A Long Road Home

Love the Beach

2009-08-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

We have been going to the beach often
since we have been home. Mya loves it.
She loves playing with her family and
running in the sand. She is so good about
picking seashells and putting them in her
bucket.

She doesn't even care if the wave knocks
her down. We have to keep all eyes on
this one.

Mya is doing so well. We are growing
closer all the time. She lets us snuggle and
rock her so much more. She is doing really
well with talking. She now imitates a lot
of words and says a few independently ie.
bye-bye, down, hey, uh-oh, cat, duck, dog, drink
mama, dada, and a few other family members
names.

We are beginning the post adoption requirement
paperwork. We have received her Citizenship
paperwork a few days ago. I really haven't looked
at a lot of this stuff because I am just caught up in
relaxing with her. I can see how people miss their
deadlines.

We are waiting to hear from our lawyer here to
complete our readoption. I will fill you in more
when I educate myself a little more.

BIG NEWS
As many of you know, we have been trying to contact
Mya's foster family. They gave us emails and were a
little upset that we wouldn't contact them while in the
country and didn't stop to see them at the park. Well,
they have responded and seem to be okay with everything.
This is such a huge weight off my chest. I really wanted to
keep in contact with them. I enjoy sending them pics of Mya and
they also have sent us some pictures of her when she was younger.
I am such a picture person, so this is helping me to not
grieve the time we missed with her so much.

I can't even express to you how blessed we are. God has had
his hand in every part of this adoption. Even though I did
not see it, he knew exactly the perfect fit and time for our family. I feel
like we have had Mya her whole life. It doesn't seem as though
we only have had her for a couple of months. She knows without
a doubt that we are her family. It is such a great feeling. I just
pray that God continues to keep his hands on our family. I can't
imagine life without God being the one in control.

More Pics

2009-07-21T23:26:00.000-04:00

Swimming at the pond for Mya's Welcome Home Party.

Uncle Travie and Mya

Now that we are settled...

2009-07-21T23:06:00.001-04:00

We are now getting into the rhythm of being
home and getting into a little routine. I started
back to work this week. I only work 2 days a
week. Mya has a Spanish Speaking babysitter.
She cried and threw herself on the floor when I
left the first day. That was good to see. Sounds
terrible, but I was wondering if she would mind.
At church, she goes right into Sunday School without
a problem. She got over it quickly. Today, when I
got home she ran to me and hugged and kissed me.
Then she went back to our babysitter and wanted her
to hold her. She didn't want to come to me. I immediately
felt threatened and just took her away. She was fine, and then
wanted me to hold her for a while. This was odd because she
typically doesn't like to be held. I made sure our babysitter
knew that I want her to love and care for Mya, BUT
I am #1. :) She was laughing at me. So, we will keep you
updated on this.

Things have changed so much since being home. Mya is now
listening very well. She is signing a lot as well as verbalizing
some basic words. Her imitation has really picked up. Today
she let me rock her only when I turned the TV on. I put on
"Signing Time" which she loves. We imitated the signs together
as I rocked. I think it took her mind off of being held down.
Tonight she laid in bed while I read a few books. This was
huge for us. It just felt good for us to just lay together and
hang out. We hope one day she will enjoy snuggling.

My mom and Mya

Hangin with the girls

Playing "London Bridge" and loving it!

Mya is feeding a deer Justin's cousin is raising because
something happened to its mother. She loves animals and
wasn't afraid at all. She jumped right in and wanted to feed
the deer.

There is no place like the USA!!!

2009-07-10T03:57:00.003-04:00

That's right! There is one more US citizen today. Horray!!!! There is nothing that feels better then being home with my family. I can't believe that I am actually here. Thank you God for guiding us on this trip and blessing us in so many ways. Thank you to my amazing friends who have made Mya's room look adorable and place pictures of her around the house. I just love them. I feel like everything is complete. We loved the welcome home sign. Thank you also to my family for everything they did while we were gone. We are fortunate to have such a supportive family.

Please pray for the other families that are still waiting to adopt and those that are in Colombia. There are many that need our prayers. You couldn't imagine the pain that these children and families are in.

I will blog more later. We are just so thankful Thank you for all of your prayers and support.

Embassy Done

2009-07-08T22:16:00.001-04:00

Today we went to apply for Mya's visa. It went very smooth. I didn't realize it was outside. There were so many people there that we stood the whole time. It was a cold and rainy day. I really enjoyed meeting other families that I knew from there blogs and emailing. It was great to hear their experience and meet their children. There are so many families here. It was nice to know that everyone is kind of going through adjustment periods ie. tantrums. In our case and some of the others that are staying with us, it almost seems as thought they feel like they have to fight or scream for food, drink, toys ect. It is sad to see. I haven't put my finger on it, but most of our problems are around eating and drinking.

Other than that, Mya is amazing. She is very loving and has the best smile and giggle. We are so in love. God has really blessed our family. Tonight, they had salsa dancing for the kids here at the hotel. It was really nice. Mya thought everyone was crazy. She just liked watching and running around mainly.

We had a hard time again today trying to change Mya's name on the plane ticket. I messed this up from the beginning. I bought round trip tickets and told them I would have an infant coming home. I would recommend not doing that. Just add your child later. See, we didn't know if we were going to be able to change her name here. They were going to tell us when we got here. We did change her name, so I had to change the name on the ticket. It took 3 trips to Avianca and a lot of waiting to get it done. Try to avoid this frustration. Also, book your round trip about 2 weeks after you anticipate coming home. This will prevent you from changing your tickets twice.

Mary, a blog friend of mine, asked if it would be wise to send a package to the hotel prior to arriving. We actually had this idea. I think it would be a great idea, but we were not told for sure where exactly we would be staying. They do not get reservations for you ahead of time. So, you will not know for sure. There are plenty of places here that you can buy anything you need. They even have my shampoo and makeup here in Bogota. Cucuta has very similar to a Walmart (EXITO) as well. Try not to over pack. We didn't need any of our dress clothes or shoes really. I wore my dress clothes for Integration and the Final Decree. Other than that, you will be walking a lot. Everyone in Cucuta wheres jeans. We were told when we were there, that people with dress pants stood out to be wealthy. You will want to be comfortable. Bring shorts also. In Bogota, people where jeans and they also dress nicely. Still where comfortable clothes. Anytime you go anywhere with Andres, you will be running.

I haven't had a chance to shop or really enjoy Bogota. I am going to the gift shop that you guys told me about. It is walking distance from the hotel. So, we will do that tomorrow before picking Mya's Visa up at 3:00. We then will go straight to the airport to catch our flight.

We are so glad that it is time to go home, but we have really enjoyed spending time in Mya's birth country. We are glad that we stayed outside of Bogota for a while and really were able to experience Colombia and spend time in the town where Mya was born.

I will blog again from the United States. YIPPEE!

Change of Plan

2009-07-07T22:02:00.001-04:00

We were not able to go to the Embassy today. We had to go to ICBF to get a form signed prior to going to the Embassy. Cucuta had made several mistakes to the document and it had to be sent back for corrections. We went this morning because we were told it was ready; however, it needed to be signed by the Bogota's ICBF director. She wasn't able to do it until later on today. So we went back. Andres had a little fun with me today. I was signing my name and had to write my passport number down. He then said something else for me to write. I didn't understand and he just kept saying "a dot a dot." I'm thinking "Where the heck do I need a dot." He was trying to say "Date." We laughed about this for a good while. I was yelling at him because he runs EVERYWHERE. It is hard to keep up holding a baby. He just laughs at me. We have fun messing with eachother.

Earlier today David, Lucia's son, took us back to the hotel. He had his two boys with him. They are so funny. I enjoyed talking with them. It is nice to have some people to cut up with while we are here. David to us to Baby Ganga (i think that is the name). We got a potty chair that I will leave here. This store has EVERYTHING you would need for a baby. It's similar to Baby's R Us. He showed us where to walk and go. I like Bogota. It is so much different then Cucuta. I wish more of our trip was here. But, I don't want to extend it just to see more:)

So, we will change our tickets to Thursday evening instead. We are having some trouble with getting Mya's named changed for the ticket. I had to give a copy of a birth certificate and the final decree. We will know tomorrow if it gets approved. I thought that was strange. I wasn't sure what the big deal was. They had all of the information.

The Embassy will be tomorrow, then on Thursday we will pick up the Visa. We are going to check in at the airport and then leave and go to the Embassy to pick it up. That way we are checked in 3 hours prior to the flight. TRICKY!!!!

I just love Zuetana hotel. It is so cozy, and everyone here is adopting. It is nice to see other people going through the same struggles as us. We enjoy seeing and talking to all of these wonderful families. Another Integration was today (which is when the parents get the child), and the hotel had a party. It is so great, they have all of the flags of the different countries here at the hotel at the party, cake, balloons, streamers. What a nice jesture. The staff and owner of this hotel is just great. We are blessed.

Teaching the Dog to Talk

2009-07-06T22:55:00.002-04:00

We watched Mya do this for such a long time. She would howl and then the dog would howl. When the dog would stop, she would get him to go again. It was so funny. We have it on video. She was so afraid of him at first. Then little by little she would pet his back and then got closer to his head. She even finally kissed and hugged him.

See the pancho. It is chilly in Bogota. I never would have thought. Make sure you bring a jacket for the kiddos.

Today's news:
WE ARE IN BOGOTA!!!!!!! YEAH!!!! We had to work for it though. This morning we got Mya's passport. We waited in line outside before it opened at 7:30. They were asking for things we didn't have. It was stressful because her new birth certificate says my maiden name not my married name. This is how it is done in Colombia. Our attorney's secretary came and they were able to work it out with the help of Lucia and Mercedes. The people in the passport office said that when we arrive in Miami, they would make us fly back to Colombia because it was wrong. I was really worried. I wasn't sure who to believe. We are just trusting that Lucia and our Attorney know what they are doing and the other people are wrong. Nichole is sending me my birth certificate and Marriage Certificate just in case I need to show something with my maiden name. This is a great idea. I would just go ahead and make a copy of that and put it with your papers. It wouldn't hurt.

Then we flew to Bogota. Andres was there to pick us up. Traffic was unreal. It took us over an hour to get out of the airport. I think some light poles fell down or something. Mya and I went to the Dr.s appointment. This was easy. We just needed our passports, immunization records, and any other records you have. You also need a picture for this visit. We had to get additional pictures prior to the visit as well as for the Visa. Apparently, you need slightly larger pictures than the ones I had for the passport. I had some extra left over from the passport, but that didn't work. Take a note of that.

We are staying at Zuetana. I really like this place. I haven't really looked around yet, but it is nice and cozy. It is a bed and breakfast type place. There is a play room next to my room. This is great. I will tell you more about it when I see more. The man at the front desk speaks English. That is helpful and dinner was great. It is nice to eat something different.

