Haitian children adapt to new home

STAPLETON, Ala. (WALA) - Natalie Lewis is used to carpooling her six children home from school in the afternoon. But since she and her husband adopted four more Haitian girls, she says things have changed around their home.

"Yesterday was our first time going to church and we thought two and a half hours would be plenty of time to get ready. But when it was time to leave for church, I was still in my pajamas, I wasn't ready yet. Just learning how to make sure all their hair is done and all the new stuff and they are learning as well," Natalie said.

Natalie and her husband Chris have two children of their own. They have adopted one boy from an American family, and seven children from Haiti.

The Lewis' already had three Haitian children before the earthquake hit Port-Au-Prince. They were also in the process of adopting four more girls when they heard the news and saw the pictures of horror.

"I was devastated. That Friday after the earthquake, I thought that we had lost everything," she said.

The adoption process can take years to complete, and paperwork is critical to the process. Natalie said all of their paperwork from the last several years was destroyed in the buildings that were in shambles after the quake.

Natalie was so distraught over whether or not her four girls were safe, she got on a plane and went to Haiti herself to find them. She said the conditions children were living in were horrifying, but the U.S. Government and the Haitian embassy helped make it possible for her to bring the children back home.

"Chris and I knew we would have a big family," she added.

Now with the four newest siblings safe at home, the Lewis clan has grown to 12.

Chris and Natalie were at ease Monday, playing with the kids in the back yard. They are giving all the credit to the man they said brought their family together.

"When I realized they were actually all coming home, I knew only God could have made that happen," Natalie said.

It's been three days since everyone has lived under one roof. Natalie said there have been lots of adjustments, but the language barrier is the biggest obstacle so far.

"It is definitely a challenge, as of now as far as Creole, I only know some of the words to tell them what to do: come here, sit down, go there. I'm very limited," Natalie added.

The oldest Lewis sibling is 16 and has been with the family for more than a year. He was adopted from Haiti and speaks fluent Creole, which is how Natalie and Chris are learning to understand the newest members of their family.