Sonel's journey in the US

NO NEWS YET

2009-09-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a while, because there's not a lot happening. We did meet with the young man and his wife, in new Castle, IN. They are a super young couple. He got "sick" in the middle of the week, in Haiti. If you've ever been there...you know what I mean. With the church camp going on and him being sick, he never had the time or energy to go looking for Sonel. We're just trusting God that in His time, everything will work out. It's hard to be patient. But with homeschooling Hope and everyday life, we're praying and waiting. I just want Sonel to have a full belly everyday and we want to help financially so that it can happen. In His time. I'll be sure to post the minute I know anything. Please pray for Sonel and his family.
Brenda

GOD...THE MIRACLE WORKER

2009-08-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

I'm on cloud nine right now. I emailed a site I found online and it's a mission right in the town where Sonel lives!!! They said they would find Sonel's address. They have a school too! Then, if that is not enough to be excited about...I also found a blog of a man, that is going to that exact mission this Saturday!!! We are going to meet him on Tuesday, he lives about an hour and a half away from us!! He is going to take Sonel a package for us. He said if the people at the mission can't find Sonel, he knows a guy that knows everybody in the town and he will find him. He said he will even take some pictures of him to bring back to us!!! What a relief in our minds. I doubt if we would have ever heard anything about Sonel again. This grieved us so much, but God saw our tears. He loves us and cares about our desires. We are going to sponsor Sonel in school and send monthly support to feed the family. And NOW we can keep up to date on what happens in his life. The pastors wife has emailed me several times. I'm still in awe of what has happened in the last 3 days! THANK YOU, JESUS!!!

I'M SHOCKED!

2009-08-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

I just logged in to Licia's blog in Haiti and they sent Sonel home already! We were told that they would wait until Sonel could speak Creole before he went home. We just left him 16 days ago. I hope he can communicate with his mom. It will sure be a struggle if he can't.

2009-07-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

In a way it feels like a dream to me. It's like I woke up and things are different now. I got groceries today and I saw things I don't need to buy now. It was hard.
There is a girl from Texas at the Rescue Center, (Jamie knows her), named Caroline. She posted a picture of Sonel on her blog! I was thrilled when I seen it. If you want to follow her blog... ohsweetcaroline.blogspot.com He's in the back of a truck in the black t shirt.
A funny note...before I left I told Sonel I would send him a package and I asked him what he wanted in it. One of the things he wanted was a "Hot Wheels B Pack". I don't watch toy commercials, so I told him I would ask Hope what it was when I got home. Hope thought for a while and said "I know, there's a commercial that says, Hot Wheels, beat that!" We got a good laugh from that. It's just a hot wheels with a crazy track.
I'll keep everyone posted if I hear anything about Sonel. Thank you all for your prayers. God is good.
Brenda

A HARD TRIP

2009-07-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is a hard post. I'm so full of emotion right now.

When we first were driving to Chicago to catch our flight, the next morning, Sonel started saying "I don't want to go to Haiti". He realized we were actually going after talking about it for so long. He would say it kind of jokingly, then he had tears running down his cheeks as he said it. He was remembering. Haiti is hard. It's unlike anything you could possibly experience in the US. I could have bawled at the drop of a hat, but I silently cried inside. We caught our flight the next morning. Sonel did good. We went from Chicago to Miami. When we got on our flight in Miami, he had a hard time. He could hear all of the Haitians on the flight speaking Creole. Anytime anyone from the US would speak Creole to him, he wouldn't answer them. I think he would think they had come to take him back to Haiti.

All went pretty well, Sonel fell asleep on the trip to the Rescue Center. On the first day, Sonel cried, he would say "Can we just go home, I don't want to live in Haiti". It tore me up and we cried together, but I cried alone, a lot, for the next week.

Kenny, Sonel & I were pretty much left on our own the whole week. On the 4th day, Lori talked to us about Sonel's future. I felt better after the talk, but something was really strange about whole trip. I don't know what it was, if we came at a bad time or what, but it was awkward and not very enjoyable. I didn't want to leave Sonel, but I was ready to go home. I cried everyday...pretty much all the time. I pray that things are going better for everyone their.

Sonel loved playing with all of the kids. He started adjusting pretty well to the routine. I've never seen a child sweat so much! His shirt was wet all around his neck from wiping his head with it. On the last day, I told Sonel that he needed a bath, (which was really a stand up, pour water on your head, kind of bath) and Sonel asked me if I would give him a bath in the river across the road! He saw kids bathing in the river and he was ready to try it. I think the bigger kids at the Rescue Center do take baths in the river. It's very shallow. I told him he could do that when I'm gone.

Zach gave me a call from Haiti while we were driving home from Chicago, at about 8pm, to tell me that Sonel did great that day. He said Sonel got up, took his clothes to the bathroom, got dressed and went down stairs to play with the kids. He said he was very mature for his age and that it was a miracle.

I think while I was holding a 4 year old that was skin and bones, from the Rescue Center, that I realized that Sonel hadn't been starved by his parents, they did walk 10 hours to get him some help. Even though they said they didn't want him back, I can only hope that they will treat him well. I pray that they will love him, like we do. He is so sweet, so tenderhearted. I miss him so much.

LAST POST....FOR A WHILE

2009-07-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

We had such a nice turn out for Sonel's open house. I took a picture of everyone that came, with Sonel. Poor boy, he kept saying "Again?" I had to get him off the trampoline with all of the other kids here, and he wasn't too pleased. He still had the biggest smile ever with every picture though. I couldn't possibly post them all, but I will post a few. The nicest surprise of the evening was Dr. DeHeer came!!! I can't say enough about his BIG heart. God bless him in all he does! (You will be in my prayers always, as you bless others with you selfless heart.)

This is our son, Josh...whom like his father...can't smile for a picture, unless he's heard the funniest joke on earth. Also, his wife Amber and son, Elijah.

Another son, Ben, with his two boys, Gabriel and Michael. Ben can't smile either, so he just does the best mean look he could muster.

Sonel and Gabriel are best buddies.

Another son, Bradley, his wife Jennifer and sweet grand baby, Zoie. Bradley has no trouble smiling...must have took after me.

Hey, Kenny's cracking a smile!!!

Our daughter, Nikki, her husband Sam and beautiful daughter, Delight.

My Mom, known to Sonel as "Grandma".

We were prayed for this morning, at church, and it brought out a lot of emotions that Kenny and I have held in. It will be so very hard when we leave Sonel. I just believe that he will grow up to be a man after God's own heart, no matter where he lives. He is in God's hands. He is so special to us, I can't imagine how much more God loves him. This will be my last post until we get back. I hope to have a lot of pictures and movies. Please pray for us.

Brenda

4TH OF JULY

2009-07-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

Playing with sparklers. If you put your camera on Manual, you can set it so the shutter will stay open. I set it for 2 seconds. The kids had a blast making designs.

This is Sonel. He's blurry from all the movement, but it was still cool.

Hope made small circles, then big ones.

Hope making figure 8's.

Sonel making circles.

I can't believe we will be taking Sonel back in 3 days. I thought I could post his photo book, with all of the captions, but it will just direct you to an album of his photos. Most of the pictures in the album are ones on his blog anyway.

I have a few pics of our "cold" camping trip. The kids we being crazy in the camper.

We are having an open house for Sonel this Sunday. I'm going to take a picture of Sonel with everyone that comes. I will make an album for Sonel, (really quick) and also copies for everyone to hang on there fridge, so they can remember to pray for him.

I will probably post one more time before we leave. Please pray for Sonel's transition back to Haiti culture. He is so Amercianized now. He can't remember any Creole. Everyone says it will come back to him. It will still be hard for him. He is so smart. He is a whiz on the computer and he always asks to play games on my iPod. I only put games on it for the kids to play.

He's a kid, he will be resilient and bounce back. I just want him to keep smiling.

Brenda

THROUGH A CHILD'S EYES

2009-07-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we went to my husband's family reunion. After it was over, my husband and his two brothers paid a visit to their mom's grave site, nearby. While we were all there, I told Sonel that Kenny, Jeff and Steve's mom was buried under the grave stone. I told him that she died and that they put her in a box first. I didn't want him to think they just through her in a hole. He walked off. About 5 minutes later he came up to Steve and pointed down and said "I think you mom needs some fresh air". I laughed so hard. I'm amazed at his grasp of the English language.
We just came back from camping today. We had horrible weather. It was so cold for July, I couldn't believe it. NO SWIMMING. Bummer. Plus, I sprained my ankle as soon as I got the camper all set up! I can walk on it now and it's turning all kind of lovely colors, but it still hurts like the dickens!

