Baby Izzie's Adoption Journey

Our little Elves (and Mimi)

2008-11-27T10:52:00.001-06:00

Izzie's First Concert

2008-10-15T11:45:00.003-05:00

We took Izzie to YouthQuake this year. She seemed to really enjoy herself...even though she looks like a deer in the headlights in this picture. The band behind us is Fireflight. They rocked our face off. More pictures coming later...

Izzie's first time at the beach...

2008-06-07T08:40:00.002-05:00

We've spent the week at Panama City Beach...and it has been wonderful. This was Izzie's first time at the beach. At first, she didn't even like feeling the sand on her feet...but after a while she was sitting with her shovel and bucket having a great time. She still doesn't like the water as much as she will, however. She has gotten used to the pool, and yesterday she was practically floating by her self.

Here are some shots I took last evening at sunset. I only wish the other kids were with us, so we could have gotten some really nice family pictures. At any rate, it was a good photo shoot...

A passerby was gracious enough to take one of all 3 of us. I think it turned out very good, except for the dude on the right. :) The photographer should never get on that side of the camera...

My favorite shot from last evening.

Day out with Kristi and Alan...

2008-04-20T15:19:00.002-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon at Lake Guntersville with our good friends Kristi, Alan and their two boys AJ and Luke. They are also adopting a beautiful little girl named Syndey from Guatemala. Pray for them as they continue to work towards bringing that little angel home.

Luke was also born in Guatemala, so it was pretty neat to see him and Izzie together. They played so good, and Luke was such a little gentleman...even though Izzie was trying to take his candy, baseballs, baseball glove, clothes, etc....

This child gets more and more beautiful every day. God has blessed our family so much.

Luke and Izzie on their first drive together. I think Luke is holding on to that bat so hard...because he's afraid Izzie's gonna want to take that as well. :)

Caitlin's Prom

2008-04-20T15:16:00.003-05:00

Our oldest, Caitlin, went to her first prom Friday night. Only yesterday she could barely sit up on her own, and was trying to eat sand on the beach. She's grown into a very beautiful young lady...and we are both very proud of her.

New pictures...

2008-04-19T11:59:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since we posted some new pictures...so here goes.

Izzie decided she needed some more roughage in her diet, so what's better than dried grass clippings? Yeah yeah yeah...I'm a bad parent for letting her dump grass on her head and eat a little. She sure was having fun, though.

My girl's a Auburn Tiger! She does this little thing where if you tell her "War Eagle!' she raises her hands and smiles real big. When you say "Roll Tide" she gives you a big raspberry. We're raisin' her right...

Finally a new update

2008-04-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

Yes, yes, I know. I've heard from EVERYONE at how bad I have been about updating since we've gotten home. I'm telling you, Izzie plus 3 more really keep me busy. Anyway, our baby dedication went great. Our pastor called Brandon Brad there for a bit, but it was because there was a guy that got saved earlier that was named Brad. We understand, but we still joke with our pastor about it. Izzie was trying to talk to the crowd while the dedication was going on. Everyone just thinks she is so cute, and I totally understand why.

For Spring Break we went to Gatlinburg with some friends. We had a great time. We took Izzie around the aquarium to look at the fish. She just loved it, especially the big ones. We took the kids ice skating, walked around everywhere, went picnicking, it was great. But the day after we got there we were at the outlet mall shopping for Easter dresses for the older girls. I was in the dressing room with Mackenzie when Brandon brings Izzie back to me. She was covered in blood!!! She fell and hit her head on the T-shirt rack. So, as I was panicking, we rushed her to the bathroom to clean her up. Then we rushed to find a medical clinic to take her to. They were going to give her 3 stitches, but they ended up doing a butterfly. Unfortunately she wouldn't keep the sterile strip on, so now she has a gash in her head. It's really not that bad, but we are still putting Mederma on it to help keep down scarring.

Easter was great for Izzie. She had a great time Easter egg hunting. She really loved it after she realized that there was chocolate in the plastic eggs. (She's a chocoholic just like her mom!!!) Finally she would find an egg and open it just to see what was in it. After the hunt she was even getting into other children's eggs to get their chocolate. What are we going to do with her???

I must say she had adjusted great. God really blessed us with the perfect baby. We all just love her to death. We will try to keep the blog updated more. Also, please pray for my friend Kristi. They have been in process for soooooo long. She is leaving tomorrow to go foster for only God knows how long. We hope it will be a short trip and that Kristi and Sydney will be home very soon!!!

New picture...

2008-02-17T19:36:00.003-06:00

I wanted to post a shot from the little photo shoot me and Izzie had. I'm thinking about starting a little photography studio, and I needed a model. Izzie was more than gracious, and agreed to model for me. I'm telling you...I wish all the people I take pictures of were as easy to work with as this little girl is. She just sat there, and smiled and posed. This was one of the best ones.

Enjoy....

Mardi Gras Izzie

2008-01-28T22:07:00.001-06:00

We all went down to Foley, AL to enjoy Mardi Gras this past weekend. Izzie wasn't sure what was going on at first...but before long she was enjoying herself very much. She wracked up tons of beads and stuffed animals..and a moon pie or two.

Poor Izzie...partied out. It seemed like everybody on the floats were pointing at her and throwing things straight to her. As we were walking out, everybody was pointing and smiling and saying how cute she was. I...have to agree. She is pretty cute.

Izzie and Daddy night.

2008-01-07T10:43:00.000-06:00

This is the kind of thing that happens when Izzie stays at home alone with Daddy...

Yep...that's underwear on her head.

Izzie's 1st Christmas!!

2008-01-02T11:09:00.001-06:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year, with our complete family. Izzie was so funny. She figured out pretty quickly what to do when someone gives you a box wrapped with paper. We've just about got the house back together again. She had toys from one end of the house to the other. I know we say it a lot, but we are so blessed. God is so good to us, and we are so thankful to Him for bringing our family together. We are very excited about the coming year.

Here's some pictures from Izzie's 1st Christmas...

Izzie at home....

2007-11-25T14:51:00.000-06:00

We haven't updated the blog in a while, so I thought I'd post some pictures of Izzie at home:

Just look at those eyes.

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This is how she wakes up. I thought I'd have a problem with a "morning child"...but I think she's actually converting me to be a morning person as well. I mean...look at that face!!

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Izzie loves her Mommy.

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Sleeping Angel.
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Izzie is Walking!!!

2007-11-13T19:46:00.000-06:00

Izzie is walking at just under 14 months old. Until tonight, she was only taking a couple of steps. Now, she's almost running. That's my girl....

More pictures from the Welcome Home party...

