life as a family of four!

We started this blog as a way to keep our family and some friends in the loop about our journey to bring Stanley home- having no idea that it would take this long or end so dramatically! What we also didn't account for was that so many people (some of whom we don't even know) would be following. We had no way of predicting that so many people would be rooting Stanley on! I received a funny email from someone today saying that some of her friends (who apparantly wrote letters on Stanley's behalf, prayed, etc.) were bugging her for updates! I am so grateful that people to hear our story, so here is the latest:

After flying to Fort Lauderdale, where we were originally anticipating Stanley and ALL of his buddies to arrive, we learned that the embassy turned our agency coordinator away on the day of our appointment (Friday 1/22). A flury of calls to the State Department later and she was told she could return but by this point, the children were on there way back to the orphanage- it was (as we had been warning) not safe for them to wait outside of the embassy, without supplies or security. Our agency contact was told to come back on Sunday. She continued to work and lobby through the weekend but the logistical support people that she was working with to coordinate flights, etc. began to pull out. This is a topic for a whole other post, but apparently UNICEF, etc. were applying pressure to aid organizations NOT to help in the transporting of orphans in the name of preventing child trafficking. We knew that our coordinator needed support so Michael and two other fathers volunteered to fly to Haiti to help. Admittedly, I really really wanted to go but we needed a few people who could go and be calm, rationale, flexible, etc. We also needed people who would work on behalf of all of the children. The fathers agreed to not even go to the orphanage- which I would have been unable to do! I even tried to lobby that since I am still breastfeeding, that could go and feed some of the children... :)!

THAT may also be a story for another post- some of you may not even realize that we have another child- we purposefully never mentioned Dane on this blog before. If you've been following, you know that Stanley's file had been stuck in a stage of the process known as IBESR because we are under 35 years old. The preferred criteria for adopting from Haiti is between 35-50 years of age, married 10 years, and no biological children. We had been in the processing of adopting Stanley for months by the time we got pregnant and were scared that having another child would jeopordize the adoption. We had no idea we would be in IBESR for a whole year! We just decided that until we were out, we would not mention Dane on the blog, since it is public.

Ok, I guess we have a lot to update- did we mention that in the wake of all of this chaos, we found out that we had actually exited IBESR on December 24th? Apparently, our contacts were notified on January 11th and our signed file was delivered to the oprhanage a few days after the earthquake!!!

Back to the trip... as you can imagine, I scared to have Michael go to Haiti but knew that I couldn't join him- as Michael said, one of us needed to stay behind for Dane, "in case something happened." That may sound melodramatic now, but at the time, we had no idea what the conditions were and where the guys would be sleeping, how they would get around, or how long this process would take. Noone had any faith that our appointment would be honored on Sunday. Back in Ft. Lauderdale, as more of the families gathered (remember we were all expecting our children to be home that evening), we decided to mobilize and do what we could to help coordinate flights, keep everyone informed, and advocate for our agency/orphanage. There was a little command center set up at the local small airport. The pilots and staff were AMAZING and let us take over their lounge around the clock. One of the families took over greeting the arriving families and collecting copies of documents and information and some of us worked on trying to arrange flights, airports, and logistical support. Some of the aid organizations would say that they had extra seats flying out of Port au Prince at a certain time then we would try to figure out which Florida airport they could get into and try to determine if that airport had access to medical support and customs. We worked with a local church and the Red Cross to get carseats for the families, we rented a few large vans, and tried our best to communicate with the guys on the ground.

Speaking of, Michael and the other fathers arrived Saturday afternoon and spent the entire day at the airport. I should really let Michael tell this part of the story but apparently, they were able to sleep in a tent in a tent city of aid workers that had been set up. They were able to figure out the process for getting kids onto different planes (the planes were coming and going and could only sit on the runway for a hour, which meant we would have to act fast when the kids were released for travel). At different points we were told the kids had to be travel-ready in order to book seats OR that we needed a plane and its tail number in order for the kids to be released. The guys had a few very uncomfortable run-ins with UNICEF and folks working on their behalf but I think I'll let Michael tell that story- for those of you who do not know, UNICEF DOES NOT support international adoption and it is largely believed that many of the delays in this process was as a result of their influence.

