Playground Tour 2015

Hello everyone!  So my mommy told me that she started this blog to tell everyone about the process it took to get me home.  She also mentioned that she didn't do a very good job, but that she promises to make up for it this summer.

Summer, wow did I luck out!  So my mommy is off during the summers and she tells me we get to have fun, lots of fun!  Today she decided to take me to a playground with my Aunt Andy and it was there that the Playground Tour of 2015 began.  Her friends Amanda and Jenn thought it would be fun if I told you guys about it, so here it goes.

Today, we went to the Kiddie Korral in Pekin.  It was a HUGE playground.  First, I found a tunnel slide.  It was really high, mommy said, but that doesn't bother me.  The first time, I kinda tripped and went down really fast but it was still fun!!!!

Then there was this really cool rock wall!  It was so much fun that I climbed it like 5 times!  Once I got to the top, there was another really tall slide.  Mommy said it was hot, but I tried it anyways.  I did hold on to the sides, which slowed me down a bit but I think Mommy appreciates it when I am safe.

There was a weird ladder that I climbed, it wasn't very straight and mom wouldn't let me finish it...she said my arms weren't long enough...whatever that means.

After an hour or so, mom said it was time for a treat.  I hesitated as I was having so much fun....I love treats but this playground was awesome.  Mom insisted and carried me to get what she called a snow cone.  She picked a red one for me and WOW, was it yummy!!!  Thank goodness I listened to my mom...she is so smart!!!

My mom does a lot of grading during the school year and she always puts letters on her student's papers...so she said I could "grade" the playgrounds this summer.

So KIDDIE KORRAL gets an A!!!!!  

If you want to join me on the tour, give my mom a call or a send her a text...she said I am too young to have a phone!

Checking In

Obviously I have been a little busy with Joey:)  But I also want this blog to be a reminder of our "wait" time and our forever time!  So my goal is to "back" track this summer and tell you all about when our forever started!!!

Right now, we are enjoying Memorial Day.  I plan to one day teach her the importance of this day and how lucky we are for the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for all the freedoms we have.

Joey is a sponge right now!  She repeats EVERYTHING!!!  Yesterday, she crafted her first sentence!!!  She is eating well and sleeping about an hour to an hour and a half during the day and about 10-11 hours at night.  Mickey Mouse and friends are our world!  She loves the outdoors and I am sure she has gained weight...but I haven't weighed her lately.

She went to her first birthday party for her buddy Keelan and she loved it!!!  She was able to experience a bounce house for the first time and not so surprisingly she LOVED it!!

We have four days of school and a teacher's institute to conquer and then summer will be here!!!!!

We are excited for 4 very important visitors that are coming June 1st!!!!!

I promise more updates and pictures soon!!!!

Best email ever!!!

I finally got the email that started, we are pleased.... and I knew FINALLY good news!!!  Joey's Visa appt is scheduled for February 19th.  She went for her medical exam today and Jules and I will likely being traveling February 23rd or 24th.  I am so excited and am ready to get everything together NOW!!!  More posts to follow!!

Happy New Year!!!

I saw a saying on instagram the other day and it really hit home!

2013 WAS PRACTICE

2014 WAS THE WARM UP

2015 IS GAME TIME

As everyone knows, adoption is not a quick journey!!!  And it's finally GAME TIME!!!

I am ready for the game to start.  Praying for patience, as I follow God's plan.

Here's to an amazing and exciting 2015!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas!

The song, I'll be home for Christmas really hit home this year.  In my heart of hearts and hope of hope, I wished for Joey to be home.  As we all know this Christmas wasn't meant to be our 1st Christmas together.  So tonight I sit and wonder about our future.  I wonder when our "firsts" will begin.  No matter when it is, I am ready!!!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family and a HUGE thank you for your support!!!  And to my little love 1,800 miles away...I love you and carry you in my heart everyday!

Not my plan...

Those who know me, know I love a good plan!  I like things to roll out, just like they are designed in my head.  My mom said the other day, you really shouldn't plan as much as you do!  Once again, Mom 1 Nicole 0

Last night I learned that there is a delay in the process to bring Joey home.  It hit me hard, like a big ol' punch in the gut.  The severity of the issue has yet to be determined.  So last night, I shed many tears, turned to my awesome support system, tried to sleep and went to school today.  At school, I once again realized how lucky I am to have such an awesome work family.  I was met with hugs, jokes to make me laugh, lunch with my team, and 19 little first graders who are busting with holiday excitement.  I had so many words of encouragement that meant so much.

I have re-focused and jumped back in it.  I am not planning anymore, as I have been reminded...it's not my plan its God's plan.  He knows best and I am ready to see what he is going to do.

Waiting....

Today I got 2 new pictures of my cutie pie!  She is changing lots and and I can't wait to see her.  Many people ask daily, "Have you heard anything?" and unfortunately the answer is NO.  I am currently waiting for an email from US Immigrations that says they will approve her file and then the fun begins. Once we have that info, they will be able to schedule her medical appt and her VISA appt.  Once the VISA appt is scheduled, flights will be booked, bags will be packed, and the countdown will begin.  I pray every night that Joey is safe, healthy, happy, and being taken care of.  I know God has a wonderful plan for us and it is time, I give it back to him and realize he knows best.  A huge thank you to all my friends and family for your support!

