Guess what we're bringing home from Guatemala?

Isabella Claire is packing it up and headed to the U.S. tomorrow. She will land in Houston tomorrow afternoon and then onto her home state of Louisiana!!!!!!! See y'all then....

VICTORY!!!!!

Bella LOVES to play Pee Pie!

Playing Pee Pie with Daddy!

Playing drums on the table with Daddy!

"I let my Daddy pick me up!"

"I got ya, Daddy!"

"Daddy's gonna get you, Bella!
"Daddy got ya, Bella!"

"You can't get me, Daddy!"

"Uh Oh, Daddy, you got me (and I LOVE it)!"

"It really is FUN to play with my Daddy!"

Well, as you can see, we had major VICTORY today! Thanks for all the prayers! She let Jeff feed her today and she willingly gave him kisses (even solicited them!), and reached out to him for him to hold her before I put her to bed! She is on her way to becoming Daddy's little girl! :)

More Cuteness...

Her favorite toy is a plastic feeding spoon! That will make Christmas easy!! LOL :) (I was talking to Jeff through clenced teeth in this picture... she was pulling my hair in the back with her other hand. She is a major hair puller.) She took 2 steps by herself from the end table to the coffee table. I have not doubt she will be walking within the month! That is, if I can find it in me to actually put her down.

She found the tissue in the diaper bag and had her own party!!

She was having a good ole time.... until she began eating it and I took it away. The next picture shows what she thinks of me doing that and redirecting her.

"Hey, I was having FUN over there!"

Just plain ole sweetness!!!!

The beginning of our day.

This is what happens when she realizes Jeff is in the room!

This is what happens when Jeff doesn't disappear!

She did GREAT last night! She slept (in her crib) from 8:00 until 3:30. She woke up for a bottle and diaper change and went back to sleep until 7:15! As soon as her eyes opened, she was all smiles, ready for her breakfast.... until... she realized Jeff was laying next to her in the bed while she ate. It was downhill after that. Continue to pray!!!!

We are off to eat breakfast and then do a little shopping. I will take more pictures today and post later. Have a great Saturday!

Embassy Day!

We had our embassy appointment this morning. We were there for 3 hours and she was a dream baby! The only time she fussed was if Jeff looked at her, tried to talk to her, or got in her personal space. Which by the way, her idea of her personal space is MUCH larger than the average persons! :) Jeff had to sleep on the couch because I put her in the bed with us and every time she would roll over and see him, she would start to scream. I felt bad, but I needed to sleep no matter the cost to him! LOL The night before we left, I only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep. It was a very spontaneous trip! I KNOW we had the favor of God in this step! Tonight I got a crib and she is sleeping like an angel in it and Jeff will get to sleep in the bed! :) He is very excited!!!

I can honestly say that as I walked away from the last window, I felt like my old self instantly! It was as though I left the weight of this adoption at that window. I know many people have said that it was non-eventful and unemotional for them, but for me it was very emotional. I did not cry, but my eyes teared up and my heart was light. "Thank you Father for bringing us through this and to the promise you had for our family. Thank you for giving us strength during those difficult times and for carrying us when we were too weak to walk the path you set us on. Thank you for our little miracle. She is perfection!"

Now, attachment... she is doing great with me. She has excellent eye contact, smiles at me often, is very playful and LOVES to give me kisses!!! She is a good eater, too. All along I have suspected that she may have a milk-protein intolerance. However, because she was in the hogar, I was unable to have her formula changed. I took the advice of my friend, Stephanie, and started her on Nutramigen to see if I noticed a difference. I can say that my suspicions seem to have been correct! There are quite noticeable differences. It seems to be healing her digestive tract and we will continue her on it for the next few weeks and then slowly introduce her to soy products. She is not a picky eater, either. She will eat anything I give her.

She is sleeping much better than she did on all of my other visits. She only woke up once in the night for a diaper change. Tomorrow we will try to go the the artisian market and get a few things to bring back.

"Jake, we miss you like CRAZY!!!! I cannot wait for you to hold your baby sister!!! Only a few more days. I will be ready for you to run into my arms.... I need your hugs and kisses. I love you to infinity and more....."

Now, here are a few pics of her in her embassy outfit.... I will do a better job of taking more pictures this weekend. Now, that we are done, it will be less stressful and more enjoyable... so keep on stopping by! And please, pray for her to begin to turn her heart toward Jeff. I know it will get better and time will help, but I also know how badly he wants to love on her and play with her and can't. It is hurting my heart for him. Thanks!

