My first "Good" day in Haiti

09.09.12

Well, I think I can finally say that I had my first "good" day in Haiti.  Not to say that there haven't been other good things that have been going on or happening but I actually got to the end of a day and had the feeling that "Oh, I think this was a good day!"  

It is so funny to me...I don't know that the events of the day were anything that special.  We spent most of the day helping Nick and Nikki get moved out.  I think it was just the joy that came with seeing tangible hope of actually being able to have our own place.  We are usually pretty flexible and easy going, but after an entire summer of being all over the place and now going through a pretty major transition we are all SO ready to settle in some where that can be just ours for a while.  It has been challenging to be patient...and we aren't even sleeping there tonight.  Nick and Nikki are all moved out, but it is late and we are just going to do one more night in the volunteer house so we can get up there and really get things cleaned out tomorrow before we move in.

It was also just a GREAT day for the kiddos.  They got a chance to just be and enjoy one of the "weekend" days around here.  We played with the kids in the outdoor pavilion and continue to get the chance to really get to know the individual kids.  I am usually pretty good with names but for some reason i am struggling.  The up side of that is that the girls are learning little things about the kids as well as their names so they are able to help me remember!  We are learning boundaries...learning how to walk hand in hand with them and not have to carry them all the time.  Learning how to (sometimes) be able to put them down without having them totally cry.  It will be interesting to see how this evolves when everyone (mostly the kids and nannies and haitian staff) really realizes that we aren't just here for a little visit, but that we are actually staying for a while!

Addy is just fitting right in!  She is just their size and knows how their minds work in regards to 3 year old play.  She and a friend were having a GREAT time on the teeter totter this afternoon!

I LOVE her face in this picture!

The COTP kids are also really taking to Brooke.  They love to squish her face and play (and pull) with her hair!  Her smile is contagious and it has been proven that not just my kids are drawn to her but the other kids flock when they see her as well!

Addy is always leading someone around or telling an "escapee" from the baby house to get back home!  "ALE!" is what she has been saying more and more, this means "to go" in Creole.

She always seems to have someone by her side though and kids are always wanting to hold her hand.  When we first came she wanted so badly to hold the "babies".  Well, some were the same age as her and babies here seem to be way more wiggly way earlier on!  So she has found her own way and figured out how to best interact.  There is still a baby or two that she is able to hold...but she is more often found running with them or dragging one by the hand.  

Gracie is finding her place too.  She is the gentle, quiet presence.  She is quick to redirect them when they do as they should not...with such grace and ease.  She is that oldest child...with a sweet, sweet spirit!

I also LOVED that I got to talk with Megan tonight!  It was SOOO good to hear her voice!  She hears and listens to me so well, and she gets so many of the hard things.  I CANNOT WAIT for her to come SO SOON!

Thank you for TODAY, Lord!  Thank you for hope and the comfort and peace it brought me today!  Thank you for meeting out need for space!