journey together as husband and wife... I felt so blessed and happy, I felt heartache and longing, and I felt grateful to have you there to feel all those things alongside me. I love you, Mark.
We didn't have long to spend with the girls that morning. We put their clothes on them. Gave them some stickers. El let Mark throw her up in the air while she squealed and we all spent some time looking out the window at people and motos going by. Il gave lots of her great expressions for the camera and offered me a really sweet, tender kiss all on her own. My heart was a puddle. I can't tell you how much I love these two sweet little girls and how I can't wait to be part of every little expression and silly, naughty toddler thing they do. And to get those sweet kisses every day.
The girls cried when we left. Probably partially because we left without them instead of taking them outside or to the guesthouse to play like we had done every other day of our visit. As we walked away I could see them looking out the window at us walking away and my heart broke into a million pieces like it has every time we have said goodbye. Even just typing this right now my heart literally hurts. I know they are well cared for, but oh how I miss them and want to be the one to do that all the time.
I love these boys and it was so special to see them get to know their sisters. Looking forward to sharing lots of the girls' first with these sweet, crazy, funny boys of ours (and Max of course)!
Praying that the next thing I post here is that we have our adoption decree and I can show everyone our twins adorable faces!!!