We are waiting for a form for Cucuta before we can go to the Embassy. They sent it earlier, but it had many mistakes and had to be redone. We hope to get it in the morning. If so, we are on track.

Someone had asked why we chose Avianca. We wanted a straight flight and be able to change the tickets. We called Delta, and they would not honor the adoption change ticket deal. So we went with Avianca. We have been very happy. Also, there are many places in Cucuta and Bogota where you can go to an office. We flew Areorepublica back to Bogota. We chose this because I needed the earliest time after 2:00 to be able to make a Dr.s appointment. Very nice airline. Everyone was REALLY kind and helpful. I have never seen that from an airline before.

Pray for a smoothe Tuesday. We are so thankful that we were able to get everything done today. We know that God has his hand in this because we keep coming upon these road blocks, and he sees us through.

Sunday at the Cabin

2009-07-06T22:35:00.001-04:00

We went to Marly's parents cabing agian in Chinacota. This was our last day before we flew out, and we wanted to break the day up. It was so nice and relaxing.

Uncle Tom

2009-07-05T10:37:00.000-04:00

My Uncle Tom just passed away this morning. I am grateful that he is no longer suffering. He was such a good man with a great since of humor. He is going to be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his children and Aunt Norma. I know that this is so hard on then. We love you.

Flights are Booked

2009-07-05T08:39:00.001-04:00

We booked tickets for Monday at 2:35pm with AeroRepublica. We are hoping to get a Doctors appointment when we arrive, but we are not sure yet. Our tickets were inexpensive. The were only $150 per person. Much better than flying to Cucuta. We have to get Mya's passport early Monday morning. Please pray there are no hiccups so we can catch our flight. How long did it takes others to get passports in Cucuta? Our attorney says we will get there at 7:3o and we should have them no later than 12:00. Was this your experience?

We went to the mall last night to buy some clothes. I didn't have any pants for Mya. Justin said it was pretty cold in Bogota. So we each bought a little jacket or sweater as well. You might want to add that to the list. Also, we have used the rain cover for the stroller. You can purchase this at Baby's R Us (not sure where else). They work great, and a lot of people use them here. It was hardly sprinkling in Pamplona. So, I hadn't put it on yet. Two women said something to me in just a 1/2 of a block. Make sure you have that. I just packed it in the pouch of my stroller so it didn't take up so much room in my bag. You check your stroller with your luggage.

We are just so happy and excited to be coming to the end of our journey. What an experience it has been. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we have a busy week ahead and travel.

Thank you

Final Decree Day Pics Cont.

2009-07-03T22:18:00.002-04:00

Final Decree Day Pics

2009-07-03T22:16:00.001-04:00

Mya was not about to take a picture today. So, I get what we can. She is always on the go.

SHE IS ALL OURS!

2009-07-03T19:56:00.000-04:00

Signed Sealed and Delivered, Baby she is ours. It was a great day. We had so many road blocks, but everything is great. The judge was very kind. They wouldn't allow our interpreter in the Final Decree, so it made for a lot of Si's and Gracias for me. They actually wanted me to read the Final Decree (4-5 pages) out loud. I know my family and friends are laughing. I did when they asked. I thought it was a joke. Then my attorney said just look and basically pretend you have read it. So funny. All I know is that Mya's name and we were listed as the parents. Not sure about the other stuff. I just trust our Attorney. When it was over, we walked out of the room and Mya jumped in my arms and said Mama Mama Mama with the sweetest smile and laugh. It's like she knew that we were a family from that point on. SOOOOOOO cool. I will never forget that moment.

Mercedes, our Attorney worked her tail off today. The judge was giving her a difficult time with paperwork. I don't know all the details, but we were in Pamplona from 8:00 until 4:00. Mya was car sick on the way there and back. I felt terrible for her. After the day she had, she is just as sweet as ever tonight.

We are getting her passport Monday, and then flying to Bogota at 3:00. When is the latest Doctor's appointment you can get. Someone told me before, but I can't find it. We are hoping to get that on Monday, Visa on Tues, and then pick up Visa on Wednesday. Hopefully we can find tickets for Wednesday night. So excited to get home and show our baby girl off. God has really blessed us.

When we were done at the court we hear fireworks and everyone blowing their horns. They were helping us celebrate. Actually, it turns out that Pamplona'a, not Colombia's, independence day is July 4th as well. They were getting the party started.

Oh, I also saw Mya's foster Dad again today. He didn't see us.

Diane asked last night if it was worth it. YES it is.

FINAL DECREE!

2009-07-02T23:13:00.000-04:00

We just got word that we will go for final decree tomorrow and leave at 6:00am. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited and ready. We just got an email from Marly saying we need 3 passport photos for Mya. So we are going to go to the Exito tonight. Marly said they do them there. We will keep you posted. Please pray the trip goes well.

More info

2009-07-02T00:30:00.000-04:00

I should probably go back through this blog and just make a list of suggestions. It would probably be easier. Until then, take some notes I guess. I wish I did. It's funny, because I remember now Genece telling me that the laundry was expensive, but I couldn't remember how much. When you are getting ready, it is so hard to think of everything. Yes, pack less.

We only brought 1 large bag, 1 carry on luggage, (per person). We also each wore a book bag (which doesn't count as a carry on and a laptop). This was more than enough.

Things I use:
pool float for Mya (it was easy to pack and very necessary)
umbrella stroller (add a little extra pouch on the back- $5 at babies r us, target- very handy)
Tide
detergent soap (you can buy it here if you need- we use it to wash out plastic bowls and spoons we brought for mya. we put leftovers in the bowls- works out great
blow up balls- gave to the orphanage, bubbles
anything deflatable
iron
laundry bag
sponge for dish washing or bottle cleaner
sunscreen
PediPed shoes (these are such a great idea because you don't have to have the exact size. These shoes are sold from 12-18 months. 18-24 months. You have a better chance of them fitting. I would definetly bring something, because she came with tight dress shoes. There are places where you can get shoes, but not this cute:)
blow up bath tub- we bought it here for $30 at the mall ( bring it if you can)
crib sheet

Things I wish I had:
more crossword puzzles for Troy and Diane
DVD player with movies (not sure it would have fit, but would have been nice) Mya sleeps a lot
more jeans- i only brought 1 pair. in cucuta, you mainly see jeans. at the hotel, you see it all right down to a g-string.
sweater for myself and at least 1-2 warmer outfits for Mya for days in Pamplona. It is cold there. Also, when we got off the plane in Bogota, it was breezy. It felt great!
my pillow- I would have done without some clothes to have my pillow right now. the ones here are ok, but i miss that pillow
*pack and play- be sure that you don't put young babies in the packnplay. Mya gets stuck down in the side all the time. I'm always pulling her out. I'm sure they have more than this one, but it is also really slanted. Poor things slides all around. She is safe in it, but a baby younger than her would not be. I know I have mentioned this before.
OH BRING your flash drive when you get your children. ICBF usually has pictures on their computer of the kids that you probably haven't seen. They just saved them on our attorney's flash drive. We were so grateful. What a gift. I am such a picture person. It hurts to miss out on all of those first pictures.

I haven't used yet:
blow dryer- have one here
converter kit for outlets- most outlets are fine here
umbrella- it has rained a few times though- we just haven't been caught yet

Things we do to keep busy:
pool- we were shocked at how cold all of the pools are here (oh, there is a pool in the back of the hotel that is more private)
go to mall
exito
make a shutterfly book about the trip- i love shutterfly
read
eat
play
sleep
computer
work out- there is a really nice gym with awesome spin and aerobic classes. If you can talk hubby into holding down the fort, then your golden.
journal

Someone asked if I was able to get souvenirs. Funny you should ask. Justin would say absolutely. I say, no. There are not a lot of stores that have Colombian souvenirs. There is one in the big mall that has 3 stories. It is on the 3rd story. There is 1-2 downtown, but you won't be able to get a ton of stuff from any of these stores. I am hoping to get more in Bogota. Oh, Pamplona has an awesome store with hammocks, Pancho's for adults and children, and wraps. This was awesome. I definitely wanted a pancho for Mya. I have posted a picture of her in it. I wanted to get 18 presents for her and give her 1 every year. The problem is, I am horrible with surprises and want to give it all to her now. So, that's not going to work out. Plus there is no way I can find 18 gifts unless I do a lot of jewelry.

I think I am going to do the shutterfly book, a few keepsakes, and we will celebrate her Gotcha Day every year. Do other families do more? What presents did you just love?

Some days Cucuta is REALLY HOT, but for the most part you get a great breeze and really nice weather. We love to be outside for the most part.

Well, I need to get to bed. I just wanted to take advantage of the WIFI working in the room and Mya being asleep.

Orphanage Cont.

2009-07-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

Mercedes and Mya looking playing with the children. Mercedes mother runs this orphanage, she is standing in front of the refrigerator. She also works at another orphange called "The Farm."

The last picture is a statue of Jesus Christ. You can see this statue pretty much anywhere from Cucuta. I love that He is the center of this city. How cool!

Orphanage

2009-07-01T22:34:00.002-04:00

Mercedes, our attorney, took us to the orphange where her mother works. We were so impressed, this place was really nice. All of these children have special needs and have been abandoned by their parents. I'm sure many of the parents just didn't know how to take care of them or wern't able to financally. The orphanage is provided through ICBF. They have physical, occupational and speech therapy. ICBF gets there money through taxes here in Colombia.

Most of the children were older, but there were a few that were young. The children have a nice area out back so they can play outside and have therapies. The picture above is the central area that is also opened. We love this feature here in Colombia. I love the open air houses. Just beautiful.

The little girl in the crib just smiled and smiled the entire time we were there. She was precious. All of the children greeted us several times and wanted hugs and kisses. They just seemed to crave it. I couldn't imagine not getting hugged by a mom and a dad everyday. The workers all seem to have a great relationship with the children. Everything was so clean and pleasant. They have a good system set up.

The Judge has until Wednesday

2009-07-01T16:57:00.001-04:00

We met with our attorney today. We don't know when we will be going for the Final Decree. He has until next Wednesday to sign. We will keep you updated.

Difficult day and More Need to Knows

2009-06-30T22:55:00.000-04:00

Today has been difficult. I know that it's not the end of the world and people do have to sometimes take a little longer. I guess the reason I was so worried and confused today was that I had my bags packed, money ready, barf bag and clean up towels ready to go. We were waiting for the call this morning at 8:00am to tell us either what time today or worst case Wednesday. At 8:00, I get an email saying that we will know by 11:00. At 11:00, we were told Thursday because the judge was in a criminal case. Around 2:00 we were told probably Friday.

