In case anyone reads this I ask that you would pray for us and the rest of the families that are adopting from Guatemala.
Tera and I were out of town earlier this week for some R&R. While we were gone we began to hear rumblings from Guatemala about a possible law that would be passed that would put our adoption along with countless others down the drain. This “law” has many possibilities. None of which are good. The one that I am aware of would be that once this law is passed Emma would be taken from her foster family home and placed in an orphanage till she is placed with another family. We would no longer be her prospective parents and we would never see her again. End of story. What are the other possibilities? I am not exactly sure at the moment. The agency that we are using is trying to keep everyone updated but the news doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
For anyone who has doubts about Guatemala and it’s “leaders” I will only go as far to say that the president has called adoptions a thorn in his side and his wife seems to be a “delight” as well when it comes to adoptions as well. They are very interested in a large amount of cash that UNICEF keeps dangling in front of them which allegedly is playing some sort of roll in this whole game. I will not get into mudslinging nor will I wish ill will on any of these people who insist making adoptions like ours impossible to complete.
We don’t have children. We have always wanted children. From the day we were first married we wanted kids. The road that everyone travels to get to the decision to adopt is different and it is always quite a story.
I have never been “connected” to any children before until I met Emma. She took my breath away from the moment I met her. We think of her constantly and long for her to come home with us. Even though she is not here with us everything we do is to prepare for her arrival. Emma is always on our hearts and minds. And it has come to this. In the coming days we will on find out if we will ever see her again.
All I want is for me to be her daddy and her to be my “little princess”.
Pray for us please.
J
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Friday, February 09, 2007
Phooey!!!
Tera called me while I was at the airport today to tell me that we got a KO (kick out). The fix will hopefully be easy. It's still disturbing either way. We are discouraged to say the least.
J
J
Sunday, February 04, 2007
We enter PGN then WHAM!!! From out of nowhere!
Since my last entry Tera and I have traveled to visit little Emma in Guatemala. We arrived I Guatemala City on the 12th of January to meet with the foster mom to pick up Emma. It was nice to see the foster mom again. She has always been very kind and really cares about Emma. We sat together and caught up for a bit then headed back up to our room with Emma. Emma has changed so much since the last time we saw her. As expected she has grown but is still small for her age of 3 ½ months. Unlike our last visit she was much more interactive and animated. She has discovered her legs and kicks them profusely as she sits or lays down. She has big brown pretty eyes and the cutest of smiles. Yes, I understand that I may be her dad soon so that might sway my opinion of her but I just think that she is a very pretty baby. Maybe that’s a biased opinion but look at the pictures for yourself. That is one cute kid. She is gaining more head control and has taken a liking to her vibrating bouncy seat. Funny thing happened while we were visiting. While Tera and I were getting ready to go out for lunch Emma began to get restless so I decided to put her in her bouncy seat till we were ready to head out. When I put her in her seat she became transfixed on the TV. And what was the TV you might ask? Cartoons of course. Yes, I had left it on Boomerang or Nick for Kids or something like that and cartoons were on. While getting ready I would try to garner Emma’s attention but I was being upstaged by TV! I am still flabbergasted at the fact that a 3 month old can be sucked into cartoons. It seems so early. I assume she has seen cartoons before. I wonder what it was that got her attention. Maybe that colors or the cartoon itself or the fact it was in Spanish and the sounds of the language sounded familiar verses the English that we were speaking when Tera and I talked to her. Either way it was really surprising.
On or about the third day we received an email informing us that we entered PGN on January 10th. So the clock began on the 10th and we are now counting the days if not hours till we exit PGN. If all goes well we could exit PGN in 6 to 8 weeks barring any unforeseen problems. Pray that there is mercy in this area. We were told to expect at least one “kick out” so if that happens it won’t be such a shock. In case you don’t know what a “kick out” is I will try to explain it as best I can. A “kick out” (also known as a KO) is what happens when your case is in PGN and a something is seen as flawed or a document or certificate needs to be updated or the examiner who is inspecting the case is having a bad day and wants to take it out someone (well maybe not the last part). This portion of the process can and has been known to be very problematic for some families. There is no one specific reason as to why there are KO’s because there is a lot of material in each case and each case and adoptive family is different. Background checks, certificates, the home study, financial statements and much more are involved so there are many “possibilities“ a KO. Then there is the birth mother’s side of the case as well. So if anything is amiss of needs to be updated or corrected the case is “kicked out” of PGN till the problem is taken care of. Once the anomaly is taken care of the case is then re-entered into PGN and the process continues till the case is looked at in it’s entirety, approved and then the case exits PGN. I believe it is at this point that Emma would legally be ours. We would then apply for her visa and passport. This is when many parents or at least one parent will go to Guatemala to be with the child till the visa and passport are ready. This can sometimes take up to 3 to 4 weeks. Many people spend this waiting period with the child in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua was founded on March 10, 1543. At one time Antigua was Guatemala’s capital. Due to a series of earthquakes that leveled the city in 1773 the capital was then moved to Guatemala City. Antigua remained almost uninhabited the 20th century . The city is now over 30,000 strongand is a major stop for people visiting Guatemala. The city is very scenic with it’s cobblestone streets and many historic buildings that were left standing but unfortunately some were stripped for their materials after the earthquakes. The city is situated among three volcanoes Acatenango, Agua and Fuego. I have read that Fuego is still active while the other two are not. The city is known for it’s language schools, many churches and nunneries. Some of which remained active even after most of the populace moved to Guatemala City. This is where Tera and I hope that Emma and Tera can spend the 3 to 4 weeks while waiting for Emma’s passport and visa. The city is known to be much more safe than Guatemala City and many families are currently fostering their adoptive children there right now. Tera has a friend that is fostering there till the process is complete and she says that she loves it there. But it would be an ideal time for Tera and Emma to bond before coming home. I too would also love to go down there for the entire time but that would be no good for the checking account. We will see, we will see.
