Forever a Family!!!

 So we FINALLY made it - forever a family!!! We ended one chapter of our lives and we've headed full force into the next. Esther's been home for over a week now. I have wanted to post before now but haven't had enough energy to do so! Trying to adjust to our "new normal" is taking a lot out of all of us:) Both, Gavin & Esther, are doing well. They love playing together and enjoy teaching eachother new words. Esther is learning english and Gavin creole! I plan to create a new blog at some point for anyone who wishes to follow as we continue on this crazy journey called life! Stay tuned...

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya Tomorrow... You're Only A Day Away:):):)

Our baby girl is coming home TOMORROW!!! We have waited nearly 3 years for this day. It is completely surreal! I have gone to bed every night praying that God would protect, comfort, love and sustain our baby. We have spent each night thousands of miles apart but tonight is the last night and I'm sure there will be very little sleeping on this end! Praise be to Jesus!!!

Although we are so very excited to begin this new chapter of our lives, we are not naive. We understand that our daughter is not only coming to a place that is completely foreign to her but she is also going to be living with people that are unfamiliar to her. We don't speak the same language, we don't eat the same food, we don't have the same smells, sounds and comforts of her former life. We understand that living in a family vs. living in an orphanage will be best for Esther. The only thing she  will understand is that all of a sudden she will be taken away from everything and everyone that she has ever known. She will grieve. She will miss her caretakers and friends. She will miss all the comforts of home. We pray that she will eventually bond and attach to us as her new family and that one day she will call our home her home as well. That being said, we know this will be a process that will likely take a great deal of time.

Speaking of attachment and bonding... I wanted to get this message out to our family and friends w/o having to explain it to each individual person. We are going to keep Esther's world small for the first month that she is home. We will only introduce her to a small handful of people during this time. Other than appointments we will be sticking close to home. She will need this time to begin the attachment process with her immediate family and also to get used to her new surroundings and a brand new culture. She does not understand what a Mommy and Daddy are or what a family is. We will have to model that for her as she begins to bond with us and eventually learns to trust us. We will need to start from the beginning as if she were an infant in many instances.

Since we will be working diligently on bonding and attachment there are things that will be helpful to ensure that we will still be able to work on this once Esther does start meeting more people and going more places. We do ask that Dana and I be the only ones to provide for Esther's needs such as feeding, comforting, holding, etc. Please do not offer her food, pick her up, give her a hug, etc. We understand that this may be hard but do know that we have Esther's best interest at heart. It won't be like this forever. We will certainly reassess the situtaion once we feel that she is in a good place to do so. That being said, we would absolutely LOVE for our family and friends to play with our darling when the time comes - we look forward to each of you getting to know this sweet, precious child whom you have lifted up in prayer for several years! We are excited that Esther is already loved by many whom she has not yet met!

Thank you so much for all the prayers, kind words, donations, support and everything else in between that we have received over these last 3 years. Each time we began to feel discouraged it seemed as though someone would come alongside us and lift our spirits. For that we will be forever thankful! We look forward to sharing this next chapter of our lives with y'all... stay tuned for Homecoming pictures!!! I can hardly believe that my two babies will be falling asleep under the same roof tomorrow night - God is faithful!!! Thank you Jesus!!!!

Sweet Boy

Last night I told Gavin that I was going to order Daddy and Esther airline tickets so Daddy could bring Esther home. He told me to wait a second. He came back a few minutes later with these 2 tickets in hand. "Mommy, you don't have to order airplane tickets for Daddy & Esther - they can use mine!" Oh my heart!!!

SHE'S COMING HOME!!!!!!!

Our beautiful baby girl is COMING HOME!!!!!!! Praise Jesus!!!!!! She will become a US citizen on September 30th! 2 years & 11 months, from the day we began our adoption journey, our family will finally be complete! Going to sleep under the same roof, hugging both of my children at the same time, laughing together, eating together, just being together... it's completely surreal. I've had to pinch myself a few times! Her smile in this latest photo says it all... "Mommy I'm coming home to stay forever!!!!"

