New Pics!

Merry Christmas! Today I received 3 new photos of Elizabeth from her visit to the pediatrician. His report states: Elizabeth came on Dec. 22 to my office, she is 5 months old, weights 17 pounds, length 69 cms, head circumference 41 cms. She has two teeth visible, she responds when you mentioned her name, has good appetite, activity, and neurological development, no vaccines in this visit.
Wow! 2 teeth! She is getting so big, I hope to have her home very soon!
Please continue to pray for a quick resolution to the name issue in PGN.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PGN Update - 3 Errors

The PGN report came back on December 19 with 3 errors. Two of them are minor and resolved, but the third error is more difficult, and one they haven't seen before. It seems that the bio mother's father legally changed his name many years ago, but the bio mother's birth certificate has his old name. All my documents are correct as legal as they reflect what the town's civil registry has, but the PGN seems concerned about this discrepancy and is wondering why he changed his name (and it looks to be his middle name, or first family name).

When I talked with the adoption agency, they said the attorneys in Guatemala were working on it, but they have not experienced this before. They were not sure if all they need is a letter from the town's civil registry confirming the name change, or if they need to interview the bio mother and grandfather, or if they need to reissue the bio mother's birth certificate or do all three of those.

This is a bummer! There is not a specific time to resolution, I hope to get more information later in the week. When I asked if I should book flights for my business trips in early to mid January, I was told I would be fine to go - meaning my case will most likely not have cleared by then. Trusting that all will work out fine is a tough one at this moment, I am trying to remain positive that all will be cleared up soon and Elizabeth will be home in no time.

Merry Christmas to you all! Thanks for your support throughout the year, and let's continue to pray for quick resolution and completion of the adoption process!

PGN!

Yahoo! We are in PGN as of November 29, 2006!!! This is great news, and the last, big hurdle to finalizing the adoption. PGN is the supreme court of Guatemala and they review everything in order to rule out fraud. Many cases get kicked out of PGN, this means you need to fix errors on your documents and enter back in. We will find out in 4 weeks if we have any errors - that would be around December 27. The attorneys in Guatemala check on the case status each week, so hopefully we will get a heads up if we need to fix any documents.

Please continue to pray for a speedy process!

Here is an explanation from another document on the PGN process:
Once in the Procuraduria, PGN, (Solicitor General’s Office) the case will be considered for the issuance of the adoption order. In the Procuraduria, the case is carefully scrutinized by Guatemalan Government attorneys who make sure that all of the requirements for a proper and legal adoption have been met. Time frame for completion of this step is highly variable, and depends mainly on how many of the documents that the Procuraduria attorney asks for clarification or correction on. Usually when a case gets “rejected” by the Procuraduria, the corrections can be made in Guatemala (errors by civil registrars in Guatemala on birth certificates, birthmother’s cedula, etc.) such that the case can be resubmitted without the adopting family having to re-do documents. However, if the case gets rejected from Procuraduria because of faulty documents that were included with the family’s dossier, the adopting family will be expected to reimburse for expenses of registering and translating new US documents, (for example, a police clearance which does not indicate “no record”, a marriage certificate that does not have a date of issuance, a doctor’s letter or homestudy report which causes question of mental illness or alcoholism in the adopting parents, etc.

More Video

There has been considerable demand for additional video footage, so here it is! This video was shot on our November 2006 visit to Guatemala. Elizabeth was spending time on her tummy - something I think may be new to her. She is resting on a rolled up towel under her arms for more support. Elizabeth starts entertaining me and Aunt Carrie by making raspberry noises into the towel. Looks like we have a performer!!

Latin Time....

Chrissie's case hasn't been submitted into PGN yet.

I know, last Sunday I posted that Luigi told her he'd submit it to PGN last Monday or Tuesday. We've heard that Latin time is different than US-time - looks like this is a good example. Someone told Chrissie to add 1+ weeks to whatever timeframe she's given.

Sigh.

We just want precious Elizabeth here with us. Now. For Christmas. Forever.

Look at me!

Elizabeth fits in the bag, maybe we can squeeze her in tomorrow for the plane rides back to Delaware!

