Haitian orphan finds home in Moore County

Then 19-month-old Jefferson was living at the House of Angels Orphanage in Tabarre, Haiti, when the 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit  on Jan. 12, 2010. His orphanage was badly damaged, but he survived.

Jefferson had already been selected for adoption by Amie Fraley, of Whispering Pines, and her husband, Chris, but he was still months away from coming to the United States.

The Fraleys pushed to speed up the adoption to bring him home.

"We knew everyone was safe after the earthquake, but you were hearing about the weather and the looters that were happening," Fraley said.

Next month, Jefferson will have been with the Fraleys, along with their two biological children and an adopted daughter from China, for a year.

His adoptive mother said he has the same interests as any boy – tractors, baseball and trains. He is going through the same changes as any toddler.

"He is working on potty training and the normal stuff 2-year-olds do," Fraley said.

In Haiti, his old orphanage hasn't been completely rebuilt yet.

"It's heartbreaking to think if he was still there," Fraley said.

His adoptive mother said that she looks forward to one day telling Jefferson the story of how he came to his American family.

"He had a family who was here and so excited to get him, and we were happy he was able to make it out of such a sad and dangerous situation," Fraley said.