Off to the Haitian Consulate We Go!

The first step in the adoption process is to get together your Dossier (that's a fancy term for folder of paperwork.)  I was told that is takes about 3 months to gather the necessary documents - and from the stack of paperwork that is on my kitchen table right now, I see why.

                                           My pile of paperwork after making copies at Office Depot

See what I mean?

Anyway...

I was really wanting to deliver our dossier in person and knew that we had about 1 1/2  months to gather said documents.  For those of you that know me, I can be quite determined when I have goal.  Just ask our friends about my determination to not loose a golf-cart race at Fort Wilderness Camping... just sayin'.

Since early-mid December, I have been focusing on my goal.  Finally, I was victorious last week when I made the journey to Orlando.  This last item on our dossier to-do list was to have certain, important documents 'stamped' at the Haitian Consulate.  It basically is a Haitian Notary for the documents.

The papers that I needed to have stamped arrived via FedEx around 10:30 in the morning and we were headed out the door a little after 11.  Yes, I was slightly determined to have this completed ASAP.

I herded the children into the car for the hour and 20 minute drive.  I even won extra credit points that day because Cole took his schoolwork with him to complete on the way - bonus!  The drive was uneventful but the natives started getting restless right before we arrived.  I didn't think that it would take too long and promised them all lunch AFTER we were done.  Turns out, that might have been a bad call - bonus points lost!

I had called the Consulate that morning to make sure that I had everything I needed - don't want to go all the way there without my ducks in a row!  As we were walking up to the building, I was giving 'the talk' to older kids about being on good behavior.  The moment we walked into the office, the receptionist called out, "Hello Mrs. B."  Apparently, there weren't too many non-Haitians coming into the Consulate that day.  She showed us to the waiting area and the older two were enthralled with all of the Haitian pictures, writing and people around us.

Jack, however, was not thrilled.  He had been strapped into a car seat for the last hour and 20 minutes and was NOT happy with sitting in the stroller.  He wanted to stretch his legs... for Jack, that means to R U N.  I believe he sat in the stroller for 3 minutes.  Maybe.  I was now trying to wrangle hold a very squirmy Jack, while listening to instructions from the Consulate receptionist that was kindly walking us back to the office.

 I don't know HOW he does it but Jack is like trying to hold a cat that doesn't want to be held.  Know what I mean?  It feels like one of those toy plastic tubes that have the gel on the inside and keeps slipping through your fingers.  He has such hidden talents. 

There were two ladies that share the office we were led to... and it wasn't that big to begin with!  I stumbled my way into the office with my little B's following suit.  The lovely Haitian ladies eyed each other cautiously.  I think they had a sixth-sense that my children were ticking time bombs.  To be fair - only one of them was an explosive bomb.

This turned out to be the LONGEST hour and a half process of my life!  After Jack coughed directly at one of the women -seriously, she flinched and I don't blame her- I ended up putting the offspring into the small 'holding room' that was beside the office.  I spent my time checking on the process of the paperwork and putting a lid on the ruckus that Jack was causing.  At one point, I came out of the office to find Jack in a standstill run...  his legs were going but Isabel had a hold of the back of his shirt.  All the while, he was screaming like a banshee.  Yes, my son has a healthy set of lungs.

I was a sweaty mess by the time I was handed our completed, Haitian stamped documents.  YAY!  I even took a break from the mayhem and asked the two -cooperating- children to smile with the Haitian flag that was in the waiting area...

What you don't see, is the little two year old that had taken this opportunity to help himself to the water cooler.  Oh, the fun never stops.

At the end of the day, I was questioning my sanity - and parenting skills - when I looked back at the events and appreciated the nuggets of awesomeness that God had placed in it...

One of the directors of the consulate had pulled me aside at one point (thankfully at the only time that Jack was content in my arms) and gave me her number, telling me that she would be available to us for anything that Sam or our family would need.  It was during this conversation that a woman, sitting in the waiting room and over-hearing us, came over and hugged me.  She was crying and said, "God bless you for taking care of His children."

After leaving the consulate, I treated the kids to Burger King (something my stomach later regretted) and the woman that took our order was Haitian.  It seems that I have become accostumed to the accent and picked up on it quickly.  She and I had a lovely drive-thru conversation - I even pulled out pictures of my new little man.  Then I made a quick stop at the Bass Pro-Shop.  A young man was very diligently trying to sell me a vacation-something.  After I tried to tell him three times that I wasn't interested, I finally said that we were in the beginning stages of an adoption and our funds were tied up right now.  His jaw dropped.  He came out of 'salesman mode' and then told me that his mother had adopted him and followed it up with 'God Bless You.'

Yes, He had my day overflowing with the good, the bad, the ugly, and the AWESOME!  I love motherhood!