Happy Halloween!

Hi All,

Hope every one's Halloween was fun and safe. Today we (Peter and his mom) went to school (Peter's school time) and we went trick or treating with the other kids in the class, and then afterwards they had a little party. Peter enjoyed checking out his candy. Then this afternoon, we went trick or treating with Peter's aunts, uncles, & cousins. Peter was such a trooper trick or treating. This afternoon trick or treating lasted about 3 hours, and Peter did a great job walking the entire time, except for the last stretch - then it was the stroller to the rescue. But he did find enough energy to get out of the stroller to go up to the door to say Trick or Treat. He was such a cutie pie. Next year he'll have fun going with his baby sister too. Daddy stayed home to give out treats to the trick or treaters, to make sure we didn't get tricked on.

As for Peter's costume, there is a story behind that. We originally started off with the Diego costume, but then about two weeks ago, Peter was on this kick about "Batman" - and we have no idea where this idea came from. Just last week while we were at a library activity the teacher asked all the children what they were going to be for Halloween. When it was Peter's turn he stood up, and said Batman! So Margaret went home that night and told his daddy that Peter was going to be Batman for Halloween, not Diego. So just the other day we went out shopping for Peter's costume. Margaret found a Batman costume and showed it to Peter and asked him if this is what he wanted to be, Peter said NO! Margaret was quite surprised with his answer, so Margaret put the costume back. While walking down the Isle we came across a Spider man costume, and Peter started to shout ........"BATMAN!, BATMAN!" as he pointed to the Spider man costume. So Margaret asked Peter is this what he wanted to be, and Peter said Yes, Batman. So, we bought the spider men/batman costume and Peter was so excited about it. Once home daddy kept on working on Peter by calling his costume "spider man", but Peter was set on it being a Batman costume. So we just left it alone. Today while trick or treating, the homeowners would make a comment on how cute spider man looked, and Peter would say "Batman!". At 2 years old, we decided to let it be a batman costume, next year we will all be laughing about this.

Here are a few pics of Peter's day...............the start of the day and the end of the day. And a picture of Anna in her Halloween outfit.

Happy Halloween.

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

Hi everyone,

Tonight Dr. Lee called to discuss Anna. Anna remains to be tiny in size, but she has moved up on the charts. For weight and height she is at the 10th percentile, and for head circumference she is almost at the 10th percentile. Our little Anna remains tiny, we will wait and see what the next Dr. appointment brings.

UNICEF & HALLOWEEN

Hi All,
Well, Halloween is here and so is the Big UNICEF "Orange Box" Fundraiser. We just want to take a moment and ask everyone PLEASE DON'T support UNICEF (or anyone who supports them - currently IKEA and Harry and David, Hallmark, and likely other sources as well). UNICEF is the primary force giving money to STOP adoptions in Guatemala - and as long as they are giving money to stop adoptions, I won't be giving money to them.

You don't need to go to Hallmark to buy cards, you can go to your local card shop and buy their American Greetings cards. Just a suggestion, that is what Margaret has been doing. :)

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween.

Thank you for your continued support.

A Holiday Pkg. Sent to Anna Maria

Today, we sent a pkg to Anna Maria, thanks to Tom (Thanks Barbara & Tom) who took the pkg with him, when he went to go visit their son. Margaret wanted to send Christmas outfits down, so pictures can be taken, so Anna can be included in our Christmas Card.



Peter picked out the book and the Elmo rattle for Anna. The book is written in Spanish, so Carolina her foster mom can read to her. Peter also wanted Anna to have the "Big Turkey" bib for Thanksgiving. The shirt is written in Spanish, but it says "Who needs Santa, when I have Grandma". We also sent a white fuzzy blanket for Anna to use, the weather is getting cooler in Guatemala. Hopefully soon, we'll be getting pics of Anna in her cute outfits.

Our Congressman called us today!

