Journey to Olivia Aura

FTIA reunion

2009-07-23T23:39:00.001-05:00

Here are just a couple of shots from the FTIA reunion in Noblesville. Hopefully at some point I'll have time to catch up on everything!

Olivia's second day job

2009-06-27T22:03:00.002-05:00

Car/Baby Wash

2009-06-21T13:38:00.003-05:00

Well, Rachel won't get a summer job this year, so I am having Olivia hit the working world:

Name Game

2009-06-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

Olivia has really gotten good about naming people and things. From the time she wakes up until she goes to sleep at night she's naming. She runs down the list first thing in the morning: Momma, Daddy, Sissy, Macie, Bubby. She can name most of the Sesame Street characters when she sees them: Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster (although she either calls him Cookie or Monkey), Abby, Zoe, Ernie, Grover. She names Mamaw and Papaw, Ginger and Kya, Michele (Chel). She calls both Aunt Joyce and Uncle Andrew "Joyce". She knows Dora, Map, and Boots. She knows all kinds of animals and is working on what they "say". Her favorites are Monkeys, Ducks, Birds, Kittys and Dogs.
I had a set of flash cards I got a few months ago that I just recently got out. They have colors and simple objects on them. I was amazed that she already knew quite a few of them and the ones she didn't know she remembers after me telling her what they were just a time or two. She's so smart!
I bought a cheap two ring pool at Dollar General today and filled it up in the front yard. It was her first time in a "pool". She didn't hesitate to go right up and get in. She liked splashing around in it, but refused to sit down or get her hair wet. Here are some pics from today:

Rachel's horse show

2009-05-31T10:34:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Rachel had an eventing horse show at the Kentucky Horse Park. We didn't get to go see her, but her mom took a few pics that I'll post. Rachel ended with an overall of 2nd place in her division. She and her horse, Prince, are inspirational!

2009-05-20T21:31:00.001-05:00

Today my mom and I and Olivia went to West Baden again just to hang out. Mom hadn't been there since the renovation. It was a great photo op for the baby and the car!

Olivia and Isabelle - a comparison of opposites

2009-05-17T21:34:00.003-05:00

Isabelle, Rachel's other half-sister came over for a short visit today. She is 28 days older than Olivia. It's funny what opposites they are! Olivia wants to touch and hug on Isabelle and Izzy isn't so sure about it. They are so cute together anyway.

10th Anniversary

2009-05-16T21:04:00.004-05:00

Yesterday (May 15) was our 10th wedding anniversary. Last weekend we left Olivia with Ginger and headed to French Lick. We stayed a night at West Baden Springs Hotel. It was awesome! It only took like an hour and a half to get there. We took a train ride at the Train Museum and then ate lunch in the atrium at West Baden. After we checked in I walked the grounds taking pictures - it's so peaceful there! We ordered room service for supper and spent the rest of the evening watching muscle car auctions on tv. I was going to get a massage, but it's so expensive there and I was way comfortable laying around on the bed so I didn't. We probably could have slept till noon there - that was the most comfortable bed I've ever been in! Check-out time, however, is at 11:00. We got up, ordered breakfast thru room service, ate and left. I had the best time just walking the property and the hotel itself taking pictures. Below are some of my favorites.
One of the trains at the museum:

Inside the hotel at night:

West Baden from 56:

The atrium ceiling:

The stairs leading to the veranda:

The fountain and gardens at West Baden:

The center of the atrium ceiling changes colors at night:

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-08T23:24:00.002-05:00

This is my first Mothers Day with Olivia except I won't really be with Olivia. Ken and I are going to French Lick and staying Saturday night to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (which is actually next weekend). Olivia will be staying the night with Ginger and Kya (oh how she loves her Kya). This will be the first time she's slept away from home and the first time Ken and I will both be away from her at the same time. The grandmas are watching the grandpups and birds while we're gone.
Olivia is now afraid of thunderstorms. A couple weeks ago she could care less; now she cries every time it thunders. I had her and both dogs attached to me during the whole storm. Olivia was very clingy today anyway and I was trying to get everything ready for us to leave so she was a blubbering mess most of the day. She's also been eating like crazy lately - I don't know how she's still under 20 pounds!

