We Got PA!!!!

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think my rather conservative commentary from yesterday actually worked. We got PA!!! In only 68 stinkin' days! I am praising God for answering our prayers. He is very, very good!

I got the email today at lunchtime and immediately sent a text to Kristin and Edward to let them know. We couldn't be more excited.

In other exciting news, a friend we made in Guatemala found out that her daughter Isabel just got out of PGN today as well. Shannon was kicked out when we met her during our visit in early August and is now completely out. She hopes to bring Isabel home in 6 weeks. We hope this is good news for our Reagan girl. We pray that she is right behind her!

Here's the thing...

I try really hard to be positive about this process. I try to focus on the fact that Gabi is receiving so much love every day from her foster family and that she has a significant percentage of the world praying for her every day. I remind myself daily that we are very fortunate to have this beautiful little girl in our lives regardless of how far away from us she might be. But sometimes I want to scream! Between the fact that Reagan is not home at 1 year and 2 weeks old (tomorrow) and the fact that the U.S. government takes its sweet time getting its job done, I just want to scream. We have been waiting for this stupid piece of paper from the US Embassy for 67 days today. That is just excessive.

I believe in America. I do think that we have a wonderful way of life that is worth protecting and fighting for. However, I do not believe that what our soldiers fight for is the right for our government offices to take as long as they want to do their jobs. Let's face it. I accepted a long time ago that there are things that we will never truly know about Gabriella's life. We can pray that we know what is necessary to make her feel that her birthmother loved her completely enough to give her a better life. And that it will be enough to satisfy Gabi's curiosity and pursuit of identity later in her life. But the truth is that we can't ever know if her entire adoption is on the up-and-up. We can't know that every piece of this process is legal. No one can know that except the individuals involved. It is our job and our government's job (in this case anyway) to investigate the circumstances of her existence and subsequent relinquishment. But whether it takes 25 days, 60 days or 120 days, there is only so much they can do to convince themselves. My frustration occurs when they are unwilling to either a) hire enough people to do this job in a timely manner, or b) do their job efficiently, or c) communicate with their constituents in an efficient and timely manner.

The U.S. Embassy literally makes up the rules as they go. In early Spring 2007, they were taking approximately 30 days to issue pre-approval. They then moved up to 60 days. There are rumblings that they may now extend the time necessary to complete this paperwork to 90 days. I cannot understand who gives them the liberty to simply change their policies. In addition to extending the timeline, they refuse to communicate with families before that 60 days has expired. I wrote them 7 days ago and have yet to receive a response.

That is my rant! Please let our pre-approval come this week. And please let Reagan out of PGN!!! That child must be home in October or I may storm the president of Guatemala's residence myself.

Happy 5 Months, Gabi Sol!

Gabriella is 5 months old today! We hope to receive some pictures this week from her doctor's appointment with the foster mother. She's getting to be a pretty big girl and we are curious to see that she's healthy and just how big she really is.

We hope you know how much we love you, Gabi. We'll be there soon to pick you up-- we hope!!!

Canoeing and Such

Ed and I went canoeing this weekend with the MBAA students in Indiana. We had a great time. All I have to say is that the Roadhouse in Bellmore is a rockin' good time. I don't know when I've laughed as hard as I did. We canoed, danced and laughed all day yesterday. The new class has a lot of personality and it was so fun to get to know them. Even Edward busted out some dance moves that, although rusty, were pretty impressive for the Bellmore crowd.

No news from the US Embassy. Our pre-approval is proving to be pretty elusive. They were closed this last week for training, so I'm hoping that they turn a whole bunch of cases out early this week. Then we'll be on our way to PGN. Please, oh please, U.S.E. give us our PA.

Pleasant Surprise!

When I got home tonight, I had two email messages. They were from Gabi's foster mother. When we were down there, we exchanged email addresses. I know this is ok because the attorney approved it. I was hoping that we would correspond, but I wasn't very hopeful. Before I even had a chance to draft an email to her, she wrote. She says that Gabriella is "more beautiful each day, sends lots of kisses and is always remembering us." I feel so much closer to Gabi from this little communication. What a generous effort on Jackelin's part. She really is going above and beyond with her!

Poll-- Vote for your favorite picture of our Princesa!

You can vote for your favorite picture of Gabi from the following 5. You can vote in the left margin of this blog...

