Cheri Kay in Haiti

9 months home!

2009-12-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated 9 months home from Haiti. How did we do this you may ask????? By not even getting out of our jammies!!!!! The kids and I had a day at home just hanging out! We watched movies, painted some arts and crafts, read books, colored, I cleaned a little bit, we ate snacks, and just played! We also looked at pictures of the kids from when they were little babies! I am still amazed at their journey so far and how little they once were! They enjoy seeing themselves and hopefully as we do this every now and then it'll leave a nice open and safe place for them to talk about adoption and ask any questions they may have. I'm so blessed to be chosen to be their mommy and to be allowed to be a part of their lives. Needless to say, yesterday was wonderful. IT WAS AWESOME! I am so thankful for all that the Lord has blessed me with and continues to bless me every day!

My tough guy!

2009-12-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

So, please forgive the no sound, old school video...but here is a bit of my man punching the punching bag today! Unfortunately, my camera is very old, takes not so great pics, and has no sound on the video, but at least something is better than nothing right now!!!! Jaryse had fun punching this thing for over 25 minutes! His little giggles were just priceless!!!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas......

2009-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

And we are loving it!!!!! Granted, there is no snow here in Los Angeles, but our house is decorated, the kids are wearing their santa hats, stores everywhere have things up, houses are lit up with lights, radio stations are playing Christmas music, and this little family is just so excited to spend Christmas in MI with the family!!!!!! Every day I am thankful for every minute I get with my children! They amaze me! I love love love watching their eyes gleam with all the newness of the States and with all that they are learning and experiencing! I'm so blessed by them!

There's really nothing interesting to report, just weeks full of school, homework, family time, gymnastics time, ballet time, house cleaning, bike rides, park, hangin' out with friends and somewhere in there we all sleep! Both kids are doing well in school. Jaryse is having issues with runny noses and coughing, they come and go and come and go! There is no other real symptom, just a little cough. Dr. Ed told me that they'd get sick because they hadn't been exposed to the things here in the States. I was prepared. But, they didn't seem to be getting sick, up until just the last month. Jaryse actually had his first ever ear infection a few weeks ago. It was quite painful, but he was such a trooper. He had some drainage out of his ear for a couple days, and then the first morning that there wasn't he got out of bed and came up to me and told me "Momma, my ear didn't drool last night!" It was too cute!! He healed up nicely from his ear infection and seems to be on the mend from his latest cold.

Ecrissa is doing well. She didn't get the ear infection and hasn't really even gotten a cold! She's a strong kid that little Miss E!!!! She is learning so much and is really beginning to interact and tell stories in ASL and is able to more and more interact with the world around her! It's so fun. Of course, along with that comes a bit of testing! Throughout our time together, with each major growth spurt and milestone, Ecrissa tests her limits and boundaries! She can be a hand full. She is sorta in another testing phase right now. I think because her language has exploded and she has learned so much about herself, the world around her and how to communicate, she has decided to just see exactly what that all means for her boundaries! It's hard on me, but I try to remember, that these really are positive steps for her as she learns and grows. And, as long as I stay strong and loving, it is good for her and I as well. She learns through each one of her phases that Momma is strong and consistent and loves her no matter what! This is really what she wants and what she desperately needs. To know that I love her enough to maintain appropriate boundaries consistently! She is a happy and fun loving little girl that is such a joy to me.....even during hard times!!!! :) Watching her grow and learn through these times of testing is really quite amazing. Sometimes distressing, but always amazing!

I am loving my life. I'm fully exhausted by the end of each and every day, but I wouldn't change my life for the World! Thank you Jesus for blessing me with this life. The ups, the downs, the laughter, the tears, and all the positives and the negatives. It is such a wonderful life!

Um...no time to think of a title...

2009-12-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

I'm super tired!!! LOL!!! We have been so busy....doing what......well.....basically when we are not in school, working, or at a doctors appointment, or ballet or gymnastics, or church, or doing homework we are hanging out!!! I have tried to make our "family time" more family and less computer!!! So, when the kids are watching a movie, so is Mommy. Mommy is not updating status on facebook, or updating the blog, or whatever, the computer is down and Mommy is hanging with the kids and all three hang out! That's been good for the three of us, but bad for keeping up with emails, blogs, pictures, etc!!!

We had a very restful Thanksgiving! We did NOTHING!!!! I know, sorta un-American to not eat a turkey dinner, but, that's just fine by me! Jaryse wanted donuts, so we walked to the donut shop together and all got donuts for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, then took a bike ride to the park in the afternoon. It was wonderful! We laid around on the couch, read books, colored, and did a little cleaning up. It was a wonderful weekend of NOTHING! Exactly what the three of us needed!

Life here is moving forward and we are looking forward to going back to MI for Christmas! We put up our Christmas tree the week before Thanksgiving and have been very happy to plug it in every night. The kids love it and I am enjoying every one of their smiles as they enjoy the Christmas decorations.

Well, just a short post to update you a bit. Hopefully, I'll get some pics soon, but I won't apologize this time, as the time spent with my munchkins has been well worth it!!!! I'm one lucky Momma and so grateful for all that I've been blessed with!