MD Visit

2009-05-06T21:14:00.002-05:00

Olivia had her 18 month doctors appointment today. She is at about 30 inches or so tall, but still just under 20 pounds. One of the nurses said she looks like a gymnist because she's petite, but has muscular legs. She is pretty strong for a baby! He said she seems perfectly healthy and is advancing really well. They gave her a book for her to keep and watched as she pointed and called things out and pointed out things I asked her to find. She found the bird, duck, babies, etc. They asked if she talks much - of course she was kind of quiet there, but I'm like She talks constantly! She'll try to say just about anything we ask her to (and of course things I'd rather her not). She only took about a 20 minute nap today so she was really cranky for the appointment (and otherwise today). She finally crashed around 7:00 tonight. She also got 3 shots today at the doctor's. Between those and them making her strip and sit on the scales I'm sure she pierced a few ear drums with her screams. My mom went with us and said she was expecting glass to shatter from them. I was glad she was with me though; Olivia found a lot of comfort in her being there and "saving her".

To The Zoo

2009-05-03T09:36:00.007-05:00

Last weekend Olivia and I went to the zoo with my friend Ginger and her daughter Kya. The two girls are wonderful friends. They go to the same daycare and Kya is Olivia's little mommy. It was great - Kya insisted on pushing Olivia in the stroller through the whole zoo! Other than that Ginger and I took turns carrying Olivia so it wasn't bad at all. Here are some pics from the day:

2009-04-24T21:37:00.002-05:00

Here are some various pictures from the last few days. One is of Ken on one of his bikes. We have 4 bikes for sale, by the way, if anyone is interested.
One pic is of Olivia and Rachel together after Rachel's band concert a few nights ago. It's so hard to get a picture of them together and all I had handy was my phone, so it's not great.
The rest are of a very cool baby. When Olivia has her sunglasses on she says "cool". It's my little rapper baby!

Easter

2009-04-12T20:59:00.004-05:00

Well, I took about 200 pictures today of Olivia. My mom came and got her this morning and took her to church and then to some family members' houses. I took the opportunity to take a nap (I've got a cold). I've posted some of the pictures from today below. Also some from the last couple days. We dyed easter eggs a couple nights ago. Yesterday we ran errands and got mommy and Olivia new sunglasses. Olivia had to wear hers all the way thru Target saying "cool". People thought she was hilarious (did I mention they still had the plastic backing on them?).
Olivia turned 18 months old on the 9th. Getting so big! She talks constantly and we are starting to understand more of what she is saying. She'll repeat almost anything you ask her to say.

Photo Shoot at Misty's

2009-03-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

Today Olivia and I went to Misty's house to play and have a little photo shoot. I think Olivia had a great time playing with the duckling, bunny and cats and Misty got some great pictures of Olivia. Thanks again to Misty Melvin (www.walkbyfaithphoto.com)for having us over! Here are some cute ones from today:

Photo Shoot

2009-03-27T21:34:00.003-05:00

Well, Misty got me itching to do a photo shoot with Olivia. Since it's still kinda cool outside I set us up inside. Here are a few from tonight. Let me know what you think!

My Sick Baby

2009-03-14T22:03:00.002-05:00

Well, it finally circled to us. My friend Ginger texted me this morning that her five-year-old daughter started throwing up at 2 this morning. They go to daycare together. Then I learned that the daycare provider's son is also sick. This after my friend Amy's twin two-year-olds were sick for a few days. Not just sick, but coming out both ends. Yay. The twins go to the same daycare too. Guess it was just a matter of time. At about 4:30 this afternoon Olivia started throwing up. She's continued to do so every 20 to 30 minutes since. So, I've spent the entire evening holding her and cleaning us both up. She's been crying alot. I think her stomach hurts. I finally got her to sleep a little on the couch which she NEVER does. I'm trying to figure out a plan for tonight. Do I keep her in a pack-n-play in the family room and sleep on the couch? Do I sleep in her twin size bed in her room and put her in her crib? I have a feeling we will not be sleeping much either way. Luckilly I'm off this weekend so I can take care of her. We'll see how things are going for Monday when I go back to work.

Some March Photos

2009-03-09T22:23:00.001-05:00

Almost 17 months old

2009-03-05T21:51:00.002-06:00

Olivia will be 17 months old on the 9th. She is still under 20 pounds and in 12 month clothes. I think she's getting taller though. We went to the grocery store today and she seemed to think she was there to entertain. She was making funny faces at everyone we passed. We get so many people who stop us and tell her she looks like a doll or she is sooo cute. And she plays up to them the whole time, giggling and batting those long lashes.
I bought Olivia a potty a few days ago. It's got Winnie the Pooh and friends on it and she just sits staring at the picture of them on it. Right now she is most interested in taking the bowl out and running around with it . . . on her head. She pee-peed on the big potty a few nights ago so I thought I might as well get her her own potty to get used to. No pressure though.
Olivia is picking up new words like crazy now. She can tell us she wants "more" or that she's "done". Or if she wants "milk" or "juice" (almost always juice, but that's too bad). We have been working on nodding our head 'yes' instead of always shaking 'no'. It's so cute when she does it - it's so exaggerated. But, if I ask her if she's done with supper and she is then she nods yes.
The other day I told Olivia, "You pooped, I can smell it." She says "Pooped, shew." She cracks me up! And she anounces when she toots now. She's pretty proud of herself.
She's into baby dolls now. She carries them around and feeds them with her own cup (we really need to get her some play bottles). She's also starting to try to draw and color. She's also gotten very lovey. Olivia will crawl up into my lap, get face to face with me and just smile. She likes to give momma kisses and then gives me a big hug.
I haven't taken many pictures of her lately, now that it's warming up I need to work on that!

