Homecoming

March 6th, 2009
Well, the journey begins!

Everything feels so surreal. Last night, Patrick and I sat looking at each other, wondering if it was really our last night alone. We were flooded with such a mix of emotions: excitement as we dared to hope, nerves as we questioned if we were ready for it all, fear about being good parents, hopeful about the possibilities, and overwhelming anticipation. Today we received news that Solomon’s mom had signed the papers to put him in our care, and that tomorrow after a few documents were finalized, we could take him home. Could the “waiting” process be done so soon? We couldn’t help but wonder when the floor would fall out under us. But it didn't.

He is HERE!!!

Today after work and a few errands, we showed up as instructed to the orphanage. After talking to some people, we signed papers agreeing to care. And with that, the social worker told us everything was done; we could take Solomon home. Numb shock. Now. Today. The journey begins. And as much as I wanted to jump and sing and dance, we still found ourselves in the orphanage surrounded by children still waiting.

We went into his nursery room, and saw him sleeping in his crib. A new phase would be happening in his life, and we took a while to take it all in.

The women of the nursery fussed over Solomon, waking him up, changing his diaper, and insisting on changing him into a "going home" outfit of little plaid overalls and a cute shirt. They put him in a "real" disposable diaper and took some pictures with him. Emotion started rolling over me as I hugged his nurses and one of the orphanage workers thank you.

And then, before I knew it, we were walking out the orphanage doors with no fanfare, buckling Solomon into a car seat in our car, and pulling out of the orphanage drive. There were no fireworks, no marching bands, no balloons or theme music playing in the background to celebrate this grand moment in our lives; but Patrick and I felt the shift our lives were taking and celebrated with faces full of smiles. I couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. And all the while, Solomon just gazed at us, snug in his car seat, taking it all in.

We arrived home, gave Solomon the tour and ran to see who we could share this moment with. There are certain times in life when the joy, the elation, the moment itself has to be shared. There is too much emotion for 2 hearts alone. Thank you Skype. We found two friends online on Skype and called them… their shock, their squeels of delight as we held Solomon between us in front of the camera helped us realize it all wasn’t just a dream; the pinch we needed was our family witnessing this sudden growth of family.

Our first night at home we spent initially staring at Solomon, talking to him, making him smile. We made our first bottle of formula and he drank it without complaint. We changed our first diaper and then let him sleep off the milk. After a short nap he was up, so we decided to give him a haircut. Picture Patrick cradling Solomon in his arms, a towel around the baby’s shoulders, and me, with scissors, gently cutting along his scalp and peeling off his little fro to even out the 1/2 Mohawk into a short, smart do. Looks cooler too. And we discovered a little cradle cap underneath; so happy I cut it after all. Again, the baby (maybe as in shock as we were), didn’t squirm, didn’t fuss. I think he was happy just nestled in Patrick’s arms, no matter what I was doing to his hair.

Then it was time for the first bath since he had little hairs all over him. That was hysterical. We had a little tub that we filled with warm water, undressed him, and I soaped him up while Patrick held him tight. Of course the "rinse" was a bit chilly... couldn't "warm up" that water. And all Solomon did was give us a genuine look of surprise, but not a squeak. I'd worry he was deaf and dumb if he didn't give us so many happy coos and laughs. Just a laid back little guy.

Two of our co-workers stopped by for dinner tonight. They go to a class near our house, and pass by our house nightly. We made plans for them to come in, meet Solomon and have dinner. I made spaghetti. Solomon woke up from another mini-powernap to entertain them. The women fussed over him like crazy. They offered plenty of advice, which made me happy; I can see that raising Solomon will be a community affair and that makes my heart swell. Because it is community that defines Haiti, and we’ve been taken in.

We just waived goodbye to our friends, and laid Solomon down for a much-deserved sleep. I wonder what his dreams will look like tonight.

I just wanted to tell you about my first hours of being parents. Feels surreal. Not sure the full force of emotions have hit us yet. It has all happened so fast, so incredibly effortlessly fast. At the same time, it feels so natural, feels like we've been needing to do this for a long time. I love seeing the immediate transformation Patrick has made into a new Dad. He's in love, and doesn’t even attempt to temper those feelings. I have two cuddly males on my hands. :) And I couldn't be happier.

A new adventure commences in the midst of one already begun.