Tis True

The prior post was correct. Our agency confirmed today that Mariela is no longer working for Julio. We have no details. I'm very concerned for Mariela, her family and this very difficult time. She is an incredible woman who stands for what she believes in. Sometimes that isn't well-received. I should know. I'm rarely well-received when I put my foot down.

In other news, the U.S. Embassy has finally implemented a second DNA test to be completed by the baby only at the end of the process prior to receiving the travel visa. The purpose of this is to eliminate the possibility of switching babies in the middle of the process-- which has happened. Obviously, most policies come about because of some jerk who finds a way to defraud the system. This is no different. It is another expense both financially and timewise that I don't look forward to. But if it puts a dent in the business of baby trafficking, I'm all for it.

We get to see Gabi Sol in 5 days. I will hold onto her for every possible moment. We have a lot of love to squeeze into 8 days. When you don't carry a baby, it's more difficult to build those "mommy muscles." I've been working out to prep for it. So keep growing Gabi-- I'll keep up with you.

Bad News Bears!

It isn't yet confirmed, but we've heard through the grapevine that Mariela is no longer working for our attorney. Why does it matter, you ask? Because Mariela is our saving grace. She is the reason everything gets done in a timely manner. We're not sure what this could mean for our adoptions. It obviously doesn't mean that our adoptions are in jeopardy, but we feel that things will not continue to move as quickly as they have. Kristin and I were actually speechless. We think someone sucked the air out of the room. We are particularly concerned for what this may mean for Reagan's conundrum.

Again, please continue to pray for all of the families who are working with our attorney.

One Week

We are one week away from seeing our angel again. By this time next week, we'll have Gabi Sol in our arms. I cannot wait to see how much she's grown and all the new things she's doing. She'll be a completely different baby during this trip. And she'll get to meet her grandparents on both sides which is so exciting for us.

I've filled her crib with all of the stuff she needs for the trip. It's really ridiculous how much stuff a baby requires. She weighs less than 15 lbs and I have about 50 lbs. of stuff for her-- not really. All she really needs is us to love on her! We cannot wait to kiss her face off!

Sharing Foster Mom

I checked my email today and one of the families who uses our agency is visiting their daughter for the first time in Guatemala. As I was looking at the pictures of their beautiful daughter, Ella, I realized that she is with Gabriella's foster mother. I was so excited to know who Gabi's foster sibling was. It's a really cool connection and I hope we'll stay in touch. I emailed the family and told them what wonderful hands their Ella was in. She was surprised to hear from me but as excited as I was, I think.

In other news, Reagan's case is still a mystery. I am so frustrated for the W.'s and can't believe how long this is taking. They keep getting the run around and are at a standstill. It is unbelievable how helpless you can feel when you're in this situation. Kristin and Josh have been through the ringer with this adoption. Enough is enough! Please pray for their family and for our sweet Reagan.

Gabi Sol is 4 months old today. What a big girl she is! I can't believe we get to see her in a little over a week. We're so excited. But I'm bracing myself for the trip home when we don't have her in our arms and we aren't sure when we'll see her again. That is my biggest challenge at this point. I don't know how Edward feels about it because he's pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing. I'm afraid it will be harder for him than he anticipates. All we can do is get through it. In the meantime, I'm just going to look forward to all the lovin' I get to smother her with while we are with her. We're coming, sweet girl!

Couldn't resist

this one last picture of Griffin. Cracked me up. What a ham! And this self-portrait of Spencer and me.

Water Park

We have this pool in Champaign called the Sholem Aquatic Park. It isn't a water park in the traditional sense but it does have a couple of waterslides and a lazy river, as well as a great baby pool area. The kids absolutely love it. Both times that they've visited it has taken them a while to get used to it, but they always end up loving it. It's so fun to see them get braver and more exploratory as the day goes on.

A few pictures from our adventures.

Family Weekend

We spent the weekend in Effingham with family. Hilary and Steve were in town with the boys, so we celebrated Griffin's second birthday, went swimming and played mini golf. We had beautiful weather and a great time. Spencer was a champion mini golfer and is reading at the 2nd grade level-- he'll be 4 in October. Griffin is a gigglebox and physical genius. He is so coordinated and bright. Edward and I love getting to see these boys. Nana, Hil and the boys are coming up to Champaign tomorrow to go to the water park.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

PGN

We have confirmation that we were indeed kicked out of PGN on July 18. This is good news. As far as we know, all of the kickouts have to do with paperwork on our side, not Gabriella's side. It's better this way.

In negative news, we are still waiting for Reagan's file to be resolved. Although, Kristin and Josh were told that she was out of PGN in early June, that is not the case. They have dealt with a lot of ridiculous issues. They are on the path to getting her home. We don't know when that will be. It could be as much as an additional 3 months from now. It could be as little as a month and a half. Please pray that it comes sooner rather than later. Reagan's first birthday is fast approaching and her family is very anxiously awaiting her.

