We are home from Guate and settling back in. It's rough coming home - leaving Lili is of course heartwrenching. Also, the logistics of travel, unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, sleep deprivation, etc, etc all make for a tiring time. We're finally starting to feel closer to normal, although I think this weekend will really help all of us to catch up on sleep and chores.
So, while we were in Guate we found out our file was submitted to PGN!! This is the last legal approval that is required before we can prepare to bring Lili home! I'm hopeful that we make it through quickly and get an approval the first time around, as the attorneys in PGN are notorious for rejecting the file for corrections. Still no really good idea of when Lili will be coming home, but at least the light at the end of the tunnel is shining!
Our trip was good.... with a few minor glitches. Max ended up sick on Sunday, our first full day there. Fevers and vomiting for two days, but thankfully he was feeling better before we left Guate City for Antigua. While in Guate City, we pretty much stayed at the hotel. We did have our foster family over to the hotel to visit one day, and to have dinner. We also made it for a walk around a new mall that we discovered.... very high end, but we did find a place for ICED COFFEE!!! This is nearly unheard of in Guatemala, and usually when we ask for it they look at us like we have two heads!
We spent a few days in Antigua this trip to get a feel for how "American" and "adoption" friendly it really is. We felt very comfortable walking around any time of day or night, and really enjoyed exploring this small historic town. The cobblestone streets make it an interesting town to walk in, but we took a jogging stroller and baby bjorn carrier so we managed pretty well. We visited churches, hotels, jade factory, historic buildings, artisan and handicraft markets, restaurants, coffee shops, a coffee plantation/museum, and a Mayan costume/music museum. We were able to travel one day to Chichicastenango, which is about 3 hours away by car. This town is the home to the largest and most colorful outdoor market in all of the Americas. We had a nice few hours exploring the market and purchased lots of souvenirs, gifts and items for our AUCTION!!! We've decided to do a fundraiser to help finance the adoption, so we are in the process of planning a cocktail party/auction where we will sell some of the items that were purchased in Guatemala as well as many other items! We are hopeful that we can get a good turnout of our friends and family together for a fun and profitable time!
Our time in Antigua was enjoyable, other than the substantial presence of mosquitos who continued to feast on me during our visit! I still look like a polka-dot covered person with all of the bug bites. We felt so comfortable with our visit, that we would consider staying in Antigua for a few weeks at the end of our process with Lili before we bring her home to the US. We'll have to see how everything works out, but at least we know that's an option. I have to say, as nice as our hotel was, I will not stay there again if we go back. Instead, I will either rent an apartment or stay in a hotel that has a/c or at least has screens on the windows to keep the mosquitos outside!!!!!!!!
Hoping that everyone is doing well and preparing for summer! If you have time, say some extra prayers for us so that we can get through PGN quickly and get our baby girl home! Thanks to everyone for your love and support!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Good news from Guatemala!
It is Sunday morning, 5/20. We are here in Guatemala City at our favorite hotel, the Grand Tikal Futura. I am sipping a cup of awesome coffee, Lili is falling asleep while taking her bottle, Max and Daddy are in the room getting showered and changed for the day. We will probably just take it easy today.... maybe go swimming, visit with our foster family, walk to the mall. Yesterday was a very long and tiring day. We left home at midnight on Friday night, got to Guate at 7am, got Lili at 10am, went to Super Walmart for some groceries, and spent the rest of the day napping and roaming the hotel. We had a late dinner at McDonalds (Max got to pick where we had dinner, can you tell?) We watched a movie and all fell asleep while watching it. Lili was in bed by 9pm and was up at 6am this morning! Good girl!!!
So, yesterday while Max and Moe were napping, I brought Lili up to the reception lounge to hang out and check our emails. We got GREAT news!!!! We received the email notifying us that we have Preapproval from the US Embassy! This was the step that we were waiting on so that our file can be submitted to PGN for the final legal review. With any luck and blessings from above, we can get approval from PGN in record time. Still no really good idea of when we can bring Lili home, but this is another step completed and movement in the right direction!!!
Say some prayers for us that we get into and out of PGN at the speed of light.... and before we all know it, Lili will be home meeting everyone!!!!!
