Much to say about nothing

I'll start out with the ending... there isn't any new news since we exited MOI (which was 4 weeks ago yesterday).

Honestly, I was hopeful that finally exiting meant that we would have our passport quickly, we'd get our article 23 & medicals done while we waited for passports and when we got all of that our visas would happen shortly afterward and we would have had our girls home by now. Obviously that's not the case. Here's the short version of the story...

Due to a tragic personal situation in the life of one of our reps, things haven't been happening. Article 23 appointments have been missed and passports haven't been applied for. That was really hard to hear, but when put in context of the situation understandable. Interestingly enough I put this man's name on the prayer list at our temple 2 weeks ago prior to knowing about any of this. My prayer is that he and his family will feel comfort and support as they grieve and that he will be able to find the strength to do what he needs to at work to both support his family and to help the children at the orphanage in his care go home to families that are waiting for them.

Of course we miss our girls and are aching to have them home in our arms. It has been 5 months since we visited and otherwise we've normally visited every 2-3 months since meeting them for the first time. This has felt like forever. I know we've been very blessed to have been able to make those visits, but I feel worried that that we are taking steps back in our bonding process. We've made progress each visit and I had some break throughs in September, but then we just disappeared (from their perspective) for 5 months. That's a long time to a 3 year old. And I worry that it will complicate helping them feel secure during our attachment process and them feeling confident in it being permanent once it actually is. All we can do is pray that we get passports soon and I am very, very hopeful to have the girls home by the end of February.

All that being said, we are trying to make really good use of this time we have prior to the girls coming home. I took a girls' trip to Hawaii (which when we booked it I thought it was very likely that I'd have to miss out with how late it was booked). We've been fitting in lots of family and one-on-one activities with the boys (campouts, dates, skiing as a family, temple days, etc). Trying to fill their wells with lots of attention so when the hard work of bonding and attachment happens and a lot of attention goes to the girls that the boys aren't already starting out with an emotional-deficit, you know? In that vein...when we found out a few days ago that our passports weren't actually almost complete, but rather that they haven't been applied for - Mark and I decided to hurry and book a one-on-one trip for Lincoln and myself! (Yes, I'm spoiled). Here's the story on that:

When Noah was 11 years old I took him on a one-on-one vacation to Universal Studios Florida. It was awesome. Mark and I felt like doing a one-on-one trip with each child was important and doing it at that age right before going into junior high and all the changes that come with that would be a smart time. So, we told the other boys that for either their 11th or 12th birthdays we'd do the same thing for them. Now fast forward...

We received our official referral for the girls just before Lincoln's 11th birthday and left for Haiti 5 days after his birthday. So, obviously, no trip for him that year. Then we were hopeful that we'd be bringing the girls home by his birthday the next year so we didn't want to invest in planning anything ahead then either! So, he turned 12 almost 3 months ago now. With the new information of another little delay we decided to jump on planning that trip and he and I are going to Disney in 3 days! I am praying that we'll get good news while we are gone and the trip (especially amidst the crazy winter weather) is another welcome distraction to the hard wait here at the end of this journey.

So! Hopefully the next time I write on this blog it will be to say that we have passports and that we'll be bringing those two amazing little girls home soon!

We exited MOI!!!

I have been "nesting" like crazy lately (so it must not be all biological, huh?)...and I messaged another adoptive family waiting at the same stage telling her that too. I told her that I had a feeling that we'd get good news this week (meaning exiting MOI that we've been stuck at for the last 4 months since finalizing our adoptions) and that was fueling my drive to get things in order to bring the girls home. The next day (yesterday) she messaged me saying that hopefully we'd be getting good news too because they exited MOI! I was so excited for them!

...And just after that I started to worry if we didn't get news of exiting that day was that because an error in paperwork was found (which could result in big delays)?? I decided to give things until the end of the day hoping to hear and when I didn't I shot an email off to Chareyl telling her that another family from our same orphanage who also received their adoption decree the same day as us exited yesterday and what was her read on if that could mean our file had an error/potential delay. She emailed back that she had been super busy and hadn't had time to email me yet, but we exited also! Wahooooo!