Loving life, moving forward, and thrilled to be a mom!!!

2009-11-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

Life is about to get very interesting for this little princess! I am pleased to announce that we got to finally schedule the Cochlear Implant Surgery for Ecrissa!!!! After lots of tests to be sure that she is a medical candidate and has the potential to benefit from this surgery, it was scheduled for January 13 2010!!! YAY!!! I am happy, excited, and a bit nervous too! I know that this is going to be a trying time for all of us. She'll be going through some pain, lots of adjustments, lots of therapy, and all sorts of new experiences. I am so excited for her, yet I know that it's not going to be an easy road, especially at first!

These two previous pictures were taken before her little ballet performance that she was so privileged to be a part of. SHE. LOVED. IT!!!! Her ballet group got to perform at the intermission of a ballroom dance competition and she had so much fun on stage performing in front of all those people! She is NOT shy!!!! She came out skipping, waving and bowing way before it was time to bow!!! LOL!!! She is full of energy and she loves to dance!

Jaryse refuses to admit that he's tired. Then........he conks out in the funniest positions, like sitting up!!!!! He refused to take a nap the other day, then 2 minutes later, I found him sitting up on the couch where he was watching the movie that I had put in for Ecrissa, sound asleep! He's so funny!!!!

Same with the picture below! We had been home for him to take a nap. He kept telling me he was NOT tired, and he did not fall asleep. Until we were at Ecrissa's ballet performance, in which he must have decided was not worth watching and he again, slept sitting up!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week! It's been a great one for us! Some how this week we've had time to chill on the couch together and we've not been running around like crazy people, but the weird thing is, that I've actually worked more this week than some weeks that seemed much crazier! I think it's my new commitment to not being perfect!!!! Read the previous post if you are confused! But, seriously, I really have allowed myself to slow down, live life and just be still at times! It is so nice! But, if you want to pee in a perfectly clean toilet, DON'T come to my house right now! But, if you want to hang out on the couch and color and read bedtime stories, or watch a movie with some popcorn, come on over!!!!

My new goal.

2009-11-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

Set forth from this day forward I will strive to .......................... NOT BE PERFECT.

Yep, that's it. That's my new goal. I am going to strive to not be perfect. To stop living each day as if I can somehow be it all in all and doing all and knowing all and doing all and all the all's that I just can't do! I am tired of trying to be so perfect in my life, that I live in frustration that somehow I'm letting my perfectly wonderful children down. I want to leave my house a mess for a day so that I can sit on my son's bed and read stories with him and his sister----WITHOUT feeling guilty for it. I want to forget that there is laundry to do so that I can take the kids for a bike ride and NOT FEEL bad about leaving the laundry. I can't do both! So, when it comes to choosing, I'm choosing my kids AND no guilt. Usually I choose the kids PLUS guilt. I am going to stop multi-tasking (to the best of my ability) so that I can enjoy making dinner and giving my kids a bath. I love my life and I am going to stop trying to be the perfect mother and just be the perfect imperfect mother that I am. And, I am going to love every imperfect minute of it!!!!

Today, I am setting the goal of accepting me. The perfectly imperfect me.

Another First!!!

2009-10-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, my little community workers went Trick-or-Treating!!!! In Haiti, we didn't celebrate Halloween or really even mention it. Since there is so much Voodou in that country, Halloween is not a holiday that I paid any attention too. Here in the States though, Halloween didn't feel evil to me. Not like I would feel during "all saints and all soul's day" in Haiti. So, the kids and I had a blast tonight! We went to my friends house and had dinner and then we did some trick or treating around their neighborhood.

This was not only a first for the kids, but a first for me! I had never TAKEN kids trick or treating! I remember being a kid trick or treating, but I've never been on the "mommy" side of it! It was so fun! The smiles on their faces were AWESOME! I did notice a couple of things though.

1. When I went trick or treating in Michigan, we were FREEEEEEEZing and it seemed like it ALWAYS rained! Tonight here in LA was a perfect temperature for a long sleeve shirt/sweatshirt and it was a full moon with a beautiful sky and no rain!

2. Since living in Haiti, I haven't done a lot of walking around in the dark. I still find myself home before dark and not really leaving after dark. So weird! I know it's much safer here than it was in Haiti, but, it has become a habit. It was kinda nice walking around the neighborhood and not feeling an overwhelming sense of fear. We really enjoyed ourselves.

The kids had a blast yesterday at school with their Halloween parade and trick or treating in the classroom as well. Both were very happy and excited when I picked them up from school.

And this little Princess Surgeon won "Most Creative Costume" for the First Grade! Go Ecrissa!

Ecrissa also lost her other top tooth today! That is always a bit traumatic for her, but she thinks it's pretty cool when it finally comes out!

They each ended this day with a HUGE plastic pumpkin chucked full to the top with candy and treats! What an awesome life God has blessed me with!

Carving pumpkins!

2009-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

This morning, Jaryse and Ecrissa carved pumpkins for the first time. Ecrissa wasn't sure she liked touching that slimy inside stuff, but Jaryse had a blast!

The pumpkin is wearing one of Mr. Potato Head's hats!!!! Good thing Mr. Potato Head doesn't mind sharing!

