No news

Another day without our appointment. I believe the US Embassy is now closed (the adoption unit) until January 2. So now we will continue to wait and work on renewing our I-171. We will hope and pray for Dillon to be home in January or February. Like I haven't said that before. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

No appointment yet. Thank you DHS at the US Embassy

We still don't have our appointment. I couldn't find anyone on all the message boards with an appointment issued today. I have read that for some reason the people at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the US Embassy are purposely delaying adoptions. Congresswoman Gillibrand spoke to them but didn't get much information. She did ask are they purposely holding this up so our I-171 expires? I don't believe she received an answer. I did read that many people are having the same problem as us-not that it makes any difference. Our government jerking around just one family is inexcusable. I hope to be able to post our appointment tomorrow, however we are going to work on our "new" homestudy tomorrow. I'm not certain, but we may need reference letters again. We really appreciate those who have helped us and those that we will need again.

STILL NO PINK!!!!!

Well, still no pink (appointment). If we don't have our appointment by Jan. 12 it is going to be delayed for a while. Our I-171 expires. This is a document from the US basically giving us permission to adopt. We never, ever imagined this would happen. We were "out", approved on Oct.5. Normally it takes no more then eight weeks to complete and here we are going on 3 months. To renew it, we have to have our homestudy updated. Who knows how long that will take, then we will have to wait for the US to issue a new I-171. We have information coming from the agency on how to get the homestudy updated. Along with that will come a nice big "fee". Very few appointments were given out today, I'm sure due to the lack of staff for the holidays. The one appointment that I saw posted was for Jan. 4. We did get a polaroid picture of Dillon from his DNA appointment. He looks very happy playing with the paper on the exam table. I keep you posted.

I'm coming home, not sure when but SOON..

We received a bunch of pictures of Dillon today. Just pictures, no measurements. As far as our appointment, we are still waiting. The Embassy usually issues the appointment 24-48+ after the DNA results are back. Ours got there yesterday. Darr actually got to speak to a human today at the Embassy(next to impossible there). They are just waiting for documents from the Department of Homeland Security. Once they are faxed to

them, they will issue our appointment. We are still hoping for Christmas.

I will post our appointment as soon as I find out.

DNA has arrived

The DNA results arrived at the US Embassy today at 3:24pm Guatemala time (4:24 eastern). Now we just wait for our "pink slip" with our appointment. We have been busy calling and faxing Congress"people", Senators offices and the US Embassy basically begging them for an appointment before Christmas. Kirsten Gillibrand's office has been especially helpful.
I also wanted to mention Hannah is going to be singing the beginning of "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" with some other selected kindergartners in the Christmas Concert at her school. She is soo excited.

DNA is a match...again

We found out today that Dillon's DNA test is done (it is a match, not a big surprise). It is scheduled to arrive in Guatemala City tomorrow, by 6 pm. The embassy should review it on Wednesday and hopefully issue our appointment for December 20. If not the 20th or sooner, then it will probably be January 2.

Visa appointment schedule for the Holidays

I just read that the last appointment for the year is December 20, with the visa pick up on Friday the 21st. After that embassy appointments will not be until January 2. So if we don't get an appointment by the 20th???? then we won't be going until the beginning of January. There is a slight possibility that we may make it by the 20th. If we do, we owe a BIG thank you to Debbie and "the lady" at the lab who has expedited Dillon's DNA sample. Keep your fingers crossed.