BIG NEWS

2009-06-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened, but I find it hard to take time to blog. I will try to do better. We finally heard from the visa office and we have to take Sonel back to Haiti by July 27th.Which means, they did approve his 6 month extension from January. My husband and I will be taking him back on July 14th. We will stay a week with the Zachary's and give Sonel time to get used to being back in Haiti. When ever you think of it...pray for Sonel. I know God loves him so much, and I know he will keep His hand on Sonel, I just want Sonel to be happy and loved.

We bought a trampoline and the kids love it so much. Hope and Sonel are on it everyday. They even take books on it and just read and draw. Hope puts her new kitten on it. I took several pictures of them and I noticed that in every picture, Sonel has his tongue sticking out. It must be like a Michael Jordan thing.

Sunday we went and played miniature golf. Sonel cracked me up. He would look like he was going to slug it and he would swing several times before he hit the ball, then he would barely tap the ball. He was pretty good at it. My daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter went also.

When he saw the need, he would just push it in the hole.

They fight like cats and dogs...then get along great and laugh so hard...they will miss each other so much.

IT

2009-05-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung in Indiana...finally!!! I just wanted to share this with you because Sonel is just too cute.

WENT CAMPING

2009-05-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

We just went camping, this past Thursday through Saturday, in southern Indiana. We found zillions of geodes and 2 mushrooms (bummer). We had quit a bit of rain the first evening, but it didn't start until we had our camp site completely set up. Yeah! Sonel and Hope had a blast riding bikes. Sonel rode in a Kayak with Uncle Steve (Kenny's brother). We played Yahtzee and

Sonel rolled the dice for Uncle Steve...Sonel rolled "4" Yahtzees in one game!!!!!!

Last weekend, we had a costume party at our house. I made Hope and Sonel's outfits. They had been looking forward to this party for quite some time. I found out, that morning, that Kenny had a prior obligation at the time of the party. That meant I was going to be alone with 10 little kids! (Three of them aren't in the picture, because they were late.) They were really good though. Here are a couple pictures.

Here's another picture that cracked me up! Sonel fell asleep on the couch. Kenny told him to go get in bed. When I went to check on him, to make sure he had put his leg splints on...this is what

I found!

He was sound asleep. He was leaning a lot, but standing on his feet! (Excuse the messy room)

Everyday is an adventure and a blessing.

Brenda

HAITIAN MADE PURSES

2009-04-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

I found this really cool site while reading one of my favorite Haiti blogs, from some missionaries. Haitian women make purses to sell. Some from burlap and fabric (my favorite). Others just fabric. They teach the women to sew and sell their products to help them take care of their families. You can read about each of the women that have made the purses. I am going to tell all of my friends and family and place an order soon. The purses change all the time as they sell them and make new ones, so if you see one you like, you better get it!
CHECK IT OUT. http://www.haitiancreations.com/

Catching up on blogging

2009-04-14T20:08:00.001-07:00

Sonel can officially stop wearing the arm splint! Here is a picture of him in all 3 of his splints that he wears to bed.

I called the CIS office (where they issue the visa extensions) yesterday. When I looked up our reference number on line...it said it wasn't a valid number. When I called them they said they couldn't find our file, because the number wasn't valid, but not to worry..."I should hear from them in 90 days". Well, I have tickets to take Sonel back to Haiti, on May 19th. That will only be about 60 days from the date I filed for the extension. Soooooo, that means he won't be going in May, more than likely. When I sent in the extension, they told me to include copies of the airline tickets, which I did. But apparently, they just throw them in a pile and get to them when they get to them...with in 90 days. If they would just look at the papers and see the airline tickets???!!! I'm ok with him not going in May, but it cost $150.00 to change each ticket. I will be packed and ready, just in case. I have a feeling I'll get to go when it's the absolute HOTTEST time of the year in Haiti. Yeah!! I'm still excited to go, even though I will be sopping wet the whole time.

I'm adding a lot of photos of random things just for your viewing pleasure.

I took some pictures of Hope and Sonel last week. Aren't they cute? You would never know that they fight like brother and sister...every minute of the day!

This is out our back door on April 6th!!!!! Will we ever have Spring weather? Yesterday was in the 30's most of the day!!!! If you can zoom in on the pond, you can probably see lots of gold fish that live through the winter.

This last picture is of my youngest grand daughters with Hope and Sonel. Delight is 8 months old ( and just got her first tooth yesterday) and Zoie is 17 months old today. I just noticed that Zoie has a piece of bread in her hands. She knows how to get the bread drawer open and help herself.

DOING GOOD

2009-04-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Sonel is doing a lot better with a splint on his arm. They think he has a cracked bone, but it doesn't show on an x ray. The doc said that in two weeks, if it is still bothering him, to come back for another x ray. It will show new bone growth where it is cracked. If he is getting along fine, he doesn't need to go back at all. I take the splint off twice a day for him to bend his arm as much as he can. He had an appointment with Dr. DeHeer later in the day.

This is Sonel playing with his new hat. He was such a good boy at the orthopedic doctor. The hat was his reward...along with super cool underwear.

Sonel being a good boy...again. He used to burst into tears as soon as he seen Dr. Deheer.

Now.....they're best buds!

Sonel flying a kite, last week, when it was frigid outside!

I want to thank every one for your prayers on Sonel's behalf.

Brenda

OUCH!!!

2009-03-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sonel fell off of the ladder to the play fort in our yard. He was playing alone. When he came in the house, he was screaming! I got some ice and gave him some Tylenol, but he was not letting up on the crying. I knew something was really wrong. I called the pediatrician who has seen him since he's been here and they said bring him right in. They took some x rays. They said they didn't see a break, but he has fluid all around his elbow. They sent us home and said to give him Motrin until we could see an orthopedic doctor today. We were ready first thing this morning.........no phone call. I called and they said they were working on it. Of course the problem was nobody wanted to donate their care for Sonel...they wanted their money. I finally called Dr. DeHeer (Sonel's podiatrist) and asked him if he knew anybody that might help. He gave me a name and I called...the girl said hold on, and then the Doctor came to the phone and asked me a few questions and said "Bring him in in the morning". So I'll keep you posted as to what happens. By searching the web, it sounds to me like he will need a full cast or splint. The poor baby has been living on Motrin, but he is doing good. His elbow is really swollen today. they gave him a sling, but he prefers to let it hang by his side.
I am so amazed by how God provides. I'm so thankful for all of the kind hearted doctors that have given so much, for Sonel. His life will be forever changed because of them. Dr. DeHeer just got back from Haiti last week. He goes down there all the time and donates his time teaching and performing surgery. He has such a heart for Haiti.
Brenda

CHANGE OF PLANS!!!

2009-03-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well...I talked to a lady at the USCIS office (where they issue Visa's) and she told me to apply for another extension. I told her that I only had 2 weeks to get him back to Haiti and she told me that if I file the extension, he would be here "legally" until I hear from them. It took 3 and 1/2 months to hear from them this time! I pray they answer me by May 19th, when we have plane tickets to go to Haiti, or else I'll have to change our tickets and probably go when the heat is unbearable....oh well. I sent copies of our plant tickets and explained as much as I could to them of why he doesn't have a job! I feel like I can at least breathe now. It is still only about 10 weeks until he leaves. I have so much to do. But I praise God for more time with him and I'm thrilled that he will get to take a train ride!

Here's a cute picture of Sonel I took a while back when he had his curly hair. It was over 3 inches long, but to hard to take care of. He would yell when I would pick it out. There was just too many tangles. It was soooo cute though.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese (Sonel says Chucker Chesus) on Friday. Then on Saturday we went on our local trail to get some exercise. Hope is on roller blades and Sonel is on his Spiderman scooter. My daughter, Nikki and grand daughter, Delight, went also.