Presenting..... Bella with Mommy and Daddy FOREVER!!!!!!!!

We are here!!! Sorry, I did not have time to post sooner. She is PERFECT!!! When we got to the hogar, she was asleep, and they woke her up and handed her to me. Needless to say, she was not happy! She whined and whimpered off and on there. She would not make eye contact with me there or on the car ride to the hotel. When we got to our room, I fixed her a bottle and held her so that she was facing me, while I fed her. At first, she was avoiding looking at me and then our eyes locked and it was as though she had a memory trigger.

You see, back in October last year, we first visited her and she was only 1 month old (turned on month old the day we left). Everyone that saw us commented on how intently she looked at me. They said it was as though she was "memorizing me". Well, I think they were correct, because I saw that light come on and her whole demeanor towards me began to change. The way I was feeding her, is the way I have fed her everytime I visited! Isn't God good?!

After that, we took and bath and played in the tub. She started looking up at me and puckering her lips to kiss me. Then she just smiled. She did that all night long until she finally fell asleep in my arms! Now, she will NOT let Jeff in her space. He can look at her, but not for too long! I think this may be because she is not used to being around men in the hogar. I feel sure that she will be better with him tomorrow. She ended the night with her "talking" to him, but he was not allowed to respond! :)

Now, here is what you have been waiting for.....

Guatemala or Bust....

Can you say PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yep, we have an appointment for ........ FRIDAY!!!! Yes, the answer to the question you are asking yourself (and me) is THIS Friday!!!! We leave for Guatemala Thursday morning, appointment Friday and home to the US Tuesday. One week from tonight, I will be boarding a plane in Houston to come home with my daughter!!!!!!!!! I need to go back and look to see who was closest and notify the winner of my guessing game!


I won't post again until Thursday afternoon when we have Bella FOREVER!!!!!!!


Thank you Heavenly Father for this miracle and thank you to all of our family and friends and friends I have made in blog land. Your prayer, support and encouragement helped get us to this point. Have a good night and check back Thursday!!

On the way!!!

We got our tracking number this afternoon! Our DNA results are en route to the embassy and scheduled to arrive tomorrow!!!!! We finished up Bella's room tonight and I will post pictures later... I am exhausted. I already have her clothes out. The only thing I have left to buy are new bows-- she has hair now!!! I am going to go after school tomorrow. I cannot believe it. We should have our appointment by Wednesday afternoon. Within 48 hours I will know for sure when Bella will be home!!!!!! Now, I am going to TRY to get some sleep!

Oh, before I do, I know most of you know by now that my attorney is Susana Luarca. I know people in the adoption world have heard about the incident that took place at PGN on Thursday afternoon. Jeff spoke with Susana from her hospital room on Sunday afternoon. She told us the whole story and I believe her 100%. I know we had a hard time with our adoption and we were put in some problem situations that held up our bringing Bella home earlier, but I do not for a minute think that the accusations that PGN are bringing against her are true. Yes, she kicked out the glass, but we don't know how threatening the situation was at that time. Please pray for this situation and for the children in the hogar. Things are very violatle in Guatemala right now and the children need to be our uttmost conecern. Pray for her recovery and pray for her cases not to be stalled because of this. The PAPs and the children do not need to suffer and we need God to intervene for the children! She was scheduled to be released today and plans to resume her cases. As of Sunday, she had already hired a driver and was planning to work this week. Rest assured, this has not silenced her. She told us about things she is working on for the grandfathering of cases to occur. I will let you all know if we hear anything else about it.

Oh, Yeah...

God is good! I just got home and guess what I found in my mailbox? Yep... Our new I171H that we needed to show that our fingerprints had been updated. What does this mean? Well, it means there is NOTHING that will stop us from getting PINK next week!!! I e-mailed Lab Corp this morning and they sent a reply telling me to check with them Monday. The results should be sent out then. It is looking more and more like we will have an appointment the week of Oct.29- Nov.2. I am thinking it will be Oct.31 or Nov.2. We could be leaving next weekend!

I have a question that some of you may answer... I heard that the embassy is not doing appointments on Thursdays now. If this is true, then when do you pick up your visa if you have a Wednesday appointment?

Well, we will be spending our weekend watching LSU beat Auburn!!! :) and putting the finishing touches on Miss Bella's room. So, Sunday will be the unveiling and the long awaited pictures of the room. Stay tuned... next week is gonna be a GOOD one!!!!!!