Valentine's Day/ Mamma's Birthday

2009-02-15T10:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Valentine's day and my birthday. I turned 31. Yuck. It was great to have Olivia home to celebrate with us though. I was off work (which has rarely happened since I was 15) and she and I spent the day at home together just relaxing. Olivia was very lovey yesterday and in a decent mood so it was nice. We watched Cinderella which I haven't seen in years. Then, last night my mom and dad came over and once Ken got off work we went to Stoll's for dinner. Olivia loves her grandparents and they spent the whole time cracking each other up. They brought her a Dora Valentine's card that sings a backpack song (which I think I've heard atleast 200 times now). The song caused her to create a new dance move. Olivia dances better that most adults I've seen and she'll dance to anything. It's hilarious! Olivia adores her Papaw who she doesn't get to see very often and I've never seen him smile as much as he does around her. They crack me up together.
Olivia is finally starting to say "gwama" once in a while. She also says "bird" and knows one when she sees one whether it be a robin, our cockatoo or a rooster. She is nodding yes now instead of always shaking her head no. She's also saying "eww" and "nose" and "snack".
Today we are mostly hanging out at home again. Right now we're watching Sleeping Beauty." She's getting excited about the horse the prince rides. So far she shares our love of horses. Rachel insists Olivia will be an English rider like she is.

Great Strides

2009-02-07T16:20:00.003-06:00

Olivia has made some great strides in the last week or so. Maybe not everyone would think so, but I was impressed! Last week I heard a noise behind me and found Olivia climbing into her walker. She had her cup in the cup holder already and pulled herself up into the walker. Then, she kicked back and drank her milk while watching TV.
We had her 15 month doctors appointment Thursday. She screamed and cried through most of it which I thought was kind of unusual for her. She didn't want them touching her and she certainly didn't want to lay on the table. She had 3 shots at the end. Of course she screamed her head off during those. Mommy had a headache afterwards from being so close to her mouth during the whole thing. Olivia is up to 19 pounds now and just under 29 inches tall. She will be 16 months on the 9th (in two days), but is still in 12 month clothes.
Also last week she was running around playing. She stopped and started saying "poop" over and over. I said, "What, did you poop?" And she said "yea". I'm thinking 'no way.' So, I checked and sure enough, she had pooped! I think I've told everyone that story - only those with little ones have seemed impressed. At the doctor's appt. they asked me if she tells me when she's peed yet. I'm thinking, I don't know of any 15 month olds telling their parents when they've peed. Maybe it's just me.
Olivia is saying about a dozen words on a regular bases now. Mamma, Daddy, Mamie (Macie), No No, Dog, Bath, Drink, Bye-Bye, Milk, Poop, Toot, Baby . . .
She can point out all of her body parts too.
There are still lots and lots of fits. She is very strong willed and very brave! She is now climbing on everything and standing on everything. We have to be on top of her at all times.
If I tell her it's time for her bath, she runs into the bathroom to the tub and tries to climb in. If I tell her it's time for bed she throws a fit. If I say "let's put your socks on" she puts her feet up for me.
Olivia amazes us everyday by all of the new things she's learned.
Here are some pictures I just took. Olivia is in a Valentine's outfit from Misty and Lyza (thanks guys!).

Winter Wonderland

2009-01-30T22:14:00.001-06:00

Pictures from Olivia's first time out in the snow (she didn't care much for it).

2009-01-30T22:03:00.002-06:00

2009-01-30T21:43:00.000-06:00

Some pictures I took on the way to work and around our house:

The SIFTGA group at the mall

2009-01-22T23:48:00.000-06:00

Pictures from Christmas Celebrations

2009-01-03T10:13:00.001-06:00

Ready for the New Year

2009-01-01T10:15:00.004-06:00

I decided not to bother with new year resolutions. I have my Olivia home and am comfortable and happy. Why mess with a good thing!?
Olivia loved Christmas - new toys, boxes to play in, lots of people all paying attention to her! Our house looks like the toy store exploded in it.
We have our post-adoption home visit coming this month at some point. Time to clean the house.
Right now I'm stressing about how to get Olivia's Social Security number before we file our tax return. Like filing your taxes isn't stressful enough!
I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!