DNA update

The DNA sample arrived in the US this morning. The lady at the lab sent an email to Debbie at the agency saying she had put a "rush" on it and it will be shipped back to Guatemala no later then Monday!!! The best case scenario would be the following: Once the embassy gets it, they will issue our pink slip with our appointment. Generally the embassy issues "pink" within a day or two and appointments are usually one week later. So if the embassy gets the results on Tuesday, we may have "pink" by Thursday and our appointment would be the following Thursday. The day after the embassy appointment we have to wait for the Visa, which is issued after 3:30. I don't know if they issue them on Fridays or not. If not we would get it on Monday and leave Tuesday-Christmas day. Worse case scenario: They have to do further testing on the sample, which can happen. It doesn't mean it is not a match, just more testing. The embassy did issue the I-72, which tells us some paper work is not in order, however it has been resubmitted by our lawyers and also Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand's office has contacted the US embassy to question why they don't understand the paperwork. So now we continue to wait, and hope for the best.
Either way Dillon should be home by the end of the month.

DNA

The DNA sample is scheduled to arrive at the lab in the US tomorrow by 10:30 a.m. Debbie, our social worker from the agency told us the lab is going to "expedite" it because of the delay. Debbie is responsible for getting it expedited. She explained to the lab the "situation". The delay was due to Dillon being at the wrong lab therefore something to do with payment or something. It's always something.

DNA delay-Big surprise.

Well as expected their has been a delay with the DNA, thus insuring Dillon won't be home for Christmas. The sample was taken last Friday, but for some unknown reason it was not shipped to the US until yesterday. Most labs ship it the same day. Must be a good lab the lawyers use. Our social worker, Debbie, who is great, really, is going to check on the sample this morning to see if this information is correct (true). For some reason the agency must call, not the family. As far as the I-72 that was issued by the US embassy, the lawyers are going to resolve that today, yes, many days after they said they were. Seems to be a pattern here. Now we have been instructed to contact our Senator to help resolve this. I'm not certain that is actually necessary, but we'll do it. I really think the lawyers want us to be distracted and to stop with the rotten emails to them. Some day I will do a post all about our lawyers, but not now.

Pictures

Here are some pictures of the girls. Chloe and Hannah getting ready to go to scout meetings, and Hannah and Braedyn in the "big" snow storm, which wasn't.

Newest Problem-THE UNITED STATES!!!!!!

Today we received an email from the US embassy in Guatemala. Not good. They issued us what is called an I-72. This form tells us that the embassy is "missing" or "not happy" with some document(s). Ours happens to be the PGN Ruling. Well the reason it is not there is because it doesn't exist in our case. Duh. Our case was ruled by a judge, not PGN. PGN had a chance to appeal and didn't. Case closed. The documentation to show this should be there. Either way the lawyers are resubmitting the paperwork on Monday. This should not be foreign to the embassy. Our case is not the first to be handled this way. Today Darr and I went and spoke to someone in Kirsten Gillibrand's office (Congresswoman). She seemed very eager to help and we really don't expect this to be a big deal. The DNA was not taken until today, if it actually happened. So this "issue" with the US government won't hold things up unless it is not resolved by the time the DNA gets back to Guatemala, which should be around Dec. 12. If they actually did it today. How much more can they throw at us? We never saw this coming, our own government hassling us.

Things are still moving....

We were informed today that we have "ORANGE". This is authorization from the US embassy to have Dillon's second DNA test done. They are going to do it tomorrow. Then it comes to the US, gets tested, then back to Guatemala. Once it gets back to Guatemala we will wait for our pink slip, which will have our appointment date. We will pick Dillon up the day before our appointment. The "average" wait from now until our appointment is 3 weeks. So we still don't know about Christmas. Either way will be fine. Dillon just may have to celebrate Christmas a few days late. Keep your fingers crossed!

Updated timeline

Here is an updated timeline. Again it may make no sense to those not going through the process, however many adopting families read adoption blogs and like to see timelines.

