We got confirmation on Wednesday night that the DNA test and the birthmother interview both took place on 3/22 (last Thursday). They were originally scheduled for 3/19, but there must have been some conflict that caused them to reschedule, but the great news is that it's DONE! Now, we just have to wait 2-3 weeks to get the results of the DNA test in the mail! Then, the US Embassy can issue Pre-Approval in preparation for entering PGN (the legal part of this process). Also, before we can get into PGN, the social worker who interviewed our birth mother will need to complete her write up and get a judge in the Family Court to approve our file. Once we have the Family Court approval and the Pre-Approval from the US Embassy, our file will be submitted to the attorneys in PGN!!!!!!
It's so nice to be making progress and getting closer to bringing Lili home. Still no real firm idea of when she'll be home.... so keep praying that it's soon!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Mommy & Grandma's TRIP!!!
Well, we're still waiting for news from our agency about the DNA test and birthmother interview that were scheduled for last week. I'm hopeful that we'll get an update today. I've been really anxious about Lili's birthmother seeing her and maybe changing her mind. My coordinator, Kristi, has reassured me that if anything like that happens they would call us right away.
So, our other big news is that my mom, Lois, and I are planning a VISIT TRIP!!!! My parents had been talking about going on a tour in Guatemala (with us, if possible) and then coordinating with one of our trips so that they could meet Lili. Unfortunately, with my Dad's surgery on his arm, and with the fact that our kids are really too small for a long tour, we've decided to wait and take a bigger tour when the kids are a little older. So, in the meantime, Grandma is SOOOOO excited to get to meet Lili and has decided she just can't wait! Grandpa was going to go along with us, but he's not real keen on the idea of sitting in the hotel room staring at our little Lili! He's a much more active kind of guy and likes to be able to at least play with the kids!! So, Grandma and I have scheduled a long weekend in April to go for a girls weekend, 3 generation visit!!! We are SO excited, and have been talking every day to coordinate and plan the details. Good thing Moses, Max and I have already made a couple of trips and know what we need to pack for a visit trip.... I think with everything that we take for Lili, it's important that we only take the basics for the adults!
I'm excited for my mom to meet Lili... and for us to spend the weekend together. I'll definitely miss Moses and Max... this is the first that I've been away from Max for more than just an overnight. Still haven't quite decided what we'll tell Max about my trip... we may have to tell him that Mommy and Grandma are just going away for the weekend and not tell him about Guatemala. Then again, maybe I'll just tell him that Mommy has to take Grandma to Guatemala, and Daddy needs someone to take care of him so Max has to stay home!!!
So, our other big news is that my mom, Lois, and I are planning a VISIT TRIP!!!! My parents had been talking about going on a tour in Guatemala (with us, if possible) and then coordinating with one of our trips so that they could meet Lili. Unfortunately, with my Dad's surgery on his arm, and with the fact that our kids are really too small for a long tour, we've decided to wait and take a bigger tour when the kids are a little older. So, in the meantime, Grandma is SOOOOO excited to get to meet Lili and has decided she just can't wait! Grandpa was going to go along with us, but he's not real keen on the idea of sitting in the hotel room staring at our little Lili! He's a much more active kind of guy and likes to be able to at least play with the kids!! So, Grandma and I have scheduled a long weekend in April to go for a girls weekend, 3 generation visit!!! We are SO excited, and have been talking every day to coordinate and plan the details. Good thing Moses, Max and I have already made a couple of trips and know what we need to pack for a visit trip.... I think with everything that we take for Lili, it's important that we only take the basics for the adults!
I'm excited for my mom to meet Lili... and for us to spend the weekend together. I'll definitely miss Moses and Max... this is the first that I've been away from Max for more than just an overnight. Still haven't quite decided what we'll tell Max about my trip... we may have to tell him that Mommy and Grandma are just going away for the weekend and not tell him about Guatemala. Then again, maybe I'll just tell him that Mommy has to take Grandma to Guatemala, and Daddy needs someone to take care of him so Max has to stay home!!!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Feeling GUILTY!
I'm feeling very guilty about not posting very often, but things have been pretty busy. My parents were in town last weekend for a visit, Moses was out of town on Monday, sick on Tuesday, and now out of town again today and tomorrow. I really can't wait for the weekend so that we can spend some time relaxing!
So, I still need to post some updates about our last visit trip in early March... I promise I haven't forgotten! I just need to make sure I find enough time to dedicate to the task. Speaking of visits, I looked online this morning and flights are ON SALE again! Woohoo! Looks like I'll be seeing my baby girl again sometime in the next 4-6 weeks! Moses probably won't be able to go because of work, so I'll either plan a short trip for myself or maybe talk my Mom into going with me and taking Max along. We'll see!
