Paulo made it home at last to the welcome of friends and family. He was a little overwhelmed at first but began to warm up a touch. Here are a few photos of our arrival including his new amigos.
Home
Paulo can...
By now I have had a chance to observe Paulo's development and compare to our previous trips. So here is what I came up with. Paulo can...
- Put on his Crocs by himself.
- Climb on everything; I turned my back and discovered him sitting on the bar stool in our kitchenette.
- Feed himself with a fork although it is a slow process.
- Say “aqua” like a broken record pointing at every fountain and the large bottles of purified water that line the streets.
- Open our hotel door if the hasp is not secure...Yikes!
- Smiles and belly laughs a lot.
- Fusses, but only when there is a good reason.
- Plays by himself.
- Talks although I can only make out "si", "agua", "mama", "papa".
- Runs like the wind.
- Checks to see if I’m watching him; wants approval.
- Stacks blocks very high then knocks them down and starts over.
- Claps when he does something well. So I clap to show approval and he smiles.
- Hugs his stuffed animals and my neck.
- Eat his books.
- Put his toys in a bag and dump them out over and over.
- Runs then falls down on purpose and gets up and laughs! And does it again and again.
Visa appointment complete...We're coming home
The visa appointment was really uneventful...really one of the rare moments that things were ordinary. We arrived at 7AM and were back at the hotel at 10AM. Now we wait one day to pick up the visa and then we are on our way home, once and for all.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even then your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
Pink!
We just learned the visa appointment is scheduled for February 2nd. Todd leaves on February 1st so please pray that there are no delays or flight cancellations. It looks to be a short trip after all.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. -- King David
Going to Guatemala
The 2nd DNA test was complete and sent to the US lab for processing. The test was confirmed to be complete and the results are now en route to the US Embassy. Even though the US Embassy has not received the results of the 2nd DNA test, Todd is heading off to Guatemala this Sunday; not exactly sure when he's coming back. He plans to have Paulo in his hands by Sunday evening and will be introducing him to American football (if it's on TV). The two of them will be ready to take the next available visa appointment.
We have the birth certificate...
...and the finish line is in sight. Over the next few days the second DNA test is taking place and Paulo is getting his passport. Todd is planning on making the trip one last time to Guatemala to bring our little guy home. Nicole is going to stay home and be rested up to welcome our little guy to his forever family.
On the home front we have been working diligently to prepare our house for the welcome. We are both tying up loose ends and plan on taking plenty of time off so we can properly re-frame our daily routine that will now include little boy energy!
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. --Unknown Psalmist
It's time for Paulo's birth certificate
We just received the good news that Paulo's file was submitted to RENAP so that he can obtain a new birth certificate. His new birth certificate will have Harris as his last name...very cool! The time frame for issuance can range from days to months, so we will just see what the Good Lord has planned. As we think back on our journey a year ago this week, the idea of adoption had not completely captured our hearts. It was the third week of December that we were stirred by God in a powerful way to do something extraordinary. And on a few days notice, we flew to Guatemala to "get in the game." To summarize, we have come a long way in a year and are privileged to still be "in the game" given the challenges of this adoption. God has been faithful to us and we give Him all of the credit...we certainly could not have come this far through our own efforts. There is something bigger than us going on here.
Finally out of PGN!
We just learned our file came out of PGN approved!
There is a catch; our Attorney discovered a typographical mistake on the Decree. There are some redundant sentences in the Decree. The Decree has to be corrected otherwise RENAP will reject our application for a birth certificate which could happen 30 days into the process, thus sending it back to PGN. We are glad the mistake was caught now and not 30 days from now.
Our Attorney immediately returned the file and the PGN has promised to have a signed/corrected Decree ready this Friday. So we are kind of back in the PGN. Please pray the PGN releases our corrected Decree this Friday.
The bottom line is the Guatemalan Government officially recognizes us as the parents of Paulo David Mario and for that we are thankful.
The "Pigeonator"
In this corner weighing in at 22 pounds, coming all the way from Coban Guatemala, in his professional debut...Paulo David Mario "The Pigeonator"!!!
