Sunday, July 22, 2012
Great Day yesterday
We drove 2.5 hours yesterday to see Tyler. He is working at a Boy Scout camp as an assistant cook this summer making spending money for his first year at college. He has been gone since June 10 and isn't due home till Aug. 7. We are planning his Eagle presentation ceremony with one of his friends who also achieved the ranking this year two weeks later. Then it's off to college to study Biology, with a freshwater emphasis.
I just can't believe we are at that point with having a child done with high school and going on into the world on another adventure. He just found out what hall he will be staying next year and who his roommate will be. Exciting and scary. Chrislande was upset yesterday when we left him still there, I can't imagine how she will react when we take him to school. Told her that she can go with Dad when he gets him at the end of camp. She sure loves her big brother. She ran up to him yesterday and wouldn't let go of him for quite some time. Was so cute.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Going forward?
Trying to figure out how to go forward. How to put our trust in the one so that we can possibly bring Joshua home. We need to make sure we are able to get the money going to get the ball rolling. Need to dig deep in faith so that this can happen. Praying that this comes to us on how to get this started and that the decision to bring him home is what is intended for us. That this is what he wants us to do. Praying daily for the signs to point us in the correct direction and we can make the positive direction soon.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Thinking
So,
The orphanage that Chrislande lived in for 5 years is now looking for a family for a 5 year old boy named Joshua. I have been thinking alot about adoption again. Thinking that I would like this little boy should join our family. My husband thinks I am crazy. Doesn't understand why,(but then I don't know if I know why). I just feel a stirring in my heart for some reason. Chrislande has now been home for 2 years now. She is doing good, struggles at times with listening, but is very outgoing. So why do I feel the need to bring another child into our home? Am I crazy? I work long hours by being a retail store manager and know that Joshua would require lots of help, but I seem to strive on stress and challenging situations. There are wonderful people that are working to raise funds to help his family bring him home and to raise money for his medical expenses for after he gets home. Do I keep working on my husband to see that we would be able to handle another child at this time or pray that another family steps forward to bring him into their love?
Friday, January 1, 2010
Could it Be?
On Thursday we recieved a letter from USCIS here in Milwaukee. A letter that we have been waiting to see since we first got the dreaded letter in July. It was a letter that stated that after reviewing the supplementing information that we sent to them concerning their allegations that Chrislande wasn't a true orphan and questioning the legality of our adoption, they have decided that indeed it was a legal Haitian adoption and that she is a true orphan. So they are sending notification and the supporting paperwork to Port-au-Prince to the American embassy stating that we can proceed. Proceed to obtaining a visa and bringing her finally home. We are hoping and praying that we hear something within the next 2 weeks on her visa. But the way things go, who knows for sure. It least it seems like there is only 1 final hurdle to jump. I just couldn't contain myself yesterday at work, was grinning from ear to ear. Can't wait to let my boss know that I may/will need off shortly to bring our little girl home.
Hope everyone had as great of a day going into the New Year as we did.
Praying for all waiting and that we get the news that she has her visa soon.
Hope everyone had as great of a day going into the New Year as we did.
Praying for all waiting and that we get the news that she has her visa soon.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
no news yet
we are still waiting for our uscis office to decide on our noid. apparently our case is very complex that they need extra time. the only way we found this out is by bugging our senator's office after we hadn't heard anything after the 90 days had passed. now we are being told that we need to check after the 23rd of this month. waiting is sure getting harder to do. this has dragged on way too long. i had thought when we didn't get any responses, and our senator's office didn't get any response, that they had lost/missplaced our file. they tell me no, that is is just too complex for them to make whim decsions on. why couldn't they let us know? we continue to pray that we get the word and we can get her home for christmas. will you please pray with us?
thank you and happy holiday's to you all.
thank you and happy holiday's to you all.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Update
Excitement is in the air, as the lions have started their 1st semester of preschool. The kids love the new school and are adjusting well to the routine of a preschool classroom. At first, things were a bit chaotic, but as with most things here, the kids have done a wonderful job of adapting to something new. The students are already showing improvements in certain areas. After one week, most of the students could answer the question, what is your name? They have also learned the Bible verse Matthew 19:14 Jesus said “Let the little children come to me.”
