We are out of IBESR!

Good Morning Schell family!

"Congratulations Matthew and Kristin!
Your adoption of Dieunifer has received presidential dispensation and has just been approved by IBESR. We are so happy that you have reached this important milestone in the Haitian adoption process. 

At this time, we will require you to make your first trip to Haiti to see the judges, file your I-600, and of course, meet Dieunifer!

Once you have seen the judges, we will prepare your dossier to enter Parquet. After you have Parquet approval, your adoption will enter the courts where Dieunifer will legally become your child and take your family name of Schell.

I will share more information with you as we proceed through these steps but currently Parquet is averaging 1-2 month to approve adoptions. 

Many thanks and once again, congratulations!
Melissa"

I didn't think we would ever exit IBESR...but we got the call this morning that we received our dispensation for having biological kids and we are out of IBESR.  It was 7 months and 2 days...which is actually "average" time.  A lot of families are still waiting and I am praying they will hear good news soon too.  

We will most likely travel at the end of April!  Can't wait to meet this sweet little girl and let her know that she has a family that loves her!

This and That

An adoptive mom just returned from Haiti this week and told me a little bit about Dieunifer:

• I have been meaning to message you to tell you that I visited with your daughter ( I am afraid to try to spell her name and offend you or her!) while I was at GLA and you won't be surprised to hear that she is still a force to be reckoned with! She keeps all those little boys in line! She is beautiful!   She is something ... In the best way!

Sounds like she will fit right in with the rest of the kids and hold her own!

Dispensations:  We are almost at the 7 MONTH mark of waiting for the signature from the President of Haiti (15 months since our papers arrived in Haiti, and 19 months since we started the whole process...but who's counting?)

  There are at least 115 families (more I am sure), waiting for this signature.  For months it seemed that no one was getting released.  Last week we heard of several families receive the signature.  Our number is 20,400 and families in the 20, 600's were released.  Yes, that doesn't make sense, but that's just the way it is!

Once we receive that signature (any day now?), we will travel to Haiti a few weeks later for 5 days.  We will go to court and the US Embassy, meet Dieunifer and come home and wait another 8-10 months.

I know you are thinking..."Why does it take so long?"  Lots and lots of reasons...some that make sense, others that don't.  For now, we do what we can on this end and then we....WAIT some more!

Still waiting on our homestudy to be updated.  It is taking a bit longer, because now we have to be Child Abuse cleared in all the states either of us have lived in...so NY, CT, PA, and NJ.  Once these clearances come back fine, our homestudy and federal fingerprints will be sent to United States Citizenship and Immigration for an updated 1-600a (approval to adopt and orphan).  When we go to Haiti on the first trip this will be changed to a 1-600 (approval to adopt a specific orphan).

Appreciating your prayers!

Happy Valentine's Day! February Update

This is what the orphanage had to say about Dieunifer this month:

  "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” - 1 John 4: 7-12

To follow along with the love theme I am going to highlight for you some of the things Dieunifer loves.

Dieunifer loves to talk.  She seems to always be chattering, even if she is not being understood. 

 She enjoys spending time on the balcony and will throw a little fit if she does not have a fair warning that she will need to go to the nursery soon.  If she knows that he play time on the balcony is coming to a close then she is ok to go back to the nursery.  She loves to be a leader and have the other kids follow along with what she is doing.  She always has to be where the fun and excitement is.  She can be very content playing with what she is doing but if something starts more fun happening across the room she will quickly run to where the action is.

  Her favorite activities to enjoy on the balcony include puzzles, bubbles, and balls. 

 Dieunifer has learned how to give high-fives and thinks it is a very fun and exciting thing to do.

   One sweet thing she will do is play with a baby doll like she is taking care of it like she sees the nannies do.  She will cradle it, feed it, and bathe it.

Dieunifer is healthy and growing:

Height: 89 cm

Weight: 28 lb 14 oz

Much love from Dieunifer,