Carrie and I are heading back home tomorrow. It has been a great trip, with lots of firsts - first cereal, first giggle, first shot with mommy present, first mohawk (during tubby!).

First Cereal!

Today was a big day as Elizabeth had her first taste of cereal! She seemed to like it and ate a pretty good portion. Grace helped me mix it to the right consistency and showed me how to get it in her mouth - although I think I could have gotten that one! We have a few more pictures here, a couple from Carrie's walk around the neighborhood and some of the cereal tasting.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=5rj7qr9.903m9zx9&Uy=hltj95&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=554856845245_358729693405

¡Hola from Guatemala!

Mommy and Anut Carrie arrived safe and sound in Guatemala on Saturday. Unfortunately, we had to wait in line at immigration for over an hour! Anyway, Luigi was waiting for us and we went back to Graces house where Elizabeth was waiting for us - although she was sleeping the first time Aunt Carrie met her!
Elizabeth has another cold - or perhaps the same one - as she had my last trip a few weeks ago. Other then that, she pretty much looks the same - her hair is a little longer. She is pulling her head up and we are working on tummy time - she lays on her tummy to play. She is somewhat unsure of it at this point. She even spent some time in the walker/activity center.
On Sunday we went and had lunch with Henry, and his mom and dad - Richard and Nanci. They are staying at the Marriott and we had a great time chatting with all the people and we had lunch and played in the baby room. It was a great visit, especially since Nanci and I spend lots of time emailing, so meeting face to face was fun!
On Monday we went to see the pediatrican who gave Elizabeth a good report, despite the cold. She got a shot, which made her cry and cry. We hope she will not be too grumpy over the next couple of days. Elizabeth is 16 pounds and strong - per Dr. E.
We will have more news later. We are very excited to have access to the Internet while here at Graces - makes a big difference in keeping up with all of you. Please do send us emails and let us know how you are doing!

Here are links to a few phots we have taken: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=5rj7qr9.6fnyslxp&Uy=-by9z1l&Ux=0
hint: right click on the link and choose Open in a New window.

Adoption Process News

I spoke with Chrissie and Aunt Ki today - they are having a wonderful time with Elizabeth - how cute are those pictures!! Chrissie spoke with Luigi about her case and he plans to submit it to PGN (the Guatemalan court) on Monday or Tuesday. Then he said it will be about 4 weeks to hear if it will be kicked out or not... if it gets kicked out then they need to correct whatever the issue was and re-submit.. but if it isn't kicked out it could be "out of PGN" (which means APPROVED) and then Chrissie and Grammy can make their travel arrangements for the PICK UP trip! So perhaps Elizabeth can ring in 2007 with her Mommy!!!! (or celebrate MLK day?!)... whatever the date, hopefully it's soon!

Grins in Guat

How cute is THIS one? (For some reason Grammy messed up in uploading the 3 together, sorry.)

Carrie writes that they're having a grand time and the food is so good. They got together Sunday with a couple who is adopting Henry. Henry is 2 and likes to give Elizabeth kisses.

This is a great visit for the folks back home because we can get updates and pictures and the phone card even works! Hooray!

Elizabeth's many faces! 11-19-06

Guatemala Bound!

Chrissie and Aunt Ki are going to Guatemala tomorrow - just can't stay away from precious Elizabeth! Besides the excitement of meeting her niece, Aunt Ki is also excited to get her first stamp in her brand new passport!

They arrive in Guatemala City around 2:30pm - Luigi will again be meeting them at the airport and taking them back to Grace's, where Elizabeth will be waiting!!! More good news - apparently the internet connection is working at Grace's now, so we hopefully will be getting periodic updates! yeah!

So next week be on the lookout - we should have new pictures (and a video!?!?) of our fabulous Elizabeth.. maybe she can roll over now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Process Update: Social Worker Report

Good news, the Guatemalan social worker has completed the required report to move my case out of Guatemalan Family Court. This is good news given the fact that beginning November 15 the courts go to half staff for the holidays. My assigned social worker is in Court 1 which is scheduled for a month off November 15 - December 15. Whew!! The next step is the final one, going into PGN. PGN can take 6-12+ weeks, so we continue to pray for a quick process.

