Bringing Raelen Home

2012-01-27T06:59:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated 3 years with Raelen! She is growing up so fast! She turned 3 in September and is talking in full sentences, cutting with scissors, bossing her older siblings around...I don't know how many times in the past few weeks I've heard her say "You're not the boss!" She fits right in our family, that's for sure!

I will post pictures from Gotcha Day #4 as soon as I get them off my mom's camera:) For now, I'll post some recent pictures of her.

She has said so many funny things over the last year, I wouldn't have time to post all of them. Today is her Daddy's birthday & she asked me if we were going to put a Kindle on the cake. She said, "you know...Kindle Fire?" Too funny. She's very dramatic too, talking with her hands and showing us one of her 100 different facial expressions. We've heard a few funny comments in the last few months...One guy said "what a cute little Mexican girl you have!" Of course, I corrected him, but did think it was kind of funny. Then when I said she was adopted from Colombia, he said "oh, they make coffee & pot (marijuana)." Again, I corrected him that Colombia is a beautiful country with wonderful people (and that it's cocaine, not marijuana) LOL!

Things people come up with ! Anyway, that's all for now! I'll try not to wait ANOTHER year to post!
Saving...

Gotcha Day #3

2011-01-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we celebrated TWO YEARS since we became Raelen's mom & dad! We went out for supper and had balloons and cake. We kept telling her "today is a special day!" but I know she doesn't understand it yet. She enjoyed the party..although she kept thinking we were going to Pizza Hut rather than the White House!

Every month that passes I try to hold onto a memory, because it is all going by way too fast! I think we'd become adoptive parents again in a heartbeat if we didn't have to wait so long and if we knew the next one would be as wonderful for our family as Rae has been. Whether it's the funny thing she's said or tattling on Reese or Logan, we wouldn't want to miss it for the world:)

2010-11-24T16:53:00.001-08:00

Wow, I'm embarassed that it's been over a year since I've updated! When I was with Raelen in Colombia, I had all kinds of time on my hands, and I complained about it! Hard to believe that now.

This past September we celebrated Raelen's 2nd birthday already! She has developed into a little girl, no longer a baby, right before our eyes. She is keeping us busy with her 2-year old curiosity. She is saying lots of new words every day, and is now speaking in almost full sentences. Some of the things she comes up with make us laugh. She asked one day "Where Emily go?" so I said, "she's at work," and she responded with "In the combine???" If you know Emily, you'll know why that was so funny:)

Last month we had our final follow up placement visit with our social worker. Everything went really well and everyone seems pleased with her progress. Now if we could just get potty training down...

It's really hard for me to believe that in less than 2 months, we will have had her for two years! I do think about her birth mother occasionally, like on Rae's birthday and wonder how she's doing. Now is the time of the year we reflect on all the things we are thankful for, and I certainly don't forget about her. I could never express how grateful we are for the precious gift she gave us. I think she would be at peace knowing how much Raelen is loved.

One year old!

2009-10-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Things continue to be crazy at the Manderfield home! We celebrated Raelen's 1st birthday last month, and Tuesday marked 8 months since we brought her home to Iowa. It has gone by incredibly fast. It feels like she's been with us forever:)

Raelen is just starting to walk, but is still pretty unsteady. She does better on carpet though. She eats really well, and although she hit a rough patch in terms of sleeping earlier this week, she's back to her usual 12 hour nights. This makes for a much more rested Mommy too!

I think she's up to 10 teeth, including her molars which just broke through. Seems like she's young for that, but it's hard to remember when the other 2 got theirs, since it was over 5 years ago! She's started saying a few words, Reese, Mommy, Daddy, puppy, Papa, and TRACTOR!!!

Our homestudy caseworker comes next week for our 9 month post adoption update. I'm sure she'll be surprised how big she's gotten...she's 13 months old and weighs almost 26 pounds! It's hard to believe she was just a little over 6 pounds when she was born.

Anyway, that's all for now!!!