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading (sorry this is so long)... On Sunday, the dads met our agency coordinator at the embassy. Apparently, Michael was able to gain entry for himself and the others ONLY after showing his government ID. At the embassy, they waited with our agency coordinator tried repeatedly to get information. They were told again and again that "we were next." As the day went on, we were all losing faith that this would happen- until at about 2 PM, a man emerged with a list of 7 names and said these 7 were needed for photos- and Stanley was on it! The dads knew that these 7 would be the first to get processed but still hoped that the rest would be soon to follow. Those 7 kids (all under 4 years old) were quickly loaded up into a van and driven to the embassy. That means, no goodbyes, no gathering of belongings. Michael and another father spent the next 8 hours or so waiting with these 7 babies at the embassy. Finally, at around 10, they were given their travel documents. Around this time, we were also told that beginning the next day, the Prime Minister himself would need to approve all travel documents before kids could leave the country. With little sleep in the past few days and the history of the unpredictability of Haitian adoptions, I thought that if those kids didn't get out that night, it was never going to happen. With the help of some military contacts, a flight was secured and the kids were rushed to the airport. I must have sent Michael a million texts begging him to get the plane off the ground. He had a hard time responding because he was holding two or three sleeping children. At about midnight, the flight took off. Instead of flying to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami like we thought, we were told it was headed to Orlando!

I think that I'll save the rest of that night for another post. I'll also write more about how we are doing as a family. The long story short- is that we are great! Stanley is relatively healthy (nothing a little antibiotics, the BRAT diet, and a lot of love and consistency won't cure) and we are settling into a routine. In one month, he has survived an earthquake and TWO blizzards- we have had record snows which has given us time to be snowed in together as a family. I'll say it a million times and it will never be enough- thank you for your support, prayers, letters, and good vibes- Stanley is one loved little boy.

We're home!!!

Pretty wiped after the whirlwind and chaos of the last few days- I'll sit down and write the story tomorrow but for now, all that matters is that Stanley is home! Many of his buddies are still in Haiti though so the work continues... More on that tomorrow too!

Monica in Florida, Michael in Haiti...

I am not sure if anyone follows this blog religiously, if so- I apologize for the delay in updates. It is hard to believe that it is now Saturday. The last few days have been like a blur. On Thursday afternoon, Michael and I hopped on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale. At that time, it was looking pretty good that Stanley would be home on Fridayish. Based on the information we got, visas were being processed and we had a good team of volunteers helping to coordinate flights, etc. Some parents decided to wait until they got word that their kids were in the air, but we didn't think we could wait any longer. On Friday, it became clear that we would spend the whole day doing exactly the same thing we were doing at home- staring at the computer. Our agency coordinator was able to get sporadic WiFi and was facebooking and tweeting so we just kept her pages up and pressed the "refresh" button every few minutes. She was actually turned away from the embassy, despite having an appointment and another orphanage took our spot!!!! After she was initially turned away, she communicated that with us and the parents/staff of LBB immediately contacted all of the officals that have been helping us and within minutes, the embassy said she could come back. By then, the kids were back on their way to the orphanage. She was told to come back on Sunday at 9 AM. She was then called back today (apparently to clear up paperwork and to process some of the files for her kids from another orphanage). 11 of THOSE kids went home today!

