We're Back!!!!

Well I am sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this, but we are back. Here is our story....

Everything went great and we of course had a great time. We were really nervous about the airport and I was nervous about the plane ride because I hate to fly. First of all we upgraded to first class which was great!! We got drinks and great food.

The decend to Guatemala City was beautiful and sad at the same time. There were mountains and volcanoes that were beautiful and like nothing I have ever seen. On the other hand there were shacks - I can't even explain how the conditions were so I won't even try.

When we landed we exited the plane and followed the crowds to the luggage corral and waited for our luggage. When our luggage finally came we got our passports ready to go to customs. We were told by some other pasangers to smile at the man taking the forms so we didn't our bags searched. We did smile, but Jenny dropped her bag and couldn't find her form. She finally found her form and we passed through with no problems. Then we walked about what seemed like 2 miles to immigration, another line. This was the day of never ending lines. We waited in line to give another piece of paper to another person and have our passports stamped. Then we walked near the exit of the airport. Only this isn't like any airport once you exit you cannot go back in so you had better be sure that there is someone waiting for you. We also heard a lot of horror stories about the exit at the airport so we were nervous. To the right of the exit was cattle gates holding Guatemalans begging for money back, and it was heart breaking, but there wasn't anything we could do. So we bravely exited the airport and thankfully there was Juan holding a sign that said Marriott. As soon as we saw him a small boy who couldn't have been more than 10 years old grabbed our 200 pounds of baggage and took it to where Juan was. It was heartbreaking that this little boy was working instead of attending school. We tipped him about $15 and I think that we made his day. Then we were off to the hotel.

The ride to the hotel was uneventful and the architecture was amazing. There were people dressed in business attire walking to where ever they may have been going.

The hotel was beautiful and everyone there was great. Our room was great and we had a view of the volcano and mountains. We unpacked and went to dinner after we were so tired so we just watched some tv, and went to sleep.


The next morning we went to Antigua and went shopping. The drive was very interesting because they really don't have traffic laws. There aren't even lines on the road you just fit as many cars as you can. The drive was beautiful, we drove past mountains and vocanoes. There was also a lot of poverty and seeing how the Guatemalan people live first hand was difficult, but everyone seems happy. When we arrived we first we went to the Jade Factory. Guatemala is one of only 2 places in the world that has purple Jade so we had a tour of the factory, and bought some Jade. Then Miguel our driver took us to the central park to go shopping. We walked around the central market and then went into the shops. We got a lot of really beautiful things for Delmya when she gets older.

We then went back to the hotel and waited for our baby girl to be brought to us. Guillermo, our facillitator, were late so we anxiously waited for Mia. Finally we got the call that we could come down and see her. It was love at first sight! Mia was sleeping and looked like an angel. She woke up and cried a little and then went back to sleep. Guillermo was dropping another baby off so we were alone with Maria, her foster mother, and it was difficult to communicate because we didn't speak Spanish and she didn't speak English. We got through it, and then Guillermo was back so we all went up to the room and Guillermo translated. We found out from Maria when she ate, slept, and everything else.

Our fist night with her was interesting to say the least. As soon as everyone left we tried to feed her, but she was getting used to us and wouldn't eat. Then she started to have as what most parents call a "meltdown" she started crying, crying, and more crying. She was crying so hard and so loud that she could hardly breathe. Finally we got her calmed down and it seemed like an eterninty, but it was only 10 minutes or so. We got her to eat and to bed. She slept through the night, but it was a very restless sleep for all of us because we woke up everytime she made a noise.

Ok I am going to get a lot less detailed because the rest of the trip consisited of the following...
Waking up in the morning and going to breakfast.
Coming back to the room and giving Mia a bath.
She would then sleep for 4 hours. - We were so bored while she was sleeping!
We would go to an early dinner.
Put her to bed.
Order some room service.
In between all of this we would walk around the hotel and outside.

It was very difficult to give her back and we miss her more than words can express. The only thing that makes it worth it is that Maria loves her VERY much, and she only has a little bit of time left with our precious Mia, and we have the rest of our lives. We are very thankful for Maria, and the people who have been supporting us through this process. Most of our support has came from our friends and without them I don't know what we would do. So Thank You and you know who you are!!!

