6.20.2007

Day 3 in Haiti with photos





Click here to see this photo super-sized




We all slept in this morning until 8:00! Papa and R.J. went down to get their showers first, while I organized things in the room. After they returned, I went down to shower, and when I got back, Phil said R.J.'s birthmom had arrived and was waiting to meet with us. LaDawn had come up to our room to let us know, and she thoroughly explained to R.J. what was taking place. We had a very good visit of about 30 minutes with James acting as translator for us.

By time R.J.'s Haiti Mama left, it was time for us to leave for the Baptist Haiti Mission to do our souvenir shopping. Laurie and Jean each drove a vehicle and took about 8 of us farther up the mountain to BHM where we shopped and then had lunch. Some of the others chose to also do some shopping at the market outside the BHM compound, but Phil and I chose to limit our purchases to the wide selection inside the mission store. Thanks to R.J.'s newfound interest in taking pictures, I've posted a couple for you to see the BHM store. And the prices are great -- without having to negotiate as you would at the market (much to my delight!).

We all ate lunch at the Tea Terrace, which is a nice little restaurant at BHM. Phil had a Santo Domingo sub sandwich, curly fries, and Diet Coke; I had a Salad Mezon (chef salad) and Coke; and R.J. had the Especial -- a kids' meal with chicken strips, fries, small Coke, and a toy. We decided to have ice cream as well -- sundaes for Phil and me, and an ice cream cone with "white" ice cream for R.J.

Upon arriving back at GLA about 1:00 with all our purchases, Phil and I decided we'd better work on reorganizing and packing our things, and we managed to consolidate enough to eliminate 1 suitcase and 1 large carry-on bag (since we no longer need room for the donations we brought). We were surprised how fast we finished packing, and it left us with enough time to take turns taking a nap before dinner. Meanwhile, R.J. did various things: played with the babies & volunteers on the balcony, rode a bike and scooter, and used the computer. There was a 10-minute rain shower just before supper, which increased the humidity, and we actually felt hot and sticky for the first time here at the Main House; otherwise, it has been very cool and pleasant!

Supper was a delicious and very typical Haitian meal of chicken, rice, and red sauce; avocadoes; salad; fried accra; mangoes, bananas, and watermelon; and we had a cake and cupcakes baked & decorated by Molly for LaDawn's last day at GLA after two years of outstanding service. :) We will be flying out on the same plane with LaDawn tomorrow.

After dinner, we hung out with Joyce and Molly while R.J. practiced his bike-riding some more. We also got to see the sun set over the mountain behind the Main House. Then we had a call from Charlie and Aunt Pam at 7:30. They are understandably very excited (as are we) about our arrival at the airport tomorrow night!

We relaxed in the Main House for another hour or so, and by about 9:00, R.J. was tired and wanting to head to bed. R.J. said it was Mama's turn to read the bedtime story, then we said prayers, with R.J. going first tonight and praying a very sweet prayer in English, followed by lights out for Phil and R.J. I returned to the Main House to go over our last set of paperwork with LaDawn and to post this last blog entry from Haiti.

Our alarm is set for 5:45 tomorrow morning. We depart for the airport at 8:00, with Laurie serving as our driver. The three legs of our flight home will take 12 hours altogether -- 11:00 a.m. until almost 11:00 p.m., and then we have a 90-minute drive home from Indianapolis. It will be a long, but very exciting day!

Don't expect another post until at least Saturday, but we are eager to share with you the delightful event of finally uniting the whole family by introducing R.J. to his proud younger brother Charlie. Again, we'd appreciate your continued prayers for safe travels, good health, and a smooth adjustment.

6.19.2007

So excited at home!

NOTE FROM ANGIE:
We received this e-mail report from "Aunt" Pam, who is staying at our house with Charlie this week while we are gone. Gram (Phil's mom) is also helping out in the afternoons and evenings. Many thanks to them both! :)


Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:17:01
From: Aunt Pam


Angie, Phil and R.J.,

It was so good to talk with you tonight. When I told Charlie at about 7:45 that we had to get out of the pool because I had a very big surprise for him, he couldn't guess what it was! We cleaned up, got our p.j.'s on and then about 8:00, I told him. His eyes got as big as saucers -- he said, "Mama said they didn't have a phone in Haiti!" [Angie's clarification: Charlie asked if we could call him while we were gone; not thinking this was possible, and to keep the explanation simple, I said they didn't have a phone.] He was very excited! We watched a little of the Charlotte's Web movie to help the time pass and then made our way to the computer (to get the phone number) and phone.