In the meantime, she was told that although she has this appointment tomorrow, that the paperwork will be processed but that the visas will not be issued until Monday! The other major hurdle is that the ministry group that our agency staff secured to work with us and help with logistics is having to take a less prominent role in the transporting of the kids because of pressure from UNICEF. For those of you that don't know, UNICEF is completely and 100% committed to keeping kids in their country of birth and will do anything in their power to block international adoptions. Their interference in Haiti is under the guise of wanting to prevent child trafficing BUT they are very aware that the children we are transporting were ALREADY in the process of being adopted and had been legally cleared for adoption by both the Haitian government and the U.S. government (complete with interviews with the birth parent/DNA test or death certificate of parent).

Our agency coordinator has been trying to run a one-woman show and it became clear that she would need some back-up. Someone to help her hold a place in line at the embassy, someone to help coordinate flights, someone to relay messages to the U.S., etc., etc. So, Michael and two other dads flew down today. Last night, as we were deciding who to send, I knew instinctively that Michael should go. He is so level-headed and calm and organized and selfishly, I wanted him to get his hands on Stanley! On the other hand, the thought of being worried about both of them and not having Michael for support was killing me. In the end, I know that he is better off there and we need to do whatever it takes to bring Stanley and his buddies home.

After many many emails with elected officials, etc., I am crossing my fingers that a few kids get their visas issued tomorrow but if not, AT LEAST by Monday morning. If all goes well, they will be escorting all of the children home- can you imagine that plane ride?

Anyway, thats all for now...

Chaos at the embassy!

From our understanding, hundreds of children were brought to the U.S. embassy in Haiti today with only a handful of USCIS officers able to process their travel documents. The situation has gone from troublesome to dangerous! Although it has been days since Humanitarian Parole was granted, the State Department has yet to implement a safe plan to get our children to safety! We understand that Stephanie was able to land in Port au Prince after a diversion to the Dominican Republic and should be with the kids this evening. The State Department is requesting that the orphanages wait to be contacted by them for details on a "plan." We don't have a lot of faith in this "plan" existing or being implemented quickly. It seems as if everyone has forgotten the reality of this urgent situation! We hope to hear something tonight.

On a much lighter note, Stanley is about to become famous! We were interviewed by WBAL TV, the Baltimore Sun, The Gazette, and tomorrow, we'll be on Fox 45 live at 7:15! More later...

Another day of waiting with NO NEWS! It seems that although advocacy groups have developed a safe, effective plan for bringing our children home, it is back in the federal government's hands- we are desperately waiting for news that they have taken the appropriate steps to make this happen. Again, we ask you to help us... You can start by contacting your legislators... Remember, its easy, fast, and effective!

1. Go to http://www.congress.org/ to find your legislator
2. Just type in your zip code and then follow the links for the U.S. Senators and Representatives, and BARACK OBAMA
3. You can click to "contact" and submit your "comments."
4. Copy and paste the following text into the box:


I am writing to request your swift action with the next and crucial stage of evacuating orphans from Haiti. As you may have heard, Secretary Napolitano announced yesterday that Humanitarian Parole status would be granted to Haitian orphans who had already begun the adoption process with American families at the time the earthquake struck Haiti. We are grateful for this important first step, but time is of the essence to ensure safe and successful evaulation of these children from Haiti. The situation on the ground in Port au Prince is deteriorating by the hour. Water, food and medicine are running out. Gangs have looted some of the orphanages and even travel is not safe for the children.

We are asking our government to pull together and create a Safe Haven Central processing center in Haiti as soon as possible so all the children have safe shelter, protection, food, water, medical care, and can have their paperwork processed for entering the US.

I ask that you please help by personally calling Secretary of State Clinton and USAID Administrator-designate Shah and specifically request that they authorize that security forces on the ground in Haiti be sent to the staging center that is being set up for the orphans and that these forces also assist in the extraction and transport of these children from their orphanages to the staging center. All other pieces of a successful operation of this staging center are currently in place, but all hinge on this authorization of security and transport of the children. Please help us finish the mission of getting these children into the loving arms and care of their American families so that assistance efforts on the ground in Haiti can focus on those who do not have alternatives for care.

