First visit to Gma and Gpa's farm

We pointed out the white fence along the highway and then turned down the drive to Bruce's parents farm. We explained that their Grandpa Royal, who died just two years ago, had made that fence and loved this farm so much. Pierre and Ange-Laurette just kept looking past the white fence on both sides of the road as we crossed the bridge over a small creek. They said, "This is theirs? On both sides?" It was one of those 65 degree sunny days with hardly a breeze. They were beaming all day! They loved the tire swing, the playhouse, the 4-wheeler wagon ride, and searching the field for golfballs from the course across the highway. I so wished I could have been inside their minds for the day.

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.