September visit - last day (day 6)

September 25, 2019

There's always a different feeling when I wake up on the last day of a visit to our girls. I have an urgency to soak up every moment with them and a lingering sadness at the impending goodbye that is inching closer later that day. We started off the day with some tasty oatmeal and fresh pineapple and then were on our way to go pick up the girls from the orphanage.

Some clips from some of our playtime...

The girls really enjoy talking about animals and the sounds they make...

...and they really like stacking and building things.

The twins also love singing "A little girl went walking" over and over. I love it too...

My hair is often something of interest too...

And we made cards for papa by tracing their hands, coloring and putting stickers on the paper...

I don't remember why Abigaïlle was looking in El's mouth...

We had a little time to hang out with Mama Tita (Rosita) before food was brought up to their room. I'm so grateful for these ladies that love our girls so well (and our girls sure love them too)...

She stood there with her hand on her hip until I took her picture...

...and then she asked for her picture on the stairs with her little legs crossed. I love our sweet Abigaïl.

Just hanging out on the porch with my girls.

Bubbles with grandma!

Snuggles with my El.

You would think I would be able to prepare my heart for these goodbyes after having done it so many times, but it just seems to get more and more difficult. Each night that I dropped the girls off at the crèche I told them in Kreyòl that I would be back tomorrow. This night, just after I told the girls that tomorrow I wouldn't be coming back tomorrow (and my heart was breaking into a million pieces), my mom snapped this picture. The girls just looked confused, a little wounded and then gave my long hugs (atypical for this time of day). It physically hurts my heart to look at this picture.

Dinner was quiet and sad that night.

The next morning (September 26th) we left at 5:30 in the morning thinking we'd have an excess of time at the airport. The lines were so long and things were so crazy at the airport that we didn't even sit down once and just made it on the flight not long before takeoff. The airport still had a bad burned smell from the fire two days earlier and there was a tension from people in the airport that I hadn't seen and felt before. People were quarreling and sometimes yelling at each other, trying to cut in lines and just generally tense. Little did I know that things were about to peak in chaos there in Haiti and if we hadn't left when we did we would've been caught in the lockdown and still be stuck there. There is so much that needs to change in this country that we love...

September visit - days 4 & 5

September 23, 2019

Breakfast was ready a little later (which was fine), so we went to pick up the girls and brought them back here and shared our breakfast with them! El, me, Il...

How cute is this with Abigaïlle putting her arm around El as they look at pictures on my phone...

Coloring and stickers...

I read this book to the girls and El played with my hair...

Lunch and some playtime at the crèche...

As we left the crèche Abigaïlle asked me to take her picture (ummm...yes!). She immediately struck this pose with hands on hips and looked to her right...

 ...then quickly looked to the left and held that pose while I took another picture. She cracks me up!!

Then she motioned to her sister to come do a picture too and I snapped a few of both girls together. Because... I can't have to many pictures, and - new outfit! These cute shirts are from my friend Sarah for the girls too. How cute are they on the girls?!

 Abigaïlle and Abigaëlle.

Then we walked back to the guest house for the last bit of our day. I'm so grateful to have guesthouse right across the street from the  crèche. Not only is it so nice to go back and forth as we please, but to not have to have a driver while there except to and from the airport...which was especially important on this trip with the gas shortage and manifestations happening in lots of areas. The armed guards at both the crèche and guesthouse are so great and we never felt unsafe in that little mountainside town. Yet another blessing (our children not being located in PaP during such a tumultuous time).

 The girls had snacks...

...and then they fed their baby dolls snacks.

Dinner...

September 24

Breakfast! Seriously though...pineapple and mango tastes sooo much better here.

Walking to the guest house from the crèche after picking up the girls...

Abigaïlle signing "thirsty" at snack time...

Girls signing "more", "please" and "candy". And just being cute in general...

Abigaïlle

This is just a cute, short video of the girls interacting with each other. I love their adorable voices.

Outfit change! Had to squeeze them into these rompers once and donate them to the crèche before they outgrow them!

I grew up with this little song and we've been singing it to the girls each visit over the last 10 months...

I wish that I had a video of this little catwalk that Abigaïlle did. Hand on hip, strut, then pause and look over shoulder with flash of a smile and striking a pose. She was cracking us up.

This putting their hands on their hip and asking to have their picture taken thing is new and I'm not sad about it! This is Abigaëlle...

Abigaïlle...

We are so grateful for the affection and love shown to our girls by those that care for them...

Our El

Abigaïlle

The girls were pretty clingy to me this visit, so sometimes I had to be sneaky about trying to get a picture of them with my mom.

When I would go in the other room or use the restroom I would always say, "I'll be right back!" and the girls got to where they could repeat the phrase and it would crack them up...

The girls never seemed to tire of looking at photos, especially their flip books of our family...

They can name each member of our family and remember the boys well now after meeting Noah and Lincoln last visit...

There was a longer than normal wait for lunch to come up to the babies room this day. The twins ran around while the other kids waited in their beds. As they got restless we played a game of showing them a photo of a child from the orphanage and they would all chant that child's name...

Back at the guesthouse, Abigaëlle was striking a pose with her sippy cup and waiting for a photo...

Weighing the girls...

 Before drop off at their room that evening the girls had some fun with Nata. I'm not sure if I'm spelling her name right...but I am sure that I love this woman. And, if you are wondering where they get some of their hands on hips shenanigans from, look no further...

Look how amazing she is with these kids. And since the community learning partners aren't able to get in (with the lockdown/protesting) it was nice for them to have a little mini singing time!

Doesn't she have a lovely voice?

Playing with my mom's hair and wondering what was in her hair (hairspray)...

Dinner!