SONEL'S RETURN TO HAITI

2009-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

I just want everyone to pray for Sonel. They have denied his medical visa extension, because "he doesn't have a job" and they are afraid he will become a "public charge". They also stated that he didn't "establish a residence abroad to which he intends to return". They didn't care that he is here for medical reasons. The papers were filled out the exact same way the first time I applied for an extension. They stated he has 30 days to get back to Haiti, from the date on their letter. So he has to be back in Haiti by March 19th. I just got the letter about 4 days ago. I am heartsick. I knew I would be, but this stinks so bad. He loves trains so much and we were going to go on a train ride in April, when the train start running in Noblesville. I will make a picture book for him to take with him, but even getting that ready will take a while. I can't believe how rushed I feel to get so many things done for him.
My plans are to leave on the 17th of March and I will return on the 24th. I trust God to be with Sonel all the days of his life. I hope to be able to see him on future trips to Haiti. He is a part of our family. Pray for me to...because this is so hard.
Brenda

"Scooter Inspitation"

2009-02-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

When you watch Sonel's video, you will hear me mention "Christie" as my inspiration for buying Sonel a scooter...WRONG NAME! It was Laurie, Bo and Noah's mommy. I want to give credit where credit is due. Thanks Laurie for the video and idea, Sonel LOVES it.
Brenda

2009-02-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

I just bought a tiny little movie camera, and I just took a couple movies of Sonel. It's way too dark in this room, so it doesn't look that great, but you can still hear him talk a bit. The thing that is so easy about this camera is the movie is on an SD card. I can just pop it in the computer and it's there. My small JVC camera LOOKS so much better, but it is such a pain to upload, for me anyway.

FUN DAY

2009-02-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

We went to the local school for "Story Time" this morning. They have it once a month for youngsters not yet in school. This is Sonel with the librarian and his 'free book'.

After we got home, Hope and Sonel made Valentine bags. They bought gifts at the dollar store for each other to put in them and I bought plenty of chocolate goodies also.

Sonel is sooooo coooool in his new shades!

Sonel has to wear his shoes on the wrong feet to try to correct his bit of pigeon toe. One day I told him that he put his shoes on the "right feet" and that he needed to take them off and put them on the "wrong feet". He just crossed his feet real quick (like in the picture below), because he didn't want to change them. He makes me laugh at some of the goofiest things he does.

Sonel's finished Valentine bag.

Hope's finished bag.

Two cutie pies. That is a toy lizard that Hope stuck to the door. We don't have lizards in Indiana, in case you're wondering.

Well, I haven't bought tickets yet, but my plans are to take Sonel back to Haiti in May. I just emailed Lori and asked her when would be a good time for them. I hadn't checked Lori's blog for a few days, but apparently Licia is suffering form a very bad case of Malaria. If you know the Zachary family...please pray for Licia. She has been ill for over a week with fever and some liver problems. This is an update that I read on a blog today...

"The Doctor determined that Licia is fighting a very serious case of Malaria. It had begun to cause liver problems. She needed IV fluids right away and went on those yesterday. She is with a Doctor that many respect here. Zach said she did not have a great night. There is so much Malaria in her system it will take time and meds and prayers before she turns a corner."

Brenda

OUR BIG SNOW!

2009-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

We had a big snow (about 7 inches) about a week ago and here are some pictures of Hope, Sonel and Kenny sledding at a local park.

Sonel always managed to roll off of the sled at the end, I guess to add some excitement.

If you notice, he is smiling in every picture (except the last one)

With Kenny on the sled, they picked up a lot of speed.

Sonel didn't have a choice to roll off of the sled on this trip with Kenny. When he sat up, I nearly peed my pants! All I could see was big brown eyes and a solid white face. It started melting right away. I took a quick picture, but I didn't get but half of his face (I was laughing so hard), so I took another one and he had just started crying. As soon as I wiped his face off and dried it, he was raring to go again. In fact he wasn't happy at all when it was time to leave.

(He has gum in his mouth.)

He loves the snow. We are having a heat wave today...it was all the way up in the upper thirties!

I'm going to try to add some video of Sonel, if I can remember how.

Brenda

FIRST HAIR CUT IN THE US

2009-01-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

I loved Sonel's hair and didn't want to cut it...but, it was getting too hard to pick out. I don't know how people deal with little girls hair. His hair was sooooo tight. Well, I finally cut it, with some advice from Tanya (thanks). I've watched my husband sheer our sheep and it was pretty much the same. You just take it slow and it comes off in hunks. His hair was a little over 3 inches long. It hadn't been cut for 9 months. He looks so handsome now and his hair feels so soft. I'll keep it cut from now on. A lady I know who came to the US, from Haiti, when she was 14 said that Sonel would look like nobody was caring for him, if they saw him in Haiti, with his hair like I had it. I thought it was so cute, but he is as equally adorable now. Here are a couple pictures.

Hope holding Sonel's hair up to a ruler.

It would actually be over 3 inches long!

Look at how cute he is! Notice the food (egg) on his shirt. He always uses his shirt as a napkin.

Haiti

2009-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

I just found this on another blog and I would like to share it on my blog also. This is Licia talking about the Rescue Center where Sonel came from. A group of us visited there 2 years ago and it is a life changing place. We have known Licia's family for about 15 years. They all have such a heart for God's work. Be blessed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjN-EZUDx4w

OUR FLORIDA VACATION

2009-01-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

We had a blast. I have quite a few pictures to share. It felt so good to be warm. We came back to an Arctic freeze! The high temp. yesterday was below zero and today I think it reached 3 degrees.

Here is Sonel seeing if he could ride his bike. I bought this for him when he first got here, but his feet couldn't reach the pedals the whole summer. He has grown so much, he didn't have a problem at all riding it now. So we packed it up with our bikes, for Florida.

This is Sonel showing off his blue tongue while we were driving.

Sonel didn't like driving so much. After we got back into the truck after a rest stop, he started bawling so hard he couldn't speak. I kept asking him what was wrong, I thought he was hurt. Finally he got out the words "Florida's so far".

This is my sister, Debbie, and Sonel feeding a white peacock. A lady was telling me that they walk around in the trailer park all the time. Sonel was brave and feed it from his hand. After I took this picture, the thing tried to attack him. It jumped at him with it's spurs (like a rooster) and my sister screamed and we all took off. Sonel calmly said "That's not good". We laughed so hard as we were running from the thing.

This was at Clearwater Beach.

Getting ready for swimming!

Sonel just got splashed in the face by a wave.

I think I know why there was sand in every part of the camper...

Hope looks like she is levitating!

This was Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We went over this several times.
This angle makes it look freaky.

Hope and Sonel's "SAND CAR". My sister and I created this beauty.

My cuties.

This was our last sunset before we left.

I appreciate every one's prayers for Sonel's life. I rest assured that his life is in God's hands.

Brenda

2009-01-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

This post is hard for me to type. When we signed on to be Sonel's host family, we knew he had parents, but we knew before he came that his parents told Lori that they did not want him back. I hadn't even met him yet, and my heart broke for him. After he had been here for several months, my husband suggested that we see if we could adopt Sonel. (That has been my desire forever, but we haven't been in harmony on the subject.) I was thrilled beyond words that my husband wanted to adopt. When Lori contacted his parents about a possible adoption, the father had a list of demands...he wants us to send them money every month, Sonel would not be allowed to call us Mom and Dad, we would have to take Sonel to Haiti several times a year to visit them, and when he is 18 he has to move back and take care of them until they die. Sonel's dad is 72 years old and his mom is 34. They are not married. Lori told them that this was illegal and couldn't be done, then he told Lori that they want him back when he is well.
I pray every night for God's will to be done in Sonel's life. I want what's best for him. Living in the US isn't what's best, but being loved is. I want him to be loved. I show him picture ID's of his mom and dad and talk about them. He knows them, even though he hasn't seen them, since they dropped him off at the Rescue Center 2 days after his 4th birthday. He's 5 and 1/2 now. Sonel talks total English now and today he told me that he's not going back to Haiti. ( I've told him several times that he came here to get his feet fixed and his mom and dad want him to come back when he is all better.) I told him again that his mom and dad want to see him. He just kept saying that he's not going back. It's going to be so hard for him, and my family. Hope has already bawled about it a couple times. One time Hope and Sonel were playing and Hope was asking Sonel questions and he was answering in a microphone. She asked him his name and where he was from. Then she asked him if he liked Haiti and he said "No, Haiti hurt me" . She said "What" and he repeated it. My heart sank. PLEASE pray for Sonel. Please help me pray that he has a happy life. I know that there is NOTHING that God cannot do.
Brenda

Sonel Update

2008-12-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

My cousin, Mia and her daughter, Whitney, came for a visit. Mia is also my hairstylist (the best ever!). Sonel has visited her several times at the Salon, but he never would talk much. She got to see him act like the jabber box that he is.