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What Could Have Been

Here is what a perfect picture looks like when something goes terribly awry. I hope you enjoy it as much as I might have... I even look fairly normal. And Gabi is beautiful, as always.

I Learned Something Today

According to my very funny supervisor, "Speech don't fix crazy. And speech don't fix stupid." So there's that. I started my internship at the hospital today and that was my first lesson. I rather enjoyed it.

We got the rest of the pictures back today. The pictures from the foster mother were so sweet. We got to see where she's living and some of the other people in her life. It makes me miss her even more. She's very happy in these pictures though, so what more can we ask for?

Our girl's crib at Jaclin's house.

Today, August 21st also marks day 60 waiting for Gabi's visa PA. We contacted the U.S. Embassy and their reply said that they are not answering emails this week because they're in training. Well they don't answer their emails on a regular day, so we're not sure how this is different. Regardless, it doesn't look like we're going to get PA or an answer until next week. This is, of course, infuriating. But what part of this process isn't?

Another Video of our Girl...

Click here to see Gabi saying thanks at the end of our trip.

Gabi Says Thanks!

A Few Souvenirs

We picked up a couple of souvenirs for Gabi Sol in the local markets. Here is just a sampling of some of the things we brought home for her and others.

This picture is of Escuintla, Gabi's birthplace, and is actually painted on a feather.

I love smocking on little girls' dresses. This orange will be beautiful on our peanut. We hope she can wear it on her pickup trip.

Good News for those around us

I just heard from another family in our agency that they received pre-approval this weekend for their daughter. This is the family who shares our foster mother. They were only 4 days ahead of us with their DNA results, so this is exciting news for them and for us!!!

We are currently on day 58 of our wait. Unfortunately, the PAs have been taking longer this month for some reason. This family received theirs at day 61 of their wait. We desperately hope that this is true for us. This is a big WAITING week for us.

This single piece of paper is critically important. We can't move into PGN without it. That will be our next countdown-- approximately 8 weeks-- we hope.

Such a big girl-- holding her own bottle and checking to see if Daddy noticed!

Down for the Count

Ed and I have both been sick this week. Ed has been fighting a cold and fatigue and I've had a horrible headache and fatigue. We have absolutely no energy. Our house looks like Hurricane Dean hit and we both start school/work this week. Something must give.

In brighter news, we got most of our pictures back. She's even more adorable than I remember, despite the fact that pics do not do her justice.



Kristin is heading home from Guatemala today. She finally got some answers from our attorneys and PGN. We seriously hope that Reagan is within arm's reach!!! This is a huge blessing. But there are still several unknowns. Please pray that she escapes the abyss that is PGN and makes it home as quickly as possible.

A couple of pics of our girls!!! I hope they find the kind of friendship in each other that Kristin and I have.

Is it Possible...

that I've gone so far overboard I can no longer see the boat? I ordered pictures of Gabi from our trip today. In the end, I ordered over 100 different photos in multiples. I think the grand total was something like 207.

I know what you're all thinking--- that I'm nuts. But I dare any of you who have biological children (especially your first) to go back and look at how many photos you have of your kids doing absolutely nothing. This especially applies to my friend, Michelle T. (whose husband, Kip, says that their kids won't go to college because of all the money spent on clothes and pictures). Now, imagine that you don't get to see that baby everyday. I've literally almost worn the keys off of my computer looking at every single picture we have of Gabi. Those pics from the first visit trip have been memorized. I look at many of them almost every day. Now I have more!!! I'll see you guys in December when I've emerged from my Gabriella cocoon.

To add to my obsession, Gabi's foster mother actually returned one of the cameras we left with her from the first visit. So those are currently at the developers along with 3 other rolls Ed took of her with the 35 mm. Can you say "in love"?

Even after we smothered her in attention and lovin' for 8 solid days, she can't possibly know how much we love her. But she will soon. When she's home. Where she belongs.

More Pics of the Birthday Girl

Kristin says that Reagan woke up smiling and hasn't stopped since. She's such a happy baby! They had a birthday party this afternoon so I'll keep posting pics of my niece as she tears into her cake. Kristin will send them in a little while. She's gorgeous! And she hasn't given Kristin the first worry about knowing who she is or anything. How can you resist that grin?

Happy 1st Birthday, Reagan!!!

