So many reasons to give thanks.......................

Hello friends. I am sorry that I haven't been able to post much lately (or since we have been home). Bella doesn't go to bed until we do, so I have very little free time. I am not complaining; I can't think of a better way to be busy.

As you can see from the pictures, Arabella likes to cheese for the camera. She is very photogenic. She did very well for the lady who took her Christmas pictures. It was hard to pick our favorites because there were so many good ones to choose from.

Since the last post, Bella has celebrated her first Thanksgiving with both sides of our family. Everyone loved her and kept making over her; she was definitely the star of the show. She has been walking for a little while, but has done so independently now for about the past 4 weeks. She loves to play with her daddy when he gets home from work in the evenings and on Friday's (Daddy Day). She now has a FAVORITE book that we have to read over and over and over...... We can "read" it without looking now. She loves her baths, she loves to eat, she loves to dance and sing.

The only thing she doesn't love is sleeping in her bed and/or in her room. So for now, she is in between hubby and me. She loves to snuggle. She rubs my face and holds my hand when she is going to sleep; I will actually miss all that when she does sleep in her own bed. We are redoing her room now with a toddler bed since it was more than obvious that she absolutely hated her crib and was never going to sleep in it.

Since Thanksgiving, I have spent a lot of time reflecting over the past year. I have so many reasons to be thankful that it is hard to put it all into words. Yesterday was the one year anniversary of the day we found out about Bella. We were told there was a 4 month old baby girl that we could adopt. Wednesday is Happy Referral Day. That is the day a year ago that we first saw Bella's pictures and read all about her. The past year has been a roller coaster, but I would do it all over again a thousand times to have Bella in my life. She brings such joy to our lives; I can't remember what my life was like before her and don't know what I would do without her now. I love being a mom and so thankful God saw fit for us to be Bella's parents.

I don't take for granted how easy our adoption process was compared to others whose road has been much bumpier and longer than ours (although when you are going through it feels like eternity). We were told when we started that the process to bring Arabella home would likely take 8 - 10 months or longer. My heart's longing and specific prayer was to have Bella home by her first birthday. I asked everyone I knew to pray for that (to be home before her birthday) and to pray for no previos from PGN. People who didn't even understand what PGN was and the process prayed for that specifically and diligently. After 15 years of marriage and 10 years of "waiting" for a baby, the Lord answered our prayers specifically. I am unworthy to be loved so much by my Heavenly Father; thank you dear Jesus for having perfect timing and a perfect answer to our prayers. Please keep praying, there are still a lot of babies in Guatemala that aren't home with their forever families yet.

Christmas will be more fun than ever this year. I love this time of year, but it will be extra special to see how Bella's face lights up on Christmas morning. Having Bella home with us this year at Christmas is the perfect gift. I don't need anything else.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families. I am thankful for all your encouragement and prayers over the past year. I hope that you can feel Christ's love for you and celebrate His birth with us at this time of year!

Love and blessings,

The Boster family

Little Red Riding Hood

Ok, I am the worst blogger in the world. Sorry, Lauren and all my other blogger friends who keep checking for updates.............. My only excuse is working full time, chasing a toddler in the evenings, and going to bed when she does. Here's a quick post with a very late Halloween picture. We took Bella by all her grandparents' houses and then she went trick-or-treating with 2 of her cousins. She had a blast. It got very cold that evening, but we bundled her up and kept going. She just kept grinning when she got candy from the nice people in the neighborhood. Afterwards, we went to my sister's friends' house and Bella attended her first bonfire/marshmallow and weeny roast. We also had chili; it was very good! Bella seemed to enjoy it. Unfortunately her momma has eaten most of her Halloween candy. I gave her the healthier stuff. I will try to do better and post some more pictures soon.

Blessings,

Tonya

Updates from the past month

I'm tired of smiling for the camera!

Our church had a welcome home party/baby shower for Bella a couple of weeks ago. We got lots of nice stuff and bigger clothes for Bella to wear this winter and next spring. It was fun to celebrate with many of the people who had been praying Bella home since the beginning. We had asked them to pray specifically that our paperwork would be perfect and that PGN would issue us no kickouts. God answered our specific prayers; He is so good to us!