4/25/06-signed with Adoptions from the Heart
5/2/06-I-600A filed
5/23/06-Federal Fingerprints
6/30/06-Homestudy hand delivered to Albany INS
7/12/06-I-171 issued
7/14/06-Dossier sent to Guat. Consulate NYC via courier
7/17/06-referral received
7/18/06-referral accepted after review by Dr. Aronson
7/19/06-dossier received back after authentication
7/28/06-POA signed and dossier hand delivered to lawyer
7/27-7/29/06-trip to sign POA in Guatemala
8/9/06-Hired Adoption Supervisors
8/?/06-attorney lost I 171-H
9/10/06-new I 171-H to attorney, delay in translation of documents
9/19/06-POA registered
9/27/06-Enter Family Court
10/10/06-Social Worker interview canceled, bio mom can't make it
11/7/06-Social Worker interview and DNA completed
11/13/06-DNA 99.9% match
11/19-25/06-1st visit trip
11/24/06-out of Family Court
12/8/06-Preapproval issued by US Embassy
1/9/07-Enter PGN
1/30/07-Assigned reviewer
2/1/07-6 previos (mistakes) so they claim, reviewer fired, bio mom needs to be re interviewed
3/20/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
3/28/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
4/20/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
5/7/07-bio mom interview completed
5/25/07-back to PGN (2nd time submitted)
6/6/07-kicked out of PGN
6/22/07-back to PGN (3rd time submitted)
7/6/07-kicked out of PGN
7/18-24/07-second visit trip
7/24?/07-lawyers have had enough of PGN, enter Judicial Review
9/7/07-Judge reinterviews bio mom
9/19?/07-Judge rules in our favor, PGN has 3 days to appeal
9/19/07-Informed we are now going to the appeals court
10/9/07-Informed PGN missed the 3 day appeal opportunity, adoption is completed!
10/25?/07-Birth mom gives final signature
10/26/07-Documents to civil registry
11/19/07-Guatemala City birth certificate issued
11/22/07-Passport issued
11/26/07-Translation of documents completed
11/28/07-Second DNA authorization
11/30/07-DNA sample taken
12/10/07-DNA results
12/11/07-DNA results at the US embassy in Guatemala
12/??/07-Pink
??/??/07-Embassy appointment
??/??/07-Pick up Visa
??/??/07-HOME

Waiting for ORANGE

Today we found out that Dillon's passport is done and the next step was translation, which is also all done. Now we are waiting for ORANGE. This is authorization from the US embassy (in Guatemala) to do the final DNA test on Dillon. I'm guessing the slip is orange? Once the DNA test results are back in Guatemala, then we wait for PINK. The pink slip tells when our appointment at the US embassy in Guatemala is. We will get Dillon the day before our appointment and come home 2 days after the appointment-hopefully before Christmas.

Last Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving we (Darr,myself and Chloe) went to Guatemala to meet Dillon for the first time. It was also our (me and Chloe) first (and hopefully last) round of food poisoning.

The adoption supervisors told us today that the lawyers were getting Dillon's passport today-one step closer!! Still very uncertain about Christmas in the US for Dillon.

Hannah lost a tooth!

Hannah lost her bottom tooth last night while eating an apple. It had been loose for about one month. It was such a surprise because Chloe was pushing seven before she lost any teeth. Now she is up to eight gone. Proud day for Hannah. Happy Thanksgiving.

Finally, the birth certificate

Well, we were told the birth certificate was ready on Monday the 19th. Unfortunately the chances of Dillon being home before Christmas are lessening. I should have known what takes most lawyers 6 weeks to do, would take ours at least 12 weeks. At this point I don't care if they read this, as we have been told to be careful what we post. So we will continue to wait and see if Dillon makes it home by Christmas. On a good note, Dillon finally had his hearing test and according to the agency he is fine. Happy Thanksgiving!

Still waiting......

Well, no birth certificate as of today, Wednesday. The lawyers are expecting it this week. I am beginning to wonder if Dillon will be missing another Christmas.

Guatemala City Birth Certificate

Just a quick update to let you know the lawyers are expecting Dillon's new birth certificate early next week. This certificate will list Darr and I as his parents. His last name will be Hanks but I believe his first and middle name will be his given name, Kenneth Aron. Once he is home we will change his name to Dillon Dean. After the birth certificate is issued they will get him a passport, usually within a day or two. Then the documents go to translation for roughly a week, then the second DNA test (just Dillon,not the birth mom) then the "pink" slip which is our appointment to pick him up. So after the birth certificate is issued we are looking at about a month till pick up-I hope. We really hope to be home with him before Christmas!!!

