I'M SO EXCITED!!

I talked to Lidia today and she said that Flora had her 2nd DNA appointment today. I'm so glad that our attorney is taking advantage of the part of the process that she does have some control over and getting us finished up timely.

As of today, we are right on schedule and maybe a day or two ahead of the timeframe I posted below. Now we just have to wait for the confirmation that the DNA results have been recieved at the lab in North Carolina. Hopefully, they will arrive still this week. The doctors at the US Embassy in Guatemala City send the samples in batches and they don't send them every day, so they could have left GC today or they could still be there are will be sent on Tuesday or Wednesday. I won't know until the samples actually arrive at the lab.

Then we have to wait for the completion of the testing which is anywhere from a couple of days to a week or more. Why the discrepancy? Well, sometimes the samples need to have more than one test done on them in order to get an accurate reading. I'm no expert, but that is what I have gathered. Anyway, hopefully at this time next week, or Tuesday or Wednesday of next week the results will be on their way back to Guatemala. I will know when they get there. Thank goodness for Fed Ex and for tracking numbers!!

We are working feverishly around here preparing for Flora's arrival. I know...we've only had a year to prepare, but somehow it didn't really seem real until a couple of weeks ago. Flora's closet has her clothes now hung and ready for her to wear, her socks, tights and pajama's are folded neatly in her drawers and her crib is made up and ready to go. Truth be told, her crib has been ready for about a year and a half since it was ready for Maria and she has never slept one night in it...not one night!! I hope to have better luck with Flora!!

The curtains have been switched from Ducks to really girly bubble gum pink ones. The name above the closet used to say "Maria Rene", now the Rene has come down and it says, Maria Flora. In the middle of the two names is a cute flower clock. I will have to take a picture of their room tomorrow and post.

It's pretty girly...just the way I like it!! Of course, I had to get rid of the Duck curtains without Dave knowing, he was partial to the Ducks. He just doesn't want too much girl stuff as he thinks that these two are going to be his tom boys....what is he thinking?? I don't think Queen Maria is going to have anything to do with his tom boy dreams, although she does enjoy blowing in the duck call that he bought her. Can you believe he bought her a duck call?? Who buys a 2 year old girl a duck call?? Anyway, she likes it, but just because she thinks it's a toy. At least that's what I'm telling myself. The jury is still out on Flora and whether she will go with his secret desire to turn her into a boy, but if I have anything to do with it, she won't want to break a nail and therefore duck hunting will be out of the question!

I will post more in the next few days with news of the DNA samples arrival in the States. Hopefully, it won't be more than a few days.

In the meantime:

This is a great little story a forum friend found on a great website called Karen's Adoption Links & list of adoption listservs.

Mommie, How much did I cost?
By Mary G

The moment every adoptive parent dreads….right over the fish sticks, French fries and peas….the question I had been waiting to hear, just not so soon. Annelise (adopted from China four years ago, now age 6), coming up for air from the ketchup pool on her plate, looks at me with her dark eyes and asks “Mommie, how much did I cost?”

Me: “Cost? You didn’t cost a penny! Now eat your peas!” Situation handled. At least for now.

But let me think about this again. We are standing, Dave and I, on the shores of another “new” adventure. We are embarking on our 6th international adoption, bringing home another five year old boy from Taiwan.

So, besides the obvious monetary cost of the process, how much did you cost? There is no mystery where the question came from. It came from four years of you absorbing our frenetic paperwork gathering, fingerprint getting, notary signing, and budget deficit spending for the four other children that followed on your heels from China. Or, it might have come from Kindergarten, where the children are so worldly they know more about where babies come from than they do about Bob the Builder.

Annelise, your question briefly halted me in my onward rush for total enlightenment, acquired by getting 5 kids fed and bathed before 8 p.m. bedtime. Your question has simmered and bubbled in the back of my mind ever since. Together, you and I have gone through “you are adopted”, “you didn’t grow you in mommie's tummy”, “not all babies are born in China”, “yes, airplanes are to used for other things than getting babies from China” and “no, you can’t have more cookies before bed”.

