This Love, This Love is the DEEP Kind

 

I can not stop listening to this song, you will understand why once you listen to it =) 

This Love

Mandi Mapes

Click to hear :  Mandi Mapes This Love Play mp3 song.

I’ve never felt this way before

Funny how you found your way to my door

and suddenly my prayers are coming true

and these arms are not letting go of you

Chorus 1:

This love, this love is the deep kind

You’re my baby, you’re my sunshine

I’ll hold your hand, be your biggest fan

and I’ll love you all of the time

Our eyes are not quite the same shade

and your hair blows in the wind a different way

but I am your mother and I love you just the same

so I’ll take your hand honey, and you can take my name

 

Chorus:

This love, this love is the deep kind

You’re my baby, you’re my sunshine

I’ll hold your hand, be your biggest fan

and I’ll love you all of the time

My heart has been redeemed, 
adopted and now I know my father.
this grace that I’ve received, I want to show you, 
I want to show you

Chorus 2:

This love this love is the deep kind

It hangs on through the storm and the sunshine.

I’ll hold your hand, be your biggest fan

and I’ll love you all of the time

Chorus 1:

You’re my baby, you’re my sunshine

I’ll hold your hand, be your biggest fan

and I’ll love you all of the time

Here's why she wrote ,  This Love.

January Update

 Hello from God’s Littlest Angels, Shannon!

It really was a blessing to meet you in December Shannon!  I cannot believe how much we have in common.  It was a joy to see you meet your little girl in person for the first time and to witness you interacting with her.  You two will make such a fun family.  I am looking forward to the day you get to come back and pick her up.

December and January have been very busy and exciting months here at God’s Littlest Angels.  We have had more children transition into their new lives with their forever families and have welcomed numerous visitors and volunteers who help us love the children and get projects accomplished. 

I was honored to be here at GLA throughout Christmas for all the celebrations this year.  This is the first year in my three years at GLA that I am able to give you a first hand account of the holiday festivities and I am looking forward to it! 

All of the babies began their Christmas morning with a new outfit.  The cutest thing was to walk into the NICU and see all of the littlest ones dressed up in a red and white outfit.  Some us staff members took a group of the two years olds up to the balcony to unwrap and play with new toys that were send as Christmas gifts while all the babies in the smaller nurseries each received a rattle or toy to keep and play with in their crib.  The kids who received Christmas gifts from adoptive parents were brought down to the living room the day after Christmas to open their gifts under the tree.  Kimberlie joined the group of kids who opened gifts on the balcony on Christmas morning.  She enjoyed herself and did a great job ripping into the gifts she was given.  Attached you will find a few photos of her opening the Christmas gifts. 

This month Kimberlie was not willing to sit on the photo set and have her photo taken.  I sent her down to have a nap as she seemed really tired the first time we tried to take her picture.  We brought her up again in the afternoon and she was still unwilling to sit on the table by herself.  So I took a few photos of her with her volunteer holding her. I then had her come up to the balcony when we had the January birthday party so I could snap some pictures to send to you.  I got some sweet ones of her playing and eating cake on that day.  Just this week she received the board book you sent.  She loved it!! She looked intently at it and pointed with delight when she saw pictures of you, her grandma, and herself.  I hope you enjoyed all the variety of pictures that were taken of Kimberlie this month.  I am sorry we were not successful with photo day photo for her this month.

Also as a developmental note:  Kimberlie is walking like a professional and even running now!!  Once she decided she wanted to step out on her own there has been no stopping her.  She even climbs the stairs to the balcony on her own while holding someone’s hand.

Only one week after our Christmas celebration it was time to celebrate the New Year as well as Haiti’s independence day, which is on January 1^st.  The highlight of the day for most Haitians as well as the kids at the Main House is a celebratory soup that is traditionally served at lunchtime.   The soup is called “soup joumou”.  It is a pumpkin soup that has meat, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.  Everyone looks forward to this soup that is typically only served in Haitian Independence Day.

The photo day theme for this month was “celebration”. In addition to celebrating all the holidays the last few months have held, it is a true joy to celebrate each milestone the children have.  I hope I am able to accurately describe and capture these things for you until you are able to bring them home and experience these moments with them.  

You will notice this update is coming a week earlier then usual this month.  I am taking a trip home to Wisconsin for 2 weeks starting on January 25^th.  I will return to the office on February 11^th and do my best to get your February update to you by the end of the month.  Hope you enjoyed hearing a little more about Kimberlie’s holiday celebrations this month.

Kimberlie is healthy and growing:
Height: 82 cm
Weight: 25 lb

Hope 2013 is off to a great start for you,

And the Motherly Worrying Begins

Ever since I returned from my trip to Haiti in December, I have been worrying that Kimberlie was not walking yet- everyone at GLA continued to reassure me that she can do it, but needs to want to do it. (Maybe I need to prepare for a stubborn child instead of a non- mobile child).  I guess I was comparing her to my nephew Joshua who was running at 10 months =). Which I know I shouldn't do either.... YOWSA- I have a lot to learn before she comes home!

Anyway, the last few days I have been really trying to not worry about it and realize she will walk when it's her time to walk. I know, I know she only just turned 16 months, but she's my first!

