Another Step Completed!

It's a Match!

We just got notice that McCaule's DNA was a match at 99.95%. That was so fast. They just got the specimens yesterday. The lab said they would be mailing the results to Guatemala on January 2nd since the embassy is closed until then and there is no one to take the package. Needless to say, we are thrilled. Now the countdown to USCIS pre-approval for visa.

We additionally found out that both girls finished family court and entered PGN today! What a banner day we had. Now, we know that we will get a kick out because we do not have the pre-approval for McCaule, but the case is officially registered with the PGN before December 31 and we should definitely be grandfathered under the old system. What a blessing and we are thankful to all those who have worked so diligently on our case and others. It's neat to see how the Lord works and the means He uses.

Today's news

We received an email today verifying that McCaule's DNA arrived at Labcorp! They indicated it would be 7-10 days before the results would be verified. So we wait...

The next news is whether the family court reports have been written and submitted to the Family Court judge for approval. Once approved, then the file is made ready for submission in PGN. We will most likely not have U.S. Visa pre-approval for McCaule's portion of the case, but it is good we are only waiting on hers and not both girls. McKelle's pre-approval came last September 28th.

No additional news on the Guatemalan law front. We will probably not hear anything this week, but have been reading that the gov't is working to appoint representatives to the Central Authority who will review cases. The grandfathering issue has not been specified with details as of yet either.

Our Current Status -Where we are...

This is an updated Flow chart of how our case is progressing through the adoption. Click on the image to see it enlarged for easier reading.

Case Update

We learned today that McCaule's birth mother was not able to travel last Friday to do the DNA, but that she will have it done tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday the 19th). We are so ready for this activity to take place. On a sober note, I am sure that it will be difficult for the birth mom to see her little baby again, 5 months later. My prayers are not only for her physical suffering but also for her spiritually. May she come to know Christ through this.

Additional Info Today (Wednesday 19th): Received a copy of the approval for DNA and note from the facilitator that it was indeed taking place today (possibly this a.m. instead of p.m.) and wanted to make sure our Lab corp fee had been paid. We have verification that it was paid last July 13th! This is good, so that the info will go directly to the embassy and pre-approval process begun upon receipt of the DNA results.

Please Pray...

We would appreciate prayers for all those who are currently going through this uncertain process of adoption from Guatemala. At present, the adoption law has passed but amendments still need to be made and the term "in-process" given a definition. It is a difficult time for all who are waiting. Pray for patience and contentment during this time. Let us take this time to think on the giver of all things and not the things given to us. We do not deserve anything we have and He blesses any way.

We are thrilled for all who have recently learned they are out of PGN (the last of the Guatemalan steps) and finishing up their adoptions for the U.S. side of things!

Psalm 78: 4-7: Prayer of my Heart

4 We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

This Psalm has become one that I might be faithful in applying in the lives of the children the Lord has placed in my home. We do not choose the children the Lord gives us, but are to be good stewards with the "gifts" he bestows upon us. We see our this adoption process as the same. We had no idea which children the Lord would place before us, but even now, try to be faithful in prayer for them during this journey of bringing them into our home permanently, if the Lord wills.

Update: Family Court and PGN Holiday Schedule

For the upcoming holidays the PGN offices will be closed on December 24, 25, 31 of 2007and January 1 of 2008.

Family Courts number 2, 4 and 6 have been closed and are going to start working again on December 10.

Family courts number 1, 3, 5 and 7 will be from December 14 To January 15 of 2007.


This information was provided by ADA. Looks like our case will be with Family Court 2, 4 or 6 since our interview and DNA are to be done on the 14th.

Cute picture of the girls together!

Here are the girls on our visit trip. You see how McCaule is reaching for McKelle? She was always trying to pull on her clothes when they were side by side. McKelle would just ignore her most of the time. The times when she would pay attention to her, she was trying to poke her in the face. Needless to say, some tears began to flow.

Additional Information

Case Update: We heard from our Guatemalan coordinator today and she said that McCaule's DNA will be done next week and the social work report will begin officially on December 14th for both girls.

Family Court Social Workers take turns being off for the holidays. The first half are off from Thanksgiving until December 14. The second half are off from the 14th until January 1st. They were trying to time it so that whoever got the report would be there and so, no down time would occur and the report just sitting on someone's desk for two weeks before being submitted to the Family Court Judge for approval.

Our U.S facilitator wrote concerning the coordinator, " She was very very impressed with your lovely family……..and is working hard for you to bring these little ladies home…."

What an encouraging note. We are praying for contentment during this time and focusing on submitting to the authorities that the Lord has placed over us at this time. 1 Peter 2:13 came to mind yesterday and a friend who is also adopting from Guatemala had referenced it in a correspondence we had. It reads, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority". Also Romans 13:1 states, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." As we wait, I will continue to remind myself that God is the one who holds the future and the governments He places into position. May He be glorified in all we think and do!