We've had a restful couple of days. We skipped out on extra stuff this weekend and mostly just stayed home. We ran one errand that took less than an hour and took a short trip to the park. Other than that, we stayed at home. We've played dress up, painted, watched movies, colored, read books, carved pumpkins, and basically just laid around and did not a whole lot! It's been nice! I think we'll all be rested to tackle the week ahead of us!

Grateful

2009-10-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a week of reflection for me. After finally making it home from Haiti with my two amazing children, getting the kids enrolled in school, finding work, dealing with and finally coming to the end of the bulk of the doctors visits, and trying to make a schedule for the three of us that is looking at least similar from one week to the next.....sorta.....I have finally had a chance to think and reflect.

What have I discovered? I'm not sure!!! I am still discovering feelings that I have had and haven't had the brain capacity to realize that I've had through all of this!

It was 9 months ago today that we finally got the last signature that we needed and had been waiting for over 17 months to receive! At that point, without even processing my previous feelings of despair and depression, I was onto the highest level of elation possible to mankind!!!

Then, we made it home and have had so much on our plate that I haven't even thought of me and my adjustment. I know I've not adjusted well. I've been very stressed and anxious. Scared. Scared mostly of failing my kids. Scared of not being perfect. Scared of not being able to help people here the way I was able to help and serve others in Haiti. I've been reflecting on all of that this week. Usually my brain gets so overwhelmed that I find something else to do or think about because I just can't process all of it. But, what I realize, even though I still have a long way to go in terms of processing all of what has happened over the past 5 years from the very first trip to Haiti, beginning and end of the adoption, and up until now is that I am so very grateful!

I am grateful for my health. I'm so blessed by a working and functioning body and mind. I'm grateful for my opportunities that I've had my whole life. I was born and raised by my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I had siblings and cousins all around me. I never went hungry. I never went without a bed. I was clean and well cared for. I was (and still am) loved. I am grateful for my education. Many in the world don't even get one day of school let alone all the way through to a doctorate. I am grateful for my job. I am grateful for my church family. I am grateful for my children. When I look at them I see so clearly that they were not just born to be mine, but the reason that I was ever born was to be their mommy. I know God chose them for me and me for them before I was even born and that just blows me away! Lastly, as hard as it is, I am grateful for all that I have gone through. I am grateful for the hardships. They have taught me so much about God's love for me. Had I known 5 years ago all that I would have gone through I never would have considered taking that first trip to Haiti. Can you imagine?????? I can't. This is when I realize that God will tell us all that we can handle and He'll slowly reveal to us what we can handle. I am SO GRATEFUL for that! I can't imagine my life without the two amazing people that truly complete me. This is what I am holding to now. I keep reminding myself that God has it all worked out, and He'll show me daily what I need to know...no more and no less. If he can get us through Haiti and the last 5 years, today is no problem for Him!!!

I don't know how long it'll take for me to be able to process all that has happened the past 5 years, but I do know that I am simply grateful.

7 Months home!!!!

2009-10-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of a week full of amazing milestones for the Sessions family!

Today is 7 months being home from Haiti,

Wednesday is 6 months after moving to Los Angeles,

5 years ago yesterday I met my beautiful little girl,

5 years ago on Saturday I had met my little man!

I am so blessed and I cherish each day that I have with my amazing children and I give all glory to the Lord above for his promises!!!!

School, MRI's, and just life!

2009-10-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

We have had a week!!! It's been full of laughing, crying, cleaning, learning, growing, changing, loving and even a little bit of sleeping!!!!! Monday was a hard day. I woke up feeling crappy and I think that my mood rubbed off on my son because he had a pretty hard day at Kindergarten! When I asked him what happened and why he said to me "Momma, I just hit my limit with school today!" Poor thing!!!!! I couldn't help but laugh inside at how stinkin' cute this kid is!!!!!!

Ecrissa has been moved out of the Kindergarten/Pre-Kindergarten class and into the 1st grade classroom! I have had mixed feelings about it, but in the end I think the new challenge is going to be great for her, plus this class only has 5 students in it, so the extra individual attention will be great!!! We have her IEP Meeting for school next week, so I am sure we'll make some nice forward progress with school and the services that she recieves at school next week! I'm excited for that! These are the sorts of things that I was so anxious to have for her while we were in Haiti and I am so excited for her to get the support services that she needs so that she can continue to learn and reach her potential!

Which.....maybe becoming a doctor or nurse!!!!! She had her sedated MRI yesterday and while we were waiting for the room and the doctor to be available, she pretended to give me and the other nurse shots! She was so funny! She put on a glove, used the little alcohol square to clean the arm, gave the shot with her finger (we of course pretended that it hurt and she laughed at us) and then she proceeded to put a piece of tape/band-aid on where she gave the "shot"! It was awesome to see her go through each step so carefully and so correctly! I think we have it folks! I've got a hidden genius here!!!!!