So here we are, we have hurried. Hurried the doctors appointments, hurried the notaries, the reference letters, the certificates, the FBI, Homeland Security and all the other documents that fall under “miscellaneous” . And for what? To get to PGN. We hurried so we can wait. And the silence is deafening. The entire case sits on somebody’s desk. And that “somebody” has the power to accept or deny what sits in front of them. Yuck. Be that as it may I cannot believe we are in PGN. It is a bit surreal. I mean during the entire process you hear “PGN this” and PGN that” as if it is some far away land that seems just out of reach and in a matter of an email we are informed that we are there. Kinda neat and scary all at the same time. Again please pray for the Lord’s favor in this part of the process.
BREAK IN THE ACTION…THINGS HAVE DRASTICALLY CHANGED.
To put this in perspective with a timeline I need to say that to my fault that this current installment has taken me a long time to put together. I don’t have a ton of time so it takes me a while to write these things up. Anyways, during the process of putting this entry together Tera started to get word from the Guatemalan adoption boards and Guatemala that PGN is in an uproar. This is what I know so far as of today, February 3rd. Some time back we began to hear rumors that PGN was going to get help in order to keep up with the processing of cases. Assuming what everyone knows about how long this process can take many people thought this would help to get the cases through and on to be finalized. More reviewers = more help = faster process right? Wrong. The new reviewers are worse than anyone expected. I will not go into the details of what some families are going through but I will say that the new reviewers are issuing KO’s like there is no tomorrow. And I am not saying these are easy fix KO’s either. For example, I know of a kick out because the ink used on some of the documents was black not blue. This rule did not exist up until now. There is some massive nitpicking going on and some of the KO’s may never be resolved. What does that mean? It means that the adoption might be over. Done. As of today we have not received a KO. It is the weekend and the reviewers don’t work on the weekends so we will be waiting on Monday to see what happens. This is so sad. I have to say that there are many families who are getting some major doses of fear and worry and we are one of them. Our case is in Guatemala right now and from some of the information that we have recently received it is a pretty good chance that our case is being looked at right now. We are not the only ones. Everyone is worried. No one is safe because we all have to go through PGN. There is no getting around it. I will talk about is more at a later time but I need to get to the core of where we are at emotionally and the like. If you are a person who prays please do. Specifically pray for grace, mercy and favor. Guatemalan adoptions are fast but are known for being wrought with problems. Pray that God influences the minds of those who are reviewing these cases. Pray that our case (and everyone else’s) goes through quickly and without incident. I confess that my instincts reflect on the negative. Anything can happen. If we do receive a KO, pray that it will be something that will be an easy fix. Pray for all the families both here in the states and those visiting and fostering in Guatemala. We are all individual families but in the same boat as well. Pray that this huge problem goes away fast and this current process changes for the better for us all. Thank You. It may be a bit before I post again but then again I might be back sooner than expected. We will see. Hopefully the next time I post it will be accompanied with good news.
Praise and glory to God in all situations.