I wish you could have seen his face during the phone call! Priceless! I wasn't sure how he would be after the call (tears or smiles?). But as soon as we hung up, I said something like, "Isn't that amazing that we could talk to Haiti so far around the world?" He was all smiles, hitched a ride on my back and then we went down to finish the movie. It was good we had lotioned up and put on the pull-up because he almost made it to the end of the movie before he was a goner! I carried him up to bed and he didn't even wake up! (Sorry no prayers tonight but I said one over his head as he slept!)

I think I may go in to the office for a while tomorrow, then stop at home for a bit. I probably will stay in Marion on Thursday so I can get Charlie a little earlier from daycare. We want to do a little afternoon swimming and want to have plenty of time for dinner, etc. before we leave for the airport.

Well, I better hit the hay! The "prince" may get up early! Sorry about the breakfast donuts [Angie's clarification: She's really not sorry at all!] but it is getting to be a routine. I will probably spoil all the good habits you have established. That's an aunt's (and grandma's) privilege.

Know that there are many praying for you guys!
Aunt Pam

P.S. I intended to have Charlie write but he was exhausted! Maybe tomorrow! :)

Photos of Day 2 in Haiti

Click on this photo to see it in super-size!

ABOVE LEFT: Kids at the GLA Toddler House
ABOVE RIGHT: Joyce, Molly and R.J. with the donations we took along
BELOW LEFT: Papa pushing R.J. in the wagon
BELOW RIGHT: R.J. talking on the phone with Charlie




We talked to Charlie on the phone this evening! GLA has a satellite (high-speed) Internet hookup and Vonage telephone services with a Chicago number. The connection is clearer when calling from the States (rather than calling from Haiti to the States), so Aunt Pam had instructions to call at 8:30 tonight. The three of us talked to Charlie and Pam for 27 minutes!!! R.J. was grinning from ear-to-ear while talking with Charlie. Charlie had a hard time understanding R.J. because of his Haitian accent. It will take some getting used to (it has for Phil and me), but the phone makes it ten times more difficult, I believe.

Anyway, they'll call again tomorrow, then the next evening we'll see them in person! Time here is going quickly, but we are here for just the right amount of days. We're ready to start getting R.J. into the routine of our family life at home, and I don't think I could be away from Charlie at such an exciting time for our family any longer than these 4.5 days!

Check again soon for more updates. It has gotten easier to transfer and upload photos and to do email and blogging since Joyce lent me her laptop with a wireless card! I just have to contend with R.J. for computer time! :D He is quite good at using the computer: He has played Reader Rabbit's Kindergarten learning CD (numerous times), he has listened to music, and he has looked at the "Charlie Blog" videos today. We actually had to give a 10-minutes-more time limit at bedtime so he'd go to sleep! :)

Phil and R.J. got ready for bed and were falling asleep by 9:00 p.m. when I came downstairs to work on posting photos again. Tomorrow morning we can "sleep in" (maybe 'til 7:00??) with no early appointments to keep.

THANKS to everyone for your prayers on our behalf!!! WE CAN FEEL THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And we cannot wait for you all to meet R.J. Every single wonderful thing you have read about him from the updates over the last 14 months is true!

He's a keeper. :) :) :)

Day 2 in Haiti

Gram,
You are the first person to write us back!  Thanks for the note.  We are doing great!  R.J. is opening up more and more.  After our visa appointment this morning, we visited the Toddler House where R.J. has been living, and the kids sang for us, and R.J. played the drum.  He is quite a good drummer!
 
R.J. and I were up with the sun at 4:50.  Papa woke up about 5:20.  We got our visa this morning.  Everything for the adoption is done, except for getting on the plane to come home!  Tomorrow we'll shop for souvenirs at the market, and probably meet R.J.'s birthmom.  Thursday we'll leave for home first thing in the morning.
 
There were several near-chances for a rain shower today, but the clouds passed us by.  God is holding off the rain so the mosquitoes don't come get me with their Dengue Fever!  :)
 
Tell Charlie we miss him a lot.  We can't wait to talk to him this evening.  Learning freestyle at age 5 is fantastic!  (You got it exactly right. Good job, Gram!)  Take care and we'll see you after just 2 more sleeps.
 
Love, Angie (for Phil and R.J., who prefers to be called R.J.!)
 
 

Lucille Macomber wrote:
Hi
 
You three make a good looking group.  RJ Looks happy.  Just one little person missing from the picture.  Charlie will be glad to have you back;  he seems to be doing well but misses you of course. 
 