So, yesterday while Max and Moe were napping, I brought Lili up to the reception lounge to hang out and check our emails. We got GREAT news!!!! We received the email notifying us that we have Preapproval from the US Embassy! This was the step that we were waiting on so that our file can be submitted to PGN for the final legal review. With any luck and blessings from above, we can get approval from PGN in record time. Still no really good idea of when we can bring Lili home, but this is another step completed and movement in the right direction!!!
Say some prayers for us that we get into and out of PGN at the speed of light.... and before we all know it, Lili will be home meeting everyone!!!!!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
10 days until we leave!!!!
In another 10 days, we will be leaving to go to Guatemala again! We are so excited to be going to visit Lili and to get to spend some more time in Guatemala. Moses and Max haven't been to see Lili since early March, so this will be a big visit for them. She's changing so much.... getting bigger physically, talking (actually more like squealing), eating solid food, playing with toys, trying to move herself around much more, sleeping the night through in the crib, and just generally interacting much more. She's developing a little girl personality, rather than just a new baby personality.
We talked to our foster family last night and were able to see Lili on the web camera. I was so excited to realize that, for the first time, Lili really seemed to recognize our voices! We would talk to her over the computer (just like if you're talking on a phone line), and she would be in front of the camera just looking around as if to say "Hey, where are you guys?" It was so cute and heartwarming. We've been making a lot of sacrifices and trying not to worry too much about where the money will come from to pay for all of the expenses related to the adoption and the travel. This was affirmation that we are making the right choice to spend the money and visit.... we obviously get so much out of it ourselves, but more importantly, Lili appears to be getting something out of it and recognizes us.
I talked to one of my bosses at work today and she very logically and reasonably discussed the benefits of us holding some sort of fundraiser for the adoption. She is a huge advocate of worthy causes, and she believes people would be willing to help financially to bring our precious little girl home to a wonderful home and family. Moses and I have discussed it briefly and think it's not a bad idea, especially considering how wonderfully supportive all of our family, friends and acquaintances are about this process. I've got to start thinking about our options and really get in gear with planning an gathering of some sort.... maybe a party with a lot of donated items to auction off, or a dinner with a band..... who knows, we'll have to start hitting up some of our talented and creative friends and family for help with this project!!!!! Stay posted for more news and be prepared.... we may be calling on each of you for your help!!!
One last note.... Lili had her 5-month birthday over the weekend (on 5/5). Her loving foster family took her and the other kids to a lake that's about 1.5 hours away for a celebration. They were able to take her horseback riding, for a ride in a cable car up into the mountains, and on a boat ride of the lake (among other things). They sent us some ADORABLE pictures where Lili just looks SO BIG.... so I thought I'd share! Enjoy!!!!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
One more step forward!
We got great news.... the social worker and the judge for the Guatemalan Family Court approved our file on April 9! So we're one step closer to bringing Lili home! We are still waiting for Preapproval to be issued by the US Embassy, then our file can be submitted to PGN (the Guatemalan equivalent of the Attorney General's office). PGN can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 5 months to get approval!! Let's pray that we get through on the fast end....
After PGN approval is issued, there will only be formalities that need to be completed in Guatemala. Passport issuance, Embassy Doctor's visit, issuance of a new birth certificate, and scheduling of a Visa appointment with the Embassy. At the time that the appointment is scheduled, we will travel to pickup Lili and bring her home!!! We are getting close, although we still don't have any committed timeframe for the rest of the process. It seems as though most of these steps are inconsistent and random.... we've been right in the average timeframe for most of the steps, although a couple of things have taken longer than normal. Let's hope that we're blessed by a few steps that move more quickly than most!!!
Keep us in your prayers!!!
After PGN approval is issued, there will only be formalities that need to be completed in Guatemala. Passport issuance, Embassy Doctor's visit, issuance of a new birth certificate, and scheduling of a Visa appointment with the Embassy. At the time that the appointment is scheduled, we will travel to pickup Lili and bring her home!!! We are getting close, although we still don't have any committed timeframe for the rest of the process. It seems as though most of these steps are inconsistent and random.... we've been right in the average timeframe for most of the steps, although a couple of things have taken longer than normal. Let's hope that we're blessed by a few steps that move more quickly than most!!!
Keep us in your prayers!!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Catching Up
I've been so bad about posting, but things have been busy and my mind has been elsewhere. Moses is busy with a system conversion at work and is working long hours. Last week I spent trying to catch up on chores, errands and sleep after returning from my visit with my mom and Lili!!!!
