Holding On For Naika

IBESR

jennilynnw — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:28:53 +0000

On Monday we received an email from our social worker to confirm that we are in IBESR!!!

Praise God!

We knew there was a chance that our paperwork would be submitted to IBESR last Friday, February 17th. We decided not to hold our breath, as this was the third time we were told we would enter IBESR. On Thursday the 16th, I did one of the only things I can control in this adoption process right now. I packed Naika’s suitcase for our March trip and prayed, prayed, prayed. During this I was listening to Need to Breath on my iPad. I listen to them all the time, my family might just be getting tired of the same music, but not me. Well, when Devil’s Been Talking came on, I just lost it. I cried and prayed like never before. I begged for God to grant us IBESR. Praise God for my answered prayers!!!

IBESR is truly the beginning of the Haitian process. All adoption documents go to this office for approval. IBESR is the acronym for “Institut du BienEtre Social et de Recherches.” This is french for the the equivalent of the department of family and children’s services. IBESR is responsible for approving each international adoption and ensuring that the adoptive family meets criteria, that the child is eligible for adoption, and that the adoption itself is legitimate, according to Haiti’s adoption legislation of 1974. If a family does not meet the criteria of the law of 1974, their dossier can be pre-approved for Presidential Dispensation and delivered to the President of Haiti for his signature. Following Dispensation, IBESR will sign off on the dossier and grant an Authorization of Adoption. Dispensations are published in the Haitian legal journal Le Moniteur.

To celebrate this much anticipated and waited for movement our family went out for some Red Mango. It’s a favorite spot of us to have a special treat and celebrate some forward movement on our journey to bringing Naika home.

Celebrating IBESR at Red Mango!

Amara and Asa celebrating IBESR!

So what’s next? We wait to get out of IBESR and to see our Dispensation printed in the Le Moniteur. Getting out of IBESR is exciting because it usually signifies the beginning of the end of the adoption!

On Saturday, Amara and I made a paper chain to count down the days until we travel with Grandma Carol to Haiti. I cannot wait for the moment I get to introduce my two daughters-watch for some fun matching outfits! I also can’t wait for Naika to meet her Grandma Carol. This will be such an amazing trip! Naika will get to spend 6 nights with us!

Amara and our travel countdown chain.

Only 32 more days my little sunshine!

Naika’s February Update

jennilynnw — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:09:24 +0000

About once a month we receive an update on Naika from the missionary at the orphanage. This month we were lucky enough to get two pictures! Naika weighed in at 21.6 lbs, she’s growing! Apparently, Naika did not want to have her picture taken this month, unless Angie-the missionary- was holding her. Angie said, “She definitely knows what she wants!” That my girl! Nothing wishy-washy about her.

Naika showing some spirit!

Naika receiving some Angie love!

40 more days my decisive little one!

January Trip

jennilynnw — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:41:30 +0000

We rarely skip church on Sunday mornings. My departing flight from Omaha was scheduled to leave after 2:00, so we had plenty of time for our normal Sunday schedule. We planned to attend church as usual and then stop for a family lunch on the way to airport. However, God intervened and changed our well laid out plans.

When we awoke, both John and I decided we should stay home and spend some quality time as a family. I happened to be standing in the kitchen when my phone vibrated with a call. A representative of American Airlines called and was worried that I would have difficulty making my connection through Chicago to Miami due to a snow and ice storm. She asked me to get to the airport as soon as I could to catch an earlier flight, I got the last seat on the plane. I quickly finished my packing and got ready to leave for Haiti hours sooner than I had planned for. This lady was my guardian Angel for the day, I hope she enjoyed the chocolates I brought her. Thanks to her, I had no issues with my flights that day (or the whole trip) and was able to meet my cousin Sara in Chicago as planned. We arrived in Miami ahead of schedule and met my friend Jen for dinner and a shared hotel room. She and her husband are adopting 2 amazing boys from Maison. We were on the way to Haiti the next morning!

We and 5 other families (4 other families joined us later that day), arrived in Haiti safely and made it through the craziness of the airport and through the very slow check in process at the hotel.

Our first reunion! Angie, the amazing missionary, is in the background.

Then we traveled to the orphanage and waited on the porch for Angie, the American missionary, to present our children to us. This is quite possibly the happiest place on earth, it really is. Everyone is always smiling. Having Naika in my arms again was such a comfort. My how she has grown over the last three months! I am so grateful I got to introduce Sara to my daughter right there on that special porch in Haiti.

Then it was back to the hotel for 3 1/2 days of family bonding.

Our first meal together, beans and rice at the hotel on Monday.