He did very well in swimming; started teaching him how to put his face in the water and then turning his head for a breath.  Also free style.  I think thats what its called; not being a swimmer.  He was really tired last night; hope he slept well for Pam.
 
See you in a couple of days.
Love, Mom

6.18.2007

Meeting R.J. for the first time!




We've had a good but long day. We got up at 5:45 (after finally getting to sleep at our Miami hotel about 1:00 a.m.), went to the airport at 7:00; made it to our gate by 9:00, but the plane didn't take off until 11:50 (1.5 hours late). We finally got to the orphanage about 3:00 p.m. because our plane was late and then it took over 1.5 hours to get our luggage at the Haiti airport (only a bit longer than in Miami last night).

Anyway, R.J. is great! He was wearing his Big Brother shirt today for our arrival. He has been pretty shy and nervous with us. He won't talk much (not even to Joyce and Molly), but he sure does understand a lot of English when you talk to him. He also can read and write in English quite well. It's very impressive. At one point this evening, while he was being shy, he lay down on the concrete and wrote Charlie a letter in English, unassisted!!! He also read the bedtime Bible story aloud all by himself with help on only about 4 words.

R.J. LOVES his MP3 music player! He had it on most of the day from 3-8 pm. He looked through a lot of the gifts (toys and games, not the clothes yet) that we brought him, and we just kind of hung out before dinner, which was at 5:15. The weather is about 75 degrees F. and breezy here on the mountain in Kenscoff. Perfect!

The food for dinner was great! Something like taco casserole and salad and fruit and Pepsi. Jean Bell, who runs things for GLA in Colorado Springs is here, and she made the food. There were lots of avocados to eat, too, which made me very happy!! After dinner, Papa pushed R.J. up and down a steep hill/ramp within the orphanage compound on a two-wheel bicycle for about 20 minutes. Papa got very tired. Then, after giving Molly and Joyce the books and photos of R.J. that we brought them, they left for the Toddler House. (We're staying at the Guest House which is part of the Main House/Baby House compound.) That gave Mama, Papa, and R.J. some alone time (for the first time of the day) at about 7:00. We played Go Fish with alphabet cards, and R.J. won!! He started coming out of his shell a bit while we played cards, but he was really tired (he was up at 5:30 this morning), so after one game it was time for bed. Yes, it was only 7:45 p.m., but it was already very dark and seemed like about midnight to me and Papa.

R.J. was restless until Papa and I settled in for sleep too. Papa fell asleep in about 10 minutes. R.J. fell asleep in about 20 minutes. I waited until 8:30, just resting with my eyes closed, and then snuck out to post this.

We can't wait to get home to Charlie on Thursday. Pray that we make all our flights and that they're not running late like our two flights down here! Tomorrow morning we depart the orphanage at 7:00 a.m. for our Visa appointment at 8:00 a.m. in Port-au-Prince. We'll be back by lunchtime. Then who knows what we'll do after that?!

We'll post more after we're home. Time is short here and I need sleep instead of spending time on the computer, so check back in about a week. :)

6.15.2007

Save the date!

After we get home from Haiti, we'd like everyone to have a chance to meet R.J., but Charlie will need time first to get to know his big brother since he's not accompanying Phil and me to Haiti. So, we're reserving our first week home just for our immediate family of four to get to know one another; then we're headed to Iowa for a week to introduce R.J. to our extended family. So, we're planning to have a Welcome Home Potluck Picnic in honor of R.J. on Saturday, July 14th, and you're all invited!

If you think you'd like to attend, send me an email at angia_e@yahoo.com so I know to send you more details when the time gets close.

6.14.2007

Our travel itinerary

R.J., Here we come!!!

Much to my surprise, we got word today that the U.S. Consulate is done reviewing our file and that we have the go-ahead to travel to Haiti to bring R.J. home!!!!

Phil and I will leave home in 63 hours (Sunday noon, June 17) on Father's Day!
We will meet R.J. for the very first time in 87 hours (Monday noon, June 18).
We will spend 72 hours at GLA.
We will be back home 7 days from today (Thursday night, June 21).

Wow! My head is spinning with all that there is to do, even though I checked the last thing off my shopping list this afternoon. Speaking for all three of us, we are ecstatic! We can hardly believe this day has come at last! Charlie has just 7 sleeps until R.J. is home, and on the 8th sleep, both boys will be sawing twigs (we hope) together in the same room! :)

Gotta go pack!

