Journey To Our Little Miss

Journey To Our Rebekah Dawn

May 24, 2008 - Today I started the trip back home after a long night of illness. I don't know what happened, but I got very sick on this trip. There were some doctors on my flight who had been in Guatemala on a missions trip. One of them approached me on the plane and asked what was wrong (I looked that bad??!?!). They gave me some medicine for nausea and it knocked me out! I didn't throw up anymore, but I couldn't keep my eyes open either. I'm not sure how I got through customs and to my gate in Dallas. I actually fell asleep waiting for my connecting flight with my laptop charging in front of me and my purse behind me. I was freaked out when I woke up and found out that I had fallen asleep! I'm sure my angels were close by though, I could almost here them say "she's going down boys, she's going down!". Anyway, I made it home --SOMEHOW-- and crashed on my family after being home for a whole hour. It was good to be home, but it was better to be in bed!
May 23, 2008 - Rebekah slept all night and was comfortable in my presence. We had a lazy morning playing together in the room and then went down for breakfast. I was noticing that she was not a good eater, either with liquids or solids. We headed to the neurologist around 12N and she underwent a through exam from him, parts of which she wasn't too happy with :(( In the end, he said she was totally on track with her development and that she was just "globally petite". He ordered a thyroid test to see if her appetite problems where due to a hormonal problem. He would also like her to see a physical therapist so that could monitor her development. She is supposed to see the pediatirican again in a month and him again in two months for follow-up. That evening I gave her back to her foster mom with detailed dietary instructions and the doctors information. I am hopeful that we can get her growing again by adjusting her formula and changing her solids. It was hard to leave her again, it's always so hard to say goodbye.
	May 22, 2008 - I started the day meeting with Adoption Supervisors to discuss my case. Their services sound wonderful and I'll need to discuss this option with Tim. Afterwards I headed over to the pediatrician to meet my daughter again and have her examined. She came right to me, cuddling, laughing and playing with my necklace. It was so easy! I was expecting her to be hesitant or nervous, but not the case with this little "Barbie", as her foster mom calls her. When we got to the doctor's appointment we discovered that she is not growing well. Her head circumference was a big point of concern and the pediatrician immediately sent us down for a CT scan. He called me a few hours later to say that the scan was perfectly normal (thank goodness) but he still wanted me to see a pediatric neurologist the next afternoon just to be sure. I took Rebekah back to the hotel with me for a night of bonding and getting to know each other. It was the first night we ever shared together!
May 21, 2008 - This was an eventful day! My driver and translator arrive at 10:00 AM and we headed to my attorney's office. My only goal for this day was to get my file back into PGN. I didn't even plan to see the baby today at all because I didn't know how long it would take to get through the paperwork. We arrived and had to endure a some tense moments trying to get the answers I was demanding. There were some heated words and a little bit of back and forth debate as we tried to get to the bottom of the problem. After about an hour a driver returned with a receipt from PGN and I was told my file had (magically) been resubmitted! Wow, it only took me showing up in the office after 5 long weeks of waiting, what are the odds of that. In any case, I headed to PGN to confirm that indeed my file had been resubmitted. It was such a relief to know that it was finally done and now I could move on with my visit trip. I waited all afternoon to hear if a doctor's appointment had been set for the next day and also an appointment with Adoption Supervisors to discuss their services. I ended up going to see the new Chronicles of Narnia movie at the mall attached to my hotel. It was so much fun to see my first movie in a foreign country, luckily for me it was in English with Spanish subtitles. I finally learned both appointments were confirmed but not until the next morning. I would have to wait a few more hours to visit with my daughter.
May 20, 2009 - Today I leave on my 6th trip to Guatemala. I am heavy-hearted about leaving home alone, but know I have to do this. It is time to return to this land and get my baby's case moving forward. I arrive at the hotel around 9:30PM and crash after a long day of traveling.
May 19, 2008 - Today (Mon) I find out at 3PM that my file was not resubmitted to PGN. That settles it, tomorrow I leave for Guatemala!