Developmental Report

I received a "developmental report" on Dillon this past Monday. I don't become too overly excited by these reports because I have witnessed different "findings" then these reports led me to believe. I don't believe that they are trying to mislead us, but rather they see things a bit differently then we do. So, here it is:

DOB. 24/06/2006
Age: 1 year 4 months
Weight: 20.14 lbs. Size 75 CC 46
Milk: Enfamil Nutramigen
Bottles 8 bottles 7 onzas per day.
Sleep: from 7:00 p.m. - 6:30 does not wake up
Nap: One time a day from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Bath: Every day but time depends on weather.
Teeth: 4 top y 4 bottom
Meals: Everything chicken, pasta, rice fruits and vegetables.
DEVELOPMENT
He walks but still loves to crawl
He has a temper and very active. He has short temper and when doesn’t get his way he throws a fit .
He is not shy at all
He recognizes his foster family from strangers
Loves to watch TV
He likes to play with his ball and toys
He says mama and papa; si there and other baby talk
He feeds himself with his hand.
He is able to drink from a cup with help
He loves cookies
His development is normal
He rarely gets very sick but in recently because of the weather he developed a cold that lasted long and he was even running a fever. He was given antibiotic and seems to be doing much better.

New pictures

We received new pictures of Dillon today. I think they were taken recently. Maybe they told him he is coming home soon, so he is giving the thumbs up! Today most things in Guatemala are closed for All Saints Day and this weekend are elections, so basically no updates until Tuesday.

Pug Parade

On October 21st we loaded up and headed on an hour long trip north to attend the annual Pug Parade. For those who don't know, my parents have a pug. This is the second pug. The first one unfortunately passed away some months ago. This pug gets better treatment then me and my brothers ever saw! Winston (the pug) rates as high as the grandchildren. We have been attending this parade since it started. People (crazy like my parents) dress their pugs up (and sometimes themselves) and parade these dogs around hoping to win a prize. Believe it or not some people travel great distances to attend this parade. When Hannah was a baby she was in her stroller at this parade and someone looked in the stroller and was actually disappointed that it was a baby and not a pug. I don't think that would happen anywhere but a pug parade, but I also don't think you would see a pug(s) riding in strollers anywhere else. So here is a picture of Winston the witch and a picture of Chloe, Hannah, Winston and my niece, McKenna.

Dillon's September Measurements

Today Dillon's doctor emailed me his measurements from September, but no pictures. As of September 17, he weighs 20lbs. 12oz. and is 29 inches tall. He is now being treated with an antibiotic for his long-lasting cold. Hopefully soon his hearing test can be done. The lawyers are currently working on obtaining the new birth certificate. We were told that the birth mother came in today to do the final sign off. If this happened then the new birth certificate should be ready anytime in the next three weeks.

Hannah's Photography

No news with the adoption, but thought you all might like this picture Hannah took at the Balloon Festival this year. It is amazing what you can do with a digital camera. Even a 5 year old can take a great picture.

Still no hearing test!!

The hearing specialist refused to do the hearing test (again, I think) due to the fact that he has/had a cold. The agency talked to the foster mother and Dillon seems much better since last Friday, so they are going to try to schedule the test this week. After that is done we will get the medical report with pictures, I hope! The lawyers are working on finalizing everything so he can come home. I will keep you all posted.

Timeline

Here is our adoption timeline. This won't necessarily make a lot of sense to some, but others in the adoption process will understand.