Jason
On or about the third day we received an email informing us that we entered PGN on January 10th. So the clock began on the 10th and we are now counting the days if not hours till we exit PGN. If all goes well we could exit PGN in 6 to 8 weeks barring any unforeseen problems. Pray that there is mercy in this area. We were told to expect at least one “kick out” so if that happens it won’t be such a shock. In case you don’t know what a “kick out” is I will try to explain it as best I can. A “kick out” (also known as a KO) is what happens when your case is in PGN and a something is seen as flawed or a document or certificate needs to be updated or the examiner who is inspecting the case is having a bad day and wants to take it out someone (well maybe not the last part). This portion of the process can and has been known to be very problematic for some families. There is no one specific reason as to why there are KO’s because there is a lot of material in each case and each case and adoptive family is different. Background checks, certificates, the home study, financial statements and much more are involved so there are many “possibilities“ a KO. Then there is the birth mother’s side of the case as well. So if anything is amiss of needs to be updated or corrected the case is “kicked out” of PGN till the problem is taken care of. Once the anomaly is taken care of the case is then re-entered into PGN and the process continues till the case is looked at in it’s entirety, approved and then the case exits PGN. I believe it is at this point that Emma would legally be ours. We would then apply for her visa and passport. This is when many parents or at least one parent will go to Guatemala to be with the child till the visa and passport are ready. This can sometimes take up to 3 to 4 weeks. Many people spend this waiting period with the child in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua was founded on March 10, 1543. At one time Antigua was Guatemala’s capital. Due to a series of earthquakes that leveled the city in 1773 the capital was then moved to Guatemala City. Antigua remained almost uninhabited the 20th century . The city is now over 30,000 strongand is a major stop for people visiting Guatemala. The city is very scenic with it’s cobblestone streets and many historic buildings that were left standing but unfortunately some were stripped for their materials after the earthquakes. The city is situated among three volcanoes Acatenango, Agua and Fuego. I have read that Fuego is still active while the other two are not. The city is known for it’s language schools, many churches and nunneries. Some of which remained active even after most of the populace moved to Guatemala City. This is where Tera and I hope that Emma and Tera can spend the 3 to 4 weeks while waiting for Emma’s passport and visa. The city is known to be much more safe than Guatemala City and many families are currently fostering their adoptive children there right now. Tera has a friend that is fostering there till the process is complete and she says that she loves it there. But it would be an ideal time for Tera and Emma to bond before coming home. I too would also love to go down there for the entire time but that would be no good for the checking account. We will see, we will see.
So here we are, we have hurried. Hurried the doctors appointments, hurried the notaries, the reference letters, the certificates, the FBI, Homeland Security and all the other documents that fall under “miscellaneous” . And for what? To get to PGN. We hurried so we can wait. And the silence is deafening. The entire case sits on somebody’s desk. And that “somebody” has the power to accept or deny what sits in front of them. Yuck. Be that as it may I cannot believe we are in PGN. It is a bit surreal. I mean during the entire process you hear “PGN this” and PGN that” as if it is some far away land that seems just out of reach and in a matter of an email we are informed that we are there. Kinda neat and scary all at the same time. Again please pray for the Lord’s favor in this part of the process.
BREAK IN THE ACTION…THINGS HAVE DRASTICALLY CHANGED.
To put this in perspective with a timeline I need to say that to my fault that this current installment has taken me a long time to put together. I don’t have a ton of time so it takes me a while to write these things up. Anyways, during the process of putting this entry together Tera started to get word from the Guatemalan adoption boards and Guatemala that PGN is in an uproar. This is what I know so far as of today, February 3rd. Some time back we began to hear rumors that PGN was going to get help in order to keep up with the processing of cases. Assuming what everyone knows about how long this process can take many people thought this would help to get the cases through and on to be finalized. More reviewers = more help = faster process right? Wrong. The new reviewers are worse than anyone expected. I will not go into the details of what some families are going through but I will say that the new reviewers are issuing KO’s like there is no tomorrow. And I am not saying these are easy fix KO’s either. For example, I know of a kick out because the ink used on some of the documents was black not blue. This rule did not exist up until now. There is some massive nitpicking going on and some of the KO’s may never be resolved. What does that mean? It means that the adoption might be over. Done. As of today we have not received a KO. It is the weekend and the reviewers don’t work on the weekends so we will be waiting on Monday to see what happens. This is so sad. I have to say that there are many families who are getting some major doses of fear and worry and we are one of them. Our case is in Guatemala right now and from some of the information that we have recently received it is a pretty good chance that our case is being looked at right now. We are not the only ones. Everyone is worried. No one is safe because we all have to go through PGN. There is no getting around it. I will talk about is more at a later time but I need to get to the core of where we are at emotionally and the like. If you are a person who prays please do. Specifically pray for grace, mercy and favor. Guatemalan adoptions are fast but are known for being wrought with problems. Pray that God influences the minds of those who are reviewing these cases. Pray that our case (and everyone else’s) goes through quickly and without incident. I confess that my instincts reflect on the negative. Anything can happen. If we do receive a KO, pray that it will be something that will be an easy fix. Pray for all the families both here in the states and those visiting and fostering in Guatemala. We are all individual families but in the same boat as well. Pray that this huge problem goes away fast and this current process changes for the better for us all. Thank You. It may be a bit before I post again but then again I might be back sooner than expected. We will see. Hopefully the next time I post it will be accompanied with good news.