2007-11-13T13:08:00.000-06:00

Another shot of the chicken. Mmmmmmmmm.

Look at the big girl standing. She's starting to walk more and more. She'll be running by Christmas.

Pretty girl, getting ready for church.

One of my favorite shots from the past week.

Great time welcoming home Mandie and Izzie

2007-11-12T07:34:00.000-06:00

We had a great time this last Saturday celebrating Mandie and Izzie's homecoming. My Grandfather's bar-b-q chicken was the centerpiece of the meal. It was a great honor for me to be able to cook it with him at my house.

Notice the shirt. It says "Sorry I kept you waiting." On the back, it says "I'm bilingual. I cry in English and Spanish."

Izzie knew exactly what to do with her cake. She was just wondering what all the people were laughing at. Can't a girl eat cake in peace???

God has truly blessed our family, more than we could ever imagine or ask for. As Thanksgiving draws near, our cup is so full...it is flowing over. Thanks to everyone who helped us pray, and gave us words of encouragement as we traveled down the journey to bring our sweet baby girl home.

Izzie is HOME!!!

2007-11-08T06:48:00.000-06:00

Mandie and Izzie landed in Atlanta Tuesday night at around 6. Our family is finally complete...and all in the same Country. God is good.

I missed this little girl

Izzie loves her big brother.

Yep...Izzie is glad to be home.

Our amazing family.

Tomorrow is the big day!!!

2007-11-05T14:24:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here in my apartment working on packing. Izzie is taking a nap. My brother went walking around for a little bit. I'm all by myself, and this overwhelming feeling hits me. I'm going to be home tomorrow!!! I think it is just now sinking in. Wow!!! I am so excited to be going home, but at the same time I'm sad to be leaving. I have fallen in love with Antigua. If anyone gets a chance to visit, please do. I've met so many truly wonderful people here. This has been an amazing journey, and God has really blessed us through this trip.

I also want to thank everyone who has helped us along the way. Thank you for your prayers especially. We love you all, and tomorrow we will be home forever!!! So get ready, we've got 2 weekends of partying already scheduled!!! We love you all, and see you tomorrow!!!

Visa Appointment is DONE!

2007-11-02T16:37:00.001-05:00

Mandie and Izzie had their Visa appointment today. Everything went fine, and as expected. Myriam, or interpreter, will pick up the Visa on Monday...and then get it to Mandie on Tuesday before she flies home.

It almost doesn't seem real. We're almost done. Isabella is almost home, and our family is almost complete. God has been so good to us. If you had told either of us a couple of years ago that we would be going through what we did this past year, we would have thought you were crazy. God's ways are higher than ours, and we do not always understand where He's leading us. But, if we'll just take that step and follow where He's leading...we'll always come out the other end in a much much better place.

We will miss Guatemala very much. The people that we've met there are amazing. We couldn't have made it without some of those people helping us (even though they may not have known they were) get through the long wait. We will miss the food. Antigua is an awesome place, and the food is amazing. Best hot chocolate and coffee in the World. Yes....we will miss Guatemala. But, we'll be back soon...

Keep praying for us. We still have a few more days until Mandie and Izzie are safe, on the ground in the good old United States. And then...we will need continued prayer that we will raise Isabella in the way that God wants us to.

Thanks everybody!!!

Getting closer!!

2007-10-30T14:40:00.000-05:00

The doctor's appointment went fine. Izzie didn't even cry on the first shot. She just jerked her arm away and looked at the doctor like he was crazy for poking her in the arm like that! She cried a little on the second shot (probably because she was getting tired of that mean doctor). We're going to have a hard time with this child...nothing phases her.

The next step is the Visa appointment on Friday, November 2nd. We're #28 out of 30...so it'll be a long day. Todd is flying in on Thursday!!! Then the Visa will be ready for pickup on Monday, November 5th....and then on Tuesday....HOME!!!!! It's been a long journey. God has been faithful the whole way.

We've almost got her home!!

Lastest Information

2007-10-27T20:57:00.000-05:00

Monday we have to head to the city. Izzie has to see the Embassy doctor for clearance to come to the US. Plus she also has to have visa pictures taken. We'll get all that done, then next will be the Embassy appointment. I'm so excited!!! I can't believe we will be home in 10 days. The sad thing is I've already starting packing. Oh well. We'll keep you posted on how things are going.

I just booked the ticket

2007-10-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

for my brother to come. This time next week he'll be here. I'm so excited!!! Only 12 more days until I get back home. The sad thing is I know once I get back home and settled in, I sure am going to miss Antigua. I have really liked it here. Oh, well....at least we'll be home!!!

We have PINK!!!

2007-10-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

I just spoke with the Embassy. We have our pink appointment!!! It's November 2nd. We'll pick up her visa on November 5, and head home on November 6. I can't believe it!!! I know when I'm coming home!!! This is so great!!! I'll keep you posted on the rest. Thanks for the prayers!!!

2nd DNA Results Delivered!!

2007-10-25T08:21:00.001-05:00

We got the message late yesterday afternoon that the results from the 2nd DNA test were delivered to the Embassy. Now all they have to do is give us a date. The hitch is...if they don't give us one today, then it will be next week before we get a date. The Embassy doesn't issue Visa appointments on Fridays. We're so close to getting Izzie home. Everyone keep praying.....

This is going to be a rough week

2007-10-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

So, we found out that our agency has our 2nd DNA test results, and the Embassy should have them tomorrow. If the Embassy does what they are supposed to do, we should know when our appointment is going to be on Thursday. So on Thursday, I should know when we get to come home!!! The rough part is having to wait out the days until Thursday. This week is going to go by so slow. But this is the final step. We get our appointment, go to our appointment, get Izzie's visa, and GO HOME!!! This is getting exciting!!! Please pray our appointment will be soon!!!

Update

2007-10-19T10:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, here is the current update. We found out Wednesday that the samples for the 2nd DNA made it to LabCorp that day. Today they emailed us to say that our samples are being tested. We are hoping to know something next week. We will keep you posted on what we hear. Since the last video worked so well, I'm posting some more.

Fuego erupted the first night we were in Antigua. The video isn't the best...but you get the idea.

Well...

