Okay, again this is an Guatemala adoption lingo thing. The piece of paper that provides authorization from the US Embassy to do the 2nd DNA test is ORANGE. Well, the email of the document isn't orange, but from what I hear, the actual paper is, so when a family is issued "ORANGE", it's a good, good thing!
Sometime between last Monday and this Monday, la princesa's new birth certificate listing us as her parents was issued from the city of her birth in Guatemala. After that, her Guatemalan passport was issued. Finally, the DNA authorization was given. We don't know if the test has actually been performed or if it will be later this week, but either way, it means that we are about +/- 3 weeks from having our baby girl with us forever. What a great birthday present for Matthew, and what a great feeling for all of us.
We're taking guesses about when our Embassy appointment will be. I'm thinking either 5/23 or 5/27. Any guesses?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
We're OUT!!!!
We got the call today that we are out of PGN! I've been praying like crazy that our day would come soon, and I know that all of you have been too. Our prayers were answered! Our baby girl is coming home!
To make things even better, we found out that her birthmom has signed her fourth and final consent for the adoption, and her new birth certificate listing us as her parents has been requested. We're hoping to have the birth certificate by the end of the week, then they will get her passport and request authorization from the US Embassy in Guatemala to do the 2nd DNA test. This is to make sure that she is the same baby we started with, which she is! After that it will be a couple of weeks until we get notice of our "PINK SLIP" which will tell us when our embassy appointment is. We have been told that it will likely be around four weeks from now, maybe less, maybe more when we will have her in our arms forever. It's surreal. And scary. Holy moly two kids??!! Who'da thunk it??!!
Please say a prayer for la princesa's foster mom. By now she knows that she only has a few weeks left with our sweet girl and I'm sure she is sad. She is an absolute angel on earth to foster these babies (la princesa is her 10th!) and give them a wonderful home. She shows her love as if she was hers forever, and for that we are so thankful. Please pray that she finds peace in knowing that our baby girl will be so loved. Also pray that the new adoption process that is coming soon will allow her to continue to foster other babies in the future. This is her only source of income, and more importantly, it wouldn't be fair to deprive a child of the loving home she provides. She will always be part of our family, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Another prayer request: Please pray that all of the families who are in process right now get good news soon. God is good, and we thank him for all we have.
Stay tuned for more updates!
To make things even better, we found out that her birthmom has signed her fourth and final consent for the adoption, and her new birth certificate listing us as her parents has been requested. We're hoping to have the birth certificate by the end of the week, then they will get her passport and request authorization from the US Embassy in Guatemala to do the 2nd DNA test. This is to make sure that she is the same baby we started with, which she is! After that it will be a couple of weeks until we get notice of our "PINK SLIP" which will tell us when our embassy appointment is. We have been told that it will likely be around four weeks from now, maybe less, maybe more when we will have her in our arms forever. It's surreal. And scary. Holy moly two kids??!! Who'da thunk it??!!
Please say a prayer for la princesa's foster mom. By now she knows that she only has a few weeks left with our sweet girl and I'm sure she is sad. She is an absolute angel on earth to foster these babies (la princesa is her 10th!) and give them a wonderful home. She shows her love as if she was hers forever, and for that we are so thankful. Please pray that she finds peace in knowing that our baby girl will be so loved. Also pray that the new adoption process that is coming soon will allow her to continue to foster other babies in the future. This is her only source of income, and more importantly, it wouldn't be fair to deprive a child of the loving home she provides. She will always be part of our family, and we wouldn't have it any other way!
Another prayer request: Please pray that all of the families who are in process right now get good news soon. God is good, and we thank him for all we have.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Happy 5 month birthday baby girl!
La princesa is 5 months old today. I've been fighting off tears all day and have shed quite a few. It's really beginning to sink in that she's not home. I wish we could just fly down, give her abrazos y besos (hugs and kisses), and come right back. Sigh. I miss her so much. All in God's timing . . . 
The little man started his first day in the "young 3's" room at daycare today. He's just really growing up fast. I was a little emotional about that, too, but when I picked him up to go to the doctor this afternoon, he was having a great time and talked about "Miss Maudia (Claudia)" all the way to the doctor's office. It was sweet. I met both his teachers and they seem really great. What a relief! He has an ear infection AGAIN, so another 10 days of antibiotics start tonight. Poor little guy. Anyway, that was our day--pray for a better day tomorrow!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
More Matthewspeak
Oh how my little critter cracks me up. You might recall that we recently needed to go to "Guatemawa" to get some milk--today we need to go to Guatemawa for ice cream, chicken nuggets, you name it. The kiddo is hooked on Guatemala lately. It's so sweet, but sad too, because I think he knows something is missing, and we're going to get that missing piece in Guatemala. My beloved hubby pointed out Guatemala on one of the many vinyl placemats we have for the critter. Now he can proudly show you where his baby sister is! So sweet! He has talked non-stop about that country today, even calling the mall Guatemawa as we were leaving. It's a hoot. Also, he's been calling money "pennies" and "50 dollars". He even calls coupons "50 dollars"! I wish, buddy, I wish!
He likes to play hide and seek, but he always does the hiding. He'll go hide somewhere and we act worried like we won't be able to find him (there is usually some part of his body sticking out from his hiding place, too! hee hee) and we ask where he could be hiding. Then he tells us where he is! Hilarious! Just now he took all 8 pillows off the daybed and hid among them. He said "come find me mommy!" I looked around, pretending not to know where he was, then said, "hey buddy, where are you hiding?". He yelled "I hiding in the piwwows!" That little guy is so much fun. We'd be truly bored without him!