Oh, tomorrow Bella turns 13 months old. It will be the LAST "birthday" she spends without us!

This Family Needs Your Prayers and Support

PLEASE Pray for Xiomara and the Wheeler's...











This is the Wheeler's and their sweet baby girl Xiomara whom they are FIGHTING to adopt in Guatemala. A few weeks ago they received some excruciating news...

"We received an e-mail from Steve in Guatemala telling us that precious Xio's court date was yesterday.....we had no idea! And, needless to say, it did not go well at all. Our precious girl is actually not even from Guatemala.....she is from El Salvador. Her mother came to Guatemala from El Salvador to sell her illegally. She was offered a sum of money....and ended up getting less than she wanted. At court yesterday, the birth mother, foster mother, Xiomara, lawyer and Shyrel were there. There was obviously a lot of lying going on.....and the end result is not good at all. The judge did not trust any of the ladies, but for some reason is giving Xio back. We are trying to reach Steve. But, it seems as if she is headed back to El Salvador with a woman that does not even want her. Steve stated in the e-mail that she would be going back to a bad situation. Money is a shady thing.....and more than likely, she will be selling her again soon. We have more questions.....and will not give up."

PLEASE PRAY FOR XIOMARA!! Only God can protect her and deliver her into the arms of this sweet family who longs to love her and take care of her!! GOD YOU ARE SO MIGHTY! LORD, PLEASE BE XIO'S ALMIGHTY PROTECTOR AND SHIELD AND KEEP HER SAFE FROM HARM!

You can encourage this family by visiting their blog, http://thewheelerjourney.blogspot.com

One year ago today....

Jeff and I traveled to Guatemala to meet our baby girl. One year ago today, I held Bella for the first time. One year ago today, I fell head-over-heels in love with the daughter for which I had cried and prayed many, many days and nights. One year ago today, if you would have told me that she would still not be home that time next year, I would have quit because I did not think I was strong enough to endure. Thank God that He did not give me that insight, but instead a glimpse into what He had in store for our family. One year ago today, I met a girl, named Stephanie, that would become one of my most dear friends on earth! One year ago today, my heart grew in love.

Today, we are so close to bringing Bella home. I would ask for you to please pray for one more thing for us. Our fingerprints expired October 12 and we had them renewed on October 2. We still have not confirmed that the U. S. Embassy has received the new ones through a confirmation. Without the wiring of them taking place, we may not be able to get PINK next week and Bella will be trapped there because of a U. S. problem. I have sent our congressman and senator, along with the embassy, e-mails explaining our dilemma and am praying that gets us somewhere. I will keep you posted. For now, I leave you with a few pics from our first meeting with Isabella, as well as a poem I "stole" from a friend's blog.

Have a great day!

Kisses in the Wind

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams, You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems. I know you wonder where I am... what's taking me so long,But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong. Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you. I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do. Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend. But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight. And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night. --Unknown

We love you, Baby Girl, and are trying with all our might to get to you! It will be soon.... hang on!

Love, Mommy, Daddy, and Jake

It just keeps getting better and better..... :)

I e-mailed Pat at LabCorp this morning at 6:00 asking her to let me know when my sample arrived. I was thinking it would be there tomorrow or possibly Friday. She e-mailed me back 20 minutes later and told me she would be on the lookout for it. Well.... at 12:30, I got another e-mail telling me the sample arrived this morning, she pulled it and began testing it already!!!

Now, my friend's sample got there a few weeks ago on a Wednesday and it was back at the embassy on Friday-- 2 days later!! I am praying that this is the case with ours. She got PINK the following Monday. That means... we could and should be getting PINK somewhere between Monday and Wednesday of next week!! Right now they seem to be running 7-8 days out for PINK appointments. So, technically, we could have an appointment Oct. 29, Oct. 30 or Oct. 31!!! If our appointment is on the Monday (Oct. 29) or Tuesday (Oct. 30), we will be leaving for Guatemala next FRIDAY!!!! Now, I know that I should not be getting excited yet, but I cannot help it. Even if the appointment ends up being the following week, we KNOW we will be with Bella within the next 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!

So, please keep those prayers coming. She is ALMOST home!!!


Now... I have been tagged by RoseAnn. I must say... I have never been tagged before. So, here goes...