Here is a picture of Olivia and her cousin Mia at Christmas. The other is Olivia with her dog, Macie.

2008-12-19T20:16:00.000-06:00

Christmas is coming . . .

2008-11-23T00:52:00.003-06:00

I'm wanting to get a good picture of Olivia for our Christmas cards, so we've been doing photo shoots at home. It's been rough though since Olivia throws a huge fit everytime I put a hat on her head! I did get lucky with a couple though, here they are:

Just Pictures Today

2008-11-15T10:31:00.002-06:00

olivia's new shades

bath time couldn't come soon enough!

Houdini

Excited about Obama!

2008-11-04T22:26:00.002-06:00

Okay, so this post is not about Olivia, but I am just so excited that our new president is Barak Obama. He won by 4%. I have been a strong supporter of Obama since I first heard of him. I just watched McCain's speech and was touched it. I'm very glad that he pledged his support to Obama and our country. I think he went out honorably.
Now it is time to move forward and make this a better country. I hope that everyone can follow McCain's lead by supporting our new president and banding together to make America great.
Congratulations to Barak Obama!

Halloween

2008-11-03T20:47:00.003-06:00

So it's been a few days since Halloween. I'm running a little behind.
For Olivia's first Halloween she dressed as a sunflower. When I got off work we went back in to show off to my co-workers. Then we went to FTIA to the Halloween open house. We couldn't get candy (not old enough yet), but we visited with Amanda and Kathy and other FTIA parents. Olivia played with a little baby boy from Guatemala who is a few months older than her. She chased him around the room.
After FTIA we came back home to pick up sissy and daddy and headed to Boonville. My mom works at Buehler's so we stopped there first. Then went to Aunt Glenda's, then to Uncle Danny and Joann's, and finally to Susie and Dennis's. It was a long night for all of us and a lot of driving. I think everyone liked seeing her, but I think I'll be glad when we can just walk the neighborhood to collect candy and call it a night.
By the time we got home Olivia was in melt-down-mode. It was the only picture I got from the night, so here it is:

2008-10-27T21:51:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine sent this to me recently. I really love it, thought I would share.

Two Women. One Child. Two kinds of Love...

Once there were two women
Who never knew each other.
One you do not remember,
The other you call mother.
Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star,
The other became your sun.
The first one gave you life
And the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
The second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent,
The other gave you aim.
One gave you emotions,
The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.
One sought for you a home
That she could not provide,
The other prayed for a child
And her hope was not denied.
And now you ask me through your tears,
The age-old question unanswered
Through the years…
Heredity or environment…
Which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither.
Just two different kinds of love.
- author unknown

We're sick

2008-10-24T00:04:00.003-05:00

Well, Olivia and I both woke up sick this morning. I had noticed she's been sneezing a little the last couple days. Now it's full-blown. She has a faucet for a nose and my throat hurts.
We've had a rough week. This past Saturday my Uncle Terry passed away. He had been fighting cancer for a very long time. I will miss him so so much. I am very glad that Olivia and I were able to visit him a couple of times in the last couple months and I got lots of pictures of them together.
Tuesday and Wendesday I spent everyday either at work or the funeral home. Tuesday was Olivia's first day at daycare. Wednesday was her one-year-old doctor's visit. So much going on, why wonder we're sick.
Olivia's first day at daycare went just fine. Daddy got the pleasure of dropping her off. It made him feel pretty guilty, but they said she never shed a tear for us. She really likes playing with older kids and she knows at least one of them that go there, so she will be fine.
Her doctor's visit went well. She is pretty advanced for a Guatemalan baby her age and she is pefectly healthy. Olivia is now 18 pounds and 28" long. We still have to finish her shots though since we were pressed for time that day. Her doctor said I should expect more temper tantrums now. He says this as she's screaming because I'm trying to put her clothes back on. I'm like, "you have to be kidding me!" More fits!? Yea, not a big surprise - she throws fits over everything. She is my little drama queen! I guess he isn't aware of the Guatatemper!