Since the last post, almost a month ago, I have gone back to work. It was terrible at first. The whole week before I went back I kept crying every time I thought about it. I am happy to say after the first couple of days, it went better. Bella is staying at my grandma's on Mon. - Thurs. I have to drop her off at 7 a.m. to get to school on time. That is the part that neither Bella nor I like; we are not early morning people. My mom goes over and helps for a few hours when she gets off work. My grandparents live on a farm, and Bella loves to go outside with them and sit on the porch or to play. Several family members usually go in and out of the farm every day, so there are plenty of people to hold Bella and to love on her. She is so happy to see me every afternoon when I get there; it is the highlight of my day. She is being taken very good care of and has lots of fun at Grandma's. On Friday, Daddy is off, so Bella stays at home with him. Bella loves her daddy and they do all kinds of fun stuff together on Fridays.

Work is hectic, but it is easier for me to go to work knowing that Bella is loved so much where she is while I am work. I will update with more pictures as soon as I get a chance.

Blessings,

Tonya

2nd Baby Shower/Welcome Home Party

This is a picture of Arabella and me with my sister

and 2 of my nieces at the shower.

My mom had a baby shower/welcome home party for us at her church a couple of weeks after we were home with Bella. We had lots of good food and there was a large group of people there to celebrate with us! We were showered with so many nice gifts for Bella that is was almost overwhelming. We have been so blessed, and everyone has been so loving and supportive during our journey. Thanks to everyone who helped in any way at the shower and who gave us gifts!

Love and blessings,

Tonya

Arabella's First Birthday Party

Ok, so I finally have a minute to update the blog and show you a few pictures from Arabella's first birthday party. We invited our families over for a cookout, cake, and ice cream. As you can see from the pictures, she got lots of presents. The kids, Bella and her cousings, played corn hole and had fun with Bella's pink butterfly pinata. Bella liked eating her cake and loved all her new toys. We just had a really nice time celebrating with our family and even had a special prayer time before we ate thanking the Lord for answering our prayers specifically - to bring Bella home by her first birthday. I felt really blessed that day to have our whole family together and am thoroughly enjoying my time off from work with Bella. Please keep praying for all the babies in Guatemala who haven't come home to their forever families yet. Isabelle will be coming home very soon to be with her mom, Lauren. Keep praying for Lori, that Bethany will be out of PGN ASAP! Let's pray them all home.

Love and blessings,

Tonya

First Welcome Home/Baby Shower

Well, if you have been following our story, you know we got home a little later than expected. Our first baby shower was set a few weeks before we got home thinking that we would be home about a week before we actually made it. We made it home just in time. We got home on Friday, and the Welcome Home/Baby Shower was on Saturday afternoon. My sister, Tammy, and her friend, Mechelle, did a fabulous job decorating with a fiesta-type theme. Everything was very colorful and cheery. We had lots of friends and family come to meet Arabella and to shower us with all kinds of wonderful gifts. We got diapers, wipes, lots of cute outfits, toys, highchairs, baby food, cereal, juice, gift cards, and a children's table set. We got so much great stuff that I probably forgot to name something. Arabella was in a great mood and had fun meeting everybody. She especially had fun with her cousins. One 0f them, William, who is a couple of years older than Bella, kept crawling around on the floor so Bella would follow him. They were too cute! Thanks to everyone involved for the awesome welcome home and the wonderful presents for Bella!

Love and Blessings,

Tonya

Welcome Home Pictures (from the airport) Aug. 1st, 2008

Hey everybody, I am glad you all are here to meet me!

So this is my Great Grandma that Mommy kept telling me about. Here is my cousin, Lyndsey, and Aunt Tammy with welcome signs and flowers for me and Mommy. I know what to do when you all get all those cameras out!

