We wanted to thank everyone for their prayers on Thursday. We have not heard any positive news yet for our case but we did hear that there were two birth mother interviews this week so that is hopeful for us for the future. Wayne and I both believe in prayer and know that sometimes an answered prayer is not always the answer we are looking for or in the time we are lookng for. We are positive that God will answer the prayers so we are now just waiting to see his mighty work unfold. We will continue to pray and ask that you all do the same. We know that someday (we hope soon) we will be able to post some positive progress in our case.
We received a bulk update this weekend that let us know four cases moved forward this past week but unfortunately our case did not move forward. It gives us hope to know that cases are being moved and released and babies are coming home. God knows our hearts desire is to have Madison home as soon as possible but for whatever reason his timing is not the same as ours. We are going to do our best and wait this time out in a positive manner so please pray for us as well as our case.
As far as Madison, I received an email from the foster family, in very broken English, that let us know that Madison is doing well.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Please Mark Your Calanders for Thursday, July 17, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19-20
We are asking for everyone to please pray for our adoption at exactly 12:00pm on Thursday, July 17. Wayne and I both believe greatly in the power of prayer and we believe that there is power when everyone prays together. We ask that you pray for our adoption case to start moving forward again instead of sitting at a stand still and that our attorney will be proactive instead of reactive (or non-active).
We found out from reading an official website of the CNA (Central National Authority -which is a Guatemalan governmental agency) that our attorney does not have to wait for someone to contact him for an appointment for the birthmother interview but instead he is to call them and schedule an appointment time. He does not seem to want to do this but instead wants to wait to be contacted. Wayne and I truly believe that our case will move quickly once we get the birthmother interview completed but unfortunately the Guatemalan President will not allow any adoption cases to move forward until the birthmother is interviewed to make sure she legally gave up her child for adoption.
Again, please set up some kind of reminder to remind yourself to pray for our adoption case on July 17 at 12:00pm. Wayne and I will be praying at that time as well.
You may ask why we are waiting until Thursday. We wanted to give everyone a chance to read this and have a chance to join us.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers over the past year...they have really kept us going.
We are asking for everyone to please pray for our adoption at exactly 12:00pm on Thursday, July 17. Wayne and I both believe greatly in the power of prayer and we believe that there is power when everyone prays together. We ask that you pray for our adoption case to start moving forward again instead of sitting at a stand still and that our attorney will be proactive instead of reactive (or non-active).
We found out from reading an official website of the CNA (Central National Authority -which is a Guatemalan governmental agency) that our attorney does not have to wait for someone to contact him for an appointment for the birthmother interview but instead he is to call them and schedule an appointment time. He does not seem to want to do this but instead wants to wait to be contacted. Wayne and I truly believe that our case will move quickly once we get the birthmother interview completed but unfortunately the Guatemalan President will not allow any adoption cases to move forward until the birthmother is interviewed to make sure she legally gave up her child for adoption.
Again, please set up some kind of reminder to remind yourself to pray for our adoption case on July 17 at 12:00pm. Wayne and I will be praying at that time as well.
You may ask why we are waiting until Thursday. We wanted to give everyone a chance to read this and have a chance to join us.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers over the past year...they have really kept us going.
KISSES IN THE WIND (The Waiting Child's Lullabye)
I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams.
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
© Pamela Durkota, written for Josh
You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.
I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long.
But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.
Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...
Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.
I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.
Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.
But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.
May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.
And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.
© Pamela Durkota, written for Josh
Friday, July 11, 2008
4th of July Pics - just a little late...
Jacob's first 4th of July was fairly quiet until the thunderstorm showed up. We went to Sandhills to listen to the live bands and watch the fireworks but just before dusk a thunderstorm showed up and we decided to go home. Jacob slept through the fireworks our neighbors shot off, so having to go home early wasn't that bad after all.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Jacob is 2 months old today!
Jacob had his 2 month checkup today and passed with flying colors. He also received 3 shots which I think they were just as hard on me as they were on him. I hate needles and to see them poke my son with a needle was really hard. He is a trooper though; he was asleep in the waiting room just a few minutes after getting the shots and spent a good amount of time tonight playing.
He is currently 14 pounds and 24 inches long. He is already wearing some size 6 months pajamas. They are a little big around but the length is perfect. It is hard to believe that it has been 2 months since he was born. We have had our ups and downs with finding a formula to work for him as well as dealing with some digestion problems but all in all he is a great baby. I find myself just staring at him wondering if he could get any cuter and thinking how lucky we are that God chose us to be his parents.
Happy 2 month birthday Jacob - Mommy and Daddy Love You!
He is currently 14 pounds and 24 inches long. He is already wearing some size 6 months pajamas. They are a little big around but the length is perfect. It is hard to believe that it has been 2 months since he was born. We have had our ups and downs with finding a formula to work for him as well as dealing with some digestion problems but all in all he is a great baby. I find myself just staring at him wondering if he could get any cuter and thinking how lucky we are that God chose us to be his parents.