Finally, an update!

2009-08-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Hi! I figured after4.5 months, I should try to update you on how everything is going! Honestly, I tried updating a couple times, but it wouldn't let me sign in for some reason!

Raelen is getting so big...and into everything! She's pulling herself up to stand & just learned how to climb steps! Needless to say we are utilizing the baby gates a lot lately. I can't believe she'll be 1 next month! The time has gone by so fast, partly because she's been such a good baby. She's been sleeping through the night all summer & sleeps 12-13 hours a night.

She's had a couple of ear infections, but I hope once we have her off the bottle in a few months that will help. Otherwise, she's been very healthy.

We spent last weekend in Chicago and went the zoo, aquarium, and to a Colombian adoption picnic. There were 12 children there from Colombia! It was really neat to share our stories with each other & reconnect with one of the families who were in Bogota with us.

This summer has been full! We went to several parades, the pool a few times, played outside in our pool, and much more. I will post new pictures soon, I promise.

The kids start school next week, so I'm ready for some sort of schedule again! I'll be working 3 days a week, so the other 2 days I'll be home with Raelen, which will be nice.

Anyway, that's all for now, so watch for more pictures!

Update

2009-03-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today marked four weeks since Raelen and I have been home, and things are going extremely well. We are all adjusting to having a baby in the house again, and Logan & Reese to having a little sister! Raelen started sleeping all night last week, so that's made the adjustment even better:)

She's grown so much in the last few weeks, and has even started doing the "army crawl" on the floor. This frustrates Logan a little, since he can't just hang out with his toys on the living room floor any more, or baby sister gets ahold of them!

We got our family pic taken last week, so I'll post that too. Things are going well and I am enjoying my last week off before heading back to work on the 6th. It's hard to believe my 12 weeks is almost over already!!!

Love,

The Manderfield 5 :)

Home Sweet Home!!!

2009-03-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm sorry I haven't posted for over a week, but I do have a good excuse! I have been very busy...but I'm definitely NOT complaining! I am so happy to be home so I can be busy with 3 kids:)

The 5.5 hour flight to Newark from Bogota went extremely well. Raelen was an absolute angel. We made it to Newark a few minutes later than scheduled, which was fine because we had a 4 hour layover, and I didn't feel rushed. Well...then it turned into a 5 hour layover, and we finally left Newark at 9:40 PM, when it was supposed to be 8:05! THEN, to top it off, when we got to Minneapolis, there weren't enough runways cleared, so we had to fly around Minneapolis for 40 minutes, and then go to Des Moines to refuel from all that extra flying! We were supposed to land at MSP at 10:30 PM, but it ended up being 1:30 AM (which was actually 2:30 AM to us, since we were an hour ahead in Bogota.) But we finally made it, and we came down the escalator & Donnie didn't see us until I got right behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. It was really a neat moment. I cried because I was so happy that the journey was finally over!!!

So, we slept for a while at a hotel & left in the morning to head back home. My mom was with my sister and the kids at our house, and we told the kids that we wouldn't be home for another hour. We were actually almost home, but wanted to surprise them. I walked in the house really quietly with Raelen in her seat, and peeked around the corner in the living room, where Reese & Logan were sitting on the couch. Then they saw me, and everyone in the room was crying:) It was another neat moment. That night, Raelen slept for 12 hours straight without a bottle! She must have been tired.

Since then, things have been going extremely well. Raelen goes to bed around 8-8:30 when Reese & Logan do, gets up around 2 AM for a bottle, and usually sleeps until 8:30-9 AM. She is so good! Reese & Logan just love her to pieces, and have both been huge helpers for me. It's wonderful to have our family all together finally!

Better get going...kids are sleeping so I need to get some things done. I'll update again soon on how things are going. Love from ALL of us...Donnie, Lyndsey, Reese, Logan and Raelen:)

Excitement!!!