My concern and tears came from not knowing when it would end. I wonder what kind of criminal case this is and how long would it really take? I was thinking how the judge had to have known this before today. Why wait until now to tell us? We have been told that the judge is against this adoption. I don't know if that was our adoption or American adopting Colombians in general.

It is really hard to understand the translations that I get online when it has to do with court. I do like that our Attorney is emailing us updates. We then translate it using a Spanish translator. But, sometimes it is better than trying to coordinate calling your translator and her getting a hold of the attorney. It is hard for Marly to understand all of the legal terms as well. Nichole, Lucia, and Julie have really helped us to understand things. We really appreciate them not getting mad every time we email with questions and freak out. It is sometimes difficult when there are changes and understanding why. I never knew how Type A I was until I came here.

Don't get me wrong, everything is going well other than just the worry of why the changes. We have been told that the judge has until Tuesday to sign the decree. So, there is an end. I thought today, that it was possible to be here until whenever he felt like signing. I just don't want to scare anyone. This is the process.

I just pray that God opens this judges heart. I pray that even before he sees us, that he sees the love we have for one another. I know that our family will be together soon.

Need to Knows:
Well, I have learned a couple more things since being here that might help everyone. I talked earlier about laundry. I don't remember what I said, but SCRATCH IT!
We got our bill for 3 different times doing laundry. We were told it was expensive, but we paid $75 each time. We didn't have anymore than 1 regular laundry bag (mostly baby clothes). CRAZY. For some reason, we thought it was like $15
My recommendation- bring tide (which I did) and wash your own clothes. I have no problem with that. I just have a hard time paying that much money. You also need an iron. The lady at the front desk said there may be something else we can do with laundry. So look into that before your first load. As for me, I'm doing it myself.

Bring your own lumfa's (washcloths). You have to pay for the ones here for $1.50. Then pay to have it washed. It is easier to pack the lumfa's. That is an easy fix.

The pizza place around the corner across from Tropical Pollo. Marly's parents know the owners really well. When you go there, tell them that you are the Americans (they call us Green go's for fun- not sure on the spelling of that). Tell them your room # and what you would like on your pizza. Get there card. Then when you call from the hotel, we just say Hola. Green go's. and they come with pizza just like we love it. This is so funny. Just remember to have the exact change because he will not bring any money with him.

Airline Again= We use AVIANCA. We like this airline because there offices are everywhere and honor waiving the change fee (with a little persistance because everyone doesn't know this who works there). We had to change our tickets today from Bogota to Miami. We needed to back them up. When I originally got the tickets, they assured me that we could change our tickets without being charged a change fee. This is for Adoptions only. At home, I confirmed this 2 different times. Both times they originally told me that there is no such thing. You have to be persistent for them to ask their supervisor. Then you will get the go ahead.

When you are in Cucuta, you have to go to the downtown main office. Here is the address Principal Av. O Avenida O #13-84 phone # is (57) (7) 5 716 151. The hours are Monday-Friday 8:00am -12:00pm then 2:00pm-6:00pm. Sat. 8:00- 12:00 (i think it is 12). Make sure you get there when the doors open. It was so busy. We were first and the room was packed after us.

It took us 1 hour to get the changes. We were told no. They called Bogota and again told no. I said please ask a supervisor. They called Bogota again and said yes. They kept telling me to do it by phone, but I knew that I had to do it in the office. Turns out that was correct. So we did get the change. They assured us that we would be able to change it again in Bogota if we needed. They couldn't give me anyone specific to talk to other than to ask for a supervisor. Make sure you do this 2 days prior to flight.

Well that is all for now. I am sleepy :) Have a good night.

Final Decree Canceled

2009-06-30T12:02:00.000-04:00

Our attorney just informed us that we are not going to Pamplona today or tomorrow. The judge is now in a criminal case and can not see us. She said Thursday maybe. She is waiting to hear. I am so upset. They had to have known that there was a criminal case. There has to be some kind of schedule. A criminal case can go on forever. Please pray for us.

Final Decree Tuesday or Wednesday

2009-06-29T23:13:00.001-04:00

This is posting on June 29th. I still haven't figured out how to fix things.

Anyways, we were suppose to be meeting the judge for just a meeting on Tuesday or Wednesday. We were concerned as to why and how that would delay us. Nichole help figure out the situation. She contacted Lucia who then contacted our Attorney. We are in fact going for Final Decree. This is huge. We went from being on track for a 4 week stay to possibly a 5- 5 1/2 due to falling on Friday's and Weekends. We are ready. Please pray that the judge likes us and proceeds with the Final Decree. We hope we can go on Tuesday. This would get us in to Bogota to possible get the Doctor appointment on Thur.

What did the judge ask other families during the Final Decree? How long did it take? Was it stressful? I have never been in front of a judge before. I am nervous my husbands not with me. Genece, if you are reading this. I would love to hear from you as well. I am thinking we probably do have the same judge.

Thank you for your prayers.

Having problems with my blog

2009-06-25T23:13:00.000-04:00

Im not sure what it is, but I am unable to sign into my blog anymore. Occasionaly I can get on, but I don't see the last 2 updates I have done. I know other people see them because I can read their comments; however, I can't publish them. Has anyone else had this problem. I even have an ERROR message at the top of the new post page saying "your request could not be processed."

Please help; it's driving me nuts. Playing on the computer is what I do when Mya takes naps and at night. I should have brought some good books to read. She sleeps a lot.

Our WIFI is broken at the hotel, and it won't be fixed until Tuesday. I can blog when I go to the lobby if it starts to work for me.

Going to talk to the Judge

2009-06-24T23:13:00.000-04:00

We were asked to drive to Pamplona again to see the judge. He wants to talk to me and ask questions. Marly said she has done this before here in Cucuta. She said he tries to see what kind of Mom I am. No pressure! I have never heard anyone talk about this. What questions does he ask? I am nervous. I wonder if our paper has even moved. Two other officials have to sign of after him.

Please pray for us.

More info

2009-06-23T23:13:00.004-04:00

Corrections to Blog- Please Read

2009-06-23T23:13:00.003-04:00

There are a few corrections to previous blogs that I need to make. First of all we would like to say that we know a lot of things are in the hands of the courts and plans change. We are okay with this. That is part of life, and we have learned this early on with the adoption. Our purpose of the blog is to inform our family about what we are doing daily and to have something for Mya to cherish when she is older. We also have received numerous emails from families that adopting to provide as much information as possible.
We just want to give information to help other families. This does not mean your trip will be the same as ours.

We are also grateful for our attorney and interpreter. I can’t imagine having a better team. They have been on top of things from day one and go above and beyond. Marly has made our trip. We know that without her, we would be sitting at the hotel everyday. We really enjoy her company and cutting up with her.

The first thing that I would like to clarify is at the beginning of the trip. We were supose fly to Bogota on Saturday and stay in Bogota for one night. Sunday we were to travel to Cucuta and Monday meet Mya. When we arrived in Bogota, Andres was there and very helpful. We realized at that point that we would be flying to Cucuta on the same day. We were glad for this change because we could finish traveling in one day. The tickets for Bogota to Cucuta were $394 per person.

We were greeting by Marly and our Attorney at the Cucuta airport. When we met they told us that we would not meet Mya until Tuesday. Not because of a holiday like I said, but because ICBF needed to reschedule. Nichole did tell me the holidays before we got here. It was every Monday in June but the first one. That was a mistake when I blogged. We were trying to just make the point to try to get the baby soon upon arrival (travel one day, meet your child the next). Some people may need to acclimate for a day or two, so this would not be for you.

Our Attorney also told us the day we got to Cucuta that we would need to travel to Pamplona to get Mya. We certainly would have gone regardless whether we new in advance or not. I was just concerned that things were not going as planned and the area we were traveling. At that point, I wasn’t sure about things. However, everything worked out just fine.

The other thing we discussed was the plane tickets. I wasn’t clear on some #’s and want to clarify so there is no confusion. Justin always knew he was coming home after 2 weeks to go back to work. So, it would have been less expensive to by a round trip to Cucuta. We bought him a round trip to Bogota, but the agency likes to handle the flight from Bogota to Cucuta and back. There was some miscommunication due to a language barrier and Justin’s tickets were not booked. When we realized this all the flights other than an early flight was sold out. That was keeping him in the Bogota airport for 10 hours. We didn’t want him doing that so we purchased him another ticket from Bogota to Miami for $650. It was expensive, but we were uncomfortable with him sitting in an airport for so long. This was our doing as we chose to by a ticket so he didn’t have to wait so long. So his price for plane tickets were $1081 plus $650 (which was our choice).

Power of Attorney: You do need to do the Power of Attorney in the states as well as well as one in Colombia if a parent is leaving. This is not a big deal.

The hotel rooms are great as we have said. We were needing a larger room for when the Grandparents arrived. Julie thinks we had trouble due to a prearranged price for adoptive families. We weren’t aware of that. It did end up working out.
I hope this clarified any mistakes or misunderstanding. Please feel free to ask me any questions.

Tid Bits

2009-06-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

We love using Skype. Troy is talking to Phil now. He wears
the headphones so it is a little more private. Although
Troy got so excited, I think everyone in the hotel heard him.
They don't know what he was saying though.

You can use Skype to instant message people, call them on their
phone (anyone). They don't have to download skype, for free,
unless you want to see them on webcam. You can buy the
unlimited calling for $12 a month then cancel when you get
home. No obligations. We are on it often.

We have wireless computer. The hotel gives you a user code.
There is not a plug in area for ethernet. I have never used that, but
we did bring it in case we would need it. Maybe in Bogota.

Sometime the Wifi service isn't so good. You can just go to the lobby to
get better signal. I notice on the weekends that the service is bad. I haven't
really paid attention though. If you need to, there are 2-3 computers
in the lobby that you can use.

TAXI'S:
We rode in our first taxi today. Marly called one from her house and
then picked us up to go to the mall. She then called the taxi service
to pick us up. They gave her the # of the taxi that would pick us
up. This is a good system. Then you know you are getting in a cab
from an agency. Know that the cab ride will only cost 4,000 pesos.
Usually. You ask how much as soon as you get in. Make sure he says
about 4,ooo pesos for a fairly short trip (5 minutes or so). Marly
says that you do not tip. Nichole had mentioned in our briefing
that you could a little if they were helpful or something.

TIPPING:
I told you about the hotel tips are already included, right? At first
we were tipping everyone like we would in the states. Marly told
us not to because it makes us stand out more. You never want to
put a target on yourself. Even when you only tip $2-4, Marly tells
us no. She tells us when it is okay to help people on the streets and
when it is not okay. It is just for safety. You will want to do so much
more. I think that I heard other people say they tip well at the end
of the trip. Good idea.