We had a wonderful Christmas. It's always so much fun to watch kids squeal with excitement as they open their gifts. Of course, for Hope, it was her best Christmas ever!!! (She says that every year.) Poor Sonel, he woke up on Christmas eve and came into the living room saying "It's Christmas, it's Christmas". I told him not until tomorrow, and he cried for probably an hour about it. We have a little snowman that we move each day, on a calendar and Hope moved it for the next day, before she went to bed. He kept telling me to come look at the "snow". I had bought everything really early this year, so the poor child had to look at presents for a month without opening any. He was so excited and had a good time and played all day. His favorite toy is a wooden train set. Here are a couple pictures from our day.

Setting up the train set.

Sonel "playing" the Glockenspiel.

We will be leaving for Florida this Tuesday. Sonel is equally excited about that. He keeps saying "We're going on vacation to Florida". We're driving, so it will be a couple days before we get there, since we're from Indiana. I can't wait to get out of the cold! Sonel will finally get to wear his Spiderman sandals that I bought, when he first came here, on the beach.

Brenda

TOO CUTE

2008-12-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Every time we head to town, Sonel asks about going to Chuckie Cheese's. The thing that makes it so cute is...he calls it Chucker Chesus!

Sonel was SPEECHLESS!!!

2008-12-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we went to Dr. DeHeer's son's school to talk to the third grade class. First, I showed a few pictures of where Sonel came from and pictures of his surgery. When I finished talking, the children wanted to ask Sonel some questions. Mind you that I prepared Sonel for this 'event' in his life, a few days ahead. On the way to the school I even bribed him with a Happy Meal. But I told him he couldn't have the toy until we were done talking to the kids...and that he HAD to talk to them or I wouldn't let him have the toy. Well, the first question came and all eyes were on Sonel (they wanted to hear him talk so bad), he sat there rolling his tongue around in his mouth! I had to answer every single question for him, because all he did was tricks with his tongue! When we were done I told him he could at least tell them "bye". The room was totally silent and Sonel managed to say "bye" to the kids and when he did, there was a BOOM of applause and cheering! Well I had to give him his toy because he did speak to them. As soon as we went out the front door...he starts yapping up a storm! WHAT A STINKER. I promised the kids in the class that I would make a video of Sonel talking and put it on the blog so they could hear him. I will make the video, I've just had a really busy schedule the last few days. Tomorrow I'm taking Sonel to "StoryTime" at the local school and then I have to do some work for my web site, so I WILL get the video done, but it will be in a few days.

Brenda

NEW THINGS

2008-11-30T18:55:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened in Sonel's life since my last post. He experienced his first Thanksgiving, which included him trying to help me make a pumpkin pie. He was making the little zig zags on the pie crust, but as he was going around, he would put his arm on the ones he's made and smash them. I had to end up doing most of it myself.

Sonel is styling in his Veggie Tale apron that I made for Hope, when she was about his age. Last week he just started watching Veggie Tale videos. Now he "gets" all the stuff he's been seeing around here with "vegetables" on it, including some bath toys he plays with.

Another new thing Sonel experienced...PLAYING IN THE SNOW! He loved it.
Hope and Sonel were outside for about 2 hours today. It was a nice 32 degrees. They had a blast!

Dad and Hope built the snowman while Sonel came in for a "food refill". He thought it was pretty cool. He doesn't seem to mind the cold at all. Licia, I think you and your boys are sissy pants...how can you be cold in Haiti????

I forgot to add that we also put up our Christmas tree yesterday. I'll take a picture of the kids in front of it later. The only thing we tell Sonel about Christmas is, it's Jesus' birthday. I hope he doesn't get freaked out if he sees Santa in a store. I have a hard time sharing the wonder of Jesus' birth with Santa. That's just me.

Brenda

LOST ANOTHER TOOTH!

2008-11-16T17:38:00.000-08:00

Sonel was brushing his teeth before going to church this morning and when he spit, he spit out a TOOTH! Notice how his first tooth he lost is coming in already. My, how he is growing!

A FANTASTIC BOOK!!!!!

2008-11-07T20:25:00.000-08:00

I recently read a book called "The Shack" written by William Paul Young. It is a fiction book, even though you wonder if parts could be true. I haven't read any fiction since, well I can't remember when. I like to read things that are real, but I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone! It gives you a whole new perspective about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The last line on the back cover says "You'll want everyone you know to read this book"...how true! I bought 3 copies so I can pass them around to everyone. Please read this if you get a chance. It had a really spiritual impact on my life.
Brenda

SWIMIN' WITH THE FISH!

2008-11-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Sonel gave me a scare on Thursday. He was outside with dad and I was indoors. I heard a weird sound that sounded like one of our chickens dying! It was Sonel screaming (like a girl)! He fell into my pond! It's a little pond, about 14' x 10', and about 2 feet deep. I guess he was bending over and looking at the fish when he plopped right in. He went totally under! He was fine, freezing, but fine. It scared him to death though. After he was in a warm tub, we talked about it and I told him that he had fish poop in his hair. He laughed and told me that he went swimming with the fish. I don't expect him to be checking out the fish again, anytime soon. He was actually proud of his accomplishment and has bragged to every family member that he has seen so far.
The day before all of this drama...we went to the park for some photos and fun. Here are a few of Sonel, he always does such a good job of smiling for me. I haven't cut his hair since he has been here. I love his hair, but I don't know what to do with it. I don't want to cut it. I would love to make him some dreadlocks...cute ones like Will Smith's son's hair. I've looked on the Internet on how to deal with longer black hair, but I guess I'm going to have to break down and take him my hair salon. Does anybody have any suggestions?

GONE CAMPING!!!

2008-10-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

We went camping this past weekend. Here are a few pictures of our fun time.
Sonel had a blast playing in the leaves.

Hope jumping out of her swing.

I would love to make a puzzle out of this picture of Hope fishing.

Sonel seen Dr. DeHeer on Wednesday and Dr. DeHeer will make new splints for Sonel next month, which will continue to stretch his tendons so he will be able to walk more normally. I'm thrilled to say that Dr. DeHeer thinks Sonel needs to stay longer than Jan 27th for his feet to be how they NEED to be. Yeah! That means I will request that his medical visa be extended for 6 more months, which will be until July 27th. He will get to experience a very cold Indiana winter all the way through. Right now, he doesn't seem to mind our chilly weather. He tries to sneak outside all of the time...with out his jacket.

CHANGES

2008-10-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to tell everyone how Sonel is coming along in the American way of life. He has been here for 5 months and he almost speaks entirely in English. Sometimes I speak to him in Creole, just because I want to practice and not forget what I know. He asks for ice cream...every night! If you will remember, when he first tasted ice cream, he spit it out. He hated anything sweet. My how the tables have turned! He loves suckers with a passion, especially bubblegum suckers. Most Haitian kids HATE dogs. When Sonel first came to our house, he almost climbed up to the top of my husbands head when he seen our little black Scottish Terrier. Now he loves him. So much about Sonel has changed, especially how he looks. He looks like such a big boy, even though he is still in a size 3 toddler in clothing. That's pretty small for a 5 year old. He was bald when he first came. I love his hair. It's pretty long when you pull it out. I'm not quite sure what to do with it, but I really don't want to cut it. He has been such a blessing and it has been such a privilege for my family to take care of him. We all love him.
Dustin, (my nephew), if you come home for Thanksgiving, let me know and you will get to meet him. He loves your mom's dog! (haha) You'll have to ask her about that.
Brenda

New P.J.s

2008-10-05T18:38:00.001-07:00

I bought these pajamas for Hope and Sonel to wear Christmas Eve, so they will be sooooo cute when I take movies of them Christmas morning. I wanted to make sure they fit, so I let them wear them tonight. These pictures show how Hope and Sonel get along. They have their moments, but most of the time is like this.

NO CASTS!!!

