A journal of our family, our adoption journey ... and other musings
Adoption Timeline
Sept. 13, 2010: ADOPTION DAY!!
May 2010: Find out we have a Haitian adoption decree from December 2009.
Jan. 24, 2010: Islande and Katiana join us in the U.S.!
Jan. 12, 2010: 7.0 Quake hits Haiti
Dec. 6, 2009: Happy 5th Birthday, Katiana!
Nov. 12, 2009: Hear we're in Civil Court awaiting the judge's approval.
Oct. 24-28, 2009: Jodie makes sixth trip (Mark makes second) to Haiti to sign a blank notebook to "prove" we want our girls. We also find out on the trip that we exited Parquet in June or July 2009, but have sat in limbo since then.
Sept. 26, 2009: Fingerprints done for third time; also find out we have to go to Haiti to "prove" we want our girls.
June 8, 2009: News our file has been submitted to Parquet (I don't know what date we went in).
May 16, 2009: Receive word that we have IBESR approval! Now it's off to Parquet.
April 4, 2009: Jodie hears from several friends that she and Mark are listed in the March 2, 2009, edition of Le Moniteur as having received dispensation. Still awaiting to hear about IBESR.
March13-18, 2009: Jodie makes fifth trip to Haiti. Files are STILL in dispensation (again).
March 5, 2009: Happy 9th Birthday, Islande!
January 20, 2009: Second homestudy update, preparing for I-171H update (grrrrrr).
January 16, 2009: Request 2nd extension of I-72/I-600 since signing in July.
December 6, 2008: Happy 4th Birthday, Katiana!
July 19-24, 2008: Fourth trip to Haiti to sign I-600
July 1, 2008: Update fingerprints and take certificates to State Department for authentication; send docs with friends to Haiti July 8.
June 28: We actually do need to have "Certificate of Good Communal Living," which must be notarized, authenticated, translated and legalized before sending to Haiti -- NOW!
June 26, 2008: Hear from social worker that "Certificate of Good Communal Living" not required; but also that I have to travel to Haiti to sign I-600
June 16, 2008: IBESR wanting another "Certificate of Good Communal Living" from us, even though we did one in January
May 5, 2008: We hear we're out of dispensation
March 5, 2008: Happy 8th birthday, Islande!
February 2008: Third trip to Haiti
February 2008: Find out we're in dispensation (renewed step within IBESR)
February 2008: Home study expiring. Have to pay to update.
January 2008: Receive word that IBESR requests a letter stating how long Mark and I have known each other
December 6, 2007: Happy 3rd Birthday, Katiana!
October 7, 2007: We hear we're in IBESR. Files 15810 and 15811
August 24, 2007: We have First Legalization
August 2007: Dossier complete in time for Jodie to hand-deliver dossier to Haiti on mission trip
June 2007: We make our first trip to Haiti. God chooses for us Islande and Katiana
April 2007: Russia shuts down U.S. adoptions until further notice
April 2007: God switches our gears from Russia to Haiti.
April 2007: Differences between adoption and home study agencies force us to choose one. We stay with home study agency.
March 2007: Receive overwhelming instructions for dossier
February 2007: Finish home study
December 2006: Begin home study
November 2006: Sent application for Russian adoption
It's hard to see Katiana unhappy, but it's one picture in a moment of time. I'm sure she was trying to push her way through, or getting squished in the throng of girls in the larger picture from which I cropped this.
We bought a Wilton gingerbread house today. It was already put together, but there was still plenty for her to do. I mixed up the royal icing, but let her do the rest.
That's big cake ... I don't know how big the baby is :)
I received a call Thursday about doing a last-minute cake for a baby shower. At first the woman I talked to thought it was for 15. No problem. Nope. Later she called back to say it's actually for 50! Yikes!
She wanted me to do something like the plates:
So we have two 12" rounds and 2 8" rounds of chocolate afterburn cake with vanilla buttercream. Accents are fondant and gumpaste.
Today was Charis' last day of school until the beginning of the new year. There was going to be a party today, and when I came in, Mrs. Wright was reading a Snoopy story to the kids. (Did you know Lucy and Linus have a brother named Rerun?)
After the story, each child was allowed to pick a treat from the Treasure Chest.
Then then children decorated a paper mitten with glue and glitter. The janitor is going to have fun tonight!
Then, after class, Charis and I went to get lunch for her, then came back to school for her to have "Lunch with the Principal" for being a Star Student for the month of December. Below, she is standing next to her bio on the Wall of Fame in the school lobby.
Well, this was Charis' first experience in the lunchroom (wow, what a noise, and it was only K-1st kids). There was a certain table set aside, decorated with colorful tablecloths, and festive decorations. Each child was given a certificate with a coupon for a free meal at Texas Roadhouse, pencil, candy and a cupcake. At the end of lunch, the PTO president announced every Star Student's name and grade.
But no sign of the principal. The VP made a brief appearance as Charis and I were leaving. He gave Charis a pat on the head, which made her day. But then we saw the VPs dogs in the office, and that REALLY made her day.
Friends Kristi and Lisa posted this on their blogs. I have to share. Even though it was written about an adoption from China, it still applies to all of us who remain "paper pregnant" as another Christmas comes and goes.
Here are some new pictures to look at while the song plays (be sure to pause my player at the bottom of the blog).
Katiana and Islande
Katiana
Islande with Edeline
Here's another clip with Brad Avery explaining the background of the song.
Lyrics:Merry Christmas - Third Day
There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn Crying for momma's arms At an orphanage just outside a little China town There the forgotten are
But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights I'm warmed by the fire's glow Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white, Make angels in the snow
But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here
It's Christmas time again but you're not home Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
Christmas is a time to celebrate the Holy Child And we celebrate his perfect gift of love He came to earth to give his life To prepare a place for us So we could have a home with Him above
It's Christmas time again and now you're home Your family is here so you will never be alone So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas
God is restoring the years the locusts have eaten. I love being married to my darling husband, and I love being Mom to my THREE sweet daughters: one homegrown, two from Haiti.
Check out the beginning our our adoption journey at http://jodiemalodie.wordpress.com/
