A day at the park

This morning Jeremy woke up at 5:30am. We had him stay in bed until 6:00 then got up to start our day. When the days begin so early (and we don't have much planned for this first week) the mornings have seemed very long. I'm looking forward to figuring out a schedule that works for us. The kids are on Summer break too so I need to rearrange what our days are going to look like.
Andrew has taken this whole week off from work which makes it easier to focus on bonding and doing things together as a family. Jeremy has quickly embraced Andrew. It seemed that once we got home all his apprehension dissipated. He loves his Papa!

Today we went to the park. It was fun to give him a new experience. He didn't go wild and crazy with excitement...actually, in all new situations he's quite reserved. But just wait, after a few times there'll be no stopping his enthusiasm!

He enjoyed checking it all out...but not staying with one thing for very long.

The swings were a big hit!
Angela and Jeremy had fun swinging high:

Joshua was a great brother and helped Jeremy get started.
We were amazed, he already knew how to "pump" to keep himself swinging!

By the end of the morning he was ready for a nap.

He loves snuggling in Papa's arms:
safe and secure.

Well, check out those strong arms...I feel safe and secure snuggling in those arms too!

JEREMY and MAMA

FIRST DAYS

We've been having a lot of fun this week bonding as a family. We are learning so much about our little guy and he about us. We've seen wonderful changes in him as he's relaxing into our schedule and becoming more and more secure in who we are. He is still apprehensive around new people and new environments. But at home he is a bundle of energy and overflowing with smiles and laughter.

Yesterday the kids had fun in the little pool we have on our back patio.
I don't know if you can tell in this picture but Jeremy has some strong muscles!Having fun with Joshua...Unexpectedly Jeremy filled up a bucket of water and surprised his brother by dumping it on him!
That's what brothers are for!

Angela is a great helper with Jeremy. She enjoys playing with him and does well when it's her turn to hang out with him.

Jeremy loves to be involved with everything. Most of the time it has only required a little instruction, and if you're okay with it being a little more messy than usual, then it's actually a big help.
Here he is helping Dad (Papa) make omelets for breakfast:



He helps me with the laundry, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, set the table....I've found that if I involve him with what I am doing then I don't have to worry about what he's getting into when he's out of the room! Smart, huh?! :)

I thought the difference in food might be an issue. But so far he has adapted well. The first day I made dishes that were familiar to him. The second day there were some food that he liked (he's a rib man) and some that he didn't (he's not too fond of fresh veggies). The next day I made salad for lunch with rib meat on top...he ate the meat, spit out the lettuce, but then decided to eat half his salad when he saw there were chips too! He really likes chips and fruit.

Jeremy's napping so I'm taking a moment to post!
He's doing amazing. I can't believe how quickly we've seen changes in him. We've seen him begin to relax, smile and talk a lot. I love it when he speaks! It is so cute. He is beginning to understand basic vocabulary. We've discovered that he already knew how to count to 10 in english, sing his ABC's, sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Old McDonald". It's fun finding out new things that he knows! He is repeating the words we say. When ever he does something good and we say "bravo!" he smiles SO big.

He used to cry when we'd put him down for a nap or bed, today was the first day that he didn't even pout!
It's pretty exhausting still following him around every where. It's all still new to him and his little hands are exploring every drawer and every thing reachable! We've been doing the "touch with one finger" instruction instead of him grabbing and pulling everything in sight.

He is very smart. He's pretty good at problem solving. Sometimes it comes out as a stubborn streak in him. He shows BIG displeasure when told "no" about anything. But that too is beginning to soften. We're trying as much as possible to instruct in a positive way with out saying no too much. Especially in the beginning when there is so much to learn. We feel like we're starting from scratch with him.

He's bonding much better with Andrew. He didn't grow up around many men so Jeremy naturaly felt more comfortable around me. But little things here and there have drawn him closer to "Papa". Every chance we get we try to encourage interaction with Papa and Jeremy. Like playing basketball, sitting next to Papa at meals, when he's scared of our dog Izzy Papa will hold him, Papa puts him to bed and then every other opportunity we can find to move toward bonding.

Angela and Joshua are doing well. There's big adjustments for them too. Although, we've been talking about a new "baby" coming into the family for 4 years, so they've had lots of time to prepare. It warms my heart at how much they naturally embrace Jeremy as their brother. It's as if it's always been that way. Angela was feeling a bit overwhelmed the other day and voiced some concern about Jeremy getting so much attention. I'm so glad that she was able to express her emotions and we were able to talk about it. We've tried to maintain most of our normal practices that we do as a family. Like playing games together (we played Clue while Jeremy was napping yesterday) reading books, wrestling and tickling, etc. In fact I've got to sign off 'cause Angela and I are going to watch a movie while Dad and Joshua fix the roof over the pool.
More to come...!

We're home! Haiti was a great experience.
I don't have a lot of time to post...so this one will be quick!
We are doing well. Much better than I had expected! Bonding already. The language barrier isn't as difficult as I had expected either. Jeremy is very shy around people, but when he's just with our family he is all smiles and giggles! (That is until the word "no" is used! :) Something we are working on very slowly).
More to come...with pictures!

Will you pray with us?

Thanks everyone for cheering with us!