One of Naika’s favorite activities is eating. And I was happy to supply all the food she could desire. She is currently in the less than 3 percent range on the growth chart for weight. Our other kids are also small, but have never fallen off the chart. So bring on the food!

A snicky snack in the hotel room

Pasta with chicken, a hot pot delight.

A nod to our college days, Ramon Noodles.

Naika loved the baby food pouches.

She really didn't like any of the sippy cups I brought. She preferred to drink from an open cup.

A new tradition, a late night chip party on our last night together.

Another frequent activity was napping. Naika seemed to need at least 2 naps a day. The children at Maison seem to sleep often. There is always a sleeping child somewhere in a room. I was happy to spend some quiet time with her in the hotel room and even take a few naps myself.

Her comfort, rubbing her clothes on her face.

My ray of sunshine!

A natural child's pose. My little yoga baby.

And of course lots of outdoor play time!

Toys everywhere.

Snow balls!

Who's the fairest of them all? Naika loved the mirrored door to the hotel office.

Snow time! We brought artificial snow to share with the other families.

The Valentine's Day collage Amara made for Naika.

The life of the party!

This was as close to swimming as she got this trip. Twice I put on her suit and tried to get her to swim with Sara, no luck.

Naika always liked to have a spoon nearby.

We also enjoyed some indoor playtime in the hotel room.

Naika's toy bench.

Naika and her sassy sunglasses.

Peek-a-boo with the blankee from Amara & Asa.

A favorite activity was throwing items off the bed for Sara and me to retrieve.

Keep your eye on the ball.

We also really enjoyed our special time with my cousin Sara. We were so blessed that she was able to join me for this trip. Sara was the first person to meet John, she actually was a part of our first date. So it only made sense that Sara was the first to meet Naika.

: Naika and Sara

Patty cake time with Sara

Walking around the pool with Sara.

On our last night in Haiti we must return our children to the orphanage. This is a heart breaking experience, especially for some of the older children. A wise adoptive mother told me that it’s one less time during our October trip. This time it was much easier and Naika went into the Baby 2 room and immediately was loved on by a precious nanny.

Here is what we saw when we arrived at Maison. This was an amazing sight to see. The playground was installed by a team from California with Kids Around the World. I can only imagine the joy this structure will bring the children of Haiti.

The new playground that was installed during our time at the hotel and dedicated the day we left.

50 more day my Something Beautiful!

Gwo Ti fi Big Girl

jennilynnw — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:24:47 +0000

Our little Naika is growing up.

Yesterday, we received an email from the missionary at Maison via our social worker stating that Naika would be moving up to the Baby 2 Room. This room has mostly toddler aged children, probably ages 1 1/2 until about 3 years old. The next room the children move up to is the “Toddler Room” which has the young preschool aged children in it.

Angie said, Naika was moving to baby 2 as she typed. They had 6 month old twins enter, and needed her bed. She said, “I’ve played with her the last 2 days, and she will do great there. She is little miss personality, and has been happy and running all over the place. She is also an excellent problem solver when she is determined, as I watched her try to get a nannie’s phone from a seemingly unreachable place. “

I’m so glad Angie is still finding time to play with and interact with the children. I know she has been so busy doing office work and assisting with all the adoptions. We are so blessed to have Angie at the orphanage.

While I’m glad Naika will get more stimulation and is growing up, I sure hope she can fend for herself. It can get a bit wild in those small rooms with so many, many children. Please continue to pray for her.

9 more days my running all over the place girl! Can’t wait to witness this, she was just taking a step or two on her own in October.

Concordia Academy’s Mission Day for Haiti

jennilynnw — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:50:24 +0000

We are so blessed to be able to send Amara to a very wonderful Christian school called Concordia Academy. Every month they have a Mission Day. On these days, the students earn a free dress day (instead of wearing their school uniform) if they bring in a donation to a specific charity.

Today Concordia Academy had a Mission Day for Haiti. The students were asked to bring in donations for the orphanage where our daughter Naika lives (the same orphanage another student at CA was adopted from), Maison des Enfants de Dieu, and for the Gift of God Orphanage, which is also located in Port-au-Prince Haiti. The Concordia High School Girls Basketball team will go on a mission trip during spring break to the Gift of God Orphanage. Spring break will also be the week that I travel with my mother and Amara on another “family bonding trip”. I cannot contain the joy I have when I think about introducing Naika to her Grandma and sister. There will be lots of love from Omaha in Haiti that week!

I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of my Concordia family. The students were all so sweet dropping off their donations. The one table we set out was overflowing with donations spilling onto the floor. The totals were outstanding. I greatly underestimated the amount of donations that would come in and only brought 2 small boxes to carry items home in. Thankfully, Amy was much more prepared than me and had boxes and bags. Silly me also drove my small Honda Civic with 2 cars seat in the back. It was a sight to see, but everything just fit-including Amara who got sick on the car ride to school this morning. I had tears in my eyes the whole drive home. God is so good, he always provides. We have seen His grace so many times during our adoption journey already.

