Our little girl....

Yeah, that's right, I said it. Let me tell you a story.

There is a little girl. A sweet little girl who desperately needs help. (And I'm such a sucker for situations that need fixing!) Her name is Saraphina and she has been in the same Haitian orpahange we adopted our 2 boys from, for 2 years now. Some of you may know, some of you may not know, but she was in the process of being adopted. That was until recently.

Recently, it was found out that she has Sickle Cell Anemia. For those of you unfamiliar, I will give a brief synopsis. Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease in which, basically, your blood cells are misshapen. While normal blood cells are round, squishy little things, Sickle Cell blood cells are shaped like crescents. This makes for very painful passage through the blood cells, bouts of "pain episodes" and a shortened life expectancy (about 40-50 years). Now, in America, this is both a very treatable and in fact, CURABLE, illness. In Haiti however, this can be quite fatal. Blood type/availability is not certain, nor is the affordability/availability of transportation to where blood is for a transfusion should a "pain episode" occur.

Long story short, she desperately needs to come to the States on a medical visa. Here she can get the treatment she needs and a chance to not only survive, but be cured. Here's where we come ito the story. Because of our involvement with her previous adoption process and many other issues that I won't get into here, we feel it our duty to step up and take responsibility for this little cast away. God has not yet said no and plans have been set in motion to get her here. We will be her host family while she is receiving treatment and she is likely to be here around the end of March if all goes well.

Honestly, after much deliberation and prayer, we've realized that it will likely be very hard to give her up to another family, both on us and her. So, we will likely begin the process of adopting her a few months after she gets here.

We don't even have a car that fits our whole family at this moment. Our truck got totaled and our awesomeness of a pastor is loaning us his station wagon. We don't have anything for a girl.....don't even know what to do with one of those! Point is, this is what we have been called to do. To obey - to step out - blerg, to leap out! And that's what we're doing. God will take care of the rest.

Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up so that when you start seeing random pics of a little girl in our house in a couple months, you won't be all like wtfrak? what just happened?

Brotherly Lurv

Trying...not.....to....cry.

They get it. The bonding has begun.

Our standing arrangement is that if the boys behave well all day, they get to play Rock Band with mommy and daddy before bed. Moise was good today. Logan however was quite disrespectful, mouthy and all together argumentative. After he completely ignored 4 separate requests I made of him after dinner tonight, Daddy made the decision that Logan would not be allowed to play. Then something spectacular happened. Moise, realizing he would not be playing with his brother and that his brother would miss out on the fun, interceded on his brother's behalf! That's right...INTERCEDED! He told Logan, "You must say you're sorry! Mean it!" Then Moise turned to Daddy and pleaded for a commutation of Logan's sentence. He insisted that Logan was sorry and would apologize."

It was beautiful. It was sincere. It was a moment. Much like the stirring moments earlier i the day...moments of change, so brief, so small but so significant. They have become brothers.

Week 1 Observations

Okay, so we're just past the 1st week mark. It's been a blur really - a little too "normal" and a little chaotic all at the same time. Here are just a few of my observations:

1. My house STINKS! (as previously stated in another post)
2. The novelty of the in fridge ice and water maker has not worn off and my kitchen floor always has a puddle on it.
3. Moise is obsessed with ice and will eat ice chips all day
4. Haitians MUST yell EVERYTHING! There is no concept of volume control at all!
5. Moise understands everything we are saying to him unless its something he doesn't want to hear - then he's amazingly stricken with the "I only speak Creole" disease
6. Phoenix knows how to "work it!" He will bat his eyelashes and flash a heart-melting smile whenever he's told no or is doing something he knows he's not supposed to
7. Getting an 8 year old who wets the bed nearly every night to wear GoodNights is A LOT easier said than done
8. Who knew adding 2 kids would increase the mess in my house exponentially. I have wiped up more spills, washed more blown out clothes and picked up more crap in the last week than in my entire career as a mom
9. Just cause you adopt an older kid doesn't mean you'll get the sleep of an older kid - expect newborn sleep cycles!
10. Phoenix sleepwalks apparently and often ends up on the couch or chair in the living room.
11. Having to discipline 180 degrees from what you're used to and now applying to all boys instead of just the new 2 - uber challenging.
12. I H-A-T-E diapers!!!!! I didn't order a baby, but I got one anyway! Changes the game plan 110%
13. This - all of this - still feel like babysitting. I can't emphasize this enough. There is not some magical moment when they come home wherein that organic, loving, "feels like they've always been here" family appears. It's work and a choice every single day to love them and make it work. Do not misunderstand - I love all of my children passionately and unwaveringly. However, you have to realize that this is one of the biggest changes and adjustments we (or you, if you are adopting) will ever go through as a family. It takes a helluva lot of time and a helluva lot of work and prayer. The more you build up dreams and ideas and paint pictures of what you think it will be like when your children come home, the more disappointed, frustrated and out of love you will be with them when they finally do come home. Let me share with you something my parents shared with my husband when he was about to meet my extended family for the first time: expect the worst....and then you get the "family name inserted here." I will relay the same advice to you: expect the worst...and then you get "insert child's name here." In other words - have no expectations or dreams or grandiose ideas of family ooey-gooey bonding. Expect the worst and you will be so wonderfully surprised when it turns out to be not so bad. This puts so much less pressure on the children and takes a HUGE burden off of you.