2009-02-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

This morning went really well, and Raelen's US Visa will be ready tomorrow afternoon for us to pick up. That means WE'RE GOING HOME THURSDAY!!! I can't wait to see Reese & Logan (ok, Donnie too:), and to see their faces when we walk through the door from the airplane! I am so excited!

I've started packing and organizing things. It's funny though, I sent a bunch of stuff home with Donnie in January, and somehow my suitcase is still overflowing! I suppose bringing gifts home for people didn't help...

Things are coming together, so now I just hope Raelen enjoys the 6 hour flight to Newark, 4 hour layover, 1.5 hour flight to Minneapolis, and 3.5 hour drive home...I guess it's going to be a long day, huh?

I'll try to post again once more before we head home. Thanks again for all of your encouragement and kind words over the last 6 weeks that I've been here. It was a HUGE challenge for me, but I can honestly say I am very proud of myself for handling a difficult situation. There were times when the tears came & I wondered how I was going to make it through, but it has been totally worth it!

Love,
Lyndsey

We're getting there!

2009-02-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

Just had a quick second to update our status before I head back out. We got the sentencia this morning, so Raelen is officially & legally our daughter! Wow, that's the first time I've said that:) AWESOME!

I need to leave in about 30 minutes to get Raelen's new birth certificate, passport, and visit the US Embassy doctor. If we get all those things done this afternoon, I will be coming home Thursday night!

Last night she slept all night for the first time!!! She went to bed at 8:30 & got up at 5:30 (then I had to wake her up at 7:30 to leave this am). Too bad I barely slept because of all the things running through my head that I had to do today!!!

Anyway, I'll let you know more when I know anything!

Sentencia signed!

2009-02-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
In case you didn't hear, our sentencia got signed on Thursday, so I left for Bogota that afternoon. I made it to Bogota fine. There was a nice older man who sat next to me on the plane who spoke English & he helped me carry one of my bags & told me where to go. My translator & his wife were waiting there for us, so the flight went very well (once I got on the plane, right Barb???).

Anyway, I have missed the cruise.. Donnie decided to stay home so he could meet us at the airport. It looks like I'll be going home on Thursday, so I'm sooo excited! Wish me luck that all the errands & paperwork on Monday, so I am able to come home on Thursday.

Love you all and thanks so much for your support. I couldn't have done it without you...and it's almost over!

Lyndsey & Raelen

5:00 came & went again...

2009-02-18T15:59:00.001-08:00

I talked to our case manager today, and still no word from the judge. He said it should be yet this week, but at the very latest Monday. Funny how it keeps getting pushed back. I am starting to get a little nervous about our paperwork expiring on February 28th, but there's not much I can do but wait. Raelen is 5 months old today and I've had her for 5 weeks. I am hopeful that we will be coming home early to mid week NEXT WEEK! I can't wait!!!

Things are going well here. She continues to impress me with how happy and smiley she is all the time! We went to get her passport & visa pictures at the mall today, and even though she didn't smile for the picture (they want a "normal" look..whatever that is) she was super good and everyone comments on her being "muy bonita" (very beautiful). I've learned that phrase in Spanish, that's for sure! The other one is "que linda" or how cute!

The people are so nice here, and I am happy to have had the chance to be here, but hope to be coming home soon!

Lyndsey & Raelen

It's Not 5:00 Yet!

2009-02-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I am still in Medellin. After talking to my caseworker & associate in Colombia, we decided to wait to go back to Bogota until the sentencia is signed. They said it could be 5:00 on Thursday afternoon, or even Friday, so if I went now, I would likely have to stay the weekend before we could get to the embassy on Monday. So it's better that I stay with family than to have to spend the weekend alone in the hotel. It makes sense, but to me going back to Bogota meant we were that much closer to going home, but hopefully this way, Raelen & I will spend less time in Bogota before we get to go home.

