Day 8- Wednesday

Today I was really missing The Bash. It has been hard not having him here… but for some reason it really hit me today. I walk around feeling incomplete without that crazy boy! I know he is being loved on and taken care of amazingly by our family, but it is so hard to be without him for so many days. Which puts into perspective how hard this year wait is really going to be for us! Anyway, I came into our room this morning crying because I just wanna snuggle that boy so bad right now.

Anyway… Our day started with a knock on our door. We were headed to the crèche early today because they needed the car for something else. We crammed into the truck and headed to the crèche. When we arrived we caught the end of the kid’s prayer/devotions in the morning. The boys were making a sweet beat using drum stick on this shelf and a baby toy piano! It was AMAZING! They were all singing. Then they said their own prayers aloud and then said a prayer together. It was really cool getting to be a part of that.

Benithy had to go to the Dr. clinic today. She’s fighting a bit of a cold of some sort. So she got checked up on. The clinic is right there by the crèche so we didn’t go far.

One thing about Benithy is that every day she has to re-warm-up to us. It makes it very exhausting because every day we are breaking down a barrier. By that I mean she never comes to us right at first, we always initiate the relationship. Sometimes she still cries (especially if she is tired). At first we hold her for a long time, and she doesn’t let go. Once she finally starts to play she’ll get her sass and her voice… but some days she never gets to this stage. Some days she’ll look at us and interact with us, and some days she just lays on us. These are all good, but every day we go through these stages. Some days are easier than others. Some days she leans toward wanting one of us more than the other. Once we break down the Benithy barrier it does not mean it’s like that all day… Some days we are doing it 2-3 times each day! She is amazing, but so hard to get to.  On top of that we are bombarded with the needs of the other kids that are there. We get to know the kids more and more and love on them… Making each day so awesome, but so hard. So please continue to pray for us and her heart! Thanks!

Today while Benithy was napping we got to sit in on the older kid’s “class.” They pick a topic and have to discuss/debate it in English. Today the subject was sharing. It was really cool to get to sit and listen in on what the kids thought about sharing and all the different aspects of sharing. More than anything it was great to get to know the older kids a bit more. They are all very sweet!

The other couple here is so sweet. They are kind and, again, I cannot stress how nice it is to have someone that we can have good conversations with!

We are on our downhill ride of our trip! 7 days left (6 full days and 1 day of travel) left. It seems absolutely insane…. I don’t know how we’ll leave here.... There is so much I enjoy about it here in Haiti (I didn’t think those words were gonna come out of my mouth before we got here). Things are just simpler in that we don’t really have a lot of internet access so my phone addiction has been cut in half. We don’t have a lot of time for anything but playing with kids, reading a bit, and a few games at night. Everyone is really quite pleasant and nice, even if I don’t understand a whole lot of what they are saying. It’s really been quite nice. Please continue to pray for Haiti as a country. They do have some elections coming up that are going to cause some turmoil. Pray for guidance and peace! J

Day 7- Tuesday

Today we went to the grocery store this morning, so we did not get to the crèche until 12:30 (We usually get there around 10). When we got there Benithy was getting her “bath.”

After she finished we swooped her up and took her to a room and played with the unicorn horses and the coloring book. She was VERY tired and so I turned her around and she fell right asleep in my arms. I thought that her waking up in my arms would go better than her waking up back in her bed. So I held onto her. Plus, we only get so many hours with her… I may as well hold on to each moment I can! So we sat there for about an hour while she napped and then it was “lunch” time (they eat around 2:00/2:30). So we woke her up and got her to her table to eat (and we ate).

Once she was finished we took her and went outside. We played in the dirt for a while. She had some great discovery time. She dug, scooped, let it drop, filled my hand, buried stuff…. It was such a cool time to see her work/think/discover. WE were all covered in dirt when we got done. So we came in and wiped ourselves off. Then we played with stickers, we listened to music, and she drummed and kept the beat. We had ourselves a great time! Really we had a great day all three of us bonding. We had a lot of alone time just the three of us, which does not happen very often. We took a few really cute videos of her that I cannot wait to show you! Her smile lights up a room! Her voice is so great! Her laugh makes you giggle too. Her sassy looks and attitude makes you smile!

We finished the day playing outside. The Man played soccer with the boys and I played with Benithy and some of the other kids. It was a really good day.