A year later...

12 months ago tonight I was on cloud 9!  I had finally heard the words I was waiting to hear...you have a daughter!  I am pretty sure I didn't sleep much that night or the nights following.  The days after we were matched, I was excited and happy to share my news....to show off my daughter!  Then days turned into weeks and weeks to months and I wasn't hearing anything.  I watched her grow through pictures.  In March, I was told it was time to meet her and that trip was the highlight of my year!!!!

So tonight I will go to bed knowing that every night that passes is one night closer to us being together FOREVER!!!!

Happy Birthday Little J!!!

You are 2!!!  I have thought about you all day, much like everyday!  I hope that your "aunties" sang to you today and that you had a fun day with your friends.  Grandma and Grandpa and I celebrated you today!  I even blew out your candles and made 2 wishes for your 2nd bday!!!  They of course got you 2 presents, a play phone (which I know you will love!) and a 2 dollar bill for your 2nd bday:)  I am counting the days til we are together again and know that the next time I see you, we will be together forever!!!  I love you so so much!!!  And can't wait to throw you a HUGE 3rd birthday party!!!!

The day that changed my life forever...

Well I must admit that my plan was to blog about my 2 weeks with little J a lot sooner then now!  However, life happens and so the story goes.  So bare with me, as I look back on my trip and share the details!!!

April 22, 2014 was the day that changed my life forever.  The day that I met little J and fell in love instantly.  At 5:20 am I met Andy at O'Hare.  I am sure Jules was more then a little apprehensive to send us off, as we all got a little teary eyed as we said good-bye.  For those of you who know me well, you know I hate to fly.  Andy is very familiar with this fear and knew exactly what to do to distract me.  We got through security and checked in.  We got our trashy mags and a little breakfast for Andy and waited to board our plane to Ft. Lauderdale.  We didn't have seats next to each other, which wasn't ideal but I survived.  We landed in Ft. Lauderdale and took the opportunity to eat a little food and touch base with everyone at home and then we boarded our plane to Port Au Prince.  At this point, I am sure I had every emotion possible.  I was scared to fly, nervous about leaving the country and maneuvering through the airport in Port Au Prince, and over the moon excited to meet J.  The good news was we were able to sit together on this flight!  As soon as we got off the plane, a man was waiting with a sign with our names!  Thank Goodness, as he would help us get through customs and get our bags.  We then were able to meet the driver from the creche!  We were happy to see him, as it is kinda overwhelming when you leave the airport.  Those of you who have been there, know exactly what I am talking about.

I had been told that it would take awhile to get from the airport to the creche where J lives, so we were prepared.  We made many stops and were able to see Port Au Prince from the windows of the car.  It was busy and the streets were filled with people and cars.  After a change of cars and a driver, we finally arrived at the creche.  How long did it take you ask, I truly have no idea.  I am guessing about an hour and a half.  When we arrived, we were taken to the guest house, where we would stay and then they said those magic words, "Do you want to meet her???"  and of course my answer was YES!!!

We walked in through the creche and walked up, what reminded me of a tree house ladder and we were in the nursery.  It was dark and a majority of the babies were sleeping.  To her bed, I went immediately and I talked to her and then held out my hands and to me she came!  I can't remember what I said, but there were tears.  Tears of happiness for finally being together.  There were no pictures, as it was very dark and Andy was just as excited as I was to finally see her.  Our time was short that day but definitely long enough to fall in love!

This is no joke!

Today is April Fools Day, Little J turns 20 months, and I am on spring break!  Yet, the most exciting news is that 3 weeks from today, I will meet little J in person and fall even more in love then I already have.

It has been four months since I posted last.  Life has been busy, winter has been cold and snowy, and through it all we waited.  I check my phone multiple times a day, yet the last few weeks I have finally seen what I was looking for.  The email that said IBESR thinks J & I are a good match...finally came!  It took forever, yet as soon as it arrived, it was a crazy few days.  I got the letter at 8:30 pm on March 19th, by 10:00 am on the 20th, I had potential dates to travel!  Of course there was more paperwork that had to be done and quickly overnighted.  Then we waited some more and today, I got the email that said "Book it! All is confirmed".  YEA!!!!

Thank goodness for Spring Break!!!  So many things to do!!!  I will try to post some more things about the trip and new updates on J before I leave.  Please keep me and J in your prayers!!!

May this be the year...

2013 was a good year!  It had some low points that weren't so fun, but there were definitely some highs that were!  September 30th was one of those highs,  the call that made me a mom!

The last three months have been busy!  I was teaching 22 first graders (that still don't know about little J), I was wrapping up my internship to obtain my principal's license, the tornado hit Washington and changed so many lives, and of course Thanksgiving & Christmas!