Ok, so this is a little late in coming. It is only 2 weeks late, ha! ha! I am a busy new mom, what can I say? We arrived about 6:48 p.m. in Louisville on August 1st. If you read the previous post you know about all the fun we had the night before and our delay in Atlanta. I was so glad to finally be home and for everyone to meet Arabella. Since I had been out of the country for 2 months in Guatemala with Bella, I was even more ready to get home. We were coming down a long corridor and I could see my family and friends in the distance, and I got overwhelmed with emotions. We had to go around a little corner before we reached them and I stopped to pull myself together. They all had huge smiles, flowers, signs, stuffed animals, and various other goodies for Bella and us. It was wonderful!

Since I had been gone for 2 months, I was so happy to see all my family. We visited at the airport for a while, then we went to get a quick bite to eat together before heading home. Everyone had a great time getting to know Bella, and she even let a few people hold her.

It didn't go so well on the way home in the car; she didn't like riding in the carseat. She only rode in one part of the time in Guatemala; most babies don't there. It isn't law and most people can't afford them. She is doing much better riding in it now.

We got home after dark, but we had a yard full of pink flamingos with pink bows. Our mailbox had balloons on it, as did the chair on our front porch. There were "Welcome Home" and "It's a Girl" signs on the front door, too. Finally when we got in the house, there were balloons, streamers, and signs all over the place. I was so relieved to finally be in my own house after 2 months and especially because Bella was with me. We gave Bella the tour of the house. She loved her room; she rolled around and kept rubbing her feet on the fluffy rug in there. I sat down in the glider with Bella on my lap in her room, and the tears started flowing. I have waited so many years to be a mom and for this nursery to actually have a baby occupying it. So much of the time during infertility treatments and the adoption process you feel like you are limbo. Even after you begin the adoption process, you feel like you are planning for a make-believe child. Not until they are yours and home does it all feel truly real.

We are adjusting to life with a busy girl, who is trying to walk and into everything!

In the next post I will tell you about our first baby shower and then her birthday party.

Thanks for going along on this journey with us!

Love and blessings,

Tonya

Our long journey home......

Daddy is sharing his Pringles with Bella at the airport in GU.

She loves them!

Bella and Mommy are ready to get on the plane to go home to KY.

Mami Karen came to the airport to tell her "princess" bye.

Hello everone! Yes, we are home. Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. We have been home a week now. We got home a day later than expected. The first part of our journey went well. Mami Karen came to the airport to tell us goodbye. It was very emotional. Her and her family were angels in Bella's life. They love her so much and have been so good to her. Karen's daughter, also named Karen, had made a beautiful card for Bella with a sweet message from Mami Karen on the back. Bella cried and reached for her when she went to leave. We were all crying. We promised we would bring Bella back to GU in a few years to visit.

We flew into Atlanta about 1/2 hour later than expected, then it went downhill from there. Last Thursday Atlanta was having bad thunderstorms. When we got in, there wasn't a gate open due to the storms and delays, so we sat on the runway for about 40 minutes. Bella had done great on the flight, but started getting fussy. When we finally got off the plane, we had to go through immigration to turn in Bella's immigration papers and to get her passport/visa stamped. Then we made a mad dash to our gate that said our flight was still on time. A little later they said it was delayed, then finally about 10 p.m. when we were already supposed to be home, they cancelled the flight. Delta had a line about a mile long with people trying to book new flights that Bob had to stand in for over an hour. They tried to book us on separate flights home first. Needless to say, we weren't happy campers. They finally found us a flight for 4 p..m. the next day, but they couldn't even find two seats together (thank goodness some nice guy let us trade seats with him when we got on the plane).

So after 11 p.m., we had to figure out how to find a shuttle to take us to a hotel to stay the night.