6.12.2007

Good news and Bad news!

Well, the good news is that -- after a week of repeated phone calls & emails and intervention from our Congressman's office -- Phil received his U.S. passport renewal in the mail yesterday "just" 13 weeks after we sent it in! I had alerted the local newspaper about our situation last week, and a front-page story and photo ran in this morning’s paper.

The bad news is that -- a mere two hours after the long-awaited passport arrived -- we got an email from our orphanage director saying there was yet another unforeseen delay. The visa-granting official at the U.S. Consulate in Haiti has now decided he wants to review each family's completed dossier (over 200 pages’ worth!) before he will approve the child's visa. No one knows how long this could take, but obviously we all hope it won't take long … although I've been saying that since Christmas! So, we won’t be traveling by the end of this week as we all (including the orphanage staff) had anticipated.

So, we're still waiting for our son’s arrival 15½ months after we submitted our paperwork. I have never been pregnant (nor do I ever want to be), but I truly believe that what I’m feeling right now is what it would be like to be 15½ months pregnant. Don’t ever think that adoption is easier than pregnancy! You have no guarantee that it won’t last months beyond the “due date;” you can’t induce an adopted child’s homecoming; and there is no epidural to help ease the pain of labor. On top of that, in adoption, BOTH parents experience the same turmoil and labor pains. So please keep praying! Phil and I both know that, no matter how discouraged we feel now, all the ups and downs of this journey will have been worth it once R.J. is home! :)

~ Romans 8:26-28 from The Message ~
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our expectant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

6.04.2007

We have R.J.'s passport, but we can't travel until we have Phil's

From: LaDawn - GLA Adoptions
Sent: Mon 6/4/07 10:05 PM
To: Macomber, Angia
Subject: GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am VERY, VERY, VERY happy to inform you that we got Ronaldo's passport today!!!!! It usually takes a week or two from the date of the orphan investigation until INS sends the necessary paperwork to the US Consulate; however, we will be in regular contact with the US Consulate to find out when they have received it. I'm just curious, how much notice do you need before you can come? As soon as we find out that the US Consulate has everything they need, we will make an appointment for you to pick up Ronaldo's visa, and so it would be helpful if you could give me just a bit of an indication as to how soon you can come to get him. I would guess that it could be by the end of next week!!!!! Very, very soon!!!!!!!

Have a great night knowing this great news!!!!!
LaDawn - GLA Haiti

---------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Macomber, Angia
Sent: Mon 6/4/07 10:38 PM
To: LaDawn - GLA Adoptions
Subject: RE: GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, LaDawn! I actually can't believe it's true!

We can come almost immediately, HOWEVER we need Phil's passport! It expired June 1, 2007. We sent it in March 13 for renewal by regular mail. We were told it would take no more than 10 weeks. It will be 12 weeks tomorrow. We read in the USA Today newspaper on Saturday that, because of the new U.S. requirement that everyone must have a passport to leave the country, the passport office is swamped and it is taking much longer than 12 weeks. We were just getting ready to contact our Congressional rep. to see if they can help get Phil's passport ASAP. We will keep you posted, but we certainly want to come as soon as we possibly can! Nevertheless, we can't buy plane tickets until we actually have Phil's passport in hand. Surely the Lord won't let us down now and keep us waiting even longer because of a delay on THIS end!!! We'll all pray for Phil's passport to arrive THIS WEEK!

Thanks again and again and again for such wonderful news! Our boys' birthdays are just 8 days (and 2 years) apart, and it looks like their Homecoming Days will be about as close also. Charlie came home 3 years ago today. :)

See you SOON!!!
Angie

6.01.2007

Heartwarming message from Molly (Warning: Have tissues ready!)

From: Angie
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 12:15 AM
Subject: Thinking about R.J.


Dear Molly,

I've been thinking a lot about R.J. this past week. I realize he probably doesn't know how close we are to bringing him home, and I do wonder what his thoughts are about the matter these days. I pray for him every day that the transition will be smooth and without a lot of heartache for him, although I realize it will be a tremendous adjustment for R.J. to leave the country, the language, the weather, the food, the music, the customs, and everything else he's known all his life. And I have no doubt that he will miss you, Joyce, and his friends at GLA terribly, and I can only hope that we can comfort him as he grieves the loss. I also hope that he will understand just how thrilled we are to welcome him into our family! And we are so pleased that we will have the entire summer to spend together getting to know him, letting him get to know us, and enjoying lots of fun things as a family! Since my teaching responsibilities end May 19, Charlie will be home full-time, and Phil has two extra weeks of vacation time saved up (four altogether). We are hoping that -- even though R.J. will be homesick for Haiti -- he will be excited about the new life he will have with us!