2007-10-16T10:07:00.000-05:00

Brandon fussed at me for not updating the blog, so here's the update. We had the 2nd DNA done Friday. Everything went fine. I got to meet the doctor that has been seeing her since she was 3 days old. Izzie had to have 2 shots and will have to have 2 more. He commented on how smart she was because he gave me a canister to keep her entertained. He stood behind her and gave her the first shot. She looked at her arm, looked at him, then started crying. After that, she wouldn't pay anymore attention to me and kept watching the doctor behind her. He finally just had to give her the shot. She is 30 inches long and 21lbs 10 oz. Now we just wait for the Embassy to get the results. After they get the results, they have 48 hours to give us an appointment day. We're getting closer. I also think I have figured out how to post video. If it works, this is a video right after I got her. Izzie loves to look at pictures of herself, so we looked at all the pictures. I can't believe how much she's changed. Thanks for all the prayers. It's amazing how God is working. I pray that God blesses all of you as much as He has blessed us. Enjoy the video (if it works).

Drum roll please

2007-10-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

They tried to submit us to the Embassy yesterday, but the Embassy wouldn't take our paperwork because the copy of Izzie's passport was too dark. So we were submitted today. They moved our 2nd DNA appointment to Friday at 10:00AM. I'm so excited, I can't believe it!!!!!

The latest news

2007-10-09T12:41:00.000-05:00

First, for those that don't know, Brandon made it back home safe and sound. The kids met him at the airport. They were shocked because he cut off all of his hair. We didn't tell because he wanted to see their faces when they saw him. Now, on to the news. Myriam, our translator, called yesterday. We should be submitted to the Embassy today. She has scheduled our second DNA test for Thursday. I should be in the city at 10:00 Guatemalan time. We are very excited to see our case moving again. It shouldn't be too much longer before we are able to get back home. I'll update as more news comes in.

Brandon leaves tomorrow

2007-10-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

We're sad because Jorge will be picking up Brandon tomorrow at 10:00 to take him to the airport. We went out tonight with our friends Stephanie, Bella, Stephanie's dad, Jenni, Bryan, and Lena. We had a great time at Cafe Sky. Then some of us went to get dessert afterward. It's sad for Brandon because he will not be coming back. He's trying to get his last minute stuff in, like one more cup of Antigua hot chocolate and things like that. Please pray Brandon has a safe trip tomorrow. I know the children at home will be so happy to see him. We'll keep you guys posted on how things are progressing.

Izzie has a passport!!!

2007-10-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

We told the kids yesterday that Izzie has a birth certificate. The girls (mainly Mackenzie) started screaming they were so happy. Their little sister is coming home!!! We went today to get Izzie's passport. We got there about 45 minutes early, so we just sat there and waited for our lawyer. She got there, and gave us a copy of the long awaited birth certificate. We went in the passport office and stood in line. When we got to the counter, the lawyer gave the lady our paperwork. We had to wait for a few minutes, then they called us to sign and go get her picture taken. We went into another room. They had to get her fingerprints on a electronic device. It was hard because she didn't want to keep her fingers still. Then it was time for the picture. It took the guy about a hundred times to get the picture. It was so funny. He had a little squeaky duck. I was holding it. She was laughing and would point every time he would take the picture. Finally, we got a good one of her smiling. We waited about 20 more minutes, and our lawyer got the passport. So we can mark that off of our list. I saw quite a few other babies there that were obviously being adopting. The guy was the lawyer with four ladies. He was running between them trying to take care of all the paperwork and everything. So, now it's time to be submitted to the Embassy. I'll let you know when that happens. I can't believe we are moving forward again. This is wonderful!!!

Oh, and we also moved again today. We moved into an apartment that has 2 bedrooms. It's so nice to be in a bigger place that in one room. It's so much better. My brother will also be coming down near the end of the adoption to help me get back home. I've got so much stuff to get home I couldn't do it by myself. I'm very excited that he gets to come. It should be great.

I can't believe I'm posting this

2007-10-03T19:03:00.001-05:00

WE HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!!!! I am still just in shock. After almost 3 months. Wow. Today we went to Chinautla. Brandon went in with our translator and messenger. They told them to come back after 3:00, and it would be ready. We didn't really tell people because every time they would tell us something it would end up being not true. So, we waited it out and received the phone call just a little while ago. Izzie's last name is officially Harris!!!! Tomorrow I will go get her passport done, and I should hopefully be home in about 3 weeks. Thanks for all the prayers. God has answered them, and now we are on to a new chapter.

Brandon forgot to mention...

2007-10-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

that Izzie took her first step today!!! She was watching TV and didn't pay attention to what she was doing. She was standing and was trying to reach my knee. I was so excited!!! Anyway, I just wanted everyone to know.

My new shoes

2007-10-01T20:39:00.001-05:00

A week or so ago I had a cobbler in this small village we visited make me a pair of shoes. I finally got them today. He actually sketched the outline of both feet to be sure and get the measurements exact. Now, these are hand-made, custom fit leather shoes. In the States I would have paid about $200 for a pair of shoes like this. These cost me Q250, or about $30! At first I thought, oh no...they're too tight. Then, I realized that I thought they were tight because I've never had shoes that actually fit. Plus, they're real leather, so they will mold to my feet. We went out for supper tonight and I walked probably 5 or 6 blocks. I was sure my feet would be killing me...but they're fine. I'm really happy with my hand-made leather shoes.

Izzie is so funny. She's started shaking her head and saying "Nah nah nah" whenever we tell her "No". She's also started pointing at things and whispering "Wow!". She especially likes to do that when we're trying to get her to go to bed, or do something she doesn't want to do. It's almost like she's trying to distract us. Funny kid.

A message from Izzie

2007-10-01T10:46:00.001-05:00

WAR EAGLE!!!

Nothing new

2007-10-01T08:36:00.000-05:00

We wanted to update everyone on the adoption...but there's really nothing to update. We are still waiting for Isabella's birth certificate from Chinautla. Today we will be contacting the facilitator to schedule a trip to Guatemala City and possibly Chinautla for tomorrow. I(Brandon) am heading back to the States on either Saturday or Sunday, so we will need to go to Immigration and the Embassy to get all the paperwork completed so that Mandie can complete the Guatemala side of the process by herself. There's just no other way around this. As much as I want to, I cannot stay in Guatemala any longer without taking a leave of absence from my job...and that's just not an option.

We want to thank everyone for the prayers and kind words. It helps more than you'll ever know. There have been valleys and mountain tops in this process. Some of you have been there with us the whole way. Mandie and I thank God every day for the family and friends He has blessed us with. Mandie has a great support structure here in Guatemala as well. She is surrounded by knowledgeable people who know Guatemala as well as the locals do. It is also very clear to us in events that have happened, that God is very much in control of our situation. That brings us a lot of peace.

Hopefully this week we will have some good news to post.

Thanks...

Fame has gone to her head.

2007-09-26T15:43:00.000-05:00

Apparently the "Real Life Boo" post went straight to Izzie's head. She now thinks she's a movie star.