Thank you,

Stanley is coming home!!!!

They are still working out the exact logistics, but here is the press release...

Press Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Press Release

January 18, 2010
Contact: DHS Press Office, (202) 282-8010

SECRETARY NAPOLITANO ANNOUNCES HUMANITARIAN PAROLE POLICY FOR CERTAIN HAITIAN ORPHANS

WASHINGTON—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, today announced a humanitarian parole policy allowing orphaned children from Haiti to enter the United States temporarily on an individual basis to ensure that they receive the care they need—as part of the U.S. government’s ongoing support of international recovery efforts after last week’s earthquake.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to help reunite families in Haiti during this very difficult time,” said Secretary Napolitano. “While we remain focused on family reunification in Haiti, authorizing the use of humanitarian parole for orphans who are eligible for adoption in the United States will allow them to receive the care they need here.”

Humanitarian parole into the United States may be granted by the Secretary of Homeland Security to bring otherwise inadmissible individuals into the country on account of urgent humanitarian reasons or other emergencies. The humanitarian parole policy announced by Secretary Napolitano today will be applied on a case-by-case basis to the following children:

• Children who have been legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the Government of Haiti and are being adopted by U.S. citizens.

• Children who have been previously identified by an adoption service provider or facilitator as eligible for intercountry adoption and have been matched to U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents.

Under applicable laws, unaccompanied minors entering the country without a parent or legal guardian will be turned over to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Today’s announcement expands the humanitarian relief that the U.S. Government is extending to Haitians in response to the devastation caused by the earthquake. Last week, Secretary Napolitano announced the designation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals who were physically present in the United States as of Jan. 12, 2010—allowing eligible Haitian nationals to continue living and working in the United States for the next 18 months. Those who attempt to travel to the United States after Jan. 12, 2010 will not be eligible for TPS and will be repatriated

More information about humanitarian parole and TPS is available at www.uscis.gov or by calling USCIS toll-free at (800) 375-5283. DHS encourages U.S. citizens with pending adoption cases in Haiti to send us detailed information about their cases to HaitianAdoptions@dhs.gov.

Lobbying for Humanitarian Parole

Well, another day down, and NO NEWS!!! We have learned that despite the fact that congressional leadership has explicitly asked Secretary Clinton to support granting Humanitarian Parole status to all orphans who were in the process of being adopted. We are desperately trying to apply pressure to make sure this becomes a reality! Please take the time to write (another) letter to your representative- we HAVE TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON!

1. Go to http://www.congress.org/ to find your legislator
2. Just type in your zip code and then follow the links for the U.S. Senators and Representatives and BARACK OBAMA
3. You can click to "contact" and submit your "comments."
4. Copy and paste the following text into the box:

I am writing on behalf of our friends, Michael and Monica Simonsen who have been in the process of adopting their son, Stanley Hermane, from Haiti since August 2008. Just like the thousands of other orphans in Haiti, he is in grave danger due to the worsening conditions in Haiti. Without proper access to food, water, and shelter, the children are susceptible to disease. Additionally, the trauma of the earthquake has no doubt begun to cause emotional harm to these children.

It is with these factors in mind that we urge you to support the initiave to grant Humanitarian Parole to all orphans in Haiti who were in the process of being adopted. Humanitarian Parole would not circumvent the adoption process but would allow the children of American families to get to safety while freeing up resources for the remaining orphans in Haiti.

We know that the State Department is working hard to develop policies but time may be running out for these children! It is extremely important that the U.S. follow the lead of other nations and evacuate these children immediately.

Please contact our friends, Monica and Michael Simonsen at monica.simonsen@gmail.com if you would like to discuss this issue further. I look forward to hearing of your continued support of these Haitian orphans and their American families here at home. Thank you, in advance, for your help and consideration.

This is no time to back off- we are almost there- these kids may really come home- but ONLY if we keep the pressure up- PLEASE help us!