I'm actually making plans & talking to Donnie & my mom about coming home! It's exciting! Since Donnie will likely be gone on the cruise (by himself, sniff...) on Saturday, Mom said she will be able to come to the airport next week & pick us up. I'm having to start a list of things for her to bring...carseat, SNOWSUIT!, my winter coat, ugh! Not looking forward to winter in Iowa again, but at least it will be spring soon:) She had taken the week off to keep the kids while we were on the cruise, so at least she'll be off so we can take Raelen to meet people. You can email me your name & I will put you on the waiting list (just kidding!).

So, every time the phone rings, I think it's someone calling about the sentencia. I still have hope for today...it's not 5:00 yet!

No word yet...

2009-02-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

I emailed my caseworker on Friday, & called him on Saturday & Sunday, but have not heard anything from him. I got an email from the associate here in Colombia, and she said she would call the lawyer this afternoon to see if they've heard anything. She suggested I wait to come to Bogota until tomorrow, which is what I am now planning to do. If it's not signed by Wednesday, I can say "bon voyage" to the cruise...It takes 2 days to get the passport & visa, and doctor appointment at the Embassy, and wouldn't you know it, they are closed on Fridays. Can you hear the resentment & irritation in my voice yet??? :)

But I guess it's not that bad, considering it could be any day now that I get to go home. I look at how far we've already made it, being away from my kids for 5 weeks today & my husband 3 weeks today...it's been hard, but maybe it will make us even stronger as a family. I'll probably look back on this experience and say that it wasn't that bad...and it's going to be worth it in the end! It's time with Raelen that I will never get back, and I think it's been good for us...however 2 or 3 weeks probably would have been good too:)

Happy Girl!

2009-02-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

I figured out how to post more pictures, so I'll hopefully be able to add more. Raelen just laid down for a nap, and I'm still waiting for our case manager to call to let me know if he's heard anything about the sentencia being signed. I'll let you know!

Yesterday I had Raelen to the pediatrician because she wasn't eating very well. It turns out she must have scratched the roof of her mouth with her fingernail! Poor thing, no wonder she didn't want to eat! Needless to say I cut her fingernails and will be keeping a closer eye on them! This picture was taken Wednesday night, so you can see she was still pretty happy despite her owie!

Keeping our fingers crossed...

2009-02-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't heard any more from our case manager since Friday, so I'm assuming there is no news about our adoption decree. I am thinking if we don't hear anything by Friday, Raelen and I will head back to Bogota on Monday. Our flight is supposed to leave for our cruise on Saturday morning, so I am hoping to get home by next week Thursday at the latest, but I'm sure that's way too optimistic. It will be 5 working days tomorrow, so I'm really hoping to hear something SOON!

Trying to be patient...

Otherwise, things are going ok. Raelen jabbers and blows more bubbles every day. Tonight Donnie & the kids are going to call us on the web cam, so that will be nice.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some good news again soon!

Lyndsey & Raelen

Good news!

2009-02-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I got a call from our case manager in Florida yesterday afternoon that the judge has accepted our paperwork (called an "auto admisorio") and that the 10 day (work days) limit probably started on Thursday. I say probably, because Raul wasn't sure if the 10 days limit started once the judge signed or if it starts when it gets signed again by the ICBF (like Social Services back home). So we're hoping it started Thursday! There is still a small chance I'll make it back in time to go on the Manderfield cruise 2/21. I'm just so excited to see our homecoming date in the near future!

Raelen is still doing wonderfully. She got up at 4:20 the other night and didn't want to go back to sleep until 6, but then last night she woke up at 3:30 and then slept until 9! That's my girl:) Mommy functions better with adequate sleep!

That's all for now!
Love,
Lyndsey & Raelen

2009-02-02T06:53:00.001-08:00

I'm still waiting to hear from our case worker regarding whether the judge has accepted our paperwork or not. I'll post something as soon as I hear.

Yesterday we went up to the mountains to a little tourist spot, where they had taken several of the old buildings from a small "pueblo" or town in Medellin and restored them to look like they did years ago. It was really neat & I took some pictures to share with everyone. We ate there and bought a few small souveniers to take back with us.

