Our excitement for today came in the afternoon. We began by heading up to the pool to swim. I had some emails to make and Kerwin was thouroughly bored in the pool by himself. Then the three little girls came up to swim as it was getting really cloudy. Shortly after that it began to rain. Just as it did another family with an adopted little girl came up to swim. Nobody really was sure if we were going to get in or not because it was really beginning to pour. But there was no thunder and no lightning so I thought we might as well swim since we were getting wet anyway. So I jumped in and all the kids followed. Then all the parents got in. So we were all out there swimming in the rain. We had just finished laughing about how this process makes you crazy and there we all were looking the part. And you can't just say it was the crazy Americans because there were Brits and Canadians in the pool as well.
We are starting social studies lessons in school. We are learning about oountries, looking at them on a map and making the flags. We started with Haiti and the United States today. Tomorrow, I think we will learn about Mexico since that's my favorite kind of food and probably the first one Kerwin will try when we get home. It's very important that this kid learn what fajitas are. They are a staple in this family.
Our papers are in Immigration (Haitian) right now and we are supposed to get our passport tomorrow. After that, I'm told it takes 3-9 days to get the approval from the US Immigration to the Consulate where they print the visa. Please pray for three days.
Countdown to Daddy coming: 2 days! Kerwin has learned how to say (speak) Dada for the occasion.
Monday, October 1, 2007
The weekend
These pictures are of Kerwin in his pipe cleaner football jersey and me in the hat and scarf I knitted for my mom. Kerwin took the picture. Not bad, I think.
We had a normal weekend except I was a little lethargic. I'm getting a little burned out on hotel life and I've got a touch of "traveler's stomach". I've been here since June and haven't gotten in yet, then all of a sudden this week. And I don't think it came from anything outside the hotel. Kerwin seems just fine as always. We went to church on Sunday but besides that we stayed at the hotel all weekend. We are looking forward to Mike coming down on Wednesday. We hope to hear that our passport has been made today.
On a different note, I am always surprised to find out who has been reading this blog. I never had any idea that anyone would look at it besides family and close friends. But it has opened up this whole world of contacts, especially adoptive parents. One mother from the Netherlands wrote me and said, "Adoption world is a small world." I have found this to be very true. So I wanted to ask, if you read this blog regularly and I don't know you yet, would you drop me a line in the comments or send me an email to rebeccahaake@hotmail.com? This is only for my own curiousity and to connect with others out there and for no other reason. So thanks for reading. My plan is to update this through our return home and our transition as a family into American life. Kerwin will also have a unique experience due to his special needs. Until next time...
Friday, September 28, 2007
The MOI Reign of Terror has come to an end: May14, 2007-September 27, 2007
We are officially out of MOI! PRAISE THE LORD! It looks like the timing should be just about right for us to come home with Mike in about a week and a half. We still need a passport made, documents delivered up to the US Consulate, and then a visa granted, then we're outta here. I am so much more hopeful now that there is a foreseeable end in sight. And Mike will be here to share it with us. It's funny this all started unfolding this morning. I talked with Barbara and she was going to do some investigating. I tried to call her all afternoon and it wouldn't work. I thought it was her phone. Then when I finally did get to talk to her, she said she'd tried to call me a hundred times today and that my phone wasn't working. Even the phones are frustrating here. But we got the good news and things are already in the works to get the passports printed.
Kerwin is having a great (and wild) time playing with the girls up here at the restaurant. We came up for ice cream when I got the good news. Then the kids started running around and turning the place into a gym. So the girls' dad has taken the kids on a walk and he took Kerwin with them. Bless him, I know that will be an exhausting jaunt.
Thanks again for all the prayers, love and encouragement everyone has given us. I love checking my email and your comments. I'll be updating the blog as I hear more next week. Until then, Go Cats!
Kerwin is having a great (and wild) time playing with the girls up here at the restaurant. We came up for ice cream when I got the good news. Then the kids started running around and turning the place into a gym. So the girls' dad has taken the kids on a walk and he took Kerwin with them. Bless him, I know that will be an exhausting jaunt.
Thanks again for all the prayers, love and encouragement everyone has given us. I love checking my email and your comments. I'll be updating the blog as I hear more next week. Until then, Go Cats!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
And more nothing
Another day and the same story. We are still waiting on tomorrow. I'm somewhat discouraged and somewhat just numb. I always brace myself for the worst. I don't know if that's the best way to live everyday but it's what I've been doing to protect myself emotionally.
Kerwin had a nice time swimming today. School was a bit of a struggle. We've had kind of a strange week with school and I think he had a hard time getting back into it. We managed somehow. We are really looking forward to Mike coming down now. Less than one week! Yeah!
Kerwin had a nice time swimming today. School was a bit of a struggle. We've had kind of a strange week with school and I think he had a hard time getting back into it. We managed somehow. We are really looking forward to Mike coming down now. Less than one week! Yeah!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Still waiting
Yesterday the story was: "It is signed and will go up to Immigration today or tomorrow." Today the story was: "It is signed and will go up to Immigration today or tomorrow." So we are still waiting. I am beginning to get excited about Mike coming down. One week now. I am hoping he will come down and we'll turn right back around and leave with him. It will be nice to go home with him as we had originally planned.