With all of that said, I'm writing to let you know about a blog I made full of photos and videos of our family activities (mostly featuring Charlie) over the past several months:

http://themacomberfamily.blogspot.com

I'm hoping that you might be able to find some opportunities to let R.J. look at it with you so that he can see the kind of things we like to do and what he'll be doing with us when he comes home. I'm hoping that -- while it won't prevent the sadness he will feel to leave GLA -- it will help him look forward with happy anticipation to joining our family.

We are also praying daily that the backlog in the passport office will get resolved quickly so that we can bring R.J. home very soon. We hate the thought of summer ticking away while we continue awaiting his homecoming. I'm fine waiting until the end of May so that I have my school responsibilities finished, but once June gets here I think I'll go crazy if we're still waiting!

So I hope this finds everyone at GLA doing GREAT! I thank you SO MUCH for the LONG update you sent a week ago! We hang on every word and live for every photo. I hope you realize just how much you are helping forever families bond and fall in love with their adopted kids long before they ever get home! Those monthly updates are a vital part of the adoption process, and we appreciate it more than you can know. We actually appreciate all that you do, including the numerous things we have no idea that you do, but those updates are at the top of our list! :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Hugs and kisses for Ronaldo,
Angie

-------------------------------------------------

From: Molly
Sent: Fri, 1 Jun 2007 18:14:08
Subject: RE: Thinking about R.J.

Hi Angie,

I read and sympathized with your email. However I must say it is the first like it I have ever gotten before... this is one child that though we are going to miss him I CANNOT WAIT until he is home with you. I am so thankful that God provided your family as RJ's family. I always give Joyce the rundown on everything you write about, or share you emails with her, and she feels just the same. Ronaldo is a VERY special little boy here, there will never be another like him, and to know that YOU GUYS are his family is the best feeling!!! God sure is good, and His plan is ALWAYS perfect! He confirms that to us day in and day out:) Anyway, I guess I have diverged from the intent of my email, but I certainly just wanted to let you know that Joyce and I both are just overjoyed at the family that Ronaldo will call his!

RJ and I spent several hours watching and re-watching the videos on your blog, reviewing all the photos, and reading about Charlie's activities. RJ was just aglow! He loved every bit of it, and after one time through the videos, I asked him if he wanted to watch again, and he did, after twice through the videos, I asked him if he wanted to watch again, he did.... and the cycle would have gone on until he got too hungry and had to go eat, but I cut him short. I promised him we'll look again this weekend, so he reminds me:) A LOT! What a treat for him! Charlie, he thinks that you are an amazing soccer player! He was very impressed and clapped at some or your shots. He can't wait to play with you. He can't wait to be your big brother, and he talks about all the things that you two will do together continuously. He brags to the other kids about his brother Charlie with such pride in his voice! I can't wait for you to be together! It sounds like you are going to have a great summer!

RJ wants his mommy and daddy to know that he loves you both very much! He wants to see you as soon as he can!! Tomorrow would be good, or the next day, or next week? But he is very happy to wait until that day is possible. He nods his head and tries to be very understanding. He is a patient boy. He loves his friends very much, and he loves Joyce very VERY much, but we will write and send some photos off and on, so that he knows we still love him and will not forget him. I don't think he'll have too much homesickness, I think that you'll find you are all that he's been waiting for and he's not going to look back once he gets you! All of his friends leave, it's what happens at "Kay B" ["House B" a/k/a the Toddler House]... one by one, and it's a very special time when it's your turn to go... so much fuss is made, and then the day comes when mommy or mommy and daddy arrive.... and all that you've been waiting for since the day you arrived to "Kay B" comes true. RJ has been waiting for you since that first afternoon that I sat and talked with him. I remember it very well. You are his dream come true:) RJ can't wait to show you off to all of us!

It sounds like your prayers are being answered! I know we've gotten a couple of passports out, and it sounds like things have started moving! So maybe RJ is next? Every time I mention Ronaldo leaving to Joyce she gets a little quiet, and I think that I'm going to be the one helping her grieve the loss from this end! I already have the tissues and chocolate stocked up though, so we're ready for the day you guys fly out.... :) Take care! I pray that we'll see you soon!

Blessings,

Molly
GLA - Haiti