Then we went to a family's home here in Medellin (from Des Moines!) and watched the Super Bowl, which of course the Steelers won:) Unfortunately we had to leave in the 3rd quarter, because it was way past Raelen's bedtime & she was letting us know it! I talked to Donnie & he commentated the last 49 seconds for me.

Anyway, that's all for now, I'll keep you posted!

Ugh

2009-01-30T14:54:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from our case worker in Colombia. She said the 10 work day limit hasn't started yet, because the judge hasn't accepted the paperwork yet. Sigh...

Update

2009-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

We just got back from the pediatrician about an hour and a half ago, and let's just say this time was alot more relaxed. He told me to keep doing what we are doing, and her abscess looks "excellente!" Of course, he spoke in Spanish, but Barb interpreted for me:)

She just went down for a nap, so I have time to write, read, or watch a movie! When I woke up at 6 AM to give her a bottle, she had rolled from her back to her tummy for the first time! Then she did it again at noon when she woke up, but gets mad because she can't get back to her back! Too funny...she's growing so much already in the 2.5 weeks I've had her!

That's all for now...still haven't heard anything more about court. I'll let you know as soon as I know.

Love,
Lyndsey & Raelen

Court

2009-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, we heard from our translator this morning that our case went to a "good" judge, meaning it's usually one of the faster courts. That's good news! I'm not sure when the "10 day limit" started, but I'm thinking it was between Monday & yesterday, which means the judge should have only 10 working days to sign the papers. That could mean we'll be home in 2 weeks or less! We're keeping our fingers crossed.

Not much else to report, until I hear back from our case manager regarding our travel plans back to Bogota. Raelen has a little abscess on her chest we are treating with antibiotics & neosporin, but otherwise she's as happy and good as ever!

I'll update you when I know more.

Lyndsey & Raelen

2009-01-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post a new journal. I had put one on last Thursday, but for some reason, it didn't save.

We met with the ICBF on Thursday at 10 AM, and then left for Medellin at 3:00. Medellin is where Donnie's brother & sister in law live. We arrived around 5:30 Thursday night.

Saturday night, we went to church with Jerry & Barb, where Jerry is a youth pastor. He talked about a little girl, a gift from God, of course Raelen, and ended up bringing Donnie, Raelen, and I up on the stage to introduce us. Of course, I was crying because he was talking about how Raelen's birth mother chose life rather than abortion and I was thinking about how long we've waited for this little girl. Everyone was clapping and smiling and it was really neat.

Sunday we went up to the mountains to do some sightseeing. It was amazing to look over the city. The weather here reminds me a lot of Hawaii. It's warm & sunny all the time!

Donnie left yesterday morning for home. It was very hard for me, but it's getting better. I keep thinking I'll be able to go home & see all 3 of them soon. I'm trying to stay busy, but sometimes the days get kind of long. Feel free to email me anytime!!!

I talk to the kids every day now, and they are really happy that Daddy is home. Reese has started asking me how long until I come home, and I am sad that I don't have an answer for her. We are waiting to hear which court our paperwork went to, and whether it is a fast or slow judge.

Today we took Raelen to get her 4 month shots and she was very good. During the first one, she didn't even cry, but then the second one came & she was not a happy camper! Then she had to see the pediatrician because she has an abscess on her chest. He put her on an antibiotic and we have to go back on Friday to make sure it's getting better. By tonight, with her sore chest & legs, she was a pretty fussy little girl. It's not something we normally see out of her, so it was definitely different. She went to bed around 7:15, so hopefully a few hours of sleep will do her some good!

Anyway, that's all for now!

Love, Lyndsey

Still waiting...