Video and Pics!

To answer the call for more photos and pics from Jen and Chrissie's trip to Guatemala in October, here are a couple of links. Aunt Jenny was the primary photographer and videographer and she has done a fabulous job! We are new to this video stuff, so once we figure out how to edit the hours of video we will post more!

Pics: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=5rj7qr9.3v8e02tx&x=0&y=ml9rc4
Hint: To open in a new window, RIGHT click on the link and select "Open in New Window". That way the blog site will remain open in the background.

Play the video of Elizabeth taken by Aunt Jenny!

Back home!

We literally just got home after a very long day of good-byes and traveling, but I had to share a few pictures of precious Elizabeth... she is wonderful! We fell in love with her immediately (she had us at the first hiccup)! Chrissie took to being a parent beautifully - anticipating Elizabeth's needs and wants and being overjoyed just looking at her! I was quite impressed with my little sister - she's a great mom! :)

Elizabeth was a joy to be with - to look at, to hold, to smell (you know, that "baby" smell!) - she coos and gives "raspberries" and blows bubbles - even hearing her breathe at night was precious!!

Tomorrow (11/1) Chrissie hopes to figure out how to share video - because you think these pictures are adorable... wait until you see the "8 minutes of sweetness" (that I edited down to 2.5)!!

There are lots of stories to share - hopefully we'll see you soon and bore you with all the details!

We are in Guatemala!

It is Sunday and Chrissie and I are sitting in an internet cafe in Antigua, a charming colonial town about an hour from Guatemala City... Elizabeth is with us, looking charming in her blue outfit with pink cable cardigan sweater (because it´s chilly) and the cute bonnet Grammy bought her... we will have lots of pics!. Pedro, Grace´s nephew, is driving and taking us around.

Elizabeth is just the most wonderful baby ever! She takes a bottle every 3 hours... last night she surprised Chrissie by going to sleep at 8pm and not getting up for a bottle until 1am! Poor Chrissie kept getting up anticipating Elizabeth was going to want some food! :)

Well, Elizabeth is hungry, so we have to get going... later!

Off to see the baby!

Wow.. 24 hours from now Chrissie will be holding her daughter!!! Hard to believe! We're just about all packed, and Chrissie was able to upgrade Aunt Jenny on the international flight, so yeah!! :)

We believe someone is meeting us and taking us to our "home away from home", and shortly thereafter we hope to meet Elizabeth! Then we will be responsible for our precious Elizabeth hopefully until Tuesday when we head back home to the States... so I imagine we'll be spending the next 5 days just watching her, and holding her, and feeding her.. sigh. What a joy!

We're not sure what kind of connections (phone and internet) we're going to have, but we'll try to update the blog, or perhaps Grammy or Aunt Ki or Tia Sarah could post details from an e-mail or phone call (hint hint!).

I covet your prayers - for our travel and our 6 days/5 nights with Elizabeth - for health, stamina and patience (and a little sleep too!??!)...

Adios!

About Guatemala

This post is just to share some information about the country Elizabeth comes from (and that Chrissie and Aunt Jenny are going to visit in 10 days!).

The country's flag is shown on the left with a white stripe between two sky blue stripes, representing the fact that Guatemala is a land located between two oceans (Pacific and Atlantic). In the center of the flag is the Guatemalan coat of arms. It includes the national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal, which symbolizes liberty. The olive branch wreath symbolizes victory. A parchment scroll bears the date of Central America's independence from Spain Sept 15, 1821. Crossed rifles indicate Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by force, if need be, and crossed swords represent honor.

The New Guatemala Republic (including what is now El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) received it's independence from Spain on Sept 15, 1821, although it was still a part of the newly independent state of Mexico. In 1823 Guatemala became independent from Mexico as well.

At 2.5 million inhabitants, Guatemala City is the most populous city in Central America, but most of the country's 12.8 million people live outside the capital city.

The currency is the Guatemalan quetzal - GTQ (named after the national bird - the Resplendent Quetzal). As of 10/16 there are approximately 7.6 GTQ per $1 US dollar.