God put this verse on my heart:
"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7 NLT


Today,  I got Kimberlie's January update... and it said this:

"Kimberlie is walking like a professional and even running now!!  Once she decided she wanted to step out on her own there has been no stopping her.  She even climbs the stairs to the balcony on her own while holding someone’s hand"


Now I know Kimberlie walking is not a miracle like Jesus walking on water, but it does confirm God's faithfulness. I need not worry about her and instead pray for her (easier said then done!)

Thankful for Perusing Friends =)

A friend of mine, Wendy, found this post about Kimberlie- it was written right after she came to GLA-

30 Oct 2011 (6 days after Kimberlie arrived at GLA) :
The former neonatal nurse from GLA wrote this post on her blog-

"Three children were admitted to the main house this week. 
The first to arrive was Kimberlie. (That's my girl!)  She is chubby, healthy baby girl. Although she weighs in at over 12 lb her mother insists that she is just 4 weeks old. We are not so sure. Kimberlie isn't holding her head up yet -babies usually do this at around 6 weeks of age - yet she moves her little arms and legs like a 3 month old. She is so big!  Kimberlie is a very demanding infant. Haitians dote on chubby children, and we suspect that this one has been held a lot. She is perfectly happy when she is eating or sleeping. Otherwise, she wants to be held and entertained. Ssh! Don't wake her! " 


Adoption brings about a plethora of feelings and emotions. Many adoptive parents and adoption experts talk about the grief that goes along with adoption. Birth parents grieve, adoptive children grieve and adoptive parents grieve.  I am grieving the loss of experiencing Kimberlie's infant stage. I met her at 15 months but thankfully have many pictures of her and when I get the chance to read posts like this- I feel blessed to get a little glimse into my beautiful, precious Kimberlie's first few months of life! Even a few sentences from the post help me better understand her- she hasn't changed much in 15 months, she still loves to be held and entertained! And I consider her being held by her birth mom for the first month of her life an added bonus =) =)

Every day I think about how I am missing all of her first 15 months of her life, but then each day is one day closer to having her with me forever! I want time to go fast, but then I don't her baby-hood to go fast..... See what goes on in the minds of waiting adoptive parents???  



Upon persuing myself this afternoon, I found the a blog post from Dixie's blog about Kimberlie coming to GLA as well:  

30 Nov 2011

Posted by Dixie:  

Nine admissions to GLA since I have been traveling!

"Melissa and Susie tell me that we have had 9 admissions to the nursery since I left.  I haven’t blogged about Haiti since I left!  I know that Susan Westwood has been very busy with sick babies in the NICU.  I am thankful that there is an Australian nurse there right now who has been a big help to her during my absence.

Five of the children are for adoption.  Their parents for one reason or another could not keep them and care for them.  


   






Kimberlie – 13 September 2011




                                                                                     
Thanks again for reading....

Movin' On !

Happy 16th Month Birthday to my Little Sweetie Pies, Kimberlie! 

I got some good news this week from my adoption coordinator.  I had asked her about the parent interview that is required to move out of Parquet (next step).

 

Jan. 11, 2013 
 Hi Shannon,
GLA is presently working on a time for Kimberlie's birth parent interview and are hoping the interview  will happen next week. I will keep you posted as I hear more.

Have a good weekend, Kristi

If they are trying to schedule the interview, that would mean I now am in the next step of the LONG process =)  Parquet.  I am now onto # 7 in the steps =) During this step, one thing that needs to happen is Kimberlie's birth mom will have to go into Port au Prince for an interview, I can not even believe how difficult this would be for her.  Praying the interview will happen next week. She will also have to go the US Embassy for an interview, that is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2013.  Pray with me that her mother can be located and the both interviews go well.

Parquet (District Attorney).  GLA prepares a letter for Parquet, as well as submits a couple extra documents in the dossier for submission to Parquet.  An additional two documents are completed and signed in Parquet that approve your adoption.  This stage is very unpredictable at this time; however, expect 1 to 6 months.

I am hoping and praying that I am out sometime in February.

Another BIG BLOG Milestone!!!

The blog hit 20,002 views this evening!!! That is soooo cool!!!!!!!  

As I mentioned before, when I hit 10,000 views, this number is not a huge number, BUT, it really means A LOT to me to receive so much support from all of YOU!!!! 

Thank you for reading my blog- can not wait to see what this next year will bring !!! I am pretty sure 2013 will bring Kimberlie Abiageal HOME where she should be!!!! 

Happy New Year, 2013 !

What or WHO will 2013 bring?

* My two nieces will become teenagers 

* My sister's youngest child will become 2 digits

* AND prayfully, hopefully, optimistically and expectantly my little sweetie pies, KIMBERLIE, will come HOME to MN where she belongs with her mom and her family!

I remember last New Year's Day, 2012, thinking and hoping I would meet my child this coming year; that I would go to Haiti. God made that happen earlier in December.  I wonder how different my life will be one year from today-- I sure so hope it is much different!! Hopefully I will be chasing a 2 yr old around my house and LOVING every minute of it!!! Can't wait for my gift to be HOME!!!!