Once upon a time…
…a very tiny, very fragile baby boy arrived at Angel House, and his name was Garry. Left in a crib with another baby at a nearby church, his mother never returned for him.
It was August 2017, and Garry was only a few weeks old. Malnourished and listless, this quiet, precious baby nevertheless shared smiles with the nannies who already loved him.
Over the next three years, he grew strong and healthy. Although he was usually quiet and thoughtful, a child who loved to daydream and often preferred to play alone instead of with all the other children, Garry’s smiles grew more and more frequent, and his charming personality began to shine for all to see.
Dreams do come true!
Garry went home to his forever family in the peak of the pandemic in August 2020. Because travel was all but shut down at that time, his family had to wait for him to arrive in the US, escorted by a chaperone from their adoption agency.
Nearly two years have passed since then, and Garry’s mom has graciously offered to catch us up with what’s been going on with him. Let’s see what she has to share!
“In August, Garry will have been home two years!”
“Those who knew him as a baby will see quite a transformation: he’s grown eight inches and blown through three shoe sizes, but his signature adorable smile remains the same.”
“From day one at home in Austin, Texas, it was clear that Garry had a sweet spot for breakfast tacos and cars. His love for anything with wheels continues as he has memorized the logos for most major automotive brands and narrates what he sees with each car ride. He’s particularly fascinated by trucks with trailers, running boards and anything with a cool paint job. Mealtimes are another joy, and he especially appreciates eggs, sausage, mac ‘n’cheese, and putting ketchup on everything.”
“Garry’s school experience has also been a highlight.”
“He is blessed by creative teachers and kind classmates who have helped him in so many ways. He started school three days a week shortly after homecoming, and we soon found out it was a much-needed answer to his desire for routine. This school year, he has gone half days five days a week and has enjoyed music, learning how to write his name, and playing in the gym. Garry’s coaches tell us that he is a natural athlete, so he is currently involved in Sportsball, soccer, and swimming. Garry is very observant and seems to have an engineering mind, always trying to figure out how things work.”
“Given that Garry came home during the pandemic, we have stayed closer to home than we generally do. This has probably been helpful, as there were already so many new things happening. We have visited Maine several times to see my side of the family, as well as Houston to visit (my husband) Scott's family. Garry has also been camping (he loves roasting his own hotdog on the fire) and to Legoland in San Diego, where he was thrilled to drive his own Lego car and try his first rollercoaster.”
The biggest surprise
“Shortly after Garry came home, we were walking through the frozen food aisle of Target and he shrieked! He was staring at his arm and I thought something was wrong. It turned out that he was surprised by his goose bumps! I don’t think he’d ever been that cold before. I think that’s a good analogy for what life was like for all parties involved for the first year; not only were there a lot of firsts, but oftentimes those firsts caught us all off guard. There was, and still is, a lot to work through culturally, but it’s become a lot easier now that we are all focused on speaking English. It may surprise those who knew Garry as the quiet ‘dreamer’ to know that he is an absolute chatterbox now. He has definitely found his words!”
Remembering Haiti
“We have talked about Haiti a lot, mainly through books—there are some really fabulous children's books about Haiti now! We want to make sure to instill a sense of pride and connection for Garry with his birth country. We are also fortunate to have a Haitian neighbor who invited us over for pickliz (a spicy Haitian slaw) and other flavors of home. Last fall, we organized a fundraiser to benefit several Haitian organizations, including Three Angels, by selling metal Christmas ornaments of cardinals (our daughter's school mascot) made by Singing Roosters artisans. And as we gear up for Easter, we will plan to fly kites as is the Haitian tradition.”
A word of advice
“Something we’ve learned along the way is that if anyone wants to know how to support adoptive families, they should pour into siblings. We’re grateful for friends and family who have gone out of their way to include Riley (our 10 year old) by sending a card or a treat when Garry first came home. Or they continue to help even today by simply showing the same level of attention to her as they do to her little brother. Riley was an only child for eight years, and there is a six-year age difference between the two kids; both factors have made the transition challenging. We maintain relationships with other adoptive families from Three Angels and are close with some adoptive families in Austin, and that has been a wonderful source of support and advice. Overall, we are extremely grateful for our community who has volunteered to watch our kids, listened when we needed to process a whole range of emotions, and prayed for us during this transition.”
“Thank you to Garry’s sponsors for caring for him during his time at Three Angels and to those who continue to pray for our family—we truly appreciate your investment in Garry’s future!” - Susan
Did you know?
Each child being cared for at Angel House Orphanage needs at least 10 sponsors to support them. You can be a part of a child’s life, just like Garry’s sponsors are! Click the button below to learn more about orphan care and how you can become an Orphan Care Sponsor.