Where's the fun in that???
Yes, we are preparing for Tropical Storm Debby to make her arrival over the next few days, but why do people keep saying, "Make sure you stay dry", or "Try to stay inside"? We have wind and rain, but right now, no lightening, no tornadoes, no damage...this is the best time to get wet! To play in the rain like a kid and enjoy ourselves. This is the time to allow ourselves to get wet in the rain and have fun with the kids! Stay dry? No thank you. Rain is fun. And it is God's provision for our dry ground and dirty air.
What fun the kids had in the rain today!!!!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
On the mends...
So, Isaiah is doing well. He is staying strong at 22 pounds. He is parasite free and ringworm free. He is a happy baby boy! He will be 22 months old on the 13th. Wow. Hard to believe he has been home for 8 weeks!
He is loving playing with his brother Joshua! His main thing right now is to push the umbrella stroller around the house...all the time! Haha... He is so funny. He is learning to eat new things every day. Some he loves and some will take much time... :) We took him to Jacksonville for biometrics at the Immigration office. This will allow him to get his green card, which will give him temporary alien status. We are in the process of re-adopting him in Florida. This will make his new name, Isaiah Micah Simmons, final. His final hearing is on June 25th. We will then have his new birth certificate and he will become a US Citizen soon after, so we will no longer need his green card. YAY!!! Things are rolling along nicely... Here are a few photos of Isaiah...
He is loving playing with his brother Joshua! His main thing right now is to push the umbrella stroller around the house...all the time! Haha... He is so funny. He is learning to eat new things every day. Some he loves and some will take much time... :) We took him to Jacksonville for biometrics at the Immigration office. This will allow him to get his green card, which will give him temporary alien status. We are in the process of re-adopting him in Florida. This will make his new name, Isaiah Micah Simmons, final. His final hearing is on June 25th. We will then have his new birth certificate and he will become a US Citizen soon after, so we will no longer need his green card. YAY!!! Things are rolling along nicely... Here are a few photos of Isaiah...
Friday, May 25, 2012
New Photos...
This morning, I went in to wake Isaiah up and change his diaper and when I finished he got up and said "Mama!" with a big smile and gave me the most precious hug... God is sooo good! I LOVE being Mama!!!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Since we've been home...
Isaiah Micah Simmons has been home for 4 weeks now and how is he doing???
This precious baby has stolen our hearts!!! He is fabulous! He is a gift from the Lord! What a joy!
He is slowly warming up to others outside of our family, but inside our family? Well, let's just say that he is letting it all out...and he has more character in his little pinky than I have seen in a lot of adults!
Our cup runneth over with blessings!!!
Whats going on???
Well, right now we are in the process of re-adopting him. Is this a requirement? Yes. Since we brought him home on an IR4 Visa (which basically means that we did not meet him before we went to get him), he has to be re-adopted. We will then apply for Citizenship for him. Once that is done, he will be a US Citizen completely. He will have his new name with the re-adoption. He will have a Florida birth certificate (which means we won't have to apply to DRC if his original is ever lost).
What have we experienced?
Well, today for the first time, I took Isaiah to the grocery store by myself. Let's just say that I experienced judgment. On any other day, I smile at people, say "Hello" and they return the greeting...but not today. There were a few, but I would estimate 80% gave me a scowl. I had my usual smile and Hello, but I got a scowl instead. I have been naive about the prejudices in our county. I have not had to experience much of it at all. However, with this new walk that the Lord has called us to, I see that we will be experiencing it much of the time. After a while of this, we took a break away to the bathroom to regroup and say a little prayer. I looked at my precious son and whispered in his ear.... "You are soooo worth it!!!" He laughed and stuck his ear to my mouth again, so I said it again. We played the whisper game for a few minutes and then we went back out. This time, with a fresh spirit. It's okay, no worries. People judge. It happens. But it does not define us. God does. I love His plans for us!!!
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Since we have been home...
Well, there is so much to share. Since we have been home, we have been busy! We took Isaiah to the Pediatrician and he ordered a stool culture and blood work. We took in the stool, and attempted the blood work, to no avail. Basically, our little guys blood vessels are too tiny and are not producing enough blood to draw it, due to malnutrition. So, they tried and tried, but only a little bit could they get. What now? We wait. We bulk him up on probiotics, antibiotics, vitamins, nutrients, and we wait. We did find out that he has a parasite (Giardia) through his stool culture. He is being treated for it with Flagyl. So much for the testing done in Congo... Isaiah is gaining weight, we can already see a big difference. He is feeling much better too. He is very happy and running around all over the place. He loves to entertain too. He has had us all laughing up a storm at his silliness. What a blessing this little guy is to us!!!
