It's "official"

Well, we got our "official" you are now in PGN letter yesterday. We knew a week ago that we were in, but the spreadsheets were just updated and our case manager sent us the e-mail. We also got the invoice for the rest of the adoption fee for the lawyer--yikes!!!!I want our little girl home, but I didn't like getting that e-mail! Oh well, we had the money put away for it, and it is for a wonderful cause. So, we got the cashier's check today and Fed Ex'd it to CCI. It should be there by tomorrow. I took today off of work, had some things I needed to get done for myself, nothing major, but went to see the neurosurgeon--just a little bulging disc. I liked this guy, he is NOT a knife happy surgeon. He said we'll try the conservative approach. So, I'm on a Medrol pack to see if that reduces the inflammation and in turn my back pain. I'm also suppose to start doing my own "physical therapy"---in other words, doing those exercises that are suppose to stretch and strenthen your back. We'll see. Pray that these things do the trick. I really want my back to be in tip top shape by the time that Tabitha comes home.

Nesting

We haven't received anymore news regarding our case. We're in PGN and that is known as "hurry up and wait time". So now is nesting time. We've been going to yard sales just about every Saturday it seems. Sometimes we get some great bargains. Like today for instance, I found a brand new umbrella stroller for $5. That's almost a steal. A couple of weeks ago I hit the mega load with little girl's clothing sizes 18 months and up. I've been hesitant to buy smaller sizes because you just never know how long the adoption is going to take. Tabitha's closet is filling quickly. We have her room all done; actually it was painted and nearly ready in January when we took pictures for the dossier package. I'm just now getting around to posting a picture of it! Our latest project is clearing out our FROG --that's what they call them here. We always called them a bonus room before we moved here. It stands for Finished Room Over Garage. At any rate it has become sort of like a storage area. We are now in the process of clearing it out so that it can become the playroom. I say we, actually Tim has done most of the physical labor! Oh well, I supervise well. Besides, I have to get those clothes and blankets and whatever else I may find ready for Tabitha! My friends who have been pregnant say that I am "nesting". Whatever you call it, I'm having fun! We can't wait until you are here Tabitha! We love you!

Progress!

Last night I received good news from Sue, she's the director of the Guatemala program at our agency. We are in PGN!!! We don't know exactly when we went in, Sue didn't either. Sometimes the lawyers are working so diligently that they forget to let Sue know when things like entering PGN happen. We don't care about the date, we're happy to know that we are in!!! I have a good feeling about this. You see, this past Sunday, our Sunday school teacher was talking to us, and out of the blue he asked us to write down specific things that needed to be prayed for in order to bring our little girl home. I had written down, "to find out whether or not we are in PGN, for a speedy PGN trip with no kick outs, and the U.S. Embassy to issue pink quickly". We, our entire Sunday School class, then prayed a special prayer just for Tabitha's adoption. God is so glorious! He knows what we need and gives us answers when we ask. Our job is to be patient and listen! That is so true, but so hard for me sometimes. I find that when I try to be the "Pilot", the one in charge, that is when I struggle the most. When I truly turn things over to Him is when I "hear" and see His glory. There is no problem too small or big to give to Him. God is so good! Thank you dear Jesus for giving us news of progress on our adoption process.

Finally....

I received a call from Tammy this morning, she'd left me a voicemail telling me that she'd sent us a new medical report! Work was really busy this morning, so I didn't get a chance to call her back, but I did manage to call Tim and tell him to take a look at our e-mail. An hour or so went by and Tammy called me again, I was able to answer my cell phone this time. She said, "I leave you a voice mail about getting a medical and you haven't called back yet?" She of course was teasing me, because just yesterday I'd sent her an e-mail whining about having no news about Tabitha since we had our visit trip. I wanted to get a medical almost more than get the news that we are in PGN--we still don't know about that yet--. I needed to see that Tabitha was still alive--I know, sounds silly, but when your baby is thousands of miles away and you can't see her, hold her, talk to her, your mind starts to do silly things; besides, I am a terrible worrier. BUT, I now know that she is thriving; she weighed 13 lbs 2 oz and is 24.6 inches long. She's still a little peanut in comparison to American babies, but she is growing steadily. My mind can rest now and I can concentrate on my prayers for a speedy process through PGN.

Sitting and waiting

Well, it's been 10 days since my last blog. Really nothing has happened that I am aware of. Sue, the director of our adoption agency is currently out of the country and she is the only person at the agency who can translate the updates that are written in Spanish. So, I don't know if we are out of family court and in PGN or not. I can't wait until Sue is back in the office! In the mean time we are sitting and waiting....and praying!

Daddy's Birthday

OK, so this blog isn't exactly about our adoption process. Yesterday was Tim's birthday. We couldn't get him what he wanted--Tabitha to be home, but we did manage to get him something. We--the dogs, and I--(I posted a picture of Tim and our "fur baby's that we took at Christmas)got him some books and a couple of DVD's. So we spent the afternoon today watching his new DVD's. Other than that, not much has been going on.
We still don't know whether we are out of family court or in PGN. We'll pray for the next step to happen quickly. We want to get IN so we can get OUT. I know, sounds kind of silly, but it isn't, I assure you. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

PA has been granted!!

Today is now officially a good day once again for me. You see, we received PA today!!!!For us in this adoption process PA (pre-approval)is a very important step. It means that the US Embassy will give us a VISA to bring our little girl home when the time comes. That time now will be dependant upon the Guatemalan Court system (PGN as we call it). In order to "graduate" out of the PGN, you MUST have the PA. It's an agreement that the Guatemalan government has with the US Embassy. You see the Guatemalan side doesn't want to get all their stuff done and give you ok to adopt unless they know that the US will allow you to bring your child home. It would be awful for the Guatemalan side to give their OK and then the US say no. So, you must have PA to get out of PGN.
You may be wondering why I said today is a good day once again....I told you all in one of my first blogs, that I was a widow when Tim and I met. Well, July 3,1996 is the day that I became a widow. Until today, this day has been a rather sad day for me. Now I have something happy to remember it by!!! Praise be to God!