Reunion Recap...

From Haiti With Love:
Chances for Children's First Family Reunion

I designed the t-shirts!

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on Friday afternoon. The kids were ready to hop right into the pool where a few other children from the creche were already swimming.

All the children who had come home from the Crèche Enfant de l’Jèsus seemed excited to see one another & play together, and the children who had never met before hit it off right away, as well! They all played on the beach playground and swung each other in the hammocks - it was really neat to see friendships renewed and new bonds created. We were able to spend time with some great friends that I had met on trips to Haiti, and some that we've only met via the internet.

This is our Ally (17) with a very smiley Asa.

Saturday morning included breakfast for the group with a touching video of the children before and after coming home. There were planned activities for the children throughout most of the afternoon: Haitian crafts, language lessons, music and games.

Chloe (8) and Asa loved playing games with the other children.

The event ended on Saturday evening with a lovely outdoor dinner.

We headed back home Sunday morning after thoroughly enjoying the memorable weekend. We're so grateful to C4C for organizing and hosting such and important event and we look forward to staying connected through future reunions!

C4C Family Reunion!!!

One totally amazing event that we're getting ready to attend is the first ever Chances for Children family reunion!! Many families who adopted through C4C, along with their children from Asa's orphanage (and some of the staff from Haiti) will be in Ft. Lauderdale this weekend. We're so excited that Asa will get to see old friends, and we're thrilled to spend time with other families we've gotten to know over the past two years. It's taking place at a lovely resort on the beach so we'll return with lots of great pictures.

We've been talking about it with Asa - preparing him to see friends and former caretakers. I'm curious to see how he'll react. This truly is a great opportunity for him to stay connected with other children who share a similar past, and I really hope we can keep them in touch with one another as the years pass...

6+ Months and a Long Update...

Asa has been home for more than half of a year. We continue to be amazed by his language acquisition, his empathy for others, his resilience, and just how well he's adjusted to life with our family here in America. Asa is a typical preschooler in many ways. He is very curious and loves learning new things. He's cuddly and affectionate. He can sometimes be mischievous and, occasionally, even naughty. ;o)

Most of all, he's happy, healthy and very loved by all of us. We do have some challenges, though. Many of the initial issues we faced (sleep disturbances, indiscriminate affection toward strangers, etc...) have mostly resolved themselves and aren't quite as monumental as they felt four or five months ago.


There are a few areas in which Asa still needs a little extra guidance. So much of what he experiences in a family is different than anything he encountered at the orphanage. One thing he's learning is that he has his very own possessions; his clothes, shoes, toothbrush and some special toys are just for Asa - and he doesn't have to share them! That also means that his big sister's make-up and his daddy's laptop do not belong to him. We've had some issues with Asa getting into things and, since he really didn't have much experience with how certain items work or are meant to be used, he just didn't know not to use Ally's make-up for paint. This concept is taking a while for him to grasp but we do our best to patiently correct and teach him respect for property.

Asa doesn't have the severe food hoarding issues that some children coming from institutional settings might have. But we've found that, even after he's eaten and is clearly satisfied, he tends to fixate on the leftovers that others have on their plates. We try to clear the table off quickly because he will repeatedly ask everyone for whatever they haven't eaten. We're trying to establish healthy eating habits for him; nutritious snacks are offered (and happily accepted) between meals so Asa knows that he'll always have his needs met.

I've found that Asa's behavior spirals downward quickly if he is corrected for misbehaving. It's very cyclical in nature. He tends to hold onto resentment after being disciplined and you can see in his face that he's stewing over it and will act out later because of it. I'm not sure if this is just his personality (although it's very different from anything I've seen in the many three year olds with whom I've spent time) or if it's a remnant of something deeper... before his life with our family. It breaks my heart to see such a small child with these complex emotions - it often feels like he's much older than he really is. I know there are many facets to his personality that have been impacted by the separation from his birth mother at 17 months old, and the nearly two years he spent in an orphanage. I mourn the time he was without a family and am so angry at the horrible system which kept him from our family for an unreasonable amount of time. It hurts me to know that I might never know what my child experienced before he was in my home and what lingering difficulties he might have. We're just continuing to trust that God's grace is sufficient to heal Asa's heart and we pray for wisdom and patience so we can help in that process.