We are beginning the process of re-adoption here in the states. This has to be done since he came to the US on an IR4 Visa, which basically means that we did not meet him prior to picking him up; therefore, he did not automatically become a US Citizen. We will readopt, which will allow us to change his name and to give him a Florida birth certificate and to apply for Citizenship. This will take a couple of months or so and more money. :( However, once we finish, he is an American with an American Birth Certificate and a new name. This does not mean that he will forget where he was born. It means that he will know that he belongs with us and to our Country. We will never keep secrets from him about his heritage. He will know everything. But, just as we have been adopted into the Kingdom of Heaven and we will receive a new name, we have been led to do the same for our son.
What else? Well, we regret that we are having to find a new home for our dog Cookie. However, we cannot give him the attention that he deserves with our household size. We are trying to minimize the things that we need to maintain and unfortunately dogs take a lot of work. We have 2 cats as well, but they do not require as much maintenance. We will miss Cookie, but we are excited for him to embark on a new journey with a loving family.
We have been super blessed with friends bringing us meals. Mom, Marie, Kim, and Kimberly have each blessed us with a meal. You cannot even imagine what a blessing it is not to have to cook every single meal when you are getting adjusted to a new routine and a new child... WOW! This is such an important and appreciated gift to us!!!! I am so glad that we have been able to bless others in the past with taking meals to them. I feel the blessing fully and will make sure I continue in the future!
Thank you all for joining us on this beautiful journey...we wouldn't have it any other way! God is so good!!!!
We are beginning the process of re-adoption here in the states. This has to be done since he came to the US on an IR4 Visa, which basically means that we did not meet him prior to picking him up; therefore, he did not automatically become a US Citizen. We will readopt, which will allow us to change his name and to give him a Florida birth certificate and to apply for Citizenship. This will take a couple of months or so and more money. :( However, once we finish, he is an American with an American Birth Certificate and a new name. This does not mean that he will forget where he was born. It means that he will know that he belongs with us and to our Country. We will never keep secrets from him about his heritage. He will know everything. But, just as we have been adopted into the Kingdom of Heaven and we will receive a new name, we have been led to do the same for our son.
What else? Well, we regret that we are having to find a new home for our dog Cookie. However, we cannot give him the attention that he deserves with our household size. We are trying to minimize the things that we need to maintain and unfortunately dogs take a lot of work. We have 2 cats as well, but they do not require as much maintenance. We will miss Cookie, but we are excited for him to embark on a new journey with a loving family.
We have been super blessed with friends bringing us meals. Mom, Marie, Kim, and Kimberly have each blessed us with a meal. You cannot even imagine what a blessing it is not to have to cook every single meal when you are getting adjusted to a new routine and a new child... WOW! This is such an important and appreciated gift to us!!!! I am so glad that we have been able to bless others in the past with taking meals to them. I feel the blessing fully and will make sure I continue in the future!
Thank you all for joining us on this beautiful journey...we wouldn't have it any other way! God is so good!!!!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Monday and Tuesday...
On Monday morning, we began preparing to leave. We packed our bags and cleaned our room. We were sooo ready to begin our journey home! Our son, Isaiah was feeling better; I was feeling better; and we were anxious to get going. Since our flights were at 8:30pm, we needed to pre-check our bags at the Brussels branch close by. They had to be turned in around 10am. For the 10pm flights, pre-check is by 12pm. We had our bags at the front office 1 hour early. Greg kept checking to see if they had taken them yet, but at around 11am they had not been taken. He asked and the driver said he was about to go. Greg asked if he wanted him to go along with him and he said come on. It was a blessing that he did go, because it just so happened that they couldn't find our son in the computer for the flights. Greg had to check with another person in the building because the computers were different. They were able to print up Isaiah's flight and give it to the Brussels agent. Not to mention that the luggage needed to be adjusted to fit the weight limits. Finally, it all worked out and not too soon as the place got extremely busy very soon with a very long line.