Okay, well it wasn't the actually congressman who called us, but the person in charge of "international adoptions" called us & that works for me (Margaret). She called to let us know that our congressman signed the letter for the Joint Council and Unicef to make sure all adoptions in process will be completed. Margaret had a very nice conversation with this person. She then asked if there was anything else that she can do. Of course, Margaret asked if she had any clout with PGN, she said no - that is all Guatemala. BUT, she did say to give her a call after we get out of PGN - because then It'll be a US thing. She said if we had any problems then - to call her back.

Margaret was very surprised to get a personal phone call from our congressman's office. With all the letters Margaret faxed/emailed - she thought she would of gotten more replies. But she got one reply in the mail from a congressman in the Bronx - thanks!, and one by phone (today). Oh ya, and one letter from a congressman (right here in our neighborhood)requesting that I fill out the waiver form for him to check into the international adoption situation. Guess that last congressman mentioned, will not be getting my vote.

So now we continue to wait and be patient, and have faith. Please continue to pray (wish, fingers crossed, etc.) that Anna is out of PGN very soon.

Thanks for all of your continued support.

We got Updated Pics and Measurements - Yippie!

Hi All,

This evening we got updated pics of Anna and updated measurements. Anna is getting so big and cute. On Oct. 13, 2007 she weighed 10.3 pounds, height 56 cms, and head circumference is 38 cm. Thanks Jacqueline for sending so many pics, its greatly appreciated. The outfit she is wearing was a gift from a friend "down south" (hehehe). Thanks Marcie.

Ring, ring, ring...........We called our Lawyer and Foster mother this evening!

Hi All,
This evening we finally got through and spoke to our lawyer. Our lawyer was upset when he found out that we were kicked out of PGN, he said that was a ridiculous reason to get kicked out. He said that he thinks the real reason for the kick out was Anna's age, because she is so young and already in PGN. He said our paperwork is perfect, so we should be getting out of PGN with no further problems. Our Lawyer also told us that once we are out of PGN to plan on picking up Anna two weeks after that...........how wonderful is that thought :) Hey Edwin, thanks for all the hard work you do to get our children home! It's greatly appreciated! So, lets hope the next time the phone rings, it is our lawyer CALLING US to tell us we are out of PGN! Positively thinking of course.

This evening we also called our Foster Mother. She is such a sweet lady. (Thanks Soni for helping with the phone calls). Anna is gaining weight and is now rolling over. Anna also is very alert and looks all over and talks a lot and giggles. This Friday Anna will be going to the Dr's for more shots, but she is healthy and happy. We gave our Foster Mom a digital camera to take lots of pictures of Anna's life while she is with her so we have it for her Life book (similar to a baby book). Our foster mom was very happy to take the pictures and she asked if it would be okay to include pics of her children and I said of course because her children are involved in Anna 's life now. Then Margaret told her in 13 years when we return to Guatemala to visit, it'll be funny to look at the "then and now pictures" of the children. It was nice talking to the Foster mom about Anna, it would be nicer to visit Anna and see her again, but that will take some doing in convincing Anna's daddy. :)

Also, I don't want to forget my "adoption pals" - thanks so much for your comments on our blog, it is very thoughtful of you guys. Some of you we have met, and hopefully we will meet more of yous on our pick up trip! Someone asked why I don't post our progess on the FTIA yahoo group (our agency who we used to adopt our son Peter), and Margaret explained to that person that it wouldn't be right, since we aren't using them this time around for our adoption with Anna. But Margaret did sneak some pics of Anna in the photo album, just to share. :) And Margaret is very active in posting replies on the yahoo group to other adoptive families. It's great having the support during the adoption process.

Please keep Anna in your prayers so that she gets out of PGN real soon, and is home for the Holidays! That would be the best gift Santa can give!

Heard from our Lawyer today!

Hi all,
Margaret received an email from our lawyer today, and he told us that our folder was resubmitted to PGN today (the other day Margaret posted that we were resubmitted on Friday, but our lawyer informed us today, that he made the correction on Friday and today was the earliest he can get us back into PGN). As for the error, one of the papers said 2006, where it should have said 2007 - but our lawyer fixed it on Friday. Its no biggie, we are already back in PGN. Yesterday PGN was closed for a holiday, so today was the soonest our lawyer can get it back into PGN. Lets just hope and pray the next time it is Out of PGN for good.

