I am writing to the sound of the air conditioner and Ian’s humming himself to sleep. Both babies have a habit of humming when they are tired; they also are both finger suckers – Ian sucks his thumb and Alec sucks his middle and ring fingers. They are so cute. And they are so different, which makes each one extra loveable in his own way.
Alec cracks us up because he is so reserved and often refuses to even look us in the eyes, much less smile. Sometimes he avoids eye contact while puckering his lips in such a way that it looks for all the world like he is teasing us on purpose! When he does catch our eyes, he’ll crack a tiny little grin … and when he really gets going, he’ll start the cutest little giggle. It always feels like a victory to make him laugh and smile. Alec also happens to be a complete “chunk” of a baby – definitely an armful! But he likes to snuggle close and he is so warm and cuddly and has the softest hair and the sweetest smell. I love that!
Ian is a bundle of laughter and energy. Holding him is so different because for one he is so scrawny compared to his brother, but he grabs on and hangs on when he is being carried. He also grabs for glasses, hair, etc … he is hardly ever still! (In fact, after acting so tired for the past hour he is now just laying in bed, waving his arms in the air and still talking to himself!) Ian LOVES eye contact and one-on-one attention. He also enjoys playing on a blanket with the toys we brought, especially if one of us or his brother is down there with him. He laughs a lot and cries a little – he is so much fun!
Today was a low-key day. The biggest excitement was waking up to a room that reeked and a baby (Alec) who had covered himself in diarrhea from head to toe – even leaking through the sheets and mattress cover. Yuck!! We got both boys cleaned and bathed and smelling good again before heading to breakfast. On our way there, we noticed a man in army uniform wearing a patch that looked like a Chilean flag. We arrived at the restaurant door at the same time and sure enough, he was from Chile! He was surprised when we said we were, too, and he told us there were four other Chilean military guys staying here as well. That was an unexpected but cool meeting.
The waiters here have been very kind to us and the babies. There is one older gentleman in particular who really seems to love them. He doesn’t speak much English but he oohs and aahs over them in Creole, which I think is so sweet. I don’t believe this hotel gets as many adoptive parents as the one where we were originally scheduled to stay, so we draw some attention when we walk around but so far it has all been positive. We did have a gentleman stop by our table one night at dinner and ask if we would keep in touch with the boys’ biological parents. Kind of strange out of the blue question, but mostly he was concerned that we would help them stay connected to their Haitian roots. We assured him that we would!
We did venture out across the street briefly to look at some paintings. I was trying to find something specific (a mother/child painting for my sister.) No sooner had we stepped out the door than people began to approach us. One was a man who spoke pretty good English and when he saw us with the babies, he said he was a friend of Barbara’s and she had told him to take good care of us. We didn’t actually believe the latter but he was a nice enough guy so we let him be our “guide” and ask the vendors in Creole about the painting. Unfortunately we did not find what we were looking for but we did run into some very creative vendors who tried to find a mother and child in every and any painted scene they had for sale! Our new friend tried to tell us that if we just gave him $20 he would go buy one for us himself … when we refused that, he told us that for a $5 cab fare he would bring vendors to our door in 20 minutes so we could choose ourselves. Pedro assured him that we didn’t mind giving him a tip for his help but we weren’t comfortable doing otherwise. Pedro actually had one more errand to run a few blocks away at the local minimarket, so the kids and I went in and our “guide” accompanied him to the store. Afterwards he wanted $40 American dollars for his help! Um, no, I don’t think so! Pedro did give him some Haitian gourdes as thanks and the man seemed okay with that. Another lesson on life in Haiti!
1 comment:
Hey Steph - It sounds like you're getting Haiti culture shock FOR REAL. Even though parts of being there and experiencing what you're experiencing may be difficult to swallow don't be afraid to experience all of it. What you faced at the boys home is probably unspeakable, and that can either overwhelm you forever or it could be continued motivation to do Eph 5:20 for the rest of your life. Alex and Ian will be positively benefitted for the rest of their life, no matter what their life brings because of the love of Christ poured through you and Pedro. The culture in Haiti is so unBiblical, but you're giving those two little boys the opportunity to have a home of Christ centered love and that's only through the grace of God. Some day when they're growing and they have the questions that all adopted kids face it will be important for them to know what they were saved out of. You'd never be able to accurately help them understand that if you hadn't experienced the danger, oppression, and suffering that you're experiencing. I'm so thankful that they have a mom like you, and that you've been willing to do this as many times as you have. You are going to be such a treasure for those boys! Don't lose sight of the finish line when it gets hard this week. II Cor 4:16-18 Love you!
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