May 18, 2008 - Today (Sun) we line up a translator, tentatively book my frequent flyer miles and begin to make arrangements for our children's week. If I find out tomorrow my document has been translated over the weekend, I will not go. If however it is not done, I will leave on Tuesday with the hopes of getting us back in PGN before I leave the country. I am assured today that "if God be for me, who can be against me" as I head back to Guatemala. Not to mention that I get to hold our baby again :)) It's going to be a busy day!
May 17, 2008 - Today (Sat) Tim and I discuss the possibility of a quick trip to resolve this problem before we leave on vacation. I will have to leave on Tuesday in order to squeeze it in, which is only 3 days away. We start making connections to find a translator in Guatemala through a missionary friend in Antigua. If all the pieces come together quickly, I will go.
May 16, 2008 - Today we call again and cannot talk to the attorney. They are claiming a problem with their translator and that my document is still not done. They assured Debbie it will get done over the weekend (yeah, right!). My agency sends another email trying to get this resolved.
May 15, 2008 - My spanish-speaking friend, Debbie, calls my attorney and demands to speak to him. We cannot get through......"call tomorrow at 10 AM" we're told......
May 14, 2008 - Today I call PGN and found out that my file is still not back in PGN. Now I'm steaming.....
May 6, 2008 - Tonight I received a call from my agency's director who is in Guatemala pressing for progress on several cases. She has been told that my document will be completed this week and submitted to PGN by Friday, May 9th. Finally, some news!
May 5, 2008 - Today Guatemala announced that adoptions would be suspended for a month and that every birthmother relinquishing her baby would be interviewed by PGN. This has been shocking news to the adoption community and one that questions the authority of PGN or CNA to conduct these interviews. There is nothing to do about this now, but watch the newsgroups and boards and see how this plays out.
April 24, 2008 - Today I called the attorney's office myself and got someone who spoke a little English. She said my document was in translation and that it would be submitted to PGN next week. Tomorrow will mark 1 month that we have been out now for this ridiculous problem. I also emailed my foster family because I find that today I could really use some information about our little princess. I hope they can send some news and pictures to me soon. It's almost been 1 year now since we decided to adopt a second child from Guatemala. This has been another very long process for our family.
April 22, 2008 - Today I called PGN and asked about our case number. The file has never been resubmitted with the addendum. Ok, now I'm steaming......who is wasting time now???????? Again, no reply to my email inquiries.
April 21, 2008 - Today I sent and email asking about our status. I've not heard anything about this addendum that was so badly needed for our case. No reply.
April 14, 2008 - Today the document arrived in Guatemala. It will need to be translated and authenticated there before PGN. I'll give them until the end of the week before I start asking questions.
April 11, 2008 - Today our fully-authenticated homestudy addendum arrived and we quickly prepared the international airway bill for Guatemala. It should be in my attorney's office sometime Monday.
April 7, 2008 - Today we picked up the notarized homestudy addendum which clearly (well, at least I think it does) spells out our approval for both Dennis and Rebekah. My husband drove it to our state's capital today and then we over-nighted it to the courier service so it would get through the consulate quickly. Over the weekend I have "processed" all of my frustration and have come to terms with the fact that we are going to lose a month now, that is just the reality of our situation.
April 4, 2008 - Well, the plan I had two days ago is already being changed! Today my friend who called for me on Wednesday received a call from another person in our attorney's office. Basically, she told her that we should stop wasting time and get the addendum done. I was blown away, really....that I should stop wasting time? Wasn't I the one that notified them about being out of PGN in the first place? And, what about the month in December when our file wasn't taken across the street and filed with PGN that caused us to have months of delays for the CNA (see below). Oh, my goodness! My friend told her that we were just trying to clarify what they already had, but that we were already working on the addendum just in case. Ok, breathe Dawn, you just need to breathe.............
April 2, 2008 - Today a Spanish-speaking friend of ours contacted the attorney's office to discuss the nature of our previo. We pointed out to them that the current homestudy does state we are allowed to adopt 2 children. The problem is there is a comma on the bottom of page 1 and then the approval is completed on the top of page 2. She expressed our concern that maybe the document was not translated accurately. The secretary she spoke with told her that she would highlight this area, discuss with our attorney and resubmit us to PGN. I have decided to go ahead and work on an addendum in case we kicked back out again, but at least there is a chance now that our file can move on through PGN during this interim period. Also, I am going to have to get our 171H renewed because our international approval for adoption expires in June. There is no way she'll be home before that. My social worker tells me that it will require a homestudy update which involves more money (of course), more fingerprints and more paperwork. ei, ei, ei.....will this EVER end?