2008-09-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Dr. DeHeer decided that it would be better to make splints for Sonel to wear at night instead of casts all the time. I'm thrilled with that choice. Sonel still cried. He did get happy when they took them off, after they hardened. I kept telling him that he could wear his shoes and socks home. He wasn't so happy when we put them on tonight. His left foot started hurting and he complained for the next 2 hours. I gave him Tylonel, but he still complained. As I'm typing this blog (after midnight) he started crying. He didn't wake up, but I have a feeling I won't be getting a full nights sleep tonight. The splints are 90 degree angles. Dr. DeHeer said his feet do not have that much of an angle, so the splints are really pulling on his tendons. He also has to wear his shoes on the wrong feet. Of course that makes me look like a "stupid mom" in public. People probably think, "Can't she see his shoes are on the wrong feet!" My son used to suck a Nuk pacifier upside down. I'm sure people thought I was stupid then too. Here's a couple pictures at the Doc's office today.

This sweet lady is Marie. She is from Haiti. She visited our church this past Sunday and I found out that she works at Clarion North...that's where we meet Dr. DeHeer on Wednesdays. Sonel wouldn't look up for this picture. It's funny, she talks to him in Creole, but he won't say a word to her. I think he thinks that people that talk in Creole are going to take him back to Haiti. He has seen Lori and Charles twice since he's been with us and he doesn't say a word to them when they talk to him.

Notice the tears. We made a deal on the way to the Doctor that he would get a Happy Meal if he didn't cry. When the doctor came in, I said, "No crying" and he burst into tears! I assume this guy was training with Dr. DeHeer. He was holding the splint while it hardened.

Working on the second splint. He figured out it didn't hurt, so there was no more crying.

Even though it didn't hurt...he was NOT going to smile.

Trying not to smile...

Too late, he was pretty happy that they took the things off!

One last look at his feet by Doc. It was the first time Sonel hasn't cried as soon as he touched him. Dr. DeHeer even got to hear Sonel say a few words (he has never talked in front of him).

Too happy not to smile!

BIG NEWS!!! SONEL LOST A TOOTH!!!

2008-09-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sonel was helping Kenny pick apples, well I think Sonel was just eating apples, when he came rushing into the house with a problem. He yelled and yelled and when I came he said "Look". His tooth was just dangling. At first I thought I should call the dentist, maybe they can save it. But I began thinking that he is 5 years old, maybe it's time to start losing teeth. Later, Sonel told me "My teeth hurt". I asked him if he wanted me to get it out and he said yes. I am such a chicken, there was no way. I have never pulled a child's tooth. As a child myself, I would wait until my teeth fell out all by them selves. I don't care if I could spin them around several times, nobody was touching them! My daughter came over later and she asked Sonel if he wanted her to pull his tooth and the rest is history. Here is his gorgeous picture to share with you.

SCRABBLE ANYONE?

2008-09-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I'll figure out how to blog properly. When I look at my preview, it looks fine, but when I post, it looks like a Scrabble game. Below, it says...Here are some pictures from the zoo, then it says...Hope and Sonel having fun..."Delight" enjoying the zoo...Sonel and Dad. When you scroll down, you'll see what I'm talking about.

NEWS FROM OUR DOCTOR VISIT

2008-09-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sonel's Doctor is the best! He had us meet with an orthopedic surgeon friend of his at the Hyatt in downtown Indianapolis. He was there giving a speech. He is from Pennsylvania. He examined Sonel's feet and knees and gave Dr. DeHeer his opinion of what further needs to be done for Sonel to walk properly. Sad to say, for Sonel, he has to be put in casts every week, starting Wednesday, to stretch his tendons because he isn't flexible at his ankles. Sonel doesn't understand what casts are, but as soon as I told him he couldn't wear shoes, he was sad. I told him he could still walk, but all he heard was "YOU CAN'T WEAR YOUR SHOES". He loves his boots. Sonel keeps telling me "Mm pa vlee casts." (I don't want casts) He is speaking so much English now, but he throws a couple Creole words with most of his sentences. I don't want him to forget his Creole, so I like to speak Creole with him some. I don't want to forget what I know either, because when I go back to Haiti I want to be able to talk with the kids. (The adults would probably think I'm nuts, if they heard me. )
Dr. DeHeer's girlfriend also came to meet Sonel at the Hyatt. She was very nice and we had a good chat. I want to thank God for leading us to Dr. DeHeer. He has such a giving heart and I pray that God blesses him for it.
Brenda

SOME ZOO PICS!

2008-09-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the zoo. I forgot to have somebody take my picture, so it looks like I wasn't there. Our daughter, Nikki, and her 6 week old baby, Delight, also went with us. On the way there I was cleaning my glasses and they broke in half! We had to stop and buy some J B Weld so I could make them hold together for the day. They ended up falling apart on the way home. It was perfect weather and we enjoyed the day so much.

Hope and Sonel having fun.

"Delight" enjoying the zoo.

Sonel and Dad.

GOING TO THE ZOO!

2008-09-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

We're going to the Ft. Wayne Zoo tomorrow. I should have lots of pictures. Sonel is afraid of every large animal. I don't care what it is. I hope he realizes that they can't get to him and enjoys himself. We had Sonel pull his pajama pants up real high and put Kenny's reading glasses on and told him to say "Did I do that"...I just about lost it! I will try my best to get him on video doing it. He always manages to clam up when I get the movie camera out. Later...Brenda

SOME CUTE PICS

2008-09-11T21:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while, so I thought I would post some pictures for you to enjoy. We went to the doctor this past Wednesday and we will be meeting Dr. DeHeer's orthopedic doctor friend on Sept. 20th in Indianapolis, so he can check out Sonel's hips and see if he can use further treatment. Sonel doesn't walk right. His feet are fine, it's his one hip that seems to not function right. It causes his right leg to flair out and his knee goes backward. We'll get him taken care of though. There are a lot of people that care about him, so between prayer and the good doctors, he'll be fine.

Sonel wasn't quite sure what to do with the beater, but Hope showed him and then he was a happy camper. He's adapting to sweets quite well. He loves ice cream now. He only eats a little each time, but he almost asks for it every night.

Doctor Visit

2008-08-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is Sonel and Hope showing off their visors they made today. How artistic!

This is Sonel feeling so proud of the puzzle he just did! Check out his cool high top shoes.

Sonel seen Dr. DeHeer on Wednesday. He has Sonel taking some Cortisone Rx for a few days to take down the swelling on his left foot. He seems to be slightly twisting his ankle, or something. He will just be walking and he sits down and cries and holds his foot. Today he did it again, I just rubbed it and put his shoe back on and he jumped up and started walking again. He may just get a cramp in it, I don't' know. Sonel seems to be walking a little differently than when he first started wearing shoes. His right leg seems to flair out to one side and his knee looks like it is bending backward. Dr. DeHeer wants Sonel to see an orthopedic doctor friend of his sometime in September. He thinks it looks like Sonel has a problem with his hip, which is why he walks a little funny. His friend will be speaking at a yearly meeting in Indianapolis at the Hyatt and he wants me to take Sonel there, to see him. God is so good. He just puts the right people in our paths. Dr DeHeer also asked me if I could take Sonel to his son's third grade class to meet the kids. I'm excited about it, but I'm sure Sonel will act all shy, at first anyway. I think this doctor visit is the first time Dr. DeHeer seen Sonel smile and act happy. He is a beautiful child, but it takes a little while before he gets used to new people. I'm so grateful to be a part of his life.

Brenda

Trouble with LEFT foot

2008-08-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Sonel is having a problem with his left ankle. It's the one he hurt the other day. He will just be walking along and he sits down bawling and grabbing his foot. I think he is twisting it somehow. He wears high top shoes, but I've kept his walking boot on his left foot for a couple days for extra support (his ankle can't bend in the boot). I'm going to call Dr. DeHeer tomorrow and I'll keep you posted on what he says.

DOING BETTER

2008-08-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Sonel is much better this morning! Praise God! I think he must have hit his shin. I can move his foot in circles and flex it and it doesn't bother him. That was a big scare for me. Thank God it isn't his foot. He didn't want to walk this morning, but he's now walking everywhere. Thank you for those of you who had time to pray. (I posted pretty late last night.)
Brenda

Please Pray for Sonel

2008-08-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Sonel fell down yesterday and he refuses to walk on his left leg. He actually fell off of a ramp onto the deck. I can't figure out what he did for sure, because I can't ask him in detail and I don't think he would even know what he did. He was just crying and sitting on the deck. I think he just stepped off of the ramp, which would be about a foot drop. There is no swelling, no bumps, I can't tell if there is a bruise because he is so dark. He says his shin hurts. It's not his foot, but from his foot up his leg. I will wait and see how he is doing in the morning before I make a call. I know there is nothing that God cannot do! Please help me pray that God will touch him and he will get back on his feet.
Thank you so much...Brenda

NO MORE BOOTS!!

