Update

Finally, an update for our faithful readers! :) Isabella arrived in Alabama on February 28, 2007, escorted by her mommy and daddy. On February 26, her five month birthday, we went to the US Embassy and swore that our documents were true. One day later, her passport was delivered to us in Antigua, and the following morning we said goodbye to the country of Guatemala. But not forever. We plan to return with our daughter several times throughout her life so that she may again see Guatemala with her own eyes.

Isabella is a beautiful baby, inside and out. She has a wonderful, playful personality. We are so happy with our little bundle of love! She is a perfect match for our family.

From the bottom of our hearts, we say thank you for your unending support. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much to us.

Love,

Isabella's Mommy

Pink is our new favorite color!!!

We've got pink!

As many of you know, I have been sick. Holly and I went to sleep Thursday night without any news about our pink slip from the US Embassy. Friday morning I woke up at about 6 am with Isa. Holly, in an attempt to take care of her sick husband, offered to take care of Isa and let me sleep. She advised me to take my cough medicine that is loaded with codine. After all, the medicine will knock me out, but what else do we have to do today? It was not 30 seconds after I had taken my medicine that Holly began to yell, "Chris, get in the shower now! We've got to get to the Embassy doctor!" The reason for the commotion was this: we received our pink slip via email at 6 am on Friday morning. Our pink slip showed that our Embassy appointment is at 8 am on Monday. However, before we can make it to the Embassy appointment we have to visit the Embassy doctor.

Holly got on the phone as soon as we received the news and attempted to book us a driver into the city. Our driver finally showed up at our house at 12:30 to take us to a 2:00 appointment. The driver that we had was not one of the usual drivers and was not prepared for a baby. So, we made a mad dash into the city, taking every curve at about 100 mph without a car seat. It was definitely not a fun ride. We got to the embassy doctor a little after 2 where we met some friends in the lobby. We soon found out that the official US doctor does not work on Friday afternoon. Thankfully, because of our very short notice and pending Embassy predicament, there was another doctor that was able to meet us at the office to clear our paper work. The appointment went well, lasting only about 15 minutes. We finished the appointment and went back to the lobby where our driver was no where to be found. We made a couple of calls and eventually was able to get him to come pick us up. We are hoping for better luck with our Embassy appointment on Monday.

Here's the time-line that we are on right now: Monday we have an appointment at the US Embassy at 8 am. We should be through at the Embassy by noon. We will then come back to the house where our passport and visa will be delivered on Tuesday at 5. We will then pack everything up on Tuesday night, leave the house at 4 am on Wednesday and leave Guatemala on an 8 am flight! We will be back in Huntsville at 5 on Wednesday! We can't wait! We are almost through!

Shalom,
Chris

The Final Trip!

I cannot even begin to tell you what a whirlwind these past couple of weeks have been. This coming Thursday I will be back on another airplane headed down back down. However, this time, I will not be making a solo return trip!!!

I returned from my latest trip to Guatemala this past Wednesday, February 14. I was supposed to return on Tuesday, however, for the second time in a week, my flight was cancelled coming out of Charlotte. So, I had to spend the night in Charlotte and rush into Huntsville on Wednesday and get ready for our youth Valentines party. The week became even crazier from that point. Friday and Saturday I was in Memphis for an urban youth workers training day and Sunday had to fill in and preach for our Church. Today is the first day back that I have had to work on things at home. What this actually means is that I now have today and tomorrow to get the house ready for visitors and finish the baby's room for my little girl! Good luck to me!

The good news in all of this craziness is that Holly and I are now the parents of our daughter! There now exists a real Guatemalan birth certificate that includes our daughter's name as well as mine and Holly's as the parents! Holly is taking Isa today for her final doctor's check-ups as well as to get her pictures for her passport and visa. We are hoping that by the time that I get down to Guatemala we will have "pink." "Pink" is the term used for the pink sheet of paper that comes from the US Embassy containing the time of your appointment at the Embassy. This pink sheet of paper functions in many ways as a pre-approval for your embassy day. What this all means is that we are hoping that by the end of the following week (by the first of March) we could be back in Huntsville together!

I would also like to take a moment and say thanks especially to our College Park family. You all have shown us so much love in this process and have provided for us in ways that we cannot even comprehend. Thank you so much for helping us be united with our daughter!

Shalom,
Chris

More Good News From Antigua

We received some great news today regarding our case! The birth mother signed off on the adoption for the last time and the adoption decree has been registered at the civil registry! We are that much closer to returning to the States! We still have some things that we have to take care of to complete the process. However, if everything continues on schedule, we should be back in the US in a couple of weeks! It's about time!

Today was a great day. Holly and I went to a cafe for lunch and had an "interesting" time. We then continued to Santa Domingo; a hotel that was built on the site of the ruins of the Santo Domingo Cathedral. This was one of my favorite experiences yet. The ruins of the church are magnificent. The self-tour allows you access to the entirety of the Church ruins (including the very erie underground sepulchers as well as a couple of art galleries showcasing Guatemalan artists and Mayan relics). We have also had the chance to go through San Francisco Church, however, the ruins that are apart of the Church were closed for the day.
At the end of the day we came across the scene at the top of this post. There was a beautiful cultural celebration going on in the town square. Holly and I were not able to stay long enough to find out what was going on, however, we believe that the celebration was in conjunction with Semana Santa (Holy Week). The actual Semana Santa is forth-coming, however, they start early here!