A day in the Pool

2009-06-23T22:50:00.000-04:00

"DON'T TOUCH MY TURTLE'S HEAD!"
This is Mya's first time in the turtle. We tried it before,
but she screamed so loud that we took her right out. I just
left it in the hotel room so she could get use to looking at it.
Diane was holding her in the pool and Mya wanted to do it
all by herself. We got the turtle; she loved it!

She was just cruising around the pool having a blast.

There are very few times where she we let you hold her.
She has to be tired, in a car, or cold and wet. I told Justin
that we are going to have to drive around the house so I can
hold and snuggle her more.

We found these panchos in Pamplona. Mission
complete. I knew I wanted one for her. They
are hard to find and didn't have any other than
this one really. I love it.

UPDATE ON TIME FRAME:

We are now waiting on the final decree. Our
attorney emailed us back with more information.
Nichole and Ashley helped us translate it. Basically
what it said is that we will get the final decree in
about 10 days. We were thinking from the integration
to the final decree would only take 1-2 weeks.
Integration was on the 12th. 2 weeks from there is the
26th, but it is looking more like July 3rd. This is a
Friday. After the decree, we have to stay 2 days here
for her birth certificate and passport. So we will
probably have to stay July 4th weekend here. Then,
Monday and Tuesday to get birth certificate and
passport.

Travel on wednesday the 8th to get back to Bogota.
We need to stay there 3-4 days for her Visa at the
Embassy and Doctor visit. The thing is that the
Embassy is closed on Friday. So, hopefully we
can do that as soon as we get there. We don't
know what order any of that comes in. Do any of you?
Would we be able to go to the Embassy the day
we get there? What takes 3-4 days? Did it take you
that long.

This is looking a little tight. It is looking more like a 5
week trip. We are just going to try and stay busy.

Let me know if you have any more questions about
the area, food, trip in any way. I would love to fill you
in as much as possible. Also, contact me if you want
Marly's information.

Important Bano Information

2009-06-23T13:15:00.000-04:00

I decided to take a picture of one of the
bathrooms I used when I was out. It important
to learn the word toilet paper. It took me a little
while to get across that I needed toilet paper.
I usually keep something with me in case of
emergencies. This is the first time they gave me
a whole roll. This one like most is typically clean.
There are no seats. You don't flush the paper here.
At the hotel, it is no problem to flush toliet paper.

Judges Decision

2009-06-23T11:55:00.002-04:00

After translating my attorney's email using http://www.spanishdict.com/translation. Write that website down. You will need it, and it is easy to use.

Okay okay, the attorney says that the judge said yes or okay to whatever he was upset about and is moving on. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great news. We are now waiting for Final Decree. They said 1-2 weeks after integration. That would put 2 weeks on today the 23rd. We asked the attorney how much longer. We will let you know if she has an idea. Hopefully we can get it today:) and not be put a week behind.

KEEP PRAYING! PRAYER IS WORKING!
Thank you.

Keep praying for Troy's arm.

Day 16 continues

2009-06-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

Marly's mom knows everyone everywhere. We stopped
at her friends house to visit for a short time and took some
pictures. Here is her friends dad. I am showing you this
picture because it looks like it is out of a book. He fixes
clocks. Check the window out. He is just so cute:)

This is my favorite view of Pamplona. Diane was 3 seconds
from getting run over to get this picture for you. So, I
hope you appreciate it. She risked her life.

Just after we took this picture, we started to walk in the
park. I looked to my left, and I saw Mya's foster family.
Yes, the whole family. AHHH! Everyone was certain that
this would never happen. I was shaking because I didn't
know what to do. I didn't want to upset Mya and have
another drawn out exchange. We walked quickly without
looking and got into the car. The family watched us the whole
way. The children ran after us, but the mom and dad continued
to sit on the bench. I felt terrible. One day, I will explain why
we didn't stop. We have decided that when we are home, that
we will email them pictures. Just not while we are here.

Marly said the last family she worked with foster parents wrote
letters in the paper. They gave them a hard time. I know this
family probably wouldn't do that, but I don't want to take the
chance. I know how much they loved and cared for her. We
are grateful.

Strolling around Pamplona.

Papa gives her Coca Cola and French Fries. He knows how
to win her over. She loves him.

Trip to Hospital

2009-06-22T21:07:00.000-04:00

Before the Hospital we took some pictures.

Please pray for Troy's arm. He is in a lot of pain. They
gave him a shot in the buttocks. It seemed to work for an
hour, but that is all.

I hope no one needs an Ambulance in this town. Mya is
showing us that the tires are flat. The Doctor was very
nice. It only cost him $15 to get the shot. We were a little
worried about the low price. Troy said it was "dog pee."

Small town befor Pamplona

2009-06-22T21:03:00.000-04:00

I forgot the name of this town. I will tell you later. It was
on our way to Pamplona. We went with Marly and her
mom. It was such a nicer trip than the 1st time. Other
than getting our little girl of course.

The tree behind Diane was the most beautiful tree I have
ever seen.

We went to eat breakfast at this neat restaurant. Marly's
mom knows the owner. We took a tour of the kitchen.
They have the best food here.

At the restaurant, Troy's arm was really hurting him. After
a little bit of "passing of energy and laying of the hands," from
Marly's mom, we decided to see a Doctor. There was one
eating breakfast next to us. See next blog for update.

Thank you God for Red, White, and Blue

2009-06-21T23:49:00.001-04:00

Thank you Sloan's for sending Mya this dress.
We needed a little Red, White, and Blue for
Mya. Especially for July 4th coming up. So,
she is posing for you. Thank you friends for
your prayers.

It is so fun to hear from some of you that I
have not talked to in such a long time. I look
forward to every comment and every email.
It is keeping me going. I really appreciate
your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for
making us part of your day.

We are headed to Pamplona tomorrow for a
visit. I wanted to show Troy and Diane how
beautiful it is. We will be going with Marly and
her mom. She is a safe driver. So, please
pray for our trip tomorrow. I won't be able to
contact you mom until I get back:) Love you
guys.

Justin,
I'm going to do a little bit more shoping this time:) OK
Love you

Dinner at the Rancho

2009-06-21T23:43:00.000-04:00

We bought tickets to go to any ice skating performance.
Marly was going to pick us and her parents up. Turns out
the tickets are for next Sunday. AWE! We blame it on
Marly:) It's more fun that way. We tease her that she
needs to brush up on her Spanish.

She said "don't worry, you will be here next Sunday." Of
course I was like noooooooo. She said "Oh yea, you won't
leave until next Monday, Tues, or Wed. Justin is finding
this out right along with the rest of you. I have had
such bad signal that we haven't been able to talk. Honey,
No Screaming. I already did.

Get me off of this thing!

Daddy's last night

2009-06-20T23:10:00.001-04:00

These two were so cute snuggling in bed. I just love the way
she sucks on her two fingers. He didn't want her to go to
sleep. She stayed up with us last night until 11:00. He
was trying to love her every minute. This morning he
woke her up to say goodbye at like 6:00am. She blew kisses
and waved as he was pulling away. We are going to miss
him so much.

It is so amazing how much he really does that you don't realize.
Just thinking ahead ie. room key, money, hiding stuff, computer,
making a plan, helping with mya ect. It was a little bit of an
adjustment today but no big deal. Mya is so good, it is almost
a cake walk.

We have tried to put her in the stroller before
and she threw a fit. Children here are not use
to any type of restraints ie. car seats, strollers ect.
I wasn't able to carry her through the mall
by myself, so I tried it again. Golden! It
worked out great. I am so glad I have it. You
can't use it downtown and other crowed places
or where you need to cross roads often. It just
isn't safe.

Marly took Troy and Diane to see her house
today. Her dad gave us some Mangos. He
is so fun to be around. Mya just loves him.

Marly's dog, a lab, thinks Mya is a toy. We had
to hold her up high to keep him from tossing
her around:)

Some General Adoption info:
Flight info:
Also, we brought our carry on bags to Cucuta, but when
returning they said that the same bag was too big and did not
allow it. However, they did allow him to check it.

Don't forget to pay taxes at the airport before you board. They
won't let you board, and you don't really realize you need to pay
it. Both in Cucuta and Bogota coming home. We knew about
Bogota, but just forgot.

Skype again has been a lifesaver for communication.

Dinner at Attorneys House

2009-06-19T23:10:00.000-04:00

My camera that I brought wouldn't take good
enough pictures for this lighting, so I apologize.
I just wanted to send a few so the blog
wasn't so boring :)

Everyone here knows the Troy loves mangos. He was
happy to see so many mango trees when he got here. At
breakfast this morning he didn't eat anything, but he found
a couple of mangos on the floor that he enjoyed.

Mercedes, our attorney, gave him this mango. Her mother
works with children who have special needs on "The Farm." The
apparently have many mango trees there. There are about
50 children on the Farm. They have been abandoned. These
children are not even up for Adoption. When we told her
many families from our agency have adopted children with
special needs she eagerly wanted to get contact information.

Mercedes mother and I were discussing how awful it is that
it takes so long to process the children through the system
for abandonment. Mya was left by her mother at 1 month
old, and wasn't put up for adoption until 15 months old. It
is just sad. Her mother works at the Farm mostly inspired
due to her daughter having menegitis which left her severly
cognitively impaired. I love how Mercedes family takes such
good care of their family. As well as their community.

I know this picture is bad, but it is Justin's last night here.
He likes this wrap on me. I'm still not sure, but I like to try
different things.

UPDATE WITH THE JUDGE:
Well, we didn't find out anything tonight. The judge started
this on Tuesday and we still don't have an answer. We have
been told that he made a decision today, but he can't tell us
until Tuesday. Monday is another holiday here. Every
Monday in June is a Holiday.

It is really getting hard to hear "we will know tomorrow" over
and over. We don't know at what point is too long. It feels
the same as the referral. Every month we were expecting, as
most of you are, and nope another month, another month.
It gets so frustrating.

Nichole has talked with Julie and Lucia. Everyone is aware of
the situation and has told us not to worry. So, we are going
to go with that. We are just trying to enjoy Mya and Colombia
because this is a once in a lifetime experience. I don't want
to ruin it. However, Justin leaves in the morning. Tears falling:(
You don't realize how much you need and love your spouse until
they can't be with you. I am really missing hime already. This
next stretch is going to be really hard. I am missing my family
and friends so much.

So, please keep emailing and commenting. It gives me something
to look forward to at night when I tend to get sad and lonely.
I typically am staying up until 1:00am everynight playing on the
computer. I never do this at home, but it helps me pass the time.
Especially because I have the best little girl that sleeps until 8:30-
9:00am.