So, no we don't have a date to pick up the girls yet, but this is a big concrete step that we've been waiting on for months. Next we get passports and then on to visas! Praying the passport is issued quickly and after that it should only be about 2 weeks to travel if all goes smoothly. (I say that last part with equal parts hope and sarcasm)

Christmas Sunday

🎄We enjoyed a lovely worship service today complete with beautiful music... but we are missing our 2 beautiful little girls. So grateful for the blessing they are in our lives, and anxious for the day soon that we can have them in our arms again. 

Our most asked question... when will they come home??

This is a very fair question!

We have been in process with this adoption for a very long time (over 7 years since we first started...and 5 years since we switched to the Haiti program). We received our official referral for our girls 14 months ago and have visited them 5 times during that period. Our adoption was finalized on September 6th and we thought we'd have them home for the holidays this year, but the extreme economic and political crisis in Haiti reached a fever pitch that same month and things became very difficult for the Haitian people during that time. Part of that turmoil included protests and roadblocks that prevented people from getting to work (and therefor our girls' final stage of paperwork was delayed). Gratefully things have been calmer recently and we are hoping to exit MOI (the Ministry of Interior) offices that are verifying all our paperwork to be able to apply for passports.

Once we exit MOI we need the girls' Haitian passports and U.S. visas to be able to pick them up and bring them home. As is the case many places, people take time off over the holidays so I'm anticipating that we likely won't exit MOI until early in January. Hopefully we receive the passports and visas quickly after that and can bring our girls home!

So! The short answer to that question is that we don't know, but are hoping for January or possibly February. This is a long, difficult process and emotions are extra heightened over the holidays...but these two amazing little girls are worth every bit of it. We can't wait to have them home in our arms and once they have adjusted we are so excited for all of you to meet them and get to know them!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us during this process with  prayers, encouragement and by asking for an update even though most of the time the response is just a big fat  I-don't-know! We're glad you ask! Thank you. And please...keep the prayers coming for our girls and for the people of Haiti.

Happy birthday to you, Mama!

First of all, watch this adorable video:

                 https://youtu.be/G04U3QlDY9s               

Now a little background. I took that video 3 months ago on the twins' birthday! I was doing the whole "How old are you?" routine and then my mom and I happened to simultaneously say in a sing-songy voice 'Happy birthday to you' and the girls broke out into this synchronized song of "Happy birthday to you... Manman!" (which is Mama)

I love everything about it from the spontaneity of it, how they didn't skip a bit synchronizing it, to Evelyn's shoulders, to the big finish, and the adorable quick hide behind the couch at the end.

I must have listened to this video 20 times on my birthday yesterday. I wished our girls could have been there to celebrate with me in person, but listening to that adorable song made it somehow feel like they were actually singing it for me on my birthday.

Oh how I miss these girls and can't wait to have them home!

Christmas music

I'm finding that Christmas music is going to be the end of me this year.

I was at our church's Christmas party on Saturday and they started playing music while people ate. Straight out of the gait the first song that played was, "I'll be home for Christmas"...

...that about destroyed me.

I have so much to be grateful for, but this Christmastime has been especially difficult with how much I miss our girls. Last Christmas I was missing them something fierce, but kept telling myself that at least next Christmas we'd all be together. With sentimentality at an all time high during the holidays I find that I am missing them even more than normal.  It's just so hard to be at the very end of this process and feeling stuck. I know it will happen and I'm trying to be patient, but hearing the words "I'll be home for Christmas" sung and knowing they weren't true for us really stung extra this year.

Baby all I want for Christmas is YOU

This song has been running through my head more than normal this Christmas season. I just had to share it with these pictures we got of the girls last month...they're even pointing in 2 of the pictures (and the 3rd was too cute not to include. With as much as they love to sing and dance, I can just picture them pointing when singing "All I want for Christmas is YOU!"

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true oh

All I want for Christmas is you

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need, and I

Don't care about the presents

Underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking

There upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy

With a toy on Christmas day

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even wish for snow, and I

I just wanna keep on waiting

Underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it

To the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake

To hear those magic reindeer click

'Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do

Oh, Baby all I want for Christmas is you

All the lights are shining

So brightly everywhere

And the sound of children's

Laughter fills the air

And everyone is singing

I hear those sleigh bells ringing

Santa won't you bring me

The one I really need

Won't you please bring my baby to me quickly

I don't want a lot for Christmas

This is all I'm asking for

I just wanna see my baby

Standing right outside my door

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

Baby all I want for Christmas is you

All I want for Christmas is you, baby