Friday, January 30, 2009
Ugh
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
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
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
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Court
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
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
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Still waiting...
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!
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!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Waiting
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
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
Friday, January 16, 2009
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:)
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:)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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:)
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:)
Friday, January 9, 2009
Getting closer!
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:)
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:)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Are we there yet?
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!
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!
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