Our Lost Bags

I love this picture!

Well it is Friday and again another week goes by and still nothing has happened with our file. Friday's have become a depressing day for me, Monday through Thursday I hold out hope that this will be the week we hear good news and Friday comes and nothing has happened all week and it is really depressing! So I posted one of my favorite pictures you can just see the excitement and happiness coming from that smile! I miss that smile!

I never really blogged about our trip last June mostly because it was all about Avrie and nothing else mattered. I was expecting a happy 2 year old to come toddling out and I found a sick baby clinging to life totally miserable, it through me for a loop and I had to change gears from what I had expected the trip to be to what the reality of the trip was. I was glad to have Scott there so that there would always be one of us for each of the kids.

I can't hardly remember the details of the flight and getting to Haiti but we spent the night in the Miami airport, we met my sister there and so I know we spent the majority of the time talking while Scott slept on the floor, sleep was impossible for me because of the time change and the excitement of seeing the girls. Our flights went smoothly but I should have seen the red flag when we were checking in at the Seattle Airport and they didn't give me boarding passes all the way through to Port au Prince. I did ask the ticketing agent and she reassured me that my bags were tagged all the way through and that I just needed to get boarding passes in Miami when I got there.

When we arrived in Port au Prince we had to wait about 45 minutes for the rest of the group to arrive but our bags were not there all 4 of them missing. In a rare moment for me I did NOT panic or freak out I remained calm, probably because I knew I had all MY stuff in my carry on and most of my bags were packed with rice and the stuff for the girls. I was a little worried about not having the things for the girls but in true- adoptive parents all traveling for a common cause- fashion the other parents gladly dropped off supplies to my room.

But the look on Destina's face was not so good. This was my 4th trip visiting her and she has come to expect a big suitcase full of goodies just for her, she was a little dismayed at looking in my carry on and not finding what she was expecting. My sister had brought down 2 swimsuits for Darlene and loaned one to Destina, the one she is wearing in the picture. It is a 2 piece and it was a little big we had to tie a knot on one side of the bottoms so they would not just drop off of her completely so her bottoms were lopsided and one cheek was hanging out and the other one was covered in baggy fabric it was kinda funny! She was just happy to be able to go jump in the pool!

Scott broke out the computer and hooked up the skype phone and started calling A.A. to track down our bags. They were very sympathetic but they couldn't even find our bags to start tracking them down. When we explained that we had a sick baby and that the bags had medicine that she needed they really got on the stick to try and locate the bags. There was another family that had come 4 days earlier and they still had not found their bags, so we knew we might not have our bags for the whole week. We (Scott) kept calling every couple of hours and finally they tracked the bags down and they were coming on the last flight into Port au Prince that same day! So about 4 pm all lost bags were found, including the other families bags, and back at the hotel. Destina was so happy to find her bag of treasures it is really hard to explain to a 5 year old child in a different language that her stuff is not here but that hopefully it was coming!

My Extended Family Just Keeps Growing!

This is a picture of my sister with Darlene braiding her hair, when we were in Haiti last time some of the older kids that didn't have families were able to come to the hotel for the week and stay with the adoption coordinator. The little boy in this picture is one of those kids! He was always smiling and wanting to be part of the action. My sister fell in love with him, he is so outgoing and happy, everyone fell in love with him. When my sister got home she worked her husband over, again, and they are now going to adopt JT as well as Darlene!
I can't wait until they are all home and we are all hanging out together talking about how long and hard this process was and how we are so glad we walked down this road. How that these children saved us, we didn't save them, and how fun it will be to see all of the cousins playing together...I can't wait!

Pictures of Avrie!

I purposely did not come down to my computer first thing in the morning today, I just couldn't take the disappointment, again! I went running, then came home and took a shower and cleaned my bathroom, did some stuff with the boys then I came down to the computer and found these pictures of Avrie! I really didn't get a whole lot of information but she did finish all of her meds and the doctor is out of town and she will go back in when the doctor gets back. For now she is looking a little better than the last pictures, but what is with the longs sleeves in August, maybe they didn't want me to see her skinny arms but most likely they were putting on her "Sunday Best" for her pictures! Hopefully she can start to put on a little weight. I can't wait until I can see both of them again! Still nothing on our file!

Another WeeK Goes By!

Another week has gone by and nothing, nadda, zip! Avrie had a follow up doctor's appointment on Aug 10th and we are still waiting to hear how that went. Our file is still stuck and going nowhere! I hate to whine, so this will be short. This picture pretty much sums up how I am feeling at this point, I want to pout and scream!

Photography by Destina and Hitting the 9 Month Mark !

We brought down a camera for Destina to use for the week and she had a great time taking pictures of everyone and every thing. By far her favorite subject is the doll, this doll has a whole story of its own maybe someday I will share! (ohh exciting can't wait for the doll story I know!)