Praise and glory to God in all situations.
Jason
Monday, January 01, 2007
I need to update more often…
For those who read this blog, I again apologize for such huge gaps between blogs. What has happened since my last entry? To sum it up: A lot. Since the last time I blogged Emma entered and exited Family Court and on Thursday (12/21) we received Embassy P.A. (Pre-Approval). You must think that we are very excited. We are. We will hopefully be entering PGN (Procuraduria General de la Nacion) sometime in January and then the next big wait will proceed which could be about 6 to 8 weeks…typically (and hopefully). We have seen it go much longer but I won’t go into that. Each case is different and we hope and pray that ours will go smoothly. We are trying to get everything in order in preparation for Emma’s homecoming. There is much to do and less and less time to do it. Tera’s family is helping out in many areas which is huge in helping us get ready. I think that things are going really well but all of it seems a bit overwhelming. I just wish that there were 48 hours in a day and I didn’t need any sleep… at least for this part of the process. I know we will get it all done soon enough. In other Emma related news: On January 12th Tera and I will be heading down to Guatemala for our second visit trip. We will staying till the following Wednesday. We are thrilled to go and we are eager to see how much Emma has developed. We have seen pictures (some of these can be seen at Tera’s “Guatemama” blog). We can see that she has physically changed like all babies do but we are excited to interact with her and her personality and developmental changes. When we made our first visit she was just three weeks old. She spent most of her time sleeping which was no surprise and fine by us because it gave Tera and I plenty of “let‘s hold Emma and hug her all of the time“ time.. I assume that this next trip will be more “interactive” which will be awesome experience as well. The sad part of the this trip is that this is only a visit trip which means that we will have to go through the process of handing Emma back to the foster family at the end of the visit. I imagine that this will be more difficult to go through than the first time since we have fallen that much more in love with this little Emma. There is hope because it might be our last visit trip and the next time we see her will hopefully be the trip that we bring her back home with us. So when we get home from this next visit trip we will be going full bore on the Emma projects and preparations.
We do have some prayer requests. I have not talked to Tera about how far into detail I should go so I will paint with a broad brush hoping that I will not be too vague.
PGN (Procuraduria General de la Nacion).
This is the final step of the adoption process that we will hopefully be entering into soon. This is also where pretty much anything can happen. When I say anything I mean anything, the good and bad and the ugly. Our case will be looked at by officials in Guatemala with a microscopic nuclear powered fine tooth comb made of a material unknown to man. This is where the rubber hits the road and all of our hard work is put to the test. Every document and piece of information is poured over and if anything is amiss then we get what is called a KO or “Kick Out“. The document is then fixed and we start over from the beginning of the PGN portion of the process. This happens all the time and it happens more often than not.
Please pray that this is smooth sailing. This part is often seen as problematic. Pray that the Lord shows us grace , mercy and favor.
Logistics and Timing.
Things are moving quickly. This is a good problem but a problem nonetheless. Finances are always important too. We have much work to do in a short amount if time. Timing is of an essence.
Patience and Trust.
The adoption process is touchy from start to finish. When Tera and I first looked into adoption it seemed so overwhelming. I must admit that some parts do appear overwhelming at times and sometimes almost impossible, especially when your in the midst of it . The process isn’t just the agency and the adoptive parents getting together and hammering out few papers and writing out a check or two. The process is laborious and requires organizational skills to keep everything in order and on schedule (thanks Tera). So many people are involved in every facet of the adoption. People you wouldn’t even think of can have such an impact on the direction and speed the adoption can go. Doctors, Notaries, clerks and officers and officials in other states or even countries that we may never meet can cause things to go one way or another. What does this all mean? We need to trust and be ever patient trusting in the Lord that He will meet our needs. From start to finish this is all up to the Lord. No matter how many people are involved in this adoption be it 5 or 5,000 He is still in charge. He moves things, situations and people in the ways that He desires. Tera and I have seen things during this process that blow our minds. Many times God has orchestrated things to work out just when we thought there was no way to get over whatever bump in the road that we were confronting. I confess that we did fret and shed some tears. But God heard our prayers and He did what He does best. I am so glad that it is not up to me to make things work. Please pray that we will continue to trust and obey and gain tons of patience during our time in PGN.
Emma and her foster family
Please pray for Emma and her continuing growth and good health. Also keep the foster family in your prayers as well. They are very kind people and have been taking very good care of little Emma Grace. I am very appreciative of the foster family and their sacrifices that they are making to take care of Emma.
