Praying for a Big Week

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Ours was reasonably uneventful. The big kids were forced into manual labor and had to weed the yard. :) The little one is working hard on losing her first tooth. (Bottom center tooth. She only has three teeth on the bottom between her two eye teeth. Some sort of oddity that we can't quite explain.)

As we go into this week, I am hoping and praying it will be a big week. I'm praying for PGN movement, especially for those stuck for a long time. I'm praying for my friend Johanna's adoption and that Kathelin's birth mother can be found this week. I'm praying for several families I know as they ponder the decision to adopt. I'm wishing that Sue and her family find some much needed time to relax and celebrate her son's graduation.

I spent some time this weekend reading various blogs folks have put up about their adoptions. Most were China adoptions. I was struck how different the China adoptions are from Guatemala. In China, the process and tight agency control that force families to move and travel together through the process cause virtual strangers to become families based on referral and travel dates. In Guatemala, each family is a bit like their own island, with the level of agency support varying by agency and attorney. I'm not suggesting one is better than the other, they're just different. In all cases, I am heartened as to the level of faith that people have, their belief and commitment in the decision to adopt, and their level of acceptance and faith that the child they're adopting is their child. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but it's affirming to read just the same.

I met with a friend and co-worker for lunch last week and she's pondering the decision to adopt. She's single, in her early 40's, Chinese, and is actually considering Guatemala over China. Her reasoning makes sense and I think she'd be a great Mom. I think she'll be an even better person if she opens up her life to a child. This is not to say that childless adults are not good people. I just believe that if you take the time to care and love another person, let them affect your life in a positive way, you'll be a better person for taking that step. I believe my older children are different and better adults because we added Jayden to our family. This single decision will shape the adults they become.

I guess that's enough philosophy for tonight. Again, here's to a really big week!

DNA Results Are In!

Today was a "wahoo" day. We received the DNA test results and have proof that the woman bringing the girls forward for adoption is their birth mom. The paperwork sent to our home also included a Polaroid photo of the girls on their birth mom's lap. That's a bit sobbering to see. Sad to see. We're happy to see the 99.99% results though. Now we wait to hear we're out of Family Court, have DNA pre-approval and entered into PGN. Keeping the faith....

New Photos

We received new photos today! What happy, beautiful little girls they are. It's good to see them smiling so much. I'm thinking I might have to visit some time this summer.

We just spent a long weekend (4 days) in Orlando and got a chance to meet the folks at Celebrate Children International in person. They are very nice people and clearly dedicated to the children and families they are bringing home. It was great to put names and faces together.

We also managed to spend about 2.5 days in the Disney theme parks. Proof that I'm getting older: My feet hurt after 1.5 days wandering through the parks and waiting in line. I kept focusing on the business aspects of the whole Disney operation. Proof that I'm still young at heart: I joined Jayden in "screaming like a little girl" on the bigger roller coasters (her words not mine). I liked the white sandy bottom of the pool as much as she did.

The Rest of the Gang

Here's the rest of my girls on a roof top in Rome. Doesn't that sound wonderful?? It was crazy. We arrived in Italy just in time for the Pope's death and had the good fortune to share Rome with 3 million other people. It was crazy. However, we had fun and it was all a big picnic to my youngest.

The Newest Members of Our Family

Meet Rowan and Reese, the newest members of our family.

Welcome!

Hello everyone. So I thought I'd try this whole blog thing to keep friends and family up to date on our adoption journey into Guatemala. First, here's some background. My name is Ruth and I live in Vancouver WA with my 3 daughters. My oldest is 19, my middle is 18 and my youngest is 6 years old. My youngest joined our family from Guatemala in June 2003 at the age of 3.5 years old. She is an amazing person and I feel incredibly lucky that she's part of our family. I have accepted the referral of TWIN sisters from Guatemala who will be 3 in July. Yes, I just might be crazy. However, it started out as one sister and the twin was a bit of a surprise. Believing in greater powers than I can imagine, it seems there are other plans for me. So....I'm going to be the mom to five daughters. I honestly didn't think that sentence would EVER come out of my mouth. The DNA test is scheduled for tomorrow so here we go!!!!