Our Visit Trip is actually going to happen!!!

We have gotten the ok from our agency to go to visit from Jan 11-20. We are so excited to go and we will have a lot of pictures when we get back. We will also have video when we get back.

We have been getting ready to go on our trip and working on our new business. We have been pretty busy.

This was the last New Years without a baby and we were planning on staying home, but Kristen talked us into going out and painting the town red. Jenny was the Designated Driver and I was the drunk!!! We all had a really good time until a fight broke out around 2 am, and we left because as someone once said nothing good happens after 2 am!!

I didn't want to start a new post, but I wanted to say that it is going to be 79 degrees while we are in Guatemala!!!
Here we come land of eternal spring.

Anway I won't be posting until we get back from our trip. (unless something important happens)
till then...

We have it!!!!!!

We have a DNA match!!!!!
It matched 99.99%. Here is the latest picture of her taken at the time of the DNA testing. She is almost 3 months old in the photo. We are glad to see that they are feeding her well!!! We are so excited to finally be able to meet our daughter!!!!!

Changing the date again

Well we are changing our dates again for Guatemala. I think we have it set now. There isn't any chance that the Dna won't be back in time, unless of course the results don't match. Our new dates are Jan. 11-20. It is a Thursday to Sunday.

Our Plans...
Note - these aren't set in stone so they can change!!!
We will get to Guatemala at about 3:00, and go to the hotel eat, shower, unpack, and sleep. Wake up the following morning and go to Antigua for shopping. Then we will go back to the hotel, shower, and eat. The the best part of the whole trip, at about 5:00 on Friday Addisyn will be dropped off to us!!!!
She will stay with us for 7 days. We will have to give her back to her foster mom around 4 or 5 the following Friday.
The next dat at 3:00 we will board the plane back home.

So everyone wants to know when she will be home!!! We are hoping that she will be home by May or June. It could be sooner or later.

The rest of the process goes as follows:

- after receiving the Dna witin 30 days we get the Pre Approval from the embassy - this is called getting PA
We should have this by the first week of February.
- Right now we are in Family Court and our Social Worker interview (between the birth mother and a soical worker) took place
on December 4th. The report should be done by the middle of Februray. - this is called exiting Family Court (FC)
- Then we have to go to PGN this is the tough one. These are the people who make the decision if your baby is 8 months
when she comes home or 2 years old. Some people sail through here within 8 weeks and others have been in PGN for
8 months or longer.

We are hoping to be in PGN by the middle of Feb or begining of March.
Hoping to be out by April

After all of that we have to wait for the embassy to do some MORE paper work. We then get the date that we will be at the
embassy and we pick her up to come home forever.


So that is all we know for now.
till then...

News, News, News...

Well as some may know we have had some problems lately. Our agency, who we are not ver fond of right now, threatened to take away our referral. The whole problem was because after we sent an email asking them a question they sent us a demeaning email back. So we sent then a "witchy" email and apparently they are big chickens, so instead of answering our questions, they threatened to stop our adoption. We decided this battle wasn't worth losing Addisyn, so we backed down eventhough it really bothered us. They can do whatever they want - and when our daughter is home in our arms we will tell them what we think of them.

GOOD NEWS....
Our DNA was received at the lab, which means that our results are coming soon!!!
We are hoping to leave for Guatemala on the 29th or 30th.

We will keep you updated.
till then...

Weight & Length Percentile

11-25-06

Her weight was 11.8 pounds - She is in the 57th percentile
Her height was 22 inches - She is in the 17th percentile for height

Well we are....

We don't know. We don't know when we are going. We could be going the 22nd or waiting and going the 28th. Who knows?
I just hope we get the results back in time to go the 22nd so that we can be with her for Christmas.