4/25/06-signed with Adoptions from the Heart
5/2/06-I-600A filed
5/23/06-Federal Fingerprints
6/30/06-Homestudy hand delivered to Albany INS
7/12/06-I-171 issued
7/14/06-Dossier sent to Guat. Consulate NYC via courier
7/17/06-referral received
7/18/06-referral accepted after review by Dr. Aronson
7/19/06-dossier received back after authentication
7/28/06-POA signed and dossier hand delivered to lawyer
7/27-7/29/06-trip to sign POA in Guatemala
8/9/06-Hired Adoption Supervisors
8/?/06-attorney lost I 171-H
9/10/06-new I 171-H to attorney, delay in translation of documents
9/19/06-POA registered
9/27/06-Enter Family Court
10/10/06-Social Worker interview canceled, bio mom can't make it
11/7/06-Social Worker interview and DNA completed
11/13/06-DNA 99.9% match
11/19-25/06-1st visit trip
11/24/06-out of Family Court
12/8/06-Preapproval issued by US Embassy
1/9/07-Enter PGN
1/30/07-Assigned reviewer
2/1/07-6 previos (mistakes) so they claim, reviewer fired, bio mom needs to be re interviewed
3/20/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
3/28/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
4/20/07-bio mom interview-can't make it
5/7/07-bio mom interview completed
5/25/07-back to PGN (2nd time submitted)
6/6/07-kicked out of PGN
6/22/07-back to PGN (3rd time submitted)
7/6/07-kicked out of PGN
7/18-24/07-second visit trip
7/24?/07-lawyers have had enough of PGN, enter Judicial Review
9/7/07-Judge reinterviews bio mom
9/19?/07-Judge rules in our favor, PGN has 3 days to appeal
9/19/07-Informed we are now going to the appeals court
10/9/07-Informed PGN missed the 3 day appeal opportunity, adoption is completed!
10/25?/07-Birth mom gives final signature
10/26/07-Documents to civil registry
11/19/07-Guatemala City birth certificate issued
11/22/07-Passport issued
11/26/07-Translation of documents completed
11/2?/07-DNA authorization
11/2?/07-DNA sample taken
12/?/07-DNA results
12/?/07-DNA results at the US embassy in Guatemala
12/??/07-Embassy appointment
12/??/07-Pick up Visa
12/??/07-HOME
for the final steps to be completed-second DNA, embassy appointment, then HOME.

Adoption Supervisors confirmed it

Just a quick note to let you all know the Adoption Supervisors have checked with our lawyers and we are indeed "done". The adoption has been approved. They are confident that Dillon will be home for Christmas. I emailed them Tuesday and didn't hear back which is very unusual for them. So today I emailed them again and they were certainly surprised. They never got the first email. Like us they thought we were in the court of appeals. What a nice surprise to everyone.

Funny little "sign"

Hi Everyone. As you know Dillon is coming home around Christmas or early January (if all goes as planned). We are really hoping he is home by Christmas and asked the agency what they thought and we were told to pray really hard. Well yesterday Hannah (our 5 year old) came home from school with a book called "I'll be Home For Christmas". We had not been talking about Christmas or Dillon being here for Christmas she just randomly picked this book. I'm not a believer of "signs" but we'll have see about this one!
Dillon's medical report can't be released until the hearing specialist sends his report, so we are waiting for that. As soon as I get it, I will post it.

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!

I just found out that our case DID NOT go into the court of appeals. PGN didn't respond in time to appeal it (or that is how I understand it). The lawyers picked up the final decree of approval and now have paper work to do to finalize the adoption, including a new birth certificate saying Darr and I are his parents. Dillon should be home by Christmas!!!! (If everything goes right for once).

No News

Hi everyone. Still no news on the court of appeals or Dillon's medical report. I have requested that Septembers report be sent, even without the specialists report. Hopefully we will get that. We are hoping to be done with the court of appeals by the end of October, but who really knows. I will continue to keep you updated.