2008-10-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

1 YEAR OLD!!!

2008-10-09T11:05:00.002-05:00

Well, my baby girl is a year old today. She has been home for 2 months yesterday. Olivia fits right in with the rest of our family. She is loud, messy, and demanding! Her third tooth just broke thru in the last couple days. Now she has a full tooth on the bottom and a new one on bottom as well as a new one on top.
Olivia is still sleeping well, except for a few interuptions because of those darn teeth. She eats like crazy. Of course, she seems to be a meat and potatoes kid which figures since I don't eat red meat.
We had Olivia's birthday party last Saturday at Roca Bar. She didn't seem overwhelmed at all. She really enjoyed having people circled around her! Some of the family that hadn't gotten to see her yet were there. She showed everyone how well she's walking and how she jabbers.
She got a lot of cute outfits and lots of toys. She didn't know what to play with first!
Today, after nap, we're going out to use her gift cards and to pick out a gift from momma and daddy.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!

Almost a year old :(

2008-09-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

I can't beleive my baby is going to be a year old soon! We are planning to have a party at Roca Bar next weekend. She will turn one on the 9th and I go back to work on the 15th. Not looking forward to going back to work.

11 months old

2008-09-13T10:35:00.002-05:00

Olivia turned 11 months old this past Tuesday. She is making progress in leaps and bounds - too fast in my opinion! She is now not only walking, but trying to run. She runs about 4 steps, falls, and gets up and does it again. I feel like I spend all day hovering over her because she's into everything. About a week or so ago her first tooth finally broke through. So far it's the only one.
Olivia's favorite word right now is "dog". Everything is dog, but when she sees Macie, who is now apparently her dog, she gets sooo excited. Macie and Olivia play together, share food, and hang out together. For those of you who don't know, Macie is a two-year-old white german shephard.
I weighed Olivia on our home scales recently and she was up to about 18 pounds. She eats like crazy! I don't know where it all goes - she's still pretty small. She is still in 6-9 month clothes!
Well, it's nap time and someone is very cranky!

Movin' right along

2008-09-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

Well, I quit counting steps when Olivia got up to 25 at one time. She's moving faster and faster and getting into a lot. Her favorite thing is to find tiny pieces of stuff on the floor and stick it in her mouth. I usually get to her in time, but there have been a few times that I've had to go in there and dig stuff out.
I have her sleeping about 12 hours every night and she sleeps straight thru! Then she takes two naps that last about an hour. The later nap tends to be hard to get in just because we are often out running errands. I've learned to get as much done out of the house between 11:00 and 2:00 as possible.
There have been slightly less fits being thrown now that she's getting more sleep and settling in. And she is eating really well. Olivia takes 3-4 feedings of formula a day. In the afternoons she uses a sippy cup instead of a bottle. She eats finger foods really well. She'll try just about anything and likes an assortment of foods in one sitting. She likes fish, green beans, peas, olives, corn, bread.
I'm trying to think of ideas for Olivia's first birthday party. Since not everyone has seen her I want to invite as many people as possible. I'd like to find a building that would be inexpensive (or free) in Newburgh. I'm thinking for about 40 people.

On to the fun stuff

2008-08-21T21:28:00.002-05:00

Okay, so for now I'm skipping all of the stuff about the pick-up trip. On to the present . . .
Olivia took her first steps alone two days ago! Yesterday she was taking 6-7 steps at a time. She crawls, stands really well on her own and now is starting to walk!
Yesterday I gave her a baby fork and put some fruit on it and she was using the fork to eat the fruit! Can you believe what a big girl she is?!
Today was her first doctor's appointment since she's been home. He said she is doing great. She is 16 pounds (so tiny - still in size 6-9 month clothes), but is developing really well. She's already had most of her vaccines. She has a couple teeth coming in on the bottom, but none have poked thru yet.
Olivia is very smart and clever. She figures things out quickly. I think we're going to have our hands full!
The only problem we've had so far is her temper. She has the worst temper of any baby I've ever seen. When she gets mad (and it happens easilly) she screams and screams, bangs her fists and throws things, kicks her feet, pulls her hair, scratches herself with her nails. It's quite a site! It was really stressing me out at first, but I'm learning to shrug it off. The more we shrug it off the less fits she throws. And, of course, it gets worse when she's tired. If she's doing this now, at 10 months, I hate to see her at 2!
On the bright side, Olivia is sleeping thru the night now - has been for the last 4 or 5 nights. Naps are a little harder, but I'm learning tricks to get them in.
The doctor wants me to start getting her away from the bottle a little now. Olivia hasn't accepted a sippy cup - she prefers straws. So, I will keep working on the sippy cups and went ahead and bought a couple kids cups that have straws. Thru the whole store she was trying to suck on the straw thru the package.
Well, lots to do. I actually got her to bed at 8:00 tonight. She gets up every morning at 7:00.

We're home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-09T01:41:00.002-05:00

Our flight landed at 10 pm last night. We are sooo glad to be home - especially with Olivia! She is wonderful!! I will write all the details (and there is plenty) soon, but it's very late and I should be getting to bed.