Jobs I Have Had
cashier
teacher

Places I Have Lived
New Iberia
Rayne
Crowley
Baton Rouge
Denham Springs

Foods I Love
chips and salsa
spaghetti (any kind of pasta, actually)
Caesar salad
Route 44 Dr. Pepper with extra ice from Sonic... I know it is not a food, but it is my vice :)

Places I Would Rather Be
Guatemala with my Bella on our way home NOW

TV Shows I Watch (I DVR them all weekly!)
Criminal Minds
House
K-Ville (I do live in Louisiana and endured Katrina)
Law & Order- SVU
Law & Order- Criminal Intent
CSI Miami
American Idol
24


Books I Love
Christian fiction
People Magazine

I am tagging
Jami
Kristin
Stephanie

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

"My 2nd DNA test was done today! I am one more step closer to come home to my Mommy, my Daddy, and my good-looking big brother, Jake!"

Well, you heard it from Bella... the DNA test was done today. Not sure when it will make it to Lab Corp, but I am hoping it will be within the next few days. I am hoping our appointment date will be the week of the 5-8. We plan to go down 2-3 days early. I can't wait to get my hands on that precious baby girl!!

A HUGE thanks to Jane for getting these for me!!! You are the BEST!!

PICS!!!!

Tomorrow is a SPECIAL day!

Tomorrow is the day that Bella gets her 2nd DNA test done!! Since our lab is LabCorp, we should have the results back at the embassy next Monday or Tuesday. I cannot believe that we will be with her in 2-3 weeks. We are planning to go down a few days before our appointment. I will keep you posted.


COME ON PINK!!!!!!!

I will try to post new pictures of her soon. Blogger is not cooperating right now.

What is YOUR favorite color?

Mine is ORANGE!!!!


We are ORANGE!!!!!!!!!! We got submitted to the Embassy today and are waiting to find out when DNA will be done. Not sure when we should be traveling. ANY GUESSES???????

I have some of THE cutest pics of Bella evah... but Blogger will not let me post.

Be sure to leave your guess of our travel time... there may be a PRIZE!!!!! :)

Waiting on ORANGE....

We were supposed to be submitted to the Embassy today. I am waiting to find out if that happened. For those of you not familiar with the lingo of Guatemalan adoptions, we are waiting on ORANGE. This refers to DNA authorization for our second DNA test to be done. This is required before our U. S. Embassy will issue us an appointment to get Bella's VISA.

I have not been following this part of the process. For those of you that have gotten ORANGE, could you leave a comment and tell me if you were given the authorization the day you were submitted to the embassy or if it happened after. Thanks!!

I will keep you posted and let you know the minute (or real soon afterward) that we get ORANGE!!! (This is my new favorite color... soon to be PINK!) :)

Casa Quivira Babies Need Your Help!!

Casa Quivira Babies Need Your Help!!

This is another hogar (orphanage) in Antigua, Guatemala. Bella is not in this hogar, but it could have been hers. In fact, there is no guarantee that this will not begin happening to all the hogars throughout Guatemala. Please make that phone call. Plead with our government to step in and do something so that ALL cases in process can continue under the new Ortego Law. If the amendment does not pass on Tuesday, many of my friend's children-- children they have met and cared for and fallen in love with-- will never come home to a loving family. Guatemala's government is not prepared to care for the orphans. Families here are and may not be allowed to because of monetary and political reasons. These children do NOT deserve to be tossed to and fro. PLEASE make the phone call! Also, PRAY... for the children that were in this home and for their families. I know what we have been through and it was hard. But... it does not compare with what these families are experiencing. Pray that this does not begin to happen all over Guatemala and its hogars. Thank you.

Beautiful BIG Smiles! :)

Know what these 3 photos have in common? My BIG smile! Know why I am smiling SO big?...

My name changed today... that is right... my Mommy and Daddy got my new Birth Certificate declaring them my parents FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for ALL the prayers and encouragement..... I am DEFINITELY coming HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tommy, move to the side and make room for me in Tiger Country... I'll be home for LSU Homecoming!!

Susana e-mailed us tonight with the good news. Her passport will be done tomorrow and then, U.S. Embassy on Tuesday (they are closed on Monday because of Columbus Day). We should have the 2nd DNA done by Wed. or Thurs. next week. We are hoping for PINK by the week of the 22nd and travel within 2 weeks from then. Realistically, we are looking at the last week of Oct. or first week of Nov. It just depends on how long the DNA results take to make it back to the U.S. Embassy.

GOD IS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU, FATHER for seeing us through!

Bad Movie...