Another couple came in today too. We just finished eating dinner and chatting with them. It sure is nice to have another couple around! It is REALLY nice to get to speak some English to someone and carry on a bit of a conversation. J

Day 6- Monday

Couple cool things we learned about Haitians/Haiti:

                -They don’t trust people with tattoos, piercings (for guys), or weird hairdos (like Mohawks, color…)

                - Church dress is very conservative you must have a long skirt or dress on, closed shoes, and guys typically wear a suit like outfit

                - It’s bad to try to be too American or French

                - They try and live a very community driven life. Everyone knows each other, most stay close to home, and very friendly.

                - Creole seems to be a mix between French and Spanish and there is some English (like Hello and Bye-Bye and OK)

Today was a good day. We got there in the morning and right away started playing with the kids and Benithy. I think she has connected with The Man and I. She seems to smile at us more and is talking a LOT more. It’s really hard to know if she REALLY understands our part in her life. She probably will not get it completely until we take her home. It must be so confusing for her and the kids for us to sweep in for 2 weeks and then in an instant leave. It’s already so hard to wrap my own brain around. None the less we were there and had a good day. We played outside, inside, hide-and-seek, school, chase, walk around the whole crèche… endless fun! J Today we spent a lot of time with all the kids. I tried to get them to play duck-duck-goose…. But that did not go well! J I tried to think of something fun for us all to do together.

I will tell you this about Benithy, she is SASSSSSSSY! She even has the hand on the hip with the ‘ol head swivel move down! J One thing is for sure, we gotta get on learning our Creole so that when she DOES finally get home we can get some kind of communication with her. She seems very healthy and good in size! She fits in those 3T outfits no problem!

We finally got to SEE The Bash today. Our connection was not great and they could not hear us… but we got to see him and blow kisses his way. As much as I love being here, I sure miss that boy!

Nothing too exciting to report today. Another couple is supposed to be here today… but it looks like that it may be tomorrow. They are also adopting from C4C, but they have a little boy. It will be nice to have another couple around to hopefully play games with, and if anything talk to in English! Right now our conversations with others are limited to “Bonjour! Or Bonswa! Or Merci! Or Como ou yea? Bien…” Maybe some hand motions… J hahahaha! 

Day 5- Sunday

Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.

That was the verse the pastor spoke on today at church. I did not understand a word the man said, but The Man had a man translate most of the message for him! The Man said the lesson was basically don’t live a Sunday Christian life, but live it all your days. J For me, I thought… what an awesome verse for us to hear in the middle of this trip. PRAISE GOD for meeting us where we are and giving us just the words we need.

Church was super awesome! It was SUPER hot! It was MUCH longer than what we are used to (we were there from 10-12:30 and we were late). I didn’t understand anything they said or sang about…. But I left feeling refreshed and filled with the Spirit… I had my own little worship service in my head! J PLUS I got to experience it with Benithy in my arms! I kept thinking…. This experience is something we can share and discuss and have together for the rest of her life. I get to take a glimpse into her culture and this can help me bring her up to LOVE it later in life (I hope). What a blessing!

After church we went to the crèche where we were able to play with Benithy! She was ready to play right away and we got her going and playing and laughing! We brought a coloring book for her to enjoy. Some other kids joined us and it worked out well. She got stickers and LOVED that. After lunch (She SARFFED it) we played with these plastic unicorn toys I brought for her. She did more counting (in English), sorting, putting away and dumping out then actually playing with them. It was really cool to see her interact with them (we caught it on video… cannot wait to share it with you). Anyway after that we played with bubbles and then a little chase game we love to play. Today Benithy was a lot more interactive with us. Approaching us first. Lots of laughing and playing with our faces. A good day with her for sure!

Then, it was her nap time. She laid down for a nap and The Man and I settled in for a little reading. It didn’t take long and we had some boys at our sides asking questions and looking for all types of attention. They were our entertainment for the rest of the afternoon! I laughed so hard as they did silly things, sang songs, and just were boys! Benithy never woke up…. She was still sleeping when we had to leave. We said: “See you tomorrow” and headed back to the crèche.

Another great day.

 Every day it gets easier… and harder to leave….. As I thought I would.... I want to take about 5 of them home with us. It breaks my heart that there are so many that don't have parents... One of the older boys is almost 16 and then he has to leave the creche..... Can we have him please?!?! Pray for these kids... Pray that more people take the leap to help these in need. :) Thanks! 

Day 4- Saturday

I always say our day starts off as normal… SO I want to tell you a few things we do each morning that are NOT normal to us:

1-      Whenever we use the restroom, shower, or wash our hands in any way we have to use sanitizer afterwards

2-      Showers are SUPER short and to the point

3-      We lather ourselves with 12 hour mosquito protection. It’s a lotion we put on each morning. Then we spray our clothing

4-      All our produce must be washed n vinegar water before eating.