March 28, 2008 - PREVIO! It was too good to be true that we would have exited PGN in 5 short weeks. Apparently the PGN attorneys do not like the way our homestudy is written for the second child. Our social worker may need to draft an addendum to the homestudy and then we must get that documented authenticated. This could take weeks and hundreds more dollars to get it to Guatemala. What kills me is that our homestudy clearly allows for 2 children and is written in 3 different areas. I am waiting on further instructions on how we are to proceed. Oh baby girl, it's going to be awhile now! What a serious bummer. Will we get this child home for a first birthday party in July?
March 27, 2008 - Still waiting...............................
March 26, 2008 - My attorney went to PGN, but our file was not at the window. They will go back tomorrow.
March 25, 2008 - Today PGN told me that our case is out, but they didn't know if it was a previo or approved. I notified my attorney of the information and now we wait for them to get the file and let us know what is going on. Is our little girl going to be home in 4-6 weeks? Oh, the waiting.............
March 16, 2008 - We received a new medical report today. Our little girl is now 8 months old. She weights 14 lbs, 5oz and is 26 inches long. The doctors report said she is developing normally and can even say one syllable words. She even has her 1st tooth! It also says she is "smiley and curious" with a "strong cry". We have now been in PGN for 4 weeks and have no other news on our case at this time. Rebekah's foster mom tells us that she is a delightful baby who lights up a room with her smile. We can't wait to see her again and get to know her for ourselves.
	March 6, 2008 - Tonight we were surprised to find another email from our foster family with some more pictures of our baby! She is such a little peanut :) The clothing we are sending to her is arriving next week and her foster mom will be picking it up at the Marriott on March 12th. It's all we can do right now, but at least it is something. I've been reading posts today the PGN is working much faster than before. There are families getting out in 3 weeks these days! I'm setting my face for the long haul and will be pleasantly surprised if things move quicker than expected. Tomorrow will mark 2 weeks in PGN for us with this adoption.
March 3, 2008 - We received word today that Rebekah's file has been in PGN since February 22nd. I quickly called Guatemala to confirm that information and found it to be true. PGN also gave me our case number and told me we were with the first reviewer. I'm still concerned because I do not know if our new medical reports were submitted in our file. If not we are facing a kick out for sure, which is especially sad because our new medicals arrived on Feb 19th. I will breathe much easier if we could only find out which documents were submitted to PGN..........and the endless waiting continues..........
February 19, 2009 - We have made contact with our foster family directly to get some news and photos of our daughter. Look how big our little girl has gotten in the past few months! She's outgrown all of the clothes we left in October, so we've made arrangements to send items to her with another adoptive family who has graciously agreed to carry it in-country for us. The foster family also told us she is getting her first tooth! We are still waiting to hear if we've been submitted to PGN, but in the meantime we are enjoying the new photos. It means so much to have access to the foster family after all these months of silence on our case and about our daughter. We have exchanged several emails already and I hope this can continue until we can bring her home.
February 18, 2008 - Today my sister and BIL leave to pick up our newest nephew from Ethiopia. Hey baby girl in Guatemala....you're going to have such a lovely family to come home to!
February 15, 2008 - Today we receive our daughter's registration number!!! YEAH!!! Our documents arrive in Guatemala this afternoon and we are ready for PGN. I hope to get that news next week otherwise I'm afraid I'll get on a plane and go do it myself. This mistake by our attorney's has already cost us for 2 months of a delay and close to $1,000 in foster care and document updates. Tonight I went shopping to buy baby Rebekah some larger clothes. I'm sure she has outgrown everything I left in October. I am hoping to find someone who will carry them in country for me.
February 14, 2008 - Valentine's Day here in the US and I overnight the paperwork to Guatemala!