He Already Knows

Update: The embassy received the medical report and is now waiting on the passport to be dropped off. That was supposably being delivered this morning. If all goes well the visa should be ready for pick up this week. Unfortunatley, we found out this morning that the only person who can pick up the visa is leaving Haiti today and won't be back until the 13th. Therefore, we have to wait until the week of the 16th for the visa to be picked up and to receive our travel dates. We're still praying that all will work out and Dana will be able to bring Esther home on the 23rd or 30th of this month. God has had her homecoming date picked out all along. Although we are anxious, it is comforting to know that He already knows exactly how everything will go. We're trusting and believing that the Lord is faithful!

A Child of the King

Hi Sweet Baby Girl! I know you will read this blog someday when you are older. I want you to know how very excited we are today as we anticipate your arrival! We are anxiously awaiting the go ahead to make travel arrangements. We hope to do so in the next week or so. We are praying and hoping that all will work out and you will be home sometime this month. (Oh Lord we know you care about all the tiny details of our lives. Please allow everything to fall into place so that Esther will join her forever family this September) We've kept ourselves quite busy over the past week. Gavin wanted to show you some of the ways that he has been helping to prepare for your homecoming...

We have filled your dresser with clothes....

We have hung all your pretty little dresses....













We have filled your closet w/ little shoes.... (Gavin wants to know why you have so many more pairs than he does. I guess he doesn't know too much about little girls yet) :)










We also added warm blankets to your bed....

We have been waiting and praying and hoping and missing you for exactly 2 years and 10 months. It has been a long journey filled with ups and downs. We are so ready to bring you home and start a new chapter in our lives. You are loved my sweet child. You are loved by Mommy and you are loved by Daddy and you are loved by Gavin. You are loved by your birth Mommy. You are loved by grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and friends and church family. You are loved by many who have met you and many many who have not. But above all my dear child you are loved by Jesus. He has held you through all that has happened in your short life and He will hold you through all that will happen in the future. He loves you more than anyone on this earth could imagine. You are His precious child, His baby girl, His daughter. You are a child of the King! I pray that you will know this and never forget it!

Love you forever & always,

Mommy  xoxoxo

Update: Esther's visa was supposed to be printed last week. This is the final step that needs to happen before we can make travel arrangements. We inquired about this towards the end of last week and we were told of yet another delay. The embassy had not yet received her medical report therefore they could not print her visa. We made the necessary contacts and are hoping the medical report will be delivered this week so that the visa can be printed. So I am back to doing what I have done for almost 3 years now... waiting and obsessively checking my e-mail and waiting some more. I will be so relieved when I do not feel like my e-mail account is one of my children. It sounds ridiculous but if you are in the process of adopting or have adopted you likely know exactly what I mean! Please join us in praying that our baby girl will come home sometime this month:)

Almost There....

We FINALLY received final I-600 approval yesterday - praise Jesus!!! Esther's visa exit interview has been scheduled for August 26th:):):):). We are almost there!!! There is a light shining through at the end of this long tunnel. It is completely surreal! After waiting nearly 3 years our baby girl is on the home stretch!!! We don't know when we will get the go ahead to travel but it will likely be 2-4 weeks from today. Just the thought of being only weeks away gives me the chills! When I received this news yesterday I must have gone a bit crazy for a moment because Gavin jumped out of his chair and said "Mommy you scared me - I thought you saw a monster":) When he figured out why I was acting like a crazy lady he too began jumping around the house squealing with delight! This news has been a long time coming for everyone - young and old alike.:)

Update

Esther's birth parent interview took place on July 16th. We still have not heard how that went. We are currently awaiting final I-600 approval. We need to receive this in order to schedule an exit interview and receive the visa. We have been waiting over 3 weeks with no word. We were hoping to bring Esther home this summer but that is not a realistic hope at this point. We're praying hard that September will be the month. We're growing weary, yet still clinging to the promises of God. He is faithful and good and just. He is our Prince of Peace and for that we are forever thankful!