Teacher comment: Chrislande loves coming to school. She asks me every day if she can come to school and play with the babies (dolls). She is a nurturer at heart and loves to take care of the dolls, feed them, dress them, and change their diapers. If she decides to do another activity, she always brings her babies with her. Chrislande is very intelligent and a great problem solver. She sees patterns and does well with puzzles. Chrislande enjoys learning new things and does well paying attention and participating during circle time. She prefers to things on her own and rarely asks for help. One of Chrislande’s favorite phrases at school is, “Ka fe” (I can do it). Chrislande follows directions well at school and is a huge help when it is time to clean up.
The lions really enjoyed the performance that Clowns Without Borders gave to us on August 13. In their first experience with clowns, they were fascinated and often overjoyed. They especially enjoyed getting to talk to the clowns after the performance. The lions have also started having PE once a week on Fridays. They love the opportunity to get some of their extra energy out, and they have plenty of extra energy. One of their favorite activities during PE is to do the duck walk. They especially like it whenever an adult demonstrates it for them, quacks included.
Chrislande definitely radiates joy. When you are around her, it is hard not to smile. She has an energetic and boisterous attitude that is contagious. You can often find her giggling at things that others hadn’t thought about, but the giggles usually spread. She loves to get her photo taken and often asks if we can take her photo if she got her hair done or is wearing pretty clothes. During the photo session, she will put on her best smile, but through her teeth ask when she will get to have a treat, demonstrating her ability to multitask and think ahead:)
One of the things that we love about Chrislande is that she is very independent. She knows what she likes and she enjoys doing things herself. She often enjoys figuring things out rather than simply being shown how to do them. At times, this can lead to her resisting help when she needs it. However, she is not prone to complaining if things don’t go her way. She seems to be able to roll with whatever comes her way. You rarely see her dwell on something if she doesn’t get her way. Rather, she is off finding out what is next.
The Lions love the fact that they get to take the most walks. Although we discourage it, the lions love to march past the other rooms on the way to their walk and let them know that they are going on a walk. At times, they will even sing “Zandolits pa mache, Zandolits pa mache,” which means alligator don’t get to walk. They will sing this as they do a little dance past the other kids. It drives the other kids crazy, which is why we discourage it. However, it is extremely cute. When they are on their walk, the kids love to yell “moto” when they see one is approaching. They also like to say hello to the people in the village and animals in the field. Chrislande takes a leadership role on walks. She is fearless to be the first to do most things, as long as dogs are not involved. She especially loves to try to talk to people from a distance. It doesn’t hurt that she has a fairly strong vocal capacity.
Play Therapy Update
This may be your first time hearing about child centered play therapy, if so I do encourage all the parents to do a little research to get a better grasp. Child Centered play therapy is scheduled each week for a child to play in the playroom for 35 to 40 minutes. During this time the child plays with what they want the way they want too. Play therapy is set up to facilitate expression of emotion, decision making skills, increased confidence, self esteem, and healthy relationships. Many of the children have been through traumatic situations that have in some way effected their development. Play therapy can help improve development for these children. I am including a brief summary of your child’s progress so far in therapy.
Chrislande varies in her excitement for play therapy. She seems unsure of the process and this therapist. Chrislande is very organized in her play. She seems independent and confident in her decisions. Chrislande has trouble expressing emotions freely. She has little interaction with this therapist unless she needs help with something. Chrislande rarely forgets to put a toy away and is helpful. Chrislande’s goals are: 1) build healthy relationships 2) express emotions freely 3) improve self esteem
As of September 1, 2009:
Weigh: 29 lbs
Height: 39 1/2 inches
Teacher comment: Chrislande loves coming to school. She asks me every day if she can come to school and play with the babies (dolls). She is a nurturer at heart and loves to take care of the dolls, feed them, dress them, and change their diapers. If she decides to do another activity, she always brings her babies with her. Chrislande is very intelligent and a great problem solver. She sees patterns and does well with puzzles. Chrislande enjoys learning new things and does well paying attention and participating during circle time. She prefers to things on her own and rarely asks for help. One of Chrislande’s favorite phrases at school is, “Ka fe” (I can do it). Chrislande follows directions well at school and is a huge help when it is time to clean up.