So, Annelise, here is how much you cost:

* A feeling of willingly jumping off the top of a tall building with no clue on how to land safely. I think it’s called a Leap of Faith. I’ll let you know when I land.

* 1.5 pounds of paperwork

* Three vials of blood, one physical, 15 visits to the doctor’s office because the notary screwed up... again.

* Multiple social worker visits…are we there yet?

* At least 5 headaches from thinking up creative answers to questions there are no good answers to, such as: what will I do when I return home after work to a totally wrecked house, a husband snoring on the couch, walls decorated in rainbow patterns from glitter crayons, cat vomit in a connect-the-dots pattern from the kitchen to the living room, and a 16 month old in the middle of the kitchen making dinner out of a Oreo cookies.

* Two 14 hr plane rides.

* An overnight stay in Tokyo when we missed the connecting flight to Beijing

* A sleepless night in Tokyo brought on by really reading all the earthquake warnings on the back of the hotel room door.

* My first mommie moment when I learned what a being a mommie was all about after you threw up all the food I overfed you on the airplane (after bouncing you on my knee), after stripping you down to your diaper, after learning the airline blanket had not escaped the projectile vomiting, and after getting ready to rip the throat out of two smarmy airline hostesses who tried to ignore me asking for a blanket, while my child turned blue from the cold.

* At least two weeks of feeling like someone dropped off their child with me and forgot to come back and get her

* Two months of singing every rendition of “Rock-a-bye Baby” I could imagine for at least 2 hrs every night while I suffered from a terrible virus received from my trip to China, in the middle of the hottest summer on record in Northern Michigan

* The cartilage in my knees as I learning to crawl out of your nursery with out making any of the floor boards creak, knowing full well you were still awake, but going hoarse from all that singing.

* Learning how to stop dead in my tracks and pretend I was still laying on the floor sleeping next to your crib when you popped your head up because I missed one lousy, noisy, **** floor board.

* Experiencing the joy of eating a whole quart of strawberries by the side of the road with my 18 month old daughter, because you didn’t know when to stop eating, and I was having too much fun to know any better.

* Finding out there was only one true color and that was pink, pink, nothing but pink, so help me God.

* Finally understanding that dresses are better than pants, with tights please, the ones with the frilly bottoms, and what do you mean they don’t come in 5T?

* The realization that no matter how many children I adopt, no matter how old I get, you and your brothers and sisters will never, ever fill the hole created by the two babies that I gave birth to who died because they were too young to live.
And while you can never replace them, they can never replace you either.

Annelise, you cost me everything I never knew I had inside me to give. You cost me the wall I built around my heart when my babies died, the patience I so sorely hoarded because it was in such short supply, the personal space I thought I required, and my unceasing quest for answers from God who finally just plunked you down in my lap and told me “Look! This is all you need to know!”

That, Annelise, is how much you cost. Now, go tell your Kindergarten class that Bob the Builder doesn’t hold a candle to your mother.

BREAKING NEWS!!

WE ARE ORANGE!!

What is orange you may be asking yourself? It means that our attorney has received the authorization to make an appointment with the Embassy doctor to perform the second DNA test. She can now make the appointment for Flora to see the doctor to perform the test, after we have the receipt that the lab has been paid for the test. We should have that tomorrow. I faxed the lab the credit card information tonight, but of course it was after 5pm East Coast time, so I'm sure I will get the receipt in the morning. After I get the attorney the receipt, she can make the appointment, probably for Monday or Tuesday and then we just have to wait for the results of the DNA test to arrive back in Guatemala City.

It's a good day!! Another step down and one more day closer to bringing Flora home forever!!

Although it seems like not much has happened in the past few weeks, in reality much has happened.