February 13, 2008 - Our documents have been picked from the Guatemalan Consulate in Chicago and are on their way back to us. Round 3 of medicals.....how is it possible we have been doing this for so long?
February 11, 2008 - Monday and I have finally heard that Rebekah is officially registered. I feel raw after these past weeks, but I am so relieved to have this news. I have asked that the attorney waits for my new medicals before submitting us to PGN, but we still don't have a registration number so I don't that we will be delayed much because of our dossier.
February 10, 2008 - It's Sunday and I'm glued to the various news sites at http://www.guatadopt.com and http://www.adaguatemala.org/English/news/ It all seems incredibly negative and one wonders how in the world they can get all of these cases registered??
February 9, 2008 - The CNA made little progress today on registering cases. There have been various reports of lawyers lined up out the door with files a foot thick. I have no idea where my attorney is in the process, I just pray she is there.
February 8, 2008 --BIG NEWS!!! Talk about a rollercoaster ride! Late this afternoon Guatemala has released that the new CA is functioning and all the lawyers have 4 days to get 2800 in-process cases registered AGAIN!!! They are planning to stay open all weekend to accommodate the lawyers and finally get cases registered. Whatever cases do not get through by Tuesday, Feb 12th will not be grandfathered into the system and will be subject to the new adoption process....whatever that will be....whenever that will be. The US DOS has issued the following statement regarding this process: http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/intercountry/intercountry_3948.html
February 8, 2008 - Today I sent Tim to Springfield to get our new medicals authenticated. We then sent them to the courier service to get them authenticated by the consulate. I decided that if everything was still on hold in Guatemala we should be at least getting our outdated medicals done. I hate to spend the additional money in case the old ones go through, but I would kick myself if we lost 8 more weeks on previo that could have been avoided. So, updating our dossier ....for the 3rd time....and hoping beyond hope that the CA will get moving!
February 1, 2008 - Daily the news gets more dreadful in Guatemala. The CNA is a mess and not a single case has been issued the certificate of registration. Today's news reports that there are 2 CNA's functioning, people are leaving and new people are starting. Does anyone in Guatemala have a plan? I'm thinking I need to travel there again, but Tim doesn't think I should go and leave Dennis. This is all so helpless? How can I lose a baby I got to name??????
January 21, 2008 - Today the Central Authority in Guatemala starting the registration procedure for all cases currently in-process. We were told that our attorney got all of her cases registered today and within a week we should receive the certificate of registration. Once we have that our file should go immediately to PGN. It looks like we will have lost 2 months of our baby's life because our file was not submitted to PGN prior to the end of the year. I suppose it could be worse. I am at least grateful that the CA started up sooner than anyone expected.
	January 15, 2008 - Tonight we were pleased to get recent medicals and pictures of our little Rebekah who is 6 months old today. She is now sitting up with assistance, babbling and playing with toys. She is so beautiful! The doctors report indicates she is 12lbs, 14oz and 25-inches long. It ached a bit tonight to see this baby we thought would be home in March. We are still reeling from our attorney's failure to submit us to PGN before the end of December. It was good to hear that Guatemala swore in members of their newly-created Central Authority late last week. Maybe this new step in the process will be implemented soon so that our case can finally proceed to PGN.
January 11, 2008 - What a difference a day makes! I carefully drafted a reply email to the request for our homestudy stating our concerns with the overall handling of our case, the complete lack of information on our baby and the failure to submit our case to PGN before the end of the year. Within a few hours we received word not only on our case, but also our baby girl! Our homestudy was found in the office afterall and the file complete. We did not, however, get a reason as to why we were not filed and I'm still fuming about that issue. We also received an apology for the delay in the medicals and baby updates along with the data from November. She was 11 lbs and 23.6-inches long at 4 1/2 months. The baby did not see the pediatrician in December due to the holidays and vacations. At least we know that she is healthy and growing well, even if the rest of our case is unfortunately delayed.
January 10, 2008 - Today we finally hear from our attorney in Guatemala, although it certainly was not the information we had been waiting for since the end of November! We were asked to re-submit our homestudy for our dossier to be complete so that the file would be ready for PGN. I was furious, beyond belief, that 6 months after our dossier arrived in Guatemala we were being informed something was missing. I decided to sleep on my response so that I would not say something I'd regret in the morning.