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! We're so happy that your mama could be with you on your big day. Play hard and don't forget how much we love you and want you to come home! Enjoy your party and be good for your mama. She's so happy to be with you on your special day...

We're Back!

We got back to Chambana around 2:30 last night. It was a long and difficult day. The Miami airport was ridiculous and I almost assaulted 2 customs agents. Look Gabi, Mommy's a felon.

Obviously the worst part of the day was giving Gabriella back to her foster mother. Gabi was so excited when Jaclin arrived that it was hard not to be happy for her. If she's happy and well taken care of, then I'm happy. Jaclin loves her and it's obvious in the way she handles her. We just loved on her as much as we possibly could and then gave her back. We were very brave and didn't cry. I do think it was easier this time for me. It wasn't for Edward though. He didn't have much time with her the last time. He didn't truly know what he was missing. This time, I'm sure it broke his heart more than he expected it to.

We did get some answers to our questions from our lawyer. We hope they are accurate and that this adoption continues without many more problems. In bad news, the wait for pre-approval from the U.S. Embassy was taking about 50 days one month ago. There are currently many families who are waiting well beyond the given timeline of 60 days. Some are at 70+. Frankly, it makes me want to be sick. It's ridiculous that any goverment agency can arbitrarily change their timelines on a whim. But if you really want to hear some ridiculous political poo, visit Paige's blog (strawnequine.blogspot.com). She can't even get paid.

Kristin arrived at the Marriott in Guat this morning. She will get to spend Reagan's 1st birthday with her after all. She's also attempting to get some answers about her case. This has truly turned into a nightmare for their family. We pray every day many times that Reagan will be with her family very soon. I know it is taking all of Kristin's strength to not go postal on someone. We're with you in spirit, Kristin! Stand your ground!

Thanks, everyone, for following along on our journey. It's an exciting, frustrating, thrilling and devastating experience. We know without a doubt that we will get Gabi home and much of this pain will be forgotten. We can't wait to share the joyful moments of her arrival home with you all.

I just had to post this...

Gabi has had a couple of rough evenings. We aren't positive but we think that she might be starting the teething process. Anyway, she just went to sleep and I went over to check on her in the crib. While she was sleeping, she got a huge smile on her face and giggled in her sleep. It even woke her up. I think it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. (I know that every baby in the world has done this-- but I've never seen it.) She is the coolest!

Sunday Times

GG and Grumps left early this morning and I hope return safely to Mt. Vernon. Ed and I have been hanging out with Gabi all day trying to soak up as much of her as possible. We started out by the pool and it quickly went from warm and humid to cool and rainy. We abandoned that and returned to our room for a good nap. She played in the baby lounge for a bit and we met some new people.

Our Miracle Baby...

Gabi Sol's taking a nap now and Edward and I have little motivation to go through all of our stuff and pack. Not very exciting. Downright disheartening, actually. But we'll get everything together. We'll meet with the foster mother tomorrow morning when she comes to pick Gabi up. We have some questions for our attorney as well. We hope to get as many answers as we have questions, but you never know.

Big girl standing up!

Hope all is well at home and that you're all surviving the miserable weather. And welcome home, Amie and Keith!

Our friends at the Marriott who tend to our every need...

Saturday Night Fever

Tonight we went to dinner at this beautiful restaurant at a higher elevation in Guatemala City. We were joined by our new friends, Shannon, Gaye, and Isabel. We had a lovely evening and an incredible view of the city.

Shannon and Isabel's grandmother, Gaye, said that Gabriella looks so much like their Isabel did at her age. Isabel is just 7 1/2 months and an absolute heartbreaker. We spent much of the last couple of days with them and I've yet to hear her cry. We really enjoyed getting to know our Cincinnatti buddies.

Earlier in the day, we ventured out to the local Handicraft Market. This market is overseen by the Tourism Department of Guatemala. It is lovely and many of the vendors do not speak any English. I must say that I held my own with my Spanish today. I had to translate for our group and then a couple of strangers. However, many Guatemalans shop there as well because it is considered very safe, has free parking, and beautiful items. It really is quite the tranquil setting. And we couldn't have had a more beautiful day for it.

Monkey toes!

Don't worry-- she isn't ready for Happy Hour. She's just chewing on everything. I wanted to see what she would do with a cup. Don't call DCFS yet.