2008-08-04T00:31:00.001-05:00

Only about 12 more hours!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-03T23:56:00.002-05:00

We have only about 12 more hours before we meet our baby girl!!! About 6 hours before the plane leaves Evansville. And 3 1/2 hours before we have to leave for the airport. I was going to try to go to bed around 8:00 tonight, obviously that worked out for me (it's midnight!). Surprisingly, it didn't work out for Ken either. He usually gets to bed long before I do. I didn't get to sleep until about 4 am this morning. It's been like that for about 3 weeks now. I get a few short hours of sleep each night and then go go go all day. I guess I'll be ready now for when we bring Olivia home!

Reservations made - now must sleep

2008-08-01T19:28:00.001-05:00

I have just finished finalizing our reservations for our flights and hotel. We are leaving Monday and returning on Friday. And we will be staying at the Crowne Plaza. It seems nice and it was even cheaper than where we were going to originally stay. Now just wish us luck on getting in to the Embassy while we're there!

This should be interesting . . .

2008-07-31T22:42:00.002-05:00

Okay. So, as of the end of the day Thursday I still have not heard from the US Embassy. That makes it a week that I've been e-mailing trying to get a new visa appointment date. Kathy, our coordinator even sent one on our behalf.
Well, my friend Misty gave me the phone number for the Embassy and enouraged me to give them a call and try that route. And, of course, neither my home or cell phone would allow me to dial internationally. So, Misty - being the wonderful friend she is - knew she would be able to get through with her phone so she called them for me. It was 4:30 our time and the Embassy said they were closed for the day and that they will only accept phone calls for appointment changes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I cannot wait until Tuesday! Will not!!
So, I talked to Kathy and she and Amanda suggested that we go ahead and fly down to Guatemala and demand an appointment! Well, sort of. They suggested we print off the tons of e-mails I've sent and send them with Andrea (the in-country coordinator) on Monday when she goes to the Embassy. Then we work on getting them to work us in in the following couple of days.
To do this we probably need to fly out on Sunday and stay until Friday. I have to work out all of the details tomorrow. I also talked to someone at Senator Lugar's office today (the woman who helped me get Ken's passport quickly - which we got today!) and she is going to try calling the Embassy tomorrow herself to see if it gets us anywhere. What the heck, right?
Velocity Tours is standing by for my word on the details of the plan. And poor Alfredo (who will hopefully be translating for us and taking us on a tour) has to change plans again because of all of this crazy mess. Hopefully he'll still be willing to work with us - I hear good things about him and his wife.
So, wish me luck. Tomorrow will probably be a long day!

Now Beyond Antsy!

2008-07-30T22:45:00.002-05:00

It's almost 11 at night on Wednesday and I still have not heard from the US Embassy! I know they don't do visa appointments on Thursdays, so I don't know if there is even a chance I will hear from them tomorrow.

So, not quite yet . . .

2008-07-28T20:21:00.002-05:00

We were due to fly out to Guatemala last Saturday morning. However, on Thursday night I discovered Ken's passport was missing. The only place I took it was Staples to make copies for the trip (the Sunday before) and I am sure I put both of them back in the envelope I had them in. Anyway, Friday morning I called Staples and they didn't have it, then I went to Staples to look for myself - didn't find it. Ken and I tore the house apart and my car looking for it - no sign of his passport (mine was in the envelope). So, we had to go to the post office to apply for an emergency re-issue of his passport ($200 total). And I had to move our flights and hotel ($300). And have been working on getting the US Embassy to move our visa appointment to next Monday. I've e-mailed twice and have heard nothing so far. I can't finalize the flights and hotel until I get a new appointment. I'm starting to get a little antsy.
The only bright side to this is that we were able to go to our family baby shower and I've had more time to get the nursery and house ready.

Less than 72 hours!

2008-07-23T09:21:00.002-05:00

Well, looks like we will be flying out at 6:00 Saturday morning now. We had to make sure that if anything went wrong we would not get there too late for our appoitment. We will be arriving in Guatemala around noon. We will be staying in Guat. until Friday and will be back late that night. While there we will meet up with my friend Michelle and her family who have the same appointment time/date that we do. I hope to take a tour to Antigua while we're there as well.
I still can't beleive that in less than four full days I will be holding our daughter!

WE HAVE PINK!!!

2008-07-21T23:44:00.003-05:00

We got our e-mail this evening from the Embassy with our appointment date. It is set for Monday, July 28 at 7:15 am. We will probably be flying out early Sunday morning and getting back late Friday night. I cannot believe we will actually be holding our baby girl in less than a week! I already have Olivia packed and I have myself about half-way packed.
I am not going to be able to sleep or think all week!