Momma has been doing pretty good! I still feel like my days are battles on many fronts, but that is probably the life of a mom I am guessing! I think sometimes I've been so beaten up I can't go on, but then when I look into the faces of my two precious angels, I am re-charged and ready to go! I am looking forward to next week as I should receive the results of the MRI, finish Ecrissa's IEP and complete the preliminary process for the cochlear implant! IF all is well with the MRI, we proceed to picking out the device that we want and begin the scheduling process!!! Please pray that the insurance company will approve the request and we can proceed with scheduling her surgery!!!!!

I think........

2009-09-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

.....I am the world's worst blogger! I have two very amazing superstars that keep me one busy Momma!!!! Things have been pretty good! This week, the kids finished their third week of school. Both kids are doing really really well. They are learning a lot and I can see it every day! Each day they both come home telling me things they've learned or signs that they've learned or something! It's amazing to me! I don't remember making this much progress each and every day!!!! Both kids are very good about doing their homework each night and have been really good about the nighttime routine and getting ready in the morning! I am so blessed with 2 amazing children!

Wednesday was Jaryse's 5th birthday! First, I can't believe that he's 5 years old! Second, I can't believe we are finally celebrating his birthday in the states!!! WOW!!! So, we had a small celebration in his class with cupcakes, a crown and the singing of "Happy Birthday". Then we went and got the bike that Grandma and Grandpa Packer sent for him for his birthday. Then, we had friends over for presents and cake and ice cream. He was so SPOILED by my friends and family! What a great gift for this very special 5 year old!!!!!

The above picture is most of Jaryse's Kindergarten class at Marlton.

Jaryse and Ecrissa before school the morning of Jaryse's birthday!!!

Quick update on the medical issues! We have been working on doing the immunization catch-ups and making sure that the kids are as healthy as can be. The doctor wanted a whole panel of tests to make sure that there aren't any underlying issues that haven't been caught secondary to the kids not having the typical "well baby" check-ups. So far, OK. Jaryse has been referred to Urology to check on his hernia surgical sites and possible issue with the right testicle, Please pray for that! Ecrissa has been referred to Opthamology for her right eye as if often drifts off to the right. Hopefully that can be addressed simply. Ecrissa also undergo a sedated MRI as one of the final tests for the Cochlear Implant Evaluation. Hopefully a final decision as to whether or not she'll get the implant will be made by the end of October. So basically, within the next month between the two kids, I have at least 6 doctor visits scheduled as it stands now! I average 1-2 days a week in the doctors office with one or both kids!!!! It's worth it!!!!!

How is momma doing???? Well, the truly positive answer is.....depends on the minute! I am struggling with a few things. As you can see from this post, it is NOT the kids! They are amazing! Their behavior has been great, they are learning, they are growing, they are loving, they are just amazing! They bring only JOY to my life. I am just struggling with normal adult things. Trying to balance everything that is expected of me as a person, as a mother, as a therapist and as a child of God. I sometimes feel overwhelmed, much because of the pressure that I put on myself to be perfect. I am thankful for my friends and family, my children and grateful for each day that we make it through, and each morning that I wake up with a new chance to do it all over again! I do need to ask, if you feel led, to please pray for me as I deal with very limited finances, a schedule that gets overly full with doctors visits, work, running the kids to therapies, school and such, and just taking care of normal daily things like laundry, food, and cleaning the house. I find myself often anxious about our limited funds and an over full schedule. I know I need to trust that the Lord will take care of it, and I do, but for some reason my human brain keeps worrying anyway!!!! Nothing is bad, nothing is terrible, just sometimes everything, gets to be a bit much! Thank you in advance for your prayers!

6 Months!

2009-09-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

One half of a year ago today these three people were loading a plane to leave Port au Prince Haiti for the first time as a family.

They had been a family for over 4.5 years with a bond of love and a determination to make the best of every minute. Jaryse and Ecrissa became US citizens and this was the beginning of some amazing new opportunities!

Jaryse is a new Kindergartner with UNLIMITED opportunities in front of him! He loved his first three days at school and I can already see how much he has learned and will be learning! He has also been given the opportunity to start gymnastics (through a wonderful donation by the gym) and HE LOVES IT! His coach told me last week that he is very talented and has good strength. His face lights up when it's his day and time for gymnastics class.

Ecrissa has had so many tests and there are still so many unanswered questions, but she is truly an AMAZING little girl. She has blossomed here in the States growing over 4 inches in these last 6 months and learning so much sign language! She loves her dance and gymnastics classes and is showing so much improvement! These classes truly bring her joy! And, from Momma's Physical Therapy brain, so much benefit!!!!! (ps, the picture taken above was taken by Jaryse, isn't he getting to be a good photographer?????)

They have both experienced so many new opportunities including meeting grandma's and grandpa's, aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time. Playing in snow, bowling, ballet, gymnastics, kayaking, the zoo, the aquarium, the Wild Animal Park, museums (I think 3 different ones), parks, taking walks as a family, escalators, elevators, Malls, so many new foods and I am sure so much more! How much fun it is to watch these little people love life with such enthusiasm and get to be a part of it!

Momma is finally feeling like she can keep up! She has 2 part time jobs and enjoys them both a lot! Friends and family here have been so amazing and it's because of them that this transition has gone so smoothly and so enjoyable!