So I was just looking at this adoption website and they had this video and it said that there are over 100 million orphaned children in this world. It also said that 15 million children die each year of malnutrition. That is 15 million. It is something I can't even wrap my head around. The video showed children in Africa, and it was heart wrenching. Jenny and I have talked about our next adoption, eventhough this one isn't anywhere near completion, and I am pretty sure we will do an African county. I think that these are the children in the most need and that is all that matters. Plus Guatemala is suppose to be closing adoptions in the end of 2007 so that won't be an option. I want to have a big family if we can afford it comfortably and Jenny agrees. Who know we may be some of those crazy people with 10 kids.

15 million children die of starvation each year.
It puts my problems and maybe everyone else's in perspective.
We will keep you updated.
till then.

Problem with DNA????

What you say????
Yes there was a problem with the DNA the birthmother showed up for the appointment, but there was a problem. The specimens never made it to the lab. Other than that we don't really know anything else. We have a new test rescheduled for Thursday December 14th.

So another words we won't be going on our trip as scheduled. On a good note, which is ver difficult to find, we may still be able to go over Xmas. Our director (of the agency) said that the earliest we should expect the results is the 22nd. So if we do get them on the 22nd then we will book our flights and leave bright and early on the 23rd. It should be very interesting because Jenny and I cannot stand not knowing what is going on and we are people who have to plan ahead. I guess we won't have much of a choice on whether or not to plan ahead.

Adoption is difficult and it tests your nerves, wills, and sanity. This is a test and I am not sure that I am going to pass.
Keep you updated.
till then...

New Medical Update...

As of 11/28/06 she weighed 11.8 pounds and was 22 inches long!!!
They are still feeding her VERY well, and she growing so fast.

We still don't know if we are going to be able to visit or not, but we are hoping. I am going to wait to call the lab until Friday and then again on Monday if we need to . I hope we will know on Friday because I can don't think that I can stand not knowing over the weekend.

If anyone is interested I am attaching an article about Guatemala. It is very heartbreaking and sad. So if you have time read
this. Below is the article, but because I can't figure out how to make it into a link and I know a lot of people won't be able to copy and paste I thought I would do this.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16211511.htm

JOCOTAN, Guatemala -- Three-year-old Antonio's patchy skin is thin and saggy, like that of a shrunken old man. But his cries sound more like a newborn's whine. And although his head seems much too large for his frail body, it's actually his body that is too small.

Plopped on a wheelchair because he's too weak to walk, Antonio's crystal black eyes tend to wander until the smell of food penetrates the air and steaming bowls of beans pass before him. Then his mouth starts to salivate and he lets out a desperate whimper.

But Antonio must wait until 10 other hungry children are set up with their meals. Only then can the nurse at the health center focus her attention on feeding the boy who doesn't have the muscle coordination to feed himself.

Weighing about 18 pounds, as much as a 6-month-old baby, Antonio represents one of the worst cases of malnutrition in a country where more than one million children under 5 suffer from the condition.

''Cases such as Antonio's should no longer exist, but the problem remains constant,'' said Dr. Carlos Arriola, director of a health center in this remote village where the boy and other malnourished children are being treated. ``Like Antonio, many others exist.''

Guatemala has the highest rate of malnourished children in the Western Hemisphere, even higher than Haiti, the region's poorest country. The Central American nation also ranks sixth in the world for chronic malnutrition.

The problem usually begins in the womb of mothers who are anemic throughout their pregnancy and give birth to children with low birth weights. More than half of those babies don't make it beyond the age of 5.

''We have many children because we know that some of them are going to die,'' is a phrase often heard by indigenous families in Guatemala's rural communities, where the problem is most prevalent. The indigenous make up about 45 percent of the population in a nation of 13 million.

''There is no reason that this should be happening. Yet, it's been going on for years and years,'' said Manuel Manrique, a representative for the U.N. Children's Fund in Guatemala. ``Part of our task is to make people aware that this is happening and that it is unacceptable.''

ADDRESSING PROBLEM

Two efforts are under way to address the problem: a national program for the reduction of malnutrition and a public awareness campaign called Creciendo Bien or Growing Well. The programs have international support from the United Nations, the U.S.-based Save the Children and other agencies.

