Flutters and Flowers for Mommy



The past few weeks have been more than any women could ever ask for. I give God the glory for the gifts He has given to Doug and I. My mom in law says a great saying, usually followed by tears…”My cup runith over.” These words have been in my mind over the years, but this weekend, my cup couldn’t have been fuller. As you have read in our past blog entry about Dor and how he came to our home, you understand how special he is. Doug and I dropped him off in the orphanage two weeks ago and we cried most of the way there. In my mind I was taking him to an orphanage that would give him the best possible chance of being adopted, but my heart was crushed to leave him. I know of other orphanages that have great funding and support that could have cared for him differently, however they don’t adopt out. I thought that Dor needed a mommy and daddy in a family setting, under the circumstances that I knew about him. When we dropped off Dor we realized that we had forgotten his birth certificate and medical paperwork that the orphanage required to keep him. We simply told the director that we do have it but we will just have to bring it next week. She agreed with no problem and we reluctantly left him crying for us.



The following week Doug’s parents came to visit us for their first time in Haiti. We were so excited to have them in our home and show them all we do here and how God is blessing our work. While they were here I got the flu for the first two days. I was so disappointed in not being able to go and do for the first two days as we had planned, but Doug was a great tour guide and Karen a great nurse. As I continued with terrible stomach pain though out Friday night, I wondered if my growing baby was ok. All the motherly scary thoughts jumped through my head as my fever continued and my pain wouldn’t subside. After most of the night lying on the bathroom floor praying to God that my baby was ok, Doug called Dr Jim and he came down with the ultrasound machine. I just wanted to hear that the heartbeat was there and I felt that I would be calm. Sure enough, that little pitter-pat was going strong and the relief that I felt was tearfully overwhelming. Perk and Karen were to come to Haiti for 5 days and then Doug and I had a Christianville (CV) board meeting in FL for 2 days. We decided to stay and visit them for 4 days and get a little rest between teams. The day before we went to FL, we decided to take the paperwork to the orphanage, show Perk and Karen the beautiful, 2 hour mountainous drive to Jacmel, and introduce them to Dor. Almost to the orphanage we noticed a Haitian prayer circle under a beautiful tree, such a nice sight to see Haitians praying to our God. We arrived at the orphanage and visited with Dor for a few hours, and Karen asked what they could do to help Dor get a mommy and daddy. She put him to sleep for nap time, and this time he was sleeping and not crying when we left him. This made it easier, but not easy to leave him. After the visit at the orphanage we stopped to pray at a tree nearby that we noticed earlier in the day. It was such a magnificent creation that God had made for people to pray under. As Karen prayed, she said, “….Lord, guide us and Doug and Amy in the possibility of giving Dor a home, and let us know if you have chosen this family…..”




The next day, Wednesday, was an all day airport travel day. During our time in FL a friend and Doctor that comes to CV and volunteers his time at our clinic had set up an appointment for me to get a high quality ultrasound as well as a few blood tests that I can’t get done in Haiti. We had such a great time watching our little astronaut toad jump all around and clap and wave at us. We found out on Thursday, March 27, 2009 that “It’s a BOY.” Daddy was so happy to hear it is a boy! And mommy was happy he was so active and healthy…..surely to be a ball player! As we continued to be blessed by the baby in my tummy we couldn’t help but to continue to pray for Dor and the possibility of him being a brother, son, nephew, grandson, cousin and faithful believer and servant in our families. As we continued to pray over the weekend, we stopped at Babies R US to register for our baby. This was the only chance we would have to register in the states, and many people have already written us to ask if they could throw us a baby shower when we returned to have the baby in August. We found ourselves seeing all the little things that a two year old would need to potty train and thought then, was this our answer as to whether God says to move forward on the adoption. After asking my brother for prayer, he asked if we had the ability, the opportunity, and the love it would take for this to take place. He said the adoption process is already hard enough, and to not make it any more difficult. He said that God will bless the decision if we ask for his guidance though it all. After Perk checked into the legal side of the adoption on Monday and he started his flowchart on a napkin in the restaurant in the airport, the decision was made. We’ll pick him up this week! We said our goodbyes as they went to the Ohio gate and we went to the Haiti gate.


A few days later, on Thursday, my parents Jeff and Rita came and brought a work team of friends from their church, First Christian Church of Moncks Corner, SC. Knowing they would be going to the orphanage to purchase food and supplies first thing on Saturday, we decided to wait and only take Dor over the mountain one time. This is a very long 2 hour drive. Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. I hardly slept a wink thinking about “gotcha day” as Karen Gail calls it. I got up at 5am not having to leave til 8am. I had Dor’s things ready and packed as well as Doug and my clothes. We went straight to the orphanage and his caregiver that nicknamed Dor Bijou or "Precious Jewel" gave him right to Doug and greeted us with hugs, kisses and a beautiful smile. We went to the hotel for lunch and he cried a little as we drove away, confused as to what was going on. After arriving he had a great lunch and nap and I decided not to take him back to the orphanage with the group to help, so he won’t be confused more than once. We came back to CV the next day and as I sat in our bible study my baby started to kick me for the first time. Dad was sitting next to me and I told him to look, he smiled with joy. Punches and kicks continued though out the bible study. All I could think about was the day Doug and I brought baby Dor to our home was the day I felt our baby flutter inside me. The next morning took a little while for me to get it together and before I even had my shower Dor (with some help of Michelle Robinson) had brought me my first “mommy flower”. Thank you God for Flutters and Flowers for mommies!! “My cup runith over!”