5-      We cannot use the faucet for anything really all our cooking, drinking, tooth brushing… water must come from the water tank located in our kitchen.

OK so those are a few new things we get to experience! J So today we woke up and did our normal routine and our ride was there to get us promptly at 9:30! We left and headed to the crèche. Today is the weekend crew and when we arrived there was another group of people at the crèche playing and holding the kids. All the people wore red t-shirts. It looks as though they are a part of some organization that comes in to give the workers a break and the kids someone new to play with.

When we got there Benithy was playing in the corner I went over to her and started to play. She smiled and immediately looked for her papa! J She got up and found him and fell asleep in his arms! I, on the other hand, had not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 little boys laying on me. It was a site to see. Each kid claimed their spot on my leg and didn’t let the other boys share a single inch! Good things I have comfy legs! J They were there until nap time. We to Benithy to her spot for a nap and then had some free time. So we read a bit and talked a bit… It wasn’t long until we had two older boys asking for our attention. So we talked and played with them until Benithy woke up.

Today Benithy was pretty out of it. She wanted to cuddle and be held a lot. Which is find by us! So we pretty much snuggled her and hung out with her for most of the day.

Sadly, our driver told us we had to leave early from the crèche because someone else needed the truck and he had to get us home so they could take it. So we had to leave early. “damen (tomorrow)” we told her. Gave her kisses… and loaded into the truck.

Each day we come home exhausted. It’s a LOT of work and those ladies that are in there all day every day get every badge of honor I could give. Their love and work for these kids is amazing.

Today we got home early and was able to watch the USA lose…. Read a book… and cook a dinner!

Another good day.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I know The Man and I are super excited to experience church here… we are also super sad we are going to miss church there. I pray you all sing loud for us! J

Day 3- Friday

Today we woke up after a good night of sleep! One thing we will get is sleep! J We usually end up going to bed early and then sleeping in (compared to our normal routine at home) every morning! Our mornings so far have been pretty laid back. I get my workout in, we fix lunch for the day, we get ready, eat breakfast, and then try and use the wifi here! So far the wifi here has been pretty hot and cold. We’ll have a great connection at one point, and then lose it completely in the next moment! We did get an email out to our friend with a picture of our girl. We’ll try and send more. IF you haven’t gotten to see it we’ll try and get one to you as soon as we get home. Again, we cannot post it on the blog or facebook or anything until she is ours legally!

We were picked up at 9:30 and taken to the crèche. Before we left I looked at The Man and said “Today is going to be an amazing day! It will be better than yesterday… and each day will get better.” Ya know what?!? It WAS tons better today.

We got there on time to meet Benithy playing. When we first arrived she was shy again. We sat next to her playing next to her and around her (there are tons of kids there that love on you… so you do your best to play with them, but still let Benithy know you are focused on her… it’s a hard and weird combo). Anyway, she had breakfast shortly after we arrived and then we walked around with her for a bit. She had a dirty diaper, and I think that is why she didn’t approach us to hold her right away because once she got cleaned up she ran right over to me and I held her.

Soon all the little ones were taken to a little room (the TV room) and we watched “Despicable Me.” Benithy didn’t really want anything to do with the movie (I can’t really blame her the whole movie is in English, and it was REALLY loud in the room) so she snuggled up to me and eventually fell asleep. She was out for a good 1-2 hours. I looked at The Man and told him that we wouldn’t have to worry about Benithy sleeping through loudness at home! J

After she woke up we snuggled a bit more and then we went outside for a bit and tried to play with her. She was still waking up and didn’t really want to have any of it. We went and got bubbles and played a bit with those. Then she ran out of our hands, turned around and said “Mama! Papa!” and then motioned for us to follow. So of course we went after her. We played with her for quite awhile in the “school room” drawing and interacting with her and a few other boys that were inside.

3:00 was lunch for us today! All the kids were so hungry. The Man and I made our own lunch and sat down at a table to eat. We ate our food and were sitting there chatting a moment and we turned to look and there was Benithy! We welcomed her and walked back to her table and noticed that not only had she finished her food, but her food plate was completely clean and all the other kids were only about ½ way through their lunch! She scarfed it! I THINK she wanted to finish early to come see us again! J In our home for meals the Bash always gives us places after we finish our food… I always get 1^st because I eat fast (Hey! I’m a teacher… scarf it down or don’t eat!)… but once Benithy gets home I may have a little competition on my hands!

