NEW INFORMATION 2/5:
A Cadott family who was been waiting patiently for their adopted Haitian daughter have finally brought her home.

Sandi and John Polzin arrived home with their 3 year old daughter Mazie Grace Friday. They were matched with Mazie when she was just nine months old. In an e-mail Friday, Sandi says they comfort, hold, rock and play with Mazie to make her feel secure and at home.

BREAKING NEWS WEDNESDAY 2/3:

A local couple who's been trying to bring their adopted Haitian daughter home for the past two years finally have her in their arms.

Sandi and John Polzin were in Florida Wednesday and after years of waiting, and thousands of dollars spent, three-year-old adoptive daughter Mazie Grace is finally coming home.

Little Mazie Grace's bedroom has been ready and waiting for her at the Polzin's home near Cadott. The Polzins have been matched with Mazie since she was nine months old. All the room needed was a little girl to call it home.

Now that day is finally here. From Florida, Sandi Polzin described her first moments with her adoptive daughter, “I don't think any words could describe that first moment, it was amazing, it was beautiful.”

Polzin says she and her husband John are staying in Florida for a few days and becoming acquainted with their new daughter before bringing her back home to Wisconsin. She says, “We're just kind of in awe of the whole ordeal so finally were together so we’re so grateful.”

As amazing as these experiences are, Lutheran Social Services Adoption Director Carol Hakala says finally getting that adoptive child in your arms can take a long time to happen.

Hakala says, “Many times in countries like Haiti, where there are so many issues that are present that takes a long period of time in order to verify the child is free for adoption.”

But for Sandi and John Polzin, the waiting is over, and life with little Mazie Grace is just beginning. Sandi tells us, “It was just good for her to be in someone's arms. One family's arms, holding, soothing, rocking and playing and loving them. It was an amazing ordeal.”

Hakala also says international adoption is often the last resort for a foreign country like Haiti. She says countries like to keep it's orphans with families from it's own country.

Sandi Polzin says Mazie Grace seemed a little confused when first united with her new parents. But after a while her fears subsided and she's been happy to just be held by her adopted parents.
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NEW INFORMATION MONDAY 2/1:

A Cadott couple got the phone call they've been waiting for Monday: They're on the way to bring their 3-year-old adopted daughter home from Haiti.

Sandi Polzin says she's on her way to Miami because Mazie Grace is flying there Tuesday. Polzin and her husband John had been waiting to bring Mazie Grace home since she was nine months old.

Before the earthquake, the Polzins weren't sure if Mazie would be allowed out of Haiti this year. But now, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is using humanitarian policy to speed up the process for Haitian orphans who are already adopted.
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UPDATE 1/21:

A little Haitian girl could be coming home to the Chippewa Valley any time; her adoptive parents anxiously waiting for a call to come get her.

Her closet is full. Her bed is made. There are dolls and toys and photographs. All this little girl's bedroom needs is a little girl to call it her own.

"We created a bed room for a little girl to come home to and feel safe and bring friends, to be able to be part of a community and a family who are really, really, really ready to be her forever family," says Sandi Polzin.

Sandi and her husband John live outside of Cadott. They’ve been ready to bring Mazie Grace home since she was nine months old. She'll turn three this weekend. Up until this week, the Polzins weren't even sure if Mazie would be allowed out of Haiti this year. Now, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is using humanitarian policy to speed up the process for Haitian orphans who are already adopted or matched with U.S. parents.

"There will be a lot of families who will be rejoicing with the arrival of their children," says Beth Opsal with Lutheran Social Services.

Opsal says the policy could affect thousands of orphans and families. She says the earthquake has inspired a lot of calls about adopting Haitian orphans. But, she says any new adoptions from Haiti are on hold by order of the U.S. government.

"There’s such great chaos and the desire and need to reunite children who may be separated from their families. If they are orphaned by the earthquake, there might be extended family for them to be with," Opsal says.

She says rushing to take children from Haiti right now could actually make their loss worse. But, for the Polzins, who have spent thousands of dollars and hours to adopt Mazie Grace, their daughter can't get home soon enough.

"We know God already has a date. He knows it will be the perfect moment and time he will design. But, this will open up opportunities for other orphans that are stranded in Haiti to be able to get the help and to go to the orphanages that they’re currently getting help from. It's not just our needs, but children as a whole. They need help now," Sandi Polzin says.

Sandi says she and John could be told to get to a number of airports in the U.S. at a moments notice. She says changes are happening every hour and judging by the amount of e-mails she’s getting, the process is moving right along.

One more update for you: We told you last week about a young man named Dees who Sandi and John hadn't heard from in Port-au-Prince. Sandi says Dees is alive. She says he's still too traumatized to talk about his survival story.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON INTERNATIONAL ADOPTIONS
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STORY FROM 1/15/10:

As help continues to pour into Haiti, a local couple is hoping to get there as soon as possible to be with their three-year-old adopted daughter.

Sandi Polzin and her husband John have been waiting to bring Mazie Grace home to Cadott since she was nine months old. Now, they just want to comfort their toddler and help in anyway they can.

"The news with what happened in Haiti devastated us and we were on our knees. We were just praying that she was OK," Sandi tells us.

Sandi says the pictures coming out of Haiti have kept her praying ever since. She knows her little girl is OK, but she also knows thousands of other children are not and have not been for years.

"If they're alive and smiling and they look fed, they're the lucky ones," she says.

Sandi and her husband often visit two orphanages in Haiti, one just outside Port-au-Prince. She says her friends there tell her both are still standing, refugees now flocking to them, their food supply running out. The Red Cross now says as many as 50,000 people have died and it's possible hundreds of thousands are homeless.

"Before this catastrophic earthquake happened, it was already devastating. We just pray this changes the face of this nation. If we can all do a little bit, it really can make a big difference. It sounds like a cliché, but when you see it first hand, you know that it's true,” Polzin says.

Sandi and John have spent thousands trying to get Mazie home. They say the Haitian government makes it very difficult. They're also still praying that they hear from a young man they sponsor in Haiti. They met him at an orphanage last year. He calls them mom and dad.

Here are links to the orphanages where Sandi and John visit and help:

SERVANTS OF ALL MINISTRY

HOLT INTERNATIONAL

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP HAITI