Today, we are going to enjoy our day together as a family at an ASL story time at a bookstore and then with some friends at their house, probably swimming! What a great day!

Labor Day, First day of School and an ABR!

2009-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Whew!!! All that in 3 days!!!!! The kids and I celebrated our first Labor day in the U.S together at the beach! We had a blast! We played in the park near the beach and the kids played in the water and made sand castles. I love watching them and they are getting big enough that I actually got to just kinda sit in the sun and watch them! How FUN!!!!!

Jaryse spent most of the day running around, chasing waves and building sand castles, While Ecrissa hung out near Momma posing for pictures!!! :)

Then, Wed. Sept. 9th was the first day of school! Both kids are in kindergarten and they are both at the school for the deaf. Ecrissa is in the deaf classroom with a deaf teacher and deaf classmates. Jaryse is in the hearing classroom with a hearing teacher and hearing classmates. They incorporate sign language into that curriculum for those kids. Both classes play together at recess and have lunch together and do field trips and such together! I think it's wonderful for Jaryse and the others in his class to learn ASL along side their hearing impaired peers!

AS I drove them to school, I couldn't help realize how happy I am! How amazing life is. How wonderful our opportunities are. If you were to look at the statistics of children born in Haiti, how many of them get to eat three meals a day??? How many of them get new clothes??? How many of them even get the opportunity to go to school, let alone a good school in the US that teaches not only English but American Sign Language. It made me want to cry! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord for the blessings that were sitting in the back seat of my car! Jaryse and Ecrissa are truly my little angels and I am so overjoyed that they get this wonderful opportunity for education that in all reality, many of their Haitian peers do not get the chance to experience.

Along those same lines, I became sad. I became sad that education is so undervalued here in the US. That our American children have no idea what a privilege it is to go to school and how many Haitian (and many other children around the world) would give anything to have the opportunity to go to school.

Today was a whole new experience for me and my little princess. Today she underwent sedation for the first time and she had a sedated hearing test that is called an ABR. Please don't ask me to fully explain this test, because, well, it's a bit complicated. But, basically, it is part of the Cochlear Implant evaluation process and it was quite an experience!

She was treated like a princess in the pre-op room getting balloons and stickers and getting to put on all sorts of "Doctor Garb!". They game her a medicine that made her go to sleep and off she went!

She was all hooked up to all sorts of electrodes and wires and masked and everything else. I knew in my brain that this was a painless and simple procedure, but seeing my little girl like that was a bit distressing!!!!!

An hour and a half later the nurse came to get me to tell me that she was a super star!!! Ecrissa was already awake, doing well and they had completed the test with no complications!

Ecrissa did not seem so happy!!! She was super uncomfortable and even a bit combative! This did not surprise me with the little fighter that I have on my hands! She eventually calmed down after basically yelling at me multiple times and each and every one of the nurses, doctors, and assistants!! She let us all know that she was not to happy about the way she was feeling! She was not in any pain, just waking up from that medicine is no fun!

After I got her home and in some comfy PJ's and turned on a movie and gave her a small snack, she finally looked at me and smiled and gave me her notorious "thumbs up!"

We will wait for the Cochlear Implant team to review these results and then go from there in our decision making process to continue to try to determine if this surgery is the right thing for Ecrissa.

Well, that there is a small update on the last few days here in the life of the Sessions' clan! I'd say, we are pretty blessed!

They are getting so big!!!!!!

2009-08-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

Not quite as big as a Gorilla, but it seems like it to me sometimes!!!! They have both grown up so much. Sometimes, I wonder where my babies went! Then, I see them. I see how they've learned, how they've developed and how they continue to change each and every day.

Our weeks have been pretty busy! Getting ready for school, trying to get ourselves on a night time schedule so that when school starts it won't be such a shock. We've also been trying to finish up as many doctors appointments and such as possible. 2 weeks ago, we had 7 doctors appointments between the three of us in 4 days. I was exhausted and they were DONE with doctors!!!! LOL!!!! They are handling all of the craziness well. I am looking forward to school starting because I think it will provide just a bit more structure for them and I think that they are ready for that. We had a schedule in Haiti and they were used to it and did well, but over the past few months as we've tried to settle in, our schedule somehow was lost! I hope we find it with school! They start school on Sept. 9th and they are both very excited. I am excited too!

I realized today that, since I started going to Haiti almost 5 years ago, this is the longest that I have been away. I have been missing Haiti so much. I did get to talk to some friends that live in Haiti over the past couple of weeks and I got to talk to 2 of the families that I did therapy for while there. I am not sure if it made me miss Haiti more or if it filled a bit of the void. Either way, I am glad that I have those relationships and I am looking forward to a time that I can go back to the country that my beautiful babies are from and where much of my heart continues to reside!

Aquarium of the Pacific

2009-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today was another fun first for the Sessions troop! We got the opportunity to go to the Long Beach Aquarium for a very very low price! I was thrilled to be able to be a part of this opportunity with my two amazing children! They loved it!!!! They had so much fun watching the fish in all the tanks! Ecrissa loved touching the sting rays, they were both in awe of all the colors and the sizes of the fish, and I was in awe of how amazing they behaved!!! I am so lucky to have such well behaved little ones!