New pictures...

2007-09-25T17:27:00.000-05:00

No update on the birth certificate, except that the Registrar is out of the office. Wish I had his job. He has better hours than a banker. Oh well.
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We had lunch at the Hotel Antigua today. Isabella decided she wanted to sit on the table. She thinks she's the boss. I have no idea what gave her that idea. Today she is sporting the beautiful dress that Aunt Pepper and Uncle Scott got her.

Here's Volcán de Fuego burping again...

The Real Life "Boo"

2007-09-22T08:33:00.000-05:00

We were having supper with our good friends last night at Las Palmas (best Garlic-Lime Chicken in the World), and I realized something about Izzie. She is the spitting image of "Boo" from Monsters Inc. LOL.....

A few more pictures...

2007-09-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

Mandie got her hair "done" on Monday. I think it looks awesome.

Fuego, one of the 33 volcanoes here in Guatemala, decided to spew some smoke the other day. We have a great view of it from our hotel terrace. Definitely something we don't see a lot of in Alabama.

We took a trip to "La Bodegona", which is the Antigua version of the Wal-Mart Supercenter. Actually, you could fit "La Bodegona" inside one of the bathrooms at the Supercenter. Not very big...but it has everything we need. As you can see, one of the things we "needed" was a 2-liter Coca-Cola Light. Izzie decided she wanted to carry the Coke. She would cry if we took it out. She just laughed and had a good 'ole time carrying around her Coke. It was the funniest thing.

Izzie's 1st Birthday!!!

2007-09-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

No word yet on the birth certificate...so we thought we'd post some pictures from Izzie's birthday party we had on Sunday. We got together with a few friends we've met here and had a great time. We all met at Pollo Campero, which is kind of like the Guatemalan version of Chick-fil-A. Izzie was so much fun! She got the cake all over her face, and she smiled and laughed at every present. She even unwrapped her own presents. We can't wait to get her home so we can have another party with our family and friends.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Good day

2007-09-14T20:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I got the call today that Izzie's birth mom went to the village, did everything she was supposed to do, and said everything she was supposed to say. I was told that the mayor should sign off on it today, and hopefully we will have a birth certificate on Monday. I'm praying that is the case. I should hear something on Monday. Tomorrow is Independence Day in Guatemala. There are supposed to be a lot of parades and activities going on tomorrow. We are going to get out early, have breakfast, and watch some. Here they carry a torch across Guatemala, and we actually saw them doing that while we were out earlier. It's really neat. Brandon will also be here tomorrow afternoon. I'm so excited and can't wait. It's going to be so great to see him again. Then Sunday is Izzie's birthday. We're going to have her party at Pollo Campero. It should be a lot of fun. We will be taking lots of pictures, and I will post them as quickly as I can. Be praying that Monday brings great news!!!!

And the verdict is.....

2007-09-12T14:27:00.000-05:00

still no birth certificate. But it wasn't a wasted trip. Izzie stayed at my friend Stephanie's apartment while I went to Chinautla. I went to Guatemala City, met up with our facilitator, lawyer, and translator, and we headed out to Chinautla. We went to city hall. The mayor wasn't in, so we met with his adviser. I did find out that our facilitator had not been lying to us, which was nice. The adviser apologized over and over to me. He said that they are being extra careful because they have had 2 fradulent adoption paperwork come through. They received verification from PGN yesterday that our file was valid. Out of all the cases they submitted, he only got 6 verifications back, and ours was one of them. He even showed me the paper with the date. He said that they need to verify with the birth mom, and then they would give us our birth certificate. Our facilitator has contacted the birth mom. She will go to city hall in Chinautla on Friday, so hopefully we will have a birth certificate either Friday or Monday. From there, our file will have to be submitted to the embassy for her visa to leave Guatemala on. I'm figuring this part should take about 2 weeks. We are supposed to contact Mike Rogers' office when we enter the embassy. Hopefully he may be able to help things some. So, that is where we stand now. Hopefully I will have some good news within the next few days. It was good to go and see for myself what was going on. And because I'm getting fussed at badly, here are a few pictures. We should have more after Brandon gets here Saturday.

This is what happens when you play too hard.
Izzie swimming at Hotel Antigua
Daddy is never going to get the remote. Besides, how can he resist this face???
Central Park
I was at the market the other day. I looked up and this was the view. This picture just doesn't do the view justice.

Please pray hard!!!!

2007-09-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

I am headed to Chinautla (the village Izzie was born in) with our lawyers, facilitator, and translator in hopes of getting closer to getting a birth certificate. This is a big event because they didn't want me to go before. Yesterday, out of the blue, they called and wanted me to go today. I don't know what the change was, but please pray that today will make a difference in us finally being able to come home. Thank you all so much!!!! I'll post how it goes.

Still no news

2007-09-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. There hasn't really been anything to post. We still have absolutely NO news as far as our birth certificate goes. We are hoping that maybe after elections are done with on Sunday, that people will get moving and get this thing done. We'll see. Izzie and I have moved into another hotel. We are over here with our friend that moved out of our previous hotel. It's been a lot of fun being over here, except the big bug in the bathroom last night. I called Stephanie up here. We probably talked for an hour trying to figure out how to handle it. I must say, she did a good job at killing it :) In other news, Izzie turns one on Sunday, the 16th. I can't believe it!!! We're going to get her a cake and have her a little party here. Brandon is coming down on the 15th so he can be here for her first birthday. Izzie is just so amazing, and she's going to fit in so well with our family. I can't wait for the kids to meet her. Brandon went to the beach last weekend with the kids, his brother and his family, and his mom and dad. They had a good time, and Brandon took a lot of good pictures. I'll post more as I hear it.

Could it be???

2007-08-23T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well, after speaking with an attorney from Adoption Supervisors, he said that our file has basically just been sitting there and has not been looked at for 6 weeks!!! I was in shock. The guy at the civil registery wouldn't tell him why it hasn't been looked at. Again, I was in shock. So they said they would start working on it today, and for the attorney from AS to call back on Monday. Ok, great. They are starting to sound like our agency. Then......we get an email from our agency. It said that the registrar actually called our facilitator and said it's been approved by the mayor. He was just waiting to get the file back so he could make up the new birth certificate. This all sounds wonderful, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I've been crushed so many times with this issue. So on Monday, we will see if we have it. Then we can start moving forward again, get submitted to the Embassy, and start working towards coming home. Oh, that sounds so great. Thanks for the prayers. They are so appreciated!!!! And most importantly, THANK YOU GOD!!!!!

