help our children be un-STUCK

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

how deep our love is...

we have been traveling to haiti for a little over two years now. and with each visit our love for haiti only grows. we are excited to have you follow our journey in growing our family in one of our favorite places on earth. this is our haiti.


we started the process to adopt from haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake of 2010. by february of 2010 we were officially in process and started our long trek toward deciding who to work with and excitedly started to run down the path to our family evolving. we have very strong bonds of love in our family and were very excited to offer our hearts to another child.



our first family trip to haiti in december 2011 was a beautiful experience. having our four children meet and fall in love with each other is an indescribable feeling.


we had no idea at the time that three months later our family would be transformed in a miraculous way by the birth of our sweet baby v. we proudly present veronika jude, our sweet blessing, and the newest member of our awesome family. all of our hearts have exploded with love once again. she is a true miracle and we are very excited to introduce the world to our adorably amazing little warrior. 



i knew the day i met v that i had a primal need to take care of her. after several weeks of worrying about her health struggles, j and i returned to haiti in april. the day the photo above was taken she snuggled into "that spot" that only our babies fully fill. it is unlike holding anyone else's child. there's a perfect fit that can't be described. it can only be felt. over the next few months we prayed and cried as we watched her struggle from afar. after three months of blindness and signs that she was likely deaf, a kind, sweet, loving, and faithful man gave her a healing blessing. todd neely, we are forever grateful for the miracle you have bestowed upon our beautiful veronika. from that day on it was apparent that v could see and hear. though her body started to grow and she strengthened, she continued to struggle and was hospitalized twice with pneumonia and we nearly lost her. after the torture of the knowledge of a second hospitalization, i pulled the rip chord and we started the process to adopt v. we were told that it was very possible that she could die. her body was so challenged and she was on a feeding tube and oxygen for support. we felt strongly that even if we lost her, she needed a family.



the day after we started the process to adopt v, she was taken off her feeding tube and a day after that she was released from the hospital. another set of miracles had occurred. she was on her way again.  


our lives are split between two countries...in a way, two world right now. as of january 2013 we have traveled to haiti 11 times. i average a trip to see our three haitian children about every eight weeks. i am typically in haiti for about a week and try to give as much love as i possibly can in that time. sometimes we're lucky enough for j to travel as well. and we're even luckier on the few occasions that we can bring britt and leo along as well. 


the bond we are growing with our children is worth everything we are experiencing and more. we know that they are learning who we are. we hope they are comforted by knowing that we will do everything we can to protect them, guide them, and give them every opportunity to follow their own path boldly. we hope that they know that we will always love them and we will never leave them.







djedly and daril have the unique experience of living in the same orphanage as veronika. this grants them the unique and amazing experiencing of bonding as siblings and taking care of one another in this process. daril spends time with veronika often and is very proud to have a baby sister. djedly is delighted to see that she looks up to him and he finds such happiness in knowing that he can make her smile.




we spend a lot of time playing when we're together. daril and djedly love the pool at the hotel!





due to the amazing transport abilities of hockey duffle bags, i've been able to take several ride on toys for the kids to enjoy at the hotel. when these ride on toys have been "loved to pieces", the kids make the most stellar arrangements out of the remaining pieces, and the fun continues!


i wasn't sure what v would think of the pool, but i do believe she is a natural little fish. ;-)



we have become pro's at consolidating our holidays, birthdays and other special events into our one week together. this past christmas (in november) i was able to celebrate v's first christmas, our second with the boys, together. i'm so thankful that we have the resources and the ability to travel to see our children and share these times with them. we are creating memories that will last a lifetime. this process is not for the faint of heart. it takes blood, sweat and lots and lots of tears. but our children are worth everything we go through and more.



the bond our boys have is simply beautiful. we are very pleased that their relationship will continue to grow as now they have been given each other again. they are amazing children and we are very blessed that they are our kids! we look forward to many years of growth ahead for them and are very happy and excited to announce that as of january 2012 our adoption decrees for both boys have been stamped and issued. they are now legally our children. we hope to hear soon that we are progressing to the next few stages of the adoption process for them and that they will be coming home in the next few months.


veronika is continuing to grow beautifully. i see such amazing signs of development each time i am with her. on this last trip in january she called me mommma. my heart nearly exploded with happiness. anyone who knows me knows that i cry. all the time. i can't amply describe how that moment made me feel. i owe so much gratitude to the beautiful women who love our children in our absence. this is clemence, she is v's nanny mommy. i owe her my heart for loving v when i am not able to wrap my arms around her, comfort her sadness, feed her and take care of her other needs. clemence is my true hero.


our family excitedly looks forward to our next bonding trip in haiti. we will travel with britt and leo for their third trip to haiti. this will be our first time as a family of 7. we will happily be together to celebrate v's first birthday. there are just no words to describe our happiness and excitement to all be together on that day.