HOLEY COW, YOUR NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!

WE GOT PRE-APPROVAL!!!

YIPPIE!!!!

Margaret checked the emails this evening, and noticed that there was an email on the computer with a subject line "Pre-Approval Notice, Petitioner:........" Margaret was so shocked to see it, she just started to cry........ it was such a wonderful feeling. Of course at that time, the computer wasn't cooperating, by letting Margaret open the email, to make sure it was for Anna........and finally the email opened and it was for our Anna.

We got pre-approval in 25 days.......that is soo amazing. Pre-approvals were taking about 60 days, with a few cases getting out in 45-47 days, from the day DNA was submitted to the US Embassy in Guatemala.

Now lets just hope PGN is nice to us, so our Anna comes home.

On Sunday, Margaret is going to call our lawyer, to see how soon we can get into PGN.

Making it all fit in a Gallon size zip lock bag.

Hi all, well - today we finally packed up the stuff we bought for Anna and mailed it to a family in New Jersey - who is going to visit this weekend, so Anna will get her package.....Thanks Laurie. We never found a "bun bun" like Peter's - so that will have to wait until Anna comes home. Below is a pic of the stuff we sent, and amazingly enough we managed to fit it all in a gallon size ziploc bag, except for the lotion and desitin - that I kept separate, just in case it squirted.

Peter picked out most of the outfits, Margaret just helped get the right size. The white outfit with the matching beaded socks (Thanks Marcie), was a gift from our friends "down south" LOL.

Now below is the pic of it all in a gallon size ziploc bag........ Margaret even amazed herself with this task. :)

A little bit of Fun today :), and then back to contacting our Congressman and writing Letters to our Elected Officials

Hi All,
Margaret went to see Elmo today with Peter, and Peter's friend Emily came too with her mom Pam. It was a fun morning, and the kiddos enjoyed the show a lot. Thanks for getting such good seats Pam. After the Elmo show, we went to go get pictures taken, and had lunch, then headed back home. Once home the little man took a nap, and Margaret went back to work and started her campaign again to keep Guatemala Adoptions Open. Margaret contacted her congressman and spoke to the woman she spoke to yesterday to see if by chance she was able to do anything, after about my 5th phone call - she was finally available. She didn't have much news for Margaret, except that it would take a few days and that she would contact me if she heard anything. uuuggghhh.

Margaret then proceeded to typing letters and emailed/faxed the letters to different congressman, senators, etc. Margaret finished just in time, when Peter woke up and was ready to go, go, go outside, outside, outside. He was talking about the Elmo show all afternoon, he was so cute.

Today the Joint Council of International Children's Services (JCICS) posted a letter today informing us what their plans were to try and "keep Guatemala Adoptions Open. To read their "Plan of Action" please go to this website = http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm
Margaret will post this website again in a week, because a Big Class Action that the JCICS wants all of us to participate in starts on Monday Oct. 8th, and we need everyone to help us with this.

Thanks for your continued Support!

So what is the Deal with Guatemala Adoptions?

Well, I was originally going to post pics of Peter and tell you about his 2 year check up and how he is in the 95 percentile :). But instead, there are more important things to talk about.

A lot of friends and family have asked about my post last night with "what is going on with adoptions in Guatemala"? Well, Last night's post had to do with the DOS (Department of State) press release regarding Guatemala adoptions, and what to expect come January 1, 2008 - with adoptions being stopped. And today the Guatemala President announced that he will stop ALL adoptions as of January 1, 2008. Those cases still in progress, including ours will be in limbo until new procedures are put into place. Nobody knows when are what will happen when that occurs. While things have been politically charged lately in Guatemala, we have always been under the impression that because our "Power of Attorney" was already filed in Guatemala, that we would be able to proceed as planned, going under the "grandfather clause". But with the DOS press release and what the Guatemala President announced today, that is not the case. If we do not get approved by PGN by December 31st and the birth mom sign off on the adoption, then we have no idea what will happen to Anna. There is a slight chance that the January 1st deadline will be moved back, but no guarantee. Kerry and I, have no idea what will happen, all we can do is think positive, pray, and write our congressman and senators and ask for their support here, and allow the adoptions in process to be completed as planned. Even though, this can be a very emotional and upsetting time, we have to do everything we can, so Anna comes home. Margaret has already wrote many letters and sent them to the president of the US, congressmen and senators of the United States. Margaret has called her congressman and spoke to someone who handles international adoptions concerns to see if there was anything they can do - unfortunately, that person has not read the DOS press release - so she was unaware of what was taking place. But I am still hopeful, that my phone call to our congressman will help us in some way............"positively thinking, of course" :) If you are reading this, I would ask that you take a few minutes and write your congressmen and senators and support us in bringing Anna home, and also support all the other adoptive families that are going through this mess.