Something to keep in mind, Anna is only 3 months old and she is already in PGN, that is FANTASTIC! Our lawyer is going a wonderful job. With Peter's adoption he didn't enter PGN until he was 5 months old. We are hopeful that Anna will be home for the Holidays!

Margaret has been trying to get in touch (via phone) with our lawyer and our foster mother, but she has had no luck. The cell phone service is Guatemala is really bad, you think here in New York is bad.....trust me, its worse in Guatemala. So our lawyer suggest to try again at an earlier time, hopefully this will work. So tomorrow afternoon we will be talking to our lawyer and our foster mom to see how Anna's doing. Hopefully updated pics and measurements will be sent soon. Just some more positive thinking! :)

thanks for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated during this time of wait!

Wasn't the news we were expecting!

Hi All,
Well, Margaret was expecting updated pictures of Anna with her updated measurements, but instead we got an email from our lawyer. It appears that we got a "Previo" (kick out) from PGN. Our lawyer said it was minor ( a date) that he corrected already, and that he was going to resubmit us on Friday (10/19). Margaret emailed our lawyer back for more details, in regards when we actually got kicked out and what date needed to be corrected. Anyhow, we are back in PGN today. I also checked with the lawyer to see if we have to start from the beginning or do we start from where we left off? Allegedly on the yahoo groups, they are saying once you get kicked out you start all over.

Hopefully PGN will be kinder to us this time around and approve us quickly.

Please continue to pray, wish, fingers crossed - once again whatever works for you, that our Anna comes home real soon.

thanks for you continued support.

Update on the Responses to the letters sent out

hey,
Just wanted to keep everyone up to date. Last week, Margaret sent out about two dozen+ emails and about 80+ faxes to everyone in Congress. Okay, maybe not everyone, but all the congressman/woman and Senators in the New York State, along with the Department of State and UNICEF in NYC. Even though we were not in the "District" or a "constituent" to most of the congress people - Margaret still faxed/emailed them and told them right from the beginning - "Before you toss this letter aside, because we are "non-constituents and our address indicates we do not live in your Districts". We are writing because this is not a "District Issue", this is a Unites States of America issue. Please take a moment to read why"...............

Well, over the weekend we got a letter in the mail (with a real signature) from a congressman from the Bronx. His letter was very nice and he said that "he stood with us on this issue and that he will strongly consider our opinion". I can bet you, he probably has to check into it, because he probably has no idea what is going on with Guatemala Adoptions. But that is okay, now he does.

We also got an email back from The State Department of Children, and they wrote;

Thank you for your inquiry concerning Adoptions in Guatemala. I apologize for responding to you with standard language, rather than writing individually, but I am currently receiving a so many e-mails about Guatemala that if I were to answer individually each person, you might not receive your response for a week or more. I hope that a prompt response is more useful than a personal one. I trust it will respond to most of your questions.

First, the Guatemalan legislation on adoptions (commonly referred as “the Ortega law”) has received a third reading, but is not yet the law of the land. (People who say that the law has “passed” do not realize the language is still subject to amendment.) At this point, I do not yet have a copy of the actual law, so I do not know exactly what it says or what it will mean.

Second, there are many rumors/news reports about what is going to happen and what this law will mean for the children and adoptions. The fact is, no one knows for sure because, just as in the U.S. Congress, “it is not over until it's over." We do understand the concerns of prospective adoptive parents caught in this transition.

Third, I want you to know that we continue to advocate strenuously and at every opportunity for sound, transparent legislation that does two things. It should protect the interests of everyone, but most especially the children themselves. Also the legislation, or its implementing regulations, should include transition provisions that will allow cases already in process, to be completed under the rules in force when a adoption process officially began.