Adoption news has been quiet this week. We were scheduled for DNA test and birth mother interview on Monday. We hope to find out early next week if this occurred, or if there was a conflict for the birth mother and they had to reschedule. I was reassured by Kristi, our coordinator, that if there's BAD news, we should hear something right away. Otherwise, no news is either no news or good news.
We've been able to talk with our foster family a couple of times this week, and see Lili on the webcam as well. Last night she was VERY active when we were trying to see her live. She wouldn't stay still, so they had to keep moving the webcam to try to capture her in action! Although Moses will be out of town tonight, I may try to get a look at her again via the webcam. I can say enough in Spanish to get by with the foster family, and I really don't need to talk too much if I'm just trying to get a look at my baby girl!
I promise, I'll try to post soon about our last trip. And, I'll be sure to post any good news updates that we receive! Keep us in your prayers for quick progress... it's getting warmer and I'm just DYING to get our beautiful girl home!!!!!!
So, I still need to post some updates about our last visit trip in early March... I promise I haven't forgotten! I just need to make sure I find enough time to dedicate to the task. Speaking of visits, I looked online this morning and flights are ON SALE again! Woohoo! Looks like I'll be seeing my baby girl again sometime in the next 4-6 weeks! Moses probably won't be able to go because of work, so I'll either plan a short trip for myself or maybe talk my Mom into going with me and taking Max along. We'll see!
Adoption news has been quiet this week. We were scheduled for DNA test and birth mother interview on Monday. We hope to find out early next week if this occurred, or if there was a conflict for the birth mother and they had to reschedule. I was reassured by Kristi, our coordinator, that if there's BAD news, we should hear something right away. Otherwise, no news is either no news or good news.
We've been able to talk with our foster family a couple of times this week, and see Lili on the webcam as well. Last night she was VERY active when we were trying to see her live. She wouldn't stay still, so they had to keep moving the webcam to try to capture her in action! Although Moses will be out of town tonight, I may try to get a look at her again via the webcam. I can say enough in Spanish to get by with the foster family, and I really don't need to talk too much if I'm just trying to get a look at my baby girl!
I promise, I'll try to post soon about our last trip. And, I'll be sure to post any good news updates that we receive! Keep us in your prayers for quick progress... it's getting warmer and I'm just DYING to get our beautiful girl home!!!!!!
Monday, March 19, 2007
A BIG Day.... Please say some prayers
Well, today's got my stomach in knots. I'm sitting here staring at my cup of coffee wondering if I'll be able to drink it, or if it will just make me feel worse. Today is one of the biggest days in our adoption process.... it's the day of the DNA test and the social worker's interview with Lili's birth mother. And, forgetting the steps of this process for a moment, it's the last time Lili's birth mother will see her or hold her.
I'm having a hard time keeping my emotions and worries under control. I'm obviously worried about the fact that the birth mother will want Lili back after she sees her. We spoke with our foster family over the weekend, and they promised to skip her bath this morning and make sure she's wearing something kind of ugly so that she doesn't look as cute as normal! I'm also nervous about getting the DNA results. The norm is that 2-3 weeks after the test, we will receive a copy of the results in the mail. We don't anticipate any issues, but there's always a chance that the woman who relinquished Lili to the attorney is not her birth mother. If this is the case, and the DNA does not match, then we would not be able to proceed with the adoption (unless the true birth mother were found). Obviously, this is a big deal and we are holding our breath just waiting for this part to be over.
Above and beyond all of these worries, though, are my emotions. I am feeling overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. For Lili and for her birth mother, as well as for us. I am SO grateful to the birth mother for her selfless gift.... for her willingness to put Lili's needs above all else. I am unable to imagine how she must be feeling about this entire process, and especially hope that she can find peace with her decision when she sees and holds Lili for the last time today. As desperate as we are to have Lili home with us, I wonder what her birth mother is feeling and thinking about everything? I wonder if my prayers for her peace and strength are matched by her prayers for Lili's future. I will most likely never be in a position to personally thank her for our beautiful daughter.... so instead, I will make sure that we give Lili every opportunity in the world and that we give her the best life possible... filled with love. One other gift that I CAN give to Lili's birth mother is our prayers. If you believe in the power of prayer, and would be willing, please say a special prayer for Lili's birth mother... that she can find the strength to get through today and that she can find peace in her decision. And that she has the knowledge in her heart that Lili will have a wonderful life filled with love.