Today, I went to visit my mother and told her that I contacted our congressman, and the first thing she said, was "what is going on with your adoption - that you had to call?" I told her about the DOS press release (at this time, I didn't know about the president's announcement) and what was going on, but I told her that we were still hopeful that our Anna will be home before the "mess of 2008". I also told her that a lot of organizations are fighting it, and requesting that adoptions are not stopped, and that the adoptions in process be grandfathered. It was difficult talking about it, because I really don't know what will happen. But at that moment, I did know that I had to write as many letters as I can and send them out - so something can be done for all the families that our in this sad situation.

I ask you to take a few minutes and say a prayer, or make a wish, whatever works for you, to get our Anna home. If you have a few more minutes, it would be so greatly appreciated if you can write your congressman and senators and request them to support Guatemala adoptions and let them continue until the adoption is completed. You can go to this website (http://www.congress.org/congressorg/) and on the top left corner you put in your zip code, and it gives you the list of elected officials for that area including the US President - email, website, mailing address, etc.

thanks so much,
Margaret & Kerry

More News about Guatemala Adoptions

Hi All,

Yesterday, Margaret received a post (from one of her many yahoo groups) about DOS (Department of State) posting on their website - A "warning" about Guatemala Adoptions. This morning we also received an email from our Lawyer asking for us to write our government officials in regards to Guatemala Adoptions. As for the DOS press release, other organizations responded to the DOS press release, so hopefully over the next couple of weeks something will happen - so that the Guatemala adoptions that are in process will be completed, before the Hague Treaty is put into effect.

Margaret made a couple of phone calls today, in regards to the above, but nobody really knows what will happen. All we can do is continue to think positive that our daughter will come home before 2008. So if your reading this, please say a prayer for our little girl and for all the other families that are also traveling this road of adoption with us.

We would like to thank everyone for reading our blog and for their support, it is Greatly Appreciated. Just maybe, Anna will get her Pre Approval to enter PGN (similar to the Attorney General) - which is the last big step in getting her home.

Peter and his mom went shopping to get Anna a Gift for Halloween

Well, to help speed along the time here, we (mommy and Peter) decided to go shopping to get Anna a gift for Halloween. It doesn't look like Margaret and Peter will be visiting again, because daddy isn't keen on the idea - due to safety. So Margaret will be mailing these items with a family that is traveling to Guatemala, so Anna gets it in time for Halloween. Peter was trying to find a "Bun Bun" like he has for Anna (but a different color), but we couldn't find one. So tomorrow we will venture out again in search of the "Bun Bun".

We are just in the US Embassy for 20 days, so we still got time. Some families are getting Pre Approval in about 45 days, so I guess that is better than the usual 60 days. But, more than likely Margaret will be contacting her Congressman to see if anything can be done, on day 30........unless someone has a relative in the congress? That would be great...........

Also, to keep busy, Margaret put the Guatemala Weather on the right column, so everyone can see the weather there. For some odd reason, people think it is like 102 degrees there and it's not.

Please keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer or two, for us to get Pre Approval real real soon. Thanks.

We got Pics of the Birthmom and Anna

HI All,

Our lawyer sent us pics of the Birth mom with Anna during the DNA testing that was done last month. He said he emailed them to us when DNA was done, but Margaret didn't notice that there was an attachment to that email. So our lawyer resent the pics. This is the only time during the adoption process that Anna's Birth mom will see her.

The DNA testing is done, to make sure it is in fact the birth mom giving up her own child for adoption. This is the 1st of 2 DNA testing that will be done. The 2nd DNA testing is done after PGN approval, to make sure the baby that was place for adoption is the same one. The DNA lab just compares the baby's DNA with the 1st DNA results to confirm it. After the 2nd DNA is confirmed then "pink" is issued with an appointment for us to go to Guatemala to bring Anna home.

Anna is such a cutie here, and she didn't even cry.