Things are moving forward and we hope they continue doing so. As I type this I was just informed of a bit of a bump in the road it has to do with a document that needs to be renewed from our home study agency. Pray this taken care of quickly and accurately as possible because this could slow the process down considerably.
I guess that’s all for now. Happy New Year.
We do have some prayer requests. I have not talked to Tera about how far into detail I should go so I will paint with a broad brush hoping that I will not be too vague.
PGN (Procuraduria General de la Nacion).
This is the final step of the adoption process that we will hopefully be entering into soon. This is also where pretty much anything can happen. When I say anything I mean anything, the good and bad and the ugly. Our case will be looked at by officials in Guatemala with a microscopic nuclear powered fine tooth comb made of a material unknown to man. This is where the rubber hits the road and all of our hard work is put to the test. Every document and piece of information is poured over and if anything is amiss then we get what is called a KO or “Kick Out“. The document is then fixed and we start over from the beginning of the PGN portion of the process. This happens all the time and it happens more often than not.
Please pray that this is smooth sailing. This part is often seen as problematic. Pray that the Lord shows us grace , mercy and favor.
Logistics and Timing.
Things are moving quickly. This is a good problem but a problem nonetheless. Finances are always important too. We have much work to do in a short amount if time. Timing is of an essence.
Patience and Trust.
The adoption process is touchy from start to finish. When Tera and I first looked into adoption it seemed so overwhelming. I must admit that some parts do appear overwhelming at times and sometimes almost impossible, especially when your in the midst of it . The process isn’t just the agency and the adoptive parents getting together and hammering out few papers and writing out a check or two. The process is laborious and requires organizational skills to keep everything in order and on schedule (thanks Tera). So many people are involved in every facet of the adoption. People you wouldn’t even think of can have such an impact on the direction and speed the adoption can go. Doctors, Notaries, clerks and officers and officials in other states or even countries that we may never meet can cause things to go one way or another. What does this all mean? We need to trust and be ever patient trusting in the Lord that He will meet our needs. From start to finish this is all up to the Lord. No matter how many people are involved in this adoption be it 5 or 5,000 He is still in charge. He moves things, situations and people in the ways that He desires. Tera and I have seen things during this process that blow our minds. Many times God has orchestrated things to work out just when we thought there was no way to get over whatever bump in the road that we were confronting. I confess that we did fret and shed some tears. But God heard our prayers and He did what He does best. I am so glad that it is not up to me to make things work. Please pray that we will continue to trust and obey and gain tons of patience during our time in PGN.
Emma and her foster family
Please pray for Emma and her continuing growth and good health. Also keep the foster family in your prayers as well. They are very kind people and have been taking very good care of little Emma Grace. I am very appreciative of the foster family and their sacrifices that they are making to take care of Emma.
Things are moving forward and we hope they continue doing so. As I type this I was just informed of a bit of a bump in the road it has to do with a document that needs to be renewed from our home study agency. Pray this taken care of quickly and accurately as possible because this could slow the process down considerably.
I guess that’s all for now. Happy New Year.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
News...
The day after my last entry we received the authorization for the DNA test to proceed. Progress is good. Then a day or two later we received an update from the doctor and our agency about Emma. Included were over 20 pictures of her at the doctors office as well as news about her health. According to the doctor she is doing well and has gained a whopping 2 pounds since we last saw her. We have also recently received news that we have entered family court. All this news makes me excited and gives me a sense of forward motion. We are still planning for Tera to visit as soon as possible but with the Thanksgiving and Christmas upon us it will be interesting to see how it all pans out. We’ll see.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Ho Hum
Sigh…
I think I will just start to type for a while. Forgive me if it seems a bit "all over the place".
I am not used to writing these things. Things meaning blogs. Sharing thoughts with whoever is reading this seems strange to me. To make the time, sit down and “get in the mood” can be hard sometimes. Music seems to do the trick. Nothing upbeat. Something really mellow works well for me. Today’s selection is Windham Hill’s “A Winter’s Solstice”. I am not big on Windham Hill but I found this years ago when Tera and I first started dating. Something about this album really does it for me. It is obviously seasonal. In case anyone is looking for something to knock your socks off I would suggest Bryan Duncan’s “My Utmost for His Highest”. Again I am not huge on Bryan Duncan but this is such a great album I would recommend it to anyone.
Anyhoo…Enough with the small talk. Tera and I returned home on Monday night at almost midnight. We sat in separate sections on the plane as we were unable to get two seats together. The day was long and harder than expected. The plane ride home felt longer than it was. In our hearts we were very sad.
