Come on Sunday...

These pictures just came to us today! I can't get my head around the idea that I get to hold her on Sunday and every day after! WOW This week has gone a lot faster than I expected. Alex has been sick and home from school the last 3 days. He has a cold and a fever so nothing serious thankgoodness. I was stressed thinking that I wasn't going to be ready to go on Saturday. Once I sat down and made a final list I realized really cleaning and getting a few groceries are the only things left to be done. Now that we are down to the wire I am glad I got this time with Alex. Too bad I did not have that mindset Tues or Wends when I was stressed thinking I had so much to do. We got all the major projects ready last Saturday before we went to the water park so we are in good shape. Man I am shaking looking at these pictures. I can't imagine how I will be on Sunday!

Water Park

We took Alex to a local water park yesterday for a family fun day. It was so much fun. Our last trip as a family of 3. Less than a week until we are an official family of 4! The suitcases are all packed and ready to go. Alex is so excited about his Grandma coming to stay with him and seeing Anika finally. Life is good...

Thank you!

First let me say how much fun the last 16 hours have been. We would
like to say THANK YOU to all of you for the emails, phone calls and blog comments. It has been a long long year and a half since we first started with our homestudy and you have supported us the whole way. For that we are thankful!

I also wanted to ask that you keep Anika's foster family in your thoughts. I emailed them last night to tell them we will be there on the 3rd of February. I received a wonderful email in return and let me just say that while we are overjoyed and thankful to be at the end of this road, they are trying to prepare to say goodbye to a member of their family. They are wonderful wonderful people to have loved Anika and taken care of her when we could not. I will keep this email so that Anika can see how much she is loved by her Guatemalan family.

OK on a happy note I did find out that Anika has the same sleep schedule as her big brother! WOW Could we really get that lucky? She goes to bed between 7:00-8:00 and gets up at 7:00. She likes to have a bottle in the night. (Ok not like her big brother :)) She loves to walk in her walker and loves any toy that moves. In 9 days we will begin our lives together!
Thank you
Tracy

WE ARE

Pretty in PINK.....
I just got the email. Our appointment at the USE is Feb 5th at 7:15am!!!
I emailed this morning to check and the letter I got back is dated the 17th of Jan. It looks like they forgot to email last week. Our apt has been set for a while.. NO MATTER We are coming Anika!!!
(Grandma we are hoping to fly out the 3rd)

Well still no Travel Dates...

After waiting through the long weekend. I just KNEW that today was going to be the day we got the email from the Embassy with our long awaited appointment date. NO SUCH LUCK. I am feeling frustrated tonight. I just need to know when we are going. I am still thinking it will be the 5th or the 6th and we will leave a few days before that... Please check back tomorrow. Hope to have news then. Hmmmm I have heard this somewhere before.

Favorite Foto Friday

Ok well technically it is Favorite Foto From Friday on Sunday...:)

This is Alex and his friend Zachary. Zachary and his little brother Jason are both from Guatemala also. The boys really get along well and I am so thankful to have found both them and their parents here in the small town we moved to. I am glad that they can share being from Guatemala together as they grow up. Zach and Jason's Mom has become a great friend of mine as well so a lot to be thankful for. I can't wait to see them again with Anika. Four blessings from Guatemala!

This is so cute!

HIP HIP HORRAY-edited

DNA is on it's way!!!

I just got off the phone with the lab here in the US that does the final DNA Test. They confirmed that they did get Anika's sample that was done last Tues. The results were mailed last night and should be at the Embassy in Guatemala this afternoon!! As of right now the precious package is in Miami. Now we are officially waiting for the Embassy to issue our pink slip. This means that we will have an apt to be there for our final visa interview!! This is it.... We will know early next week when we will get to hold Anika!

I just got an email from Fed Ex DNA is at the USE in Guatemala City....
Let the count down to PINK begin!

Losiahs Korean Adoption Video Update 11

This video just touches my heart. As we get closer to traveling to Guatemala I have been thinking of Anika's foster family with a heavy heart. It was so emotional saying Goodbye to Alex's foster family and I know how hard it will be for Anika's foster family. There are not words to describe the mixture of joy and heartbreak I felt on that day in 2002 and I know this will be the same. This video is the last few minutes with this couples foster family. They are adopting in Korea. Grab some kleenex....
Tracy

Surprise Baby Shower!

WOW! What a fun surprise for me this morning! There are a group of us that meet every week for coffee now that our kids are in Kindergarten. I met most of these friends last year when our kids were in preschool together. They have known each other longer since I have only lived here 18 months or so.. Well it was our usual day and time for coffee so I didn't think anything of it as I drove over to my friend Becky's house. I went inside and saw pink baby gifts sitting in the corner. OH WOW. They even invited a few other of my friends also!! It was really a special morning for me. I am blessed to have such nice friends. Thank you all for a wonderful day and for making me feel so welcome in town. Check out this diaper cake made by my friend Shari! Thank you Becky for hosting and making it a special day for me.

Apple Anyone??

Stephanie over at www.journeytoeli.blogspot.com has come up with a great idea. With everything going on lately in Guatemala she thought it would be a good idea for people to post funny stories about their kids to lighten the mood a bit... Here is my contribution.

These are from last June. I gave Alex an apple and he said " I will wash it myself Mom" A few minutes later I went into the bathroom to find.....

Amazing

I just have to post a picture from yesterday. I came up from the basement
with all the outlet covers that I could dig up. I showed Alex what they were and he says "OH Mom let me put them in! I don't want my sister to get zapped. She is so small and we don't want her to die." My wonderful, sweet, caring boy then went all over the house putting them in until he ran out. He has been so helpful and it brings tears to my eyes how excited he really is. I know there are going to be times where he is not happy. It will be hard for him to share us after almost 6 years. So far though I am amazed that we have seen only pure joy and excitement from him. I am so blessed. I can't stand how much I love this little man.

We are .......

Yes! We found out that we are officially ORANGE as it is known in Guatemalan adoption circles. This means that the US Embassy has issued authorization for Anika's 2ND DNA test to be done. This will be done in the next few days and then the DNA is sent to a lab here in the US to be processed. The next thing we will hear is that the results are on the way back to the Embassy. At that point we are just days away from PINK and knowing when we are going to be in Guatemala!

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
Tracy

I feel like dancing!!

I am still giddy over Anika's new pictures and I log into the
Adoption tracker page on my agency's web page for the ahemmmm 12th time today or so.

We were submitted to the Embassy yesterday! Another step done! Now we are waiting to hear that the Embassy has authorized the 2nd and final DNA test. We should have travel dates 2 weeks or so after that!

Handpicked with Love...

it says on her shirt. AWWWWW

I didn't think it was possible for me to get any more
excited and READY to go to Guatemala than I was until I
saw these new pictures of Anika this afternoon! Oh my!
She has teeth too. Just a few more weeks! I can't wait to see Anika
and Alex together.