FUTBOL!!

18 months ago, Pierre was interviewed as he awaited a forever family in Haiti. Our adoption coordinator asked him what he wanted in a family. He answered that he wanted a family who would let him go to school, who would let him play soccer, and who would cook meat. So, last night was a dream come true for Pierre. He had his first soccer game. Pierre is a great ball handler but has never seen a game or learned the rules or positions. His coaches and teammates just let him go and treated him like any other player. At one point when Pierre was on defense but running the whole field, a teammate nicely called out, "Hey Pierre. Maybe try to stay behind the white line, ok?" Pierre played his heart out, kept his hands down, and made his very first goal! It was like watching his first steps.

Father-Daughter Dance

Soon after Ange-Laurette's arrival, she spotted this pinkest of pink dress. The sequins called to her from the aisle in the store! I remembered that our church has a Purity Ball for the fathers and daughters each spring. So, we have been waiting to wear this special dress for a long time! It was a precious thing....to unbead her hair and put it up into the tiara...and then to watch her face when she looked into the mirror. It was just like the first trip to Haiti when she saw a mirror for the first time on the hotel elevator. Priceless!

The way she and Bruce looked at each other was the next teary moment. We know that Ange-Laurette has grieved for years over her father's untimely death. He was a good father and loved her like any other father, tickling her and playing with her outside. Those are her memories. Now, she gets to be loved and protected by a new father who loves her at least as much! When she got home late that night, she simply said, "That was very, very good. It was very nice."

Back to work for Mom...

Where did those 12 weeks go?! It was just the right amount of time to make sure everyone was in the routine and ready for the next step. The kids love the after school program on the days I work, but they also love walking home and extra "outside" time on the days I don't. ANY time outside they love! They all pitched in to help Bruce assemble the trampoline. You could have heard the squeals and laughter blocks away when Ange-Laurette tried it out for the first time. It is one of the few things all three of them can do together, without one feeling left out. Every weekend we've got a few extra friends here, shooting hoops, playing foosball, riding bike, or jumping out back. Both Pierre and Ange-Laurette are riding bike now. The freedom they must feel to hop on and just ride!

I was sharing our story with a women's group at a friend's house. I was careful to emphasize two things: that God gets all credit and had his hand on every step...and that everyone has SOME "calling" that leads to HUGE blessing. After this much time, it was very emotional to recall the past year and a half. How it all began...how hard the waiting was...how devastating the news of the earthquake was...and now how amazingly well they are adjusting...and how much this just seems like the family we always had!

The gift of optometry

We had Ange-Laurette and Pierre's vision and hearing screened at school. Both passed the hearing but Ange-Laurette had 20/50 vision in one of her eyes. That night I told her that the nurse had called and said she could not see very well out of her right eye. Ange-Laurette said matter-of-factly, "Yes, this eye does not work." We told her that there are eye doctors that can prescribe glasses to help her see. You should have seen her face. She said, "Sunglasses?" She had no idea that the glasses people wear are not strictly for fashion or that there was a way to improve vision. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing anyone in glasses on the streets in Haiti. There are so many things we take for granted, especially related to our healthcare.

Yesterday, she had a thorough eye exam. When the doctor showed her what her vision would be like with glasses, Ange-Laurette yelled with a smile, "I can see! It is clean!" Even though Bruce encouraged me to have them remove all pink glasses from the shelves before Ange-Laurette started to try some on....she found a pink, glittery pair that is definitely "her." When she looked in the mirror she said, "I am beautiful." THAT she is!

The same morning she lost her first tooth here. At dinner, she and Pierre explained to us that, in Haiti, you throw your tooth over the house when you lose it. If you do this, a new white tooth will grow in its place. If you just throw the tooth on the ground, you will never grow in a new tooth there! (And they think OUR tooth fairy stories are silly!) I asked Ange-Laurette if she wanted to throw her tooth over the roof. She said, "No, me want the money." Beautiful....AND smart!

Celebrating 2 months "home"

We are also celebrating that spring is now here. If you block out the two foot snowdrifts and pile of boots by the door, you can almost hear the robins singing!! The kids have spent their entire lives outdoors in Haiti, so this has been a long wait. They were so excited to get out the bikes, scooters, sidewalk chalk, and jumpropes to play like they are used to. Nate set up t-ball in the backyard with frisbees as bases. Besides lifting the wrong knee when batting, they are hitting balls over the neighbors fence already. Pierre has mastered riding bike and asks to do so the second he arrives home from school each day. Bruce took Ange-Laurette on a little father-daughter date last night to pick out the pinkest/girliest bike they could find...princess helmet to boot! As hard as we try to steer her otherwise, she is eating up the chance to be a princess here. :)


Bailey and I had our first attempt at unbraiding Ange-Laurette's hair and then washing and brushing it in preparation for her appointment with our friend and stylist Carol. We helped the long process by buying the new "Princess and the Frog" DVD to watch as we worked. As always, I was disappointed by the need for such scary parts in a Disney movie, especially when they involved VooDoo and ghosts which are portrayed as so real to people in Haiti. I didn't do my homework in reviewing that one! Ange-Laurette was so patient with our 3 hours and then the next day with Carol's 2+ hours of rewashing, conditioning, and braiding. We are blessed to have someone so kind and talented right here in town! Ange-Laurette loved every minute of her pampering. Long awaited and well deserved.