Happy 2 month birthday Jacob - Mommy and Daddy Love You!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Have Passport, ready to travel....SO COME ON ALREADY AND LET US BRING MADISON HOME!
Ok, we officially have Jacob's passport in hand and are ready to go to
Guatemala at any time. We are getting really frustrated to say the least
about this process. As you can tell by the "ticker" up top we have been in
this process now for 1 year, 2months, and 4 days. WAY TOO LONG!!! It is
PAST time to bring Madison home. I am almost positive that our case is our
attorney's oldest (most outstanding) case he has so why has he not given it priority? I understand that other families want their children home just as bad as we do but honestly is it really fair for a family who just started the
process in December to be out of PGN and waiting on a visa already? We
know that there are several families who started after we did and are already out of PGN. Yes, we do know that other cases have not had the paperwork issues we have and that those children might have been born in another area that is more adoption friendly when it comes to processing things timely but
still does it seem fair? I learned as a kid that life was not fair and it
never will be but does it have to be so unfair? We personally feel that
our attorney should be making our case a top priority for the simple fact that it has been in over a year since we started. One would think that it would be in the best interest of Madison to have the case completed before
much longer.
Wayne and I have tried our best to stay positive during this entire process and have tried not to make too many waves. We have let our adoption agency know how frustrated we are and that we question if our attorney is working on our case like he should. We get told that yes he is working on it and that
they understand our concerns, but I can't help but think that due to the
language barrier we are not always getting the entire truth. It is very
hard to have a confrontational conversation with someone when you don't speak the same language.
Our attorney told our adoption agency that he should have our interview sometime this week but I can't help but think that he just says that to keep
from having to answer any more questions. I can tell you that if we don't
have any answers by Monday at the latest (if it is possible with the holiday coming up our agency might be closed) we are wanting to try to find a way to have a conference call with our attorney and our coordinator.
I cannot stress enough on how much we need your prayers about the adoption at this time so please keep praying.
We also want to ask you to please pray for Jacob, he is still having reflux issues as well as "tummy trouble" which keeps him from eating what he should as well as sleeping
Guatemala at any time. We are getting really frustrated to say the least
about this process. As you can tell by the "ticker" up top we have been in
this process now for 1 year, 2months, and 4 days. WAY TOO LONG!!! It is
PAST time to bring Madison home. I am almost positive that our case is our
attorney's oldest (most outstanding) case he has so why has he not given it priority? I understand that other families want their children home just as bad as we do but honestly is it really fair for a family who just started the
process in December to be out of PGN and waiting on a visa already? We
know that there are several families who started after we did and are already out of PGN. Yes, we do know that other cases have not had the paperwork issues we have and that those children might have been born in another area that is more adoption friendly when it comes to processing things timely but
still does it seem fair? I learned as a kid that life was not fair and it
never will be but does it have to be so unfair? We personally feel that
our attorney should be making our case a top priority for the simple fact that it has been in over a year since we started. One would think that it would be in the best interest of Madison to have the case completed before
much longer.
Wayne and I have tried our best to stay positive during this entire process and have tried not to make too many waves. We have let our adoption agency know how frustrated we are and that we question if our attorney is working on our case like he should. We get told that yes he is working on it and that
they understand our concerns, but I can't help but think that due to the
language barrier we are not always getting the entire truth. It is very
hard to have a confrontational conversation with someone when you don't speak the same language.
Our attorney told our adoption agency that he should have our interview sometime this week but I can't help but think that he just says that to keep
from having to answer any more questions. I can tell you that if we don't
have any answers by Monday at the latest (if it is possible with the holiday coming up our agency might be closed) we are wanting to try to find a way to have a conference call with our attorney and our coordinator.
I cannot stress enough on how much we need your prayers about the adoption at this time so please keep praying.
We also want to ask you to please pray for Jacob, he is still having reflux issues as well as "tummy trouble" which keeps him from eating what he should as well as sleeping
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Our prayers for some new pictures of Madison have been answered!
We received a medical update and pictures on Madison today. This update has been a very long time coming. We have been praying daily that we hear something soon about her well being and receive some recent pictures. She went to the doctor on the
16th and received a good report. She is 25 pounds and a little under 31 inches tall. She is walking and crawling, this great since she couldn't crawl at all when we were there in March. She was trying to walk and not crawl. She also finally has some teeth. In the pictures we can tell that she has at least two bottom teeth. We are so excited to be able to see how she has grown in the pictures and know that she is doing well. We continue to trust in God that he will bring her home very soon. Our attorney in Guatemala seems to think that our case will have the birthmother interview scheduled really soon and once that is over that our case won't be in PGN long at all. We are praying for her to come home really soon. Since January it has been really hard for us to not get upset and down about this entire process. We have seen other families be able to take their children home and wonder when we will get a break on our case and get to do the same. I have to admit though that if we were told we could have a child home by the end of the month but that it would not be Madison, I would have to tell them that I will continue to wait. I know Wayne feels the same way I do, any other child would not be Madison and Madison is meant to be a part of our family. While we wait we continue to pray that she comes home very soon and also for God to give us the strength to make it through the waiting period. We do not always know the rewards God has for us after a long waiting period but in this case we know that our reward is Madison. Wayne and I absolutely love her more than we can say. We know that everyone else will fall in love with her as well once she is home. We can't wait for Jacob to meet his big sister and for her to meet her little brother. I am sure that will be a day that I never forget.
