News

Not alot to report. China did do some referals this week. They haven't changed the CCAA website though. There are so many rumors and speculations going on it is crazy. All we can do is pray that Rory is safe and is happy and that we will get our referal soon.
We are finished with the Haiti Dossier. It should be to Haiti sometime next week. PRAY that it doesn't get lost or something. We really need to get our babies home.

Rock Star Baby

Baby Jean

Jenny I finally got the one of Jeff to work. He is looking at you and Todd!!!!

I miss those littlle fingers.

I don't have any new news. We are still not finished with the dossier. It should go out soon though. Maybe a week??? Haiti is not such a safe place these days. Not that it ever was, but the amount of kidnappings in July are more than all of 2005. So we are not sure if we will go to see Lilly in October as we had planned. We are waiting to see what happens.

China has not kept to a year. They have not done a thing since they did the batch a month ago and the rumers are not good that they will finish July this week. I guess you could say that I am a bit sad this week. I just want my babies home.

Princess Lilly

The kids

My buddy Yveline

A sea of munchkins

Valencia Jade

Pictures from Haiti

Who is the crazy lady???

Maybe she's ok.

Do you like my new dress?

Home

We are home from Haiti. I miss my little princess so much. It is so hard everytime I look at the clock I think about what she should be doing right now. I know her nanny loves her as she loves her. I know she is being cared for. I just want her home though. We are almost done with our dossier. We ran into a few delays but now it should go smoothly. We should have it in by the first week of August. Then we wait....
China seems to be in exactly the same place as before we left. There are all sorts of rumers going around about wait times. I am ignoring all of it. I am to the point where it doesn't matter. They will eventually get to us. I am still hoping it is by Christmas but I would be surprised.

Last day thoughts

Hi,

Well we have made it to the last day in Haiti. I am very sad to leave my baby girl. After the garbage and the rodants, the gangs and the bugs I cannot say I am not happy to get to my nice home. The povery here is startling. In the few days we were here we ran intro 4 babies that people were giving to orphanages trying to get into an orphanage or had AIDS and could not be placed. It has been an eye opener and I think I am a better person for it. The rodent thing probably made me stronger. The people here are beautiful and very kind and proud. They are more than willing to help in any way they can. Overall I am glad we came.
I love my daughter so much and I do not know how I will leave her tomorrow. I will come back in a few months and she will have grown so much. But that beautiful smile will be the same and those big brown eyes. She looks very different from her photo on Rainbow kids. Someone asked is that the same baby. I laughed and said that I was absolutly sure that it was my Lilly. I could never replace that smile.

Greetings from Haiti

These are some pictures of Lillian Chrystelle with her elephant. She is giggling in the first picture. There is a man at Wall's that let us use his computer and camera to post this. Thanks Kermit! We will try and send more tomorrow. She had her first chocolate cake today. Mom I think we may have another chocohalic on our hands. The people here are so nice. Very helpful. I bought a carved elephant for the baby today. Miss everyone.
Heidi

Hello from Haiti

Hello everyone. I met Chrystelle today. She is so beautiful. Great big eyes. She is very tiny maybe 10 pounds she doesn't sit up yet but she can hold her head up. She has a mohawk. It is so cute. I love it. I will post pics as soon as I can.

We are leaving fpr Haiti!!!

Wow we are leaving tomorrow morning. I am very excited to take this journey. We are finished packing. I am going to meet my daughter! I don't think it has sunk in yet though. It is a very surreal feeling. I will try to keep this updated while in Haiti. We will be in Florida tomorrow night and by 10am on Thursday I will be with Lillian Chrystelle Rain Smith!!!! That child will probably think I am the strangest thing she has ever seen. Little does she know her mother.
The most recent news is that she is doing very well at the orphanage and she is eating and eating...they said they can't believe how well she is eating. I can believe it she is a member of this family and even if she doesn't know it food will be a very big part of her life.
Well, the next time I post Dianne and I will be in Haiti. Please pray for a safe and wonderful trip.

1 week from today

Wow, in exactly 1 week from now I will be holding Chrystelle. It is hard to grasp. I guess I need to start getting everything together. I cannot believe that I will be in Haiti. It is funny where God takes you in life. I had thought for the past year or so that I would be in China this summer. Haiti had never crossed my mind. Had we been in China though who knows if I would have found Chrystelle. God definitly works in his own way.

This is my favorite picture of my gorgeous step-daughter Alexei. She is not so patiently awaiting for her sisters to come home.

The first time we saw her face!

This is the Picture I first saw of Chrystelle. We love that what Birthmother named her. She chose a beautiful name. I cannot imagine looking at that beautiful smile for 6 months and then having to give her up. I know that it must have been the hardest thing she has ever had to do. We are planning on naming her Lillian Chrystelle Rain. We have always thought of her as our Lilly but we couldn't bare to take away her mothers gift of her name, so we use both. Rain means abundant blessings from above. If you know a little about our Princess you know that she was very sick after her mother left. There have been many times that we were unsure of weather or not we were going to lose her. The Lord has held her in His hand though out all of this. She is now doing well. She is back at the orphanage and they say she is getting better every day. Her blessings as well as ours are very abundant.

Shopping

Today we went shopping for Haiti. Only 9 days until we leave. I am so excited. I got the baby a few outfits this weekend. I am taking 3 to 6 months because they keep telling me she is so thin. Dianne, my friend who will be traveling with me, bought a ton of diapers. It is getting close now. Getting our girls