We are so happy to be able to post with some news! Besides being over the moon about getting to visit Stanley this upcoming weekend (!!!), we got some good news this week. During our last trip, we had planned on signing something called a I-600; however, right before we left, we learned that our agency coordinator was recommending having Stanley's DNA test completed before we sign because it would expedite the process at the end. While disapointed, we were assured that this would not add any time to the complete process. Well, since December, there have been many many attempts to get the test done. Stanley's birthmother needed to be present and they had to track her down and get the two of them in Port Au Prince at the same time, schedule an appointment, and hope that the government labs didn't decide to close on that day. Long story short, after four months of waiting to hear that it was done- we got word on Friday that it is! Basically, if all goes well, we will be able to sign next Tuesday at 11 AM. Another step down.
As far as IBESR (the long stage of the process we are in), we got word that Haiti's social services was in the final stages of processing our file. We were asked to send a supplemental letter clarifying our relationship length so we are hopeful that what we sent them suffices. IF we can get out of this stage soon, it is approximately another 6 months until Stanley can come home, BUT at least we will be on our way. So, fingers crossed we get some more good news soon!
As for our trip, we fly to Fort Lauderdale on Friday night and on to Port Au Prince on Saturday morning. Our group is chartering a plane to Les Caye (where the orphanage is) on Saturday and will return to PAP on Tuesday morning (in time for our signing appointment). That means only 2 1/2 days with our little guy but we can't wait!!!
Thanks to those of you who have offered to send stuff down with us for the orphanage- we finally got a list of their latest needs. We don't ever expect people to contribute but if you are interested, let us know. Or, if you want to send us a check, we'll make sure to buy good stuff on your behalf.... As of now, the orphanage is very low on:
* over the counter meds
* cloth diapers
* flip flops
* baby wipes
* peanut butter
* canned meat
* school supplies
* picture books with simple English
* lotion
* hair accessories for girls
* vitamins
* crib sheets
* toys for the babies
* twin bed sheets
Again, please DO NOT feel obligated to do anything! We'll be doing our major shopping Wednesday night.
I'm sure when we get back next Tuesday night, we'll need a few days to decompress and then we'll be sure to upload new pictures! Thanks for following this journey!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Trip #2 is scheduled!!!
We have just booked our flights to go see Stanley the first weekend in May! We are so excited to get our hands on him again! We can't imagine how big he has gotten- how many things we have already missed. Is he walking? Is he talking? Its so strange not to know the answers to those questions.
We also got some interesting news regarding the stage our file is in right now (IBESR). Some of the families are moving through the process in record time but others (primarily those with biological children at home) are being held up for another set of signatures. One family has been waiting in IBESR (normally 2-6 months) for almost 10 months! We are hoping that we are put in the fast track pile but have no idea if we are or whether or not we'll find out. Also, we had hoped to sign what is known as our I600s when we travel but we are still waiting on the DNA tests on his birthmother (to verify her identify and right to place him for adoption). Apparently, having the DNA tests done prior to the signing of the I600 will make things go smoother at the tail end of this whole process. This is supposedly being done in the next two weeks but, as with all things in Haiti, we will just have to wait and see. We are not good at waiting.
Something we can control is what we bring with us again! Last time, we filled up all 4 suitcases with donations for the orphanage and crammed our stuff into backpacks. We are going to try to do the same thing again. I'm waiting to hear what the greatest needs are right now but formula, hygiene products, over the counter medicine, and educational toys are always in need. PLEASE do not feel like you need to buy anything but lots of people have asked me how they can help. Some people have also asked if they can make donations to the orphanage. I think I would feel more comfortable if we took any collected money and purchased some stuff to take down there rather than traveling with lots of cash.
Lastly, Stanley's 1st birthday is coming up on March 9th. Unlike most little boys, he won't get to spend it surrounded by his family and friends. Try to remember to send him some happy thoughts on his special day. Hopefully, he will be able to feel all the love that we are sending his way!
We also got some interesting news regarding the stage our file is in right now (IBESR). Some of the families are moving through the process in record time but others (primarily those with biological children at home) are being held up for another set of signatures. One family has been waiting in IBESR (normally 2-6 months) for almost 10 months! We are hoping that we are put in the fast track pile but have no idea if we are or whether or not we'll find out. Also, we had hoped to sign what is known as our I600s when we travel but we are still waiting on the DNA tests on his birthmother (to verify her identify and right to place him for adoption). Apparently, having the DNA tests done prior to the signing of the I600 will make things go smoother at the tail end of this whole process. This is supposedly being done in the next two weeks but, as with all things in Haiti, we will just have to wait and see. We are not good at waiting.