One month ago today

2007-08-23T12:44:00.000-05:00

I arrived in Guatemala and picked up my beautiful baby girl from her foster mom knowing that I never had to give her back. Thinking back on that day, I never imagined that one month later I would be in Antigua with still no birth certificate. I am happy to say that at least I am able to still be here with her. She is an amazing child, and I feel like God has blessed me to allow me to be her Mommy. Izzie and I have gone through a lot trying to get adjusted to each other, but I feel like we are getting closer. She is such a sweet baby. Thank you, God, for letting me be her Mommy. Now, can we please, please, pretty please come home?????

Pray for today

2007-08-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

I finally did it and made the call to Adoption Supervisors. For those that don't know who they are, it's a group of attorneys here in Guatemala that will help if you have problems with your adoption. I spoke with an attorney yesterday. He is supposed to send someone to Chinautla (the village where Izzie was born) and check on the status of the birth certificate. At that point he will know if he can help us any further. He will call me back today to let me know. Please, please pray that it is good news. I would love for them to be able to help us or tell us a way that we may get it faster. Izzie and I are so ready to come home!!! I also wanted to say that we had very minimal effects from Hurricane Dean. I think the only real thing was it was cloudy and colder here than usual. We got no rain or anything, which is even unusual because this is rainy season here. Thanks for all your prayers and support. I'll let you know what happens today!!!

Brandon is home, and we are ok

2007-08-15T17:07:00.000-05:00

Brandon made it home yesterday, all in one piece. After he left yesterday, Izzie and I did a tour of some of the historical sites of Antigua. We learned all kinds of things. Izzie did great on the tour, except at the beginning. She wanted to talk while our guide, Elizabeth Bell, was talking. I had to take her out of the stroller and walk around with her. Since Brandon's been gone, she's looked for him. She's been really clingy to me again, I guess making sure I'm not going anywhere. We've just kind of hung around today. We went to eat at Pollo Campero for lunch. Izzie had a great time throwing bread. I've also been emailing the doctor at the International Adoption Clinic at UAB regarding her formula. I'm worried since she's not on a true formula she might not be getting all of the nutrients she needs. The doctor said that we are doing good by feeding her more solid food and made some recommendations as far as formula goes. For those of you who read this and are in the Birmingham and surrounding area, I really recommend them. The doctor is so helpful. Well, I'm going to try to post some pics from the past week. Enjoy!!!!

Look, Mommy. I unpacked my suitcase right after you packed it!!!
How many suitcases does one Izzie take?
Bye bye Guatemala City.
Mommy and me.
We got blankie, so we can leave now.
Hanging out at our new hotel Thursday morning with the dogs.
I'm in the stroller enjoying breakfast.
I'm eating/playing with my bread for lunch.

I'll try to post some of the pictures from yesterday later after I get them uploaded. Have a great day!!!

Brandon is heading home

2007-08-14T09:52:00.001-05:00

Well, Brandon is leaving today to head back home. Please pray that he gets home safely. I'm going to miss him so much, but he really needs to get back to the kids. Just letting everyone know!!! We miss you, Daddy!!!!

Still no news

2007-08-11T21:42:00.001-05:00

As frustrated as I should be, amazingly I'm not. We're really doing ok. It's going to be tough when Brandon leaves, but he needs to head home for awhile. We are both missing the kids terribly. I can't wait to see them again. It feels like it's been forever. It's getting more and more natural to answer questions in Spanish than in English. I may not remember English when I get home. Hopefully it will be soon. We miss everyone, and I can't wait for everyone to meet Izzie. She's so great. We put her in the Snugli and went walking today. She had the best time. She just sang and laughed. It was great. I've got tons of pictures to post, but I have a hard time on the internet here. I will post them as soon as I can. We'll keep you posted as best we can. Thanks for all the prayers!!!

The volcano erupted

2007-08-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

No big deal, right? You see it a lot in Antigua. Volcano erupts, take a tour to the magma river, fun, fun. Well last night we watched it. Apparently the eruption was bigger than normal because CNN had an article about it today. Here are the pics from the eruption. Brandon took these on the terrace at our hotel. Enjoy.

Ok. I have several pictures of Izzie to post, but I'm on Brandon's laptop so I'll have to wait. Apparently I don't get a good wireless signal in our room, so we have to come sit out in the little square area. Izzie is enjoying herself, except for her schedule is terribly off. But she's not as board as she was in the other hotel because we can get out and see a lot of sights.

And a side note here. My grandmother told me she wanted pictures where Izzie and I are standing in front of whatever it is that Brandon is taking a picture of. I just want to say sorry, we were not standing in front of the volcano while Brandon was taking pictures:) I'll keep everyone posted as soon as we hear something about the birth certificate, and I'll try to post more pictures soon!!!!

Signing off for now

2007-08-08T08:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, we're officially signing off for now. The next time you hear from us, we'll be in Antigua, Guatemala, one of the oldest and most historical cities in Central America. We'll let you know how we're doing after we get settled in!!!

Sorry to confuse...

2007-08-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Apparently my post was a little confusing. Brandon made sure I knew it. Let me clarify about the paperwork. The protocolo is the final adoption decree stating she's ours. We got the original copy of it yesterday so that we can leave the hotel. We have to have proof that she's ours so we don't get accused of kidnapping a child. Plus if we have to take her to the doctor or something, we have to have proof that we are her legal parents. Now, we are STILL waiting on the birth certificate. Our lawyer and facilitator went there Monday and was told to come back Wednesday. It's been the same game for almost 4 weeks. It's crazy. They still go everyday just to check on it. Our agency is full of apologies. They tell us that we got caught up in this at the wrong time. I, however, know that all of this is God's plan. Although I don't know what His plan is yet, I'm waiting to find out. I'm keeping an eye out for someone to share about Jesus with, or whatever the situation maybe. We thank you for your prayers. It's amazing the sense of peace that I have. I know where it comes from. Izzie is amazing. I will not be posting more pictures until tomorrow night or Thursday morning because I have packed the cord to upload the pictures. We'll tell you all about our new place when we get there. Thanks again, and until next time....

No more jailbirds!!!

2007-08-07T09:13:00.000-05:00

We finally gained our freedom yesterday. We got the original of the Protocolo, which is the final adoption decree saying she is ours, and no one can take her away. We also got a copy of our PGN receipt where we exited PGN. It was great to see the papers that we've waited so long to get. We walked around in the mall. I bought Izzie a pair of white shoes to go with her white dress Pepper got her. Izzie was happy to get out. As we pushed her around the mall, she just sat there and watched everyone. I think she's going to be happier in Antigua where we can get out and do stuff. As far as that goes, tomorrow is the big day. They are coming to pick us up at noon tomorrow, 1:00 Alabama time, 2:00 Georgia time. It should take us about an hour to get there. We are also supposed to have breakfast with the foster mom and our translator in the morning, too. That will be the last time she sees Izzie, so pray that goes well. Alright, on with the pictures!!!