So then as we waited at the Parish for time to go, our driver, Matthew, came to our room and said we will be leaving at 2:30pm to go to the airport. He said that he wanted to stop to get something to eat on the way. Okay. We are all for going early. We will be ready! We are ready at 2:30pm, we say our goodbye's to the staff and to the Stead's (a family that has recently arrived), and to William, our helper from One World Orphanage, we change a diaper blowout real quick, and we hit the road! We take a deep breath and reflect on our trip as we drive down the road. Of course, I pull out the camera once more, sit it on my backpack which is on my lap, and click photos out the window. No one knows that I am taking photos. I am not looking through the viewfinder or at the screen. I am just shooting. Hit or miss. Hehe...I know it sounds sneaky, but it is the only true safe way to get a glimpse of the city for others who will follow. It is priceless to give a picture of what to expect. God gave me some nice photos that really give details and reality. Of course, you cannot smell the stench or feel the dirt, heat, and humidity, but it is as close as it gets.
We pull up to a place that is full of hundreds of people. Our driver gets out and disappears. We sit in the vehicle. People everywhere. Running, walking, staring, talking... We sit. We wait. 10 minutes. Okay. Matthew? Here he comes! Ahhh, we breathe a bit easier. He picked up his food. He gets in the car and we drive to the airport. The airport is about an hour from the Parish. We park at the airport close to 4pm. We sit while Matthew eats his dinner. Chicken I think :) We sit and rest. Isaiah is getting a little fussy, so we pull out the faithful graham crackers. He loves them! Any time! Any place! He ran out of the toddler animal crackers which he had to have 2 of at all times. One for each hand. As soon as one was gone, he had to have another. He fell asleep with one in each hand. He is so precious! What a gift!
Finally, at 5pm, Matthew says he will go wait and sign up for us. Not sure what he is signing up for, but we wait and watch. He stands at the front entrance and waits. He talks a bit to others, but he still waits. At 5:20pm he comes to get us. He says it's time. We follow behind him. He speaks to a security guard and follows him. He motions for us to follow behind him. We enter without being searched. He takes us to the immigration and DGM windows to the left of the entrance. They are not open yet. We are first in line. We wait. We wait about 30 minutes. We proceed to the window. We show our passports and our flight paperwork. We are passed to the second window. We are asked for our DGM paperwork. They check it all over and we are stamped to go on. We go to the next station to tag our carryons. We then proceed to the next station to turn in our customs forms and to another DGM officer. He quickly goes through our paperwork and says that he likes to drink Coca Cola. Okay. No, not okay. Our driver says, buy him some Coca Cola. We say, what? He lets us know that Mr. Coke wants a bribe in order to let us go. $10. Ugh! We move on to the next station and on through security. Now, if Mr. Coke wasn't enough, Mrs. Elephant security lady wants a cut too. We have a wooden elephant for Isaiah in our carry-on and she is going to keep it unless we "pay". $10. We are so ready to get on that plane! Corruption to the very end. Sad. Very sad.
We get through security and arrive in the waiting area at 6:30pm. We wait 1 hour 30 min. until they begin loading. We get on the first bus to the aircraft. We again go through a security check as we board the plane. We get on the plane and find our seats. We take a deep breath and look at our son. He will not have to grow up here. He will have a chance. He will learn about Jesus Christ. He will be loved. He will have medical care. He will learn right from wrong. We are so blessed. May we never take our America for granted. We look at each other and say, Wow, just Wow. What an experience. Many things remain in our hearts that we have not shared, but we will not forget. These things we will reflect on for quite some time. Our flight to Brussels was around 8.5 hours, not as bad as the 10 hours on the way over with a stop in Angola. Isaiah did very well. Our flight attendant moved us to a four seat row, so we would have more room to spread out. Nice.
At Brussels, we had a 6 hour layover, so Greg and Isaiah took a nap in the waiting area beside the seating at our gate. I checked on the check in process and after going through a line, found out that Greg and Isaiah had to be with me. I go wake Greg up and we go back and get in an even longer line. We wait again. By now, about 4 hours have passed. We are hungry, but there are only places with sweets and cardboard looking sandwiches... :) Greg goes to another gate, which means going through security again, only to find more sandwiches. Oh well, sandwiches it is. I talk to some people who are traveling on our flight while Greg changes Isaiah's diaper. Finally, our time is getting closer. We are getting ready to board. I go get refreshed. Greg talks to some people while I am gone. A man overhears our conversation and approaches us. He asks us if we adopted Isaiah and if we would tell him our story. He is deeply moved and tears up. We find out that he is a pastor from Pennsylvania. He prays for us right there in the middle of everyone. Very touching. A God thing. He plans to go back and share with his wife and seek God's Will for them. He is clearly moved in his heart and seems to be very interested in reaching out to the orphan. He gives us his card and says that if we are ever in his area, we have a place to stay. God is good. God has a plan. His plan is perfect.