The two-month-home anniversary was almost like an instant turning point with both kids. We have no more lengthy pouting spells with Pierre. He is able to talk through situations and understand our intent behind rules and correcting. We hear him telling himself, "that's ok" and "maybe later." He notices when he is treated younger than the other 3rd grade boys and does not like it. Even though Pierre tries to ask the other kids to stop things like tickling or chasing, he is not always successful. Overall, the other students have been awesome and accepting, but we are working with his teacher to help stop this "babying" of both kids. For Ange-Laurette, the two-month-mark meant so much more talking and laughing and being herself. She belly laughs about such appropriate things! There has not been any English vocabulary the past few days that either child did not appear to understand. They grab books and try to read them alone in the other room. Ange-Laurette even asked to have a sleepover in Bailey's bedroom downstairs...a first!


We were finally able to reach Pierre's birthmother by cell phone. She was thrilled that he had his chipped tooth repaired, and repeatedly shared that she was happy that he was safe and with a loving family. Pierre was switching between English and Creole as he spoke...Me go Biblioteka. His birthmother said to him, "You can't speak Creyole?" He corrected her and said that he and Ange-Laurette do speak Creole to each other. I felt bad for him because I think he was just excited and nervous. It must be hard to switch back and forth. Both kids also talked to their favorite nanny from the orphanage on the phone. They were disappointed when she said that Haiti is still "broken" and sometimes still "trembles." It was reminder to us to keep praying and to keep giving thanks that the kids are here!

Countless "WOW"s

Sensory overload for sure! I took the kids to the Mall of America while Bruce helped Dane and Ashley with moving. Between the indoor amusement park, number of stores, and mere variety of people, they were constantly just saying, "Wow. Wow, Mom." Everyone got to pick one thing. Guess who chose what?! A new American Girl doll in a pink dress, a set of miniature helmets, a new pair of beaded shoes, and a light-up sword. For growing up with so little, there is still an issue with their sense of "entitlement," as our adoption coordinator calls it. It is obvious that they did not hear what all of us did so often growing up, "What do you say? What do you tell them?" It can be frustrating but so understandable at the same time.


Pierre, Ange-Laurette, and Nate FINALLY got to swim at the motel. They have waited 7 weeks for the day. Hours upon hours of playing shark and counting sommersaults underwater. It brought back memories of being a little girl at the pool and calling out repeatedly, "Mom, watch!" As I watch them through each new experience, I always have this unseen backdrop of where they might have been otherwise...and I feel so super blessed to be part of this.

A reminder verse, from Christian friends...

Psalm 20 ~ May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May He remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know the Lord saves His annointed; He answers them from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. O Lord, save the king! Answer us when we call!

Returning from a weekend trip to Minneapolis as a family of 6, this verse holds special meaning! :) We hope that we are painting a fair picture of this journey of adoption. We have chosen to focus on the positive and to never forget the blessing in it all. But, we also don't want to deny the challenges and exhaustion in the day-to-day adjustments. As a mom, it is a constant process of teaching, correcting, and praising. Each sentence needs to be spoken or interpreted carefully. Each new experience needs to be explained and walked through. Every lesson we teach our children between the ages of 2 and 5 are ones that we are faced with each day: pans are hot, outlets are dangerous, look both ways before crossing the street, use an indoor voice, don't push, say excuse me, buckle up, only sit on furniture, flush, use your fork, ask before taking, etc, etc. You get the idea. By the end of each day, I am hoping that my love for them and joy in having them here as part of our family is not overshadowed by all the other things I am having to teach. Each morning, I pray for the patience and strength that I know God can provide.

The way that Bruce and I have chosen to parent is a tougher route than many choose. We believe in giving each child all the love and attention and teaching that we can. We don't believe that we can buy that or hand that over to others to do for us. We make sure our rules and expectations line up with what God teaches, and that they are surrounded with enough positive and one-on-one time from us. Most of all, we try to model the behavior we expect in how we prioritize our time, money, and energy. We fall short every day, but we wake up and try again the next day. :) Anyway, when you parent in that way and live in that way...adding two additional children mid-way is taking about all that is in us. We are taking our time and being careful to do this "right" because we know it will pay off.