Jaryse was most intrigued by the baby shark that they had in a small tank all by itself. We learned that this baby was abandoned by his momma off the coast of Taiwan. They do not know why. What Jaryse was concerned about was "Now who is going to be his momma". He did not like the idea of this baby not having a momma! He looked right at me and said "Momma, he needs a momma". So, I explained to him that his first momma was unable to take care of him, but that soon, he would have a new momma. This relieved him, as we have already began talking about how he had a "first" momma and when that "first" momma was unable to take care of him, Jesus asked me to be his momma. He also knows, that when Jesus asked me to be his momma, I cheered! I was so excited that I'd get to be the momma of Jaryse and Ecrissa. He told me that they need to bring this baby shark his momma, because she needs her baby and she can't wait to be his momma!

This conversation was so precious to me. He clung to me and he had so many emotions running through his little heart, mind, and soul! I am so blessed by his loving personality and the amazing capability he has to love. He truly felt sad for this baby shark, but was relieved to know that he'd soon have a new mommy! How wonderful to know, that he is secure in knowing that the "new" mommy is going to be safe and fulfilling. That encourages me, that he is secure in me as his mommy and he is connected to me so strongly that he doesn't worry about the baby shark getting a new mommy. He just knows that it'll be a good thing and that the new mommy will take care of him and provide what he may need. I praise the Lord for the relationship that I have with both kids! I know that it's because of the Lord that they have bonded to me and I to them. What a miracle!

Both kids got to be a part of the interactive children's program in which they heard a story about a toothless shark. It as cute and they both followed directions really well! We had a ton of fun together today. I am so grateful for all that I've been blessed with.

Five Months Home!!!!

2009-08-12T17:43:00.000-07:00

Whoa!!!! It's been five months today since the Sessions crew left Port au Prince Haiti for their new adventures in the U.S.A!!!!! I am shocked and in awe!!!!! As I looked at my kids today, I am still in absolute amazement of where we've been and were we are now and in such excitement for what God still has in store for us! We miss Haiti and we continually pray for that country and all our friends there.

Today we celebrated being home as a family by going to the Skirball Cultural Center to the Noah's Ark exhibit! It was very fun! The art work was fantastic and the kids had a blast climbing through a rope maze through the Ark and looking at all the different types of animals, and pretending to spend some time on the Ark. Ecrissa was having fun cooking food at the make-shift kitchen and cleaning up animal doo doo!!!! Jaryse loved climbing through the rope structure! The activities were awesome and the kids had a blast!

The last 2 weeks we have been blessed with our cousin Hannah! She is my first cousin and she has come to stay with us from Michigan for a while. She has been such a huge help to me! The month of August has been very busy with doctor appointments for the kids, work for me, and all sorts of summer activities. We love love love having her here with us! The kids are having a blast with her and it sure does decrease my stress of leaving them when I know that they are being so well taken care of and loved on!

There is so much going on with preparing for school and still going through the pre-cochlear implant evaluations. I know that God knows what is best for our family and I give it to Him! I am thankful that He has brought Hannah here and I am thankful for each and every day that I get to be the mommy of Ecrissa and Jaryse Sessions

Summer Fun!!!

2009-07-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

So far the past couple of weeks have been pretty low key. I mean, as low key as a home can get as you are settling in from a move across the country after moving from a third world country!! LOL!!! Summer school has been wonderful for Ecrissa. I know she's learning alot, she has a few friends (and they are all deaf and use Sign Langauge!) and she likes her teacher! I am thrilled and all of us are learning more and more sign every day! It's wonderful! We are still going through the evaluation process to determine if she's a medical candidate for the cochlear implant. I know I am always saying this, but some things just take time! We had to do a three month hearing aid trial, which is up August 7th and she then will complete a full 2 hour audiological evaluation at UCLA. Then there are a couple of other tests that have to be done and from there a team of professionals will determine if they think she's a candidate! I know that no matter what happens, God is in control and everything will work out perfectly for Ecrissa. I know that, because God loves her more than I can imagine!

The kids continue to grow like weeds, they are learning a ton, they are experiencing all sorts of things and we are just having a ball as a family. I am not going to lie to you.......I'm exhausted, but it's all worth it!!! I love watching them, I love holding them ,I love seeing them soak it all in! I don't know how they have all the energy that they do, but I love it!!! I end each day falling into bed fully exhausted and I often wake up just as exhausted, but each day is filled with something that is an encouragement. There are many many things that are hard, many things stress me, and a ton of things keep me moving and do NOT allow total relaxation, but I know that God is giving me strength to make each day the best it can be for my little angels.

I am amazed at this. I was reading some of my old blog posts the other day and broke down SOBBING. Those feelings of fear, frustration, anger, loneliness, uncertainty, and basically giving up on ever leaving Haiti with my two children came flooding back with such a familiar intensity. It seemed like I was still in it. I remember it so clearly. I remember the feelings of despair all mixed in with love for the country of Haiti and love for my children. I had so many emotions in me that I was a mess. Yet, at the same time, it seemed like those days were so long ago, yet also like it was only yesterday. I am glad we made it through that, I am glad I wrote about it. I never want to forget what God has done for us.