Monday morning was the day that Emma went back to her foster family. Need I say more? We had dreaded this day from the day we met Emma. Tera and I spent some quiet time with Emma praying for her, her birthmother and her foster family. We sat and held her till 9:55 then headed down to the lobby to meet with the foster family. A little after 10am the foster mom and her daughter showed up and I almost began to cry right there. We exchanged information and talked about Emma’s week with us and numerous other things. There was a lot talked about but I can’t seem to remember. It all seemed to be such a blur. When the time came for Emma to go back to the foster mom and Tera and I began to cry. We had become so endeared to Emma over the course of six days. It was hard. Three other couples were there doing the same thing and going through the same obstacle course of emotions. Even though we weren’t the only ones there it felt like we were the only ones around for miles. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the lobby. Tera and I had a few hours to spare so we took a walk around the hotel and did some last minute shopping before checking out and heading to the airport. Like I said Tera and I were unable to sit together on the flight home. It was so hard. We were able to have dinner in Atlanta during our layover which was nice but we were doing what we could to bear our longing for little Emma. When we got home we relaxed for a short time before heading to bed.
Since then we have been busy doing the daily grind. Work, sleep, eat. Work, sleep, eat. Getting things done around the house and all kinds of other stuff. It seems all a bit circular but it does have a purpose. This I know. In the meantime we have some big projects to work on like getting the baby’s room done as well as the rooms downstairs done. Here in Minnesota we are heading into winter which means putting away all of the patio furniture, watering hoses, fishing boats and anything else that resembles summertime.
So when do are we going to see Emma again? As soon as possible. We are waiting for the DNA results to come back and if those come back as hoped for we will begin to make plans for another trip. I am not sure if I will be able to go on this trip though. Earlier this year I got a part time job at the airport to help take the edge off the of airline tickets. When I am able to use this benefit the savings are huge. But this does come with it’s disadvantages. The biggest is that when flying under these benefit’s a person can be bumped off of the flight by regular paying customers. With my schedule it is hard to have the flexibility of getting bumped and not making a flight. My full time job is giving me all the flexibility I can ask for but the airline job won’t. So I will have to schedule my trip to Guatemala around my off days. If I can’t make it then I would have to try the following week. This would all be solved if I made more money and paid like a regular paying customer which guarantees me a seat. But this is not the case so reality tells me that Tera will be going it alone to Guatemala on her next visit. Ideally I would like to go along but we can’t afford tickets for the both of us. Maybe next time ya know? I just don’t want too much time to slip by before seeing her again. Babies change so quickly when they are so young.
A couple of prayer requests before I wrap this up.
1. The DNA test and results.
The touchy issues with DNA is that when the tests are done the birth mother and child are brought together. It is at this point that the birth mother will sometimes change her mind about the adoption. If this were to happen it would be hard beyond words to deal with. But it is understandable trying to look at it through the eyes of the birth mother.
2. The Holidays.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up and we won’t be able to be with Emma during these times. Pray for patience on our part. It’s going be hard.
We are so thankful that the Lord provided us with the means to go and be with Emma in October. We are grateful for His mercy and grace throughout this process. We are floored to know that He has placed Emma in our lives and hope that we will be able to bring her into our family.
I also want to say thanks to all the families and individuals that we met while in Guatemala. It was so awesome to meet others going through some of the same things that we are. It really helped me connect the dots in some areas of the process that I have been struggling with. To speak (even if it was brief) was such an encouragement. We had dinner with some, breakfast with others. I was even able to shop a bit with some men who I met that same day. I hope that Tera and I see these people soon. I think I'll end it here for now.
Jason
I think I will just start to type for a while. Forgive me if it seems a bit "all over the place".
I am not used to writing these things. Things meaning blogs. Sharing thoughts with whoever is reading this seems strange to me. To make the time, sit down and “get in the mood” can be hard sometimes. Music seems to do the trick. Nothing upbeat. Something really mellow works well for me. Today’s selection is Windham Hill’s “A Winter’s Solstice”. I am not big on Windham Hill but I found this years ago when Tera and I first started dating. Something about this album really does it for me. It is obviously seasonal. In case anyone is looking for something to knock your socks off I would suggest Bryan Duncan’s “My Utmost for His Highest”. Again I am not huge on Bryan Duncan but this is such a great album I would recommend it to anyone.
Anyhoo…Enough with the small talk. Tera and I returned home on Monday night at almost midnight. We sat in separate sections on the plane as we were unable to get two seats together. The day was long and harder than expected. The plane ride home felt longer than it was. In our hearts we were very sad.