Our attorney has affirmed that Flora's birthmother has signed the final adoption decree. This means that she has officially relinquished all parental rights and Flora is now our daughter as far as she is concerned, as well as the Guatemalan governement. I'm torn as I write that statement as I'm certain it was an incredibly difficult thing for her to do. I guess I didn't realize how hard something like that would be until Maria entered my life, now I know just what a gift both of our children's birthmother's have given us. We owe them much, much more than they will ever know. They have given my husband and I an opportunity to be parents, our parents to be grandparents, our brothers and sisters the opportunity to be aunts and uncles and their children to be cousins to two of the most precious children God ever created. We are forever in their debt and if given the chance I hope to tell them that some day.

Our attorney has also said that they have received Flora's amended Birth Certificate. This means that in the eyes of the US government, she is officially our daughter and now has our last name. Her name now is...L**** F******* Richter. We will change her name to Flora L**** F******* Richter after she comes home. But, YAY!! She has our last name!! How cool is that!!

The attorney will be submitting the final adoption decree and the amended Birth Certificate to the Embassy in Guatemala City tomorrow, Wednesday April 23rd to receive her Guatemalan Passport. She will have her picture taken, she will be fingerprinted and footprinted. And they will issue that little blue book that is her Guatemalan Passport. This Passport will actually show her Guatemalan citizenship, which she will forever be able to retain, unless for some reason she deems it necessary to renounce. She will in effect be a dual citizen of both countries with the rights and privledges of both. I think the only reason she would have to renounce her Guatemalan citizenship is if she wants to join the military of the US, then she can only be a citizen of one country, for obvious loyalty reasons.

After they have her passport, probably on Thursday or Friday, our attorney can take all of the information gathered to the US Embassy and request DNA Authorization. DNA Authorization usually takes a day or two so we should have that by Friday April 25th or Monday April 28th. The US Embassy requires that a second DNA test be done now at the end of the process to ensure that the DNA that was performed at the beginning of the process is still valid. Meaning the child that is brought into the second DNA test is the same child that was brought into the first DNA test.

Once the attorney has DNA Authorization and we pay the fee for the test at the lab, which can't be done in advance, but will be done the same day as the authorization, the attorney will be able to schedule the actual DNA test. It usually takes a day or two to get the appointment, so we are hoping to have the DNA testing appointment by Wednesday or Thursday of next week...that puts us at April 30th or May 1st.

If the DNA test is taken on May 1st it will likely take a week to 10 days to get to the lab in the US and get shipped back to the US Embassy in Guatemala. We are now at about May 9th for arrival. The US Embassy will go over our paperwork one last time and give send us an email stating our appointment in about 3 days...we are now at May 14th. The appointment is usually about a week later, so on or about May 21st we should be at our appointment at the US Embassy in Guatemala City. We must stay one day after the appointment to receive her US Visa, which will allow her entry into the US, and then we can come home.

I'm not sure how much extra time we will spend in Guatemala after we receive her Visa, probably a few days. I know that this will be the last time for a little while that we will be able to go there and I am already missing being able to plan travel to this extraordinary country. I also know that I will be extremely excited to get home, get Flora home, introduce her to all of the people that already love her and get settled into our new life.

I do know that we plan to make regular trips back to Guatemala so that both girls are familiar with and continue to have a bond with their birth country. I also know that life gets hectic and it seems that time slips away and it may be longer than I want it to be before we are able to go back.

We will see in the next week or so how my timeline listed above pans out, but it shouldn't be too far off...hopefully we can shave a day off her or there and be home sooner than the 23rd or 24th. It doesn't really matter at this point as I know things are moving and we are going to be bring Flora home soon!!!

OK...I've got some catching up to do. We have had a busy past few weeks.

Maria turned 2 years old on March 29th. Can you believe it?? I can't! It seems like just yesterday she was blowing out the candles on her first birthday cake. She is such a sweet, energetic, personable little person. We had her party at Backyard Adventures where the kids had a great time playing on the fun swings and slides and she received far more presents than any kid ever needs to get!! We are so thankful for all of you that attended...and all of you that couldn't, but were there in spirit. Here are some photo's of Maria's 2nd birthday party.