Potty Training: Hey Amber, Mya was completly potty trained when
we got her. Now after 10 days with our precious little girl we have
ruined her. It is so hard when we go out during the day, because
she won't sit on big potties. She screams in terror. So, I think this
has messed her up. When we get home, I need to get a portable
potty. This is no big deal. She is just a baby.

She loves having her Mimi and PaPa here. You would think she has
been with them her whole life. Us too. PaPa takes her around anywhere
we are and says in a monotone soft voice to calm her "this is a table, this
is a light, this is an airplant, this is a couch." It is like a magical touch
that he has with children. They love to listen to him. Marly says "Wait,
I need to get in on this lesson." She is so funny.

By for now. Please pray for us! Pray that Justin has a safe trip home.

Judge Update and Grandparents Arrive

2009-06-18T21:18:00.000-04:00

Judge Update

Today we met with our attorney about her
meeting with the judge and what his decision
was. She told us we would hear something
tomorrow for sure.

The judge is wanting paperwork from ICBF
that apparently doesn't exist. We keep asking
what kind of information the judge is asking for.
The only thing she has said is our name and
address. Well of course I'm like lets create
him a form with that information, but that
hasn't worked. There must be something more
to it. It is just getting lost in translation.

Good news will be if tomorrow he decides to
move on without this document, and then
we will be on track to leave here the end of
next week she says.

Bad news is that she says the judge can drag
this out for weeks or months. As you know,
tears were falling. If she hears bad news,
she will go back to Pamplona tomorrow and
talk to a Superior. However, this can backfire.
She also may have the option of changing
courts, but this would add at least a week
to the process. Another option, which I have
never heard anyone do, is bring the baby back
to the US and then come back in 2 months to
make the adoption legal. Has anyone gone through
anything like this?

Our Attorney says this is the first time that this
has happened. My friends and family know along
with fellow blog friends that we have heard that
since the beginning and all the way through
this adoption. Everyone tells us that nothing
else matters other than our little girl. While this
is true, it is hard to continue to hear that.

What we need is your prayers. Please pray for this
judge. Pray that he sees us more than paperwork.
Pray that he moves us along quickly. We really
just want this to be an overall good ending to a
"Long Road Home."

Thank you

On a Happier Note...

Mya met her MiMi and PaPa today. We are going to
call him Grandpa for now to not confuse her. She went
right to them and immediately gave un besos and started
playing with them.

We took them to Pollo Tropical for dinner.
Everything was good, but I'm pretty sure I
ate hog guts. I couldn't put enough hot sauce
in my mouth to get rid of the taste. It is so
hard to order food here. You never know
what your going to get.

It was so hard to get a clear picture of them.
They both were dancing around and enjoying
there first meeting.

Last night we just went to the mall and bought
some more souviners. Today is 13 days down.

First Republic of Colombia

2009-06-16T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tonight we went to the First Republic of
Colombia. This is where the Declaration of
Independence was written. An earthquake
destroyed most of the structure here.

Mya has had a great day. She is now signing and saying
"more" independently. She is also signing "eat." We are
working on some others like swing, slide, water, and all done.
She loves seeing the connection between doing a sign and
then getting what she actually wants. She just laughs and
smiles when she does it. When she can't tell us what she
wants she points and cries or screams. This hardly happens
anymore, so we feel like communication is going well.

All of the pavers and stone is where this house use to be
prior to the earthquake.

Update on Adoption:
Our attorney met with us this evening. She had the paper
work sent to Pamplona today. The judge is asking for
additional information that is not required. We are still
not sure what he is asking for. She said it was a document
that doesn't exsist.

So, our attorney is going tomorrow morning to Pamplona to
speak with the judge. She said if she is not able to resolve it
tomorrow, then she will request another judge. Apparently,
he is being very particular. So, please pray for a good meeting
with him tomorrow.

We may still need to go to Pamplona for the Final Decree. We
are okay with this because we will have a slower driver. We love
our attorney's confidence and determination, but her driving....well
lets just say you will need motion sickness meds:) We don't want to
argue with the judge at all. So we are just going with the flow.

There is another family here adopting siblings. They are from
Germany. Today is there 12th day and they are there way
to Bogota to finish up the adoption. So, this is great news for
families adopting from Cucuta. Remember, we are adopting
from Pamplona and going through there courts. This apparently
is a big difference.

The attorney says her foster parents would like to contact us by
email to send pictures and videos of Mya. I think I am going to
set up a different email account. That is what our Attorney
recommended. Does anyone else have communication with
the foster families?

On the mountain of Chinacota

2009-06-15T22:46:00.002-04:00

Look at my Colombian bebe. She is so precious.
Thank you God for creating her for us! She
is bringing so much joy to our lives. Please continue
to pray for our attachment process. We feel it is going
really well.

We are very close to the clouds, and the weather is very cool
here. It started to rain when we stop for yet another
dessert. I don't know how everyone is so slim here. All
they do is eat desserts. It was soooo nice. They enjoy
showing us different Colombian treats and we sure do love
it as well:)

We are over looking the mountains from where we are
sitting. The pictures above is what we see. Only it is sooo
much more beautiful in person.

The Cabin

2009-06-15T22:36:00.002-04:00

Here is Marly's parents cabin. The cabin was surrounded
by the most amazing flowers. Her dad visits the cabin every
week. It took us about an hour to get there from the hotel.
They prepared a huge lunch while we were there and made
fun of us because we couldn't finish the meal. Marley's Dad
was giving us a hard time, but he wasn't able to finish either.

We sat around the front porch while Mya was sleeping and
laughed most of the time. We asked eachother about the others
country and such. We really enjoyed our time together. We
are blessed to have this family with us on our journey

I couldn't believe that Mya went to sleep without having a
crib. I thought for sure that wouldn't happen. She is the
best sleeper I have ever seen.

This is Marly's mom preparing lunch. She
would not let us help her. Before lunch, we
walked to a little store and got these amazing
pasteles. They are similar to a buritto only
smaller. They fill it with meat. SOOOOO
Good!

She thought she was cool to have a chair her
size. While they cooked, they played music
and we watched Mya dance. Marly's mom
loves to sing and dance. Everywhere she goes
she is so happy and always singing these
beautiful Spanish songs. Justin and I stay
in stiches when we are around them.

Yea, we have been working on this since we
got her. It looks like we're doing a preety good job:)

Chinacucuta

2009-06-15T22:25:00.001-04:00

I thought this was cool. A lot of people have horses to carry
food and other items.

You will see this in every town. It is heart breaking. There
have been many times that poor people will ask you for money
and food. I know we have homeless people in the States, but
this is just different to me.

Church in Chinacota

2009-06-15T22:19:00.002-04:00

Here is the Church in Chinacota. It was very
old and beautiful. The church is in the center of the
town.

If you look to the upper left of Marly's head, you will see
where the priest used to do his sermons. He now does them
from the alter.

Patio

2009-06-15T22:14:00.001-04:00

Today we went sight seeing and to Marly's parents cabin.
On our way, we stopped in a neat little town called Patio.
This town is very small but has a lot of little stores on this
strip. They sell desserts, breads, and other foods. It was
neat to people watch here. This has always been Justin and
I favorite thing to do.

This town is so small and poor that they only have a small
elementary school. The kids typically don't go past grade
school here. The parents would have to travel, and that
is too expensive.

I hate how my pictures don't capture exactly what we see.
This town just seemed out of a movie. The same with
Pampolona and the next town I will tell you about. We
are just loving watching the people and really experiencing
Colombia. We couldn't do this without our interpreter. If
you want her information, please email me.

Okay, I know this is a terrible picture. However, This is why
we stopped in this town. They like this dessert. I will not
tell you the name of it because I am afraid that you will think
I am being inappropriate. Let's just say it is another name for
a cat. I didn't really like it. The brown circle (can't remember
what it is made out of) tastes similar to a cookie. The white chunk
on top is goat cheese. Justin polietly declined the offer.

Dinner with Marly's Parents

2009-06-15T22:05:00.001-04:00

Mya is tired and ready to go home. We invited Marly's
Parents out for dinner. Although, they picked us up.
This night was awesome. You wouldn't even know that
there was a language barrier with how much we laugh.
Marly gets confused when she translates because we all
talk so fast and a lot.

Marly's parents

Marly and Me:) I have always wanted to say that since I
met her. Even thought that movie made me cry the whole
time. After dinner, her parents treated us to icecream in a
different part of town. This place freezes the icecream on a
stick in a cup. Very cool!

Gym at Hotel Bolivar

2009-06-14T15:09:00.000-04:00

Front entrance of Hotel

The Gym is big. We know only from the outside:)

Pollo Tropical

2009-06-14T15:02:00.001-04:00

This playground is around the corner from the hotel.

Renson Martinez is our waiter. He is very nice. The
manager introduced himself to us today as well. We like
going here.

View from our hotel

Parrots and playground

2009-06-14T15:01:00.000-04:00

There is a playground where we eat lunch.
They have beautiful parrots that Mya loved to
yell at.

"Daddy, put your glasses on!"

2009-06-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

Mya loves putting our glasses back on. Anytime we put
them on our head, she is determined to put them back on.

Peek A....

SOOOOO sleepy. She couldn't finish her peek a boo

Mya is signing "more"

2009-06-14T14:55:00.001-04:00

We are headed to eat lunch. It is such a beautiful day out.
This morning it was overcast and rainy.

Mya has learned how to sign "more" instead of yelling
for more drink. Now we just have to work on her combining
the sign with the word. She thinks it is great that she can
do it. That is why she is laughing below. Good thing her
mommy is a Speech Pathologist.

Day 8

2009-06-13T21:38:00.003-04:00

Well, we have 8 days down. Today we just laid back, worked on crossword puzzles and tried to learn a little spanish. We walked to Pollo Tropical again for lunch. The server there is really nice. Mya is eating so much better. She is eating her oatmeal, small pieces of chicken, french fries, plaintains ect.

We are trying to get Mya on a different schedule. She takes a nap from 11:00 to 1:00. That is hard to work out doing anything during the day. We held her off today and she did great. She napped from 1:30-3:30. We then went to the pool here. A lot of people come here on the weekends. I think they pay to use the pool. It was fun to people watch. Marly showed up and took us to the club. They had a few parties there as well. We have noticed that people like to party around here. We thought Marly would be getting tired of us by now, but she doesn't.

I think we are going to the club in the morning and then to a historical area in Cucuta. We are looking forward to that. Our Attorney and ICBF are actually working today to complete some papers. Then Pampolona will receive them on Tuesday. Tuesday we will find out if we are in a slow court or bad court. So, keep prayin.