Every Monday I start out optimistic, hoping that this is the week we will hear good news that our file is out of IBESR. By Friday I am disappointed that yet another week has gone by and our file is still languishing, going no where, sitting on a desk, our fate and the future of our adoption still unsure.
I spent the last couple of days emailing my Senators, calling my state representative, writing a letter to the leaders in Haiti, emailing UNICEF, I even called the Haitian consulate in Washington DC, letting them know that things need to change that having children wasting away in an orphanage when they have a loving family waiting for them is NOT in the best interest of the children! Will it do any good, who knows but it is what I can do to be proactive. I had one person contact me saying they were going to write letters too, thank you! It doesn't take much time.

I just read an article about a lady who adopted 3 boys from Haiti about 6 years ago, and it took her 2 months from the time she got the referral to the time she picked the boys up.....my question what the HECK (I actually said the other word) has happened in the last 6 years to make this process so DARN (again I said the other word) difficult??

A Call to Action

We received this email from our Adoption Coordinator yesterday and although the proposed changes are not perfect I think everyone adopting from Haiti can agree that changes need to be made. If you have some extra time maybe you might be so moved as to pick up the phone, shoot off an email-or two - to your congressmen or women and let them know that change needs to happen in this never ending adoption process! I did! (I know it is kind of long but please take the time and help us to have a voice and have that voice heard)

Dear Wasatch Haiti Waiting Families and associates;

I am passing along information from JCICS that I just received, the JCICS Haiti task force has been working tirelessly to help with the problems mounting in Haiti. The following is the result of their efforts and they are asking all of us to join in to see that changes are made.

“The efforts of the JCICS Haiti Task Force have at last come to fruition. This morning the office of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) with the support of Senator Sam Brownback (KS) sent a Dear Colleague letter to all members of both houses of the US Congress. It is time for our parents to act in support of the pending Haitian adoption law”.

Please share and post the letter below as much as possible. The Dear Colleague letter and the pending law need our maximum support. Have your families and friends get involved, we all need to work together to make changes in Haiti. Please make note that JCICS is asking that phone calls be made within a 72 hour window for maximum affect, the dates are listed below.

Dear Friends,

Over the past three years, the processing of adoptions in Haiti have slowed to a crawl. Abandoned children are enduring adoption processes lasting two or three years before being united with adoptive families.

Not only is such lasting institutional care damaging to the children who wait and wait, but the slowed process has had a negative effect on the many desperately needy children of Haiti who are not waiting in orphanages. Orphanages in Haiti have traditionally been providers of humanitarian aid to their communities. Many support free medical clinics, schools, feeding programs and family preservation programs. Orphanages have been a resource for temporary care for children following a family crisis, such as a fire or illness. But now that children are languishing in orphanage care for years, orphanage directors report that the beds are full, the food and medicine supplies are insufficient, and the children needing temporary care are left on the streets with little prospect for life.

In a laudable effort to move towards transparent and democratic government, Haitian officials are now adhering to the Haitian Constitutional law regarding adoption, written in 1974 by Jean Claude Duvalier. While the law of 1974 places severe limitations on the size and age of those who may adopt, it does allow for Presidential Dispensation for those not meeting the family size or age limitations. Unfortunately, Haiti lacks an organized and transparent system for obtaining Dispensations. This confusion along with the absence of a sense of urgency regarding institutionalized children has caused extensive delays in the adoption process and further victimizes children who have already lost much.

Haiti has a pending solution to this legal logjam. A newly proposed adoption law will clarify who may adopt, increase protections for Haitian children, their birth parents, and adoptive families, and streamline the adoption process. This legislation is supported by the United States and French governments along with the NGO community and UNICEF.

The children of Haiti, the crèche directors who serve them and the adoptive families who wish to raise them need your help. We must encourage the Haitian government to pass the new adoption law and efficiently grant Dispensations in the interim.

What can you do? Make five simple phone calls and write one letter.

1. Call your U.S. Senator.

· You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov

· Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.

· You can find your representative at www.house.gov

· Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Haiti

· Ask to speak with Julie Bergeron

· Their number is 011-509- 2245-3525

· Their fax number is 011-502- 2245-1877

· Their email address is portauprincehaiti@unicef.org

Please note that calls and faxes to Haiti are international calls

5. Write letters for the Haitian Prime Minister, President of the Haitian Senate, and the Minister of Social Welfare.

· Your letter can contain the same information as specified below. If you are an adoptive family or are close to a Haitian-born adopted child, insert a picture of the child or your family in your letter.

· Describe your family’s commitment to Haitian culture and the country’s well being as a result of your contact with a Haitian-born adopted child.

· Mail your letter to Holt International, which has volunteered to collect letters and transport them to Haiti for hand delivery to the above government officials.

Holt International

Haitian Children & Families Initiative

P.O. Box 2880

Eugene, OR 97402

6. Forward this message to everyone you know who cares about the welfare of abandoned children in Haiti. Individuals need not be personally involved in a Haitian adoption to let their voices be heard on behalf of children who have no one to speak for them!