Our Dr. called in regards to Anna's growth and health at two months old

hi all,
This evening Dr. Lee called to discuss Anna. Anna remains to be tiny in size and is still in the 3rd percentile, except for weight - she is in the 10th percentile. He also said, that she is a little heavy for her frame, but he wasn't concerned - because she is eating. But he was happy to see her stay on the growth curve. So our little Anna remains tiny, but she does have a big brother to protect her. :)

We are out of Family Court and we got updates on Anna

Hi all,

Just got an email from our lawyer today, and we are out of family court. This is what he wrote in his email = "In her social report She give the favorable opinion to you. She explain you are a good resource to Anna, because you have the necessary quality that the adoption request. "

Today we also got an email of Anna's updates with her weight and size and a few new pics. Our little angel definitely got an appetite - at two months old she now weighs 9 pounds, and her Length 51 cms., Head Circumference 36 cms. Anna also had her doses of vaccination DTP, POLIO, HIB, Tuberculina, Hepatitis B, the doctor said she is doing great, she looks normal, she is very alert and active, she looks very healthy, she drinks well her formula Enfamil Premium 1 x 4 ounces every 3 hours. So I guess she enjoys eating just like her big brother Peter - he managed to eat 3 hot dogs at dinner this evening.

As for the adoption, we are out of Family Court and are now just waiting for Pre Approval from the US Embassy so we can enter PGN (similar to the Attorney General's Office). Margaret is thinking positive that just maybe Pre Approval will come in 30 days (Oct. 4th), instead of the usual 60 days. Keep your fingers crossed that it happens in 30 days.

Today Peter had his 2nd Birthday Party!

Today was a busy, busy day! We had to get ready for Peter's Birthday Party this evening. The day started off with Margaret getting up early to bake a Thomas the Train cake and cupcakes, while Peter was still sleeping. Then it was time to get Peter up to have breakfast so he can go to "school". We went to school and Peter loves it, and today he even played with a couple of boys in his class. On the way home from school, we stopped by the grocery store to pick up last minute items for the party this evening. Once home we ate lunch, and Margaret started to decorate the cake while Peter played in the living room. Well, Peter thought mommy was having so much fun, he decided to help with the cake decorating, instead of taking a nap. Peter also enjoyed eating all the extra icing. Margaret had just enough time to decorate the cake and cupcakes (NOTE TO SELF- next year buy the cake!), just in time to pack up the truck and head to the place where the party was going to be. Daddy just came home in time to change his shirt and come with us in the same truck. On the way to the Party place, Peter decided to take a nap. Once at the place, we let Peter nap while we unloaded the truck. Peter was able to take a 15 minute nap, before the guest started to arrive and we had to wake him up. Everyone arrived at the party and the festivities began. Peter was still a little tired, so he wasn't his usual self, but all his cousins and friends had a blast. Then they did face painting, which one of Peter's cousins got his face painted into a Tiger, and Peter was absolutely scared of his cousin. Every time Peter saw the "Tiger" he got scared and started to cry. Peter's mommy asked his cousin to not come near Peter since he was afraid of the painting he got done on his face. Margaret had to try her best to keep Peter away from the "scarey Tiger", just so Peter wouldn't get soo scared. The activities took a break, when the pizza arrived so everyone could eat. After the pizza, all the kids and adults were able to go into the "backroom" where the inflatable house, rock wall, slide, and bouncer all were. The kids enjoyed this very much, this was probably the best part out of the whole night. Mommy & Daddy attempted to bring Peter into the bouncer thing, but Peter didn't want any part of it. Since Peter didn't have his nap - he wasn't a happy camper - nap time is the indicator of how the rest of the day will be with my little guy. Peter did go into the bouncer thing with his Uncle with assistance, once in the bouncer Peter had fun. We then had birthday cake and the night ended. We packed up the truck and headed home. Mommy still had the kitchen to clean up, it was a mess with all the baking, mommy didn't have time to clean up the baking mess before leaving, so that was done once home. Peter remained awake, so we opened up all his gift. While opening the gifts, he managed to keep the R/C motorcycle and the Thomas the Train Jack in the Box, close by to him and he would play with each one in between opening the gifts. After the gifts were opened, Peter got his PJ's on and went to sleep.

Peter Turned 2!

Today was Peter's Birthday - and he had fun, fun, fun. The poor little guy was so tired come the end of the day.

