Berline's June Update 2012

Happy Summer from GLA, Andrew and Christy!

This past month has been very busy and adventure filled here at God’s Littlest Angels.  We started off the month by taking in 23 kids from an orphanage that was shut down up the mountain from us in Kenscoff.  If you check with our blogs you can read about how they came to be with us and how the adjustment has gone.  Most of them were older then 3 years old so they are staying at the Toddler House.  Despite space issues we have been making it work for them to sleep in one of our classrooms since May 31st.  We are praying that their parents will be located soon so we can determine a permanent solution for each of them, whether that will be with us and a forever family or with their biological family.  Besides that we have gotten more volunteers and teams in the last few weeks.  We are grateful for each person who comes to stay with us and give of their time and gifts to assist the kids in their growth and development until they can be home with you.

You may be surprised that this update has come a little early this month.  This is because I will be going home to Wisconsin for a couple of months leaving on June 21^st and returning on August 22nd.  The Toddler House director, Molly Little, will be writing and sending your updates to you for July and August.  They will continue to come from this email address but they may look a little different then you are used to.

This month the theme of the photos at the Toddler House was “Imagination”.  The idea behind it is that each of the kids got to dress up how they would like to and use their imagination in how their photos would look.  I set up 2 backgrounds and the older kids had the chance to choose the background that they liked best.  One was colorful and the other was shimmery.  For their outfits the girls got to choose a princess dress or some regular clothes. The boys got to choose what clothes they would like.  Then they were allowed to choose from some funny shoes or no shoes and finally they were able to choose to wear some other things like hats, glasses, and other random props.  We had a lot of fun with it and each kid enjoyed choosing their outfit and using their imagination.

Berline has had a great month.  She absolutely loved having options of what to wear for her photos this month.  She chose to wear the sparkliest dress available and then chose the background with shimmer as well.  She beamed when she saw the fairy wand that she could hold onto.  Her friend Judith helped her choose the purple star headband for her head and she really wanted to wear the pink sunglasses for a few photos.  It seems to me that you have a girlie girl on you hands.

There has been a fair amount of change and adjustment happening at the Toddler House but it has been a joy to watch the current children welcome all the new faces with open arms.  They have been great about sharing their toys and helping the new kids to feel welcome.  Berline was very willing to spend time with the new kids and show them all that the Toddler House had to offer.  She really was one of the most welcoming and inviting kids at the Toddler House.

There was another cinema night this month and it was fun to see all the new kids enjoy this event with all the kids. They watched the movie “Hop”. Because there is now 85 kids at the Toddler House the little ones became a little more restless faster then usual. Berline sat very well in the back of all the chaos the little kids were causing.  She did her best to pay attention to the movie and what was happening on the big screen.

Berline is healthy and growing:
Height: 125.5 cm
Weight: 53.5 lb

May Update 2012

Happy Mothers Day from Berline!

May holds a number of special holidays.  Haitian Flag Day is on the 18^th of May.  This year that day fell on a Friday.  The children at the Toddler House enjoyed a parade of singing and flag waving through their neighborhood on the morning of Flag Day.

Haiti is a truly beautiful country and if you have had the opportunity to come visit GLA you will know that the view from the balconies of all of our homes is truly breathtaking.  In order to honor that beauty we have been blessed with, I wanted to highlight the incredible landscape we see each day by taking pictures of the kids with this view as the backdrop.  The lighting posed some problems with the sun coming in and out but I think this months photos capture a small glimpse into the beauty that Haiti holds.

May also holds a special holiday we call Mother’s Day, which is celebrated the last Sunday in May here in Haiti, the same as it is in France.   It is an honor to recognize the mothers that are waiting for their children to come home.  It is certainly a special calling to be a mother of an adopted child and whether this is your first adoption or you have adopted several children, we at GLA want you to know that you are appreciated and loved by us and by the child who is waiting to be at home with you.  I am sure with the passing of Mother’s Day this month you have thought about the child this update discusses.  This month I did my best to write the update from the child’s perspective to give the update a different sort of spin.  I hope you enjoy it!

Hi Mom and Dad!

I have had a fun month here at GLA. 

We had a parade on Haitian Flag Day.  It was so much fun.  We knew that it was flag day when we saw Molly getting all the red and blue flags and t-shirts out.  I got to choose if I wanted to wear a red or a blue shirt and then waited to be called to the yard. I chose to wear a blue shirt. Once we were called to the yard we lined up in two lines and got a flag to hang onto.  I was so excited to see if this flag day parade would be the same as the one we did last year.  Next we started singing and making music as we marched down the street we live on. We walked all the way down to the end of the street before we turned around.  I loved singing the “Mon Drapo” song and waving my flag as much as I could.  After we returned to our big blue gate and made our way back into the yard there was a balloon drop!  The visitors had blown up balloons and dropped them from the balcony above us.  I reached up as high as I could to get the balloons as they fell. It was so much fun to have so many colorful balloons drop down!  The rest of the afternoon I played wth my friends in the yard and enjoyed the left over balloons.  It was a very busy day and I slept really well all night.

All the biggest kids at the Toddler House got a chance to go to a soccer field up the mountain in Kenscoff for a couple of the boys who have birthdays in May.  We spent the afternoon playing and enjoying the open space.  I especially enjoyed jumping rope and throwing a ball around with some of the other kids. We played many different activities and then we all came together and played Red Rover for a long time.  I made sure to spread my arms and legs as far apart as they could go so noone could pass me.  After the game of red rover we ate some Chiko (cheeto type snack) and water before heading back to the Toddler House.

I can’t wait to see you again and come home to live with you.  I want you to know that I am doing well here at GLA. I get lots of love from my nannies, my teachers, and Molly and Joyce.  I am looking forward to the day I get to come and live with you!

I love you.

Your little girl, 

Berline

Berline is healthy and growing:
Height: 124.5 cm
Weight: 53 lb

Happy Mother’s Day!