I'm having a hard time keeping my emotions and worries under control. I'm obviously worried about the fact that the birth mother will want Lili back after she sees her. We spoke with our foster family over the weekend, and they promised to skip her bath this morning and make sure she's wearing something kind of ugly so that she doesn't look as cute as normal! I'm also nervous about getting the DNA results. The norm is that 2-3 weeks after the test, we will receive a copy of the results in the mail. We don't anticipate any issues, but there's always a chance that the woman who relinquished Lili to the attorney is not her birth mother. If this is the case, and the DNA does not match, then we would not be able to proceed with the adoption (unless the true birth mother were found). Obviously, this is a big deal and we are holding our breath just waiting for this part to be over.
Above and beyond all of these worries, though, are my emotions. I am feeling overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. For Lili and for her birth mother, as well as for us. I am SO grateful to the birth mother for her selfless gift.... for her willingness to put Lili's needs above all else. I am unable to imagine how she must be feeling about this entire process, and especially hope that she can find peace with her decision when she sees and holds Lili for the last time today. As desperate as we are to have Lili home with us, I wonder what her birth mother is feeling and thinking about everything? I wonder if my prayers for her peace and strength are matched by her prayers for Lili's future. I will most likely never be in a position to personally thank her for our beautiful daughter.... so instead, I will make sure that we give Lili every opportunity in the world and that we give her the best life possible... filled with love. One other gift that I CAN give to Lili's birth mother is our prayers. If you believe in the power of prayer, and would be willing, please say a special prayer for Lili's birth mother... that she can find the strength to get through today and that she can find peace in her decision. And that she has the knowledge in her heart that Lili will have a wonderful life filled with love.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
We're Home - AND We Got GREAT News!
Well, I've been negligent in updating the blog (thanks to Teresa for pointing this out!) We had a wonderful visit trip with Lili (and with the foster family). We got home from the trip early Saturday morning (around 3 am), and spent most of the day Saturday and Sunday resting up, doing laundry and unpacking. Monday was a pretty rough day for us, as I was down about receiving no new updates on our case for 6 weeks! We both talked to Kristi, our coordinator at the agency, and she was honest with us about the fact that she had no news. BUT... someone must have recognized how down we were, because she called us early Tuesday morning with GREAT news of progress! Our file was entered into Family Court in Guatemala on 3/1, and the attorney has scheduled our birthmother's interview and DNA testing for Monday 3/19!!!! This is awesome!!! Doesn't really do much to tell us when we can bring Lili home, but it's a HUGE step forward and something to be celebrated! We took Max out to dinner last night, although we didn't really explain why.... until it's time to bring Lili home, he really can't comprehend the baby-steps that we are moving forward in this process!
I've got to cut this message short, but I will post more details about our 2nd visit trip soon!
Krista
I've got to cut this message short, but I will post more details about our 2nd visit trip soon!
Krista
Thursday, March 1, 2007
36 hours and counting!
Well, we're 36 hours away from holding our little Lili! We're scheduled to leave our house tomorrow night at 11:00pm, and we fly out of O'Hare at 2:30 am. We get to Guatemala City at 6:30 am, and the hotel shuttle will pick us up and take us to the hotel. With any luck, they'll have a room ready for us like they did last time. Then, at 10:00 am, our foster family will bring Lili to us at the hotel! We are SO excited!
We've been rather anxious about the visit trip, especially with the drama this week surrounding my health. I've been home all week trying to pass this darn stone... no luck so far. When I started out, it was in my ureter causing kidney blockage (NOT GOOD!) I visited a nephrologist (renal specialist) yesterday. He ended up sending me back to the ER last night, where we discovered it's moved into my bladder and should be passing sometime soon(?) I'm still having pain, although it's not quite as bad as when it was ripping through my kidney and ureters!!! And thanks to my doctor, I've got clearance to take as many pain meds as I need to enable me to leave for Guatemala as scheduled!!!!!! Thank GOD!!!!
So, I'm feeling sleepy from my pain meds, so I'm gonna sign off. Say some prayers for us that our flight goes smooth and that we have a wonderful uneventful week with Lili. And say an extra prayer that I pass this darn kidney stone!!!
We've been rather anxious about the visit trip, especially with the drama this week surrounding my health. I've been home all week trying to pass this darn stone... no luck so far. When I started out, it was in my ureter causing kidney blockage (NOT GOOD!) I visited a nephrologist (renal specialist) yesterday. He ended up sending me back to the ER last night, where we discovered it's moved into my bladder and should be passing sometime soon(?) I'm still having pain, although it's not quite as bad as when it was ripping through my kidney and ureters!!! And thanks to my doctor, I've got clearance to take as many pain meds as I need to enable me to leave for Guatemala as scheduled!!!!!! Thank GOD!!!!
So, I'm feeling sleepy from my pain meds, so I'm gonna sign off. Say some prayers for us that our flight goes smooth and that we have a wonderful uneventful week with Lili. And say an extra prayer that I pass this darn kidney stone!!!
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