The weekend after Maria's second birthday we went to the Doodlebops. Maria's cousins Ben and Ethan and her Aunt Val went with us. The Doodlebops, for all of you that don't have to endure hours upon hours of their songs each night, are sort of a rock band for toddlers. They really were entertaining! Maria loved her experience at the Doodlebops and especially loved getting her Dee Dee hair. The Dee Dee hair only cost $15.00, but it did come with a bag of cotton candy so I guess that made it OK...right...are you kidding me...$15.00 for cotton candy and some styrofoam hair! Oh well...the Doodlebops only come once in a lifetime right? Here we are enjoying the Doodlebops Live!!

I found out today that the attorney has completed the first step in our 4 step final process to bring Flora home. Hopefully, the rest of the steps will go just as quickly and she will be home in 3 or 4 weeks! Crossing fingers!!

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?? HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN OUR PROCESS TO BRING HOME FLORA.


ADOPTION DECREE. The attorney prepares the final adoption Protocolo or deed, and meets with the birth mother for her to sign her final consent to the child's adoption. The executed Protocolo is filed with the Archivo de Protocolo. At this point, the child is legally the child of the adoptive parent(s) under Guatemalan law.


CIVIL REGISTRY AND PASSPORT. The attorney presents the required documents to record the adoption at the Civil Registry where the child's birth was recorded, and requests that a new birth certificate be issued to reflect the adoption, and to change the child's last name to that of the adoptive family. The attorney then takes all documents including the new birth certificate and applies for the child's Guatemalan passport. The child is again fingerprinted to affirm his/her identity.

SECOND DNA TEST. A DNA test is performed on the child. The DNA sample is sent to a lab in the United States for testing. The results are compared to the results of the first DNA test that was taken early in the process. This test is necessary to determine that the child that the United States is issuing a VISA for is the same child that was tested earlier. The earlier test determined that the child really was the child of the mother that relinquished him or her. During the first test both the mother and the child are tested. With this second test, only the child is tested as they are just determining that it is the same child. The results are sent by Fed Ex from the United States lab to the US Embassy in Guatemala.


US EMBASSY - FINAL APPROVAL AND VISA. The attorney presents the case file with the child's passport and new birth certificate to the US Embassy. The Embassy again evaluates the file and, if all documentation is in order, issues a Final Document Approval or pink slip. (Note: Guatemalan passport is NOT required to submit the REQUEST for the pink slip, it is however required to PICK UP the pink slip from the US Embassy.) After the attorney receives this approval, the adoptive parents and child appear at the US Embassy for final verification, and an embassy official then issues a visa for the child's entry into the US.

We finally received the good news we have waited 135 days for...that's over 19 weeks, but who's counting?? WE ARE OUT OF PGN!!

I want to shout it from the mountain tops, sing it from the sea's and all of those other corny adages that you have heard. Well...too bad...that's what I want to do!! I can't get this smile off my face! Flora will be coming home soon...hopefully in 4 to 6 weeks!

I am on Cloud 9....Go ahead...try to knock me off my cloud...I dare you!! It can't be done!!

Here's the rundown on how it happened. I was depressed as I have been for the past, oh let's say, 135 days!! I woke up this morning as I have for the past 135 days thinking, today is going to be the day!! Then I usually think...yeah right that's what you have thought for the past 134 days and it hasn't happened, what is going to make today any different. So, I'm at the office in my usual monster mood, as I have been for the past 135 days, or did I say that already?

Anyway, I'm at the office, doing the things I do and it's time for lunch. I go to the Post Office on my way home, usually the highlight of my day, may I add, and then I go home to grab a bite to eat. I get home, log on to the computer, check my email, like I have for the past 135 days and there's nothing there but work stuff...not like I expected much, I only left work 30 minutes ago and there wasn't anything when I left. I have my usual bowl of Frosted Flakes, surf the Internet, relax a bit, check my email one more time and then go back to the office.