Finally, many prospective adoptive parents who have already begun their cases have expressed specific concerns about how their cases might be affected by the Government of Guatemala's announcement that they would no longer process adoptions to non-Hague countries after December 31, 2007. Unfortunately, most of their questions cannot be addressed until the legal situation in Guatemala clarifies. The Department of State issued a warning about adoptions in Guatemala so that people who may be thinking about initiating an adoption will be aware of the risks involved during this time of transition. At the same time, the Department of State continues to work hard to protect the interests of American citizens already pursuing an adoption in Guatemala. We are urging the Government of Guatemala to allow adoption cases already in progress to proceed to conclusion without additional requirements, under the laws and regulations in effect when children were matched with a prospective adoptive parent(s)

The State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues is deeply committed to working with all concerned parties to ensure that inter country adoptions occur under transparent conditions and with appropriate safeguards to protect the interests of birth parents, adoptive parents and, most importantly, the children themselves.

Sincerely,
Gerry Fuller

This letter also was a very good letter to read.

Things with Guatemala Adoptions are looking better, now we just need to get it all in writing, that they will allow the Grandfather clause and all cases will be completed with the laws it started with.

Please continue to pray, wish, fingers crossed - whatever works for you - that our Anna comes home real soon, and all the other families who are adopting get their child home also.

Thanks for all of your support.

GREAT NEWS! For all families who are adopting in Guatemala.

We just found out that President Berger (Guatemala's President) is now backing the amendment stating in process cases are allowed to finish under current law! That is such Great news for all the families that are in "process". We want to Thank everyone who have prayed, e-mailed, faxed and made phone calls to keep Guatemala Adoptions open. We are so grateful to be surrounded by such loving and supportive family and friends.

Now, lets just get Anna home, come on PGN - reviewer #2 - approve us and move our folder over to Barrios for the final sign off. "Positively Thinking of Course" :)

Update on our Adoption

Hi All,

Margaret spoke with our lawyer today and was told that our folder went to the 2nd Reviewer in PGN, this is great news!!! We are moving right along. Muchas Gracias to our lawyer and his staff for doing such a wonderful job! :)

Today Margaret and Peter was doing the "Joint Council Action Plan" and was faxing and emailing a lot of letters to our congressmen/women and senators and even Mr. President himself. Oh ya, and lets not forget UNICEF in New York. Peter was enjoying playing with the printer while mommy was printing the letters, and then he enjoyed hitting the fax button after mommy dialed the number - some people got two faxes of the same thing - oops! Today we faxed out about 40 letters with a few emails, and tomorrow we will be faxing out more letters (about 50 letters). And hopefully next week the Joint Council will have some great news for Guatemala Adoptions. Did you know on the Congress.org website, they also give you the Top Rank in Each State? Well, lets just say the top 50 reps will be getting a letter from us, regardless if we are "in their District" or not - because Gautemala Adoptions is a United States of America concern, not just our District.

This evening Margaret called the foster mother with the help of Soni who translated (thanks Soni). Anna is doing very good. Anna has a good appetite and is very alert and playful. Anna is be well taken care of by the foster mother and her children. We will be calling the foster mother again on the 20th of October to see how Anna's check up appointment went.

Keep your fingers crossed and say a few prayers, if things keep on going the way they are going, Anna will be home very soon. :)

Thanks again for all your support and for taking the time to sign the petition and writing letters, it means a lot to us!

Drum Roll Please..............

Here are pictures of our Anna.

She is almost 3 months old in the pics. She'll be 3 months on the 18th.

These are the outfits that her big brother picked out and we sent to Guatemala with Laurie and her Husband who went to visit this past weekend. Thanks so much Laurie for taking the pkg.

Anna is soo cute - it was very nice get these pics. Thanks Edwin and Jacqueline! :) She is missed so much.

Please sign the Petitions, to help keep Guatemala Adoptions Open.

Hi, Just a reminder to please Sign the Petitions to Help Keep Guatemala Adoptions Open. You can go to 5000 Orphans (see right margin for link) in the middle column on the top, they have the links: to sign the petitions. Right now there are two petitions that need to be signed.

Once again, thanks for all your support.

Time for Some Fun!