We only spent 4 days with Lili this time, just my mom and I this time, but we had a great time! I've never had a chance to travel alone with my mom, so this was a first. Add to that the fact that we were going to a Spanish speaking area without Moses and I was a little nervous. We did very well.... communicated with no major issues, loved on Lili like crazy, spent a day in Antigua, hung out with our foster family and just enjoyed the getaway. Mom was very intrigued by the cultural differences and really enjoyed spending time with our foster family. Of course, the trip to Antigua was a good opportunity to show her some of the culture and beauty of the country. And, most importantly, she LOVED spending time with Lili. It's hard to believe Lili has gotten so big - she'll be 5 months old on 5/5! She's such a happy and easy going baby, and she is growing up quickly. She's chattering a lot, smiling and eating some table food! We had a rule while we were there that she couldn't leave the room more than once in the same outfit! In four days, she probably changed her clothes 15 times!!! She's sleeping through the night in a crib and barely cries! What a DOLL!
We had a great visit, but of course I could move down there and be happy staying with her until she's ready to come home. And Moses and Max didn't get to see her this trip, so we've planned another family trip for later this month! We're going for 8 days, part of the time we'll spend in Guatemala City and the other part in Antigua. We're excited to spend a few days in Antigua as it is more tourist friendly and safe and we'll be able to walk around more freely. Also, there's a great little cafe that we found that has ICED COFFEE in Antigua!!! One day, from Antigua, we may take a shuttle to Chichicastenango. This is about 3 hours from Antigua, but it's the site of one of the largest handicraft markets in Central America! Max probably won't enjoy it very much, but hopefully he can enjoy being outside if nothing else!
OK, so no other news regarding our case. We're still waiting to get word of Family Court approval as well as US Embassy preapproval. Once we have both of these steps completed, our file can be submitted to the last "legal" check in PGN (the Guatemalan equivalent of the Attorney General's office). We're saying our prayers that we'll make it through everything in time to bring Lili home by my birthday in August. If you have a spare minute and can say a prayer for us, we'd really appreciate it!
Thanks to everyone for your interest in our journey and your support! We're thrilled to be sharing this experience with all of our friends and family!!!!! And we can't wait until you can all meet Lili!
We only spent 4 days with Lili this time, just my mom and I this time, but we had a great time! I've never had a chance to travel alone with my mom, so this was a first. Add to that the fact that we were going to a Spanish speaking area without Moses and I was a little nervous. We did very well.... communicated with no major issues, loved on Lili like crazy, spent a day in Antigua, hung out with our foster family and just enjoyed the getaway. Mom was very intrigued by the cultural differences and really enjoyed spending time with our foster family. Of course, the trip to Antigua was a good opportunity to show her some of the culture and beauty of the country. And, most importantly, she LOVED spending time with Lili. It's hard to believe Lili has gotten so big - she'll be 5 months old on 5/5! She's such a happy and easy going baby, and she is growing up quickly. She's chattering a lot, smiling and eating some table food! We had a rule while we were there that she couldn't leave the room more than once in the same outfit! In four days, she probably changed her clothes 15 times!!! She's sleeping through the night in a crib and barely cries! What a DOLL!
We had a great visit, but of course I could move down there and be happy staying with her until she's ready to come home. And Moses and Max didn't get to see her this trip, so we've planned another family trip for later this month! We're going for 8 days, part of the time we'll spend in Guatemala City and the other part in Antigua. We're excited to spend a few days in Antigua as it is more tourist friendly and safe and we'll be able to walk around more freely. Also, there's a great little cafe that we found that has ICED COFFEE in Antigua!!! One day, from Antigua, we may take a shuttle to Chichicastenango. This is about 3 hours from Antigua, but it's the site of one of the largest handicraft markets in Central America! Max probably won't enjoy it very much, but hopefully he can enjoy being outside if nothing else!
OK, so no other news regarding our case. We're still waiting to get word of Family Court approval as well as US Embassy preapproval. Once we have both of these steps completed, our file can be submitted to the last "legal" check in PGN (the Guatemalan equivalent of the Attorney General's office). We're saying our prayers that we'll make it through everything in time to bring Lili home by my birthday in August. If you have a spare minute and can say a prayer for us, we'd really appreciate it!
Thanks to everyone for your interest in our journey and your support! We're thrilled to be sharing this experience with all of our friends and family!!!!! And we can't wait until you can all meet Lili!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