Re-scheduled:(

Esther's I-604 (birth parent) interview, that was supposed to take place tomorrow at 9:30am, has been re-scheduled due to a storm. We're disappointed but are trusting in God's perfect timing. The communication has been a bit confusing (imagine that!) but we think the interview may take place on July 16th instead. We're praying that is the case!

Precious Gifts from God

So close - yet so far away! The final steps seem to drag on the longest. We found out this week that Esther's visa has been applied for and the I-604 (birth parent) interview has been scheduled for July 11th at 9:30am. We are praying that this interview goes smoothly and that we receive final I-600 approval shortly after. We're specifically praying for both Esther's birth mother and Esther as they will attend this interview together. My heart aches for them - there are simply no words. Adoption is hard. Adoption is messy. Adoption is filled with so much pain and loss. While we are filled with hope and joy at the thought of our baby girl joining our family in the near future there is another mother (Esther's birth mother) whose heart is likely heavy as this process comes to a close. I am and will forever be grateful to Esther's first mother - the one that chose to give her life and the one who chose the gift of adoption for her. She has given us the most precious gift anyone on this earth will ever give us. I hope she knows somehow just how much we love her daughter - our daughter. 

As we near the end of our journey my friends decided to throw me a baby shower in honor of sweet Esther. I posted some pics below. It was a lovely evening of celebration and anticipation of Esther's homecoming! They even made cookies in the shape of Haiti - how cool is that?!? Gavin was a very proud big brother:) I sat in the same livingroom of a dear friend, celebrating my daughter, that I sat in four years ago, celebrating my son..... how the years sure do fly by! I feel very blessed with 2 beautiful children - both having come to us in completely different ways - both precious gifts from God:)  

Our Last Goodbye

My mom and I went to visit Esther & Sophiana this past week. It was great to love on my girl once again! She was happy and full of smiles most of the time but also threw her fair share of fits. Once she even plugged her own ears as she rolled around on the floor because she was soooo loud! I think we will have our work cut out for us:) She is still ever so tiny but has grown much taller since the last time we were together – 3ft! The 2T dresses I brought were a little short but the 3T ones were a little too big for her tiny frame. I have a feeling we may be using safety pins quite often when she comes home:) The afternoon before I left Esther asked if she could go to Miami with me. It broke my heart to tell her no (but hopefully so very soon baby)! We were blessed to have a translator this trip. He was able to tell Esther that next time Mommy and Daddy come to Haiti we will be bringing her home with us…. oh how I long for that day! She was happy about that but it didn’t make our goodbye any easier. I can still see the pain etched on her face and hear the screams ringing through my ears. As I listened to her cries echo throughout the orphanage I assured myself that was our last goodbye. Next time I step foot into Haiti I will be leaving with my baby girl in my arms. No more goodbyes – a forever family at last! We’re praying that our visa is applied for soon. There seems to be yet another unexplainable delay… hoping to hear of movement sooner than later. We were hoping she would be home this summer but due to this delay it looks like fall may be more realistic.  We are really praying that she will be home in time to celebrate the holidays together as a family. We would love for all 4 of us to celebrate Thanksgiving, her 4^th birthday and Christmas together – oh how we hope this comes to be! Continuing to trust in God's perfect timing - as hard as that may be some days. Afterall, His plan is always best!

Mimi & the girls:)

She was so proud that Mommy had finally arrived!

Esther and her caregiver 

A lovely painting on the wall in the orphanage

Plugging her ears while screaming and rolling around on the floor - oh my!

Papa's Trip

Papa traveled to Haiti for Sophiana's court date last month. He spent much time hanging out and playing with Esther. She loved him! He said she was very happy and loved to be chased and tickled:) He also said she had grown much taller and is fully potty trained! He taught her how to say some English words. She called me and said "Eatin a peanut butta cracka Mama". Too cute:) I was so grateful that he was able to spend so much time with our baby! 5 more weeks until Mimi and I will be on our way!!!! I'm all packed and ready to go:) 

Sophiana Joseph Knight:)

So it's official.... I have a new sister! Sophiana Joseph Knight:) Dad traveled to court this week. Hoping and praying the rest of their process goes quickly and smoothly. We would LOVE to have both girls home for the holidays:)

We are hoping to have Esther's passport and I-600 approval by the end of the month so that we can move onto the last stage of the process which will be getting her visa so that she can travel to the US. We're praying that both the passport printing and I-600 approval will not cause any delays. We're so ready to welcome our baby girl home!