Kerwin had a great day today. He enjoyed playing with the little girls that are staying here. This morning we played outside behind their room. They have a nice big grassy area there and the kids played out there and on their back porch. They served us cookies and tea. They actually had Snickerdoodles that they had found at the Caribbean market. They were not nearly as good has homemade but they were somewhat like home. Then we went back and had school. After school we invited the girls over to our room to do some crafts. We painted with watercolors, used rubber stamps, and made bead jewelry. Then Kerwin sat down in the afternoon and watched a movie. He chose Benji which really surprised me because we put it in one time a long while back and it was pretty boring. He lost interest pretty quickly. This time I put it on the "Return of Benji" and he must have really been interested because he sat and hardly moved for the whole movie. This is really rare for him. He's usually up moving around and comes back to watch every now and then. I did some laundry and he didn't even look at me for an hour and a half. Then we went up for a swim. The girls were up at the pool. They swam for a while and then they got out and started playing a new game. Kerwin has become very independent the last few days wanting to do a lot for himself. So he was up walking around by himself. The girls started to follow him and it turned into follow the leader. Where he went, they went. When he fell, they fell. When he got up, they got up. It was really cute.
Hoping tomorrow will bring different news. Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement. They mean so much to us.
Kerwin had a great day today. He enjoyed playing with the little girls that are staying here. This morning we played outside behind their room. They have a nice big grassy area there and the kids played out there and on their back porch. They served us cookies and tea. They actually had Snickerdoodles that they had found at the Caribbean market. They were not nearly as good has homemade but they were somewhat like home. Then we went back and had school. After school we invited the girls over to our room to do some crafts. We painted with watercolors, used rubber stamps, and made bead jewelry. Then Kerwin sat down in the afternoon and watched a movie. He chose Benji which really surprised me because we put it in one time a long while back and it was pretty boring. He lost interest pretty quickly. This time I put it on the "Return of Benji" and he must have really been interested because he sat and hardly moved for the whole movie. This is really rare for him. He's usually up moving around and comes back to watch every now and then. I did some laundry and he didn't even look at me for an hour and a half. Then we went up for a swim. The girls were up at the pool. They swam for a while and then they got out and started playing a new game. Kerwin has become very independent the last few days wanting to do a lot for himself. So he was up walking around by himself. The girls started to follow him and it turned into follow the leader. Where he went, they went. When he fell, they fell. When he got up, they got up. It was really cute.
Hoping tomorrow will bring different news. Thanks so much for all the prayers and encouragement. They mean so much to us.
Good news...maybe
I'm finding it much harder to blog now that it's just me and Kerwin. Last night we were all set up on the computer and then the internet went down. Oh, well. We had a productive day yesterday. We did not get to do school because we went down to MOI in the morning. We arrived at about 9:30 and stayed until 1:00. After sitting there all that time we were told that our papers were signed and were ready to go up to the Haitian Immigration. However, I am not getting too excited yet. First, I don't know if I can actually believe this. Second, even if they are signed it can be days until they make it up to Immigration. MOI will not release these documents up to you to make the 5 minute drive yourself. Oh no, they much take them up for you whenever they are good and ready. So, I will get excited when we find out that the documents have made it to Immigration. The good news is, until now, the news has been that they are "working on them" so at least this is a different response. I think that is progress here.
Kerwin did really well in MOI. He mostly made things with his pipe cleaners and colored in his coloring book. I met a Canadian woman who was adopting. She was very nice and we talked for nearly an hour. It was so nice to have someone I could talk with to pass the time. You get so discouraged just sitting there. After MOI we went out to lunch and then went to the Mega Mart which is a little bit like a Sam's club. You can buy electronics, foods in bulk, and you have to have a membership card. When we got back we crashed for about 45 minutes and then we went up to dinner with the Yoders.
After dinner we got to talk to Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Fishin' on the web cam. After we got kicked off the internet, we started talking with a man who is here working with a special needs orphanage. He as traveled all over the world working with special needs kids and families impacted by HIV. He had incredible pictures on his laptop. Kerwin sat at looked fascinated. He loved the pictures of the African animals. He also got to see pictures from Belize, Italy, France, and the Caribbean.
Today we will have school and the usual play time and swimming. Kerwin is now learning to answer "why" questions and learning the alphabet in order. Because he did not learn the ABC song but just to identify the letters, he does not necessarily know them in order. So we are up through "n" learning then in order. We will wait for good news today. I will try to update the blog as soon as I here something.
Kerwin did really well in MOI. He mostly made things with his pipe cleaners and colored in his coloring book. I met a Canadian woman who was adopting. She was very nice and we talked for nearly an hour. It was so nice to have someone I could talk with to pass the time. You get so discouraged just sitting there. After MOI we went out to lunch and then went to the Mega Mart which is a little bit like a Sam's club. You can buy electronics, foods in bulk, and you have to have a membership card. When we got back we crashed for about 45 minutes and then we went up to dinner with the Yoders.
After dinner we got to talk to Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Fishin' on the web cam. After we got kicked off the internet, we started talking with a man who is here working with a special needs orphanage. He as traveled all over the world working with special needs kids and families impacted by HIV. He had incredible pictures on his laptop. Kerwin sat at looked fascinated. He loved the pictures of the African animals. He also got to see pictures from Belize, Italy, France, and the Caribbean.
Today we will have school and the usual play time and swimming. Kerwin is now learning to answer "why" questions and learning the alphabet in order. Because he did not learn the ABC song but just to identify the letters, he does not necessarily know them in order. So we are up through "n" learning then in order. We will wait for good news today. I will try to update the blog as soon as I here something.
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