Thanks Grammy and Papi!

Elizabeth sends her thanks to Grammy and Papi for the stroller! It arrived today and Aunt Ki (Carrie) put it together. Mommy and Aunt Jenny will be taking it down to Guatemala on the 26th.

Notice the special Aunt Ki touch of putting the baby doll IN the stroller with a picture of Elizabeth's face!

PS - today Elizabeth is 12 weeks old.. time flies! ;)

September Pics

Finally, I receive the September pictures from the pediatrician!! The foster mom dressed her in the outfit I sent down, my favorite one (size 3 months) with the little flowered top and lavender pants. Elizabeth looks determined in the pic, with her wrinkled brow and fists - perhaps she knew she was getting a shot!

Here is the note from the doctor:

[E] came today to my office on September 27th, she is 2 months old,
weights 13 pounds, length 60 cms, head circumference 37.5 cms. She is growing
rapidly with Similac formula 4 ounces every 3 or 4 hours, she received first
dose of DPT, Polio and Haemophilus vaccine (Pentavalent), she looks active,
smiles socially, she is healthy at this moment.

.

Quilt

Oh, Sweet Elizabeth... I [Aunt Sarah] started working on your quilt tonight. And once I got rolling, I didn't want to stop! But I have several more hours of work to do to piece together the front...

Several weeks ago your Mommy and I went to the fabric store and looked through all the bolts of fabric to pick out the right patterns and colors for your first blanket! We looked at hundreds of fabric samples and your Mommy finally decided on six different patterns, all with shades of greens and pinks.

Love, Tia Sarita

On the homefront

Things are happening in Delaware in preparation for Elizabeth's arrival...

• Elizabeth's new room is starting to take shape... the treadmill was moved to the basement so now it's ready for paint.
• Chrissie was hoping to find a video camera this weekend...
  
• The blog has been updated and moved to it's new address (what do you think!??!)
  

In Court Today!

We are really moving now! My case is officially in Guatemalan family court as of today. A social worker has been assigned. Next step is for the social worker to interview the birth mother and write her report.

DNA Test Today

Elizabeth’s DNA test was taken today. The DNA is tested by swabbing the inside of the cheek, known as a buccal swab, of both baby and birth mother. The tests are analyzed by LabCorp in NC. Results take 1-2 weeks.

Visit Planned!

In 4.5 weeks baby Elizabeth gets to meet her new Mommy! Chrissie and Aunt Jenny have their airline tickets to Guatemala City to meet/visit October 26-31. It's VERY exciting!

Another nice thing about our visit is that Chrissie's friend Nanci and her family will be there meeting again with 2-year-old Henry, their soon-to-be-son. They went down a few weeks ago and have been able to share tips on the area and how things work. We hope to be able to get Henry and Elizabeth together next month...

Chrissie plans to get a video camera this weekend and start training Aunt Jenny how to use it - so she can capture the first meeting of mother and child... *sigh*

The Mommy Post!

Special thanks to Aunt Jenny for creating Elizabeth's very own Blog! And thanks to the fam and others who have contributed!

I am too excited to express as I await the time when I meet Elizabeth in person and bring her home to meet the family. I am in love with the pictures and anticipate the next round of pictures from the pediatrician each month on the 18th.

On September 14, 2006, there was some movement in the adoption process. My papers have been translated and re-authenticated and were presented to the American Embassy in Guatemala for processing. Unfortunately, there was an issue found with one of the forms, so the lawyers in Guatemala will fix it and represent my papers in a few days. Let's call that progress!!

Mommy at 8 weeks

Today you are 8 weeks old, Elizabeth!

Here's a picture of your Mommy at 8 weeks. Isn't she a cutie? Just like YOU are a cutie!

We are thinking about you night and day--we pray for you, too!

Love, Grammy

Prayer requests...

