We are with Arabella in Guatemala!

We made it to GU with no problems. We arrived at the bed & breakfast with about 1.5 hours before the baby arrived, so I had time to freshen up. I was a little nervous as I waited for Arabella and her foster mother to arrive, but as soon as they came through the door I was fine. Bella came right to me with no fussing (see the fist picture above). The lady in green is Karen, Arabella's foster mom. Karen could speak enough English for us to talk about the baby. I am very relieved after meeting her, because it is obvious that she loves Bella and takes very good care of her. She told me that Arabella is a gift from God. Karen had dressed the baby in the Easter dress we sent her, and she looked adorable. Karen was wearing the cross necklace we had sent her as a gift as well. We visited with Karen for about an hour and the baby didn't fuss at all when she left. Karen said that she is a joy to care for and usually only cries if she is hungry or sleepy. She also said that she sleeps all night. The first evening was spent playing and eating. Arabella seemed to take to us both really well. Bella and I had fun playing while Bob went to the grocery store. Because of all the excitement, the baby missed her late afternoon nap. Things were good until bedtime. She went to sleep after taking her bottle. I laid her in the crib and she slept for about 10 minutes. She woke up screaming and didn't want to lay back down. I think she was scared. She was thinking, "Where am I and who is this lady holding me?" She kept going back to sleep and then she would wake up and cry. Finally about 3 a.m., she gave in and went to sleep next to me on the bed. She woke up a little after 6 a.m. in a very good mood for having such little sleep. I put her in the bed with Bobby and me (in the middle) and she just laid there for almost an hour laughing and playing with us (see the last picture of Bella and Bobby). I think she might be starting to teeth again (she has 2 teeth on the bottom of her mouth - see the picture of her in the high chair above). She slobbers constantly and chews on everything! She also likes to give her mommy wet slobbery kisses. The cutest thing she does is when you ask her something she just grins and shakes her head no 2 - 3 times. The second night went much better. We gave Arabella her first bath and I got soaking wet! Then we played a while and she took a bottle. Bella went to sleep about 11 p.m. and slept until 6:15 a.m. YEAH!! I got about 5 hours of sleep and have more energy today. Arabella has bonded really well with me and prefers that I hold her (constantly), but that's ok. I don't mind, I have a short time to hold her before I have to come back home, so I want to take advantage of every second.

Arabella is a very good baby. She laughs and plays and sings all day. Karen told me that she thinks she will be a singer when she grows up; the girl does have a good set of lungs. She smiles a lot and is usually content (even with a dirty diaper) unless is she is sleepy or hungry. She is hot natured and continuously takes her socks off. She is infatuated with her feet. She plays with her feet, holds things with her feet, and even sucks on her toes occasionally. She also likes to sit up on the counter and talks and laughs at the "baby in the mirror." She has had us cracking up several times. I can't wait to get her home so all my family and friends can meet her; you all will fall in love with her instantly. She is irresistable!

Well, that is all for now. Arabella will be waking up from her afternoon nap any minute now. I will post more pictures when I get a chance.

PA and only 3 days to go!

The past week has flown by and I have not had time to post. Last week we received PA (pre-approval) from the USE ( US embassy in Guatemala). This is very exciting as it is another hurdle you have to jump over to proceed further with your adoption. We got our PA on day 39, and many times it takes at least 60 days, so we praise the Lord for this. We are still waiting on our social worker report (SWR), but the "interview" took place on 2/11, so she has had plenty of time to get it done. This and one more document, which should be ready this week, is all we are waiting on to be submitted to PGN (like our Attorney General's office in US). PGN takes anywhere from 8 weeks to many months depending on your case, how "perfect" your paperwork is, etc. This is the place where your adoption is finally approved. Anytime while your case is in PGN, they can kick your case out for a missing signature, typo, etc.... Then the documents have to be fixed and resubmitted and you lose precious time waiting. Please pray for favor from the Lord for us and our paperwork that everything will proceed smoothly and that we will not be issued and KO's (kick outs). After we get "out" of PGN, we will be able to bring the baby home about 6 weeks after that. Of course, we are very anxious to get in PGN, so we can get out and bring Arabella home with us for good! I can't believe in 3 days I will get to meet and spend a whole week with my daughter! I am so very excited that I am not sleeping well. I guess I need to get used to that. Please pray for our safe travel and that Arabella adjusts to us easily and can feel our great love for her in the short time we have to visit. Pray for us as it will be so hard to give her back to her foster family. The only thing I will be able to do to help me after that is to count down the days until my next trip to visit her. I am trying to stay positive and look on the bright side of things about our adoption, but it is hard. We are blessed that we can visit and spend this special time with her because in many countries you don't get to meet your baby until you go to pick them up. The time we get to spend with her before we bring her home will help her to bond to us. Look for lots of new pictures of Arabella when we get home to be posted here; don't be surprised if she is a different outfit in every one. You know she will be as adorable as ever. I'll share all about our trip when we get back; I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only 17 more days until we get to hold you!

Our baby girl is 7 months old now! We can't wait until we get to meet you in only 17 days, Arabella! Please know that we are doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as we can; your daddy and I love you very much! Here's a poem just for you:

KISSES IN THE WIND

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams,

You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long,

But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...

Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you.

I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend.

But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight.

