'My heart has been growing and getting bigger by the minute'
EUGENE, Ore. -- Two little pairs of shoes sit by the door. A pile of books and toys sit in the living room. And the sounds of a rambunctious little boy fill the air of Alicia Swaringen's home.
After two years -- the last four weeks filled with so much anxiety -- she was finally allowed to bring her 4-year-old son Sthainder home from Haiti.
"My heart has been growing and getting bigger by the minute," said Swarigen. "It's pretty amazing to be a mom now."
Swaringen started the process of adopting Sthainder two years ago. After completing piles of paperwork, passing background checks and spending one week with the little boy in Haiti, the Eugene woman hoped the adoption would be finalized this June.
Then, an earthquake devastated the country and threw adoptions into limbo. All the paperwork, filled out meticiculously, was destroyed. Swaringen worried her son was hurt or his orphanage destroyed. He was fine and so was the Holt-Fantana Village. However, she still worried it would be years before she could adopt Sthainder.
Then, the United States began issuing humanitarian parole for Haitian children like Sthainder, who were in the process of being adopted before the earthquake. Swearingen tried not to get her hopes up, but couldn't help it.
On Monday, Swaringen got the phone call she had been waiting for: Sthainder was cleared and was on his way to Miami.
She flew to Florida the next day. On Wednesday, the mother went to see her son, finally on American soil.
"I looked at him and he looked a little like, oh, and he got really quiet," said Swaringen. "Then I pulled out some photos of us and he started smiling."
They arrived in Eugene on Thursday.
"I've been waiting for this moment for so long, it felt more like a dream. I have to keep looking at him and touching him," said Swaringen. She reached for Sthainder's hand. "You're really here."
Finally home, the two are learning about one another. Sthainder does not like green beans, instead picking them off his plate and handing them over.
He speaks Creole and a few words of English. She speaks English and a few words of Creole. They are working through a language barrier, mostly pointing and gesturing.
A wide smile spread across his face as Sthainder explored the living room. He put toys into different bags and boxes, played with a tambourine and a toy cell phone.
There will be an adjustment period, but Swaringen is doing her best to let Sthainder know this is his new home.
"I want everyone to know this is a happy ending to a story that's had a lot of tragedy," she said. "There's so much tragedy in the world. I want people to be able to share our happiness too."
She expressed thanks for the community support and also thanked the Holt International staff, who worked long hours to bring Sthainder and other children from the center to the United States.
