Still out of PGN!

Well we found out yesterday that our case has still not been resubmitted to PGN. Our agency is working to try to find out the exact reason for us not being in PGN so that we can at least have some type of understanding for the hold up. It is looking more and more like Madison will not be home by the end of the year but we are still praying for a miracle. Miracles do happen! We are asking for everyone to pray for our case and for Madison. We know that there is nothing we can do to speed things up we just have to trust in God that his will is being done. It is really hard to have Christmas just around the corner and not have Madison home. Our families have told us that it would not bother them if we were in Guatemala for Christmas preparing to bring her home instead of spending time with them. We know that it would be a true miracle for this to happen. Madison will be home soon, we just don't know how soon that will be. It seems so amazing to love someone so much through pictures and the one week we spent with her but honestly all it took was the very first picture. In our hearts she is already our daughter.

Bad news and great pictures!

Ok, well I have not updated in a while mostly because we were hoping to get some good news to report. But unfortunately the only news we have received concerning our case has been bad news. We found out that the timeline for our case is as follows:

On September 3 we entered PGN (Guatemalan Government Agency - I compare it to a DHS type agency but for the entire country)
We were kicked out a short time later for having been submitted to PGN prior to receiving our pre-approval from the US Embassy. We received that on September 28.

On October 12 we were in PGN and on the second reviewer’s desk waiting for the case to be reviewed. (In PGN each adoption case must go through three reviewers and then back to the first before it can be approved and a Visa be issued.)

We found out on October 30 that we received another previo (the term PGN uses to basically mean "kicked out") in PGN on October 25. We don't really know the reason for the previo at this time.

Currently we are not back in PGN and we still don't have a reason for the previo. We are assuming that the previo does not have anything to do with our paperwork or that it is not something that Wayne or I could correct. The previo could be caused by a variety of reasons some of which could be the birthmother’s paperwork, the hospital records, and etc. We are just praying that the problem is resolved soon and our case goes back in PGN without any further issues.

We are very disappointed by this news because this puts our case on hold indefinitely but will still remain hopeful. This is one of the biggest tests of faith we have ever faced. We are trying to remain strong and keep our faith that Madison will be home soon.

On a better note we did receive a medical update with new pictures. In the pictures Madison is 7 months and 10 days old. She currently weighs about 19 1/2 pounds and is developing normally. She is beginning to be more verbal and sitting up by herself.

We're disappointed but our Faith will not be broken!

Well I know it has been a little while since I updated the blog but we really haven't had anything to report. We did hear some disappointing news last Tuesday and I attempted to update that day but was so upset I decided to wait until I calmed down a little. We found out last Tuesday that our case is not in PGN and we have no idea when it will be entered into PGN. Due to this they feel that it is very unlikely that we will be able to bring Madison home by Christmas. I have to admit that our hearts were broken and the news was very troubling. However Wayne and I both believe in miracles and still have Faith that God is in control and can move this adoption. God has proven many times that he is in control. We were told that we would not be able to go for a visit in September but we did. We are still praying that we will have Madison home by the end of the year.
On Thursday night of last week we finally received a couple of emails from our adoption agency about our case. We basically found out that PGN only accepts a certain number of cases each month and that our case is waiting. That same night we received a phone call from Madison's foster family. The call was very brief due to the fact that we don't speak Spanish and they don't speak English. All they could communicate to us was that "baby Nulsy is fine". That was just what we needed to hear and gave us some peace about the situation. We believe that the phone call was not coincidence but that it was God's way of reminding us to trust him.
We are currently waiting for the medical update for October. In the update they usually send recent pictures. We have not received an update since August so you can imagine we are very anxious for this one.
Please pray for our case and that a miracle will happen so that Madison will be home by the end of the year. Also pray that we will receive an update soon.
Wayne and I may get down and upset about everything but refuse to lose our Faith.
Madison is meant to be a part of our family and we know that God will bring her home when the time is right.

Amen! We have our Pre-Approval.

We received our pre-approval from the US Embassy today through email. This is one huge step and now means we are in the PGN portion of the adoption. As stated in the post from Aug. 28, PGN is basically a Guatemalan Government Agency that approves all adoptions. The adoptions cases are averaging anywhere between 5 to 9 weeks in PGN. We did hear about some instances where PGN took up to 20 plus weeks but we have faith in God that our case will not take that long. God has been so good to us so far and everything has been completed in such a timely manner that we can't imagine going that long. We have been praying that our pre-approval would arrive earlier than the 60 day deadline and God answered our prayers. The pre-approval wait was only 45 days. This just puts us that much closer to being able to bring Madison home for Christmas. We miss her sooooo much that watching the video of her or looking at the pictures of her is sometimes a joyous pain. (If that makes any sense) Please keep this process in your prayers and also continue to pray for all three of us. As soon as we know more I will post the details.