Grandfather clause as it reads Today

Case Update: Both girls POA are already registered, we are moving fine... this according to an email from our Guatemalan coordinator, Cindy Flores.

News Update: The Adoption law with amendments will be voted on in December. The law and amendments have been published on Guatemala's Congressional website http://www.congreso.gob.gt/ . Bloggers over at Guatadopt have been translating and discussing it. This is what Kevin of Guatadopt had to say:

The provision to be in process reads to me as being very liberal. Registering looks to be little more than filling out a form or providing some other legal document to show that the case has been started. There is nothing attaching it to being at the current PGN phase. If anything, it seems to me to a safeguard for those not yet in PGN. It sounds to me just that the Central Authority, Bienestar, wants documentation so that they can have a database of who is grandfathered. The 30 day thing is fair to me otherwise it could lead to abuse of the effective date.

Should the law pass as it is written, it would take effect December 31 per the current version. That deadline date could change with the final reading and vote by Congress. As it stands now, those already in process will proceed under the current system and need only to register so that Guatemala authorities can keep track of those grand fathered cases. We wait with anticipation for the final draft and what the Lord has planned for adoptions in Guatemala.

Current News from Guatemala

Guatemala's congress has added a special December session to vote on the Ortega law amendments. Also a separate bill related to adoptions , containing proposals offered by JCICS, was read. It is uncertain whether the second bill will be voted on in Dec. or not. Hopefully the effective date for new legislation will not go into effect Dec. 31st.

It has been a secret as to what the amendments entail, but it is hopeful that the Congress will place the needs of the children being adopted currently and those in the future above political pressure and financial gain.

We are resting in the fact that the Lord controls the hearts of kings and whatever the result of the vote is sovereignly within His plan and not a mistake. All for His glory and our good! May our prayers be aligned with God's will.

New Pictures From Our Visit Trip

Here's a couple of pictures of the little girls lying on the personalized lovey blankets I made for them. We were able to borrow a boucy chair for them which proved to be a great resource.

McKelle is holding the baby we got her. McCaule has an identical one, but with a purple dress. Both girls loved to hold them and look at them. We weighed them on our visit, McKelle weighs 13lbs and McCaule comes in at a hefty 11 lbs. We wished we had taken a tape measure to see how long they were.

Family photo update

Here's a picture of the four of us at La Casa Grande on Monday. Behind us is the dining area where we had breakfast each morning. Our room was just behind this area. The only down side was when more guests arrived, the gathering place for them was here and so the noise level went up quite a bit.

We Made It Back

We got up this morning at 5 a.m. and ate breakfast at 6:30 so that the taxi could take us to the airport. We were through security and at our gate by 7:30. Our flight left on time and actually arrived 20 minutes early into DFW. A good friend from church picked us up at the airport and we were back in our home by 1:30.
Our flight was uneventful. There was a baby being brought home to Chicago from Guatemala on our flight. She really looked Asian and about 6 months old. We had a good time talking about the visit and what we would do the same and different on our pick up trip.

Our Last Day

Today was our last day with the girls. We began with a late breakfast around 9 a.m. We did not know when the girls were going to be picked up but thought it would be later in the day. They came at 7 p.m tonight. We ordered Chinese from a place called Lai Lai. It was very tasty. One of the families had a birthday party for their little boy who turned one. Everyone was invited.

McKelle did better with the new formula and we began the medicine. She'd had three doses before she left today but was still have very loose stools. Her mood was much improved today.

McCaule really warmed up today and was very animated. She is quite the wiggler.

Both girls slept quite a bit today. We put the outfits on them that we purchased for them to travel home in. We place all the gifts for them and the foster mothers in separate ziplock bags to be delivered to them. Hopefully they will make it.

We've already gotten things packed and plan to leave for the airport at 7 a.m. in the morning.
Our flight leaves at 9:30. We're ready to get home and see you kids.

It was very hard to give the girls back tonight and we miss them greatly, but we know some day, hopefully before long, we will make this trip one final time to pick them up and bring them home to Southlake. I'd do it again even though it has been one of the most difficult experiences I've had. They are precious and will fit perfectly into the Milton household.

Day 3

We had a much better day today with the girls and even went next door to the San Carlos for dinner tonight. McKelle held down her food, but still has bowel problems. Cindy, the Guatemalan Coordinator, has a prescription delivered for her to help and they changed her formula to a non lactose type. She has slept a lot, but has been a joy.

McCaule has been a very happy camper today. She loves the pacifier and is eating well. I think she's getting used to us. She likes both Rod and I where McKelle has preferred me today when she is unhappy.