Today Chrissie e-mailed the adoption agency for a status update, and was informed that her documents are being translated into Spanish and will be presented to the court very soon (hopefully by week's end). The next steps are:

• the law office in Guatemala sends someone to the courthouse to get the case submitted
• a judge and social worker are assigned to the case
• the social worker interviews the birth mother and initiaties the DNA testing, as well as reviewing all of Chrissie's documents

So we're asking for prayers for each step in this process:

• for a fair judge
• for a fast working and proactive social worker
• for a good interview between the birth mother and social worker - that the birth mother would have peace about her decision
• smooth DNA testing

Will keep you updated as we get more information!!

Grammy & Papi

Here are your silly grandparents celebrating your Grammy's birthday in New Hampshire. They absolutely can't wait to meet you!

Maybe they'll even take you kayaking on one of YOUR birthdays if your Mommy says it's OK.

And we'll have lots of cake and ice cream, too!

Love, Grammy and Papi

Belts....

Yesterday I (Aunt Jenny) wanted to share the most recent picture of my precious niece with some coworkers, so in typical over-the-top computer-geek-fashion I created a powerpoint presentation! But I got some flack about the self-serving title: "The Making of Aunt Jenny"... so this blog was born.

While on the (internet/skype/VoiP) phone with friend Brenda (a former pediatric nurse who is currently living in Hungary), Elizabeth's picture was ooh'd and aaww'd over... I commented about our concern re the belt - but Brenda quickly assured me that this was not the case - it isn't a belt - it's the measuring tape the doctor uses!!! duh! So no need to try to "rescue" Elizabeth from tacky dressing - she's ok!!

More pictures!

Chrissie received another e-mail from the pediatrician - with more pictures!

Baby Elizabeth (called Estrella Marina by the doctor) was brought into his office on Friday, 8/18 - at one month she weighed 10 pounds - length 55 cms and a head circumference of 36 cm (apparently that's good!!). He also said she got some shots and is "growing rapidly, has good muscular tone, activity, smiles socially, has good eye tracking movement, still awakes once or twice at nights asking for milk. She looks healthy."

Now honestly, isn't she just the most adorable baby ever!??!

note: the gold belt is a bit much... Grammy-to-be called it her "hoochy-mamma" belt... gracious! Chrissie send that baby some clothes - and soon!

Adoption Announcement

Today Chrissie sent out this e-mail to share her news about Elizabeth (and included the pictures from the 7/27 post):

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, I have decided to start a family through adoption. I am in the process of adopting a baby girl from Guatemala, and last week the adoption agency presented me with the referral of a baby girl born on July 11, 2006! This is so exciting! :)

She appears to be a very healthy infant, and at 1 week old was 8 pounds – which is a very good weight, especially for Guatemala. I’ve attached a few pictures that the Guatemalan pediatrician has taken.

I will be naming her Elizabeth, and hope to go and visit her in Guatemala within the next couple of months, before she is able to come home for good. It will take 4-6 months to finish the paperwork and legal proceedings, so hopefully she will be here for Christmas. There are a few more hoops to jump through during this waiting period.

Thanks to all for your support! I will continue to send updates and pictures as I get them!

Referral!

On July 27, 2006 while Chrissie was dropping off some documents with the adoption agency, one of the women said oh here's a new baby girl - too bad you're not "paper-ready"... and the other woman said "oh yes she is!" So Chrissie was given a referral!! She had the right of refusal to adopt this baby, pending some lab tests.

They gave her these three 8.5 x 11 color printouts of a baby girl who was born in Guatemala on July 11, 2006. Then Chrissie received an e-mail 2-3 hours later from the doctor with the pictures and additional information.


Chrissie immediately called Mom & Dad, who were at the beach in Montauk, and Jennifer called at the same time so a 3-way call was set up as the grandmother and aunt-to-be hurriedly opened their e-mail to see the pictures.

When Aunt Carrie got home Chrissie shared the exciting news and pictures with her. Then Aunt Sarah called after looking at a house with Rachel, and they were requested to come over... Sarah was given the happy news... apparently tears were shed.. Aunt Jenny arrived later, and it was decided that a celebration was in order... so off we went to La Tolteca, and toasted Elizabeth with margaritas!

Her spanish name is Estrella, which means star. We love her already. She's a star to us!! :)