Meredith is 35!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Meredith today she turned 35! No other news to report with the adoption process. We are still waiting. Meredith did say today that the only thing that could make this birthday any better is if we got an email from the US Embassy in Guatemala with our approval. So far that hasn't happened. We are also still awaiting new pictures and medical information on Madison. We know that she had a doctors appointment on the 21st of September (and usually within a day or so we get an update) but as of yet still no update. Meredith emailed our agency coordinator this morning to see if she has any news, but she hasn't responded yet.

Madison is 6 months old....

and all she wants for her birthday or Christmas is to get to come home and be with Mommy and Daddy. Oh, and the teeth she is working so hard to get.
As you can tell in the pictures she loves to chew on her fingers while she is teething.

Happy 6 Month Birthday (half a year old - such a big girl)!

We are back home.

First of all we want to thank everyone for your support and prayers while we were in Guatemala spending time with Madison. We cannot wait for everyone to meet her and to see how wonderful she is. One day while we were there, I think it was Wednesday, I was a walking with Madison in the lobby of the hotel waiting for Wayne. When I walked around the corner into the lobby a lady who was sitting in the area stopped and looked at me. She immediately said to me that Madison lit up the room when we walked in. I have to agree with her. When you see her you can't help but smile. We miss her every day but know that each day that goes by is one more day closer to us bringing her home forever.
I thought I would share some more pictures of our time with you all.


Madison enjoys watching football with her daddy.



Mommy and Daddy are way too funny!



I love my Daddy.



I love my Mommy too.

What a Beautiful Little Girl!

Ok I know that you are all wanting to know about our days here in Guatemala. Well Tuesday we went to the Zoo with Chrissie, Enrique, and Marissa. We had a great time seeing all of the animals. I am not sure how much Madison enjoyed since she fell asleep and slept a good part of the time. It seems that everywhere we go people want to stop and talk to Madison. She does not look like most of the babies here and people just assume that she is our biological daughter. They are surprised when they find out we are adopting her.
On Wednesday we went to the local Artisian Market. This is a local outdoor market with all types of Guatemalan items. We would have loved to spend a lot of money there but we had to be realistic in what we really needed. We are also planning on buying things when we come back to get Madison to bring her home.
Today we stayed at the hotel all day. We spent the morning at the pool and then at lunch by the pool. Madison seems to enjoy the water which it great since both her parents do as well. The staff at the hotel is extremely nice even to the point that when it started raining at lunch, instead of us having to take Madison through the rain, they took us through the kitchen. Wayne and I felt really strange parading through the kitchen with a sleeping baby in the stroller and us in our swimsuits, but we were really thankful for not being in the rain.
Tomorrow will be our last full day with her which will be very hard. We are meeting her foster family at 9am (11am est and 10am cst)on Saturday morning to give her back to them. That will be the hardest thing we will ever have to do. Please pray for us at that time and that everything with the adoption will continue to go smoothly and in a timely manner. We want our time apart to be as short as possible. I can't imagine not having come here to spend this week with her and getting to know her personality. She is the sweetest girl and has such a serious side to her. I am crying as I type this because the thought of leaving her is sooooooo hard. I never knew how much I loved her until I held her in my arms that first day.
Well now on to the pictures which I know you are all waiting for.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Monday was Wayne's birthday and not only did he get to spend it with his daughter but she was attached to him most of the day. I have to say that I think that was the best part of his birthday. We started off the day with going for a swim after breakfast, then a nap, and then later that evening we went out to dinner for Wayne's birthday. We went to a local steak restaurant a few blocks from the hotel and had a great dinner. At the end Wayne was surprised to see that a group of the wait staff came and sang to him. I have to say that he did not see that coming....hahaha!




Isn't she the most adorable baby ever!!!






She is such a daddy's girl already!









Happy Birthday Daddy!

We're in Guatemala!

We arrived in Guatemala yesterday around 11:30am after a long morning but pretty easy trip. Chrissie, Enrique, and Marissa picked us up at the airport which was a huge plus. After we got our luggage at the airport and headed toward the exit we were immediately greeted by a huge crowd all eagerly wanting to take us to our hotel. Some even almost insisting. The other thing was they all were speaking Spanish which made it even harder to understand what they were trying to do.
We were not at the hotel probably for more than 30 mins. when they called and said that Madison was downstairs.
The meeting was just like my mind said it would be but my heart was hoping for something a lot calmer. Madison's foster mom loves her very much and was crying when she gave her to me. Madison immediately started crying and not just a regular cry, a toe curling cry. She cried for a good while before she calmed down a little bit. We also determined that she had really bad gas pains and of course we had nothing to give her. Again thank goodness for Enrique and Chrissie who were able to help us through this time by the support they gave and their ability to communicate with the hotel staff to locate some gas drops.
We spent some time in the "baby lounge" with other adopting families and they all told us that the first day is the hardest and to trust that it will get easier each day.
After a rough start last night she finally fell asleep and slept for 4 hours straight.

Today has been a huge improvement. She has eaten better, played more, and is even taking a nap at the current moment. She does not look at Wayne and I like we are going to hurt her anymore either, which is huge for us.
Below are some of the pictures from our day yesterday.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers for this visit as well as the adoption process.

(I can't spell check at the moment, so if there are typos in the post...Sorry!)