January 7, 2008 - After weeks of trying to get an answer from our attorney or getting someone to speak English at PGN we finally get an answer on our case. For some unfathomable reason our case was not submitted to PGN before the end of the year. We are now subject to the new rules going into effect in Guatemala requiring us to be registered with a new division called the Central Authority (CA). The problem is that the CA is not established yet! Today we have no idea how long it will take to get us registered so that our filed can be submitted to PGN and on with our case. We are heartbroken at another, totally avoidable delay in our adoption.
December 11, 2007 - Tonight we received our PA via email from the US Embassy. It came on day 43, which is much quicker that Dennis' PA last spring. We should be ready to enter PGN, although we are waiting on confirmation from our attorney that we have exited Family Court. We haven't received any update on Rebekah or our case in almost 6 weeks now, so we are anxious to hear some news from Guatemala. If everything flows smoothly during PGN we could bring Rebekah home as early as March!
November 2, 2007 - Today we sent off the money orders to our agency to have Rebekah's DNA results authenticated. We should have this document back during the wait on for PA.
	October 30,2007 - Today we received our DNA match on baby Rebekah! Yeah, another hurdle behind us in her process. We also received new pictures and our monthly medical. Our little sweetie is now 9lbs & 13 oz, 23-inches long at 3.5 mos. It looks like she is finally starting to gain some weight, even though she is now losing her newborn hair! Now we wait, once again, on the US Embassy to issue our Pre-Approval(PA). The DNA results also arrived at the embassy today - DAY 1 on the PA count!
October 11, 2007 - Today, over breakfast, we learned that Rebekah's birthmother was in town for DNA and the social worker interview. We were given the unbelievable opportunity to be present at the DNA lab and meet her mother. We hurried out to meet our attorney and left Dennis with our agency director who was also in Guatemala. We were able to ask some important questions and take pictures together. The video and photos we took will be priceless to us and one day, to our little Rebekah.
October 10, 2007 - Today was Dennis' embassy appointment. He is finally ours now after almost 12 full months of waiting. We are hoping that this adoption goes a little quicker, although not much has happened so far. We spent this afternoon with our baby girl at the Marriott. It was wonderful to share some bonding time with her. She has a very gentle nature and seems to be a very pleasant baby. Dennis seemed to know she was smaller and was, for the most part, fairly gentle around her in the bouncy chair. We gave her back to her foster mom in the evening along with a bouncy chair and more clothes until we can see her again.
October 5, 2007 - Today our file entered family court in Guatemala. We are still waiting on DNA, but at least some forward motion is occuring on this case.
	September 29, 2007 - Rebekah is now 2 1/2 months old and is such a cutie! This weekend we received our first monthly report including medical data and photos. She is now 8 pounds, 7 ounces and is 21.7-inches long. We are looking forward to visiting with her again next week when we arrive in Guatemala to bring Dennis home.

September 26, 2007 - Today the final set of updated documents arrive back from the Guatemalan consulate. We'll take these items for her dossier along with us to Guatemala next week.
September 20, 2007 - FINALLY, today we get some long awaited news on Baby Rebekah's case. Her DNA has been authorized by the Embassy. Now we are waiting to hear that the test has been taken.
September 20, 2007 - Today our 12 replacement documents for our dossier were submitted to the Guatemalan consulate for authentication.
September 19, 2007 - Today Tim returned to Springfield on a second attempt for authentication. Everything went perfectly this time and we were able to forward the packet on to the courier, There's Always Hope, who will get them through the Guatemalan consulate.
September 18, 2007 - Today Tim took 12 documents to our state capitol for authentication. These are replacements for Rebekah's dossier since what we originally submitted will expire in October. The problem was that when they reviewed the files they found that the notary had not stamped our papers! We couldn't get them authenticated and it meant another 150-mile round trip to Springfield.