This morning we woke up had breakfast. Then Peter got a phone call from his pal Emily along with her family - singing happy birthday to him - he was just smiling ear to ear while they sang over the phone to him = thanks O'Dea's. After breakfast we went to Chuckie Cheese - Peter loves this place and managed to spend 3 hours there. Usually when we go to Chuckie Cheese Peter never uses Tokens, but today he wanted to use tokens and he had fun playing the games. Peter managed to eat an entire individual Pizza himself, but he was nice - he gave him mom one slice of it. After spending 3 hours there, Peter decided it was time to leave - and his mom was very happy about it. On the way home Peter fell asleep and once home continued to nap in his bed. After nap time, we met up with Emily and her mom Pam for dinner, then we went to see Peter's older sister in a Marching Band Competition. After the band competition, Peter and his mom went by the book store to buy more books for Peter. Then we headed home, where Peter kept on counting his chuckie cheese tickets. But, what would be a Birthday with singing to the Birthday boy with candles. So we got out the candles and the little cake and song to Peter. He did pretty good blowing out the candles too. Then he finally fell asleep with chuckie cheese tickets still in his hands. Sweet dreams Peter.

This morning Margaret checked her emails and found these adorable pictures of Anna in an email sent by our lawyer. It was a very nice surprise to open our "email box" and find this..........she is such a cutie!

Another nice surprise would be to get an email saying we got Pre Approval..........and then we can finally enter into PGN (the last big step in bringing Anna home).

Received a letter in the Mail from Peter's foster mother

wow, Margaret was quite surprised to get a letter (sent express) in the mail from Peter's foster mother. The foster family that took care of Peter during our adoption always emailed us to keep in touch. Margaret sent pics of Peter and a letter or card to the foster family every month since Peter 's been home. Margaret called her cousin and had the letter emailed to her so she can translate it (thanks Marie). It was very sad news. So Margaret decided to call the foster mother the next day, just to make sure what was written in the letter was true and accurate.

On Thurs Sept. 13th, Margaret called Peter's foster mom to talk to her (with the help of Soni to translate- thanks!!). Sandra (Peter's foster mother) told us the sad news that her daughter was killed last week. Her daughter Kimberly was only 14 and she helped a lot to take care of Peter while he was there. Kimberly always rocked Peter to sleep before Bedtime and Margaret continued that when they brought Peter home. Now, Peter is a big boy, so he lays on the couch while watching TV with his dad and mom, and falls asleep along with his dad on the couch.

I felt soo sorry for Sandra & her family. She said her family is so devastated, that they are just taking one day at a time. They didn't catch the men who did this, and she said in Guatemala nothing is done to the criminals, because a lot of people are afraid that they will come back and kill the rest of their family. The crime rate is extremely high in Guatemala, especially towards females, and hopefully the next President will enforce the law and put these criminals behind bars.

Please say a prayer for Sandra and her family during this time of loss.

To bring a little bit of sunshine to this phone call, Margaret told Sandra that they were adopting again, but was not going through an agency. Margaret asked Sandra if she wanted to see Peter when we came to Guatemala to pick up Anna, because he will be with us, and Sandra was very happy to know that she will be able to see Peter. Margaret told Sandra that she will call her when they know the date that they will be going to Guatemala to pick up Anna and she can come to the hotel to see Peter. Sandra was very happy to hear the good news and to know that she will be seeing Peter soon. She also wished Peter a happy birthday, Margaret was surprised that she remembered, and she also remembered Karina's birthday too (a girl that Sandra fostered, and Margaret keeps in touch with this family that lives down south).

Thanks for your Prayers for Peter's foster family.

Called Anna's Foster Mother this evening

Hi All,

Margaret called Anna's foster mother this evening (with the help of Jeanette to Translate - thanks!) to see how Anna is doing. Anna is doing very good and is now drinking/eating 3 oz. every two hours. The foster mom said that Anna only gets up twice during the night to eat. But she's a good eater and a very happy baby.

Can't wait for Anna to come home!

Peter and his "First Day of School"

Okay, so Margaret decided to write other happenings on the blog while we were waiting for Pre Approval from the Embassy. Hopefully that will come well before the expected wait of 60 days.