It is no coincidence that today is the 2 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti and also my birthday. I can’t think of a greater way to bless Haiti and celebrate my birthday. I am so honored to hand deliver these donations to Haiti. Thank you God!

Concordia Academy's Mission Day for Maison (the donations for the other orphanage are not in this picture)

114 bars of soap

43 tubes of toothpaste

38 containers of wipes

22 containers of formula

22 travel size shampoos

14 bags of of diapers

18 containers of oatmeal

13 travel size conditioners

11 bottles of baby shampoo

10 travel lotions

8 bottles of lotion

6 boxes of Jell-O pudding

6 travel tissue bags

5 containers of baby powder

4 boxes of baby cereal

4 crib sheets

4 toothbrushes

3 bags of clothes

2 containers of baby oil

2 boxes of Ziploc bags

2 deodorants

1 blanket

1 changing pad

1 container of floss

1 container of Q-tips

11 more days my silly social butterfly!

The Notebook

jennilynnw — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:55:07 +0000

It used to be just a movie. A movie that I watched on an airplane while traveling to Costa Rica for our honeymoon in 2004. Now is has a whole new meaning…

In October, when we traveled to Haiti, we made an appearance at a Haitian court as part of our adoption process. After we entered the small courthouse, we stepped inside a tiny room. In this room, a court employee opened a notebook to show us some text. It was a simple spiral bound notebook, similar to the ones I used throughout school. She pointed to our printed names, embedded in a couple of paragraphs written in Haitian Creole. I have no idea what those paragraphs said, but I nodded to indicate that those were our names. Then she drew an X with a line for us to sign on. I really don’t know what I signed, but I happily signed my name and smiled and celebrated. I knew we were one step closer in our journey to bring Naika home.

Naika’s birth mother, Mary, also had to appear in a courthouse to sign in a similar notebook. She signed to indicate that she also wanted to proceed with an adoption plan for her daughter.

Naika and her birth mother and sister in November 2011.

In August, “Kiki” one of the beloved brothers that ran Maison des Enfants de Dieu passed away. ”Kiki” was the main person assisting with the adoptions at Maison. He was the power of attorney for all the birth parents and adoptive parents. Shortly after his death, we completed new paperwork making Pastor Pierre our new power of attorney. Mary was required to complete similar paperwork at a Haitian court, again signing in a notebook. She now had to once again sign that she wanted to proceed with an adoption plan for her daughter.

During our October trip, we were told we would enter the next step in the adoption process, in 3-4 weeks. This next step is known as IBESR. It’s been almost 11 weeks now and we have still not entered IBESR. We recently learned that the Haitian court has reported that the notebook Mary resigned in has been lost. Apparently, the court tried to find the notebook for quite some time before they reported it was lost. The paperwork from this notebook is required before we can enter IBESR. In this lost notebook were also many other birth parent signatures. This lost notebook affects many families adopting from Maison.

Now Mary and several other birth mothers will need to go back to the courthouse for a third time to complete this same paperwork. Please pray for Mary and the other birth parents. My heart is so heavy right now, it just aches. I can not imagine the emotions that accompany this task. And for Mary and the other birth parents to have to do this task two extra times breaks my heart. I wish it would have been the adoptive parent notebook that was lost. I wish the burden would have fallen on us.

We were told that Mary has continued to do everything necessary to complete the adoption plan for Naika. She has continued to attend the birth parents days at Maison and visit Naika when able. She attended her appointment at the U.S. Embassy in December and the Embassy is not requiring a DNA test. We pray that Mary will continue to do what is necessary to complete the adoption plan for Naika. Angie, the missionary at Maison indicated she had no concerns about Naika’s birth mom finishing all the necessary steps, but this was before the lost notebook.

We now continue to wait. Wait to hear when the birth parents will appear at the Haitian court again. Wait to hear the Maison has received the paperwork. Wait to hear that we have entered IBESR. Then we wait some more.

Please pray.

Half Birthdays!

jennilynnw — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:54:10 +0000

In our family we celebrate half birthdays. All three of our children have summer birthdays in June. So they will most likely never celebrate their actual birthday at school. Even Amara & Naika don’t get to celebrate their half birthdays at school since the dates fall during Christmas break. When you’re young half birthdays are a big deal. I’m not sure when half birthdays lose their appeal. Maybe at 11 1/2? For now we will celebrate half birthdays. We always need a reason for a treat. And I’ve learned to find everyday reasons to celebrate. Nothing big. The child celebrating the half birthday gets to pick a special treat to share with the family.