Mya has a great since of humor. I have been coughing a lot since I have been here. I have a sinus infection that went to my chest. Mya imitates me coughing and puts her hand over her mouth. She is so funny. She thinks she doesn't need us in the pool. She wants to walk around the slicky kiddy pool by herself. She eats it quite a bit. Then she wants a little help.

Information about Hotel Bolivar:
I just remembered to wright about the crib that is here. They gave us a pack and play for Mya. It is okay for her, but not for any child younger than her. We wake up several times during the night to pull her out of the side of the mattress. So, please don't put your babies in it. Either bring on over and then donate it or, plan on buying one while you are here. We saw them at one of the malls here in a store similar to Walgreens.

She is Determined

2009-06-12T22:41:00.002-04:00

"I want in this bag. I almost have it....Almost."

"That's right, I'm good."

Mya loves walking around. She still is a little
unstable on her own; she waddles like
a duck. That is why her nickname
is "Waddle butt."

Mya and Daddy getting ready for night night.

After the Club, Marly took us to another mall.
The malls here are so nice. We got Mya some
books in Spanish to play with at the hotel.

Mya loves to dance. We have been trying to
catch it on camera. She lifts her right shoulder
to the beat of the music. It is hilarious.

She actually ate today. She had yogurt, mashed
bannanas, spaghetti, chicken, and ice cream. Yeah
Mya. What an improvement. See, kids won't
starve themselves:)

Daddy Don't Leave

2009-06-12T22:39:00.000-04:00

She doesn't like when one of us walks away. Mainly
her daddy.

Marly and I are swimming some laps.

Okay, so I swam 2 laps. Who's counting?

View while eating lunch.

Our Tired Little Girl

2009-06-12T12:14:00.000-04:00

Is it 11:00am? Why yes it is. Look who is
sleepy.

Mya is doing a great job with using the potty.
She has only had 1 pee pee accident. She finally
went #2 for the first time since we have had her.
I know that is probably more info than you
wanted, but we are soooo happy for her. She still
will only eat yogurt. Any suggestions?

Integracion

2009-06-12T11:50:00.002-04:00

We got a call last night to let us know that we would have
Integracion today. This is when we get full custody of
Mya Michelle. We didn't have a translator today, but we
got most of what was said.

They asked us about the bite on her face. We explained
that she was given to us with the bite. I thought that was
strange. She fell last night on the step. We are so glad she
didn't have a bruise on her face because it was red last night.
They asked us if we were happy with her and if she was
bonding with us. I was glad that she gave us kisses in front
of them and played with us during the meeting. She didn't
want to go to the lady. She only wanted us. That was good for
us. Usually kids acto the opposite of what you want them to.

The lady at ICBF is going to work tomorrow which is Saturday to
finish the paperwork for our Attorney. This is great because
Monday is a holiday here. Pampolona will recieve paperwork from
our Attorney on Tuesday. We will know on Tuesday if we are in
a good court or bad court. This just means fast or slow. So please
pray for a GREAT court.

Pray for the lady in yellow. We didn't get her name or

remember anyway. She will be working hard for us. The

guy in the yellow is the Doctor. We were introduced to

him. I didn't even know he was a Doctor until Justin just

now told me. I don't know what I am going to do when he

leaves. I can only understand the conversation when I ask

the questions. Even then, I really don't have a clue. Oh well,

pray about that too:)

This is Mercedes, our Attorney. Keep her in your prayers

as well. The last couple of days when we have been on the

streets I have started to "Prayer Walk." I was told to do

this this past Christmas by one of Justin's Cousins husband.

His name is Elvis. He does a lot of Missonary work. Anyway,

I was telling our Bible study about it. Basically you pray for

people when you see them and just lift them up. It is amazing!

This country, the people, need our prayers.

Any other families adopted from Cucuta?

2009-06-11T23:02:00.002-04:00

If there are any other families that have adopted from Cucuta, we would love to hear from you. Especially if your child was from Pampolona. We would love to know some times frames. Did you travel to Pampolona? How many times? After integration, how long did it take until final decree?
Please comment:)

About Mya Michelle

2009-06-11T22:27:00.003-04:00

Mya is such a loving child. When we ask for a kiss, she gives one to Daddy then one to Mommy. She will go back and forth several times. She will melt your heart. She says about 10 words in Spanish. We have only heard Agua, bebe, and mama. She now says Mommy. Yeah that's right. She loves her mommy. Actually, she thinks her daddy is hilarious. He does crazy stuff to keep her laughing.

Her foster family had her on a good schedule. When it is 11:00, it is time for nap. 8:00 is bedtime. She runs like clockwork. Can you believe she is almost potty trained? We bought a potty to continue the training while we are here. Piece of cake. The only thing is she doesn't like to eat. She won't drink the milk they told us she likes. She will only drink water. Which is okay for her age. There is NO baby food here. She can't chew food. She will hold it in her mouth for up to 10 minutes. We are trying not to force feed. We are using major distractions to get her to eat. This is the only thing that is frustrating. Hopefully we will have that ironed out soon.

She is now understanding more english. She understands come here, give to mommy, give to daddy, arms up, hold my hand, peek a boo, kiss, and I'm sure a few more things. She is so independent. She only wants us until she figures out she can do it on her own. Then she moves our hands away. So funny. She loves sticking out her tongue.

At night, she sucks her first two fingers and goes right to sleep. In the morning, she will just look up at us and then lay on our chest for her morning back tickle. She is like her mommy; she doesn't like to move quick in the morning. It takes her a while to get moving. Oh, did I mention she sleeps for 12 hours. Unbelivable.

God is good in so many ways. I couldn't imagine having any other child. We were suppose to get a baby boy, and we were suppose to have this child 3 years ago. Well, she was worth the wait. God does have a plan better than ours. Goodnight for now.

Information about Cucuta

2009-06-11T21:47:00.003-04:00

We thought we would give some information about Cucuta for those interested and some adoptive parents that are soon to travel. First of all, if your child is from Cucuta, you are in luck. They say it will only take 2-3 weeks tops.
Our baby is from Pampolona. We were not aware that we would be traveling 2 hours up the mountain to get her. Pampolona is wonderful. The town is right out of a story book. Everything is cleaner than you can imagine. The buildings are beautifull. However, the drive is scary and dangerous. We were going head on with trucks and passing on curves of the mountain. The roads have potholes everywhere. Everyone drives like this. We passed a police officer along the way. The baby was sick on the way home. It made for a messy ride. We felt so bad for her. Justin says its like the worst roller coaster you have ever been on. It lasts for 2 hours. So, bring motion sickness meds. Also, bring gum. I had a hard to equalizing the pressure in my ears. It lasted for a couple of days after.
We were told that we may have to go back to Pampolona 2 more times. Our interpreter said she would drive us next time. She drives nice and slow. We love it. As soon as we got the baby we were almost T-boned by a Big Mack truck. It was about 1 foot from my door. We thought that was it for us. Our attorney ran a stop sign. Everyone was honking and yelling.
Justin went to the store, Exito, yesterday. I took his sunglasses off of him and put him on the clock. He had 1 hour before I did something. And when I say something, that just means I don't have a clue what to do. There is a police station right across the street. He was fine. Exito has everything in it you would need. It is like a Walmart. Things are a little pricer. Definetly bring your own stroller.
If you are adopting from Cucuta, you will most likely be staying in Hotel Bolivar. This is a great hotel. See previous blogs for some pics. The staff has been very nice. Make sure you bring your computer or dictionary to translate because the last time you speak English to someone other than your spouse is in Bogota. The hotel has a crib for the baby, blow dryer, no iron, refrigerator (small), and hangers. The TV has many channels in english, but no dvd player. There is a service to wash your clothes. You can't wash them yourself; I hope my clothes didn't shrink. I will let you know if they do. You don't need detergent unless you are washing things out by hand. There is a spa area at the hotel. You can get your nails done and massages.
There are malls close by. They are nicer than the states. You won't recognize the stores mostly. There is an HP store here which was cool. Tons of electronic stores. I don't know the people here afford the stuff in these stores. This such a poor town, yet there are many high end stores downtown and in the malls.
Souvnier shopping can be done downtown. We lucked out with a traveling flee market type deal. A little less expensive than the other stores. I was disappointed with the selection with just downtown. This is definelty not a tourist area.
Items we can't live without our you should bring: Computer, Skype- http://www.skype.com/ (this is a must). , blow up bathtub (hotel Bolivar doesn't have a bath tub), blow up toys, medicine, KETCHUP (they have great fries, but the ketchup is nasty), stroller
Money- you only need an Atm card. There are banks everywhere. Exito has an ATM inside. We all walked over there today. Just watch crossing the road. Don't take the stroller. You will not have time to push across the road. It is only a 5 minute walk from the hotel. There was great ice cream inside (a little side note).
Places to eat. The restaurant serves free breakfast. Lunch and dinner are about 25 dollars per meal. We like going to Pollo de Tropical around the corner from hotel. We ate for 6 dollars not including our bottle water. That was for both of us. There is a pizza place next to that. We will try that tomorrow. The servers there were very nice as well.
Today I saw a man stealing some fruit from the store. He had a little pouch under his shirt that he just sliped it in. We also saw a school bus filled with children. There were two girls hanging out where the door is with the door open. There are people walking EVERYWHERE. Cars do not wait for you to get out of the way. That's for sure. When the roads are bad (on the way to Pampolona) there is typically a guy yelling "Give me $ and I will fix the road."
The people here can't own farms or livestock unless they give 50% to the Guerillas. So most people just have 1 cow on a short leash on the side of the road. The mountains here are beautiful!
This is all I can think of now. If you have any other questions about anything here, just ask and I will try to answer.

The Club Cont.

2009-06-11T21:46:00.000-04:00

Someone please tell me how to post more
than 4 pictures at a time. This is driving
me crazy,

She loves sticking that tongue out.

The Club cont.

2009-06-11T21:44:00.000-04:00

Mya Michelle- not sure I like this place. She was sliping
on the bottom of the pool. It took her about 30 minutes
to get use to it and do it by herself.

Mya Michelle loved watching the other children. She is
a people watcher. They splashed her several times and
she never cried. It was so cute.

The Club

2009-06-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

Marly, our interpreter, took us to "The Club" today.
It was so nice; we don't have places like this in Fort Pierce.
There was a baby pool with fountains, a swim up bar with
stools, and a lap pool. Everything looked beautiful. The
playground was awesome. They also have a basketball
court and a club house here.

This is Marly.

Swim up bar. The turtle that Mya Michelle is terrified of.

The back of clubhouse. This picture does not do it justice.

Dinner at Hotel

2009-06-10T21:35:00.000-04:00

To get her to eat, you have to do a song and
dance to make her laugh. Distraction is key.

Night out on the town (hotel only:)

2009-06-10T21:33:00.000-04:00

Day 2 cont.