Hi all,

Today Margaret and Peter went to Great Adventure with Margaret's family (well, part of Margaret's family). Peter had so much fun with his cousins, Aunts and Uncles. Peter is becoming a Big Boy - wanted to go on rides by himself - no mommy, no cousin, just himself. Peter wouldn't take a nap at all, he kept on fighting to stay awake throughout the day, and he even managed to get his "second wind", "third wind", etc. But he didn't mind the "limo drive" (stroller) - he enjoyed that service. Below are some pics of our Fun Day.

Time to get working on those Letters

Okay, its time to get working on those letters. The Ortega Law (UNICEF law) was passed yesterday in Guatemala. On Tues. Oct. 9th, congress will go through a detailed, point by point, reading of it where amendments can be made. It is our understanding that among proposed amendments are a grandfather clause as well as a delayed implementation date. We need to write letters to be sure that they put an amendment in it - and put a "grandfather clause" in the law, so that all adoptions in process will be able to continue until completed. Please write, fax, call - whatever is easier for you.

Here are some sample letters of what to write (scroll down towards the middle for sample letter links) http://www.guatadopt.com/archives/000715.html#000715- for friends, family, people who are adopting or have adopted, etc. etc. etc. All you have to do is all your name and address and hit print.

As for the addresses, please go to this website and put in your zip code (top left corner) and mail/fax/call/email it to everyone on that list. http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

Along with your senators, congressman, President Bush, please add the following names and addresses to those letters;

Embassy of Guatemala in the U.S.
2220 R. Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
office phone - 1-202-745-4952
office fax - 1-202-745-1908
http://www.guatemala-embassy.org/

Ann Veneman Executive Director of UNICEF
Telephone - 212-326-7000
fax - 212-326-7758
email: information@unicefusa.org

Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues
telephone # 202-736-9130
fax # 202-736-9080

Also, Margaret added a Website corner (top right corner) so you can refer to it, to see what exactly is going on with Guatemala Adoptions.

Anna and all the other babies waiting to come home, Thank you from their hearts!

This Evening we spoke to our Lawyer

So, instead of watching the CNN segment on adoptions in Guatemala - (I DVR'd that), I called our lawyer and spoke to him about everything that is going on. My friend Soni joined in on the phone call - just to make sure I understood everything - and it worked out great. After talking to our lawyer, I felt better about our adoption. Yes, we do still need to contact our congressmen and senators, but I am confident that everything will work out and our Anna will be home soon.

Please continue to send your good wishes and prayers so Anna comes home real soon.

Thanks for your support.

UNICEF just aren't what they use to be! & Neither is Hallmark Stores

Okay, I know I can't tell you what to do, but maybe after you read the following - you'll make the right choice. UNICEF is trying to reward the President of Guatemala 28 million dollars, YES, that is 28 million $$$ - there is no decimal points in there, it is twenty eight million dollars to stop adoptions in Guatemala.

UNICEF is known to be the world's most respected child aid organization. In reality, this is not so. As you read this, UNICEF is actively working to end international adoptions from Guatemala, leaving thousands of innocent children a year with no chance for a decent life. UNICEF endorses legislation that severely restricts a woman's right to choose an adoption plan for her child as well as her right to privacy. Unfortunately, UNICEF offers little advice on how countries like Guatemala should care for the children who would otherwise live secure lives with a loving family.

Hallmark Cards - this right off their website: "NEW YORK, N.Y. (Nov. 7, 2005) — UNICEF has selected Hallmark Cards, Inc. as the exclusive supplier for all UNICEF greeting cards sold in the United States. The leading children's organization in the world, UNICEF was founded in 1946 to save, protect and improve the lives of children and their families." For more details please visit their website at http://pressroom.hallmark.com/unicef.html

The following came off the ADA Website (Asociacion Defensores De La Adopcion), their website is: http://www.adaguatemala.org/English/news/