This is a picture of a final adoption decree. This is just the heading, and we took the number off just for security purposes.
Playing hard as she tries to keep herself awake.
Here is a picture from the other day. She was having a snack in her stroller.

There are all the pics I have for this morning. Stay tuned, and I'll be posting more as they come available. Have a great day!!!

I know, I know, FINALLY a new update

2007-08-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! Sorry I having been "blogging" much. I was hoping that the next time I posted an update it would contain good news. Well, this does contain good news, but not about our birth certificate. We are still clueless as far as our birth certificate goes. There is no guess as to when it will be signed off on. We have met some really wonderful people on this journey that have tried to help us. So, on Wednesday we will be moving to Antigua. We found a little hotel that is owned by a guy from Tennessee. He has been extremely helpful. Antigua isn't too far outside of Guatemala City, and there a lot of adoptive families that foster there. I've already been getting advice from people who live in Antigua about where to eat and shop for things. It's also a very old, historical city so we'll get to learn some while we are there, too. I've been gone for 2 weeks, and it's really hard being away from the kids, family, our house, and just America in general. I really think God has put me in this place just so that I don't take the things He gives me for granted. It's just like going to Honduras. You come back a changed person. I'm definitely going to be like that. I already am like that. The only difference is, we have Izzie. She is such a gift, even with her temper. Yes, this girl has a temper. She does not like to hear no no at all. But she is so much fun, and I think the kids are going to love her at the stage she's at. So, on with the pictures.

See me crawl?
You can see my teeth really good in this one.
I still sleep funny.
I have a friend. We're playing with my shoes!
Please, please, please, Mommy? Don't make me pitch a fit.
Daddy's here!!!
Look! I got a cell phone before Mackenzie! Hey, Caitlin, I haven't broken mine yet!
Look at my outfit Grammy!
I'm swimming!

I hope everyone enjoys the pictures!!! I'll get more on here when we get a chance!!! Thanks for everyone's prayers!!!

Sorry it's been awhile

2007-07-31T07:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been pretty sad that we still don't have our birth certificate, and to add to it they are adding a second DNA. I'm glad they are adding the second DNA, they just did it so fast that it's just hard to swallow however many more days. But on a great note, Brandon will be here today!!!! I'm so excited!!!! I haven't downloaded pictures from the camera, so I don't have any to post, but I will be posting some later after Brandon gets here!!! I'm so happy!!!

Izzie did it!!!

2007-07-27T13:35:00.001-05:00

After saying it over and over she finally said mama!!!! I'm so excited. I got so excited I think I probably scared her. So she's officially Mommy's girl, and this is Daddy's face.

Just had to share. We about to head off to go swimming.

Praying for a BC Today!!!

2007-07-27T07:48:00.000-05:00

Title says it all. I'm praying that we get her BC today. I'm not getting my hopes up about it though because this is the third time it's been promised to us. I'll let everyone know as soon as we hear something.

We had a pretty good day yesterday. It was kind of boring, but we still had fun. Izzie is such a happy, content baby. The only time she really cries is when I am trying to get her to go to sleep. Last night she was so tired, but she was not letting me rock her to sleep. So I just let her play. It was funny to watch her because she was trying to hard to keep herself awake. Finally, she laid her head down on the pillow and made the noise like you would if you were imitating a car trying to keep herself awake. After about 15 or 20 minutes of that, she was finally out. She also likes the camera. She will smile when I take it out, but then in the middle of me taking pictures she will come to me to grab it. We've had a blast. I can't wait to share her with everyone. She's so much fun!!! On with the pictures!!!!

I'm coming to get you, Mommy!!!

Not good news

2007-07-26T18:18:00.001-05:00

Well, our agency finally called Brandon. We still don't have a birth certificate. I'm so bummed out. Apparently it takes longer than anticipated to get. Our facilitator apparently tried to bribe the registrar, and it didn't work. They said we should get it today or tomorrow and be submitted for pink on Tuesday. I'm not getting my hopes up at all. We are looking at at least another week down here. Ugh, I'm going to forget how to speak English soon. I have been carrying on so many Spanish conversations that I might have to relearn English. Anyway, that's the news. More later.

Calling all prayers, please!!!

2007-07-26T08:47:00.000-05:00

First I want to thank EVERYONE for the prayers and support you've given our family through this process. We have felt the blanket of prayers that have surrounded us. I can feel them even now as I am separated from my family while I am down in Guatemala City, and I know God is watching over us.

Now, I'm just going crazy not knowing where things are at this point. We were told we would have a BC Friday. Monday our translator told us that a messenger was supposed to pick it up that day. Here it is Thursday, and we still don't know anything!!! We can't get a straight answer from our agency either. This is just driving me crazy!!! We should have already been submitted to the embassy for pink by now. Please pray we hear something soon.

I'm so excited that Brandon will be here Tuesday!!! It's going to be great!!! Izzie is still sleeping. She slept quite a bit yesterday, all night last night, and I don't know when she's going to get up. I guess I'm wearing her out!!! She's such an angel, and I thank God everyday for her. God has blessed me so much with Brandon, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Gabe, and now Isabella. I just can't thank God enough.

Here are a few pics from yesterday!!!

She likes to sleep in the strangest positions. She likes to sleep on her side and this way.
Just for Brandon, the storm picture taking guy, this was from out of the window last night.

Finally, here are some pictures of standing girl. These are kind of blurry since I while trying to take a picture and make sure my child didn't fall off a chair at the same time. I was feeding her bananas, and she was trying to get the Gerber puffs off the table. I'm telling you, she LOVES those things!!!

I hope you enjoy the pictures!!! I'll post more later on!!!! We love and miss everyone!!!!

Update from GC

2007-07-25T12:48:00.000-05:00

We have been so busy. The internet went down again, so I haven't been able to get on for awhile. Yesterday at breakfast I gave her one of the banana Gerber puffs. She put is in her mouth and got a funny look on her face. Then after she chewed it up, she smiled. So I gave her another one, and she squealed so loud. She loves them!!! Brandon is going to have to bring more down. She's very talkative. She just babbles and babbles. Brandon is going to love this. I was trying to get her to say mama. She didn't. She said dada. But that's ok because I know she meant mama. I've also taught her how to clap. And she will put her blanket over her head until I say where's Isabella. Then she will move it and I'll say there she is. She laughs so hard. We also went swimming yesterday. She had a blast. She's going to love to be in the pool. She loves splashing. She is still very clingy, especially when we are around other people. She's getting better though. Here's some pics!!