I feel like I am the main character in a really bad Lifetime Movie of the Week. The Ortego Law was approved today in Guatemala and that is NOT a good thing. On Tuesday, there will be the 4th and final reading. At this time, they will decide if and what amendments are going to be allowed for current adoptions. Here is an explanation that I found on a friend's blog (thanks Krystal!):

"The Guatemalan Congress has passed the Ortega Law. Birthmothers currently have the right to relinquish their child for adoption, to know who will care for the child during the process, and to know that the child is going to America. This law takes those rights away. Also, unless an amendment is passed, this law says that our adoption is now null and void. This law also says that the home in which Bella is currently receiving care, will no longer receive any funding from adoptions --it is currently 100% funded by adoption fees. The law provides no place for them or the thousands of children in this situation to go. The implementation date has not been set, but it could be as soon as 30 days. There is still hope for the amendment, that the Children's Committee is working on, to allow our adoption to be processed under the law in which it was initiated, but this is a huge knock against us and other in-process families."

Since we don't yet have Bella's birth certificate (she was supposed to try to get it today, but I am unsure if she was successful, given this occurring), we are still considered an "in-process case". If the BC is not issued, the passport done and we get to the U.S. Embassy before the law goes into effect (which could be at least 30 days), then we may not get Bella home.

I am not sure how I am "digesting" all of this. When my friend called to tell me that this had happened, I felt an overwhelming peace. We have been through SO much this year. We hit EVERY possible snag and overcame some IMPOSSIBLE scenarios. To think that all of it was in vain and my baby girl may not make it home to us, is not something I want to ponder for any length of time. I am still believing that Bella is coming home. We just are so close, yet so very far away.

To all my readers, please be in prayer, not just for Bella, but for ALL the families in process. This is a very scary time for all of us. For those of you that are not adoptive parents, imagine for a minute that your child- your heart- was trapped in a foreign country and you could not get him or her out. How would you be feeling right now? We may not have given physical birth to these children, but I assure you, we have been in LABOR for a long time. We have held these precious children, fed them, taken care of them... fallen head-over-heels in love with them, and then left them numerous times, to continue with our daily lives here. They are OURS and it is just too hard to go down without a fight.

And, I don't know if you remember my friend, Jane, that I told you about in August. She is trying to adopt Lucas. She has been visiting him for a year and he knows her as Mommy. She is at the Appeals Court waiting to get a Certificate of Abandonment to begin his adoption officially. Please pray for her. She is scared that she will never get him home with the passing of this law. She is not considered "in process" because she does not yet have a COA for him. She is devastated, as you can imagine. This is the little boy that carried around his photo album of his family in America-- their pictures, pics of his new home, etc- the ENTIRE time I was with them in Guatemala in July. Keep her and him in your prayers, please.

To quote my friend Krystal (http://www.braydenboy.blogspot.com/):

"We will not stop fighting for Bella, but the battle just got bigger!"

Words cannot describe

We did not get the birth certificate. Jeff is talking to our attorney as I type and she is assuring us that there is nothing that can stop our adoption. It is just a matter of time. She plans to "make some noise" with the director of the civil registry tomorrow morning. If anyone can do this for us, it is Susana (our attorney). She will fight to the end. Please continue to pray. Pray specifically for her to say the right words that need to be said to the director that will get our BC. I do not want to have to deal with court orders or criminal charges in order to get our birth certificate.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers, encouragement and kindness during this process. This has been THE hardest thing I have ever done and right now I can not begin to describe the hurt in my heart. I feel like I have been shattered into a million pieces. I love Bella and desire for her to be part of our family. God is in control and I will watch to see how His plan for our lives unfolds.

I admit I broke down, but I just went to my Bible and found these verses:

"For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." James 1:3

"I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen." 2 Timothy 2:10

"You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ." 2 Corinthians 1:5

This next one will be the hope I cling to in the days to come.
"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." Hebrews 10:23


Amanda

Tomorrow should be THE day!

Well, got news from my attorney that our BC will be ready tomorrow and she is going PERSONALLY to get it! We are praying that the CR will be true to their word and she will leave with the paper declaring Isabella Claire our daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


It will be special because tomorrow is the day we RENEW our fingerprints... the least the CR can do is release the birth certificate... after all, it IS their fault we have to do this. Our fingerprints expire Oct. 12 and if they would not have been difficult we would have made it. But they can redeem themselves..... :)


I hope you will be stalking tomorrow for our GOOD news!!!!!!!!!!