Running for Hope

This past saturday the girls and I ran a race (Kev too...he helped Melat finish) that benefited HFAP. I ran the 5k and the girls ran the 1 mile kids run. It was a very cold morning but the girls were such troopers and hung in there waiting for me to finish and they even got to have some hot chocolate. It was Melat's first race ever and though she was pretty tired at the end, she enjoyed it a lot...both the girls did. It was awesome to be able to be a part of a community event that benefits something we care deeply about and that ultimately benefits our son and other children in Haiti. And it was even more beautiful that we could do it as a family.

I LOVE good news!!!

So today we got some! We found out that the lawyer in Haiti is more than willing and able to help us with our adoption and says the age discrepancy is not going to be an issue. Soooo, we can actually move forward!!! I talked with the agency we'll be working with http://www.allblessings.org/ .
They are very excited that this is going to happen! Got our preliminary and formal applications today and filled them out immediately!;)
This past weekend I had been feeling so discouraged about this whole process. We have been in a holding pattern these last weeks, just waiting and not knowing how we could move forward. It was driving me crazy that there was nothing we could do, we had no control. When Melat has been in school I have felt so useless, like I could be doing something productive to move things forward but there was nothing to do.
Earlier this week I just began to feel a peace about just waiting and letting God control it instead of me....
And now today he has answered our prayers and we could not be excited!

Discouraged

Talked with the contact at the agency we are planning on using for our adoption. Walked away from that very short phone call with tears streaming down my face. We were told last week about our eligibility and today I was told something else. Haiti has policies on how old parents must be do adopt and how many children they can have in the home. As of this moment, according to who I talked to today, we do not qualify. Heartbreaking....but not the end. Not by a long shot. We'll wait till were of age if we must or get letters together proving we can provide financially or whatever it may take to bring our son home. What was encouraging last week in terms of time line now has turned into a much longer wait. But all waits come to an end....so there is an end to this story.
We believe very strongly that we serve a sovereign God who trumps governments. If this is His journey for us, then there are more steps to be taken. Now were just praying to know which direction we go from here.

Moving....

This picture helps me remember what the warmth of the sun on my skin feels like and how much I wish I was under that sun right now!
So the process has inched forward, if only for now.
Our Home Study is complete but has not been handed over to us officially yet because we have not had a placing agency to name. Because we don't have our official HS that means we cannot file our I-600A form; which is for USCIS. This is our next big step and one that we are ready to take. We just got word last week that Hope House now has a lawyer who has processed hundreds of adoptions and is willing to work with us! We also found out that an agency in Kentucky is willing to work with us and to process our adoption! These are both huge steps and we are so thankful!
We will be connecting with the agency today and authorize them to contact our social worker so she can complete and release our Home Study; then we can file the I-600A form....it can take up to 3 months to get approval. When we receive that approval we can then submit our dossier to Haiti and be officially waiting. We've been told the wait time could be as short as 10-18 months but we also know there are other circumstances that can prolong the process. This is where faith and trust step in...
One step closer is one step closer and for that I am happy.

We were at the Children's Museum last night and I was watching the girls play with the bubbles when out of the corner of my eye I saw a little one, who looked just over a year old. Tears welled in my eyes...I was picturing Jivenson there instead, watching his sisters play. He'd be laughing and trying to get his hands on the bubbles and they'd lift him up so he could touch them. I feel his absence so often but never more than when I see a child his age...

Disclaimer

For the very few of you that actually know about and read this blog, I feel like I must make a disclaimer. Mostly because of past fears of adoption mores or in some cases, laws. Ethiopia is very strict about posting pictures of children that have not been declared by their court, legally the child of the adoptive parents. I assume most or all countries have some guidelines regarding this. We know of no such guidelines in regard to Haiti but are treading carefully to ensure there are no issues. Jivenson's picture is already on HFAP's blog, his sponsor's personal blog and many others Facebook pages and blogs, people who have been to Hope House in Haiti and met him and the other children. Because his face is already out there in cyber space it seems like it would be fine to post it here, so I do....but limited. We've only told a handful of people about this blog so we feel that it's a safe place to share our pics of him. I say all this because it feels so far from Jivenson legally being our son and there are still so many bridges to cross...but we are continuing this journey with confidence that God knows and has us all in His hands.
So I will post more pics of Jivenson, in limited amounts, and await the day when he will really be ours and proudly post his face for all to see!

Haiti Day #2

Great day! Sorted donations( picture above is the "donation" room with TONS of donations) with Elaine (she and her husband were serving at Hope House for 16 days) We had lots to do and didn't feel like we accomplished too much but got some donation bags done for a distribution we'll be doing on Saturday. We also cut a bunch of paper for the Journal Program.
We met Jivenson's birthmother today. She was here for the journal program. She was very quiet and shy and sweet and it was lovely to meet her. Tomorrow we'll go to her house.
We also went to the new property and cleaned a room in one of the containers (it's like the trailer of a semi truck and hopefully will be temporary housing) then Kev and I cleaned the floor and he laid down the carpet. We took some things over to store there.
Last night and tonight Jivenson was so serious and like a little lump until a little after 6pm; then all of a sudden he perked up and was jabbering and laughing and smiling! So adorable and fun! Oh it was awesome...he lets me hold him and cries if I set him down or if he sees his favorite nanny:)
Holding him tonight, he was playful and cuddly, I just started seeing him in our house, in a crib in his room, playing with toys, taking him places...having him in our daily lives and I started to cry....because we have to leave him here and God only knows when he'll come home....I am falling in love.