September 28 & 29, 2011

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. Jack is not what we'd call a good sleeper yet. Ayudame told us he slept from 10:00 until 5:00. They just forgot to mention that he wakes up about seven times between there. He has reflux and a cold so I'm sure neither of those are helping. His nose gets so stuffy he just can't breath. And then he is spitting up so much he gets hungry often then he spits up some more. For a person who needs a lot of sleep, I think I'm functioning fairly well. Poor Murph will whisper from her bed "Mom, can you get the baby?". She isn't getting much sleep either. Jack is up for the day around 6:00 so I take him downstairs and sit with a cup of tea (also my ritual with Murphy) while Rob stays in the room with Murphy. I feed him then around 7:30 he is ready for a nap (which has only been about 10 or 15 minutes...I don't know how this child isn't tired!) so we go back upstairs and get the car seat. Murphy is usually awake by then so we all go downstairs and eat breakfast. Hotel Paris has a full time cook, Juanita, and one of the maids, Sandra helps out as well. We have gotten into a routine of eggs and ham for Rob, french toast for me, and we bought Murphy some Lucky Charms so she has been eating those. We have freshly squeezed juice every day. Usually strawberry but we've also had pineapple and passion fruit. I've gotten so full from the french toast (they really aren't very big pieces!) but I think it's because I have plenty of tea and juice to go with it. On Wednesday's they serve a breakfast sandwich (like a grilled ham and cheese sandwich) and on Sundays they serve pancakes. Sandra also knows that Rob wants coffee and cold water, Murphy just wants juice, and I want tea and mineral water (the bubbly stuff). We are very well taken care of here! So by the time we eat and visit with Dale, Diane, Luis, and Sandra, it's usually close to 8:30 or 9:00. Then we go back to the room and get ready. Jack eats again and takes a catnap. So by the time we are actually ready to go do something, it's time for dinner. I had explained to them on the first day that I am a vegetarian and they have really had good food for me. Rob said the chicken they had one night was the best he's ever had. (Did I say that already?) We brought Ramen noodles and some Easy Mac for Murphy just in case she got a little homesick for her favorite foods and she hasn't even mentioned them. Juanita makes her way through the dining room (which doesn't take long since there are only two families here) to see if we are eating. So after we eat, Jack is ready to eat again and then we head out. Yesterday we went to Maku which is a souvenir shop. There are three levels and so much to look at! And so much to break! And Murphy was starting to wear down from a couple of days of travel, excitement, and no naps. So we basically made it in the door, to the back of the store, and turned around and came home. We walked by Zuetana, which is where we stayed in 2007, but didn't ring the doorbell or anything. We aren't sure if they'd even let us in. It was interesting walking our old route. The Tex-Mex place that we ate at the end of the street is now a furniture store. We stopped at Jacques and I tried to get a warm eclair and they wouldn't warm it up for me! They kept saying it would ruin it and I said I've had it like that before but they still wouldn't do it. So I had a cold one and it was still pretty good. We just came home then so Murphy could nap. Rob sort of enjoys those naps, too. Jack is on such a crazy schedule that I have been hanging out with him during nap time. He is so happy! Have I said that before? :) He really is. Even with a cold and spitting up all the time, he just smiles and smiles. He is also practicing scooting to the edge of the mat because he wiggle and wiggles. His hips never stay still. So hopefully that's a good sign and he isn't going to be pinned often! :) He literally can swing his hips from side to side like the bottom of a clock. And of course he would prefer to be naked. It's a little chilly here. Chillier than last time, at least at night, so I've been dressing him pretty warm. Which is a good thing because I don't want anyone coming up to me and telling me he isn't dressed warm enough! So after Murphy's nap yesterday, we just hung out here and let her play and let us all get more acquainted with Jack. It's odd that it seems he's always been a part of our family. We felt the same way with Murphy, too. It's like we were a part of the first four months of their lives. Which I guess we were since we prayed for them and loved them even before we knew them. We gave Jack a bath last night and the tub is a little small for him to lay down in, but not quite small enough for him to sit up in. The one we had for Murphy was a handy little thing that she put her legs over this little hump about 2/3 of the way down. So she kind of sat in it. He really wasn't thrilled with it but Murphy got in the shower with him and she can really make him laugh so it wasn't so bad after that. 

Today after our morning routine, Murphy and I went with Diane and Sandra to a little salon next to Carulla for  manicures and pedicures. Somehow in the translation, I didn't get one, which was fine. Murphy had both done while Diane and Sandra only had their fingernails. It cost me a whole whopping $13 for both. So that might be something we do when she gets antsy. We were going to go to the bank at Carulla (the grocery store) to get some money and Rob and Jack were just coming out of Carulla with the money! So we just walked back to the motel and hung out here. Another pretty lazy day. Jack slept little during the night again and then during his naps so we are all dragging. Except him I guess. The only time he gets cranky is when you don't fix his bottle fast enough. And then he will let you know he is not happy.   