	August 29, 2007 - Finally tonight we get to visit with our baby Rebekah. She arrived at the hotel around 8PM. She is such a little angel, tiny and petite. The kids all got to kiss and snuggle her as we prayed God's covering over her until she can join us forever. We met her foster mom and her son. This is the only baby she is caring for now and she seems very devoted to her care. We gave her all the clothes and blankets we brought and gave them to her foster mom. We also brought an album filled with photos of her new family so she could be see images of us until we can meet her again.
	August 27, 2007 - Tonight I'm sitting on the airplane enroute to Guatemala thinking about the wonders that lie ahead for tomorrow. I'm sitting under the shadow of a full moon off my shoulder, Mexico racing by below and my heart contemplating the wonder of these adoptions. Tomorrow I claim baby Dennis forever, after 11 long months! Tomorrow I will hold sweet Rebekah for the first time as we embark on our journey to bring her home. Tomorrow my children will meet their new brother and sister and we will begin a new journey of building a forever family. Tomorrow, in the lobby of the Grank Tikal, a new family will be born.
August 24, 2007 - There are documents in Rebekah's dossier that will expire in October. We are racing around getting a few replacements her case needs now because I will be out of town for September. Tim will have the job of getting this set of docs authenticated by the State and the Consulate this time! Today we were fingerprinted...for the 5th time in the past year....to get an updated state police clearance report.
August 20, 2007 - We have been advised that baby Dennis needs us to come soon, so we will be leaving one week from today. We will live in Antigua, Guatemala for month of September until Dennis has his visa and can come home. This means that we will get to visit with our new baby girl next week! We are very excited to meet our little Rebekah.
August 1, 2007 - Today our POA on Rebekah was send to Guatemala. Now we wait on her DNA test and Family Court to begin.
July 25, 2007 - Today I loaded the kids in the van and headed to our state capitol to get our Power of Attorney authenticated. We put 200 miles on the car today, but that was better than waiting 7-10 days to for processing via Federal Express. We took some time to visit the sites in Springfield while we were there. When we got home we then shipped the entire packet to a courier for processing through the Guatemalan Consulate in Chicago. We hope to get the POA back next week and get it to our attorney quickly so she can get us in Family Court and order the DNA test.
July 24, 2007 - Today we wire $10,250 to Guatemala to officially accept referral of baby Rebekah. This is the first half of our country fee. She's ours! Here we go again.................
July 20, 2007 - Finally the photos of our beauty arrive! She is lovely and tiny, how long will it be before I can hold her in my arms? The kids circled around me as we opened the email and got our first glimpse of our new daughter and sister. The resemblance to some of Isabelle's newborn photos is unbelievable. She is 19-inches long, 5-pounds 13-ounces at 5 days old. The pediatrician examined her today and pronounced her healthy and normal. Now I begin a few days of paperwork to accept her referral and get our Power of Attorney to Guatemala where our dossier is waiting and ready to go. At this point we are not planning to visit Rebekah until our pick-up trip for Dennis.

July 18, 2007 - Today we found out that another baby girl was born on Sunday, July 15th. She is healthy and the birth mother has agreed to using the name we have selected! We are anxiously waiting on photos and her medical file so we can accept this baby's referral. It's been a long week of waiting again! Just when I think we can't wait any longer, another week passes by...............
July 13, 2007 - Today we have discussed the situation with our pediatrician and she has advised us to say no to this particular referral. Without advanced testing, she would have no way of determining the exact impact of the disease this little girl is carrying. We have 4 other children in our home (including Dennis who will be here soon) to consider and it is with heavy hearts that we turn down our first referral.
July 12, 2007 - Tonight we received another phone call that this baby has some serious medical issues. Tim and I are praying about this referral and might have to make the tough decision of turning this one down. It is difficult, but so many adoptive parents are faced with these dilemmas every day.
July 10, 2007 - Tonight we received information about a referral for a baby girl who was born on Monday, July 9th. She was born via c-section and her mother was still in the hospital. We will have the complete medicals and photos in a few days so that we can decide if this is our baby girl. However, 45 minutes after we got this phone call our son, Michael, fell and fractured his elbow. It was a day of tremendous highs and lows all within a 1 hour period of time.