2009-06-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

She is learning to blow bubbles. She loves to imitate her mommy.

Daddy snuggling his little girl.

Yesterday, we tried to give her a bath, and she wouldn't sit
down. So we bathed her standing. She screamed the whole
time. After the pool, we tried again. Again she cried for
a second. Then we gave her the bath toys, and tears turned
to laughter.

First Time in Pool

2009-06-10T21:26:00.001-04:00

I just had to put a bow in her hair. This is her 1st night with us.
This morning she was terrified of the water. She wouldn't even put her toe in. After some time, we came back. She was in a sundress. There was no need to put her in a bathing suit because she didn't even want to look at the water.
At first she wanted us to hold her, then she pushed our hands away. She is so independent. She had so much fun! We are soooooo glad she is not afraid anymore. It would have been a long month without swimming. That's pretty much the fun for the day.
She loves giving us kisses. Justin said pesos was kiss. So for the past two days we say "un peso por favor." Amber informed us tonight that it is "beso." Poor kid, she doesn't stand a chance:)

Car ride home

2009-06-09T18:36:00.001-04:00

Mya got carnsick and threw up on Justin several times on the 2 hour ride home. He handled like a champ. He is such a good daddy. She was soooo sick. Poor thing.

After a bath, she is good as new!!!!

First Family Photos in Park

2009-06-09T18:35:00.001-04:00

Oldest church in Pampolona

2009-06-09T18:33:00.001-04:00

Park in Pampolona

2009-06-09T18:31:00.001-04:00

Pampolona is Amazing!!!!!

Gotcha Cont.

2009-06-09T18:27:00.001-04:00

Daddy and Mya! Of course, he got to her first. Did you think any different. She loves her daddy right off the bat:)

Mommy and Mya. That's my girl!

We had to wait in the park for about 1 1/2 hours until our attorney was finished with some paper work. Mya pushed her stroller around and chased the birds.

Gotcha Day

2009-06-09T18:20:00.001-04:00

We are on our way to Pampolona. So put on your seatbelts and say a prayer that we arrive safely.

Breakfast in Pampolona. We can care less about eating. We just want our baby. So, we wait patiently and try something new to eat. I forget what it was called. Justin liked it though. Impressive! Pampolona is the oldest city in Colombia if I'm not mistaken. It is hard to understand all of the Spanish speaking tour:) The town is beautiful and very clean.

Pampolona was FREEZING in some places and nice in others. My attorney lent her pancho to me. This is us right before we meet our girl! So excited.

Here is Mya! We were in such a small room with a lot of people in there. Her foster family was so nice. It was hard to take her from them. They were all crying along with us.

Pics of hotel cont.

2009-06-08T00:05:00.000-04:00

Bano

Our Room

2009-06-07T23:59:00.001-04:00

It took Justin about 5 minutes to figure out how to unlock
the door.

Still workin on it:)

Living Room- No AC and windows remain partially open.
They are those old windows with horizontal slates (not sure
how to spell that.) This will be great for the baby to play
around.

More pics of Hotel

2009-06-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

Kids Pool. Our interpreter said that the "Club" is close
by and has a nicer pool. However, this is plenty nice for
us. We will visit the Club soon.

You can get lunch among some fine beverages at the bar
here. Our room is right across from the bar and pool.

Hotel Bolivar

2009-06-07T23:47:00.001-04:00

This Iguana was huge!

It is so nice to have a playground at the hotel. We can't
wait to send Mya down that slide.

The pool is a nice size.

We Are In Cucuta!!!!!!!

2009-06-06T17:10:00.002-04:00

We are here people!!!!!! Finally, we weren't sure that this day would happen. Thank you Lord! We flew out from Miami this morning @ 7:30am to Bogota. We then caught a flight to Cucuta. This was not the plan; however, we have learned to GO WITH IT! We were happy to finish all of the travel in one day. We had no information of our connecting flights. Now, you know how that was killing us (not being in control). Our Agency has everything running very smoothe.

We do have some changes. Those of you waiting to get pictures of Mya on Monday will have to wait. Sorry Sarah:( I was hoping that would be your birthday present. We will travel to Pampolona (this is new also- GOING WITH IT:) and we will bring home our baby girl Tuesday.

We are staying at hotel Bolivar. It is very nice. We will share more later. We are hungry and tired. TTFN!

Travel Dates

2009-05-25T23:25:00.002-04:00

We have tickets for June 6th. We have our travel meeting with Nichole tomorrow to go over the trip start to finish. It almost seems like it is not real. I have know this day was going to come for 4 years. So, why do I feel so unprepared? Wait, I know- I am the worlds WORST procrastinator. We are trying to fit everything into 2 bags and 2 carryons. Not easy! We will see how that works out. Justin may be buying some clothes in Colombia:) It is only fair that us girls get dibs on space. Don't you think?

Visa's Check

2009-05-12T21:01:00.004-04:00

We went to Coral Gables yesterday to get our Visas. Everything went nice and smooth. It was like a different country down there. All of the signs were in Spanish. The workers at the Florida Consulate were wearing masks. The only problem is that we will have to pay a change of fair or $200 penalty for changing our plane tickets if we need to. We got them for June 6th. Hopefully we will be able to move that date up a week or so. With Avianca airlines, we do not have to pay for changes on our way home. This was the only straight flight we could find at a reasonable price. C*lombia has not given us the dates to travel yet. We needed our reservations for our Visas. I guess it is worth the $ to go ahead and have that step completed.

We are now waiting on C*lombia to finish up with the DS-230 (visa for Mya). Then hopefully we can travel within 2 weeks after that.

So what's left: vaccinations and pack for the trip

This feels so good to be sooooo close. We are so ready!

I-800A Approved

2009-05-07T20:54:00.002-04:00

On Monday, our I-800A was approved! That's the good news. Bad news is that now there is another step we were unaware of that could take up to 30 days. This is something to do with the Visa in Col*mbia. They need to make sure the baby is adoptable. We are hoping it will NOT take 30 days. After that, they say we have to wait 3-4 weeks to get her paperwork ready in Colombia.

Everything is out of our hands now. We have an appointment on Monday with the Florida C*nsulate in Coral Gables. Because we don't have our travel dates, we will have to take another trip to pick the visa's up. They make it sooo easy for us, don't they? After that, I think we are mostly done. I think.

Hope to be getting some good news soon. Please keep praying that paperwork is moved quickly in Col*mbia.

Hold that Smile

2009-04-29T22:06:00.002-04:00

I am going to attempt to be as positive as possible during this post. Today has been a trying day, and I am having a hard time finding the lesson that God wants to show me. Basically we were expecting to travel in the next 2 weeks. Now, it is looking like 2-3 months. With the new application I-800 also came more changes. We just found this out today which is adding to our frustration.

Once our I-800 is approved (application specifically for our child), we apply for a Visa for our little girl. Without you reading bla bla bla, basically C*lombia reviews everything again (takes around 30 days). They give us approval (again) and then we write ANOTHER acceptance letter with our travel dates. We then wait for C*lombia to finish paperwork (3-4 weeks).

We don't understand this. I have an easier time understanding the Visa part even though it stinks. I can't wrap my head around and additional 3-4 weeks to prepare for us to come. WE ARE COMING!!!! I just want to scream that "Get ready NOW." It's hard when you see other families going so quickly even with the I-800 process. Why are we getting held up.

Tomorrow will be a better day and we will have more understanding I'm sure. Until then we go to bed with our hearts aching.

Please pray for our understanding and every ones hands that touch our paperwork. I pray that they see more than papers, but a beautiful little girl that is desperate for a family.

Our Little Girl

2009-04-27T20:04:00.001-04:00

Here is our baby girl. Her name is Mya Michelle, and she is 16 months old. She has the most precious smile. We can't wait to bring her home. Please pray for her.

I-800A Approved

2009-04-27T19:34:00.003-04:00

We were approved last week with the I-800A. It took us a month, when we were quoted 90 days. Huge blessing!!!!! Thank you for praying for us. Last Friday, they received our I-800. This is specifically for our little girl. This process should only take 2 weeks, but we are praying for less. Then we need to buy plane tickets and apply for visas. This should be only a week. However, we are having problems contacting the Consulate in Florida for our Visas. We don't know if we have to go in person or if we can get them by mail. Has anyone else done this in Florida? This is so frustrating. I don't want this to hold us up next week.

I think now we are able to post her picture now! So excited! Here she is! Wait, not sure I know how to put her picture up. I will work on that. I just realized that I hadn't done that before.
YIKES!!!

Mountains are Moving

2009-04-08T22:25:00.002-04:00

We have had some great news this week. We were originally told the I-800A process took 3-6 months. Now we are being told app. 18 days. They say that the Senator can not have our application expedited, but God just did. We hope to be traveling in the next 4-6 weeks. WEEKS, wow that feels good to say or type:) Thank you to everyone who is praying for us.

Expediting I-800A

2009-04-03T20:07:00.002-04:00

We have contacted our Senator today to help us expedite our I800A. We so far have been told that there is nothing that he can do. The only way you can expedite paperwork is if your child needs immediate medical attention. We just ask that you pray that God opens this door for us. We don't want to wait another day to bring our little girl home. I know that it will happen very soon. We will keep you posted on how it goes.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE

2009-03-15T22:40:00.003-04:00

YES, we received our referral. She is the most beautiful little girl. Yes, girl! They asked us if we were interested in a girl, and of course we were. She is 15 months old. We are very excited as well as freaking out now that our paperwork is in a mess. We meet with CIS on Thur. We will see what they say about our expired I600A. I can't believe that happened. I have been on top of everything from the get go. I had no idea we were expiring. So, learn from us and check all of your dates!!!!!!!!!! We thought by getting our fingerprints again that extended it. NOT the case. Please pray for us on Thursday at 8:10am Eastern time if you can. We will post pictures when we are allowed. I don't know the rules on that.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. This is definetly the most stressful time in our lives.

Rhonda

Bump in the Road

2009-03-01T08:06:00.002-05:00

Well, we are on that high for a day and then shot down when we found out we had paperwork that was out of date. GREAT! I had a major freak out day, and now I am okay. Julie is an amazing counselor! In May, when our Dossier was sent to Regional Office we did the whole paper thing. We were expected to leave at any time. We completed our fingerprints for the I-600 down in West Palm Beach. I thought that was for the extension. The main office was thinking we didn't need the extension because we were in Regional Office and should have had the baby well before Christmas. Anyhow, we now have to redo all paperwork again Homestudy, fingerprints locally and for the I-800A. We were told once the the I800A gets filed, it will probablly takes 3 months. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! I can't even tell you how frustrated we are.

GOOD NEWS!