The lions really enjoyed the performance that Clowns Without Borders gave to us on August 13. In their first experience with clowns, they were fascinated and often overjoyed. They especially enjoyed getting to talk to the clowns after the performance. The lions have also started having PE once a week on Fridays. They love the opportunity to get some of their extra energy out, and they have plenty of extra energy. One of their favorite activities during PE is to do the duck walk. They especially like it whenever an adult demonstrates it for them, quacks included.
Chrislande definitely radiates joy. When you are around her, it is hard not to smile. She has an energetic and boisterous attitude that is contagious. You can often find her giggling at things that others hadn’t thought about, but the giggles usually spread. She loves to get her photo taken and often asks if we can take her photo if she got her hair done or is wearing pretty clothes. During the photo session, she will put on her best smile, but through her teeth ask when she will get to have a treat, demonstrating her ability to multitask and think ahead:)
One of the things that we love about Chrislande is that she is very independent. She knows what she likes and she enjoys doing things herself. She often enjoys figuring things out rather than simply being shown how to do them. At times, this can lead to her resisting help when she needs it. However, she is not prone to complaining if things don’t go her way. She seems to be able to roll with whatever comes her way. You rarely see her dwell on something if she doesn’t get her way. Rather, she is off finding out what is next.
The Lions love the fact that they get to take the most walks. Although we discourage it, the lions love to march past the other rooms on the way to their walk and let them know that they are going on a walk. At times, they will even sing “Zandolits pa mache, Zandolits pa mache,” which means alligator don’t get to walk. They will sing this as they do a little dance past the other kids. It drives the other kids crazy, which is why we discourage it. However, it is extremely cute. When they are on their walk, the kids love to yell “moto” when they see one is approaching. They also like to say hello to the people in the village and animals in the field. Chrislande takes a leadership role on walks. She is fearless to be the first to do most things, as long as dogs are not involved. She especially loves to try to talk to people from a distance. It doesn’t hurt that she has a fairly strong vocal capacity.
Play Therapy Update
This may be your first time hearing about child centered play therapy, if so I do encourage all the parents to do a little research to get a better grasp. Child Centered play therapy is scheduled each week for a child to play in the playroom for 35 to 40 minutes. During this time the child plays with what they want the way they want too. Play therapy is set up to facilitate expression of emotion, decision making skills, increased confidence, self esteem, and healthy relationships. Many of the children have been through traumatic situations that have in some way effected their development. Play therapy can help improve development for these children. I am including a brief summary of your child’s progress so far in therapy.
Chrislande varies in her excitement for play therapy. She seems unsure of the process and this therapist. Chrislande is very organized in her play. She seems independent and confident in her decisions. Chrislande has trouble expressing emotions freely. She has little interaction with this therapist unless she needs help with something. Chrislande rarely forgets to put a toy away and is helpful. Chrislande’s goals are: 1) build healthy relationships 2) express emotions freely 3) improve self esteem
As of September 1, 2009:
Weigh: 29 lbs
Height: 39 1/2 inches
Monday, October 5, 2009
Still Waiting
We are still waiting for USCIS to decide if they are going to approve our adoption. We have been waiting since August and have been told that if we don't hear anything from them by 10/31, we should contact our Senator's office. Why is it taking so long for them to respond? Why can't they see that all the evidence shows that it should be approved. Why does it seem like all my prayers are going unanswered? Why can't things be done and I am on my way to pick Chrislande up? It is 1 year since she received her passport and when the start of everything was. Please, pray that we hear on her file being approved and that she will be home by christmas. We love our little girl and want her home yesterday.
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