Andrew has been busy arranging travel plans. Through out this adoption process it seemed like we kept getting road blocks where ever we turned. If it's not one thing it's another. In the past there have been times that we just didn't know how it would work out and then...God makes a way.
As we begin our preparations to go to Haiti we face a mountain of obstacles. As we try to figure out how in the world we are going to pay for Haiti fees, Post adoption fees, doctor fees, etc., etc., etc.! We are a bit unsure of how it will work out...and yet fully assured that God will make a way. Already we have seen God work in amazing ways. Only God can do that.

We are leaving for Haiti on Monday!
We are actually going. Our little boy is coming home.
A new chapter in The adventures of the Young Family is beginning.

This morning Andrew reminded me that we are facing more than just physical opposition. This is spiritual too. I often don't think about the spiritual battle going on. But it is real. It is nothing that we fear because we know God is all-powerful, all-knowing and the victory belongs to Him.

Would you partner in prayer with us?
We have many things that we will face as we prepare, travel, and stay in Haiti.

We are looking expectantly at how God will show His mighty hand. The weapon of the enenmy is fear, anxiety, doubt, and looking to self for provision....all these things are unstable and do not succeed. But we know and believe that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world.

Will you pray with us this week?

Okay...we kind of expected something unexpected to happen...it's the story of our lives!

Yesterday, when the orphanage went to the visa interview, they found a note on the door saying that the guy had some kind of emergency and was out of the office.
I feel bad for this man and whatever emergency he had that took him away from the office...but really?! It just couldn't happen smoothly could it?! Oh well.
The orphanage will try again today. They were quite upset about the appointment. They will call us when they've been able to get the interview for the visa.

We know that God's timing and ways are perfect.
This is all just a part of the journey of life.

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There is so much going on this week that we have plenty to keep us distracted and busy...and less time to sit around feeling bummed!

Serve Day is happening on Sunday.

It is one opportunity as Christians to show that we believe what happens outside the church is as important as what happens inside. Serve Day is confirmation of that fact. All Sunday services will be canceled on May 17th for a chance to love our communities in tangible ways. It is pretty awesome.

There are all sorts of service teams. Some will do construction projects, clean business windows, put on a carnival, wash cars, clean up streets, beautify a school, be a team that walks through the neighborhood helping to clean up lawns or install smoke detectors or light bulbs. There will be about a thousand people a part of this! It was so exciting last year! I loved how it brought Christians together for a common goal: to love people, not just in words but in deed and truth.

Andrew one of the main guys in charge of planning, organizing and directing everything that will take place on Serve Day. There is so much that goes into preparing and figuring out how to ensure that it all goes as well as possible.
Andrew is does a great job. He is humble and would instantly brush off any compliment aimed at him, but I know the stress and the pressure that comes with what he does and I know for a fact that he's doing an amazing job!

I'll keep you posted on the latest updates on Jeremy and Serve Day!

ARE YOU FINALLY READY FOR SOME GREAT NEWS?! Jeremy has a visa interview tomorrow! Then, the orphanage should be able to get his visa by mid-week. THEN...we can book our flights! We truly ARE going to HAITI!

Stay tuned for the latest!

Jeremy

Jeremy

In our latest update we learned a lot about our little guy:

They said that if they could use one word to sum up Jeremy’s presence it would be “involved”. He is always right there in the middle! He wants to know everything that is going on, and if he can’t lead it he at least wants to be a vocal part of it.

He has joy overflowing!

He almost always has a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye… though the twinkle is for the mischief he is planning!

Jeremy gets put in time out at least twice a day, so they told us to be prepared! They wrote that he knows right and wrong and just hopes he can scrape by without being noticed. He is pretty good about walking himself into his room and climbing up in bed, he knows its coming so he might as well not resist. The other morning the gal in charge put him in his bed and he got down as soon as she left the room… so she marched him back in and he climbed back up…. And then on a different time he got down and went outside…. He saw her spot him from 50 feet away and before she even headed in his direction he marched himself back in his room and climbed into bed. Ten minutes later she went in to get him out of time out and he was no where to be found. She asked his nanny, whom she had forgotten to tell that Jeremy was in trouble, and the nanny had taken him up to school. One hour later when Jeremy walked in the gate after class, he came walking up to her and said, “I had to get up to go to school, do I have to go back to bed now?” They commented that Jeremy is SO SMART!!! And they also warned us that he’s going to be trying to negotiate all kinds of boundaries with us when we get him home!

He’s a sweet and loving kid. The gal in charge said that she thinks a lot of his difficulties in respecting other kids and authority has to do with being 1 of 70. It just doesn’t suit him. Some kids can handle it, other kids hide inside a shell and never quite come out, and some kids just have to be the loudest, fastest, most recognized child of their age group. She thinks Jeremy does a lot of what he does to get the attention he needs. He wants to be recognized as often as possible. He loves just getting his name called, and being waved to from a distance even if she can’t stop and go give him a high five and ask him how its going. He is thrilled to be picked up and piggy backed across the yard for five minutes time. He does well with positive reinforcement.

Jeremy’s verbal skills are excellent, and he is really bright socially. She said that it’s a good age for him to come home and predicts that he’ll be picking up English in a month’s time. He talks talks talks, and he loves things to be clearly explained to him.

Here's one of their conversations:

“What are you doing?”

“Taking the keys out to Jean Louis.”

“Why does Jean Louis need the keys?”

“So he can unlock the gate.”

“Who is coming to the gate.”

“The trash truck.”

“OHHHH, is the trash truck going to take all of the trash.”

“Yes”

“Can I carry trash out to the truck?”

...And the conversation could go on forever...
















He’s an amazing little boy with so much life inside of him!


Adoption Status: VISA