Something we can control is what we bring with us again! Last time, we filled up all 4 suitcases with donations for the orphanage and crammed our stuff into backpacks. We are going to try to do the same thing again. I'm waiting to hear what the greatest needs are right now but formula, hygiene products, over the counter medicine, and educational toys are always in need. PLEASE do not feel like you need to buy anything but lots of people have asked me how they can help. Some people have also asked if they can make donations to the orphanage. I think I would feel more comfortable if we took any collected money and purchased some stuff to take down there rather than traveling with lots of cash.
Lastly, Stanley's 1st birthday is coming up on March 9th. Unlike most little boys, he won't get to spend it surrounded by his family and friends. Try to remember to send him some happy thoughts on his special day. Hopefully, he will be able to feel all the love that we are sending his way!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
IBESR!
Finally, we have something else to report! We just received word that Stanley's file has been officially entered into IBESR- Haiti's Social Services Dept. This is the longest stage of the process (averaging around 2-6 months). When our file gets out of IBESR, we'll have a much better idea of the timeline. The first stage is averaging 8-10 weeks right now and we were out in 8 so we are encouraged. The next few months might be some of the longest- b/c it will feel like nothing is happening.
As for our trip in March- our agency has decided to postpone the trip until April or May so we don't know details yet. We are obviously disapointed that we have to wait even longer to see Stanley again and crushed that we will be missing his first birthday- on March 9th! We had gotten our hopes up that we wouldn't miss this milestone. Somehow, the part of the journey that hurts seems to change daily. Right now, we are angry that we can't be with him on his birthday, on other days, we worry about his health. Sometimes, hours go by when we don't think or talk about Stanley and then there is the guilt that comes with that.
Thanks to everyone who has offered to donate something for PAC, we'll keep you posted as the trip gets closer. For now, we celebrate the small victories!!!
As for our trip in March- our agency has decided to postpone the trip until April or May so we don't know details yet. We are obviously disapointed that we have to wait even longer to see Stanley again and crushed that we will be missing his first birthday- on March 9th! We had gotten our hopes up that we wouldn't miss this milestone. Somehow, the part of the journey that hurts seems to change daily. Right now, we are angry that we can't be with him on his birthday, on other days, we worry about his health. Sometimes, hours go by when we don't think or talk about Stanley and then there is the guilt that comes with that.
Thanks to everyone who has offered to donate something for PAC, we'll keep you posted as the trip gets closer. For now, we celebrate the small victories!!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
We're Home!!!
We don't even know how to start THIS blog. We finally met our little boy and he is more precious, more perfect than we could have imagined!!! He is pretty much developmentally on track, which we found was very rare for the children in the orphanage. He sits on his own, talks (well baby talks) up a storm, plays with people and toys and sleeps like a log through the night. He has developed some sad little institutional behaviors- like sucking his thumb and rocking himself to sleep BUT, he is super engaging and LOVES snuggles. We have tons of pictures and videos and are waiting for some more from some of the people we traveled with.
A "quick" rundown of our trip...
We arrived on Friday AM to Port Au Prince airport with 16 other travelers, most of whom were also adoptive parents. We waited with our 36 bags full of supplies for almost two hours in the hot sun for our ride- in Haiti, "on time" really means "sometime between now and later." When a 14 passenger van arrived, we almost died! We somehow hired another taxi van and finally, we were off to Les Caye, where the orphanage is. I should mentione that I spent the entire ride sitting between the driver and Michael in the front seat, no seatbelt, knees tucked to my chest as we barrelled down the most pitiful roads you've ever seen listening to a broken CD that only played two Celine Dion songs over and over for FIVE hours. I keep comparing that entire ride to a jeep commercial where they show you just how sturdy the vehicle is by driving on crazy terrain. On the few paved areas, the driver just flew, honking his horn to warn the people, motorcycles holding families of five, and goats to move out of the way. It was like a real live video game! We expected poverty but we didn't realize that we'd see nothing but. For five hours, we drove past shacks, tents, and mounds and mounds of burning trash. What was perhaps most disturbing was how this was occuring in what is possibly the most geographically beautiful place I've ever been. As we drove by parents clutching their children's hands and people walking for miles with buckets of water or food on their heads, and people bathing in dirty standing water, we realized for the first time why Stanley's orphanage has a waiting list of children to get in- there are no other options for families.