2008-08-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Great news from Dr. DeHeer. Sonel can wear shoes from now on...no more boots! Dr. DeHeer couldn't find ankle braces small enough for Sonel, so he will be wearing high top shoes for ankle support. This video is us leaving after our Doctor visit. Sonel is a little wobbly, but I'm sure he will improve everyday. He is really starting to pick up on the English. Today he said "I'm hungry". Usually he speaks Creole, since Hope and I can understand him. He still says "Wi" all the time for "yes".

Isn't he the cutest little guy?

SONEL'S 5TH BIRTHDAY

2008-08-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sonel turned 5 on Wednesday! He couldn't wait to blow out his candles. He hasn't yet tasted his cake...it's too sweet for him. He has started eating ice cream though. Here's a couple of videos. I wish I could get him to talk more, but he get's really shy when the camera comes on. Can you tell how much he has grown???!!!

TOO BUSY TO BLOG

2008-08-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

A few hours after my last post, my daughter, Nikki, went into labor to have her first baby. WELL...it was certainly an ordeal! God was certainly with her as one thing after another happened. Long story short, she had to have a C-section. I was able to be in the surgery room (at the foot of the table) along with her husband, Sam, at her head. Nikki had to be put to sleep right after surgery started, because she was "feeling" the surgery. Then, the baby's head was stuck in the birth canal. The doctor worked so hard to get it out...it seemed like 5 minutes, but it was probably less than 2 minutes. It was so scary because all I could see was my daughter bleeding everywhere, while he's working to get the baby out. When the baby was born, it looked lifeless, as the nurses rushed to the baby, they told us that we had to leave the room. We just cried out to GOD as we waited. HE IS FAITHFUL!!! After about 5 minutes, they said we could go back in and we heard and saw a beautiful baby girl!! Delight Nicole Pier, 7 lbs 5 oz. She is gorgeous! Nikki had to be in ICU due to blood loss, but she is doing great now. They are home and all I can do is PRAISE GOD for His mighty hand in all of it.

Tomorrow is Sonel's birthday, so we will have a fun day making his cake and decorating it. I will have pictures and maybe a video. He is excited about blowing out his candles. He has experienced 3 birthday's for others, while here, so he knows about the candle blowing!

Brenda

GOOD NEWS !

2008-07-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor yesterday. Dr. DeHeer said 2 more weeks in the "boots" and then he is going to try to find a very small ankle brace that he can wear in a shoe. If he can't find one small enough, he said we could buy high top shoes for him to wear! It will be the first time in his life to wear shoes! Sonel is really getting into "showing off", I mean walking for people. I have some exercises I have to do with Sonels feet to break down scar tissue, so that he will have more mobility in his ankles. Dr. DeHeer is leaving on Sunday to go to Haiti for one week. He will be doing surgery on people with club feet...changing their lives. God bless Dr. DeHeer!

LOOK AT ME!!!

2008-07-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

I took these videos with my digital camera and I couldn't figure out how to combine the two of them. He is a little show off.

HANDSOME LITTLE MAN!

2008-07-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

A few pictures I took today. What a cutie.

HE'S WALKING!!!

2008-07-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Sonel hasn't wanted to walk, since he can crawl everywhere with out all of the effort that walking, while holding my hands, takes. When holding my hands, he would pull down on them and walk bent over. I would pinch his butt, he would laugh and straighten up for a while. He has to wear metal walking boots that don't bend at the ankle, so it's like walking in ski boots. Last night I went to my son's church. They have a "healing service" once a month, at my age...I can use all the help I can get. Sonel and I went up to be prayed for. Well, about 3 hours ago, while at my daughter's house, I was walking Sonel around. I had him let go of my hands and go about 3 steps by himself, to the couch. He did really well. He wanted to do it again. We all cheered like crazy. He was walking on his own! Then he just started walking all over the house!!! His balance was really good. He didn't wobble like I thought he would. I give all the glory to God for Sonel being able to walk alone, on his first try. He didn't have to work at it. And he never walked at all while holding onto furniture. Now, he is so excited to walk everywhere. He is even looking forward to showing the doctor on Wednesday (he asked me if we could go 'now')! When we said bed time prayers, Sonel smiled the whole time as we thanked God that he could walk. Before I left his room Sonel said "Mommy, mache!" Which is "Mommy, walk!" He had the biggest grin on his face. I will have a video of him walking tomorrow, I promise! Thank you Dr. DeHeer, for changing Sonel's life...thank you Jesus, for changing his life, in an instant. I think he is realizing that Dr. DeHeer didn't just make his feet hurt, but he made them better. I asked him if he was going to tell the doctor "thank you" for fixing his feet and he said "yes". He is such a joy to our family.
Brenda

Mini-Vacation

2008-07-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we went on our short trip. It was fun, but if I never return to King's Island ever again, it wouldn't bother me. I'm not into rides. I would have loved to seen some shows, but we went on a Monday, so I guess they didn't have very much scheduled. The water park was the best part of the day. I didn't take my camera in the water, so I have no pictures of what we did. But it was very fun and refreshing on such a hot day. Sonel and Hope went down small water slides and we all floated down a "lazy river". I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures, but take note of our 'tie dyed shirts' we made for the trip. Everyone was dripping wet in the first picture, because they had to run through a water maze.

WE'RE TAKING A TRIP!

2008-07-19T14:02:00.000-07:00

I won't be blogging for the next few days because we're going on a short trip (vwayaj). We're leaving tomorrow after church to go to Ohio. We will be going to King's Island on Monday and the Creation Museum on Tuesday. We also will visit a castle built by one man, alone. It's in Loveland, Ohio. I should have lots of good pics when we return.

Brenda

2008-07-15T20:42:00.001-07:00

Sonel is doing pretty good with his walking...but he doesn't want to do it. He gets around so well crawling, why walk. His legs are really weak, so I know it takes a lot of effort for him. As far as his feet go, they look so good! All of the incisions are healed and the swelling is gone.
Our latest pictures are of Sonel and Hope having their "hair done" by my daughter Nikki. (Nikki is due to have her first baby in 2 weeks!) Then we have a picture of Sonel playing with a little voice recorder. Notice the cool Jesus tatoo?

2008-07-06T22:20:00.001-07:00

Sonel has experienced a lot of new things over the last few days. First, I took him a ride on my grandson's 4 wheeler, which he loved! Then he got to sit in a semi and blow it's horn! Then of course, he got to experience the 4Th of July! I think he pointed at all fireworks!

IT'S HANNAH MONTANA !!!!!!!

2008-06-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

This was so funny. Hope got this Hannah Montana wig for her birthday. I asked Sonel if he wanted to put it on and he said "Yes". All the little girls were laughing at him like crazy. I took a picture of him and when I showed him, he had a shocked look on his face and threw the wig off as fast as he could! I laughed so hard! I talked my grandson into letting me take a picture of him in the wig too, so Sonel wouldn't be so embarrassed.

HOPE'S 10TH BIRTHDAY PARTY !!

2008-06-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

These are the kids at Hope's party. (Hope is in the yellow shirt). This was probably the first time Sonel experienced anything like this. He can sing "Happy Birthday" pretty good. My birthday is in 2 weeks and then my Mom's birthday...then Sonel's birthday. He will be a pro at the birthday song by then. I plan on having a party for him too. I hope he's walking by his birthday (Aug 6th).

Here are a couple "COOL" pictures of Sonel. One "takin' it easy" in the pool, and the other picture of him on Papa's motorcycle.

Look at the change

2008-06-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or can you see how much Sonel has changed since he's gotten here? Look at his picture at the left in the orange shirt. This was taken as he left Haiti. In all of my pictures, he looks like he's lost his "baby fat". He looks like such a big boy to me! He has hair too, which I love! It's little ringlets. It's adorable.

BORED!

