Heading Out...

And I should be back Friday evening. M'ale na wè pita (goodbye, see you later)!!

Asa's New Poster...

That I'll be putting over his bed in ONE WEEK! I actually spent most of today in the balmy Florida air (93°F - 89% humidity) and forced myself to stay outside as long as possible without surrendering and running back into the house for A/C. I think this pre-Haiti therapy might alleviate some of the shock from the oppressive summer heat once I get there. I'll let you know if it works. I also started my new anti-malarial pills today. I had a terrible reaction after my second dose of the Chloroquine last year so I'm taking an alternative, Doxycycline. The doctor who treated me said that medication allergies usually appear after that second dose, which is why I've started taking this daily pill a little early. I was supposed start only two days before departing but I really don't want to risk a crazy reaction in Haiti.

Our "adoption process news" isn't very rosy. There are rumors that Parquet (where our file is currently parked) will be closed from August-October. We don't have much reliable information as to whether they will continue to process files already the office, if they will just set them aside during the closure or if this whole thing is just misinformation. And, surprise, surprise - - UNICEF has been mentioned as one of the possible reasons (read this if you aren't familiar with UNICEF's involvement in keeping orphans from loving families).

We would be so grateful for any prayers you'll offer up for this situation. There are so many loving families who are anxiously awaiting the homecoming of their precious children. There are so many children who need to be with their families and not in orphanages. It's hard to make sense of a system that just doesn't seem to care. We just keep praying.....

Updating...

I've been told (by a more than a few people) that the blog needs an updated post. I was trying to keep the food drive info there at the top for a while, just because it is such an important cause. I'm happy to say that Chances for Children has received an amazing response to this effort and a lot of food will be heading down to the Crèche. There's still time to send a box, though. The deadline to ship them is this Friday.

We received Asa's monthly report recently and he's doing really well. He has gained some weight and is now up to 23 pounds! Here are a few cute excerpts:

• Behavior: he has very good manners


• Mood / Emotion: he is getting very happy and smiling


• Other General Changes in last month: he looks much brighter in any kind of his room activities


• Special events: his language skill is developing out well


• He plays with his mates fairly.

I'll be with him in exactly TWO WEEKS!!

Want To Help??

I know many people who read this blog are also adopting from Haiti (or other countries). Feel free to stop reading this post now because you already do so much for your kids and their orphanages. Right now, I'm appealing specifically to others who want to help orphans in a tangible way. The organization that runs Asa's crèche, Chances For Children, happens to have a connection with Crocs (the shoe company). Soles United is a division of Crocs that takes donated shoes and recycles them into new ones, which they donate to needy people around the world. Later this month, they will be taking 10,000 pairs of shoes to Haiti! The great news for us is that there will be extra room for cargo on the flight that's transporting the shoes. Crocs is donating that space so crucial food & supplies can be taken to the orphanage. Currently, many of the needed items (formula, medications) are hand-carried by traveling families. This is an amazing opportunity to get a large quantity of food to our kids. You can click the flyer to enlarge. Feel free to print it and give it to anyone who might be interested in helping. If you want to take part, please e-mail me at waitingforasa@yahoo.com so there will be an accurate count of boxes being mailed.

Thank you SO MUCH!

* The formula listed is Kirkland (Costco's brand) but Enfamil can be substituted if necessary.

Butter... Parkaaaayyyy...

Found out today that we've definitely been submitted into Parquet. I'm not sure when we went in, but should get the exact date with our next monthly report. I do know that we won't get OUT until a they receive a few additional documents for our file. I finally received those today - they'll be translated by a friend and should be headed down to Haiti next week. We're hearing that Parquet is going a bit more smoothly, but now, files are being held up in Second Legal. I don't even think I could make an educated guess as to when we'll be out due to all the variables (and in Haiti, even the variables vary from one day to the next).

I tried to find the old Parkay commercial from when I was little because that's what I always think of when someone says "Parquet." This was the closest thing I could find. ;o)

Asa Mack

If you listen closely, he says "Mama Daddeee" twice.

I tried to edit the post below and the video vanished.

We Can't Stop Watching It!!

The video above was taken by Kristi (mommy to the adorable Kobe). Thank you, Kristi!! I can't wait to kiss those sweet cheeks!