Trip #4 Day 3 and Day 4

Sunday: Day 3

Saturday night brought bad dreams and poor sleep. Honestly, I woke up in a disgruntled mood and was frustrated that I was in Haiti “visiting” my children. I wanted to be home. I love Haiti and love being in Haiti and if I had been here for any other reason I would have been happy, but I want all of our children HOME with us! I took some time to pray and ask God to forgive my frustrated heart. I know that patience is a piece of this puzzle and I was in desperate need of it. After I prayed and got ready for church I joined the others downstairs for breakfast and was reminded of how close we are to moving forward and I refused to allow myself to dwell on the next phase of waiting. It’s amazing what a little encouragement and prayer can do for your heart.

We walked to church and enjoyed a service full of song and praise. It never fails…the sound of worship in any language can bless your heart.

After church we returned to the guesthouse where we fixed some lunch and got some much needed rest. We usually take the boys back to the crèche for  little nap. I asked them if they wanted to sleep (nap) at the crèche or the guesthouse. They both agreed to nap at the guesthouse, but I quickly discovered that it was going to require mom to nap with them. J It was a nice afternoon of snuggling, A and I on one bed and Molly and C on the other. Molly is a great big sis…but this trip has proven that they know how to love and fuss like brothers and sisters!

After our naps we really enjoyed the down time and the kids just played. On several occasions the boys gave their attention to an activity for more than a minute, which is so fun to watch. A and I played Jenga and then he and Molly played Chutes and Ladders.  C is pretty content just watching it all happen. I am hoping to get some good one-on-one time with him tomorrow while A is at school.

The sweetest moment of the day was when A asked if he could take a shower. I told him the water was really cold, which he was obviously accustomed to because he wasn't deterred. By the way he asked if he could shower it seemed as if he may have done it before, but when we got in the bathroom and I turned the shower on he panicked! So to avoid more panic I just turned on the faucet and he washed himself under it...it was SO cold, but he was so excited to see the bubbles from the body wash. I got him a cup and he loved for me to pour it over him. He smelled very pretty when he was finished and he ran straight to C to tell him to go take a "shower," which he did. Again...he too was afraid of the shower, but would dance under the water as I poured it over him.

We cooked dinner a little late so by the time we finished eating they were ready to head back to the crèche for the night and see their friends.

At times the play was a little chaotic, but it was a great day. Joey would have been very proud of the way I just enjoyed the chaos and didn’t squash the fun ;-) 

Monday: Day 4 ---The day of GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!! 

After a good breakfast Molly and I went over and picked up Chancely for our morning play while Agendo was at school. We enjoyed bubbles and play-doh before he had to go back to the creche for his pre-school class and nap. During the time of his nap I received an email that we have been waiting for since December. Our Adoption Decrees have been signed!!!!!! I can't read anything on either document because they are in French, but I know that it very clearly states that their names are Fitzgerald! 

The decree means that they are legally our children with all of the rights and privileges that Molly and Lincoln have as our children except...they don't have documentation to enter the United States so that is the next step. On April 8, 2014 we first learned that Agendo and Chancely had been in an orphanage for a year and needed a family and today they are officially our SONS! J

When Agendo got out of school we played and practiced saying their names as “Fitzgerald” doesn’t just roll off the tongue. It is precious watching their sweet smiles as they try to pronounce it.  

I’m so thankful that I was here with them in Haiti when we got this news, but I know that leaving Wednesday is going to be difficult. For now I will try not to think about it and just soak up the sweetness of my sons. I am so thankful for all of God's blessings! 

Below are some pics from various trips to Haiti :-) We are missing Dad and Linc on this one. 

Trip # 4: Days 1 and 2

Trip #4 

Friday: Day 1

Important preface that I will try not to belabor in my posts for this trip: I MISS MY HUSBAND.

Day 1 was an early morning for the Fitzgeralds. Our flight left Jacksonville at 7:30am. We woke up around 3am so that Joey and Lincoln could drive us to the airport before they had to be at school. Leaving them was much more difficult for me than for Molly, who was gloating about this being a girls trip as we walked to our gate. Luckily for me she is an excellent travel partner, however, she does dance A LOT which is rather embarrassing at times. Our flight to Atlanta was smooth and uneventful. We had a short layover in ATL so we ate a quick lunch at 9:30am. J They handed us breakfast menu, but having been up since 3 am our stomachs were ready for lunch. I’m sure it’s common for people to order fried shrimp at 9:30.

When we arrived in Haiti its seemed so easy moving through the airport relative to the nervousness of my first time. After Molly and I made it through immigration and picked up our luggage our driver was waiting to pick us up. We waited around the airport for a couple hours for the next family to come in, which was very exciting because we met them on our last trip in November.

It was a long, crazy drive from the airport to the guesthouse with one stop at the grocery store to pick up some food for the week. We were exhausted when we arrived and after dinner went to bed kind of early.

Molly enjoyed her art kit during the flight.




Saturday: Day 2

We were up early and went straight over to the crèche. It was so great seeing the boys! They were all smiles. Of course one of first questions they asked (which I was dreading) was “Where is Papa?” It was hard for them to understand that he was back at home in GA. Thankfully, they were content to play with me and Molly. We had a great morning of play. I learned that chasing and trying to keep up with 3 kids alone is exhausting (Did I say how much I miss Joey?!?). The excitement of us being together compounds the boys inability to give anything their attention for very long, so we jumped from one activity to the next. This mom required a short break in the middle of the day, but then we were back at it after lunch. We had a great time singing and celebrating ‘A’s 7^th birthday. He was so happy and sat patiently while I struggled to get the very fast burning candles lit...it was very important to me that there be 7 candles on his cupcake!! Earlier in the day at the creche I asked 'A' how old he was and he held up 6 fingers...but he was very proud to hold up 7 after we talked about his birthday. Our little 'C' was happy to be celebrating with his big brother! 

It was a great day with the boys, but more than ever….I am SOOOO ready for them to be home!

Birthday boy! 

Bubbles are always fun :-)