Since Edward and I will be in Guatemala near Reagan's birthday, we will be celebrating with her. We're going to have her come stay with us for a day and have a birthday party! I cannot wait to see her again. I also can't wait for Ed and my parents to meet her. And obviously, Gabi needs to be reunited with her cousin/friend. We don't know when we'll all be together again. I love that these girls and Ryker share the same heritage. Reagan and Gabi even come from the same province (which is actually called a department in Guat.).

That's all for now.

What the Heck?

We have gotten a lot of mixed messages lately. Today I found out that not only are we out of Family Court, but we were submitted to PGN already. We've been kicked out for 4 things. One was bogus-- the reviewer didn't see it in the file. One was the letter that Edward just got regarding his employment. One was something that Mariela has in her hands. And one is the visa preapproval we are waiting for from the embassy.

So we ARE making progress-- more than we thought, actually. I'm hoping that these previos will be solved immediately and then we'll be resubmitted. We expect another previo for the embassy PA, but there's nothing we can do about that. Hopefully, this means that all of these dilemmas will be solved and we'll cruise through PGN. There are no guarantees, however. Please keep praying.

Premature Post

It seems as if we are not truly out of Family Court. Although, Mariela indicated that we were, they are now requiring that they have our DNA results before releasing our dossier. Those results are being translated now and will be delivered to Family Court as soon as possible. This still doesn't really affect our timeline. We're still doing ok.

New Pictures and Medical!

My goodness! Gabriella is such a big girl. At 3 months, 16 days she weighs 11 lb., 5 oz. and is 58 cm (22.83 in.) long. Her head circumference is 39.5 cm. I know that for many people they do not pay attention to their child's head circumference. However, when you aren't the one feeding your child every day and watching her grow, you inspect every clue that might indicate that she is typical. Like a lunatic, I use the CDC chart for children outside of the U.S. to track her growth. Every jump is exciting for me. To watch her move along that curve when I'm not with her confirms for me that she is receiving lots of attention, love and stimulation. I know that our prayers are answered and that God is holding her in the palm of his hand.

I am so head over heels for this little girl I'm just giddy! Check out those cheeks and the hairdo!

The Big Pout

I was looking at pictures of Gabriella last night and I stumbled across this one. I know it's cruel, but I love seeing that lip stick out. It's absolutely pitiful, but so stinkin' cute. I couldn't resist sharing it. This isn't her best pout, but it's fairly good. Couldn't you just eat her?

I've Got Nothin'

Not much to report. I spent the weekend in MTV with family and friends. We celebrated Dad's 64th birthday on Friday. Paige and I wasted Saturday in the pool while Barry built a fence. I ended up with an unfortunate sunburn, but it was really good to chill out with Paige. I followed up the evening as the 5th wheel with Liza, Shane, Em and Rocky. We cooked out and later more of the W. clan showed up. Lori and Karla rounded out the evening and we had a lot of laughs. But I think we're getting old. We were all ready for bed by 10. Is that sad or what? When we're awake though, we have a great time.

Meanwhile, Ed was hanging out with his E'ham crew in western Michigan. They went fishing and had some rough weather on Saturday. All four of them got seasick from the weather and they didn't last very long. But they had better weather today. I don't think any of them cared how good or bad the fishing was. I think they were just thrilled to have some time together. Their last boys' weekend was for Dan's bachelor party in Vegas 5 years ago. That is too long.

No more to report on the adoption front. I'll keep you posted. Oh... and I started writing a book. I don't know that anything will come of it or if I'll even finish it, but it's very cathartic for the moment. So there's that.

By Popular Demand

Alright Paige, I have added an outline of the process in the sidebar. It is very confusing and there are often several steps within a main step, but this order should help. For any step that we have completed or are currently dealing with, there is a date. I will update these as new things happen. I hope this helps dispel some of the mystery of the process, as well as answer the common question, "What's taking so long?"

Out of Family Court

We are officially cruising! We got out of Family Court either today or last week. They need a letter confirming Edward's employment before we can go into PGN. This is a bit of a snafu since he's only employed over the summer. Now, if everything else can go just as smoothly. Woohoo!!!

CEO Meeting

I just talked to Edward and apparently his meeting with the CEO at Ford went very well. He was able to talk to him for about 45 minutes and it was very productive. Mr. Mulally even put him in touch with 2 other execs. Ed felt that he received great advice and career guidance. Mission accomplished.

Praise the Lord!

This is not really adoption related. I just got off the phone with Kristin. They had incredible news! Josh just found out that he got his own store with Chick-Fil-A. Josh was working for another company until this spring. They went through some layoffs and he got caught. So he started this process and was prepared to endure it for at least a year. But it has been very stressful because they're in the middle of adopting Reagan. Any major changes in your life can have an impact on your adoption. They've been very patient and were finally rewarded. Edward and I are so excited for this blessing. I don't think I could be happier if it was happening to us. Thank goodness.