In this corner weighing in at 6 ounces times three, coming all the way from the La Merced Plaza, Antigua Guatemala, always on the run..."Tres La Merced Pigeons"!!!
Guatemala Trip #4 – Part Two
It's hard to believe that we only have two more days with Paulo. We have had an incredible week so far. Paulo is so full of life...we know we are living out our calling when we spend time with him. Even though we are exhausted at the end of each day; we are so satisfied knowing that we are not just playing it safe...we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.
For those of you who continue to be faithful in prayer we thank you! Don't stop; we desperately need prayer that our case would come out of the PGN approved. It's been in the system far too long.
Here are some photos from the week...
These are for Pat. Love the gut after dinner...we all laughed!
Guatemala Trip #4 – Part One
Here we are again in Guatemala. We arrived on Saturday at 8PM, checked in to the hotel and rested up for the next day. We were both very anxious with the excitement of seeing Paulo again. He arrived the next day in the afternoon with his foster mother Teresa. We inquired through our Coordinator Maria as to his eating and sleeping routine. We were provided a lot of information regarding his development. We noticed that he was more “mature” looking and had filled out, yet he is still a small little boy. We discovered that he eats all of the time just like Teresa had reported. We took a shuttle to Antigua where we checked into the Dos Loros Inn where we have been the only guests so far. Dos Loros is newly remodeled with spacious rooms, a common kitchen and a giant courtyard for playing! (http://www.doslorosinn.com)
We spent the first night settling in and the next day walked a block away to visit Lee Anne, Eric, Emily and Samuel. We have also dined at the most affordable, quaint restaurants you will ever find in a 12 block “city”. There will be more of that along with daily cappuccinos.
It took Paulo a day to warm up. He smiles and laughs all of the time. He plays HARD, sweat coming from his head. He sleeps all night long (8 PM – 6 AM) and takes a short nap in the afternoon. He takes a bottle before his nap and at night. The rest of the time he is drinking out of sippy cups. We dined last night at the reliable Rainbow Café and learned that Paulo knows candles. You see, when the waitress began to light all of the table candles, Paulo began to blow profusely at them from across the room. This continued for about 30 minutes until we left; we had a good laugh while we ate. We guess that Teresa must light candles at her house and she has taught Paulo to blow them out. Last night before we gave Paulo his bath, we Skype’d his Aunt Stacie and cousin Natalie who live in Virginia. They got to see Paulo run around the room, play peek-a-boo and smile a lot. Natalie said she was so happy we are adopting Paulo. Here are some photos of our trip so far.
Thoughts of the Birthmother
On Friday August 29th the second Birthmother Interview took place. Nothing is easy. Paulo’s birthmother had to travel three hours from her home and arrived in Guatemala City mid-morning. Our coordinator and her husband accompanied Paulo’s birthmother to the PGN where they had an appointment. They waited with Paulo’s birthmother until approximately 8PM when the interview finally took place. We were closely monitoring the event through our Agency. Shortly after midnight we received a call from our Agency that the interview was complete. Essentially, Paulo’s birthmother chose to have a family from the United States of America, that she has never met, parent the little boy who she carried for nine months. She then stayed the night in Guatemala City before traveling three hours back home.
How humbled we are…
To think of a birthmother that chose to give a baby boy life knowing there was little promise for a better way ahead. She traveled not once, but twice, to Guatemala City, three hours each way. She was more than likely jammed on a public transit bus carrying her few belongings. And each time she had to stay all night in the city. No doubt she had many thoughts about the decision she was making during her lonely ride to the city each time. And to hold this child for the last time in her lap while the interviewers questioned her motives. She held firm to her earlier decision a few months prior. And late into the night when it was all over, she handed the baby boy back to the authorities, touching him for the last time. As she released him she must have been flooded by the finality of her decision. A short ride to the hotel followed by a night’s stay all alone. And she must have awoken the next day to another cramped, and lonely ride back to her hometown where she replayed the event of a day earlier in her mind. And today she is home and back to her routine, whatever it is. Play it forward to the end of her days. How many times in her life will she replay the images of her trip to Guatemala City, and the interview, and the ride home on a noisy, crowded bus; and through the years wondering where this boy is and if he is happy.