Baby Shower #1

2008-07-19T22:24:00.000-05:00

2nd DNA test is on its way

2008-07-17T10:11:00.002-05:00

I was just informed that the results of Olivia's second DNA test is being sent out today to the US Embassy. That means we will get our appointment date next week and should be out of here the week after!

The Last Stages

2008-07-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

I was told today that on 7-10 Olivia had her last DNA test done as well as her final medical exam. They said it usually takes 7-10 business days to get the results and then just a couple more before the US Embassy issues a visa date.

Embassy

2008-07-08T00:04:00.002-05:00

Our cordinator told me today that we were submitted to Embassy today. She said we should be traveling in 3 weeks! It still all seems so unreal.
I don't know if we will still be in the states for our baby showers, but that's okay - I'll need stuff when we get home! :)
I'm still freaking out about making the travel arrangements and stuff. I hope it all goes smoother than I think it will.

Unbelievable News!!!

2008-07-03T23:23:00.002-05:00

I just found out that Olivia's new birth certificate is complete! It was expected to not be done for a few more weeks, but I saw it - it has our names on it and everything! Our cordinator said she expects to hear about Olivia's passport next week. Looks like we will be traveling this month!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have so much to do, I'm kind of freaking out. Paperwork, her room, baby showers, travel arrangements, clean the house, Rachel's birthday, work, etc., etc. . . .

Another Roadblock :(

2008-06-26T05:07:00.003-05:00

Last night I got home after 9:00 from work and checked my e-mail. I had one from my cordinator at FTIA titled "Guatemala City Birth Certificate." My heart started beating faster and I'm thinking "Seriously, that was super fast." Then I opened it and saw that it was bad news instead. I had been told when we got the call that Guatemala City would not be going through RENAP like a lot of areas of Guatemala are. Now it turns out that they are. From what I can tell by the information in the e-mail, it will probably be atleast the end of August when we get the birth certificate. So, I guess it could be closer to Olivia's birthday in October when we bring her home. I had not allowed myself to get too emotional through this process, but when we found out we were out of PGN I finally let myself feel something. I've been beyond excited. I guess that was bad, because now I'm feeling a huge let down.

She's officially ours!

2008-06-23T19:22:00.002-05:00

I got word today that last Tuesday the birth mom signed the final adoption decree making Olivia officially ours. So, now we are waiting on Olivia's new birth certificate. It could be a couple of weeks.

Baby Showers

2008-06-22T10:07:00.002-05:00

I can't believe we are finally far enough along to have baby showers! My friend Ginger is throwing one for me on July 19 and my family is throwing one on July 26. We don't know where yet for either. I have registered at tons of places (I've had plenty of time). It has given me something to do that has to do with the baby. There is a list of the places at the end of my blog page.
I know everyone is going to want to see Olivia when we get her home. My plan though is to just stay home for about a week before taking her out to see people. Then I plan on having a big 1st birthday party for her and everyone will be able to see her then. It will only be 1 to 2 months after we get home. I'm still jumping for joy that we are going to have her home by her 1st birthday. I had resigned myself to the thought that she would be older.

We're Out! We're Out!!!!

2008-06-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

We got the call today that PGN has approved our case! That means we should be bringing Olivia home in the next 6 to 8 weeks!!!! We are actually going to have her home for her 1st birthday. I have so much to get done now. We really weren't expecting to get out for a while with the way things have been going there. I'll post as all of the little things get done that have to happen before we can bring her home.

PGN getting closer . . . maybe

2008-05-29T20:29:00.002-05:00

We were told this week that last week PGN interviewed our birth mother. And we were informed that the interviews done last week that included our attorney went well and were signed off on. So, I take that to mean that we have had our interview and the birth mom signed off on it and that is one less thing for me to worry about. I had been getting worried by the day because of things I have heard about the interviews. I know that part of the interview (which includes our attorney, our birth mother, Olivia and her foster mother and some people from PGN) is that the birth mother is supposed to hold the baby during the interview. I cannot even imagine how hard that would be for the birth mother.
We heard from FTIA today that PGN has released a few cases. They really don't know anymore than that. They said most of the cases that were released where KO'd with previos (changes needed), but they are not sure if any of those cases are with FTIA. So, we still wait for news . . .
I'm looking for new measurements for April any day now. I haven't sent the 6-9 month clothes yet, so hopefully she won't be grown out of them before they get there. I also have not called our foster mom yet. I need to find a good international phone card to call Guatemala.

The days drag on . . .

