Our dossier entered IBESR

Hello Angie and Phil,

We got news today that your dossier was submitted into IBESR*! Your IBESR number is 13480. Unfortunately, this number doesn't mean a whole lot. In our North American thinking, it would seem logical that dossiers would be looked at in numerical order, but not necessarily so in Haiti. Dossiers that come out of IBESR are not necessarily coming out in the order that they have been brought in. But, at least this number gives you something for reference.

Congratulations on moving to the next step!!!

LaDawn

*See Timeline for completing the legal process in Haiti

May Photos and Update from GLA

Hello Philip & Angia,

I hope all is going well there, and you are having a pleasant month of May.

Ronaldo is happy and healthy. He started showing signs of a scalp rash earlier this month and has now been on medication for a week, so it clearing up well. Many of our kids get it from time to time, and it is easily treatable so no major concern. It doesn’t bother him at all, only the fact that he has to take nasty tasting meds for it. The first few days a spoon of peanut butter covered up the flavor for him, but that wasn’t even good enough after a few days. So now he gets it with a spoon of pudding. He has been on no other medications, and apart from a few toe splitters on the soccer field he’s been doing very well.

Ronaldo has enjoyed some fun activities since I last emailed photos. It seems that we’ve had so many activities lately, the kids haven’t stopped talking about the last one, and a new one comes about!

Just after last writing you we had a fun morning of Easter Egg dying. Ronaldo was in one of the older groups (because of the number of children involved we spilt them into groups). He used crayons and markers to color his egg. After that he chose a color and dyed his egg, in shock he pulled it out of the cup and realized I wasn’t kidding when I said that the egg would not be white anymore. He blew on it to try to get it to dry faster. It was a great morning and I am very thankful that the kids had such a great time, it was nice to do something new with them, to teach them a completely different “craft”, as egg dying is not part of normal Haitian culture.

The end of April we were blessed to have a small team of volunteers come in from Florida to spend some extra time with our toddlers. Most of our volunteers come and because of the needs of the babies are most often working hard at the baby house, with a smaller amount of time allotted to the toddlers. However this team seemed to try and focus on our toddlers. For five days straight we had 7 sets of extra arms to hold, hug, and play with the toddlers! One event in particular that Ronaldo seemed to enjoy the most was a long hike to the nearby stream. We call it a waterfall. But just because the stream cascades down rocks about 7 feet. :) And it makes life a little more exciting. :) Ronaldo doesn’t get to go usually, because he is often in school at the time we go. LET ME TELL YOU IT WAS A BLAST!!!! Oh so much fun!! Ronaldo was lucky and found his way onto the shoulders of one of the guys on the team whom carried him pretty much the whole way down and back again! Once there it took him seconds to have stripped off his shirt and shoes and be playing in the water. Unfortunately we haven’t had much rain and there was not much water, BUT this didn’t bother your boy at all, he was quite pleased just to be there. He splashed around for a long time, the boys all had a splash fight and their lips quivered as the water droplets cooled them off. We wore him out and at supper he almost fell asleep. A very pleasant and memorable afternoon.

It’s been a pleasure to be able to share a little about your son with you!!

Have a wonderful day today!!!

AND A VERY HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY TOMORROW!!!!!

Blessings,
Molly

April Photos and Update from GLA -- First One!

Good Afternoon Philip & Angia,

Congratulations!!! I have been informed of your decision to accept Ronaldo's proposal!! This is very good news! I am already excited for YOU as well as for Ronaldo, he is a very special boy.
My name is Molly, I have been working with God's Littlest Angels in Haiti for the past 3 years. Through time I have held different responsibilities, but currently my main focus is on running the GLA toddler house, where your son lives. It is a true blessing to have him with us until he is able to go home to you.

I will be emailing once each month with new photos a brief update on his activities and progress. Hopefully more than brief! But at times things get too busy and I cannot go into detail. I hope you'll understand.

Ronaldo is healthy and doing well. He has had a good start to the month, with some fun activities. One being the first ever GLA hot dog roast! Ronaldo was one of the sellected few who were given permission to join the campfire gang, and roast hot dogs, play, and sing. It was a very nice evening, and the kids still talk about it. Another event which took place just last weekend, was a piñata fét. An adopting mother brought a piñata for the kids, and Ronaldo stepped up to bat with enthusiasm. Not breaking the paper mache open, but putting a good dent in it!

Ronaldo's current measurements are as follows:

Height: 112 cm /43 1/2 inches
Weight: 44 lbs

Hope you enjoy the photos! I'll be in touch! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Blessings,
Molly

We received our referral!

Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 11:18 AM

Proposal for: Philip and Angia Macomber


Dear Philip and Angia,

We would like to propose a little boy to you named Ronaldo JOSPEH. Ronaldo is 6 ½ years old. He came to the orphanage on 27 February 2006.

Ronaldo JOSEPH was born in Cite Soliel, the poorest slum in Haiti. Ronaldo was a term baby and was born at home. He was breast fed as an infant. He has been a very healthy child and has never been hospitalized.

Since Ronaldo has come to the orphanage, he has fit in well. He is always on the go outside. He loves to run, jump and climb. He loves to play soccer and is quite good at it in comparison with all of the other kids we have. He likes to be outside hiking, walking the dog, running, or just outside sitting on a rock and watching things.

Ronaldo is very understanding….when you explain something to him, he listens well and then, when you are finished, if he does not understand he will ask, “Do you mean this?” He is genuinely wanting to understand anything you tell him.

Ronaldo also loves to talk. He will talk about anything really. He talks about what’s happening daily, or about his time before he came to us. He also talks about what is going to happen, what is for supper, or who said what…doesn’t matter, he just likes to talk!

Ronaldo is looked up to by the other boys of the orphanage. He is somewhat of a leader with them, though not bossy or pushy.

He loves to investigate new places, new toys, and gadgets around the house and asks, “What does this do?”

Ronaldo knows his numbers on sight. He is learning his alphabet and how to sound out simple words. He can hold a pencil well, copy letters and numbers and stay in the lines when coloring a picture.

Ronaldo responds well to affection. He is not too old to sit in your lap and listen to a story. He likes to be kissed and to be hugged. He loves to get a ride on your shoulders or be piggy-backed around the house. He sleeps well and eats well. He loves anything, but rice is his favorite. He bathes himself and dresses himself. He brushes his teeth, puts lotion on his skin, and combs his hair by himself.

His psychological exam says he is normal for his age and she says that the tests show him to be functioning at a 6-year-old level. The Haitian pediatrician has examined him and finds him in good health without any communicable diseases. His lab work is normal and we have started some vaccinations on him. He weighs 45 lbs. and stands 43 ¾ inches tall.

He is a really nice little boy. I think he will make you a great son.

Sincerely,
Dixie Bickel
Director
God’s Littlest Angels

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

From: Angia Macomber
Sent: Friday, April 07, 2006 1:13 PM
To: God's Littlest Angels
Subject: Re: Our son R.J.

Dixie,

This is truly a boy made to fit into our family! He is perfect! We don't need any more time to pray about this, because we've already been praying for months, and today our prayers have been answered. This is our son.

He sounds **so** much like Charlie in **so many** ways! Two peas in a pod they will be. We can't wait to tell Charlie all about his "big brudder!" :D

Thanks so much for your significant role in helping God build our family!
Angie and Phil
(and proud brother Charlie)

Dossier arrived in Haiti

Hello Angie and Phil,

My name is LaDawn, and I am working with Dixie Bickel at God's Littlest Angels in Haiti. One of my main responsibilities is working with the adoption paperwork. I am pleased to inform you that your dossier arrived here this morning. I will get it ready, and then hopefully Monday I can send it down for legalization. Dixie will be in contact with you for your proposal. If you have any questions as your adoption is in progress, feel free to ask either Dixie or myself.

Wishing you a great weekend,
LaDawn

Dossier sent to Haiti

We mailed off our paperwork to Haiti today via FedEx. The package contained the original 125-page dossier and 5 complete photocopied sets. The package weighed 7 lbs. and cost $72 to ship.

Here's what goes into an adoption dossier for Haiti:

• 8 passport photos of each parent


• Photos of our family, house, etc.


• Recent bank statement


• Most recent federal tax return


• Birth certificate for each parent


• Marriage license


• Indiana criminal background check for each parent


• Homestudy by a licensed adoption agency


• Psychological evaluation for both parents


• Letter to the Director of the Haitian National Office of Social Welfare requesting permission to adopt


• Power of Attorney signed by both parents


• Notarized statement regarding length of parents' marriage


• Two letters of reference


• Employment verification for each parent


• Letter from bank verifying accounts are in good standing


• Letter from medical doctor verfiying each parent's fitness to adopt


• Lab tests (HIV, Syphilis, and Complete Blood Count) for each parent


• Approval for International Adoption from the office of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, based on homestudy and FBI fingerprint clearance


• Certificates of authentication of notarization from the Indiana Secretary of State (for 10 documents)


• French translations of all documents except bank statement, federal tax return, and lab tests


• Legalizations from the Haitian Consulate in Chicago (for 6 documents)

It took us just 4 months to collect all these items! Whew!