Web Cam Visit Number Two

We had our second web cam visit with Trey Amos today, and of course it was wonderful to see our little boy again! Unfortunatlely the video feed wasn't as clear this time as it was last time, but we still managed to get some cute pictures.

I knew it was coming...Trey Amos got a HAIR CUT!!! Oh, those beautiful curly locks are all gone! Brady loves this short little buzz cut, but I was dreading the day I saw him with short hair. I knew they would cut his hair, though, because at the orphanage they need to keep things as simple as possible, and taking care of those curly locks is a lot more time consuming than taking care of that cute little (almost) bald head! He still is a doll, though. The volunteer said he had more hair than most of the girls since the day he arrived!


The volunteer also told us he is rolling over by himself, and almost sitting independently. He is only five months, and sitting independently usually comes at about six months so he is right on track. (Yes, I remember most of my infant gross motor milestones from physio school!)

She also said he is a little cuddler and a happy little guy. Wow, just look at those big beautiful brown eyes!!

Oh and there's that little tongue again!

He was very interested in the computer keyboard during the visit, and several times he looked right at us when we called to him so that was pretty cool. We were wondering if maybe he recognized our voices from the recording we had sent him in the little stuffed dog, Buddy.

What a precious boy you are Trey Amos!

We're In!

Hooray! Today we got the news that they are submitting our file to IBESR (Haitian Social Services). Remember, this is the FIRST step, where we need three different signatures from three different officials. Presently the average time it takes to get through IBESR is 3-6 months, although I have heard of horror stories of families waiting up to 16 months! So please PRAY we get through quickly! Thanks!

May Update

Instead of sending out written updates with pictures for the adoptive families this month, one of the volunteers put together short videos of pictures of the children from the time they arrived at GLA until now. The update coordinator is still ill and is still recovering in the States.

We haven't heard yet if we've entered IBESR or not, but we did get some cute new pictures of Trey Amos off of the video. Oh, and the Haitian nannies pronounce Amos, "Ammo" which makes since since Creole is so closely related to French, but we had just never thought about it before!

A big thanks to Paula for bringing Trey Amos' package down to him! Unfortunately she wasn't allowed to hold him or wake him up because he had just settled down for a nap.

Anyways, here are some of the new pics:

Not Our Own

We've had a few comments from well-meaning people that they are so happy for us that we are going to have Trey Amos for a son, but they still hope for our sake that we have "our own" children as well. By "our own" of course, they mean biological children.

When we found out about Trey Amos, we immediately knew that he was OUR son! It doesn't matter that he doesn't share our genes. We wouldn't trade him for a hundred biological children! We couldn't imagine a more wonderful little boy! And we couldn't imagine loving any child as much as we love him right now!

One thing that we've learned so far through this process is that nobody's children, whether biological or adopted, are "their own." Children are a gift from God, given to us for a time to love, cherish, and teach...but they do not "belong" to us. They are all unique individuals; they are each their own person.

Of course genetics plays a huge role in personality and who a person is. But genetics and biology are not what create families. I know of many biological families that have been torn apart due to things like abuse, neglect, fighting, indifference, etc. Love is what creates a family. Brady and I are not biologically / genetically related (thank goodness!) but we are still a family. And Trey Amos is the most perfect addition to our family that we can imagine!

Trey Amos' Buddy Jacob

I'm part of a Yahoo group for people adopting from God's Littlest Angels. It has been a great way to connect with other people going through the exact same long and trying process that we are going through.

Cathleen (from Michigan) and I started exchanging emails after we met through the Yahoo group. We had gone through similar experiences prior to receiving our proposals, and as of last week, Cathleen and her husband were still waiting for their proposal.

It was so exciting when Cathleen announced on the Yahoo group that they received their proposal, and GUESS WHO IT IS??

It's Trey Amos' little friend, Jacob, who we heard about from Dixie in our April update!

We just thought it was so cool that we had been connecting here in North America and our little boys were already buddies in the NICU at GLA!

Here is a pic of cutie pie Jacob!