I had a little meltdown outside looking for the shuttle. I was upset that we weren't home where Arabella was supposed to spend her first night in America. We also didn't have any idea where our luggage was or when it would get to Louisville. So after midnight we ended up at the hotel with only our carry on luggage. We had most of what we needed for the baby, but I had no extra clothes. Then I discovered that the immigration offiicer had forgotten to stamp Bella's passport. We tried to make the best of it. We showered, put on the clothes from the day before, and left the hotel at checkout time, 11 a.m. We had to go all over the airport until we finally found someone to take us to immigration to explain that they had forgotten the stamp. We had to have that to prove when Bella became a U.S. citizen. After we got that done, we had lunch and just walked around the airport. They changed our gate a total of 3 times, so we kept having to pack everything up and lug Bella to a different part of the airport. Finally about 30 minutes before we were supposed to leave, they changed the gate again. The new gate was in a different concourse and we had to almost run to get there. We should have taken our time. We found out that our flight was delayed when we got there. We finally took off about 45 minutes after we were supposed to.

When we finally made it off the plane in KY, I could see my family and a few friends from a distance when we were walking towards the baggage claim area waiting for us and I almost lost it. They had brought flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, and other goodies to welcome us home. It was the sweetest thing. Bella didn't know what to think at first with all these people staring at her and hugging us. She warmed up quickly and started smiling and laughing. It was a great welcome home!

I'll update you on the rest of the past week ASAP.

Embassy Day Picture

Sorry I haven't posted in several days. Bella keeps us busy. My friend, Lauren, brought it to my attention that I have been a bad blogger and hadn't posted an embassy day picture yet. Well, we didn't get very many pictures. We had t0 leave to get there at 6:45 (the taxi got here early) and we didn't get home until 11:00. While we were there Bella's diaper leaked, so we just took a couple of quick pictures as soon as we got home before we changed her clothes. Bella did good at the embassy and didn't get cranky even though we were in a crowded room for a long time today. It was noisy, but she even took a nap. She loves playing with her daddy, and we are so happy our family is finally together. Bobby will go the embassy to pick up Bella's visa late tomorrow afternoon and we will start packing for home. We will be flying home on Thursday. I can't believe we are finally bringing our sweet darling home. Someone please pinch me! I still don't think it will feel real until we get off the plane and are home. Thanks for all your prayers. We'll see you soon! Tonya, Bobby, and Arabella

I'M COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everybody, I'm finally coming home! YEAH! We got our pink notice today with our embassy appointment on it. Our appointment is Tues., her visa is issued on Wed. , and we will be home on Thursday night. We will land at the airport in Louisville, KY at 10:08 p.m. We can't wait to see you. Grandma Charlene went home on Wed. and Daddy is coming on Sat. Then our friends Valerie and Ray and baby Maria Jade will be here on Sunday. They are one of my sets of friends who I have been asking you to pray their baby home from GU with me. They are heading home on Tues. God is good! He answers prayers! Praise Him with me for answering ours!

DNA IS DONE!

I couldn't resist using this picture, but Bella will probably not like me for it when she sees this when she gets older! Anyway, our DNA testing is done and should be back to GU in the next couple of days. Then we just wait for our "pink" slip that tells us when our exit visa interview appointment will be. We should be home by the end of next week! PRAISE THE LORD! Bobby is coming this weekend; he can't wait to see "his girls" as he calls us now. Our family will finally be together and home soon! Love to you all, Tonya

DNA is at the lab!

Well, the DNA finally made it to the lab today! It was a stressful day of trying to track it down, but I got the good news this afternoon. Hopefully by next week we will have the results and they will be sent back to Guatemala to the embassy. Then we just wait for our appointment for the exit interview. The day after the interview we get the visa, then United States here we come. Please pray that the sample is good and that the lab is fast! We'll see you soon! Love, Tonya, Arabella, and Grandma Charlene

Arabella is 11 months old today!

Arabella is 11 months old today! It was exactly 7 months ago today that I got the call that they had a referral of a 4 month old baby girl. My life hasn't been the same since. I know that all my family and friends think it is crazy that it takes this long to adopt internationally, but I am so fortunate. My case is one of the fastest my attorney has seen lately. Many are still stuck in PGN, some since last year. Pray daily for all the babies to make it home soon to their forever families. No news on the DNA yet, it didn't make it to the lab in the US today as I had thought it would. Please pray that it gets there tomorrow and that the testing goes quickly and smoothly. We are almost to the end, but each step is still stressful. I am so anxious to get home and just be a normal family. I love being here with Bella in her native country, but I miss my husband so much and Bella needs her daddy!