2008-06-25T21:07:00.001-07:00

I've been out of commission for a few days. I had about 10 different side effects to a pneumonia shot...it was horrible, but I'm doing better now. Sonel has 2 more weeks with no walking, then he gets to put his weight on his feet and try walking. That will be exciting! Here are a couple of pictures of Sonel trying to entertain himself, while at the 4H fair. Hope was clogging, and she had to stay and clog for 1 hour as part of her 4H project.

2008-06-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

2008-06-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

2008-06-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

I can't resist putting in a picture of Hope clogging. She is the smallest girl in the photo. This is her first year and she got an award for being the "most improved" beginner. Yeah Hope!

2008-06-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

GOING FOR A SWIM

2008-06-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Her are some pics of Sonel in a little pool. He loved it. LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL FEET!

A GOOD DAY!

2008-06-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today was great. Sonel did not complain once about his legs aching. He never once asked for the heating pad, which was used several times a day. He had a bath first thing this morning. When I removed everything from his feet, he was a little worried. When I sat him in the tub, he tried to hold his feet and legs out of the water. I had to push them in the water and tell him "It's OK, the doctor said it was OK". After that he enjoyed himself. It was soooo hard getting the boots back on. Everything sticks to everything! Their is velcro everywhere. I had to figure out how to cover the velcro and pull the covers off after his foot was in the brace. I think it actually came with something to cover the velcro with, but it didn't get sent home with me. His feet have to be in the boots ALL day and ALL night for 3 weeks. He doesn't seem to mind. He's a pretty happy fellow.
Lori, I know I need to teach him English, but I love to speak in Creole with him. Hope can speak quite a bit of Creole. One thing Sonel has learned in English...he says "poop" now!

2008-06-17T20:00:00.001-07:00

This picture is of Sonel opening the rest of his gifts from the SunShine Box. It certainly brought some happiness to his day.

2008-06-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Final "minor" Surgery

2008-06-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Sonel's suture and rod removal was really quick. He has walking boots now. He's not allowed to walk in them yet. He will wear them for 3 weeks, then he can put weight on his feet. He thinks he had a terrible surgery today, just like last time. He has cried a lot today because he thinks the doctor "hurt" his feet again. The boots are heavy, so he thinks he's in pain when he tries to move them, because it's harder than yesterday. Dr. DeHeer said all of the infection in his right heel has healed up. Tomorrow I can take everything off of his feet and put him in the bath tub! He will love it. He managed to give me a few good smiles today...

2008-06-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

In case Hickory Grove Church is wondering what happened to the rest of Sonel's presents...we're saving them for a reward after he gets the pins out of his feet. I will take the gifts with us, so he can open them in the van.

2008-06-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

Sonel is somewhat better. He doesn't cry with his foot, but he protects it at all times from being bumped. We go tomorrow to get his pins out and maybe he will get a shot of antibiotics to help him out. Here are some pictures of Sonel playing. The reason his foot is wrapped in saran wrap and masking tape...I was spraying the garage floor and him and Hope enjoyed getting splattered.

OUCH !

2008-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Sonel is having trouble with his right foot. He's on an antibiotic, but the hole where the rod came out is still draining pus. He is very protective of it. He did have "red shoes" this time, but I talked to the doctor today and he said it was OK for me to unwrap his foot and put peroxide and iodine on it. So now he has a red and blue foot. I'll post some pictures later today.

GOOD NEWS AT THE DOCTOR

2008-06-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

This doctor visit was very rough for Sonel. He actually started crying about it, the day before. He knew we were going somewhere today and remembered it was time for a doctor visit. He cried a lot today...in preparation for the visit. I thought maybe if I unwrapped his feet, instead of the doctor, he wouldn't cry so much...not so. He bawled a lot. When the doctor came in, Sonel squalled so loud, Hope asked if she could go back out in the waiting room. When the doctor unwrapped the final gauze, I could see why he was dreading anyone touching his feet. When the final piece of bandage came off, pus poured out of his right heel. The steel rod had worked it's way upward under his skin and caused it to get infected. The same with the other foot, but it wasn't infected. Since the rods were loose, they were not doing their job, so the doctor pulled them both out. It wasn't painful for Sonel, but he was pretty terrified just by seeing it. The rods looked to be about 6-7 inches long! The "good news" is that next Tuesday Sonel will be put to sleep and the other rods will be removed, along with his sutures. THEN Sonel will be able to take a bath and get in a swimming pool!!! He will love that! He still won't be able to walk for 3 more weeks (which is 6 weeks sooner than the original plan). He will wear walking boots after the rod removals. I'm so excited to watch the progress in Sonel's recovery. Everyday is always better than the last. God is so GOOD!

Monday and Tuesday's gifts from the Sunshine Box

2008-06-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sonel is getting spoiled rotten, if he's not already there. I make sure he sees that the gifts are getting less each day. I don't want him thinking that he automatically gets a gift every morning. But, he is loving it!

Sunday and Monday's gifts

2008-06-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

He has been one happy camper!

Oops!

2008-06-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

I forgot to show you his second gift and his Haiti picture.

VISITORS

2008-06-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we had a visit from two lovely ladies, Pat and Pam, and Pats two grand daughters, Carrigan and Destiny. They came to see Sonel. Pat and Pam were at the Rescue Center where Sonel was, in Haiti, this past January and loved Sonel. When they found out he was close to them, they decided to come for a visit. They brought a "Sunshine Box" with them. It was a box filled with gifts, for Sonel, from people from their church. The object is to open one gift a day. Well, we cheated right off the bat. He opened two the first day! After I hid them in my bedroom and he wasn't looking at them, he was OK. The next morning, he pointed to my room and asked for a toy (smart boy!). I'm going to post his gifts each day. Thank you everyone from Hickory Grove Church, in Delphi, IN, for making Sonel a little more "spoiled" ! It's so fun to do. The last picture is Sonel holding a picture of himself that was taken by the Hickory Grove team, while in Haiti. Sonel has been doing so good. He has leg aches, at the top of his legs, but the only complaint about his feet is that they itch!

Lookin' good!

2008-06-07T04:41:00.000-07:00

Here is Sonel with his new "BLUE SHOES". He wont' be near as hot with his feet wrapped like this. Before Sonel's feet were wrapped back up, I washed his legs and put lotion on them. He loved it. He still cried when he seen the doctor. He cries a lot when he first sees his feet. They are kind of scary looking. On the way back home, Sonel started saying "sins swy", over and over. I asked Hope if she had any idea what he was trying to say and she said he wants "french fries"! We're working on pronouncing that a little better. He also calls a cheeseburger a "shees bagay". Bagay is a Creole word meaning "thing". He has been so much fun. He is no longer on any Morphine, PRAISE GOD for that. He was like a little zombie and never wanted to eat, while taking it.

Our next doctor visit should be a good one. Dr. DeHeer's kids and his girlfriend's kids are wanting to meet Sonel, so they are going to try to be at his next appt. Dr. DeHeer has such a good heart. He was going to go to China and perform surgery on the earthquake victims, but the Chinese government said "NO". I pray that God will bless his life for all he is doing for others.

BEST DAY YET

2008-06-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today was fantastic. Sonel was in such a good mood...all day...with NO morphine. He and Hope squirted each other most of the day with squirt guns. We even put garbage bags on his legs to keep them dry. We went to church this morning. He loves when I ask him if he wants to go to "legliz"(church), I always get a big "WI" ("yes"). I know he has a lot of memories of singing songs to Jesus from the Rescue Center. He has sang songs ever since he's gotten here. (Licia and Lori...he'll sing about going outside, it's so cute, he always adds a lot of "yo,yo, yo's" to the end. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.) He also laughed so much today. It was good to hear that again.
Brenda

FEELING BETTER

2008-05-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Sonel is doing much better, which means...I've been getting more sleep!!! The last 2 nights have been wonderful. He has only woke up once each night! I'm up for quite a while, but only once is great. I might even sleep in my bed tonight. Sonel and I have been sleeping on our two couches in the living room. Yesterday, he discovered my grand daughter's laptop. I got out a couple of "toddler" educational CD's and he played for about 3 hours without stopping! He was so busy, he never cried once with his legs hurting. If he keeps it up, he should be learning to count and say his abc's before long! He is using his finger on the laptop, instead of a mouse and he is pretty good!