2009-01-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when we were at the orphanage, the person from our agency here in Bogota told us that our bonding/integration meeting has bee scheduled for NEXT Tuesday! A week from now, meaning the judge won't even get our paperwork until after that meeting! We are so frustrated. The social worker at the orphanage said she would see if she could get the meeting moved to tomorrow, which would help us a ton! Donnie wanted to be able to spend at least a few days with his brother before heading home, but if our meeting isn't until Tuesday, that might not happen. It's a shame to be only a one hour flight away from him and not be able to see him, if that's the case! I will still be able to, because who knows how long Raelen & I will be here! Things are just so up in the air, it would be nice to have a date of when we will be ablt o go home, at least that way I could look ahead to it & know the end is near. Don't get me wrong, Bogota is fine, but it's not home. I am already looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and even being able to wash dishes/bottles in my sink!

So, we are supposed to wait to hear from someone about the meeting, whether they will squeeze us in today or tomorrow. It's only a 15-30 minute meeting, so keep your fingers crossed! It could be the difference of coming home 5 days sooner in the end.

Raelen ended up not getting her shots yesterday, because they said we could get them in Medellin when we are with Jerry, which I figured would make more sense. She is growing a ton already, in fact, when we were at the orphanage yesterday, one of the ladies on the adoption committee (who assigned her to us) said, "she's eating well!"

I'll keep you posted!

Waiting

2009-01-19T15:22:00.001-08:00

It's really funny to me how we've waited over 3 years for this to happen, and now that we're here with Raelen, we have to wait to go home. The reason we will be here at least another 2 weeks is we are waiting for a judge to sign the adoption decree. It's kind of frustrating, because it could be 2 more weeks, but it could be up to 6! We have no idea until we get the call that the judge has signed it. That's why I've been asking for prayers to help make this a speedy process:)

Tomorrow we are going back to Pisingos, the orphanage, to get Raelen's 4 month shots, and to take a tour. We'll be able to take photos & pictures & ask more questions. It will be nice, because it is all such a blur from Wednesday. We were so emotional & not knowing what to expect, it'll be fun to go back.

Then, hopefully Wednesday is our "Integration Meeting" with the ICBF (like DHS in Iowa) social worker to see how the bonding process is going. I'd say it's going well, since today someone else was holding her and she saw me and wanted to come to me! It was a good feeling:) After that, we are free to go to Jerry's in Medellin, which is about an hour flight for us.

Otherwise, not much else to report. Raelen contines to be an awesome baby. She went to bed at 8:30 last night, got up at 4 for a bottle, and then slept until 7:45. She just got up from a nap, ate, and wants me to pay attention to her

2009-01-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

Raelen is absolutely wonderful! We are so in love with her & so lucky to have her. This is the 3rd day we've had her, and she is perfect.

When we first saw her, I went to take her from the "foster mom" aka orphanage worker...anyway...I said "Hi pretty girl" (crying of course--me, not her) and she smiled at me right away! We got it on video. Then I said, "want to come to Mommy?" and she was just happy as can be!

She went to bed the first night at 7:30 & woke up at 12:30, had a bottle, and went back to sleep until 5. Then last night she went to bed at 8 & slept til 4, had a bottle, & got up at 8! She is sleeping now (8:40 PM here) & Donnie & I are going to watch a movie.

I was battling some nerves & altitude sickness Wedesday night & yesterday, but feeling much better today. We went for a walk, went to the grocery store, and just hung out around the hotel. The pediatrician came around 1:00 and examined here. There are a few things we have to follow up on when we get home. The soft spot on her head is rather small, there are some questions about her hip movement, & she has pink eye & a cold right now. I guess when I write that all out, it seems like a lot, but nothing we can't follow up on when we get home. The pediatrician is coming back on Tuesday to check on her again. It's crazy how things work here. She made a house call & it only cost us $50! Not to mention, I had a house call for myself yesterday, since I was sick (they gave me a shot in the rear for nausea & headache!) and that only cost $20!!! Weird.

Anyway, I'll write more as soon as I can!