2009-02-26T22:44:00.002-05:00

Julie just emailed us to let us know that our dossier was sent to the Norte de Santander Regional Office within the last few days. They don't know if they have a baby assigned tp us yet, but at least our dossier is moving again. Hopefully we will get an assignment in Cucuta. Has anyone gone here? It is up near the border with Venezuela. She said that adoptions there always move swiftly and families are usually in Colombia for about 3 weeks.

We are now on go to begin the rest of our paperwork. FBI, medical letters, Home Study ect.

Please pray that this is it. I am praying for whoever has our dossier and our little boy.

Dossier to Main ICBF

2009-02-09T18:58:00.002-05:00

Our Dossier has been taken out of Bogota and sent to the main ICBF office. We will receive the next baby from Colombia now. Hopefully we will get good news either this month or sometime in March. It will depend on the avalibilty of babies.

Keep praying for us please!

Dossier Moving

2009-01-22T23:09:00.002-05:00

Lucia has formally requested our dossier be moved back to the main ICBF office. They will then send us a referral from the next Regional Office that has a baby. Please pray that this will be soon.

Update from Bogota

2008-11-13T20:20:00.002-05:00

Julie emailed me after she went to Bogota Regional Office. There are currently 3 Colombian families asking for boys ahead of us and 16 Colombian families that will only take a girl. There are 6 more Colombian families whose dossiers will arrive in about 2 weeks and they weren't sure as to what gender they were asking for. Lucia and Julie talked it over with the director and they have decided to ask for my dossier to be returned to the main office of ICBF.

Even though this sounds like a step backwards, it is just not looking good in Bogota unless you are Colombian. Wonder if it is like this in other Regions? Anyhow, the guy who sends out dossiers for assignment said that if we decided to have our dossier returned to the main office the he would send it our for the next available baby. I'm not sure what that means. Like THE next baby or the next baby AFTER Colombian families? Also, a baby BOY or GIRL? We originally asked for a boy, but my husband and I would be happy with a healthy baby no matter what gender. The babies room is set up for a boy, but worse things could happen. I think I will wait rather than asking Julie these questions. I feel like at some point it becomes aggravating answering the same questions over and over.

Julie will let me know as soon as our dossier is back to the main office and keep us updated from there. We are happy to try something different. It just doesn't seem like we will ever receive a baby with so many Colombian families now adopting.

We will keep you posted!

Julie headed to Colombia

2008-11-07T15:54:00.003-05:00

I emailed Julie and asked how many babies are waiting in Bogota, and how many Colombian families are still ahead of us? She will be in Bogota next week and ask those questions. I also inquired about the new baby assignments. She didn't really specify if the babies were from a different Regional Office or not. One baby has a minor special need. However, we are also open to a child with special needs. She said the family heard of this child. How is that possible? From different adoption agencies maybe? So still not sure, but I'm letting it go. These babies were meant to be with a different family.

Anyhow, Julie will email me from Colombia. I will post as soon as I hear. I really appreciate everyones comments. I know how bad I am about reading blogs and not always leaving comments. I think I will start. It feels good to know that you are praying for us and haven't forgotten about us.

We will continue to pray for your families as well!

Thank you
Rhonda

Lots of referrals

2008-11-05T08:59:00.002-05:00

It is nice to see so many referrals this month. I was a little startled as to why there were 2 babies (1 year) old on the list. I thought we were the next family for infants. Maybe because the children are already 1 year of age they are given to different families. I am still very happy for all the children and families, and pray they will be united quickly. It gives me hope that things are moving and maybe we will be sooner than we think. I will give Julie a call either today or tomorrow to see if she has any news. It has now been 6 months since our dossier reached Regional Office. We never would have dreamed it would be this long.

To pass time, I am enjoying working and seeing amazing results with my children. God is good! It is nice to be back in the working field.

Please continue to pray for our nation. I hope Obama supporters know what they are doing. It frightens me; however, I know God has a plan for us and is in charge. I just wish we were following HIS plan.

I will update soon!

Dossier Staying in Bogota

2008-10-19T00:02:00.003-04:00

I talked to Julie this past week, and she let me know that Lucia was not going to move our Dossier out of Bogota. Lucia said that there were no infants at any other Regional Office and none of them were moving. So, we should hang tight and reevaluate at a later date. We still do not have any specific time frame anymore. We also do not know how many Colombians are still waiting to adopt either. I wish I had more news. Hopefully things will begin to move since ICBF will not be tied up in meetings over the Strike.

Change of Plan

2008-09-13T23:21:00.002-04:00

Well, as you know, things are not moving along as we had hoped. We are 4 months post Dossier arriving in Bogota's Regional Office. There continues to be more Colombian families piling up in Bogota. Julie has been very supportive; we have been communicating back and forth this past week. I'm so glad to have her. Eventhough our agency is going through a hard time right now, they seem to still be on top of things.

Julie spoke with Lucia this week, and they feel it would be best to move our dossier out of Bogota. I don't know if they will allow us to do this or not. We are not even sure if this will delay us more. It is so hard to get specific information. I hate not being in control. Julie feels that Lucia will make the best decision for us, and we will go with that. I will keep everyone posted on this.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you!

Going Back to Work

2008-08-30T22:54:00.002-04:00

I can see that many of you are waiting anxiously for an update. I have not spoken to Julie. I was trying to go a few weeks without asking her the same questions and getting the same answers. I know it has to be hard for her to keep us patient.
I am trying to get back to where I was prior to May 2nd (the day our dossier was sent to Regional Office). We had stopped obsessing about the adoption and talking about it ALL the time. We still continue to pray that in God's time he will bless us with a healthy baby. Until then, I am laying low.
To help with this process, I decided to go back to work. I am a Speech Language Pathologist, and I began working at a P PEC. This is a center for medically fragile children. They go there during the day for nursing care and therapies. I started last week and fell head over hills for these children. There were several in DCF's care. I could take them home in a heartbeat. It helps to get to love on these babies knowing how badly they need it and so do I.
I am keeping waiting families in my prayers, as well as those families that have come home and facing challenges.

Please Pray for...

2008-08-12T10:38:00.003-04:00

Julie emailed me back and said we are looking at waiting months (not sure how many) based on the amount of Colombian families are now adopting. She also said we need to pray for...

Pray for the Minor's Defenders who work for ICBF. It is their job to draft the abandonment decrees. Pray that all the necessary investigations will be done and that the Minor's Defenders will have the time and mental space to be very efficient with drawing up the abandonment decrees. There are lots of babies and older children who need their final paperwork so they can go home to their new families.

I asked her if the other Regional offices working on July or have they moved to August? She said that they still have a June family waiting for assignment at a regional office, so although the main office in Bogota has probably finished sending out all of the July families, some June and most of the July families are still waiting for an assignment.

Here is what is going through my mind. I was told by a person in the prayer group last night that agencies are looking for Colombian families to sign up to adopt Colombian babies. If this is what is happening, then Colombian families are going to continue to jump in front of us. We could be pushed back and back. It doesn't even matter that we are the next foreigner. As long as there are Colombians adopting we will continue to wait. At some point, they need to wait as well. However, we all know that that is not going to happen.

I don't know what we can do. Any thoughts?

got an update!

2008-08-11T23:16:00.002-04:00

Julie emailed us tonight letting us know that Lucia was at the Bogota Regional office. She said that they did have a steady stream of Colombian families adopting at this time. This we knew. She spoke with ICBF to see if our Dossier could be sent to another Regional office, but they were all full and said we would be better off staying in Bogota. I emailed her back to see if Lucia told her how many families are now ahead of us and waiting for infants. Also, I did ask her it the other Regional offices were working on Dossiers of July of 05 or have they moved on to Aug. 05. I will post as soon as I know. Thank you guys! I will be praying for everyone.

Have a great week

2008-08-08T22:28:00.003-04:00

I need Monday to roll around again. For once in my life I look forward to Monday's because of prayer group. I hope someone will have great news!!! I emailed Ashley yesterday for another update. It had been two weeks since my last email. I couldn't wait another day. She is going to ask Julie for a more detailed update, but I'm still not lovin the info that she did give. Oh, which was... Colombian families have received placements; HOWEVER, there are new Colombian families added to the list. Apparently, Julie is going to ask Lucia for any details she may have.

The Lord is testing our patience, that's for sure. I guess he knows how much we can take.

I know families are reading this blog and might have questions. If you do, let me know. I will ask Ashley or Julie whatever. Maybe I'm not asking them something I need to be. Please tell me. I'm just not getting how this is draging on. It seems like it could be months before we have a referral. I just don't get it.

Feeling Uplifted

2008-08-04T23:03:00.002-04:00

I just finished prayer group with a few people from our program. It makes me feel so inspired and uplifted. I would encourage others to join. We just talk for a while and then the last 10 minutes of the chat we pray together. It is nice that other people pray for you and your family during the week. We are definitely not alone. There were people that talked to Julie (in charge of Colombian adoptions) at the picnic and felt she was very confident they would be able to get our accreditation.

Yes, we have been waiting for a long time and wait times continued to get longer as we were waiting. However, things happened that were out of our agencies control. We have spoken to various people that are very happy with our agency and are now home with there little ones. It is hard to explain to family and friends why things are taking so long. It is not just our agency, and it wasn't like this a few years ago (just before we began the process). I am confident that we will be coming home with Maddox very soon.

God Bless you!!!

Accreditation

2008-07-21T22:59:00.003-04:00

Our agency has been told that they were denied accreditation from Hague. This will not trouble our adoption process, as we are so far along. They should be able to resolve this quickly.

I did email Julie today for an update. She heard that there were 17 Colombian families in line to adopt. She did not know how many of the families were waiting for infants. This was hard to hear. The wait continues..... This is hard for us to keep explaining to everyone. Justin doesn't even like to talk about the adoption with anyone because he so frustrated. It feels like we continue to hit bumps on this road.

Needing your prayers!

Waiting Patiently

2008-07-17T19:08:00.003-04:00

Justin and I are headed to Nashville this weekend. He races stock cars (Super Late Models). We are excited to get away for the weekend and take our mind off the WAITING! We are at 2 months and 14 days since our paperwork was sent to regional office. It's not like we are counting or anything. Julie said it was very unlikely to go past 3 months, but she could not be positive that would not be the case.

I am still working on packing. We really appreciate the advise everyone gives; It is helping us figure things out. We bought a lap top computer for Colombia and are trying to learn about Skype, wireless, and all this other tech stuff that I just lack the skills in. Thank you to the person that mention WI Fi. I had no idea what that was and it helped me ask the questions I needed. I just wanted everyone that is reading this to know that we hang on every word you say and are desperate for advise.

Thank you!!!!!!!! Please continue to pray that we get our baby soon and that he is well and happy.