Grandpa and Grandma (my mom and step dad)Holton send us packages on a consistent basis (as does my grandma). We are so thankful for them and really look forward to them! Jaryse will check by the mailbox on a daily basis to see if "the package came", even if one is not supposed to be there! He also told me a while ago that the mail man brings the packages that grandma's send! I guess he thinks that is the only thing that comes in the mail! In the most recent package, there was a gift for Jaryse that was a pretend razor, pretend shaving cream, a brush, mirror and comb. Jaryse told me this morning that he needed to take a bath, cause "he needed to shave" . Gotta love it!

Another "first" at the San Diego Zoo!!!!

2009-07-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was such a blessing!!!! I had the opportunity to take the kids to the San Diego Zoo with a very special friend of mine! Rachel and I have been friends for quite a few years and she went with me to Haiti the trip before I moved there. The last time she saw the kids, Jaryse was 15 months and Ecrissa was 2.5 years old. Well, needless to say, she was happy to see them on U.S. soil!!!

The first thing we did of course was check out the map and Jaryse was quick to help Rachel figure out where we were going. This was after we could get Ecrissa away from the Giraffe statue. She was so intrigued by the statue and the pictures and everything that she was seeing, it was hard to pull her away to go see the actual real and living animals!!! Once she did finally figure out that we were going to see live animals, she was so excited!!!

The kids had so much fun and they were so intrigued by everything and it brought tears to our eyes watching how they just took everything in with such interest and excitement!

I remembered to bring the sign language dictionary so I was able to look up some of the animal signs that I didn't know! That was fun too! We did all of the signs that we could with both kids and they loved it! A great learning experience for all of us!

The kids were such troopers and so well behaved! We spent about 6 hours at the zoo and the kids were AWESOME the whole time (with just a few minutes of melt down right before lunch, but food solved the problem!). They loved all the animals and they enjoyed a puppet show and they got to feed the Giraffes! They had SO. MUCH. FUN.

I don't think I could be happier than I am right now! I LOVE LOVE LOVE sharing all of these experiences with these amazing children. What a great weekend! Big loves and Thanks to Rachel and her husband Daryl for taking us in and spoiling us this weekend!

Home for 4 months!

2009-07-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

This post is a couple of days late, but it's been a bit crazy around the Sessions home! Sunday, July 12 was our 4 month anniversary of leaving Haiti. We left March 12th and spent a month in Michigan and came to Cali on April 14th. On Sunday, we celebrated God's promises and the children were publicly dedicated to him. What an amazing thing! I am so grateful that God has entrusted me with these two little lives but even more grateful that He promises to raise them with me, if I give them to Him!!!! I did, I do, and I will!!!!!! I have faith that because of His love and guidance, these two children will grow and develop into the amazing people that He purposed them to be!

In other news, Ecrissa has grown so much that after only 2 months of wearing hearing aides, she is due for new molds. So, we had an appt. with our audiologist yesterday and new impressions of her ears were made and we should have new molds in about 2 weeks. We have more visits scheduled to keep moving forward towards the cochlear implant. We have not yet been 100% cleared, accepted and given the go-ahead to schedule that surgery yet. Please keep praying for this!!!!

Ecrissa is also LOVING school! She is learning and I am thrilled for her! She is a happy girl and definetly growing up way to quickly for her momma!!!!

Fun!

2009-07-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of cute pics and a funny story!

So, many of you who know my son, know that Jaryse likes to "give away Momma's Suga" (aka Sugar). For those of you who don't know, Jaryse thinks it's HILARIOUS to kiss someone else, while momma says "NO NO NO NO THAT'S MY SUGA, DON'T GIVE AWAY MY SUGA, GIVE IT TO ME!" So this is a crazy funny game that started when he was probably only about 17 months old and continues today! Well, his favorite person right now to give "Momma's suga" to is my friend Amanda!

She also thinks it's funny, as you can see by the look on her face.......

But then, well, Jaryse gets a bit out of hand..........

and yep, the husband of Amanda (aka John) has to step in and sit on the Suga Giver!!!!! Don't worry, John isn't hurting Jaryse! He was careful not to squish all of "momma's sugar" out of my little man!!! :)

I am so blessed with beautiful children and wonderful friends! Thank you Jesus!

One of those days.....

2009-07-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess everyday can't be wonderful! The kids are wonderful, Ecrissa is doing well in school and Jaryse is FULL of hugs and loves and kisses and awesomely nice words for me, but the world is taking it's toll on me today!!!

Dealing with life, bills, and making ends meet is making me nervous! I know God has it all worked out and I am so thankful for all of His provisions. Basically, I'm just sad today dealing with all of the stress that comes with being a mommy that wants the world for her precious babies.

My step-mom sent me the following "story" via e-mail. I liked it and I thought it might bless some of you as it has me, so I decided to share.

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky... He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?' Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers.'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.

The Moral of This Story: ?? ? ?