We will never fully understand why we were chosen for this. Why not the birthmother? Who are we, Lord?
How humbled we are…
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously. Share with God's people who are in need. –Excerpts from Paul’s letter to the Romans
Guatemala Trip #4 Now Scheduled
We are happy to report that we scheduled our next trip to Guatemala in October. Our airline reservations have been confirmed. We plan on making our way to the historic town of Antigua again. We can't wait to hold our little Paulo...very exciting!!!
In the PGN at last!
We just received an e-mail from our Agency that we are finally in the PGN. This is the last, and biggest, step in the process. Our Agency Director is in Guatemala this week and I know that her presence is paying off. Every time she is in the country we move one step closer; and our friends are seeing the same progress. We will never be able to thank her enough for her persistence. Her calling and passion for these orphans is profound.
What to expect in the PGN? A thorough review of our paperwork and the second birth mother interview.
How long does it take? We hesitate to respond given the many uncertainties in this part of the process.
Please keep praying that Paulo will come home.
Paulo's foster care
When we were in Guatemala in March we left Teresa, Paulo's foster mother, two disposable cameras. Teresa gave us the cameras back during our June trip. Nicole decided to wait to have the film developed until she was really missing Paulo. So this week she made the drop off at Costco. When we opened the photo envelopes we were like two kids digging into a newly opened box of Captain Crunch to find the toy. And yes there was a surprise; keep reading.
Paulo in his room
Paulo playing in his house
Paulo playing on the back steps
Paulo taking a bath
And the surprise...Paulo's swimming pool. No kidding!
Now we know why Paulo has such an affection for water.
Here he is with his foster "sister" Paola. She is 20.
Out of Family Court!!! Next up, PGN...
We found out today, July 21st, that our case was approved by the Family Court. We would have never guessed that when we woke up this morning that we would be so unexpectedly surprised. What next? Well our attorney must now prepare our file for presentation to the Guatemalan PGN which should take place in the next week or so. The PGN serves as the ultimate approver of all "grandfathered" adoption cases. The PGN is where the final birth mother interview takes place as well as a thorough review of our case file. The PGN has a reputation for being very strict with the case file and often kicks out the file for minor errors and omissions. So we wait again...this time on the PGN. In a crazy way we know that the waiting is making us grow more in our faith. Pretty cool.
What we do while we wait...
Our birth mother interview took place on May 30th, so now we have to wait on the social worker report and family court approval of our case. It's been almost two months and we haven't heard any news. We hesitate to inquire as to the status of our case since the feedback is predictably non-specific because of the innumerable behind the scene workings of Guatemalan adoptions. We actually trust God's timing and get our peace from knowing He is in control. We have both learned that if it were left up to us we would make a mess of things anyway...so Paulo is better off in the end.
We just keep watching the videos of our beloved "hijo" to keep his memory fresh. Here are a few of those videos for your enjoyment. (You may want to pause the background music at the bottom of the page while you watch.)
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. --King David
Pre-Approval!
On June 16, 2008 we recieved the Pre-Approval of our case from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services located in the US Embassy, Guatemala. We are now waiting on the Guatemalan Family Court and Social Worker approval of our case. One more step closer...
Paulo's First Birthday Party!
On June 7th we celebrated the first year of Paulo David's life. Imagine his plight the first year of his life? He is just one of thousands of orphans in Guatemala. International adoptions don't put a dent in the need of this country. It was definitely a day to celebrate the blessing of Paulo with friends!
We hosted the party at our apartment. It was attended by Emily and Samuel Armstrong; Bill, Kyle and Billy Beyer; Billy's friend Blair; Lee Anne and Erick Whitworth; Angie and Milo (Emily and Lee Anne's roommates) Kimberly and Aeson (Emily and Lee Anne's friend who is adopting).
We of course had a birthday cake that Paulo tried on.
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