Launched in 2004, the goal is to reduce chronic malnutrition for children under age 5 down from the current 49.3 percent to about 25 percent by the year 2016. The initiative is aimed at two types of malnutrition: chronic and acute, which is easier to treat but more life-threatening.

Malnourished children do not grow properly. Often, they are much thinner and shorter than they ought to be for their age.

''Children here don't grow enough,'' Manrique said. ``There is a difference [in height] of 25 percent, compared to other kids in the Americas.''

''It's not just what you see outside, it also affects their brain,'' he said. ``It's a life sentence.''

Factors contributing to the widespread problem are high illiteracy and birth rates, unemployment, scarce fertile land for peasant families to grow their own crops, persistent drought and insufficient government help with cultivation. Unsanitary conditions and contaminated water raises the problem to life-threatening levels for malnourished children.

Malnutrition is most prevalent in mountain villages like Jocotán and Camotán in the department of Chiquimula, east of Guatemala City. Here, most everyone is petite, the result of years of insufficient food. Most families live in adobe homes with thatched roofs and dirt floors and depend on agricultural work. Poor harvests mean few jobs and many empty stomachs.

''There is too little food for so many mouths,'' said Melesia Nufio, 25, the mother of a wispy 1-year-old boy. ``We live off tortillas and coffee.''

The bony-framed Nufio, who has three other malnourished children, is among about 35 women receiving instruction on proper childcare and hygiene as part of a year-old pilot project to stop malnutrition at an early age. A cereal distribution program for children and pregnant mothers also was recently launched.

The women in the program have a combined 75 children, newborn to 6 years old. Most are underweight and several suffer from chronic malnutrition. But the program has been successful in preventing deaths in a community where dying children was common.

''We used to have a child die about every six months,'' said Irma Yolanda Martínez, a community leader. ``Thank God, no child has died of malnutrition since the program began.''

STEADY WORK NEEDED

Even as the assistance is welcome, Martínez said that what is really needed is steady work.

''If we give them food, they'll eat and then the food will be gone again,'' she said. ``An agricultural program would be more beneficial.''

Nufio's family knows the dire consequences of malnutrition. Her mother-in-law Nicolasa Vásquez, has lost two of her nine children. One died at birth, the other as a toddler.

''I don't have enough food to give them all the nutrition they need,'' said Vásquez, 45, as she cradled her youngest child, 7-month-old Jessica.

''We are used to living like this,'' said Vásquez's husband Tereso Casiano. ``It's what God has given us.''

In Jocotán, salvation can be found at two nutrition centers.

The public Center for Nutritional Recuperation opened in 2001 with 70 patients and now treats more than 150 children annually who suffer from chronic malnutrition. Patients, who often display symptoms that include irritability, loss of hair and spotty skin, stay as long as two months while they are fed a ''recuperation'' diet comprised of vitamin-rich formulas and cereals.

But as hundreds of children are nursed back to health, just as many fall ill.

''It remains a constant problem,'' said Dr. Juan Manuel Mejía. ``There is a lot of malnutrition in the countryside and this year, it seems to have grown a bit.''

Children suffering from acute malnutrition, like Antonio, often end up at the Centro de Recuperacion Nutricional Infantil Bethania, simply known as Centro Bethania. Many are on the verge of death by the time they are admitted. Antonio was 15 pounds underweight when he was admitted.

GETTING TREATMENT

The center treats about 400 children each year and on average eight don't survive. It takes at least a month for children to reach up to 80 percent of their ideal weight, said Arriola, the director.

Treatment costs about $900 per child, and though parents are asked to contribute only about $40 of the cost, that is a small fortune in a nation where the distribution income is highly unequal and as much as 75 percent of the primarily indigenous rural population lives on less than $2 per day.

Arriola praised the national initiative as a good first step but added that to successfully combat malnutrition, the effort must be accompanied by ''concrete programs'' that will lower unemployment, increase crop production and improve literacy rates.

He also expressed concern that the national programs would be dropped when a new national government is elected next year.

''What happens when we get a new government?,'' Arriola said. ``Will the state continue to take on the responsibility or is this just going to be a program based on politics?''

