Total emotional 180

The past few weeks I have been down and depressed about our adoptions. Who wouldn't have been after this long and no child home yet? Then late last week I found out that they have the first DNA test scheduled on Ahren for this week. That is the first real step in the adoption process. They test the mother and the child, as required by US law, to ensure that the woman relinquishing the child has the right to do so. It's sad that this is necessary, but in the past there were children stolen and sold for adoptions. Some say that still happens, but the US government has instituted this step to stop it. Once the results are back (and they match) then the US Embassy in Guatemala reviews the information and issues Pre-Approval (PA). This is a very important step in the process. At the same time the embassy is doing their review, a family court (FC) in Guatemala will be doing the same thing. They also interview the birth mom to insure that she understands her rights and is willingly relinquishing the child. Both PA and FC are necessary before the case can go to the final authority, PGN, for approval. In PBJ's case, it took 2 months total for both PA and FC to be completed and the file submitted to PGN. The timeline for Ahren's will be longer because the US Embassy is now taking quite a bit longer to issue PA.

And then, as if that wasn't exciting enough, I found out this morning that PBJ's file is on the Director of PGN's desk, waiting on his signature. Once he signs, she will be legally our daughter! We would travel to bring her home about 6 weeks after that point. In that 6 weeks they obtain a new birth certificate for her with us as her parents and with our last name for her. They schedule a second DNA test on her to insure she is the same baby we started out with (a new rule instated because there wereme babies mixed up recently and the wrong ones sent home with families) They issue a passport and other legal docs for her, then I will fly down there, attend her final Visa appointment at the embassy and fly home with her. FLY HOME WITH HER! Seriously, can that be real? She might be home close to her first birthday. Come on Sr. Barrios, get out your pen and sign our file!!!!!!