We get on our flight and it is around 7.5 hours to Washington, D.C. Isaiah does very well on the flight. He loves watching the cartoons on the little movie screen. He is fascinated by it. He has a few blowouts and we have changed his clothes about 4 times since leaving Kinshasa. We go through Immigration and Customs rather quickly. Our layover in D.C. is 4 hours, so we get a bite to eat and we change Isaiah's clothes once again. He has severe diarrhea, so almost every time, it leaks. Everywhere. We call home to let everyone know we are in the USA!!! YAY!!! One more flight to go. We get freshened up and we get ready for our flight. We board our puddle jumper aircraft and it is a miracle. Surely this little one is not going to sleep through another flight, but yes, he sleeps through almost the entire 2.5 hours. He looks at the clouds first and he plays a bit, but then, about an hour into the flight, he's out. He stays asleep through the rest of the flight and all the way home. Paul and Karen pick us up from the Pensacola airport and drive us home. 30 hours of traveling has taken its toll on us. We are exhausted, but excited...
We arrive at home expecting to go to bed and see everyone in the morning. Nope. Haha. We arrive and find that our living room carpeting has been replaced with pergo wood flooring and our walls have been painted. There are changes in the kitchen as well. Our friends and family had been working very hard almost the entire time we were gone to surprise us! Wow! What a surprise it was, too! I think my jaw was on the floor for 20 minutes. We were so thrilled! Nothing could have blessed us more! We are so thankful to everyone who worked so hard and blessed us so much! You are all very precious to us! Dad, Mom, Elizabeth, Guy, Hannah, Lizzy, Joshua, Painter, Maid, etc... and anyone else who helped out... YOU ALL ROCK!!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!
So then as we waited at the Parish for time to go, our driver, Matthew, came to our room and said we will be leaving at 2:30pm to go to the airport. He said that he wanted to stop to get something to eat on the way. Okay. We are all for going early. We will be ready! We are ready at 2:30pm, we say our goodbye's to the staff and to the Stead's (a family that has recently arrived), and to William, our helper from One World Orphanage, we change a diaper blowout real quick, and we hit the road! We take a deep breath and reflect on our trip as we drive down the road. Of course, I pull out the camera once more, sit it on my backpack which is on my lap, and click photos out the window. No one knows that I am taking photos. I am not looking through the viewfinder or at the screen. I am just shooting. Hit or miss. Hehe...I know it sounds sneaky, but it is the only true safe way to get a glimpse of the city for others who will follow. It is priceless to give a picture of what to expect. God gave me some nice photos that really give details and reality. Of course, you cannot smell the stench or feel the dirt, heat, and humidity, but it is as close as it gets.
We pull up to a place that is full of hundreds of people. Our driver gets out and disappears. We sit in the vehicle. People everywhere. Running, walking, staring, talking... We sit. We wait. 10 minutes. Okay. Matthew? Here he comes! Ahhh, we breathe a bit easier. He picked up his food. He gets in the car and we drive to the airport. The airport is about an hour from the Parish. We park at the airport close to 4pm. We sit while Matthew eats his dinner. Chicken I think :) We sit and rest. Isaiah is getting a little fussy, so we pull out the faithful graham crackers. He loves them! Any time! Any place! He ran out of the toddler animal crackers which he had to have 2 of at all times. One for each hand. As soon as one was gone, he had to have another. He fell asleep with one in each hand. He is so precious! What a gift!