I think that's all for right now. I have 2 very sick little guys - 24-hour flu kinda thing and we've been up since 4:30am. Will post more pics and updates throughout the next week, so keep on checking in.

First Bike Ride!

Daddy being home from work this week has been a great thing for all the boys! He helped Moise with his first bike ride today and in no time, Moise was off! Phoenix got into helping daddy fix a bike and it was a great time of winding down before dinner. These moments are so sweet!

Brothers Bonding

GoodNight!

The boys LOVED their new beds, especially with the new blankets grandma made (as seen in grandparentsRfun. The first few nights in their new home have gone very well and everyone has slept through the night - with the exception if Logan. He had to fall asleep in the guest room last night because Phoenix was snoring SO loud he couldn't sleep. Phoenix definitely has some nighttime breathing issues we're goingto have to get looked at.

One of my favorite moments

was watching Moise "fish" for minnows with a bucket. He was always SO surprised when he caught some. The video should show up shortly - after it is done processing - so check back....

First Grocery Trip x2

So this morning we decided to tackle both Sam's Club AND Walmart for groceries and, since the special seat for our SUV won't be here for another month, we had to take 2 cars. I was expecting insanity...shouts of amazement and eyes wide with disbelief. On the contrary, it was surprisingly underwhelming. Moise walked alongside the cart with Logan, helping to put things in the cart and asking for specific things he wanted. He was so happy to be helping and a part of the team. Phoenix and Cai played happily together in the front of the cart, relatively oblivious. All in all, fun but oddly normal. Sorry for the crappy pics - that's whatcha get with a cameraphone....

Grandparents R Fun!

On day three, we stopped overnight at my parents house for introductions.My sis, and her fam showed up and to Moise's delight, we had pizza! Yes, his favorite. My mom has a veritable zoo (with guinea pigs, rabbits, cockatiels, dogs, turtles and a duck) and Moise, we found out is crazy about animals! He was so good with all of them! Phoenix was terrified of everything at first but quickly got over it. Intros went so much better than expected and the boys had a great time and adore their new grandparents. Here's a few pics from the day....

Day 2

These are the final pics from day 2 at our friends house. They hosted a little gathering in which a few friends had been invited to drop by throughout the evening to meet the boys. There were tons of kids and food and fun. The boys really enjoyed their time there and were all sad to leave. Now it's off to mee the rest of the family!

The first morning

Phoenix slept from 3pm yesterday to 7:30am today. Everyone is super happy and getting along really well. Moise helped make breakfast this morning and they're chillin in the pool already!

More from Day 1

Here's a few pics of the boys first meeting of their brothers, swimming, catching tadpoles and getting used to friends and family.

There is no God like our God!

There is SO much to say, but you must first understand one thing: God's sovereignty is the most frustratingly beautiful thing! It's this incredible resting place right between joy and terror and once you "get it," there is truly nothing like it. Now, I would also suggest at this point, that you not "test" God the way we just did by blatantly arranging the IMPOSSIBLE and expecting Him to show up. But, He did show up in His infinite power and grace and though the powers that be flat out REFUSED to let us on the plane for our return flight, God had other plans indeed. Plans that included running through the airport with an escort, being shoved onto the tarmac and pointed into the direction of a waiting plane on the complete OTHER END OF THE AIRPORT! We had to run across the tarmac for what seemed like an eternity to a plane with attendants eagerly waving us to HURRY! The story is much longer and full of a nearly hysterically crying Heather, totally overwhelmed boys and 2 sweat drenched parents. But in the end, the prayers of our friends were more powerful than any plans the enemy had for us and being able to rest in the knowledge that God had ordained for everything that was happening.....well, that was both maddening and comforting. Now, that I'm rambling, enjoy a few pics from the plane and initial moments home.

We leave tomorrow!

Everything is in place and confirmed. We have visas in hand! We leave tomorrow! We will post pics as soon as we can (which will likely be minute by minute as we both have smart phones). Check back often and pray for us as we rush through the Haiti airport. We only have 55 minutes between landing and departure to get the boys and get through the airport. Small airport but often big lines. Mercy and compassion...that's what we're looking for here......we've gotten this far right? To those in SoFla - see you soon!