I would like to tell everyone who comments on my blog...I love to read your comments. When I have a little extra time, I also visit your blogs.

First Doctor Visit After Surgery

2008-05-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

Of course, Sonel cried. Once he figured out that the doctor wasn't going to hurt him, he was OK. He absolutely loves this old digital camera. It gets his mind off of his feet (I love that). I took the first picture of Sonel and Hope (my 9 year old grand daughter) took the other two. She is my aspiring photographer. This is her first year in 4-H and she's doing "Photography" this year. I'll let you know how it goes for her. The picture shows the rods sticking out of his ankles and the bottom of his heels. They will be in his feet for 3 months. Then we will be in for a "new adventure". The nights are getting better. I'm getting pretty darn fast at getting the wheel chair out of the van and getting him loaded. I think I'm building up some muscles in the process, that thing is heavy!

Getting through the rough part

2008-05-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

Sonel has had a rough time of it. The first night, I didn't sleep a wink. The next two nights weren't too bad, I woke up every three hours with him. The morphine wears off then and he wakes right up, crying. His little toes are so swollen. I keep ice on him most of the day, but he is totally miserable. No matter how he feels, he always wants to go outside if you ask him. He does have a few minutes each day where he is a happy (Pic 2). I can't wait to get through this week and get his bandages off, so he can breathe, even if it's just for a few minutes. Sometimes it's hard to see the good, when you're going through rough times, but in the end, God will work a beautiful miracle. I've seen it in my life and I'm waiting for the beautiful miracle in Sonel's life.

Brenda

2008-05-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Sonel before surgery and after. When we first got to the surgery center, the staff had bought Sonel a bag full of toys! He was a happy camper until we went back and had to change his clothes. He knew something was up when I put him on the bed. He started crying so the nurses gave him all the band aids he wanted, to play with. Dr. DeHeer even took pictures of Sonel and all his band aids. Surgery was about 2 hours long. Dr. DeHeer came out and showed me a picture, on his camera, of Sonel's feet...his STRAIGHT feet! They have steel rods sticking out of his heels (ouch!), but they looked so good. He was in a lot of pain, but once it was under control, he slept all the way home, THANK YOU JESUS. Tonight will be a long night, I'm sure, but it will be worth some sleepless nights (for me) to get to see him walk. I want to thank everyone for your prayers.

Brenda

Sonel's Shoes

2008-05-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sonel was so excited when I bought him some Spider Man sandals. I told him the doctor is going to make his feet look like mine, then he could wear his shoes. He got up yesterday morning and wanted to go to the doctor, right then, so he could wear his shoes. Little does he know what he's in for. Please pray for him. He has surgery tomorrow at noon. He won't be able to walk for 3 months, while he has rods in his heels and ankles.

SURGERY SET

2008-05-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

The surgeon just called and said he has a cancellation this Friday, so Sonel will be having surgery Friday at noon. If you think about him, say a prayer for him.

A reporter and photographer are coming to our house tomorrow to do a story about Sonel's journey. They want to do three stories...before, during and after. The photographer asked if he could go into the surgery room and take pictures and the surgeon said yes. I'm so thrilled to get to tell about the rescue center and medical clinic. I'm going to insist they put the blog addresses in the article. I hope this will be a good avenue for more people to find out about the work in Haiti. I will post the web address for the paper when the articles come out.

Here is a picture of Sonel giving a "go ahead" for surgery. (He has no idea what he's in for!)

By God's perfect grace, we will be just fine.

2008-05-15T14:17:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would be posting everyday, but...I'm a much busier "mom" than I used to be. Sonel has stopped asking for rice at mealtimes now. I think he enjoys trying new things. Yesterday we had tacos and he loved them. He's also getting used to having 3 meals a day. At first, he wanted to "eat"...as soon as he finished a meal. I don't know if he thought he might not get anymore for the day or what.
Lori, Charles and Zach were at our church this past Sunday. They live/work at the Medical Clinic/Rescue Center where Sonel came from. I thought he would be thrilled to see and talk to someone that could speak Creole (better than me), but he was shocked to see them. He became totally serious, no smiling at all. I think he feared that they had come to take him. Lori kept assuring him that she had just come to visit him. It will be so hard to take him back, but I don't want to think about that right now.
I'm posting a video of Sonel eating spaghetti. I don't feed him this much. I can't believe that he actually ate it. Listen in the end. I ask him if he wants a banana when he is finished.

Doctor Visit

2008-05-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

Sonel loves it when you tell him he's going to the doctor. He gets all excited. We went to see the surgeon and he was fine. The doctor started removing his socks to look at his feet and he started crying and he cried the whole time! Dr. D was going to try to put cast on his feet for several weeks, but after seeing Sonel's feet, he decided to just go for the surgery. He said his feet were to rigid for the casts to do any good. Sonel will have pins in his heels and ankles for 3 months...which means "no walking" for 3 months! THAT will be hard! While on our doctor visit, we also stopped by a business that is donating a pediatric wheel chair for us to use. It's so cute...it's purple! I am amazed at the generosity of everyone. I am amazed at how God works on our behalf. If He sees every sparrow that falls...He sure knows our every need. Thank you JESUS!
Brenda

2008-05-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Sonel LOVES to have his picture taken...here are a few.

BATH TIME

2008-05-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

(I forgot to hit spell check, sorry about the mistakes.) I also forgot the "first warm bath" picture. He's much better about wearing a seat belt and shopping. We went rummage selling today and he had a lot of practice with the seat belt (he thinks he's fastening it by himself). I'm getting pretty darn good with my Creole. Adults that speak it, can't understand me, but Sonel can...that's all that matters.

DAY THREE

2008-05-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

This was my first impression of Sonel. Lori and Charles were moving so the pic is blurry...but look how tiny he is! He wears a size 3T. He will be 5 years old on August 6th. We jsut wnt to the pediatrician this morning and he weighs 35 lbs. IT'S ALL BELLY!! I have a wonderful praise to God. The doctor does not think he has an enlarged heart! He is taking Sonel's xray to a cardiologist to look at and he will let me know what he thinks later.

DAY TWO

2008-05-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

We are in love with Sonel! Everybody that meets him, loves him. He just melts your heart with his beautiful smile. This is what I know so far about Sonel...he doesn't like seat belts, he's "bored" with shopping, he gets sad real fast if he is told "no", he freaks out when he sees our dog or outdoor cats, he refuses to drink milk, he does NOT understand the word "share", he's not to fond of sweets (not a bad thing), and he has taught me a couple of Creole words. I'm amazed that he understands me. So far we are all having a blast. He calls me Mama and Kenny, Papa. He started that on his own, I think because he hears Hope call me Mom. He calls Hope, "Whoop". Every time the phone rings, he says "Jennifer". She's my daughter in law and he has talked to her on the phone a couple of times. It's crazy, he has only been at our house for 2 days and he fits in so well, it feels like he's been here for a long time. Tomorrow he sees our pediatrician and were hitting a huge rummage sale on the way home. It should be a fun day. I'll try to get pictures posted tomorrow. I will get a video posted soon.
Brenda

LEAVING THE AIRPORT

2008-04-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sonel was pretty serious looking when we started to leave. Here he was, in the presence of nothing but strangers. Then my 26 year old son started making funny noises and Sonel smiled so big and melted our hearts. The ride home was filled with laughter. Sonel would repeat everything you said. Then, he thought he was pretty dog gone funny. We were totally entertained all the way home. He looks small, but he is sooooo heavy. I know enough Creole to actually communicate with him...shocker! He actually answers me when I ask him a question! He is a sweet doll baby. He is totally freaked out by our dog. We have a black Scottish Terrier. This is going to be such a wonderful adventure for my family. I will be putting a video on the blog tomorrow of Sonel riding the Plasma Car. Lori told me that he usually goes to bed at 8:00pm, but he finally fell asleep here, at 11:45, after a little whining. I can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

Brenda

Sonel's Journey

2008-04-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Sonel is from Haiti. He is 4 years old and has 2 club feet and an enlarged heart. He will be coming to the US this Tuesday (April 29) and staying with me and my family. A wonderful surgeon has agreed to donate his talents to get Sonel walking. I want to record Sonel's journey for people to read and hopefully be blessed by this little guy. I'm a photographer, so there will not be a shortage of pictures to share, I promise! The pictures here were sent from Haiti.

Brenda