Manrique, of UNICEF, blamed politics for previous failed attempts to address malnutrition and criticized limited resources for health and education programs. About 1.8 percent of the GDP goes to health and about 2.9 percent to education.

''This country has a gigantic effort to take on,'' he said. ``With food and other efforts done simultaneously, in a couple of years, we can start to see significant changes.''

The primary focus of the current campaign is to create awareness among the population ''so that these programs are not thrown away once this government is finished,'' Manrique said. ``Knowledge, consciousness and food: those are the three things, properly mixed, that will make change.''

Still Nothing : (

Well I called the lab today and they still don't have the specimens!!! We still have a chance I guess, but it is getting really close.
Keep you updated.
till then....

Did it happen??

Did the DNA and Social Worker appointment happen? That is the big question and as far as we know it did. I called the lab on Thursay in the morning to see if they had received the specimens yet, and they hadn't yet received them. We are getting really close to our trip. Sometimes it takes a week for the DNA to get to the lab and lets hope less, much less then one week to get the results we only have 7 working days and a weekend before we are suppose to go. I am going to call the lab on Monday to see if they have received the specimens yet.
We will keep you updated.
till then....

Could complaining be good luck????

Of course most people would say no, but I would tend to disagree.

We had our SW and DNA appointment were scheduled for today!!!! This means of course the birthmother could change her mind or the DNA could not match, but those are the worse case scenarios. So we should be able to go over Xmas!!!!! We should get the results back witin 2 weeks at the latest. We will still be cutting it close, but who cares we will be able to go!
We are so excited and we have SO much to do. If all goes well we will be leaving on December 20 and coming back on the December 30. We are finally going to be able to meet our little girl. I am sure we will have tons of pictures to post too when we get back. So wish us luck and cross your fingers for us.

YIPEEEEE!!!!!!

Getting VERY annoyed!!!!!

Well we are to say the least getting very antsy. We only have 20 days to get the DNA done and get the results back. We have had DNA authorization for almost a month. I mean this is getting ridiculous. Everytime we email they say the usual we are waiting. Well aren't we are waiting. I just want to call and yell at them, but that won't do any good either. It just makes us feel helpless. If we can't go over Xmas then we are going to try to hold out and wait until the middle or end of January. Well other than that not a lot going on. We are still trying to get the money together to pay for the rest of the adoption.
Keep you updated.
till then...

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had my sister's family and grandpa over. This was my first time cooking Thanksgiving dinner and if I do say so myself it turned out really well. Everything except the gravy that is because I had no idea how to make gravy and let's just say that it was a difficult thing to do. Other than that it was great. The only thing missing was Addisyn, but she will be here for next Thanksgiving. That is how I think of everything, this time next year she will be here for this or for that.

Nothing new on the case, but we are hoping we will get our usual Friday update. Although we aren't holding our breath on the update because of the holiday weekend.
Keep you updated.
till then....

Comments and sucky stuff...

We got another post from Nichole (AKA Dude) she is so sweet and no we don't have a job for you Dude : ( Eventually she has to find one right, I mean we live in the job capital of the world don't we? Especially Flint - I mean there are jobs EVERYWHERE!!! No there isn't I was just on Monster and MLive looking for a job for me (yes princesses can work) so we can finish paying for the adoption.

Not so good news today - the doctor that was suppose to buy the clinic said no so we are going to have to close the doors. This means no money to finish paying for the adoption. We still owe $10,000!!!! We have no idea what we are going to do we were thinking a equity loan, but you have to have equity to do that, and we have none. We were thinking of just writing a check (from a credit card) to cash and using that, but that doesn't sound too promising. I guess we will just have to pull it out of thin air, but then again that doesn't happen. We are really at a loss. So if anyone who is reading this blog has $10,000 just sitting in your bank account, in a safe, or if you have a money tree in your backyard and want to donate it ALL to us and Addisyn I will email you our address!!! : ) Of course that isn't going to happen, but a girl can dream can't she???

No new updates, but we will let you know when we do.
till then....

New update....

