CALL TO ACTION - PLEASE HELP

Due to the new statement by US Department of State and Guatemala's current (soon to be gone) President...adoptive parents in the US have started a Call To Action to help those of us adopting from Guatemala. Below is a link to electronically sign a Petition. Please help. I am also going to post links to sample letters you can send to your government officials. Please remember these letters are a way to help us bring home our children. There is a very real chance those of us in process on January 1, 2008 will lose our children. Please write and help.

The petition is here: www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.html

It is very important that these offices are flooded with letters so they know the public will hold our government accountable. Please go to the following page at Guatadopt and scroll down to the letters: www.guatadopt.com/archives/000715.html#000715

The are six inks to our letters that will look like this:
Letter to DOS for In-Process families: Download file
Letter to DOS for Awaiting Referal Families: Download file
Letter to DOS for Friends and Others: Download file
Letter to Sen/Rep for In-Process Families: Download file
Letter to Sen/Rep for Awaiting Referal Families: Download file
Letter to Sen/Rep for Friends and Others: Download file

DOS - send letters to:
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

and to:
Gerry Fuller
Unit Chief for Bilateral Adoption
Office of Children's Issues
Department of State
email is: fullergw@state.gov

You can find your government officials at:
www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

THANK YOU.

Family Court Update

Today our agency let us know that our Social Worker Interviews were completed on September 21 and now the social worker will write up her report and send it to the Judge. Then we will exit Family Court. This process is taking 3-6 weeks. We are hoping it's a lot faster so we can get into PGN as soon as possible.

So Behind....and BLING!

Ok, I'm getting so behind on the blog, so sorry! Below is a picture of Natalie (notice the BLING in her tiny ears) at her September 11 Surprise visit and then another picture of her at here September 17 Social visit.

2nd Visit, 2 month Dr. visit and PA!!

My mom and I went to Guatemala for my second trip and her first trip to meet baby Natalie. We went from September 20-25 and had a wonderful time hanging out and meeting various other adoptive parents. Things are getting a little panicky with all the government shenanigans but people are still holding out hope that in-process cases will get through in a reasonable time frame. It's good to have dreams.

Baby Natalie also turned 2 months on September 21. Dr. Montiel says: Natalie is
doing well in the time since her last visit with me, she is now spending a good part of the day awake and from what I can gather from the caregiver both the growth and development appear to be progressing well, she is alert and loves to be talked too making some cooing noises of her own as well as smiling in response, shows active, symmetrical, mainly reflex movements of both arms and legs and still also move her head from side to side, when on her stomach she will briefly lift her face form the bed. I am also told that she takes well her formula and is receiving her ordered vitamin supplement. Upon evaluation today I found this little one in good health with no obvious physical or neurological abnormalities, her weight today is 10 lbs 2 oz, length of 50.5 cms and head circumference of 35.1 cms.

And on a VERY high note, we received PA (pre-approval) today. As you know from previous posts it has been taking the US Government about 12 weeks (from DNA collection) or 60 days (from DNA notarization) to issue a pre-approval. So imagine my surprise when I sit down in front of the computer tonight after a few margaritas out front with friends and my first email is from "DONOTREPLY-USGOVT" and I start SCREAMING!! Poor David is like WHAT? WHAT? And I'm screaming we got a DONOTREPLY, we got a DONOTREPLY!!! Again, he's WHAT? WE GOT PREAPPROVAL!!!!!!! 6 wks from collection/35 days from notarization. I'm just stunned. I made David read it a million times to make sure it was our baby's approval. I've been stalking the computer waiting to hear we are out of Family Court (or at the very least interviews are done) and the last thing I expected to see was DONOTREPLY. AHHHHHHHHHH!! Now we wait to exit Family Court so we can enter the dreaded PGN.

Here are some pics of our princess:

Entered Family Court!

I just received an email from our agency (how cool are they working on a Sunday?) that we entered Family Court on August 30! Family Court is on the Guatemalan side - a social worker will now line up various interviews, including Natalie's birthmom, etc. We are still waiting for Pre-Approval on the U.S. side. We must exit Family Court AND receive Pre-Approval before we can enter PGN. At least we've had some movement - ALWAYS a good thing. I'm getting very excited for my trip to see Natalie on September 20. My mom has decided to come with me and meet her granddaughter - should be lots of fun!

First Video Montage

I've never done a video montage before...but I gave it a shot using all of Natalie's pictures that I have so far. Let me know what you think!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Daddy's Little Girl

Our Agency sent this cute pic of Natalie and David today. This was taken by our Foster Mother Manager when we had to drop Natalie off - she looked straight at David as if to say "What do you think you're doing?"