Dillon has a cold

I found out today that the hearing specialist didn't do the hearing test last week due to Dillon having a cold. He is going back to the specialist this week so they can hopefully complete the test. The doctor said his eardrum was "blocked" due to the cold. No new information about the court of appeals, other than it takes time.

The verdict is.....

Yesterday I found out we were put into the court of appeals. That meant either the judge ruled against us and our lawyers were appealing the decision or the judge ruled in our favor and PGN is appealing. Today we were notified that the judge ruled in our favor. IF PGN had kept "out" of it, Dillon would be home in 8 weeks, but NO PGN is appealing all cases approved by a judge. We are not the only ones in this situation. I have no idea how long an appeal takes but as I have been told, nothing moves quick in Guatemala.
Yesterday I also found out why we hadn't gotten Dillon's medical report. His doctor felt he was more "quiet" then normal and is concerned about his speech. So today Dillon is off to a hearing specialist and I will get the report after his pediatrician sees it and can explain the results to us. He wanted to rule out any hearing problems. I am pleased with the route the doctor is taking with this as I have done this with our girls. Chloe had (still has) articulation problems and Hannah was speech delayed. Both have had hearing tests, hear fine and their speech is fine. Hopefully Dillon will be the same. I will post any new information I get.

No news is good news?

As of today, September 18, no news. Our Adoption Supervisors have checked with our lawyers and they have nothing. I am not sure where the medical report is either. So as usual we will wait.

Good news with some questions

We found out yesterday (Tuesday, Sept. 11) that the birth mother was actually interviewed the end of last week, that being the good news. From what we understand, everything went well. Now we just got another email regarding PGN. The plan will be if the judge has not ruled on our case, we will have to go back to PGN. However if the judge has ruled it will continue through the judicial process. We honestly don't know if the judge has ruled,but the way our luck has been going, I bet he hasn't. It is still taking about 9 weeks to get through PGN (with no previos-mistakes) and then about 6-8 weeks to "finalize" the adoption. We are trying to find out if the judge has ruled, but it is tough for the agency and the adoption supervisors to get any info. We know that they are all doing their best to get this info, but we will have to wait. We still haven't gotten the medical report, but that should be soon. We will keep you all updated.

Possibly bad news

I just received an email from the adoption agency stating that the interview with the bio mom didn't happen. From what I can tell it had nothing to do with her. Basically PGN wants all cases to go through them and not have judges rule on them. We may possibly be heading back to PGN. Maybe we should plan on him being home by the time kindergarten rolls around.

To all of those who thought I would be going to school with Hannah

Today Hannah went off to kindergarten as happy as could be. How happy she will be when she returns is yet to be determined, but I don't forsee any major problems. I want to say to all the moms out there, your "gut" feeling on how to handle a situation is so much more accurate than what someone else has to say. For those who don't know, my mother or I stayed the whole year at preschool with Hannah. It is an excellent preschool, those who have sent their children to Becky's know exactly what I'm talking about. However I just knew that she wasn't ready/able to be "on her own" yet. Part of what tipped me off to this was the begging to "not leave me" and "you're staying right?" I had alot of people say "why don't you just leave her?" or my favorite "leave when she's not looking". Now there's a way to gain your childs trust. Anyway, I knew Hannah would be just fine, and she is.

Chloe of course went off as happy. She misses school, is sick of Hannah and is completely bored so needless to say she was ready.

As for poor Dillon, he is facing a hurricane right now. I checked with the Adoption Supervisors, who are in Guatemala, and they are not worried and said all they are expecting in the city is rain. I trust them and expect all will be fine. As far as the adoption goes nobody has any info. So we will continue to wait.

Darr too went off to school today. He has gone back to college to become an RN.

As for me I guess I will clean the house. They will all be back soon!!!

My bottle and blanket and I'm happy!!!