So a little update on little J!  Today she is 17 months old, as her birthday is August 1st.  She weighs 20.5 pounds and is 30 inches long.  She is a good eater and they say she is the "host of the nursery".  She laughs a lot at her nannies/aunts and is learning new words each week! Of course those new words are in Creole, so this mom might need to add another resolution...learning Creole:)

My goal for 2014 is to document all of little J's updates!!  My biggest goal of 2014 is to type the words, SHE IS HOME!!!  2014 is going to be an exciting year!!

Merry Christmas!

Today I was blessed with another wonderful Christmas!  I spent time with family, went to mass, and spent the night at my mom and dad's for the 38th Christmas in a row.  Next year, I pray my Christmas is different!  Not that I don't love my Christmas, but because I want little "J" to experience Christmas the way I have!  Tonight as I type I wonder if there was a Christmas tree at "J's" Haiti home.  I wonder so much about her and know that I will get to meet her soon.  I feel blessed that she is with her friends, friends that will stay in her life always!

Merry Christmas to all from Morton & Haiti! A little picture from a wonderful friend, of little "J's" view from her Haiti home.

Drum roll please...

I am a mom!!!!  Monday at 4:35 pm, I got a call that changed my life forever!  I answered and was told, "Today is your day!"  I was beyond excited and managed to contain my excitement as I was driving.  I was told that I have a daughter.  She is 14 months old and beautiful.  For legal/safety reasons, I will refer to her as Little J...until she is legally mine.

It has been a whirlwind of a week and I am so excited.  I promise to post more about her and the process this weekend, but I just had to spread the word!

The season's change....and the waiting continues

Last week, we rolled into one of my favorite season's...FALL!  I mean who doesn't love football (NOTRE DAME football to be exact), pumpkins, the Pumpkin Festival, and cooler temps.  I am happy to see things change...however somethings haven't changed.

I had hoped my next post would be titled...It's a......  but it isn't.  I have been waiting for that call.  I have been wondering in my head, whether I will be a mom to a little boy or little girl.  However yesterday, I decided to quit checking my email and phone constantly for THAT call or THAT email.  I have decided to do what I should have done a long time ago, continue my daily activities and know that when the time is right God will make it happen.  I have given it to God.  I mean ultimately we all know he is the one who knows when it will happen and which wonderful little one will come into my life.  I feel good about my decision!

A little bit of info..

DON'T get excited like I did when I saw this email title pop up in my in-box yesterday!  As a wise person told me, it is good news just not quite the news I was looking for!  So my case worker dropped me a line and said... FEJ indicated that they do have a match in mind for you, however they have just do not have the all of the matching documents yet for this child.  (psych, medical, social history, legal paperwork etc..)  We continue to wait...

I thought since everyone is waiting with me, I would share!  So somewhere in the world, there is a little one that someone feels I am worthy of being their mom.  I can't wait to find out who that little one is.  Stay tuned!

Back to school...

I have to admit that when I left school back in May, I was so excited to go back in August and be able to say I am a MOM!  Well in ten hours I will be greeting my new class of first graders and for the time being they will be my only kiddos.

I have not heard any news on a match.  I have checked in lately with my agency and it appears as though it will be soon.  Now what "soon" means is the million dollar question.  Of course I am disappointed, but I know that it will happen.  I just keep reminding myself, it isn't about my timeline.

Here's to a great school year!  What o'what will it hold????  Stay tuned!

Summer continues....

I cannot believe it is already July 5th!  This summer has been busy.  Working, relaxing, & getting in some pool time when it is nice enough have been filling up my days.  However the one thing that happens daily is WAITING.  Waiting impatiently, I should say.  If you would have asked be 7 months ago where I would be in the process, waiting for a match would not have been my answer.  Waiting to go to Haiti would be more like it.  However, that is not the case.  Processes are still changing and decisions of how to proceed are being made.  Supposedly there was a big meeting in Haiti today between the creche directors and IBESR.  I learned about that on a new group I belong to on Facebook!  Who knew that Facebook would be so helpful.  The director of the Haiti program at my agency emailed me on Wednesday to tell me she was thinking about me and that the directors of the creche were working hard.  It was nice to hear from her and gave me a glimmer of hope.

A friend I met via email/Facebook is heading to Haiti on Monday!  Praying that she will have safe travels and an awesome trip meeting her little one for the FIRST time!!!

Summer Time!

It has almost been a month since my last post and I still wonder when that call is going to come!  I thought I should post an update and then realized there is really nothing to update.  However, a friend of mine posted this great video about the directors (Gina & Lucien) of the creche that I am working with.  Talk about amazing people!!  I would LOVE to hear your comments!!!  Hope everyone is having a great summer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WpdATceu5Q&feature=share

Old v. New

Well it seems, just when you think you are on one path....life switches things up.  So last Friday, I knew that my dossier was being delivered to Haiti and I had made it to the next step.  On Saturday, I received an email saying that I now needed to be open to possibly being part of the new process OR the OLD process.

What does that mean? The way I understand it... is the old way is being matched by the director of the creche instead of IBESR and my trip would be one week as opposed to two.  Which is better?  I don't know.  I just know that whatever process I am in, I will be in the right one.  So old or new?  I am not sure....but stay tuned!