On my way back to the office today though a thought entered my head, it was almost 2:30pm, as I took my late lunch and I thought, you know if I am going to hear something it probably won't be until around 2:30 anyway as Guatemala is an hour behind and for them to go PGN and get back it would probably be around 2:30pm. Not thinking much more than that, I turn the corner by the gas station and passed my husband, who lovingly honked at me and waved. I waved and turned another corner and back to work I was.

I sat down at my desk, clicked on Internet explorer, clicked on web mail, and there it was...an email...the subject was "Congrats" and it was from our attorney. I don't think I even processed what the subject line was or the fact that it was from our attorney, I just clicked on it as fast as I could. I read the line, "Congratulations!!!!!!!! We are out of PGN!!!!! and I freaked out!! I don't think that I waited 1 second when my hand picked up the phone to call my husband, I couldn't really even speak at that second. I said, 'We're out of PGN!" He said, "What??" Confirming that I couldn't speak in coherent sentences at that point, I said again, in a much more clear tone, "WE ARE OUT OF PGN"!! I heard a gasp and then a "Oh, Thank God"! He asked me if I was crying and I said, "not yet, but as soon as I hang up this phone I am going to sit down and sob"!...and that's exactly what I did.

I could tell I was sobbing rather loudly and I heard my sister Amber get out of her chair in her office, I got out of mine and met her in the hall with a sobbing, "We are Out of PGN", she took me in her arms and I sobbed some more. I can't express what that release of pressure was, it was like an explosion in me that finally let go...we had been approved...FLORA WAS COMING HOME!!

I have to admit that the rest of the day was a blur. I stayed at work and pretended to be busy, but I didn't do anything other than revel in my glee!! I posted on my forums that I was out and sent emails to my friends. As soon as the clock struck 5:00pm, I exited as soon as I could and I came home to Maria waiting at the glass back door with her finger pointing at me as I walked up the driveway and a big, "Hi Mama"!! I picked her up and squeezed her as hard as I could!! I think I was pretending she was Flora....I just needed to squeeze her!! Dave, Maria and I made plans to go out to dinner to celebrate and celebrate we did. I with my steak, Dave with his nachos and Maria with her spaghetti. It was the best celebratory dinner I have experienced thus far in my life.

With all of the hub bub of the email, the sobbing, the celebrating, I didn't really even pay attention to the rest of the email. They had sent me pictures, taken today!! How cool is that!! Here is our sweet Flora on the day she got out of PGN and became our daughter!!

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Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Maria is 2!!

Maria is 2 years old today. She is the most important thing that has happened in our life! We am truely honored to be able to parent her. She has changed so much this past year. She's loves to read, color, play with her babies, sing and do anything her Daddy is doing!

We lit a candle in honor of her birthmother this morning and will let it burn all day. We are having a party late this afternoon where she will celebrate with her cousins and friends and get to eat as much Dora cake as she wants!! We are going to have a great day!!

She had her pictures taken the other day. Here are a few of my favorites. Forgive the proof marker. Thanks for letting me brag!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Here's my little Irish (for a day anyway) Girl!!

I was able to download some more pictures from our most recent trip tonight. These were from Ambers camera. Thank you Amber...you took some very nice pics. Here are a few pictures of my angel and of her beautiful birth country.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo BooksOne of the distinctive aspects of the celebrations in Antigua is the celebration of sawdust carpets, made to welcome the Easter processions of Spanish colonial statues carried through the city streets. The carpets are made with sawdust dyed in a multitude of jewel-like colors, flowers and pine-needles. First, a layer of natural sawdust is put down on the cobblestones and sprinkled with water. Boards are laid across the work so the artist don't disturb their work. Next, designs are drawn on with colored sawdust sifted through stencils. Finally, a fine mist of water plays over the carpets to keep the sawdust in place. It takes all day to produce the beautiful and fragrant carpets upon which the corteges will walk. On Good Friday morning, the carpets create an explosion of color and texture throughout Antigua's old streets.