Finally, at 5pm, Matthew says he will go wait and sign up for us. Not sure what he is signing up for, but we wait and watch. He stands at the front entrance and waits. He talks a bit to others, but he still waits. At 5:20pm he comes to get us. He says it's time. We follow behind him. He speaks to a security guard and follows him. He motions for us to follow behind him. We enter without being searched. He takes us to the immigration and DGM windows to the left of the entrance. They are not open yet. We are first in line. We wait. We wait about 30 minutes. We proceed to the window. We show our passports and our flight paperwork. We are passed to the second window. We are asked for our DGM paperwork. They check it all over and we are stamped to go on. We go to the next station to tag our carryons. We then proceed to the next station to turn in our customs forms and to another DGM officer. He quickly goes through our paperwork and says that he likes to drink Coca Cola. Okay. No, not okay. Our driver says, buy him some Coca Cola. We say, what? He lets us know that Mr. Coke wants a bribe in order to let us go. $10. Ugh! We move on to the next station and on through security. Now, if Mr. Coke wasn't enough, Mrs. Elephant security lady wants a cut too. We have a wooden elephant for Isaiah in our carry-on and she is going to keep it unless we "pay". $10. We are so ready to get on that plane! Corruption to the very end. Sad. Very sad.
We get through security and arrive in the waiting area at 6:30pm. We wait 1 hour 30 min. until they begin loading. We get on the first bus to the aircraft. We again go through a security check as we board the plane. We get on the plane and find our seats. We take a deep breath and look at our son. He will not have to grow up here. He will have a chance. He will learn about Jesus Christ. He will be loved. He will have medical care. He will learn right from wrong. We are so blessed. May we never take our America for granted. We look at each other and say, Wow, just Wow. What an experience. Many things remain in our hearts that we have not shared, but we will not forget. These things we will reflect on for quite some time. Our flight to Brussels was around 8.5 hours, not as bad as the 10 hours on the way over with a stop in Angola. Isaiah did very well. Our flight attendant moved us to a four seat row, so we would have more room to spread out. Nice.
At Brussels, we had a 6 hour layover, so Greg and Isaiah took a nap in the waiting area beside the seating at our gate. I checked on the check in process and after going through a line, found out that Greg and Isaiah had to be with me. I go wake Greg up and we go back and get in an even longer line. We wait again. By now, about 4 hours have passed. We are hungry, but there are only places with sweets and cardboard looking sandwiches... :) Greg goes to another gate, which means going through security again, only to find more sandwiches. Oh well, sandwiches it is. I talk to some people who are traveling on our flight while Greg changes Isaiah's diaper. Finally, our time is getting closer. We are getting ready to board. I go get refreshed. Greg talks to some people while I am gone. A man overhears our conversation and approaches us. He asks us if we adopted Isaiah and if we would tell him our story. He is deeply moved and tears up. We find out that he is a pastor from Pennsylvania. He prays for us right there in the middle of everyone. Very touching. A God thing. He plans to go back and share with his wife and seek God's Will for them. He is clearly moved in his heart and seems to be very interested in reaching out to the orphan. He gives us his card and says that if we are ever in his area, we have a place to stay. God is good. God has a plan. His plan is perfect.
We get on our flight and it is around 7.5 hours to Washington, D.C. Isaiah does very well on the flight. He loves watching the cartoons on the little movie screen. He is fascinated by it. He has a few blowouts and we have changed his clothes about 4 times since leaving Kinshasa. We go through Immigration and Customs rather quickly. Our layover in D.C. is 4 hours, so we get a bite to eat and we change Isaiah's clothes once again. He has severe diarrhea, so almost every time, it leaks. Everywhere. We call home to let everyone know we are in the USA!!! YAY!!! One more flight to go. We get freshened up and we get ready for our flight. We board our puddle jumper aircraft and it is a miracle. Surely this little one is not going to sleep through another flight, but yes, he sleeps through almost the entire 2.5 hours. He looks at the clouds first and he plays a bit, but then, about an hour into the flight, he's out. He stays asleep through the rest of the flight and all the way home. Paul and Karen pick us up from the Pensacola airport and drive us home. 30 hours of traveling has taken its toll on us. We are exhausted, but excited...
We arrive at home expecting to go to bed and see everyone in the morning. Nope. Haha. We arrive and find that our living room carpeting has been replaced with pergo wood flooring and our walls have been painted. There are changes in the kitchen as well. Our friends and family had been working very hard almost the entire time we were gone to surprise us! Wow! What a surprise it was, too! I think my jaw was on the floor for 20 minutes. We were so thrilled! Nothing could have blessed us more! We are so thankful to everyone who worked so hard and blessed us so much! You are all very precious to us! Dad, Mom, Elizabeth, Guy, Hannah, Lizzy, Joshua, Painter, Maid, etc... and anyone else who helped out... YOU ALL ROCK!!!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!
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