Its There-----

The Fed Ex package, holding the 2nd DNA results, made it to Guatemala today...and was signed for at 4pm. So, maybe in the next 1-4 business days, we should get that "PINK" email with a day/time for our Embassy Appointment. I can't wait till I can tell someone an exact date....for the question of ......when are you going to get the baby? If Ihad a dime for each time we have said, "we are hoping"........

Lauren goes down next week to visit Isabelle. We have talked several times about how much fun it would be if we could all be down at the same time. We want to go down a couple days before our appointment so that we can sightsee and shop a bit.

Stay tuned, more to come......

DNA Results Are in Transit to the Embassy

I got the call this morning about, well to be exact, 846 am. With some great information, our DNA has been tested, its a match, and was shipped to the Embassy via Fedex yesterday. The tracking info says that the package will be there by 6pm today. Once this information is logged in at the embassy, we await the "PINK" email. This will let us know when we need to be in Guatemala. Generally, the email goes out 1-4 business days after the results have been received back at the Embassy. Maybe by Friday, we might have our travel date. I have seen appointments already for the week of Valentines.

I also received some updated Medical Information for Isabella. She is up to 16.4 lbs. And is 26 inches long and is in good general condition. No new pics with this update....guess the next pictures will be the ones taken by Keith and me. :)

2nd DNA Update

It is looking like we have action. I checked this morning and found out that the fees for doing the 2nd DNA have been deducted from our account. Yippee..... I won't be able to get more details until Monday when I can chat with my coordinator. There is a possibility that Lauren may be able to speak with the Foster Mom on Sunday. If she does, she might be able to verify, if indeed, Isabella was taken in for the test.

Check back on Monday....as soon as I know something.....I will post ASAP...... Look out Lauren and Isabelle....we are chasing you.

2nd DNA Update

So, I checked to see if the payment for the DNA testing had posted to the Credit Card.....not yet.....maybe today!!!! Lauren will be down to visit her Isabelle the first part of February. Its looking even more like we will be in Guatemala around the same time. This would be great as we could get pictures of everyone together.

I have started to get my bags ready to go. It has been such fun getting everything together. I purchased Isabella's first bathing suit. It is soooooo cute. You'll see, of course I will have pics. And Lauren has been a big help since she has made a visit trip to Guatemala already. Kinda filling me in on what to take or not to take, etc.

Here's hoping that I will be checking back in today....with the good news that the DNA sample has been taken and on the way to be confirmed.

2nd DNA--Just got word---we have authorization!!!

We are another step closer to bringing Isabella home. I got the call from my Coordinator at 1 pm est. We have the authorization to do the 2nd DNA test. This ensures that this is the same Isabella that we started with. Once the DNA sample is collected, it will travel via Fed X to the lab in the US to be tested. Once we have a match, the US Embassy in Guatemala will review the adoption package and then issues 'PINK' (the pink slip). This pink slip will give us an appointment day/time with the US Embassy in Guatemala, which is typically about 1-2 weeks after PINK is issued. Then, we travel to Guatemala to get Isabella, pick up her Visa, and COME HOME!!! Reckon we will be spending Valentines Day in Guatemala?

Out of PGN 5 Weeks Today

We have been out of PGN 5 weeks today. No additional travel information yet. We are still crossing our fingers that we will hear something, anything, soon. The next step that still needs to happen is the 2nd DNA test.

Lauren (Isabelle's Mom) called me yesterday. She had spoken with our Foster Mom via telephone. It appears that sometime between the 8th and the 21st, Isabella was taken to have her Passport photo taken. And it also looks like the girls had a medical checkup on the 19th. Because this visit happened on a Saturday, I probably won't be getting any updated photos. I haven't gotten the medical report with the updated information, but it seems that both girls are healthy and doing well. They are eating some Gerber foods (fruits/vegs..up to stage 3 in some) and maybe some mashed up table food too. But the word is...Isabella does not eat bananas.

So we keep waiting....for the call that the 2nd DNA test is happening.

Dateline--International Adoption

Hey Everyone... in case you did not get to watch Dateline last night. Her is a link that will take you to some on-line stories.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22721799#22721799


Fortunately, Keith and I have been working with a very reputable, local Adoption Agency and have not had any of the negative experiences uncovered and discussed on the show last night.

We have Snow!!!

Wow! Woke up to a bit of snow this morning. This is the view out my backdoor. We took this barn down, log by log, moved them by truck app 5 miles, and rebuilt the tobacco barn (with some extras) in our back yard. It is so pretty to look at, especially covered in snow.

Dateline--Sunday, January 20--Guatemala Adoption

Sunday, Jan 20th, Dateline (NBC) will air a story on Guatemalan Adoptions. It has already been determined that this piece may not relate the happy, successful stories. But, in actuality, show the less positive side of the process.

Dateline NBC has also opened up its website for stories and pictures for those that have adopted and/or currently in the process. Check out some of the stories and pictures that have already been submitted and added for viewing.

For pictures
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22666763/nPage/1

For stories
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22671430/

The photos and stories are a way to show some positives. These children have touched many lives and will continue to do so in their "forever" homes.

Malacatan, San Marcos Video at the bottom

Check out the bottom of the page. I have added a video that shows a bit of the area that Isabella was born in, Malacatan, San Marcos. The narration is in Spanish. You can either mute the narrative part....pause the music playing to listen to the Spanish dialogue...or just mute everything.

Newest Furniture Additon to Isabella's Room

So, we were off to Babies R Us again on Saturday. Our mission, a Glider and Ottoman for Isabella's room. Seems we weren't the only ones. Nearly every chair had a "tester". And you know Keith, "never meet a stranger", was actively seeking thoughts and opinions from others. All in all, the general consensus was, no matter what kind, you need one.