I also have to go about getting help to get my classroom ready for the fall with me not being there. Kindergarten launch day is coming up on July 31st, and it has to be ready by then. I had hoped to be home for that, but the last few steps have taken a few days longer than anticipated so it will be cutting it close (to be home in time). School starts the week after that and I will be taking the first month of school off with Bella, but I still have to have everything ready for my substitue and all the lessons planned. I can't access anything from my school computer to get things ready from here, so I can't do any of it until I get home. Then I won't want to leave Bella and spend all that time away from her to do it. I am sure Grandma Charlene will watch her for me while I go to school to prepare, but I don't want to leave her until I have to.

Bella is so much fun. As you can see in the above picture, she is crawling everywhere. She now has 2 teeth on the top to go with the 2 she already had on the bottom. She is starting to pull up on the furniture and is finally interested in "practicing" her walking by us holding her hands. Before this week, she just stomped her feet or danced when we tried. Now she is putting one foot in front of the other to try to walk. She is saying all kinds of new sounds. She says: dada, mama, baba, and this week it sounds like she is saying yeah, yeah, yeah. Mom says it sounds like she is singing a Beatles song. She waves bye-bye and claps her hands a lot. She eats almost anything we give her. She reaches for you to pick her up and motions with her hands to come to her or give her something. She smiles really big to say thank you for something. She loves shoes, but not to wear. She loves to chew on them, yuck! Needless to say, at the end of the day we are tired from keeping up with her. Well, keep praying for the DNA and a quick embassy appointment. I can't wait for you all to meet my sweet darling! Love and blessings, Tonya

Fashion Show Friday

What do you do when it is too rainy and cool to go and do anything? You have a fashion show, of course! The weather is yucky in Antigua today; so since we walk everywhere here we've been stuck in the house today. We thought it would be fun to try on bathing suits and short outfits that Arabella hasn't been able to wear since it hasn't been warm enough here. She looks like a little model, doesn't she? She can't wait to go swimming when we get back to Kentucky; she looks ready in her swimuit, doesn't she?

We had her last doctor's appointment and 2nd DNA taken yesterday. The DNA should be on its way to the US right now. Hopefully we will get the results next week and then we have to wait for the embassy to issue the "pink" slip with our embassy appointment date on it. Then we are heading home! Can't wait to be back in the United States with our new little citizen!

Love you all,

Tonya

Arabella has her 2nd DNA appointment tomorrow!

Well, we got news yesterday that we have the "orange" slip authorizing the 2nd DNA appointment and the embassy doctor's appointment. We go in the morning at 10:30. After this, we have to wait for them to send it to the lab in the US and for it to be tested. When the results are finished, they send it back to the U.S. embassy in Guatemala. Then they issue a "pink" slip with your visa appointment on it. When will we be home? It all depends on how fast the DNA gets to the U.S., how fast the results match 100%, how fast the results get back to GU, and how fast the embassy issues the visa appointment. You get the picture, but we know it will be by the end of July if everything goes as planned. It is so exciting to be at the next to the last step in this adoption process! YEAH! Arabella is coming home to meet you all soon! Thanks for your prayers, Tonya aka Arabella's Mommy (Mami)

HAPPY 15TH ANNIVERSARY TO MY FABULOUS HUSBAND, BOBBY!

Well, this is my second post for today (read below to hear about our day yesterday). I couldn't let the day pass without wishing Bob a happy 15th anniversary and telling the world how blessed I am. Bella and I miss you very much and can't wait until you are with us in GU for our embassy appointment and then our trip home!

Love,

Tonya and Arabella

Arabella has a passport!