Finally, we arrive at the orphanage! After being greeted by singing children, we found our way into the infant room and were handed Stanley! Immediately, he looked up with an uncanny sense of recognition with those unbelievable eyes. Within minutes, he was napping on my lap. We spent the evening at the orphanage surrounded by some of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. They swarmed us, wanting hugs, kisses and tickles! Although we couldn't understand their Creole, they were calling us "White Mommy" and "White Daddy!"
We brought Stanley back to the hotel with us wondering what our first night would be like. We didn't need to worry, he fell asleep by 10 PM and slept through the night. Like all the kids, he had a cough and was congested so he snored LOUDLY- so funny, this big sound coming out of this little baby. In the morning, we woke to see him flipping back and forth between staring at each of us. When we started to stir, he grabbed my shirt in one hand and Michael's in his other, as if to say, "Where do you think you're going?" We must have laid like that for 20-30 minutes, noone wanting the moment to end. After breakfast, we said goodbye to some of our travelmates who would spend the day at the orphanage- we decided instead to stay at the hotel and just spend time with Stanley. By the time we headed to the Christmas party at the orphanage that night, Stanley was laughing and gigling up a storm.
The Christmas party was amazing. The kids performed some carols and dances and the nannies prepared a huge feast. Our favorite moment was watching about a dozen of the older children sing a Creole Christmas carol, while the two little boys sitting on Michael's lap sang along. On my lap, Stanley tried to join in- on the video, it is hard to hear the singers over Stanley's shouts of "Gaaaaaaaa...." Something that was almost unbearable was that there were parents who brought children to the orphanage for the sole purpose of trying to "market" them to the visitors. These are parents who want desperately to give their children a better life. One father, Peter, tried desperately to show us how lovely his two daughters are. The orphanage is full so while the girls wait to be placed, they will remain with him. Before this trip, it was hard to imagine a place where this makes sense.
On Sunday, we spent the day at the most beautiful beach! The Simonsen family was almost left behind, as somehow the vans pulled away without us. Monica went tearing after the vans but couldn't catch up. Luckily, a vendor from the market saw her and before she could think twice, she was riding on the guy's motorcycle, flying through the streets of Les Caye! Michael looked out the window in enough time to see her fly by! The rest of the day was decidedly less dramatic. We sat outside at the beach listening to music, watching kids play soccer and men fish using wooden boats.
We are grateful that his nanny, Sylvie, is the most loving one there! Also, because he so engaging, we think he gets extra attention, which has helped him to thrive. Even still- each day, we watched Stanley get stronger and more alert. All of the babies need the one on one time with their parents, away from the orphanage. We watched another little guy, Evans, grow tremendously after 4 1/2 days with his mommy. It took four days, but his mommy caught him smiling on the last day and he began holding his own bottle! PAC is a great orphanage- but it is still an orphanage. Babies sleep 2/3 a crib in a cramped, poorly ventilated room. By the time we said our goodbyes on Monday, it felt as if Stanley has always been our son and it was awful to leave him. We are desperate to try to figure out how to go on the next trip- in March. If we can pull it off, we could spend his first birthday with him! Another milestone that adoptive parents don't take for granted. Luckily, when we return, we will be traveling with the other families, some of whom will now be friends for life.
We have added some pictures but have MANY more if anyone wants to indulge us... Also, check out the videos below this posting- you can hear his giggles! Sorry this post was SO LONG but we wanted to give you a taste of trip! Thanks for rooting Stanley on!
A "quick" rundown of our trip...