For Asa’s 3 1/2 birthday he chose to go to The Cupcake Island and pick a special cupcake for each family member. They were so very delightful that I forgot to get a picture of them. I actually think I’m the only person that ate their cupcake on his actual half birthday. But here a couple pictures of Asa from that day.

Asa's concerned look about his half birthday.

Asa a bit happier about his special day!

For Naika’s half birthday we celebrated with some delicious leftover Christmas cake. We can only imagine the joy of spending her 2 1/2 birthday with her next year.

They may have been leftovers, but the reason for the treat made it even more special than the first time around.

Not her half birthday, but one of her Christmas celebrations. Closest date to her half birthday that we have a picture of.

For Amara’s 5 1/2 birthday celebration we actually made a treat. We love to bake together and share the results together. Amara chose to make chocolate brownies. Then when we saw the recipe for brownie pizza on the box we had a quick change of plans.

Amara's 5 1/2 birthday brownie pizza.

22 more days my big 1 1/2 year old girl! Gwo ti fi!

Passport

jennilynnw — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:42:07 +0000

Today we took Amara to the post office to apply for a passport. We are hoping to take Amara to Haiti with us on a family bonding trip this next year. Amara has such a big heart and such a loving desire to meet her sister. Amara wants to play with Naika, hold her and smell her. Amara’s heard me say that I love the way Naika smells. Nothing like a fresh clean baby. The nannies take such pride in the care they provide our children and want them to be clean, dressed in nice clothes and with freshly styled hair before they “present” them to us on the porch of Maison. I wonder what the kids think of us when they are brought out. We’ve been up since the crack of dawn, haven’t eaten much, spent hours in a plane and our bursting with excitement. I’m sure we are a sight to see.

Then we went next door to Canfield’s which is always an adventure. Asa took off his shoes and had a jolly time playing in all the tents. I found some bug bands and a camping towel for Naika to use at the pool. I also spied a really stylish bag/purse that would be very functional to carry all my essentials for me and Naika while in Haiti. Good thing I have a birthday next month and just printed off a coupon to Canfield’s.

Only 25 more day until our next amazing presentation.

Calculating

jennilynnw — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:28:41 +0000

I’m beginning to accept the reality that we most likely will not be bringing Naika home in September, like we were told during our October trip. Currently, we are still probably about a year away from our “gotcha day.” We’ve been educated that the timeline is about a year from when we enter IBESR (more to come about that later-hopefully soon).

Today at work, I had a moment to calculate my available vacation hours and plan for the next year. I would like to travel to Haiti on 6 “family bonding trips” during the next year. That is basically a trip every other month through December. We also have our Landsverk family reunion in June. I’m also planning for one more trip to Haiti to bring Naika home. That’s a total of 21 vacation days I will need to take in 2012. Given my current accumulated hours and the hours I will accrue during 2012, I will have just enough, not one day more. Seriously, I will deplete nearly all my vacation hours, but it will be so very worth it. All I can say is it’s a God thing.

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19

26 more day sweet baby girl!

Pancakes with Penguins

jennilynnw — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:29:06 +0000

Today we joined my sister and her 2 children for pancakes with penguins at the Henry Doorly Zoo. It’s become an annual tradition that all of our kids seem to enjoy, at least parts of it. We all ate fabulous pancakes prepared by the Pancake Man himself, completed penguin crafts and visited two penguins up close and personal. So close that my nephew commented on the penguin poo all over the zookeeper. We then braved the cold, cold wind and walked around the zoo to visit more animals. Amara seemed to enjoy the butterflies and cats best. Asa enjoyed the monitors and skinks. He hasn’t noticed yet that we didn’t make it back to the giraffes. We even got to watch a snake eat a whole mouse. I enjoyed the gorillas with their playful baby. I dreamed about how maybe, just maybe next year Naika will get to experience pancakes with penguins.

This picture was taken during our tour of the jungle. Asa did not want his picture taken, he finally relented, but refused to smile. That’s my boy, typically contrary.

This was a picture Asa requested to take. He and Amara both enjoyed sitting on the ledge watching the monitor in the Kingdom of the Night exhibit.

The next time I eat pancakes will most likely be at the Habatation Hatt Hotel in Haiti. I will share a huge plate of crepe-like pancakes with Naika, and maybe Sara too. I hope the syrup is still good in January. Apparently it was so bad in the past, that some families bring their own syrup on the family bonding trips. Pretty sure I don’t have enough space for syrup this trip, keeping my fingers crossed for good syrup.

27 more days my precious daughter!