Today we received an email letting us know that the bio mom is scheduled to go see the judge sometime this week. Hopefully this happens the first time. The agency is very optimistic because our lawyers feel the bio mom seems more "reliable". Adoptions in Guatemala right now are very shaky. There are so many "officials" that are making it so difficult. We can't wait to have Dillon home with us and have this whole adoption behind us. We would never say that an adoption is not a good idea, but anyone interested in Guatemala get ready for a very rough ride. We are very grateful for Guatemala for our soon to be son, but they certainly have made it hard. We will post any new info as soon as we get it!! Everyone keep your fingers crossed.

Still waiting...

We found out today that the bio mother needs to be seen by the judge. He feels that her signatures are different and wants to interview her. We are assuming this will clear up any doubts or issues with her signature. How long this will take is unknown. The judge will set up a time and hopefully she will be there. As this is so disappointing it could have been worse, the judge could have ruled against the adoption. Our adoption supervisors mentioned the judge may want to do this and they agree that it is a good solution.

Here is another picture from our visit trip. Dillon is so good about sleeping anywhere. He is going to see Dr. Montiel in early September so if we get pictures, we will post them.

No news is good news????

We have had a few updates in the last couple of weeks, but they just say that their is no new news. An online friend who is in judicial review has been in for five weeks and has heard nothing. She also has the same lawyer as us. We have been in for two weeks this past Monday-I think. I don't have an exact date.

Here is another picture from our visit trip. Dillon after his bath with his hair slicked backed. I will continue to keep the blog up to date, hopefully with more info soon!

July 31-medical and legal updates

I received a medical update on Dillon today. I don't think it came from Dr. Montiel (his regular doctor) however it shows him weighing 19 pounds 8 ounces. Height and all other "info" was the same. I would guess in a couple of weeks he will see Dr. Montiel. The pictures weren't the best but better than none! We also received an email from our Adoption Supervisors, saying we have been submitted to the courts. If I understand correctly, our attorneys asked a well known adoption attorney to handle this. The Adoption Supervisors thought this was a good move. Hopefully we get good news soon. I think we are now at a point where we "sit and wait". Like we haven't done that enough. I will post any new info.

We're home,without Dillon of course- July 25, 2007

Here is another picture of Dillon. One of probably 100! As we mentioned our case has been kicked out of PGN yet again. This (PGN) has been going on since January 9. Our lawyers (in Guatemala) have finally had it, with good reason. So now they are taking a different approach called Judicial Review. We know very little about this process because we don't think it is done often, but we could be wrong. With Judicial Review, a judge decides on our case and we never deal with PGN again. Sounds easy however if the judge decides against the adoption, it is over. Dillon does not come home-ever. So it is risky, however our lawyers and our Adoption Supervisors feel we have a good case. The lawyers are still waiting on a final payment so we don't think they would risk it if they didn't think it was going to go through. We have been told that there is nothing wrong with any paper work and it seems that PGN is just stalling our case for whatever reason. We are sure we are not the only ones. We have not been submitted to the judge yet, we guess soon. This process can be over in as little as 4 weeks, then 4 weeks for the embassy appointment or it can take longer. With our luck, I bet longer. Now we all need to keep our fingers crossed and hope that the judge approves our case.

last day with Dillon for a while

Dillon is tired of waiting and tried to see if he could fit in the suitcase to make the trip home !

After our last breakfast together, for a while, we had a picture taken of the three of us.

growling July 21, 2007

splashing in Marriott pool - July 20, 2007

Dillon had a great time splashing in the pool today. He was a little hesitant of the water at first, but quickly came to enjoy it ! He really likes to splash with his hands.

Visit trip July 20, 2007

Things are going well. Dillon is very easy going, and happy. Last night he woke up once but went back to sleep after a bottle. He only takes one nap a day and yesterday he only slept for a half hour (normally 2 hours at his home) and was still happy. Sleeping in a strange crib will get easier for him. No food poisoning yet!

