Stinky feet

We just got this new picture of Jean Delson. His buddy, Lovely, appears to be sticking her foot right in his face... Carrie, Lovely's mom, assures me that she did not actually try to kick Jean just had put her leg out in front of him. Anyhow, this picture made me laugh so I wanted to share it!~Melissa

Here we go again...

We had a call from Lori, the director of the agency we work with, and she informed us that we were NOT one of the cases signed out of IBESR last week. She would like us to write another letter to IBESR to argue our case and encourage them to sign us out. She is confident this will be the letter that gets us out of IBESR. Rock will take our letter over to the IBESR office and try to plead our case. So again...we can not ask enough for extra prayers! ~Melissa

100 cases signed out...

Could ours be one of them??? We just found out from an adoptive mom's blog that there were 100 cases signed out of IBESR this week, including some that do not match the guidelines from 1974. We have not yet heard if any of them were from ANA families, but you can bet your butt that I have the phone next to me every minute of the day waiting for it to ring. Keep your fingers crossed! ~Melissa

2 steps forward...1 step back

This week we did have some updates from ANA. Be them very small updates...at least we got some. First we found out that Rock has been able to successfully get some families out of IBESR this week, even though they did not meet the guidelines from 1974. This is great news and we were told by Lori, the president on our agency, that Rock was going back to IBESR this week to argue our case. He is pretty confident that he can get us out. We are excited, but on the same hand we have heard these things before and do not want to get our hopes up too much. As you may recall, they told us in December that they were going to try for a Presidential Disposition for our case to get it moving. It appears that NOTHING has been done since December, because now they say they do not think we should need the presidents signature. I am trusting they are doing all they can, but it does get hard. Anyhow, extra prayers this week would be GREATLY appreciated!

The other update we got was a new picture and some height and weight updates. You can see in his picture that he is still not a fan of the camera, but my mom always tells me that serious kids are smarter and I am going with that :-). On a positive note, Jean Delson did gain 3 pounds since October. He is now coming in at a hefty 27 pounds. Also he grew a few inches and is about 35 inches now. Enjoy the picture...hope to have some additional updates soon. ~Melissa

LOVE

We just received the first picture of Jean Delson's Mom and I thought this poem fit our feelings today. Enjoy ~Melissa

Legacy of an Adopted Child
Once there were two women...Who never knew each other...

One you do not remember...The other you call Mother...

Two different lives...Shaped to make you one...

One became your guiding star...The other became your sun...

The first one gave you life...The second taught you to live it...

The first gave you a need for love...The second was there to give it...

One gave you a nationality...The other gave you a name...

One gave you talent...The other gave you aim...

One gave you emotion...The other calmed your fears...

One saw your first sweet smile...The other dried your tears...

One sought for you a home...That she could not provide...

The other prayed for a child...And her hope was not denied...

And now you ask me through your tears...The age-old question unanswered through the years...

Heredity or environment...Which are you a product of?...

Neither my darling, neither...Just two different kinds of Love...
... Author Unknown ...

Big OOPS in Jean's Family Report

You know when you get that feeling that something is just not right? Well, after we got Jean's TIYL report, I had one of those feelings. There were several things that did not make sense. Here are a few examples:
1.The part that Jean had a different name at birth and that his name was changed when he entered the orphanage. I had checked with Rock to see if he knew anything about this and he said that it could not be true because his birth certificate states Jean Delson Chery.
2.The number of siblings listed and their ages did not match the ones that Rock had given us. UMM...something is weird here.
3.Also the picture that was on the front page, that was supposed to be Jean, was certainly NOT my boy...I would know him anywhere :-)
So to make a long story short I did ask about these items, thinking that there may be a few changes that need to be made. Turns out that Granny Bin notified me today that the ENTIRE report is WRONG. She said that her contacts in Bonga led her to this family,claiming to be that of Jean Delson and were convincing enough to FOOL her. She said that this has never happened before. Anyhow, by the Grace of God, Jean's mom made contact with the Orphanage and is going to go and visit with him on Monday. Granny Bin is going to pick her up(get us pictures of them together) and then take her and the team back to Bonga to get an updated, accurate report. Please pray for Jean's mom, Granny Bin and the entire staff that this works out and that we are able to have a report with FACTS for Jean as he grows up. Thank God also for my great detective skills! Peace to all. ~Melissa

Zabel Bock

When Scott and I were in Haiti last year we had the pleasure of meeting one of the Sweetest men in the world, Patrick. He volunteers his time at the orphanage, because often there is no money left to pay him for all he does. He was SOOOO helpful with answering all of questions regarding Jean Delson and filled us in on his likes and dislikes :-). He also came to the hotel with Rock on several occasions to check in and make sure we were not having any troubles. He has a nickname for Jean - Zabel Bock. He explained to us that Zabel Bock was a comedian in Haiti and that it means Funny Man. We had received an email from Patrick today letting us know that Jean Delson (a.k.a. Zabel Bock) is doing very well. He also said that Jean Delson could use a new toy car (because he LOVES to drive them) and also a Teddy Bear. Oh to be 2 again...when all that matters is having a car and bear of your own. You can BET that we will be bringing him plenty of cars and a new Teddy Bear down when we go to visit soon. Please continue to pray for us on this long ever changing journey. ~Melissa