These are her eating those biter biscuits by Gerber. She really made a mess with those.

She shares.

Caitlin Jr.

We had fun swimming.

Where's Isabella???
There she is!!!!
I'm so cute!!!

A brand new day!!!

2007-07-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm praying after yesterday, this day will be better!!! I'll give you a run down on yesterday. This is going to be long, so I'll give you a minute to get something to snack on and drink. --------------------------------------------------- I hope you're back because I'm starting without you. Yesterday morning, Brandon was leaving for youth camp with the girls. I went up there to take my kittens to our friend who is catsitting for us. Well, I had to socialize and everything. I made up for it at the airport. The check in line was long, but went pretty fast. I got done in about 30 minutes. Then there was security. They took all of us through the scenic route. We had to walk all up and down the baggage claim, up and down lines, ugh it was crazy. I finally made it through there, got to the other end of the airport to my concourse, and made it just as they called to board my zone. Whew!!! The flight was great. We got to come in to the new part of the airport in Guatemala City. It's very nice. I breezed through immigration, got my bags, and found the guy waiting to take me to the hotel. When I got here, I told them I wanted wireless internet. I had to take my laptop to the business center. They got it working, so I closed it and came back up to my room. When I opened it to get on, it wasn't working again. So I had to go back down. Well, in the mean time it was 2:55, and I was supposed to get Izzie at 3:00. So I watched and watched and didn't see them. They guy working on my computer had to take it to the techs in the back. By this time it's 3:20, and I'm really worried about where they are. So, I tell the lady in the business center I'm going to run upstairs to make a call. I have our translators number, so I called her. She said there was a mix up with the email to our facilitator. So, they were going to be there at 4:30. So back downstairs I go to get my computer. They guy finally tells me that it's not going to be able to get on the internet. I was devastated. So I used their computer to send Brandon an email. When I got done and walked out, there she was!!! I just fell in love all over again!!! It wasn't the moment that I had hoped for because I was upset I had to communication, but she made it all ok. Then when I was talking to the foster mom, there was a small earthquake tremor. It was so small I didn't even know what it was until someone had told me. Later on I fooled around and got it to start working. PRAISE GOD!!!!! Anyway, we had a play session last night. She is sooooo much fun!!! I can't wait for you all to see her!!!!

Now, on to the good stuff. Here are some pictures!!! (This is going to be fun because blogspot is in Spanish)

In these she was playing with her teething ring. She loves that thing!!!!

These are of her sleeping this morning.

I will post more through out the day!!! I haven't been able to sign onto yahoo yet. It won't let me, and I'm scared to mess with the settings. I'll work on it though!!!

Izzie is ours FOREVER!!!!!

2007-07-23T20:59:00.000-05:00

I finally have her. Boy this has been a crazy day!!! She is beautiful and huge!!! She has the 2 teeth on the bottom that were coming in March, plus 4 on top!!!!! She can blow besos (kisses) and can wave bye. Ever since we've been alone, she has clung on to me for dear life. I'm loving it even though I know what she's doing. I haven't taken many pictures yet, but I'll post some tomorrow. I think we're going to hit the sack. We just got done cleaning a blow out diaper. Fun, fun. Poor glow worm will never be the same again though...LOL. Thanks for all the prayers. This is WONDERFUL!!!! I still can't believe it. Oh, and keep praying for our paperwork. Our translator still doesn't know if we've got it all yet. Thanks again!!!! And Izzie says babababa (which is hi).

3 more days!!!

2007-07-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

Only 3 more days until I leave to go see Izzie!!! I'm so excited. I have been doing a TON of laundry, packing, and babyproofing to get ready for Izzie to get here. Brandon's aunt and cousin are having a baby shower for us tomorrow night. I think it's going to be great. I am so blessed to be part of Brandon's family. They are also going to honor the girls tomorrow night, too, since Izzie will also be their baby sister. I think that's so great. My mom and grandmother will also be coming up tomorrow. They are going to stay the weekend and take me to the Atlanta airport on Monday. I am going to be so busy until we leave. I will try to post as much as possible, especially while we are in Guatemala. I will keep everyone posted!!!

Good news and bad news

2007-07-17T20:39:00.001-05:00

Well, we got an email from our agency today about our birth certificate. The good news is that are birth certificate should be ready Friday, which puts us at Wednesday of next week to be submitted for pink. The bad news??? I was planning on this being done last week. I thought that we would be submitted for pink this week. So what does that mean for us? We will probably be down in Guatemala for an extra week. I really don't mind spending the extra week down in Guatemala with Izzie, but there is so much stuff going on back here that I am going to miss!!! I'm really upset about being gone and missing stuff, but there's nothing I can do. It's very inconvenient, but we'll get through it and keep going. I'm just happy because she's going to be coming home with us. Please play that God helps us through this time. Thanks!!!!

We're back!!!

2007-07-14T22:01:00.001-05:00

We just got home tonight. We had a very fun trip. Our pastor did a great job, just as I knew he would. We had fun at the Braves game (they won!!!), and we also had fun at White Water today. I will post a few pictures later. I am too tired to tonight!!!

And I wanted to tell Brandon Happy Anniversary!!! I love you so much. These past 6 years have been the best of my life!!! Thank you for everything!!! Ok, it's bedtime now.

Youth trip!!!

2007-07-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

We are preparing to go on our youth trip. It was supposed to involve camping on Cheaha, but it had to change since they had to no burn ban and the campgrounds were closed. Now we are headed to Atlanta to watch a Braves game tonight and White Water tomorrow. Plus Dr. Derek, our pastor, will be speaking to the youth, so I know that's going to be great!!! He is wonderful!!! I'm thankful for this trip because it should help this weekend go by quickly, and I may actually be able to think about something other than the adoption for a few minutes. I am hoping to hear something soon from our agency about our case moving forward again. I can't believe I'm going to be down there with her soon. I so can't wait.

Will we ever get done???

2007-07-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

The closer the trip comes, the more things I think of that need to be done!!! I don't think I will ever get through. I will be leaving Friday to go on a youth trip. Friday we will leave at noon and head to Atlanta. We will go to the hotel, check in, have session with our pastor, then go to a Braves game. Saturday we will have a session, then head to White Water. I think it's going to be a wonderful trip for our youth. I love our pastor. He is so great with the kids. But before I go on the trip, I've got tons of cabinets to strip and other work to do!