Monday morning was the day that Emma went back to her foster family. Need I say more? We had dreaded this day from the day we met Emma. Tera and I spent some quiet time with Emma praying for her, her birthmother and her foster family. We sat and held her till 9:55 then headed down to the lobby to meet with the foster family. A little after 10am the foster mom and her daughter showed up and I almost began to cry right there. We exchanged information and talked about Emma’s week with us and numerous other things. There was a lot talked about but I can’t seem to remember. It all seemed to be such a blur. When the time came for Emma to go back to the foster mom and Tera and I began to cry. We had become so endeared to Emma over the course of six days. It was hard. Three other couples were there doing the same thing and going through the same obstacle course of emotions. Even though we weren’t the only ones there it felt like we were the only ones around for miles. We said our goodbyes and made our way back to the lobby. Tera and I had a few hours to spare so we took a walk around the hotel and did some last minute shopping before checking out and heading to the airport. Like I said Tera and I were unable to sit together on the flight home. It was so hard. We were able to have dinner in Atlanta during our layover which was nice but we were doing what we could to bear our longing for little Emma. When we got home we relaxed for a short time before heading to bed.
Since then we have been busy doing the daily grind. Work, sleep, eat. Work, sleep, eat. Getting things done around the house and all kinds of other stuff. It seems all a bit circular but it does have a purpose. This I know. In the meantime we have some big projects to work on like getting the baby’s room done as well as the rooms downstairs done. Here in Minnesota we are heading into winter which means putting away all of the patio furniture, watering hoses, fishing boats and anything else that resembles summertime.
So when do are we going to see Emma again? As soon as possible. We are waiting for the DNA results to come back and if those come back as hoped for we will begin to make plans for another trip. I am not sure if I will be able to go on this trip though. Earlier this year I got a part time job at the airport to help take the edge off the of airline tickets. When I am able to use this benefit the savings are huge. But this does come with it’s disadvantages. The biggest is that when flying under these benefit’s a person can be bumped off of the flight by regular paying customers. With my schedule it is hard to have the flexibility of getting bumped and not making a flight. My full time job is giving me all the flexibility I can ask for but the airline job won’t. So I will have to schedule my trip to Guatemala around my off days. If I can’t make it then I would have to try the following week. This would all be solved if I made more money and paid like a regular paying customer which guarantees me a seat. But this is not the case so reality tells me that Tera will be going it alone to Guatemala on her next visit. Ideally I would like to go along but we can’t afford tickets for the both of us. Maybe next time ya know? I just don’t want too much time to slip by before seeing her again. Babies change so quickly when they are so young.
A couple of prayer requests before I wrap this up.
1. The DNA test and results.
The touchy issues with DNA is that when the tests are done the birth mother and child are brought together. It is at this point that the birth mother will sometimes change her mind about the adoption. If this were to happen it would be hard beyond words to deal with. But it is understandable trying to look at it through the eyes of the birth mother.
2. The Holidays.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up and we won’t be able to be with Emma during these times. Pray for patience on our part. It’s going be hard.
We are so thankful that the Lord provided us with the means to go and be with Emma in October. We are grateful for His mercy and grace throughout this process. We are floored to know that He has placed Emma in our lives and hope that we will be able to bring her into our family.
I also want to say thanks to all the families and individuals that we met while in Guatemala. It was so awesome to meet others going through some of the same things that we are. It really helped me connect the dots in some areas of the process that I have been struggling with. To speak (even if it was brief) was such an encouragement. We had dinner with some, breakfast with others. I was even able to shop a bit with some men who I met that same day. I hope that Tera and I see these people soon. I think I'll end it here for now.
Jason
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Dreading tomorrow
Emma goes back to her foster family tomorrow...It's sad. Really sad. For the past six days Tera and I have bonded with Emma and tomorrow it will have to cease for a time. It is hard for the both of us yet she has affected us in different ways too. Emma has done things to me and my heart that I can't even begin to explain if I had to. Tomorrow will be hard. Beyond hard.
I do want to say that we are so thankful for what the Lord has done. He has been ever faithful and graceful to us. We are so thankful that we were able to see her at such a young age. The longer visit makes it harder because so much more bonding can happen than if we were here for something like two days. I'll write more after we get back home.
Please pray that our process goes quickly so that someday soon we can be permanently reunited with little Emma.
J
I do want to say that we are so thankful for what the Lord has done. He has been ever faithful and graceful to us. We are so thankful that we were able to see her at such a young age. The longer visit makes it harder because so much more bonding can happen than if we were here for something like two days. I'll write more after we get back home.
Please pray that our process goes quickly so that someday soon we can be permanently reunited with little Emma.
J
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Greetings from Guatemala City
We are here. I have not posted because I have been staring at our little one so much. For the record we named her Emma Grace Esperanza Chavez. Emma and Grace are family names and Esperanza means "hope".
We arrived in Guatemala City on Tuesday safe and sound. We were met outside the airport by many beggars. I am not as used to this as Tera is. It's hard to see children live like that. On the way from the airport to the hotel I witnessed approximately four thousand traffic violations give or take a few. I don't think that I will ever rent a car here.