We had a good visit with Cindy. She discussed the details of our case with us and the route she believes it will take. Not really any new news except she reassured us that our case would not be hindered now that our Power of Attorney for both girls is registered. She has been doing this kind of work for 8 years. We gave her the gift of candy in a Southlake coffee mug today and she was touched by it.

We met the pastor from Iowa today and had a lovely visit. We also were able to meet their little boy. He's a cutie. They will return home on Thursday. The gave us some extra receiving blankets they had for the girls to use and diapers for spit rags. We've needed extra with all the extra fluids flowing the last couple of day.

Yesterday I gave McCaule a bath in the sink. She was so cute. I plan to give McKelle one tomorrow, but was waiting until she felt a bit better. We found out a little about the foster moms who are caring for the girls. One is a young mother and has children of her own. The other is a grandmother who has a large extended family and whose daughters also foster children.

It was a lot noisier around here last night and today as many more families arrived to either visit or pick up their children. We were spoiled by the quietness over the weekend.

Day 2

Saturday night was rough as McCaule was up all night. Not really hungery just congested and has a wicked cough. McKelle slept all night and I could hear her kicking her legs off an on during the night. Needless to say, I was very tired to start the day. This definitely a working trip. McKelle threw up her bottle 3 times yesterday, so we phoned our facilitator and she suggested decreasing the ratio of powder to liquid and giving her some pedialyte. We did so and she did sleep, but is still a little grumpy this morning (Monday). She is most likely coming down with something as her nose began to run yesterday. No fever, but a little crankier and sleeping quite a bit.

We lost blackberry connection yesterday, but it seems to be up and working today. For that we are thankful. Last night we ordered in Italian. It was tasty, but a little rich for me. We watched American Football at three...Dallas Cowboys. That was weird. We did find one TV preacher who wasn't too off in his theology last night to watch. They have millions of channels, but only about 3 worth the time of watching.

We took a walk around the place yesterday and have met many other families. It's kind of like being on a college campus with everyone having a primary thing in common.

McCaule has very big cheeks. We keep telling her that she will be the object of being mummed when she comes home. We've told her to watch out for Cameron! HeHe! She slept much better last night as I gave her a binky and she loves it.

McKelle has a smile on her face most of the time. She has a sweet personality, but when she is sad you definitely know it.

Kay(the facilitator) called us the first night with the girls to check on us. It helps to make you feel like you're not totally out here alone. She has been very helpful. We are still hoping to meet with Cindy(Guatemalan coordinator) soon. I have many questions for her and she has some paperwork for us as well. She is an attorney, her father is an accountant and she has a sibling who is a doctor here.

Rod had to exchange some money yesterday for our food last night. It's alot like Honduran money. There is a lady here who has been fostering her own little boy for 5 months. I'm not sure I could be in a hotel for that long. She has been a wonderful source of information, she even gave us some batteries for our camera.

First full day in Guatemala

We slept in today...8:30. Had a lovely breakfast and then waited until we got the phone call that the girls were here. The coordinator phoned around 10 a.m. to tell us that McCaule had the chicken pox. I inquired when she had broken out and it was over a week ago and she already scabbed over. We got the girls around 2:30 p.m. and they took to us right away. The younger one was hungry, so we made her a bottle right away...something I've only done at church for other people's children. She took it and went right to sleep. Her pox are mainly on her torso with just one on her hand and one on her thigh; none on her face. The oldest baby fell asleep on Rod. She has a very alert and happy disposition. Easy to take care of. The younger one is a little fussy, but is warming up and smiling for us more and more. They take their bottles very easy and have each taken two naps today already since we've had them. The older one is holding her head up at a 90 degree angle, but not sitting alone yet. The younger one can hold hers up but only 45 degrees. She is all head and torso with short arms and legs. The older one is long and lanky but dense when you pick her up. She reminds me of McKayln in the way she looks. We have a bed for them to share, but we'll see how it goes tonight.

Guatemala City was setting off fireworks tonight getting ready for the Christmas Holiday season. It was quite loud. Rod is with the girls so I'm going to go rescue him. More tomorrow.

We made it!

Our flight arrived on time. We sat next to a 17 year old girl who is native to Guatemala. Her dad is vendor for John Deere Tractors here. She goes to a boarding school in Connecticut. We had a lovely conversation. Her mom teaches English as a second language and is Dutch. One of the passengers in front of us was reading the Spanish version of John MacArthur's "Twleve Ordinary Men". He told us that he taught Sunday School at his church. God's word is reaching these people.
Customs was no big deal and our driver was waiting for us with a big sign with our names on it. He chattered the whole time and was quite jovial. The hotel looks just like the pictures. Our room is about the size of McKenna's room and has two double beds, a very large closet and nice size bathroom. The staff all speak very good English. Our room number is 6 on this trip. The hotel is quiet tonight, but we understand that it is completely booked. We'll probably catch a small bite to eat.