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

My prayer today is that no matter what happens, God sees yours (and my) smoke signals tonight and rescues us! I pray this in full confidence, knowing that HE loves US and will come through for us!!!!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-05T17:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day and I trust that you all did as well! God has blessed us with so much that I don't even know what to say! Every time I looked at my kids yesterday, I was in complete awe of where we've been and in complete wonder and anticipation of where God is taking us! We had an all American day with some rest and relaxation.....

Pictures.......

hanging with friends.........

eating hot dogs, chips, rice krispie treats.......

and swimming.

We finished off our night with some beautiful fireworks over the LA sky! What more could our family ask for!!!????

Thank you friends, family, and Jesus for all that we have!

Looking forward to the weekend!

2009-07-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

I know, it's only Wed., but it is Wed. night!!! That means I'm on the downhill slope to the weekend right???!!!!! I am excited about this weekend because it will be the first 4th of July with my new little Americans!!! I am so excited to spend this holiday with them!!!!!

We have had a good week so far. The kids are doing well and are enjoying gymnastics camp again this week! I am keeping them busy so we can all sleep at night!! :) They got to go Kayaking again today. This is Jaryse's favorite day of the camp. HE LOVES the boat!!! I am so happy that he gets this opportunity! Ecrissa seems to like it too, but she likes the gym and ballet class more, she is definitely the girlie girl who likes to spin and watch her dress (and ballet outfit) fly!!!!

The above picture is of Jaryse as he got out of his boat. I know it's hard to see, but I had to take them from so far away. He's the little speck in the middle of the picture, standing with the yellow life jacket on!!!!

The picture below is of Ecrissa just before she docked. She's the little one in the boat!! :)

So I have a Jaryse "funny" and an Ecrissa "cute" from this past week! First, Ecrissa. On Sunday we went to her ballet class, I was proud of myself for getting all three of us out of the house by 7:45 am with her in her ballet outfit, church outfit in the car and the stuff for the beach (as we had my baptism at the beach on Sunday) as well as my beach stuff and Jaryse's beach stuff all in the car! Whew! Score! Super Mom!!!! WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As soon as we pull in, I realize that I forgot Ecrissa's ballet slippers. AAAAHHHHH, darn! Well, I think to myself, maybe she'll forget that she needs them or that she has them (this is only her 3rd class and only the 2nd with the slippers). Maybe I'll get a pass this week. WRONG AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ecrissa quickly remembered when we got to the studio and saw the other kids. Darn again! She looked at me and pointed to her feet, looked at me with a look as if to say "um, mom, the shoes". I signed to her, "I forgot". Her face dropped into a horribly disappointed look. Then, her face changed to "well, maybe I'll give her a second chance" and she again pointed to her feet (where her slippers obviously should be) and looked to me again. I smiled meekly and signed "I forgot, at home". She shook her head in utter disappointment, sighed and walked away shaking her head as if to say "my mother, sheesh!!!" LOL! It was so cute. Her body language was hysterical. Like to say, "come on mom, you can do better than that! Where are the slippers that should be on my feet!!" Maybe I'll do better next week!

Now Jaryse. Last week one night (they all run together for me!) he was exhausted! He had had a long day, no nap, and we were running late getting to bed! He was done. But, you know when you get that tired, you can't do anything. You want everything, but want nothing, need help, but want to do it alone, and you know, basically just can't deal anymore! So, I decided, time for bed (good mom decision huh! ). So, I asked Jaryse to go in and brush his teeth and he didn't want to. So, I helped him to the bathroom, and put the toothpaste on his brush, all the while he's crying, saying he's not tired and doesn't want to go to bed. So, I handed him his toothbrush and he quite seriously looked at me and YELLED " WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE A GOOD MOMMA????? I DON'T WANT A GOOD MOMMA!!!!" I couldn't help to laugh, but I am glad even when he's mad and sad, he thinks I'm a good momma!!!!!! In the end, he brushed his teeth and fell asleep in my arms within minutes of laying him in bed! God is good!

You know you are addicted to Diet Coke when......

2009-06-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

You have two open cans at once!!!! YIKES!!! :) I didn't realize that I hadn't finished my first one and I opened a second, in an different room! YEP, I think that shows true addiction!!! Oh well, I am not joining Diet Coke's Anonomous just yet, I much to much enjoy my addiction! Plus, hey, I'm a single mom with two kids, isn't one small addiction acceptable????? :)

We've had a good week this week. I am so blessed! Sometimes I feel spoiled that God would bless me with my two amazing kids AND take care of us too!!!! We are still getting on our feet, slowly but surely my caseload is picking up. I am always thrilled to watch how God multiplies the loaves and fish when it comes to finances and making ends meet for us! I don't know how He does it, but I sure am grateful that He does! We always seem to be just a bit short when I add it up, but somehow, when it comes time for the check to be mailed, there is enough! Thank you Jesus!

We got the results from Ecrissa's CT scan and it is all normal! YAY!!! One more check in the "so far so good and eligible for the cochlear implant" box! We have just a couple of small things left to complete and then the audiology evaluation in August and then we should be able to hopefully move forward in scheduling the surgery! YAY!!!

She will start summer school the first full week of July, which I am so excited about! I know that she will have a blast and learn a ton too!

The kids have had a blast at camp this week and playing with their friend from church. When I get the pics I will share them!