Well we are officially in family court. They want to schedule the DNA for the same day as the social worker interview so that the birth mother has to only make one trip to the city. This means that it might take longer to get DNA so we might not be able to go over Xmas, but we just have to wait and see. I have a feeling we won't know until the a couple of days before we are suppose to go. Also the Family Court has vacations scheduled so lets all hope that we get a social worker who wants to get their work done before they go on vacation.
We'll keep you updated.
till then...

Who me???

Couldn't be, then who?
Well apparently I have offended someone with my postings!!! It isn't my intention to offend anyone. I have an opinion just like everyone else, and this is my (our) blog. You can think my opinion is wrong or stupid, everyone has an opinion. Please don't take anything I say personaly or literally. Sometimes things are meant as a joke and they don't come across that way written out.

Ok enough of that...
On a lighter note we got another post from my siter, Jozett. We also got a post from Grama Gloria. Thanks guys!!!!

We don't have any other news to share.
Again some things are just my opinion and that is all they are, and don't take them personally.

New Medical Update...

Well we got a medical update, but we still haven't got any pictures. Maybe next month, but if not we will be there December 20th!!!!

As of 10/25/06 she was:
9.12 lbs - she is 20 inches long - her head cm. is 14 inches.
She is growing so fast and getting so big. She gained about a pound and a half in a month!!! They must be feeding her well, and she is 2 inches longer.

We are really excited!!
Can't wait to meet her.

DNA, DNA, DNA...

Did you hear we have DNA authorization and they charged our credit card. So we are getting somewhere!!! We are going to be able to see her for Xmas.

This is also the first time the birthmother sees the baby so this is the most likely time that the birthmother changes her mind. We will let you know when we are sure that it has been taken and what the results are.
till then....

Statitics

Taken from the World Fact Book, the World Bank, and US Department of State....

Out of 100 Children born in Guatemala....
1 will be adopted by a US family
5 will not make it to their 5th birthday
22 will NEVER see the inside of a school
28 will NEVER learn how to read and write
74 will NEVER make it to the 7th grade
84 will need to travel over an hour to a health care facility

This really makes you think. I just want everyone to know that, although our Guatemalan princess will have many more oppurtunities than her peers who are raised in Guatemala we are in no way "saving" her. She is saving us from a life without the oppurtunity to love our own child, a life of knowing what it is like to a mom, and a life without her.

There are a few things I would like to explain - eventhough she will be an American when she arrives in the US she is still very much a Gutemalan. We never want her to lose that part of who she is, and we will make every effort to be sure that she is connected to her heritage.

Second, people make the assumption that because we live in the US we need to stand on our soapboxes (like I am doing right now) and be sure we pass on our Western views to everyone else. In Guatemala (and EVERYWHERE else) people place their children for adoption for various reasons. A small percent is for the wrong reasons, but we should all beleive that the majority is for the right reasons.


Women in Guatemala do usually place more than one child for adoption there are reasons for this, such as they are not taught about the female reproduction system. I know you are thinking it is so obvious, but if you never talked about sex and were never taught that sex makes a baby then how would you know. It is also socially taboo to have a baby out of wedlock they will be kicked out of their house and even out of their village or town. Birth control is not available they are Catholic and it is against their religion to use birth control even if it were available. Abortion is illegal and if you are found to have had an abortion you will go to jail. Many of us never know how we would be if would have been born and raised in Guatemala or anywhere, but it is not our place to judge others and it never will be. So just try to imagine that you are in their shoes. If you beleive in god then it his/her place to judge. This also is true will all matters so just keep it in mind.

A few more things...
We understand that people say things and don't realize how it sometimes sounds, but here are some correct words to use and if you forget no big deal we still have a hard time sometimes with them...

"real parents" = biological parents (we will be her "real" parents)

"given up for adoption" = placed for adoption (we don't want her to ever feel as if this was an easy decision or her birth mother gave her away)

I will continue to add to this list as I see fit and don't worry if you don't use all the correct terms, but please try.

Anyway I will get off my soap box now and we will keep everyone informed
till then.....