Please continue to pray for us and that God will bring Madison home to us really soon.
16th and received a good report. She is 25 pounds and a little under 31 inches tall. She is walking and crawling, this great since she couldn't crawl at all when we were there in March. She was trying to walk and not crawl. She also finally has some teeth. In the pictures we can tell that she has at least two bottom teeth. We are so excited to be able to see how she has grown in the pictures and know that she is doing well. We continue to trust in God that he will bring her home very soon. Our attorney in Guatemala seems to think that our case will have the birthmother interview scheduled really soon and once that is over that our case won't be in PGN long at all. We are praying for her to come home really soon. Since January it has been really hard for us to not get upset and down about this entire process. We have seen other families be able to take their children home and wonder when we will get a break on our case and get to do the same. I have to admit though that if we were told we could have a child home by the end of the month but that it would not be Madison, I would have to tell them that I will continue to wait. I know Wayne feels the same way I do, any other child would not be Madison and Madison is meant to be a part of our family. While we wait we continue to pray that she comes home very soon and also for God to give us the strength to make it through the waiting period. We do not always know the rewards God has for us after a long waiting period but in this case we know that our reward is Madison. Wayne and I absolutely love her more than we can say. We know that everyone else will fall in love with her as well once she is home. We can't wait for Jacob to meet his big sister and for her to meet her little brother. I am sure that will be a day that I never forget.
Please continue to pray for us and that God will bring Madison home to us really soon.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Father's Day picture and still no news
Here is a picture of Wayne and Jacob on Father's Day. As you can tell they dressed alike for Wayne's first Father's Day. Everyone loved their shirts. Jacob is doing really well and changing each day. It is hard to believe that on Wednesday he will be 7 weeks old. I guess time really flies by when you are sleep deprived.
We are still waiting on news about Madison and/or our case. We are getting really frustrated because we have not received any information about Madison's well being since December. We thankfully had our visit in March which helped us get by a few months but now we are craving some information. It is so hard to know she is going through each day learning new things and we have no idea about her life for the past few months. We really need all of your prayers to help us through this time. We really feel in our hearts that we are getting close to the end but no news is really hard to handle.
We are still waiting on news about Madison and/or our case. We are getting really frustrated because we have not received any information about Madison's well being since December. We thankfully had our visit in March which helped us get by a few months but now we are craving some information. It is so hard to know she is going through each day learning new things and we have no idea about her life for the past few months. We really need all of your prayers to help us through this time. We really feel in our hearts that we are getting close to the end but no news is really hard to handle.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Still playing the waiting game...
We found out that our attorney has had some interviews this week but unfortunately none of them have been for our case. We did hear that the interviews seem to be going well which is a good thing. We have also read through some other blogs that cases are being released from PGN so we really feel that as soon as we get our interview completed then it is only a matter of time before we will be out of PGN. Please pray that our case has an interview very soon. (As a reminder the interviews are when PGN interviews the birthmothers about the adoption as well as the attorney). Also please pray for Madison's birthmother during this process.
We are still working on getting some information about Madison such as how big she is, is she walking, etc. Hopefully we will have some new information about her case and her very soon.
This past weekend we went to the beach with some of my family. Here are a few pictures of Jacob's first trip to the beach.
(I can't wait to be able to post Madison's first trip to the beach - praying that it will be this summer that I get to post those pictures)
We did not take him any further into the water which is good since he wasn't too happy with just that little bit. I am sure he will grow to love the ocean as much as his Mommy does.
We are still working on getting some information about Madison such as how big she is, is she walking, etc. Hopefully we will have some new information about her case and her very soon.
This past weekend we went to the beach with some of my family. Here are a few pictures of Jacob's first trip to the beach.
(I can't wait to be able to post Madison's first trip to the beach - praying that it will be this summer that I get to post those pictures)
We did not take him any further into the water which is good since he wasn't too happy with just that little bit. I am sure he will grow to love the ocean as much as his Mommy does.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Still waiting...but asking for prayers
We heard from our adoption agency today that our attorney has still not been contacted with an interview time. Our coordinator has asked our translator to please ask our attorney how he feels about this entire process and what he feels about the rumors that are going around about the bribes,etc. We know that Guatemala is currently attempting to conduct over 2000 interviews because they have over 2000 current adoption cases open. We are asking everyone to please pray that our attorney receives an appointment time in the near future for our cases interview so that we might at least have that part over.
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