A New Year!

Today is New Year's Day 2018, and it's been 2.5 weeks since we came home from our time in Haiti.

On January 1st, it's Haitian tradition to eat soup joumou, an aromatic pumpkin/squash soup. We have a large pot bubbling away on the stove, a new tradition that we are happily folding into our family. The history of soup joumou is a powerful one: during the terrible early years of Haiti, the French forbid Haitian slaves from enjoying the dish, considering it a delicacy "too sophisticated for a slave's palate". To commemorate and celebrate the independence won on January 1st 1804, soup joumou is enjoyed on New Year's Day by most Haitians, a symbol of freedom. We had this dish twice while living at the creche, and I'm excited to try this new recipe (and a few others!), to begin rooting Haitian culture in our home.

Our time in Haiti was truly life changing, and I could not be more sure that K is our daughter, and Eisley's sister. I don't quite know how to pass along the feelings we experienced while there, except to say that we are humbled, full of gratitude, and brimming with excitement for K's future. She is bright, funny, and the cutest little peanut. We were able to watch her learn in our two short weeks with her, and her spirit shone through as she tested, giggled, and cuddled with us. I feel security in knowing that she is being cared for while we are waiting for the next steps of the process to move forward. We are permitted to return and visit whenever we would like, not that we've completed this stage of socialization, and we are hopeful that we can go back for a short trip in a few month's time. 

Justin and I both journaled nearly every day in Haiti, but I have been struggling to distill the experience into shareable words, as opposed to the long, rambling, stream-of-consciousness pages I wrote there. Honestly, I feel as though I've been struggling in general since coming home. We were both remarkably healthy at the creche (despite being surrounded by 60+ kids, many with constant runny noses or coughs), but I haven't felt physically well since getting home. My body is coming around now, and I'm back at the gym too, which I think is helping. More than this, though, I'm feeling challenged in how to share about our experience in a clear way, as my emotions are a bit all over the place. I feel more consistently "low" than I ever have before. I think I may feel this way until we get to see K again, or until she gets to come home to us. I'm not okay, but I'll be okay. 

Thank you to all of you who have been so thoughtful since we came home. Thank you for asking questions about our time in Haiti and our time getting to know K, and being patient while we search for words to explain. Thank you for being eager to see pictures, and being understanding while we fawn over countless images of her sweet face. 

In the meantime, I will return to this blog and work to share our experience with you all, piece by piece. It helps me to process, bring you along, and also have something to look back to as K grows up! Thank you in advance for your patience as I unpack the words. We still cannot share her personal details publicly (aka, on the internet) until the adoption is complete, but as we see you in person, we're happy to share more with you. 

As we embark on this new year, my greatest prayer is that we will be able to move through the rest of this process smoothly and quickly, and bring our little girl home. I also pray for the children we met in the creche, and their families, and for families to be provided to the few sweet kids we met who do not yet have a match. I wish we had the resources and capability to bring them home too! 

Happy New Year's to you and yours! 

PS: Here are a few links to versions of the soup joumou recipe, if you're interested in giving it a try! It's a flexible and forgiving recipe, traditionally made with meat, but we're doing a vegetarian version. And yes, spaghetti (or another pasta, if you prefer) is a must-have ingredient!
Also, check out our new favorite side dish, pikliz, a spicy vinegar condiment, mainly made with cabbage, carrots, and onion. 

God's Littlest Angels Haitian recipe page
The Spice Detective soup joumo
Three Many Cooks soup joumo