Visit trip July 19,2007

Chloe and Hannah at swimming lessons

I have no new news about the adoption however the girls are doing great at Hebron Camp. They go there for swimming lessons Monday thru Friday for three weeks. Hannah wasn't going to take lessons this year but changed her mind the first day after watching Chloe. This is Chloe's third year.

Bad news-July 6

We were just informed that we got another previo (kicked out of PGN). Apparently our reviewer, who was supposedly a great reviewer isn't. She now feels that the bio moms signatures don't match and they must be redone. Getting the bio mom to the appointments is like pulling teeth. Last time she had to redo the interview it took 3 months. Now that this has happened we have no idea when Dillon will be home. The bio mom is so unreliable. Our adoption supervisors say they believe that all these previos are due to anti adoption feelings in Guatemala. Call me wrong but aren't the adoptions putting food on alot of people's tables?

July 5- 12 months

Here is an update on Dillon. He is walking hanging on to things, eating well and has a very good pincher grasp. His measurements are 18 pounds 10 ounces and 27- 3/4 inches. Not much weight gain but he is probably moving around more.

PGN

Our update this week was the same as last week-no new news. Right now our file is in PGN (this stands for something in spanish, but is basically the attorney generals office). While in PGN the file is reviewed by two reviewers and Mr. Barrios-not sure of his official title. If any mistakes are found your file is "kicked out" and the mistakes must be corrected. Then you are resubmitted to your reviewer and the process starts all over. Right now we are with the first reviewer who kicked us out June 6 and we were resubmitted June 22. She said we needed a certain certificate and once that was obtained she would sign off on our case and send us to the next reviewer. So we are waiting for her to sign off on our case. She is known as a very good reviewer, so hopefully the next reviewer won't find anything wrong. After the second reviewer our file will go to Mr. Barrios desk where he too will review it and give it the final signature. Our adoption supervisors (private attorneys in Guatemala we hired to work for us-not the agency or the attorneys handling the adoption) thought she would get to it very soon, maybe next week. However we have heard this before.

Dillon is due to go to the doctor, so when I get his report I will post it. Here is another picture from his one year appointment. I'm not sure if he is hitting at someone or waving. He does look like he has had it with that appointment!

Big sisters Chloe and Hannah

I knew I couldn't forget the big sisters. Chloe (with glasses) is with her best friend Charity during field days at school. Chloe in a potatoe sack race. Hannah at her 5th birthday party at Meme and Papa Jacksons house. She couldn't wait to get baby alive from Gramie and Grampie Hanks. Hannah with her "big" catch from Todd and Stacy's pond.

June 28-12 months old

Dillon went for his one year check up, not with Dr. Montiel though. He will see Dr. Montiel July 5-or so I was told. They used the same measurements as Dr. Montiel did on June 5. This is what the report told us: he has 4 teeth, still on formula, drinks 6-7 7ounce bottles per day, eats beans, bread, fruit,vegetables,chicken and soup (is not a picky eater and will eat anything), sleeps from 10 pm until 7 am and takes a 2 hour nap. He is a very hyperactive child and likes to explore and touch everything. He crawls very well and pulls himself up holding onto furniture. He likes to watch tv and loves the Disney channel. He is very close to his foster mother but he is not shy at all and loves to socialze with other people. He is also up to date on his shots.

June 5-11 months old

Dillon is almost one year old. It never should have taken this long, but at least the adoption is moving along. This months measurements are 18 pounds 5 ounces and 27.5 inches long.

April 26-10 months old

Dillon is very active and eating "real" food. He can crawl and pull himself up on furniture. His measurements are 17 pounds and 26 inches.

March 27-9 months old

We received these pictures, not sure why but we'll take them! Dillon is with his foster mom, Manuela.

March 22-9 months old

Dillon's measurements are 16 pounds 9 ounces and 25.8 inches long.

February 7-7 months old

Dillon continues to do well. Measurements are 15 pounds 9 ounces and 25 inches long.

Christmas 2006-6 months old

What a nice Christmas present. Dillon being here would be better though!