"There is no question that there is a way to make millions of dollars with adoptions. Simply by making them impossible, UNICEF is rewarding our president (Guatemala President) with a 28 million donation for this accomplishment, with the complicity of the congressmen. UNICEF is using the money of the taxpayers of the First World to eliminate poverty in our Third World country, by eliminating the children of the poor, because as the UNICEF delegate said: the underdevelopment of a country begins in the uterus of a poor woman. Genocide is not a crime of war. UNICEF is showing us how it can be done, without any risk for the perpetrator. We will not remain silent while they do it. That is a promise. "

Yesterday, Margaret went into Hallmark Card shop to get a card, and there was a HUGE display for UNICEF! I just couldn't believe it, I was so surprised. I told the woman behind the counter that I didn't know that Hallmark supports UNICEF, and she said yes, they have for a few years now. I then told her that Hallmark will no longer have me as a customer. The woman then asked why, I told her what UNICEF is trying to do with Guatemala adoptions, and she was so surprised - she didn't believe it. So I told the woman to go home and google it - and she can see it for herself in black and white. I was just so amazed on the huge display that Hallmark had set up for UNICEF. Looks like Margaret has another letter to write to Hallmark.

Please, if you are reading this, I know you do care about Anna and adoptions. Please do not support UNICEF in any way. This is another organization that can use a letter from all of us, on what they are trying to do to innocent children that live in Guatemala.

Margaret plans on making a flyer to hand out to the parents and children when they come trick or treating - so they know what UNICEF is trying to do. I am sure those "orange boxes" will be coming home from school soon with your child, please - support our adoption as well as all other adoptions in Guatemala and please do not collect for UNICEF.

Thanks for your support.

Peter's Answers for the Week are "Anna"...."Anna"..."Anna"...

Peter has been adorable over the past week. Every time Mommy would say, guess where we are going today? Peter would answer "Anna." Or if mommy told Peter someone was coming over to visit, Peter's answer would be "Anna". Peter is just stuck on Anna, but we would explain to him that Anna will be home soon. But it really doesn't matter, because Peter's answers are still "Anna, Anna, Anna".

We mailed out a package the other day to a family that is traveling to Guatemala and they offered to bring it for us - Thanks Laurie. Somehow, we forgot to put the toy in there that Peter picked out, so when Peter saw the toy - he knew it was for Anna. But mommy explained to him that we will just hold onto it until Anna comes home - and then he had a big smile on his face.

I think Peter is going to be a great big brother. :)

WE ARE IN PGN!!! YAHOOOOOOOOO

Yep, you heard it all the way from here..............

WE ARE IN PGN!

A lot of people have been asking what is PGN..........well, here is the description from the Department of State;

The PGN scrutinizes the adoption case for signs of fraud or irregularities before providing its approval of the adoption. Upon receiving PGN approval, the adoptive parents in the U.S. are legally responsible for their child(ren). The attorney obtains final approval from the Guatemalan birth mother and then requests a birth certificate listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the adopted child.

PGN stands for Procuradoria General de la Nacion. Procuradoria is a Spanish term that is used in Central America. Its relative to jurisprudence in Guatemala.

So, lets keep on thinking positive, that PGN will be kind to us and let us out (approve us) real quick, so our Anna will come home.

Today Margaret called our lawyer and spoke with him. He was soo excited that we got Pre-Approval so quick, "it's a miracle" he just kept on saying that..........it was cute. I told him, that I am sure our congressman had something to do with it = Thanks Mr. Congressman! He then told me that we were in PGN, I was so surprised to hear that because I knew he had other paper work to get together, before turning our folder into PGN. He just picked up our folder early this morning from the US Embassy and it's already in PGN. Our lawyer is soo GREAT! He worked over the weekend, to check all our documents and made sure we had everything for PGN.

Just want to Thank everyone for their support! We are soo blessed to have such great friends and family. Thank you!

Online Adoption Petition - TO KEEP GUATEMALA ADOPTIONS OPEN!

Please help by signing the petition to keep Guatemala Adoptions Open!

On the right margin, Margaret put a link to where you can go and sign the petition on line. Once the page opens, at the end of the letter - you need to click it again and follow the steps to sign the petition. Every signature counts, so please pass it onto your friends and family.

thanks so much,
Margaret & Kerry