We played more after lunch. She really loved when I was holding her and we would chase papa or he would chase us. She also loved us hiding and kinda scaring her out of corners. She also loves humming. She will sit in our arms and hum away. At one point we were playing music on my phone and she was just be-bopping away! She’ll fit right into this family! We LOVE music so much! Cannot wait to bring her home and have her experience the Praise Band and all our music we love!

We finished the day with Benithy taking a nap. We sat outside of the office trying to get use of their Wifi (we’re told it is much better there… and it is!). We were able to contact a few from home and check some things before a few boys hijacked my phone. They love playing games (like anyone does). So they were trying to take it from me. So I got to see some things and check some messages and reply to some of you! J That really helps to see and hear from people at home. It feels pretty isolated here…. We’re alone in this house and we spend the rest of our time with kids that don’t really speak English.

All in all today was better! MUCH better… and tomorrow will be too! We continue to feel your love and prayers as we venture through this part of our adoption. We thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement we could not manage without you all! Keep them coming. From Haiti I send you some tight hugs! 

This is a view of Haiti's mountains. We see it every morning on our drive to the creche. Pretty cool huh?

Day 2- Thursday- We Meet

Today started like most days we wake up, I worked out, The Man drinks coffee, and then we get ready for the day.

We ate breakfast, packed our lunch, said good-bye to the people that were staying here, and then we waited….. We waited…. We waited. We tried the wifi here and IT WORKED!!! So we were able to upload our blog from Day 1 and kinda check facebook. We really have a touch and go experience here with wifi… we are pretty much unreachable for 90% of the day….. Which really doesn’t matter too much during the day because we are busy, but at night it sure would be nice. One thing I miss….

ANYWAY, finally our ride arrived and we loaded into the vehicle and drove to the orphanage. Another interesting drive full of honks. Another fun observation is that people give thumbs up to say hi.

We arrived at the orphanage and The Man and I step out of the car and stand there waiting as our driver talks to another guy.

 A few minutes later he looks at us, smiles, and says “I thought you would just go on in” our driver says (our driver is also one of the main people in charge of adoptions for Chances for Children…)

“We’ve never been here, we don’t know where to go.” We both said.

“OK” he says and walks us into the orphanage. This is kinda the feeling we have gotten these past few days we’ve been here. We have no idea what we are doing, and no one here seems to want to give us too much information… Or they don’t know what information to give… and we don’t know what questions to ask. It’s been an interesting time… we are going with the flow the very best we know how…

Anyway we enter the orphanage and 3 kids run up and immediately want our attention and to be held. The man leads us to this side room and we wait for Benithy there. We wait for quite a while and as we wait we play with some other kids that are coming in and out of the room.

Finally our child is brought to us! And just unlike a fairy tale meeting… she is bawling, she does not want to be with us… The lady that brought her in plops her on my lap and walks off and we are left with our daughter in all her glory! J So we get out our picture book and we just sit and try and calm her. Eventually she stops crying (and I’m not using the word eventually lightly)… she settles into my arms a bit looser, and then passes out cold. Our first moments are literally crying, snuggling, and then sleeping…. Just like a baby I suppose!

We sat there for a while just letting her sleep… Just letting me sink her in… Just letting us BE with our daughter. She does the same small snore that The Bash does when he is fast asleep. Then another Chances for Children worker showed us all around the campus. We saw the rooms, the play rooms, the “TV room, the new building they are working on, their garden, their kitchen, their dr. office (medic center)… they have an amazing set up for these kids. Then we played! We played from about 1-5. We tried to really focus our attention and time with Benithy, but there are so many kids of all ages that want your attention. SO many yell out mama!! Papa!! And hold their arms up to you. I thought being a kindergarten teacher was a lot of touching…. Oh no… this was touch overload! I do believe that Benithy warmed up to us both quite a bit by the end of our time. We spent a lot of time just following her around as she ran room to room… By the time The Man and I loaded back into the truck to go home we were both over exhausted physically and mentally and emotionally. How are we going to expel this much energy and touching for the next 14 days we asked each other!!!

We may get to bring her back to the guest cottage the rest of our stay here. We aren’t sure yet. That should be an experience on its own, but a great way to get some more personal bonding time with her. Please pray and The Man and I adjust to so many things all at once.

 I wish I could show you a picture of our adorable, dimpled, sweet sweet girl, but we are told we cannot post pictures until she is legally ours! So, we will do our best at texting and showing you in person when we return. Until then… just picture the sweetest girl ever… because that is her!

Her name is pronounced: Ben-ee-tee