Keith put the glider together in hardly any time. We rearranged the furniture just a bit. And as you can see, the room is nearly complete. Just missing that brown eyed little girl to fill the rest of the empty spaces in the room and in our hearts.

I plan on making a call to our coordinator on Monday. She was on vacation last week and out of the office. We were hoping the 2nd DNA test would have been completed last week. At this point, it doesn't look like that happened. So, lets hope it gets completed this week. That piece must be completed and finalized before we can be issued Isabella's pick up date.

Still No Travel Date.....but I have some other news!!!

Hey everyone, still no travel date. We are still waiting for the 2nd DNA sample to be taken. As far as I know, that authorization hasn't come down the pipe yet. When it does, the wheels will start to roll again. Its beginning to look like we might be going down maybe towards the end of January, first week or so of February. It was relayed that it would be 4-7 weeks from the final approval, which for us was Dec 18th. Which leads me to the "other news".

Remember, I had mentioned that Isabella has a Foster Sister, Isabelle. Her mom is Lauren. And that Keith and I had met Lauren, had dinner, talked and just overall had a great time. Well, on Tuesday, I went to Lauren's for a Webcam chat. And guess with who? Yep, the entire Foster Family.... Ana, the Foster Mom, her husband and daughter and Isabella and Isabelle.

This was so exciting! We didn't have sound and the transmission was quite fuzzy. But, we were able to make out the picture well enough to see the babies. Lauren has been down for a visit trip and has spent time with Isabelle. But, this is the first, realtime, event for Isabella and me. Since we didn't have sound, Lauren kept the (Spanish) chat going. And did a wonderful job.

Isabella has a few curls and per Ana, she is small. At 7 mos, she can still wear 3-6 mos clothes. And is still getting up 3 times a night to be fed. Isabelle is sleeping thru the night, maybe she needs to have some infant chat with Isabella and give her the scoop. :) The girls were very active and after about 45 min, Ana, indicated that they would need to go as the girls were getting tired. Ana did say that she was going to work on getting us some new pictures this week. I surely hope so as I haven't had any new pictures in a couple of months.

Thanks again Lauren for searching out the "Smith" family. Its beginning to look more like we may be picking up Isabella when you are down visiting Isabelle in February.

Some Great News

A few days ago I mentioned about Isabella's Foster Sister, Isabelle. And how I had had found out that her mom lived local and that we had been talking and emailing....Well, Keith and I met her for dinner on Friday. We had a great time and we could have probably talked till midnight , even longer.

Isabelle's mom has made a visit trip to Guatemala. She has some great video and photos from the visit. She has another visit planned for early February, may even be down when Keith and I go for our pick up trip. While down on her visit trip, Isabelle's mom was able to get a phone number for the Foster Mom. On Sunday night, she (along with a Spanish speaking friend) put in a call to the Foster Mom, Ana. I wasn't there for the call but found out some things about Isabella. She has 2 teeth, not quite sitting along, and is fairly small in size. She and Isabelle play alongside each other and share toys back and forth. And she sleeps alone in a crib.

And some even more exciting news....Isabelle's mom is going to put in another call to the Foster Mom, Ana, on Tuesday and I am going to go be a part of the call. Both girls and the rest of the Foster family will be on via web cam. I am so excited!!! I have also heard that Christmas pictures were made of Isabella and Isabelle. I was so hoping to have a Christmas photo of Isabella. I will be sure to post as soon as any new photos become available.

I am so grateful to have found Isabelle and her mom. And the girls have such a special connection...they have played played, ate, and slept together for the past few months. We definitely will take an active role in ensuring that the girls stay connected as time goes by.

Isabella's Room

Isabella's room is all ready for her to come home to. There are lots of butterflies in pink , lavender, and green. The pattern is Sugarplum, Keith picked this out. The doggie star is TJ. He just loves to lay in front of the crib, or under. And check out the big ole First Pooh Bear, way bigger than Isabella.
We had such a great time putting the room together. My nephew's wife, Ashley helped me sooooo much. After the pattern was chosen, she helped me with picking out the paint. Keith wasn't too happy with having to put 3 coats of paint on the dark (plum) wall. But agreed afterwards that it really was a good choice of colors. Then, Ashley and I applied the butterflies in various places on the walls.

Waiting for Birth Certificate to be Issued

So, here is what has been happening since our PGN approval (adoption decree) on December 18th. Keith and I are filling out more paperwork in order to travel to Guatemala. Our Attorney, in Guatemala, has gotten the 4th and final sign off to adopt from the Birth Mother. And the paperwork is at the Civil Registry waiting to be picked up in order to issue a new birth certificate/passport for Isabella. After that, the 2nd DNA will be taken. Once the DNA results make it back to the US Embassy in Guatemala, we can start packing and watch for our "PINK" slip. The PINK slip will have our Embassy appointment date and is sent directly to us via email. I am starting to see an end in sight.

Isabella is 7 months old today!

We don't have any further news of a travel date. We did get our travel pack info....more forms and paperwork to complete. Hopefully, we won't have to make any additional trips to the local courthouses for additional certified documents. Once we get the word that the 2nd DNA test is being completed, a travel day could be within a couple of weeks. With the holidays and such, everything slowed down in Guatemala. Hoping that the remainder of this week and next, things gear back up.

We want to keep all of the children of Guatemala in our thoughts as the new year begins with new processes for adoption from Guatemala. The cases that are currently in process, app 3500, were grandfathered in to be completed under the existing rules. But, no one is really sure how the new guidelines will effect the timeliness of new cases going forward or even the cases that are in the pipeline currently. We were very fortunate in that we received our final approval prior to the Dec 31st deadline.

Happy New Year

We want to wish you and your families a great 2008!