Shalom,
Chris

All is well in Antigua!

I arrived yesterday at about 3:00 in Guatemala City and immediately got in the car with Oswald and headed to Antigua! The journey to Antigua was great. We were able to get around traffic caused by the road construction. Last night we (all the housemates at Casa Bella) went out to Tre Fratelli for dinner. Dinner was great. Today Holly and I went into the city and did some shopping. We learned all about the Jade industry in Guatemala and even saw some people making the jewlry. We also went to La Merced and toured the ruins of the old monastery. On the way back to the house, we stopped through Hotel Antigua. If you are coming to Antigua and want a great place to stay, be sure to check out Hotel Antigua. This afternoon, when I got back to the house, I had my first Spanish lesson. The Spanish lessons here are completely different than those in the US (or at least the ones that I have had) because they are complete immersion lessons. The teacher does not speak any English during the lesson. This is hard to get used to at first but, after a while, it gets easier to understand. I have learned a great deal already and have a 2 hour lesson tomorrow morning!

Tomorrow should be a great day. We are having breakfast with our friends Ravi and Kelly
in the morning. It is so great to finally be with my girls again. Isa is beautiful, just like her mom.

The Phone Call...

For the past few weeks Holly and I have been sitting on the edge of our seats waiting for the phone to ring. Honestly, due to some recent developments in Guatemala, I was expecting to receive a phone call stating that we have been kicked out of our current stage of the adoption. However, yesterday evening (Tuesday evening) at 5:30 Holly was in Antigua attempting to order some pizza using her fantastic "Spanglish" skills. While she was on the land line ordering, a call came in on her cell phone. One of her roomates answered and immediately handed the phone to Holly advising her to take this call. Holly took the call and on the other end of the line was the head of our adoption agency. Holly was in shock, the call had finally come. Now, what is it? Good news or bad? The voice on the other end simply said, "it's good news, you guys are out!" WOOOOHOOOO!!! We're out!

I received a call from Holly immediately following our reception of the good news. I am pretty sure that Holly was a bit frustrated with me because at first I would not believe her. I was so sure that we were going to have a previo, I simply could not believe that we were out! Finally the news sunk in and the party began! (Actually the party was bitter-sweet because I ended up going to Cracker Barrel for dinner and sitting by myself!) Anywho, yesterday was a great day for us! My girls are coming home!

As far as the details go, I am still planning on going down to Antigua tomorrow to see them. They will have approximately 3 weeks in Guatemala before being able to return to the States. Let the countdown begin! For the first time in a long time, it actually feels like this whole process could come to an end...in a good way! Thanks for your prayers everyone! I will write more from Antigua!

Shalom,
Chris

Leavin' on a jet plane!

Let me begin this post by saying that we are sorry! I realize that we haven't been able to update the blog that much lately but I'll try to get you up to date in a hurry. First of all, Holly is doing well in Antigua. She is definitely ready to come home, but she is doing well. Isabella is growing and will not stop. She is now 14 lbs! We are still waiting to hear if we have cleared our current phase of the adoption. One reason for our long delay in posting an update is that we have been waiting to hear what is going on down there. I am not at liberty to give many details of what all is going on, but several of our friends have been kicked out of this phase of the adoption for reasons that are not acceptable. So, we have been a bit nervous about our chances of being kicked out. Thankfully, we are still in the process and will continue to expect the phone to ring with GOOD news until we hear otherwise.

I do ask that everyone out in cyberland pray for our friends who are experiencing set-backs in their adoptions. When you get this close to the end of the process, any setbacks constitute a major blow.

Now for the good news. I get to see my two girls this week! I was scheduled to go to Guatemala last week. However, the first snow storm to hit Huntsville in the last five years hit on the very night that I was planning to go to Guatemala. My flight was cancelled and, instead of having to cut my trip short by a couple of days, I decided to reschedule for one week later. I am look forward to seeing Holly and Isa! I can't wait! Holly found some great restaurants that we are going to visit. (I know, I know, I should find something else to do other than eat) I will also be taking Spanish lessons while I am there. I have been studying fairly intensively while in Huntsville, but I am looking forward to putting all of this "head knowledge" into practice. There is a lady that Holly and I met that will come to our house and teach me Spanish each day. I am really looking forward to being able to converse with the people in Guatemala at a higher level. We had talked about trying to hike up the side of Vulcan de Agua or Fuego however I am not sure that there will be enough time on this trip. (As a side note, Fuego has been spewing smoke for a few days now and tonight as I was talking to Holly on the phone, she had to make a mad dash upstairs to check on Isa because of an earthquake!) The Easter celebrations in Antigua have already begun and I am looking forward to experiencing them first hand! Although Holly said the sight of Jesus in a Plexiglas coffin was quite the eerie sight.

I will attempt to post some more from Antigua to give everyone an update on what all is going on. Sorry about the delay in updating the blog, but things have been rather crazy. Thanks for checking in on us!

Shalom,
Chris