As promised, here are some pics of our little prince hunting Easter eggs at his Grandma and Grandpa's house. He had so much fun we re-hid the eggs about five more times. It was a great day. Enjoy!
He likes to play hide and seek, but he always does the hiding. He'll go hide somewhere and we act worried like we won't be able to find him (there is usually some part of his body sticking out from his hiding place, too! hee hee) and we ask where he could be hiding. Then he tells us where he is! Hilarious! Just now he took all 8 pillows off the daybed and hid among them. He said "come find me mommy!" I looked around, pretending not to know where he was, then said, "hey buddy, where are you hiding?". He yelled "I hiding in the piwwows!" That little guy is so much fun. We'd be truly bored without him!
As promised, here are some pics of our little prince hunting Easter eggs at his Grandma and Grandpa's house. He had so much fun we re-hid the eggs about five more times. It was a great day. Enjoy!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
La Princesa's room . . . check!
We finished her room! I still want to move the R in her name on the wall down a bit, but the room is DONE! The only thing it lacks is la princesa. Check it out!
The little man's room is another story. My other half is building him a bookcase headboard in the garage even as I type. It will probably be awhile before it's finished, but when it is, that means it time to move the critter across the hall in to his new room. If I haven't said it before, I'm a little sad about it. We worked so hard on his nursery, but it's such a small room and he is running out of space. We've already bought the paint and the letters to spell his name on the wall, but I'm stalling for some reason. I'm just not ready for him to grow up.
Still no news on the adoption front. Our facilitator told the agency on Monday that we are still in PGN and he is hopeful that we will come out soon. La princesa turns 5 months old on Monday and it's starting to hit me that I haven't seen her in 2 months. I wish we could swing it financially for another visit, but that's not really an option right now, unless of course we encounter lots of delays. If I haven't asked before, please pray that things are going smoothly with our case. Abrazos y besos baby girl. We love you!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Is no news good news?
We're going on 6 weeks in PGN with la princesa, and no news at all to report. I'm praying and trusting that this means we're almost out and one step closer to bringing her home. Either way, as a friend so nicely put it last week, every day is one day closer to having her with us forever.
Believe me when I say that I'm eating my way through the stress of not knowing how our case is going. I have been soothing myself with food and I need an intervention! Mark has lost over 50 pounds since the beginning of the year (I'm so proud of you honey!) and I've probably gained 10. I hope when la princesa gets home I can get back on the wagon!
If you hear screams of joy and feel the earth shake from me jumping up and down in the next couple of weeks, you'll know we're out of PGN. Keep your ears peeled and keep an eye on the blog. We pray for good news soon.
Believe me when I say that I'm eating my way through the stress of not knowing how our case is going. I have been soothing myself with food and I need an intervention! Mark has lost over 50 pounds since the beginning of the year (I'm so proud of you honey!) and I've probably gained 10. I hope when la princesa gets home I can get back on the wagon!
If you hear screams of joy and feel the earth shake from me jumping up and down in the next couple of weeks, you'll know we're out of PGN. Keep your ears peeled and keep an eye on the blog. We pray for good news soon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the binky has left the building
Yes, you heard right, I said the binky has left the building. It's been over a week since the little man had his most prized possession to fall asleep. If you're a parent of a binky addicted kiddo, please know that they WILL NOT go to college with their binky. Pull ups, maybe, but not the binky!
The little man came home from the hospital addicted to his binky. The NICU staff said it was important for him to learn to suck and to stay calm, so the binky stayed. I vowed that it would bite the dust by the time he was 6 months old. Yeah, didn't happen. The next goal was by one year. Ummm, what can I say, it just really calmed him down, so it stayed. By this point, I really didn't care anymore how long he kept it. I dared people to judge me for letting him have it. By about 18 months, we were down to extreme fit and falling asleep use only. Now, just under 2 months until the critterboy turns 3 years old, it's gone for good. I must admit that it makes me more than a little sad that he's growing up. At the same time, though, I'm so proud of him for hitting this milestone! Next item on the agenda, potty training. We'll wait until he's ready (he's pee'ed on the potty quite a few times, but usually waits to tell us he needs to go until after the deed is done), since I'm not up to a fight over it, and anyone who knows him knows that's a smart move. I'm really not in a hurry for him to grow up. It'll happen soon enough . . .
The little man came home from the hospital addicted to his binky. The NICU staff said it was important for him to learn to suck and to stay calm, so the binky stayed. I vowed that it would bite the dust by the time he was 6 months old. Yeah, didn't happen. The next goal was by one year. Ummm, what can I say, it just really calmed him down, so it stayed. By this point, I really didn't care anymore how long he kept it. I dared people to judge me for letting him have it. By about 18 months, we were down to extreme fit and falling asleep use only. Now, just under 2 months until the critterboy turns 3 years old, it's gone for good. I must admit that it makes me more than a little sad that he's growing up. At the same time, though, I'm so proud of him for hitting this milestone! Next item on the agenda, potty training. We'll wait until he's ready (he's pee'ed on the potty quite a few times, but usually waits to tell us he needs to go until after the deed is done), since I'm not up to a fight over it, and anyone who knows him knows that's a smart move. I'm really not in a hurry for him to grow up. It'll happen soon enough . . .
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