And I just have to say, God has blessed us with some of the greatest friends ever!!! He is so good, and I am so thankful for that. I just wanted to share that, too!!!

It's Official!!!

2007-07-10T00:10:00.000-05:00

I made plane and hotel reservations today. I will leave on July 23 at 10:14 EST headed down to get our baby girl. Brandon will be headed down the next week. It's going to be so great to see her again. I've got enough to do to keep me busy. I hope time flies by!!!!

Still cabinet stripping....YUCK!!!!

2007-07-08T23:20:00.000-05:00

Brandon and I have been working on these cabinets for the past 2 days. We are getting closer to being done. I can't wait until this chore is DONE!!! I have been going through all the stuff to take down to Guatemala. I have to make sure I have everything I need with me, and that Brandon has everything here to do his stuff here. I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I hope to see a lot of movement in adoption cases this week!!!

Just got the "official" call!!!!

2007-07-07T11:58:00.001-05:00

Our agency just called us to tell us we were out of PGN!!!! I kept thinking that after I heard from them it may seem more real. NOPE, that didn't help. I don't think it will feel real until I'm on a plane headed down there on July 23!!!!

Just wanted to say....

2007-07-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

As I'm coming down off the high I've been on (and it still feels like I'm there), I just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and support as we have endured this journey that seems like it's taken soooooo long. I want to thank Kristi for the countdown clock. And most of all, I want to thank God. None if this would be possible if it wasn't for His will. I also want to ask that you continue to pray for others that are in the process. So many are stuck in this process, and they desperately need the prayers. Thanks again everyone!!!!!

Yes!!! Friday IS the day!!!!

2007-07-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

Brandon called PGN today and, after verifying 3 times, we are so OUT of there!!!! This is such great news!!! We will be bring home our baby girl soon!!!! I will be leaving to head down there on 7/23, and Brandon will be heading down the next week. I can't wait to see her again. And this time she's our FOREVER!!!!! And as Kristi noted earlier, 17 days until I have our baby girl forever. The countdown begins.....

Tomorrow is Friday!!!

2007-07-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

Normally I dread Fridays because we have to wait a whole weekend before another week in PGN, but I am so excited about tomorrow!!! Brandon will call down there after lunch to see if we are O-U-T!!!! If you hear a sound far off in the distance that sounds like someone screaming, that means that we got some great news!!! We got to spend some time with the kids today. It was great. We miss them so much and can't wait until they are back on Monday. We are having a church trip next weekend to Atlanta, so that should make things speed by some. Please keep the prayers coming for the phone call tomorrow!!!

Could Friday be the day????

2007-07-04T23:01:00.000-05:00

I guess we will see!!! Brandon called PGN today. The lady said that we are on the big guy's desk, and she expected us to be out by Friday. She wanted Brandon to call her back Friday after lunch. That sounds hopeful, but we will see. We had a great holiday today celebrating with Brandon's family at his aunt's house. I think it would have been close to perfect if we had our 3 kids there plus Izzie. I hope everyone had a great day, and I will let you know when we find out something!!!!

Waiting for Tuesday

2007-07-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

Well, there hasn't been much to report lately. I got back from Georgia visiting my family last night. We had a great time this weekend. We bought stuff for Izzie and the other kids. I can't wait for them to get back from their mom's to see what I got them. It's weird when they are gone this long. PGN opens back up tomorrow, so it will be more waiting. Today is our 56th day of waiting. Maybe we will hear something tomorrow which will be day 57 (same amount as PA). That would be great!!! Please pray that we hear something soon. I think I'm going crazy with all the waiting. I've packed Izzie's stuff. Then I decided it wasn't good enough, so I repacked it. I think I've done that about 10 times, and I just got back yesterday!!! The fun never ends.....

Shopping, shopping, and more shopping

2007-06-30T15:24:00.001-05:00

What a day we have had. I'm in GA with my family, and we did some serious shopping. We are now ready for our trip to Guatemala, and Izzie has about every outfit that was at every store we went in :) It was great. I am so anxious to hear about PGN so we can plan our trip. We will keep everyone posted with what's going on. Have a great rest of the weekend!!!

Medical Update

2007-06-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

We got Izzie's medical update today!!! All I can say is WOW!!! She is 19 lbs and almost 29 in long!!! She is crawling and pulling to stand. She's growing up so much. I love it because they also put down that she understands "no." I wonder how many times Maria Louisa (foster mom) has to tell her that. I know she was understanding no when Tammy and I were down there in March. Anyway, I'm in GA visiting my family. We are going baby shopping tomorrow which is going to be so much fun. I just can't wait for her to get home!!! Keep praying that we hear something from PGN soon. They will be closed on Monday, so we will just have to wait until Tuesday to wait some more. Tuesday will be 8 weeks since we have been resubmitted. Thanks for the prayers and support!!!

No News Today

2007-06-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

We haven't heard anything today. In fact, we've only seen one person get out of PGN today, which is slow compared to others. Getting out of PGN is a HUGE step, so we are anxiously waiting. We also haven't gotten Izzie's new medical yet. I can't wait to see how much she weighs and how long she is. She is so big now!!! The kids are leaving tonight and will be gone with their mom next week. It's going to be so quiet here without them. We will let everyone know if we hear anything. Check on here because we will definitely post as soon as we hear something!!!! Have a great evening!!!

PS - Kristi, I hope that you guys are having a great time in Guatemala with Sydney!!!! I hope the boys are enjoying their new baby sister!!!!

Update

2007-06-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

We got new pictures of Izzie yesterday. She is 9 months old now, and she has grown so much!!! We should get her medical today or tomorrow. We are hoping that this is the last update we will be getting!!! Pray that we are out of PGN soon!!!

Our New Blog

2007-06-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

Well, everyone wanted us to start a blog about the adoptions, so here goes.....

I had been thinking about adopting, but didn't think Brandon would be interested. I prayed that God would help me be able to talk about adoption to Brandon. I figured since he already had 3 children, he wouldn't want anymore. Well, on Valentine's Day of 2006 HE asked ME what I thought about adoption. I was floored. God definitely answered that prayer!!! We talked to our family and proceeded on.

In September of 2006, Brandon and I were on a business trip to New York. While on that visit trip, I saw the sweetest baby I had ever seen. I told Brandon that I could see her being a part of our family. Later on that day, the agency called me that had her. I couldn't believe it!!! I feel like God has led us to our baby Izzie, and that He is working to allow us to bring her home!!!

We are so thankful for all of the support and prayers that we have gotten from family and friends. I hope that she will be home soon so we can all celebrate!!!!