Tera and I were spent yet so excited to meet little Emma so we did the best we could to get some rest and to settle in for a weeks stay at the Westin in Guatemala City. The beds here are far beyond what I can explain. They are by far the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in.
Wednesday morning we got up and went to have breakfast. It was buffet style with so many things to choose from. I have officially named fried plantains as my "so very bad for me but I don't care" food of choice. The breakfast was so good but in the backs of our minds was the fact that we were about to meet the girl who would change our lives forever. We headed back up to our room and waited. Room service came to tidy up our room and the second they left and shut the door the phone rang. It was Marielena asking us to meet her in the lobby of the hotel. We quickly gathered our things and headed for the lobby. Once there Marielena led us to a small secluded room to meet little Emma (then Nurian Sochil). The foster mother was there with her daughter and Emma. The foster mother greeted us and immediately handed Emma to Tera. We were so overwhelmed by the situation that neither Tera or I spoke for a minute or so. We began to speak with the foster mother and her daughter about Emma and who they were as well. The foster mother and her daughter were so sweet and kind. We like them alot. They seem so concerned with Emma's well being. After some more conversation and picture taking we were allowed to leave so the three of us headed back upstairs to our room. Together we gave Emma her first bath, first bottle and first diaper change. A day of firsts. I loved it. Since then Emma has pretty much slept and eaten. Today she is a bit out of sorts but otherwise in great spirits. Here at the Westin we have met so many nice people visiting their babies as well. Last night we were able to have dinner with one of the moms and her little one which was really nice. It's really cool to interact with others going through the adoption process as well.
This morning we signed our Power of Attorney and the now the Guatemalan side of the process is now underway! Praise the Lord.
So here I sit. It is raining outside and Tera is across the room feeding Emma. It seems so quiet in here even with the hustle and bustle of the city below. The world moves on as Tera and I fall in love with our dear Emma Grace.
If you want to see some pictures Tera has some posted on her blog. Just click on the "Guatemama" link to the right. I'll get that picture thing figured out one of these days.
Jason
We arrived in Guatemala City on Tuesday safe and sound. We were met outside the airport by many beggars. I am not as used to this as Tera is. It's hard to see children live like that. On the way from the airport to the hotel I witnessed approximately four thousand traffic violations give or take a few. I don't think that I will ever rent a car here.
Tera and I were spent yet so excited to meet little Emma so we did the best we could to get some rest and to settle in for a weeks stay at the Westin in Guatemala City. The beds here are far beyond what I can explain. They are by far the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in.
Wednesday morning we got up and went to have breakfast. It was buffet style with so many things to choose from. I have officially named fried plantains as my "so very bad for me but I don't care" food of choice. The breakfast was so good but in the backs of our minds was the fact that we were about to meet the girl who would change our lives forever. We headed back up to our room and waited. Room service came to tidy up our room and the second they left and shut the door the phone rang. It was Marielena asking us to meet her in the lobby of the hotel. We quickly gathered our things and headed for the lobby. Once there Marielena led us to a small secluded room to meet little Emma (then Nurian Sochil). The foster mother was there with her daughter and Emma. The foster mother greeted us and immediately handed Emma to Tera. We were so overwhelmed by the situation that neither Tera or I spoke for a minute or so. We began to speak with the foster mother and her daughter about Emma and who they were as well. The foster mother and her daughter were so sweet and kind. We like them alot. They seem so concerned with Emma's well being. After some more conversation and picture taking we were allowed to leave so the three of us headed back upstairs to our room. Together we gave Emma her first bath, first bottle and first diaper change. A day of firsts. I loved it. Since then Emma has pretty much slept and eaten. Today she is a bit out of sorts but otherwise in great spirits. Here at the Westin we have met so many nice people visiting their babies as well. Last night we were able to have dinner with one of the moms and her little one which was really nice. It's really cool to interact with others going through the adoption process as well.
This morning we signed our Power of Attorney and the now the Guatemalan side of the process is now underway! Praise the Lord.
So here I sit. It is raining outside and Tera is across the room feeding Emma. It seems so quiet in here even with the hustle and bustle of the city below. The world moves on as Tera and I fall in love with our dear Emma Grace.
If you want to see some pictures Tera has some posted on her blog. Just click on the "Guatemama" link to the right. I'll get that picture thing figured out one of these days.
Jason
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Gotta fly
I must admit that I have been very busy along with Tera preparing for our POA trip to Guatemala. I just wanted to quick drop a line to those who read this and to ask for your continuing prayer during our trip. Pray for the Lord's protection over all three of us during this time. We leave Tuesday morning and we are afraid, nervous, excited and every other emotion under sun. I will probably post when we return.
Thanks again.
Jason
Thanks again.
Jason
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