I have to say that we are so blessed by Asa's capacity for love. He tells everyone in the family that he loves us multiple times throughout the day (even Henry the Dog). And I really believe he feels it and means it. Equally important is the fact that he accepts and delights in the love he receives from us. At the six month mark, I really think this is a solid foundation upon which everything else will be built. He knows we are his family and he knows he is loved!!

Asa: Singer/Songwriter

He LOVES playing on the piano!

Our Little Tadpole...

He LOVES swimming and he's getting to be so good at it! He can even dive about 5 feet down for rings!



Sorry for the weird camera angle; I was using the laptop and couldn't see what I was filming. ;o)

Lazy Siesta Key...

I cherish our time there. In 2007, I dreamed about the day Asa would be with us; we had recently accepted his referral and even mailed off our dossier from the FexEx location right off the island. So it was with great JOY that we were finally able to make our first trip with Ace. Here are some pictures from our time on the beach, the boat and around the island...

4+ Months Home...

And things just seem so normal, that it feels weird to be writing an update. Asa's adjustment has been miraculous, considering the dramatic way in which his life has changed; he has remained a relatively mellow, happy and go-with-the-flow kind of kiddo. There are areas in which we remain vigilant, just to insure that he is bonding properly, but most days pass without any major surprises. His English just blows us away and he communicates effortlessly. Asa does (occasionally) test boundaries but responds well when we explain rules and model good behavior. He's now sleeping through the night (YES!!) and naps really well every day. There's been a little bit of regression with the potty (just as a heads up for other adoptive parents - I've heard it's common) but it's not too big of a deal.

Here's a little rundown of what's been going on this summer:

We were SO blessed, over Father's Day weekend, so see my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, Grayson. They moved to Amsterdam last fall and we thought that we wouldn't be seeing them until their furlough, sometime next year. But they were able to make a quick trip the the States and came to Florida to see us!! This was really special because they got to meet Asa for the first time. We did a lot of swimming and the kids had fun playing with little Grayson. I didn't have the foresight to get a picture of all the grandkids together before Allyson left for church camp (bummer). But I did get this one of the littles together....


Asa got to experience his first week of Vacation Bible School. He was so excited about getting up every morning and dressing in the theme color for each day. I helped teach the three year old class, so he wasn't apart from me at all, but it was good to see him participate and interact with other children his age (he's still staying with us for church every Sunday). He did pretty well, overall, but it's clear that he enjoys being a little bit of a class clown.

Asa can swim now. Really and truly swim: underwater, above water, treading water, etc.... All without any floaty devices. It was my goal to have him swimming by the end of summer but he totally took to it with no fear and a very strong desire to do what the other kids were doing. The cutest thing is to look at him underwater while he swims - he has his eyes wide open and sticks his little tongue out while he does a unique, froggy-style stroke!

What's so funny is how Asa just knows how things work around here. If he has a snack at the table and needs to make a quick potty break, he pushes his plate to the middle of the table so a particular golden retriever won't walk by and swipe it. He even says "Mama, watch my food. Henry, don't get Asa's food," (yes, he's still mostly referring to himself in third person but is starting to say "I" and "me" occasionally). When he hears the garage door open, he's always the first one to say "Daddy's home!" and runs to the door to greet him. He knows all the family members with whom we skype and even asks to talk to them, by name. He plays so nicely and always cleans up after himself. His favorites toys right now are: Tinker Toys, Legos, and Matchbox cars. He knows exactly what things annoy each of his siblings and makes sure to do those things at least once a day. He tattles (both funny and annoying).



Tomorrow, we're off for a week on the beach. I'll definitely be back with pictures!