We arrived on Friday AM to Port Au Prince airport with 16 other travelers, most of whom were also adoptive parents. We waited with our 36 bags full of supplies for almost two hours in the hot sun for our ride- in Haiti, "on time" really means "sometime between now and later." When a 14 passenger van arrived, we almost died! We somehow hired another taxi van and finally, we were off to Les Caye, where the orphanage is. I should mentione that I spent the entire ride sitting between the driver and Michael in the front seat, no seatbelt, knees tucked to my chest as we barrelled down the most pitiful roads you've ever seen listening to a broken CD that only played two Celine Dion songs over and over for FIVE hours. I keep comparing that entire ride to a jeep commercial where they show you just how sturdy the vehicle is by driving on crazy terrain. On the few paved areas, the driver just flew, honking his horn to warn the people, motorcycles holding families of five, and goats to move out of the way. It was like a real live video game! We expected poverty but we didn't realize that we'd see nothing but. For five hours, we drove past shacks, tents, and mounds and mounds of burning trash. What was perhaps most disturbing was how this was occuring in what is possibly the most geographically beautiful place I've ever been. As we drove by parents clutching their children's hands and people walking for miles with buckets of water or food on their heads, and people bathing in dirty standing water, we realized for the first time why Stanley's orphanage has a waiting list of children to get in- there are no other options for families.
Finally, we arrive at the orphanage! After being greeted by singing children, we found our way into the infant room and were handed Stanley! Immediately, he looked up with an uncanny sense of recognition with those unbelievable eyes. Within minutes, he was napping on my lap. We spent the evening at the orphanage surrounded by some of the most beautiful children I have ever seen. They swarmed us, wanting hugs, kisses and tickles! Although we couldn't understand their Creole, they were calling us "White Mommy" and "White Daddy!"
We brought Stanley back to the hotel with us wondering what our first night would be like. We didn't need to worry, he fell asleep by 10 PM and slept through the night. Like all the kids, he had a cough and was congested so he snored LOUDLY- so funny, this big sound coming out of this little baby. In the morning, we woke to see him flipping back and forth between staring at each of us. When we started to stir, he grabbed my shirt in one hand and Michael's in his other, as if to say, "Where do you think you're going?" We must have laid like that for 20-30 minutes, noone wanting the moment to end. After breakfast, we said goodbye to some of our travelmates who would spend the day at the orphanage- we decided instead to stay at the hotel and just spend time with Stanley. By the time we headed to the Christmas party at the orphanage that night, Stanley was laughing and gigling up a storm.
The Christmas party was amazing. The kids performed some carols and dances and the nannies prepared a huge feast. Our favorite moment was watching about a dozen of the older children sing a Creole Christmas carol, while the two little boys sitting on Michael's lap sang along. On my lap, Stanley tried to join in- on the video, it is hard to hear the singers over Stanley's shouts of "Gaaaaaaaa...." Something that was almost unbearable was that there were parents who brought children to the orphanage for the sole purpose of trying to "market" them to the visitors. These are parents who want desperately to give their children a better life. One father, Peter, tried desperately to show us how lovely his two daughters are. The orphanage is full so while the girls wait to be placed, they will remain with him. Before this trip, it was hard to imagine a place where this makes sense.
On Sunday, we spent the day at the most beautiful beach! The Simonsen family was almost left behind, as somehow the vans pulled away without us. Monica went tearing after the vans but couldn't catch up. Luckily, a vendor from the market saw her and before she could think twice, she was riding on the guy's motorcycle, flying through the streets of Les Caye! Michael looked out the window in enough time to see her fly by! The rest of the day was decidedly less dramatic. We sat outside at the beach listening to music, watching kids play soccer and men fish using wooden boats.
We are grateful that his nanny, Sylvie, is the most loving one there! Also, because he so engaging, we think he gets extra attention, which has helped him to thrive. Even still- each day, we watched Stanley get stronger and more alert. All of the babies need the one on one time with their parents, away from the orphanage. We watched another little guy, Evans, grow tremendously after 4 1/2 days with his mommy. It took four days, but his mommy caught him smiling on the last day and he began holding his own bottle! PAC is a great orphanage- but it is still an orphanage. Babies sleep 2/3 a crib in a cramped, poorly ventilated room. By the time we said our goodbyes on Monday, it felt as if Stanley has always been our son and it was awful to leave him. We are desperate to try to figure out how to go on the next trip- in March. If we can pull it off, we could spend his first birthday with him! Another milestone that adoptive parents don't take for granted. Luckily, when we return, we will be traveling with the other families, some of whom will now be friends for life.
We have added some pictures but have MANY more if anyone wants to indulge us... Also, check out the videos below this posting- you can hear his giggles! Sorry this post was SO LONG but we wanted to give you a taste of trip! Thanks for rooting Stanley on!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
In two days!!!