25 Months & Counting...

When we started the adoption process we were told that it would take 9 to 25 months to bring Esther home from the time we turned in our dossier (adoption paperwork for Haiti). We have now reached the 25 month mark... still months away from being finished... waiting is SO hard! Watching our baby girl grow up in an orphanage is SO hard! Please join us in praying that the remainder of the process will move quickly and without delays. We are more than ready to welcome our sweet baby girl home!

A Little Bit More...

Just when I thought my heart couldn't possibly ache anymore than it already does, I received this picture. Almost instantly I could feel my heart breaking a little bit more. We're making progress... but seemingly in slow motion. We're thankful that tomorrow we will be filing our I-600 - another big step in the right direction! They say slow and steady gets the job done... at this point I think I'd rather try out the fast and hasty route:) Praying you home sweet baby girl! Your day is coming!!!

Waiting Through the Pain

This week, 2 years ago, we were in Haiti meeting our baby girl for the first time. She was more beautiful than we could have ever imagined! She melted in my arms just perfectly. I'll never forget that 1st moment or the days to follow... filled with great joy and deep sorrow. A roller coaster of emotions unlike any I've ever experienced before. Oh, how I long to hold her in my arms. Loving her from a distance seems almost unbearable these days. We were certain she would be home by now. Reaching the 2 year mark, since we traveled to meet her, is a milestone we would have been more than glad not to meet. But here we are. We know our God is sovereign. We know He loves her with a more pure and amazing love than we can comprehend. So we wait. We wait through the pain. We pray for her, that God will sustain her. We ask him to bring peace and joy to her life. A peace that passes all understanding, a joy that only He can bring. We are blessed to have been chosen to be a part of something so amazing. We believe our God will be faithful to complete what He has begun. We wait in anticipation as God continues to write our story...

3 Months...

Can't wait to hug her little neck!!! 3 months my little one... counting the days:)

Itty Bitty Baby Girl

Some fellow adoptive parents traveled to KKO this week. We received an update on our itty bitty baby girl. At 3 years old she is wearing a size 3 diaper and 18 month clothing. What a lil peanut! She was very shy and quiet but we did receive one pic of her showing her teeth:)

Let The Countdown Begin...

Mommy is coming to visit in June, sweet baby girl. I can't wait to see your beautiful face:) Hope you're ready for lots of lovin! Let the countdown begin...

"Essie"

Mommy is missing you today sweet baby girl... almost more than I can bear. Mimi made this for you yesterday. Gavin and I hung it up in your room. Oh how we long to hold you tight!

Daddy and I decided to give you the nickname "Essie" instead of "Ellie". I guess that's what happens when we have years to think about it:) We think it will suit our little princess just fine. Now if we could just get you home so we could begin our life together...

Praise the Lord!

Jean Marie is home!!! Praise the Lord! It still seems crazy to look at a pic of him with Gavin instead of Esther. They really weren't sure what to think of eachother. I'm sure they'll be best buds before we know it:) There's just enough space in this photo to plop Esther in the middle to complete the "3 Musketeers". I can only imagine the mischeif they will all be getting into together soon enough!

One Less Orphan:)

Esther's cousin, Jean Marie, is coming home!!! His Daddy left early this morning for Haiti. His family is excitedly preparing for his arrival tomorrow evening! It all seems so surreal. He will celebrate his 4th birthday on January 15th. What a wonderful celebration that will be!!! We're looking forward to the day when these 2 precious babes will reunite here in the US. I know one lil girl who will surely be missing her friend until that day comes!