Raelen is smiling all the time at us, and the bond is definitely there already:)

2009-01-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know that we got to our hotel last night around 11:30. The couple from Pisingos (the orphanage) were at the entrance of the airport to meet us with a sign saying "Manderfield." It was crazy! It was like 10:30 at night and it was crowded and busy! I guess that's what happens when you're in a city of 8 million people!

Our rooms are interesting. We are used to having a fan or something on at night, well it was dead silent!!! And it's a double bed, so that was fun...NOT! It is noon here now (we must be an hour ahead here), and they are picking us up at 2:00 to go get Raelen. We meet her at 4. The couple from Colorado is here, but we haven't met them yet, and they are riding with us this afternoon.

The maid just brought in a baby bathtub, something for the dirty bottles, and a basket (which I'm not sure what that's for). Anyway, we'll try to call the kids tonight. It was a rough night when we first got here, but I've gotten a little less teary. Just missing the kids already!!!

There's a gal here from Chicago too, who is going to show us around hopefully tomorrow. This is her second adoption, and she now has a 3 yo girl and 10 month old boy (the boy is here with her and her husband & daughter went home). I had to create a hotmail account cuz I couldn't get into either of my other email accounts.

Raul (our case manager) just called and said there is an issue with our fingerprints. Apparently, the office in Des Moines didn't forward our fingerprint clearance to the embassy in Bogota, so now we're dealing with that! Ugh!

I'll try to post again later, depending on how busy we are with Raelen:)

Getting closer!

2009-01-09T14:36:00.001-08:00

This morning our case manager called us to talk about the trip. We were on the phone for an hour and 20 minutes discussing all the details from the moment we get off the plane in Bogota, to the time we are able to head back to the US. It was a lot of information to take in! We talked about the "Presentation Ceremony" when we finally get to meet our baby girl. It gives me goosebumps to think about it! He asked us to bring an outfit, blanket, and bottle to exchange the ones she will have. Then it started to hit me. This is our BABY! She is just waiting there for us to bring home!

He asked about the name we've given her, talked about the paperwork, weather there, bringing her home, court, etc. The one thing I do know is that we NEED to get a judge who will process the adoption decree quickly, because our immigration paperwork for Raelen expires on February 28th. Please pray that we are home long before then! Some judges are very pro adoption and will process it very quickly, while others take much longer.

The plan is to have the Presenation Ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. So, in less than 5 days, we will finally be holding our precious baby in our arms!

Oh, and by the way, I tracked our visas today from the Colombian Consulate in Chicago, and they are in Waterloo right now, scheduled to arrive tomorrow...and Raul found our fingerprints, just as I had said I sent them:)

Are we there yet?

2009-01-08T20:25:00.000-08:00

So, I decided after all the stress and ups & downs we've been through with this adoption process to start a blog where you can read about all the drama!

For those of you who don't know (yeah, right), Donnie & I are leaving on Tuesday for Bogota to pick up our baby girl! I am excited, nervous, scared, and a bunch of other feelings all rolled into one. I'm definitely scared to leave Reese & Logan for up to 7 weeks, but I'm excited, because I keep playing over in my head what it will be like when we meet Raelen for the first time!

Well, today, like many days throughout this process, had it's very stressful moments. First of all, after calling the Colombian Consulate yesterday & today regarding our visas, and not getting a return call, I was very upset. I finally got ahold of someone, and she told us that she could not return our passports, because we had not sent a stamped, self-addressed envelope with them! Thank goodness Donnie's uncle saved the day and took an envelope to them. We are so fortunate to have him in Chicago! The funny thing is, he is leaving on Tuesday for an extended trip, so we were lucky to catch him!

Then our case manager calls tonight to tell us he can't find our fingerprint clearances from the FBI. I know I had sent them about 3 weeks ago, but somehow they've magically disappeared. Let's just hope they reappear before Tuesday!!!

Anyway, I'll keep you updated on our adventures in Colombia. Hopefully the next week won't be an adventure trying to get there!!! It'll all be worth it when we have little Raelen Marie home at last!