We are counting down until Thursday night when we finally set off to meet Stanley! We fly to Ft. Lauderdale and then on to Port Au Prince Friday morning. We found out that we could bring more stuff with us than we thought, so after some scrambling, we scored a few play mats, two walkers, and a Bugaboo chair (to help little ones sit upright). Not sure how, but we managed to squeeze all of that, along with another bouncy seat, lots of presents, clothes and diapers for Stanley, loads of stuff Aunt Julie collected from her students in Connecticut, and our stuff into 4 bags. We found out that Stanley will be staying with us for the whole time we are there! We were told to make sure we brought warm jammies b/c he won't be used to the air conditioning. :)
We got some good news and some bad news about the trip. Turns out we will hopefully be spending an extra day with Stanley. The bad news is that it is because we will not be filing any paperwork in PAP that day. There have been some problems with a few U.S. families being denied visas even after they have been through the whole process because the U.S. is not convinced that the child is an orphan. The best way to circumvent this issue is to have DNA tests on the child and birthmother before you apply. As far as we know, Stanley's mother had her DNA test yesterday and Stanley will have his when he comes to PAP with us on Monday. The results are sent back to the U.S. for processing, which takes a few weeks. So, we'll have to file this paperwork back in the U.S., which takes longer. However, it certainly beats running into problems in the end. There is one family that is adopting from Stanley's orphanage who thought they were ready to bring their child home 6 months ago and the U.S. is denying the visa and they can't find the birthmother anymore to do a DNA test. So, we are grateful that this is being taken care of now. It would have been nice to cross something off the list though! Our coodinator says this shouldn't have any real impact on our final timeline- which is, as we said, about a year.
Anyway, we won't have much (if any) access to phone/email while we are there but just as soon as we are back, we'll post pictures and updates!
We got some good news and some bad news about the trip. Turns out we will hopefully be spending an extra day with Stanley. The bad news is that it is because we will not be filing any paperwork in PAP that day. There have been some problems with a few U.S. families being denied visas even after they have been through the whole process because the U.S. is not convinced that the child is an orphan. The best way to circumvent this issue is to have DNA tests on the child and birthmother before you apply. As far as we know, Stanley's mother had her DNA test yesterday and Stanley will have his when he comes to PAP with us on Monday. The results are sent back to the U.S. for processing, which takes a few weeks. So, we'll have to file this paperwork back in the U.S., which takes longer. However, it certainly beats running into problems in the end. There is one family that is adopting from Stanley's orphanage who thought they were ready to bring their child home 6 months ago and the U.S. is denying the visa and they can't find the birthmother anymore to do a DNA test. So, we are grateful that this is being taken care of now. It would have been nice to cross something off the list though! Our coodinator says this shouldn't have any real impact on our final timeline- which is, as we said, about a year.
Anyway, we won't have much (if any) access to phone/email while we are there but just as soon as we are back, we'll post pictures and updates!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
It's for real!!!
Typing this at 5 AM b/c I can't sleep- I'm so excited! We have just received Stanley's official referral! Basically, this means that the Haitian government (not just our agency) is aware that we are working towards adopting Stanley and we are the only family allowed to adopt him. For families working to adopt from other countries, the referral is a sign that things are moving along- in Haiti, the real work is just beginning. Still, very exciting! We also found out his birthdate for the first time- he was born on March 9th. Starting to seem real....
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Trip to Haiti!!!!
Well, we are only 5 weeks away from getting to meet the man of the hour. We can hardly believe it! We leave on December 11th for Ft. Lauderdale and then fly to Port Au Prince the next morning. Thank you to those of you who have offered to send us things to bring to the orphanage. We have an updated list of their current needs: powdered formula (both soy and regular), clothe diapers and plastic pants, and crib sheets (most of the childrens beds have mattresses about that size). We have also decided to bring some new undies (b/c somethings just shouldn't be handed down) and some Xmas toys for the kids (especially Stanley!). Of course, packing space will be at a premium. If you want us to take some goodies down for you (thank you!), please just let us know. We will try to collect everything by December 5th so we can pack it all up!
We hope to make multiple trips to Haiti with Stanley over the years, so don't feel pressured to gather things for this trip- we just know there are a few certain grandparents out there who are ready to spoil Stanley and his friends...
We hope to make multiple trips to Haiti with Stanley over the years, so don't feel pressured to gather things for this trip- we just know there are a few certain grandparents out there who are ready to spoil Stanley and his friends...
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