2008-05-12T23:23:00.000-05:00

So, everyday that goes by since we found out about the PGN shutdown it all sinks in a little more. I think I have just been numb for the last several days, but the more people who ask about the adoption, the more I realize what it all really means. If the investigations in PGN take as long as FTIA expects them to we will likely not be able to pick up Olivia until the end of the year. I can say for certain that, at this point, it will be no earlier than September. Olivia just turned 7 months on May 9. Last night I went through the clothes I had recently bought that are size 6-9 months so that I can send them on over. I'm still holding on to some hope and keeping the clothes that are 12 month size. Olivia should be just starting to wear the 6-9 month sizes going by her latest measurements. I guess I should also be revising my registries. I have registerd at tons of places just to keep myself busy.

PGN Pain

2008-05-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

We found out today that not only the main guy at PGN was replaced, but so was everyone else that worked there. PGN is saying that there will be a hold on cases for a month while they investigate current cases before things start back up again. However, according to FTIA we should not expect to hear anything about our case for atleast two to three months since there will be all new people learning a new job and they have about 3,000 cases to review. We have been in PGN for 51 days and may now be on hold for several months. There are a few things that help me not to be too upset: 1. we are in there with 3,000 other people and 2. there are people in our group who have been waiting in PGN since the beginning of December who now have a longer wait while their babies celebrate their first birthdays.
So, I am upset about the what is going on, but I will find a way to deal with it. I guess I will go ahead and send the 6-9 month size clothes I had bought to Olivia's foster mom and keep sending pictures of us. And I will remind myself that Olivia was blessed with a wonderful foster mom. I still have not called Eva, our foster mom, but plan to very soon. It is much overdue.
On the bright side, we did get new pictures of Olivia. She is 6 months old in the pictures. Olivia will be 7 months old on May 9.

The latest on our PGN status

2008-05-04T17:54:00.000-05:00

We were told Tuesday that FTIA got word on Monday that we have been resubmitted to PGN. However, they are seeing cases go in, but none come out. Their theory right now is that PGN is still not reviewing or signing off on cases though.
We should be getting new pictures at some point this week. Probably Friday.

Measurements

2008-04-30T22:04:00.001-05:00

October: 6 days old
48 cm long; 7lb,8oz
November: 1 month, 21 days old
54 cm long; 10lb, 4oz
December: 2 months, 21 days old
56 cm long; 11lb, 4oz
January: 3 months, 21 days old
56 cm long; 12lb, 6oz
February: 4 months, 21 days old
58 cm long; 13lb, 14 oz
March: 5 months, 21 days old
61 cm long; 15lb, 4 oz
April: none
May: about 7 months old
64 cm long; 16lb, 8 oz

PGN closed - April 28

2008-04-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

We just found out yesterday that PGN is closed. We know this is because they are working on replacing Barrios, the guy over PGN. This will hopefully make things a lot quicker and more efficient when they are done, but we don't know how long it will take. It could be closed for only a couple days, could be a couple months or more. Olivia turns 7 months old in just over a week. We really want to get her home as young as possible. At this point it will likely be at least July when we are able to go get her and bring her home. We had been submitted to PGN on 3/17 and were kicked out on 4/17 because PGN wanted a new copy of the birth mother's birth certificate. We were due to be resubmitted last Friday, but I haven't gotten word that we were resubmitted, so I guess it will be after PGN reopens.

Timeline

2008-04-28T23:27:00.003-05:00

Here is our timeline so far:

2/14/07 - application to FTIA
10/9/07 - Aura born
11/1/07 - referral of Aura
11/26/07 - DNA authorization
12/27/07 - enter Family Court
2/5/08 - DNA results - it's a match
3/12/08 - Pre Approval from US Embassy received
3/17/08 - exit Family Courty
3/17/08 - enter PGN
4/17/08 - Kicked out of PGN
4/28/08 - resubmitted to PGN
4/28/08 - PGN closed for investigations
5/23/08 - BMI in PGN
6/16/08 - OUT of PGN!
6/17/08 - Adoption Decree Signed - She's ours!

Aura Suhey Molina Castillo

2008-04-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

On November 1, 2007 we got the referral for Aura Suhey. She was six days old in the pictures we got. Her birthday is October 9. She was a beautiful baby with lots of dark hair. Ken and I decided to rename her Olivia and keep Aura as her middle name.
Shortly after we accepted her referral Guatemalan adoptions were cut off.
We were lucky that her referral pictures included a picture of her birth mom and her foster mom holding her. We will treasure it for years to come and I know she will also. Olivia's foster mom is great. She has a husband and three teenage boys, so she keeps Olivia dressed pretty girly.