When should you call? August 13th, 14th, and 17th

· For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.

· Inform them that you are calling regarding Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative

· Inform them that the Haitian international adoption process is unreasonably delayed.

· Inform them that children referred to U.S. families are anguishing in institutions

· Inform them that the backlog of children in the process of adoption is preventing orphanages, who serve as local humanitarian aid providers, from continuing to assist their communities.

· Inform them that due to the interruption of services provided by the orphanages, Haitian children outside the orphanages are needlessly dying.

· Ask that their office to sign the Dear Colleague letter regarding the pending Haitian adoption law, sponsored by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Sam Brownback. The letter asks that adoptions currently in process be speedily granted Presidential Dispensation and that the new adoption law be passed.

Sample Statement

Hello,

We are calling/writing on behalf of the Haitian Children & Families Initiative. We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson sign the Dear Colleague letter regarding the pending Haitian adoption law, sponsored by Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senator Sam Brownback.

As you may be aware, the Haitian adoption process is unreasonably delayed.

Children already matched with adoptive families are languishing in orphanages for two and three years. The orphanages, which have traditionally served as humanitarian aid outreach centers, have run out of resources and are no longer able to offer assistance to their communities. Haitian children outside the orphanages are dying needlessly as a direct result of the delayed adoptions.

Your office must get involved and sign the Dear Colleague letter to support the Haitian government in their effort to assist the homeless and abandoned children of Haiti.

Sincerely,

What should you say or write to UNICEF? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.

· Inform them that you are calling regarding the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative

· Ask them to support the rights of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be speedily processed to completion under the existing Presidential Dispensation clause.

· Inform them that many adoptions are taking two or three years to process, during which time children languish in orphanages.

· Inform them that due to the overextension of their resources, orphanages are no longer able to provide their traditional humanitarian aid services to their communities, such as free schools, medical care, temporary child care for families in crisis, and family preservation programs.

· Inform them that as a direct result of the orphanage’s inability to provide humanitarian aid due to overly taxed resources, children are needlessly dying in the streets outside the orphanages.

· Ask them again for their support of the Presidential Dispensation and the swift passage of the new adoption law.

Sample Statement

Hello,

· We are calling/writing on behalf of the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative

· As financial supporters of UNICEF (through our tax dollars), we are asking that UNICEF lends its support and considerable influence to the Joint Council Haitian Children & Families Initiative

As you may be aware, the Haitian adoption process is unreasonably delayed. Children already matched with adoptive families are languishing in orphanages for two and three years. The orphanages, which have traditionally served as humanitarian aid outreach centers, have run out of resources and are no longer able to offer assistance to their communities. Haitian children outside the orphanages are dying needlessly as a direct result of the delayed adoptions.

UNICEF must get involved to ensure that adoptions in process be speedily granted Presidential Dispensation so that they can be completed in a timely manner, and that the new adoption law be passed.

Sincerely,

Can you explain the problem behind the current crisis? Here is some additional information…

· The current constitutional law, written in 1974 by Jean Claude Duvalier, severely restricts who may adopt from Haiti. The only method by which the Haitian government may permit adoptions to non-conforming families is via Presidential Dispensation.

· The lack of a defined and efficient Dispensation process has caused delays of up to three years for children in the adoption process. Prolonged institutionalization has been scientifically proven to be highly detrimental to children.

· As orphanages expend their limited resources caring for children in the process of adoption over extended periods, they are unable to provide their traditional humanitarian aid programs to their communities.

· The existing adoption law provides almost no protection for the rights of abandoned children, their birth parents, or adoptive families. It offers no safe guards against human trafficking.

· A proposed adoption law will alleviate the crisis by standardizing and streamlining adoptions, and will far better protect abandoned Haitian children from child trafficking.

What else can you do? In addition to your primary calls to U.S. Congress and UNICEF, you can call the Haitian Embassy:

Embassy of Haiti in the U.S.

2311 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20008

Office Phone 1- 202.332.4090
Office Fax 1- 202-745-7215
embassy@haiti.org

August Up Dates!

These were in my email this morning! It is always nice to see pictures of the girls. Unfortunately there wasn't any news on our file or how the doctor appointment went on Monday for Avrie. Avrie is looking a little better but behind the "I'm trying to smile look" it appears to me that she is still not feeling good, just look at the eyes and they tell all! She is down to 18 1/2 lbs as of Aug 3rd, not great for a 2 year old.
We need to get the process moving, we need our files to come out of IBESR, we need to have some hope that these girls will be coming home!

Avrie

Avrie is still pretty sick! She is eating but has some pretty serious parasites. She had a doctor's appointment with a pediatrician in Haiti who was trained here in the USA! The doctor put her on heavy antibiotics and 3 different de-worming medications, and she has a follow up appointment next week. She has lost 3lbs but she is eating, it is just that nothing is staying with her. We are hopeful that she will be able to get better, get stronger, and fight to stay alive.