Last week, all Peter kept on talking about was School, because he saw the school buses and the kids getting on and off them. So his mom asked him if he wanted to go to school - and Peter replied yes. So Peter's mom told him that she will go and sign him up for school. So, Margaret signed Peter up for a gym & art class that started today. We can just pretend that this is "school". When Peter woke up, his mom asked him if he wanted to go to school, and Peter got all excited and wanted to get dressed right away and get going, but mommy told him that he had a little time to eat breakfast. So once everyone was ready, Peter hopped in the truck and went to his "First day of School". He was so cute, walking like a big boy into the building. We entered the classroom with the other children, and Peter just left him mom behind, while the other children were clinging onto their moms. Today Peter did a cute art project and he enjoyed gym time the most with his new friends. Peter enjoyed his "first day of school". Luckily, Peter doesn't want to take the bus to school - he's fine going in mommy's truck for now. :)

After dinner, we went to Toys R Us, so Peter can get some ideas to tell his cousins, aunts and uncles what he wants for his Birthday. A lot of family members have been asking, and mommy only had a few suggestions, so we decided to go to the toy store to get more ideas. Peter just loved the Thomas the Train isle. After the toy store we went to the party place to get the paper goods for his birthday party. Peter was not parting with the Thomas the Train paper plates, and he wouldn't even give them to the cashier to ring up - so the cashier scanned it while Peter held it. He was soo happy shopping. He held the paper plates in his hands all the way home and into the house. Once in the house, he just sat on the couch to look at all of them, as if each package was different. He was adorable today, my little baby is growing up quick.

So how old is Peter gonna be? Peter is gonna be 2! If you ask Peter, he'll tell you how old he is going to be, and he even tries to put the two fingers up too......it's a cute moment. :)

The 2007 Election Results in Guatemala

Hi All,
Below are the results for the Elections in Guatemala. since no Presidential Candidate acquired over 50% of the vote, a run off will take place on November 4th with the top two contenders. As for the top two = "One of them is a socialist and the other one has bad reputation of being involved with bad guys". Lets just hope "who ever gets elected does not damage Guatemala in every aspect".


PRELIMINARY ELECTION RESULTSGUATEMALA 2007Guatemalans participated in general elections yesterday, September 9.

Since no presidential candidate acquired over 50% of the vote, on November 4th there will be a run-off between the two top contenders, Alvaro Colom of the National Unity for Hope (UNE) party and Otto Perez Molina of the Patriot Party (PP).

With close to 95% percent of the vote counted, the standings in the presidential race are as follows:
Alvaro Colom, National Unity for Hope (UNE): 28%
Otto Perez Molina, Patriot Party (PP): 24%
Alejandro Giammattei, Great National Alliance (GANA): 17%
Eduardo Suger, Center for Social Action (CASA): 7%
Luis Rabbe, Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG): 7%
Rigoberta Menchu, Encounter for Guatemala (EG): 3%

The rest of the parties received less than 3% of the vote. More election news in Spanish can be found at:http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/edicionelectoral07/index.html

Updated Pics of our Little Anna

Isn't she just precious! Peter was cute when he saw the pic of his baby sister. He knew who it was "Aaannaaa"

DNA is a match & We are in the Embassy! YIPPIE!!

Hi All,
We received an email today from our lawyer, informing us that he received the DNA results and they were good. We didn't receive them in the mail yet, but they should be coming any day. He also informed us that we are in the Embassy waiting for Pre-Approval. This is the time to wait - the usual wait is 60 days...........so count 60 days from now and we should be Pre Approved to enter PGN.

Hmmm, maybe Margaret will call her congressman in 45 days, just to see if anything can be done. One never knows. :)

~ Update with Guatemala ~

hey all,

Time for some Good Wishes, Prayers, Fingers Crossed, Whatever Works for You!

We just received an email from our agency (FTIA) that we adopted our son Peter with. Even though we are not using them to adopt our daughter Anna, they still send us emails to keep us up to date. The email pretty much states that they are no longer accepting applications for their Guatemala program. This email was quite a shock to see, because FTIA has always been honest with everything going on in the "adoption world" and with this email - it makes you wonder what is going on in Guatemala that we don't know about, for FTIA to stop accepting applications.

The implementation of the Hague Treaty in Guatemala, has raised quite a few eyebrows. We have always believed in what FTIA has said about it. Of course there is the "rumor mill" and then there are the facts, and with so many hands (different parts of the government both in Guatemala and the U.S.) it is hard to decide which way it will go.

We will continue to think positive that our Anna will come home before the Hague Treaty causes any delays or disruptions in adoptions. We have confidence in our lawyer, that our Anna will be home for the holidays.

Please keep us in your thoughts by prayer, good wishes, fingers crossed, or whatever works for you.

Thanks,