God is Good

The visas for both boys are being printed as we speak - that is unless the printing machine breaks or something else equally as ridiculous. Looks like we will be on a plane later this week after all! Thank you to all who prayed and to all who rejoice with us now!

There's ALWAYS a problem....

Let me re-phrase that: There is always a huge, seemingly insurmountable problem. Here we go: two days after our visas were supposed to have been printed, they were still not printed. When I called to find out why, I was told they were waiting on a paper from USCIS. What?!? Here's what the problem amounts to: Our I600s have already been approved, our visa appointments have beeen completed and all went well - visas have been paid for. Even still, now they are questioning our I600A! It says we are approved for one or more children and though the officer stateside says that is sufficient, the Haitian officer says it is not and needs to see docs that say we are approved for 2 children!

Let's keep in mind that our homestudy has ALWAYS been for 2 children. We were approved through the court system, the Minister of Interior and our own Department of Homeland security through the USCIS approving our I600. NOW they want to question what amounts to a useless piece of paper that never needed to be filed in the first place. Let me explain further.

The I600a is a form, requesting from our government, the permission to eventually bring into the States, a child(ren) you intent to adopt. This just states intent. The approval comes in the form of an I171H. The I600 does essentially the same thing, with one notable exception: The (a) should be filed if you are adopting from one of those countries that doesn't let you know who your child will be until the end of the process. If you already know who your child(ren) will be before you start your process, you can and should file the I600 only. Because we filed both (the I600a at the beginning of our process and the I600 in Haiti about a year ago) this is blowing the minds of the government and they can't fathom that the I600a doesn't really amount to a hill of crap right now. The USCIS officer in Haiti tells me now that they "mistakenly" approved our I600 before double checking our I600a. This is INSANE! First, even if it was mistakenly approved, IT WAS APPROVED! They cannot now backtrack and hold our children hostage, which is essentially what they are now doing. Second, the I600a is a moot point and even if it was valid, specifically states one or more children!

If you have followed this inanity to this point, you will see this as nothing more than a complete and utter attack. It is so preposterous, so inane that this is the only explanation to be had. By the same token, because God is sovereign, and nothing happens that does not first pass through his hand, this has, for one reason or another, been allowed. This blows my mind. I cannot grasp why God would be allowing this particular trial after we have already been through delay after delay after delay. This is so like being pregnant and waaaaaaay overdue! My heart hurts. There is not a moment in the day that I do not think of/long for/agonize over the absence of my children in my life. This trial has only magnified that to unmanageable depths.

So this is what I ask of you dear friends who frequent the ramblings of my blog, pray. Over the course of these next 2 days pray fervently and without ceasing. Pray that they eyes of the government officials will be open to the gross oversight on their part. Part for mercy and compassion towards us and our situation. Pray that our children will be coming home as scheduled on Thursday and that this will not drag on and on.....If nothing else, Moise will come home on Wednesday. This has been a heartbreaking decision - having to choose, as a mom, between two children. Which one needs you more? Which one can you just not live without any longer? At the moment, we have determined that to be Moise, simply because he is more aware of us, our relationship with him and the imminence of his homecoming. He has already been disappointed so much in this process and we cannot bear to inflict the scars that choosing Phoenix over him would inflict. So, for these reasons, if thinsg are not worked out before tomorrow, we will be bringing Moise home on Thursday and turning our focus to fighting for Phoenix every day after that. This, friends, is why we desperately need your prayers.

Oh Happy Day!

Our boys are coming home! Our boys are coming home! They'll be ready to come home on Monday! Sadly, Jeremy has a business trip scheduled for next week so we can't pick them up then. It will have to be the following week. But, the point is: THEY'RE READY AND THEY'RE COMING HOME!!!!!!!

Oh, did I mention, MY BOYS ARE COMING HOME!

What's in a Name?

A lot....a definition of character, a legacy, a hope, an ideal. We have always taken the choosing of our children's names very seriously and with the 2 new additions coming home soon, we are again playing the name game. Though we've had their first names chosen for a long time, we've struggled for nearly 2 years with their middle names. Not only have we finally settled on middle names, but we have come to a monumental naming decision. Once we readopt the boys here in the States and officially have their names changed, we will also have a name change for Logan and Cai. We really want to honor our fathers and grandfathers in such a way that their relationships to us and the legacy they leave behind, will be forever etched into our children's minds - and names. So, without further adieu, here are the new Pihl children (with the new names in bold):

Logan Gabriel Robert Pihl
Micaiah Ramsay David Pihl
Moise Benjamin Joseph Pihl
Phoenix Jude Austin Pihl

Yes, I know - I hear you - 2 middle names? Whatever - it's very euro and very honoring to our patriarchs and so, it is what it is.

Happy Birthday Phoenix!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Moise playing soccer

Moise is in the light blue shirt and, as usual, has to stop whatever he's doing to imitate his favorite superhero - Spiderman!