We had a very busy day yesterday. We had to go into Guatemala City to get Arabella's passport. We also went to get pictures taken for her visa that the embassy will need. We had extra time between this and her doctor's appointment, so we went to a mall. It was a nice mall and it had a Payless Shoe store in it; I was so excited! Bella is the proud new owner of a very cute pair of white sandals with pink and green on them. All of the sandals we brought were too big, so she needed a smaller pair. Lastly, we went to Arabella's doctor for her to get the last immunization she will need before she will be permitted to leave the country. I don't like needles, so I was very nervous about having to watch my baby get a shot. I had to hold her down for the doctor, but she only cried for less than a minute. Then she was fine and was in a great mood last night. It was neat to be able to meet the doctor who has been seeing her every month since she was a few weeks old. I thanked him for the great care he has given her. Hopefully our embassy doctor's appointment and 2nd DNA will be next week, then we will just have to wait for the results to get back to the embassy and for our final appointment. In a few weeks, we will be bringing Arabella home to KY! I still can't give you an exact date until after the 2nd DNA and results, but it won't be too much longer! We'll see you soon! Tonya, Arabella, and Grandma Charlene

Beautiful, Busy Bella!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The title says it all. Bella stays busy all the time. She is always on the go! Anyone that knows me and my love for shoes can appreciate the first picture. Well, the second picture is of her in this cute little outfit that has a headkerchief with it. It only stayed on a few minutes. In April when Bob and I were here she would wear hats without any problems..... not anymore! She won't keep a hat on for more than a second. It's hard to put any kind of bow or pigtail or anything in Bella's hair because she is constantly moving.

Arabella is so inquisitive. In the third and fourth pictures you can see her concentrating on trying to take a business card out of Mom's wallet. When she finally figured it out and got it out, she just smiled from ear-to-ear. She was so proud of herself.

The last two pictures show Bella drinking apple juice out of a cup. Her foster mom said she liked juice. Well, she won't drink juice out of a bottle at all. She doesn't like sippy cups either. We discovered she likes it out of a cup. She makes a mess, but she loves it. Other things Bella loves are Cheerios and crackers. She loves any kind of fruit and will eat almost anything you give her.

She really likes to ride in her stroller (and usually eats Cheerios) when we walk into town. She smiles at all the people we meet on the street or sidewalk. Everyone smiles at her, and not a day has gone by that people don't stop to talk to her and tell us how beautiful she is. She is so friendly and everyone is drawn to her. I can't wait for you all to see her beautiful smile in person!

We are supposed to go to Guatemala city on Wed. to get Bella's passport. Then the lawyer will submit the documents to the US embassy in Guatemala and we will wait to hear when we are supposed to take Bella for her embasssy doctor's appointment. A couple of days after that we will take Bella for her 2nd DNA. They take a swab from the inside of her mouth and check the sample against the DNA from her 1st sample in February. This sample will be overnighted to a lab in the US to be tested and will then be overnighted back to the US embassy in Guatemala. After the results get to the embassy, we will wait a few days for a "pink" slip to be issued with our embassy appointment on it. The appointment is an immigrant exit interview. This appointment is usually about 7 -10 days after the pink slip is issued. Usually people in the country can call and get a quicker appointment; that's what we are hoping for. We will get the pink slip, then call to hopefully get a sooner appointment, then call to book Bob a flight here and all of us a flight home. The day after the embassy appointment, the visa is issued. You usually get that late in the afternoon and fly home the next morning. Whew! Did you get all that?

Thanks for all your prayers. They are working! My friend Valerie' s baby, Maria Jade, got out of PGN a few days after we did. My friend Lori's baby, Bethany, finally got submitted into PGN. Keep praying for them as well as for Lauren and her baby, Isabelle; pray that she gets OUT of PGN this week!

Well, it's almost July. July will be OUR month! It will be the month when Arabella is home in KY with her forever family where she is meant to be. Some say Bella is so lucky to have us for parents, but they have got it all wrong. We are blessed beyond measure to be the ones chosen to be this angel's mommy and daddy. All the years of sickness, infertility, pain, and struggles are gone. This is the path we had to go through to get to where we are today, and I would do it all again for my sweet darling Arabella Josey! Remember that we chose Arabella's name because it meant "answer to a prayer," and she most definitely is the best answer to a prayer that we could've ever gotten.

Take care my precious friends and loved ones,

Tonya