July 10, 2007 - Today we finalized the name for our daughter, whenever she should arrive! I woke up with a Bible story on my heart and as I read it through realized what we should name her. I'm excited to tell her one day the reason behind her name, what it means to me and the story of how it came to us. We'll reveal it once we have a face to put along side the announcement. Wouldn't it be something if today was indeed her birthday?
July 4, 2007 - Today we celebrate Independence Day for the United States and yet my mind is certainly in Guatemala. We've heard nothing about either case lately and I feel very raw these days. I am learning to trust God in deeper ways than ever before and am trying to rest in the fact that He has all the pieces lined up for our children and we will see what is planned very soon. Today we started preparing the nursery for Dennis, although we'll need another crib before Little Miss comes into our home. Dear Baby Girl, Are you born yet? Do you know we are waiting and longing to celebrate your birth?
June 25, 2007 - The day has arrived! We can officially accept a referral anytime now that Dennis is 9 months old. Today we learned some disappointing news about Dennis' adoption and I think it's all so hard to take because we are living with our hearts separated in 2 places. I hope that a referral comes quickly and we can meet our newest child soon.
June 8, 2007 - Today we learned that our dossier is at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala being translated into Spanish. We can accept a referral anytime after June 25th, so we are beginning to watch the calendar and pray for the safe arrival of our little lady.
May 18, 2007 - It's official! Our dossier is off to Guatemala to start the process for our new (and last!) daughter.
May 16, 2007 - Today our fully authenticated dossier is sent to the agency for final review and then off to Guatemala. I was overwhelmed all day today as I prepared this second packet, just like the day we officially accepted the referral of Dennis. It is overwhelming to think our baby will be born in about 6 more weeks. The dossier will be translated upon it's arrival in Guatemala and be ready to begin the process once Little Miss is born. Now we wait for her birth!
May 12, 2007 - Today our updated 171H arrived approving us to adopt 2 children from Guatemala! This time around the paperwork is so much easier. It's either that I know what to do or that our timing is perfect! I think it may be a little of both of those things. It's amazing for me to think about the fact that God is positioning our family for these angels from Guatemala before they were even born. Such a destiny date we have with this son and daughter!
May 11, 2007 - Today our dossier is delivered to the Guatemalan consulate for authentication. We also wire the agency fee to officially begin this adoption and an advance on our country fee. The agency fee is reduced in 1/2 since we are beginning this adoption prior to the completion of Dennis'. We have agreed to work with Carla again as our facilitator in Guatemala. We have also asked Carla to find out if this new baby might be fostered by the same Mommy as Dennis so they can be together prior to coming home. There is a strong possibility that we might be able to name her at birth! So, our family is making lists and comparing favorites. We must finalize her name by the end of June and send to Carla so she can be there at the birth for naming. It's all so exciting.
May 10, 2007 - This week I work on updating a few documents in our dossier that need updated for the adoption of a baby girl. There are only 5 pieces of our dossier that need to be redone by the Illinois Secretary of State. Today Tim drives these documents to Springfield to get the state seals. After these items are done our entire dossier of 18 different documents are sent to a courier who will deliver them to the Guatemalan consulate for authentication.
April 30, 2007 - Today our updated homestudy arrives at our home while I am in Guatemala visiting baby Dennis. Tim ships it overnight to USCIS in Chicago to get our 171H updated. While in Guatemala I talk to Carla, our facilitator for Dennis, about the possibility of beginning a second adoption. She is very excited that we are considering starting again, this time for a baby girl.
April 16, 2007 - Today we learn that if our homestudy is updated for two children we can get our 171H approved for a second baby with no additional fees. We discuss the possibility with our social worker and she advised that while we are approved for 2 children, they must be at least 9 months apart. This means that we can accept a baby born anytime after June 25, 2007. We decide to have our homestudy re-written and begin to talk about the possibility of baby #2 with our kiddos. Everyone thinks a baby girl would be a perfect way to end our family!
April 13, 2007 - A situation occurs which begins us thinking about whether are not we are suppose to begin a second adoption from Guatemala before the country closes to US adoptions. We decide to begin praying and researching the possibility of bringing home two babies on the same USCIS approval. The journey begins, again!

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