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We're Back!! No BC Rectification Needed!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank God!! Our attorney was able to take care of our previo within PGN and we don't have to go the rectification route. We were hopefully being resubmitted to PGN on February 21st!! Thank you guys for all of your prayers, I'm sure that's what did it!! I'm trying not to let myself get too excited as I don't know for certain they are going to allow us back in yet, but I'll take this for today!!

I haven't received confirmation that we are indeed back in PGN. In fact, I am a little scared to call, since the last 2 times have been just awful news. I haven't decided whether I will call next week to confirm or not. Oh, who am I kidding, you all know that I am a control freak and I need to know absolutely everything that is going on...of course I will call. Please pray for us and pray that this time when I call I get good news...or at least I don't get bad devestating news like I have in the recent past!!

Not Good News!!

I was so happy last week when I heard that we had been re-submitted to PGN. I guess by now, I should have learned not to get too excited. We were re-submitted to PGN on February 11th and we were issued another previo on February 14th. I'm just sick at the thought of how long it will take to get this discrepancy fixed. Here is what the email from our attorney said:

WE ARE OUT WITH ANOTHER PREVIO AND A DIFFICULT ONE. THE BIRTHCERTIFICATE HAS TO BE RECTIFIED AND THEY WANT (Attorney's Name Here) TO DO IT WITH THE LONG PROCEDURE. SHE IS GOING TO PGN TOMORROW TO SEE IF SOMETHING ELSE CAN BE DONE.
__________________


I swear this process just continues to get harder and harder. Each time I think there is a little ray of sunshine, the big black cloud that is following our case around decides to cast itself between us and the sun. I know I am being a bit dramatic, but crap...this just plain sucks. OK...I really wanted to say something other than crap, but I will try to keep it mostly clean. I have asked some friends and the general concensus is that it will take anywhere from 2 to 4 months to get this BC rectification...then we will start all over where we were on February 11th. Sucks to be us!! Worst case scenario...or should I say fairly realistic right now...with the information I have is that Flora will be home around August 1st...there goes our fun first summer together!! Oh, well...I guess there's always next year!!

WE ARE BACK FROM GUATEMALA AND WE ARE BACK IN PGN!!

Amber and I had a great time in Guatemala. We were able to see Flora for almost 5 days. She is just simply sweet!! We stayed the first night with Lidia. It is so nice to be able to spend time with Lidia and her family, they truely are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Flora is a happy, healthy baby and I attribute that completely to the care that she has been receiving. They could not take better care of her. She has some funny little quirks about her...she is the loudest, noisiest baby I have ever met...she makes these noises with her tongue and her mouth that you would swear are coming from an old man...they are seriously that loud!! She also eats just about anything you put in front of her...she is nine months old and eating almost all table food, eggs, black beans with onions, salsa with onions, guacamole with onions, tortilla's, bread...honestly, everything we ate, she ate...OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, I didn't give her any of my steak, but other than that she was eating it!!

This was as well the hardest time I have had with giving Flora back to her Foster Family that I have had. It was very, very difficult. I usually don't cry or get emotional when I have to leave, but this time I did. I think probably because Maria was already home for close to 2 months at this point and to have to give Flora back and come home without knowing how long it would be before she comes home or before I see her again really hit me. I did however recieve a fantastic email as we were sitting in the Houston airport waiting for our flight to Minneapolis. We had been resubmitted to PGN. Thank Goodness!! This means that we will find out sometime within the next 8 weeks hopefully that we are approved. We could of course also be kicked out of PGN again for another document or more clarification, but I am choosing at this point to believe that they will approve us and we will be able to make travel plans to bring Flora home some time within the next 8 weeks. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we are going through the approval process again.

I have uploaded some photo's and some video's for your viewing pleasure...and mine!! Enjoy my sweet Flora!! She is a miracle!!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books
The hotel we were staying at had a wedding reception the night I recorded this video. You can hear the fireworks in the background. After a little while, I had to turn off the video and Amber, Flora and I went outside to view the fireworks, they were great. I have to say that the display for this wedding rivaled many of the July 4th displays that I have seen in the US. It was great!!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books




Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books