And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

--Unknown

March pictures and other stuff

These are new pictures of Arabella from her doctor's appointment on Friday. She has enough hair now for pigtails; she is too cute for words! Our trip is only 23 days away, and I'm already packing! She is wearing one of the onesies and bibs we sent to her. We are taking a whole suitcase of stuff to leave with her foster mom after our visit trip. This will help us not have to pay to ship it. If you haven't heard the story, the first package we sent in January ended up costing $267. This is for a medium-size box; I think it weighed 12 pounds. I said I wouldn't send anymore, then I remembered we needed to buy her an Easter dress. I just sent her Easter outfit, shoes, and 2 small stuffed animals. The package weighed a little over 2 pounds and still cost $90 to send. What a ripoff! What's a girl to do? My baby needed an Easter dress, so I had no choice. Good thing the Easter dress and shoes were a gift from my friend at work. Thank you, Ashley! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my mom. Her surgery went well and she is at home recooperating. Her therapy is painful and is wearing her out, but she is doing great! I put a picture up in her hospital room of Bella and told her to look at it when she was hurting and didn't want to get up or wanted to give up to remember what her goal was. She has to get that hip better for our trip in June to see the baby. I am proud of you, Mom. Here's a big thank you to my sister, Tammy, who took off work last week to stay with Mom and take care of her. I helped as much as I could, but Tammy is a nurse and is much better at taking care of sick people than I am. I love you, Tammy! As far as our adoption process, we are waiting to get out of family court and for preapproval (PA) from the embassy still. It could take up to another month for PA, but we are praying for sooner. You have to have PA before you can go into PGN, so we are very anxious to get this step done. I will update my blog and let you know as we get out of family court and when we get PA. Several people I know have gotten I-72's (request for more information) from the embassy lately. The attorney has to fix the problem or get new info., etc. before they can proceed and get PA. Please pray that we don't get and I-72. Please embassy, have mercy on us! I have met two ladies who are also adopting from GU who I would like for you to pray for as well. Remember Valerie and Lori in your prayers that their adoptions will proceed swiftly and that they can bring their daughters home as quickly as possible. I covet your prayers for Arabella as well. It is so hard not to be able to be with her and be able to protect her as we would like to. I know our Heavenly Father is much more capable of doing this job than I am; I have to entrust her to Him! I pray for his angels to encircle her foster family's home and to keep them all safe. My niece Lyndsey prays for Arabella every night and asks for her to come home soon and to have fun with her foster family. Isn't that sweet? I am anxious to meet Karen, her foster mom, when we go to visit. I will be able to ask her lots of questions and learn more about my baby. She will also be bringing us back the disposable cameras we sent down for her to take lots of pictures over the past few months. This will show us where Bella lives now, who she lives with, how much she is growing, etc. It will be really difficult for Karen and her family when we bring Arabella home to KY. I thank God that my daughter is with a foster family who can give her lots of love and attention and that she is not in an orphanage. Well, I have rambled on enough for one night. Only 3 weeks now.............................

Prayer request and exciting news

If you read this post, please say a prayer for my mom who is having hip replacement surgery on Monday, March 3rd. Pray that the surgery goes smoothly, that she recooperates quickly, and that it helps relieve the pain that she has been in. Mom and I have had fun shopping for Bella. We have hit all kinds of clearance sales and have clothes put back for her for the rest of the year. Mom is sad that she doesn't get to go in April with us to meet Bella, but she has to get her hip taken care of now. Then she needs to get back into the groove so that she can go with me to see Bella again in June. That's right! MOM AND I ARE GOING TO VISIT BELLA IN JUNE!!!!!!!!!! If it all works out right, we are going to stay for 4 weeks! Can you tell how excited I am? We have found this cozy bed and breakfast that we can stay at for only $1100 for a month, and this includes breakfast. We will split the cost of the room and groceries. We are able to go the store and buy food and use the kitchen at the B&B to cook our own meals at night. Spending a whole month spoiling my baby sounds like the closest thing to heaven I am gonna get while on this earth. It will be hard to leave her at the end of such a long visit for me and for mom, but hopefully she will be able to come home forever just a few months after that. Also pray for our finances that everything will be taken care of. I plan on doing lots of jewelry shows between now and then to help pay for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. Bella will only be little once, so this trip is extremely important to me. This month will give us a special time to start the bonding process which is extremely critical for babies who are adopted. I also want to thank my husband for loving me and our daughter so much to agree to making this sacrifice for us. It will be 5 weeks until I get to meet you, Arabella. Then it will be will be only 7 weeks after that until I get to spend a whole month with you. I can close my eyes right now and picture me holding you and being silly and making you laugh. We will have a wonderful time getting to know each other. Hang on, baby girl. Momma will be there soon.

Quote for the day

"We witness a miracle every time a child enters life. But those who make their journey home across times and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands." Kristi Larson I loved this quote when I read it. It very much relates to the adoption process and our journey to bring Arabella home to us from Guatemala. I don't believe in coincidence. I know God chose us to be Arabella's parents. When Arabella is old enough to understand all about this I will let her read all my thoughts that I have written in this blog. So, here's a message for today from my heart to her: Dear Arabella, You have been on my mind all day. It is six weeks until your daddy and I get to fly to Guatemala and meet you. I can't wait to hold you in my arms, cuddle you, and kiss your sweet face. Just know that we love you and pray for you to be healthy and happy with your foster family until we can bring you home to us, your forever family. May God protect you and keep you safe from harm. May He bring you home to America in record time. I love you my baby girl. With all my love, Momma

Poem for today

God's Little Girl

Oh, little girl, your life was planned,

Right from the start from the Father's hand.

He fashioned your frame in ways so grand,

And loves you in ways you don't understand.

And though I've yet to hold your tiny frame,

You've captured my heart & I long to call your name.

I thank God for you, a gift so sweet and pure,

And pray for you to know His Son for sure.

And as you grow, may you always know,

The Lord is there wherever you go.

I promise to love you thro' all your days and hours,

But never forget His love is far greater than all of ours.

Our Father's Son He freely gave,

And all who believe he surely will save.

Oh, little girl, I've adopted at so great a price,

But as God's little girl,

you're adopted twice.

by: Paul W. Smith