Murphy's favorite thing to do is to play in the backyard. It's a small yard, but it has a swingset and she would swing and swing if we'd let her. There is a little play room on the other side of the back yard and she's been in there a few times, but she'd just rather stick to the swingset. She swings while we're waiting for our food then as soon as we are done eating. Fortunately it's nice enough during the day that she can be out there in either her pajamas or shorts and a t-shirt. It's dark by 6:00 so she can't go out then, much to her irritation. 

Sandra and Luis, the other two kids here, are 12 and 13 and they love Jack. They have been around younger kids their whole lives and are very good with them. Murphy has been around so many kids that age that she just is drawn to them, too. One of the women who works here has a daughter named Camilla and she spends time with Sandra and Luis once her homework is done. There is also a girl from Spain named Manuela that has been here on and off since we arrived. She is really good with Murphy, too. Her new brother is three and I'm guessing she has been waiting for a little brother or sister for a while. We have to keep telling Sandra and Luis that Jack throws up but it doesn't seem to matter. Maybe it will when they get thrown up on! 

Well, that's our pretty boring two days. Boring, but we are loving every minute of them. Even the sleepless part! :) 

How many Lewis' does it take to feed one baby? 

Deb, I see Marco in this picture! 

Binoculars! Her new favorite thing. 

Not sure about this bath. 

Maybe it's not so bad if Murphy makes me laugh! 

Just can't keep her hands off of him! 

Good morning everyone! 

Happy kids in the morning! 

She would feed him every time if we'd let her. 

Again with the "how many does it take" question. 

Always drooling. 

Finally found his hat! 

The lesser of two evils. (The pacifier, not the child.)

Part of the $13 manicure and pedicure. 

Sandra getting her nails done. She will be going home to Wisconsin! 

Sandra and Luis love, love, love the baby! 

Pictures

Look back through the last week's posts as I am backdating the pictures I add to the correct date. So far I've added the consulate visit and our travel day. Next is getting ready and meeting Jack!

Sorry for the delay!

This is going to be a short one.

I used to update my blog during Murphy's naps. I'm still waiting for Jack to nap. Or sleep at night longer than an hour and a half. He has a terrible, terrible cold and his nose is so stuffy he can't sleep! Which means none of us are sleeping. The doctor is going to come over today and look at him. We're also trying to get a humidifier. It's pretty dry, which isn't helping. Rob is even getting bloody noses.

We love being at Hotel Paris. They staff is so very nice. I thought maybe I'd lose a little weight down here with all of the walking we do, but Juanita is doing her best to make sure that doesn't happen. The food has been fantastic. Rob said the chicken they had the other night was the best he'd ever eaten. They are catering to this vegetarian very well, too. I'm not very good with leaving food on my plate so I leave the table having eaten way too much.

He is a very, very happy baby. Even though he feels terrible. He smiles easily and laughs at all of us. I think once we get through this cold, he will be a very good sleeper. He is a thumb sucker and a spitter upper. So as much as it pains me, I'm encouraging a pacifier because I can take that away eventually. We are also trying to adjust his formula and switched to a slower flow nipple. It took him an hour to eat last night but he didn't spit up. Megan and Juel, it's Murphy revisited.

Murphy is a very good big sister. Overly helpful at times but we know it's because she is just so excited. She has calmed down since Tuesday and is settling into things well.

We are much busier than last time, obviously. We knew we would be, but we also thought we'd have afternoon naps to catch up everything else. Maybe next week! So be patient with me! I'll catch up! Next post will be pictures!

Oh, we meet with the Defendor of Minors on Tuesday. Much quicker than last time. We'll see how the process goes after that, but no matter the length of time we are here, we are going to enjoy every last minute. We'll be home eventually! :)

Getting to know each other - September 27, 2011

Still a little overwhelmed! 

Welcome, Jack! 

Time for jammies! Rob isn't so sure about the leg warmers! 

Loving his thumb!

The day we've been waiting for!

There are certain things I will never forget. Maybe when I can't remember anything at all, but until then, I will always remember October 23, 2007 at 10:37 a.m. and September 27, 2011 at 1:16 p.m. The days our children were lovingly placed in our arms. What a day this has been. I woke up and Rob was already awake. He said he'd been awake for about an hour. Not Murphy. She was out like a log. She was such a good traveler and really needed the sleep. I wasn't awake ten minutes and someone knocked on the door and said that we had a phone call. It was Cecilia, saying that she'd be there to get us at 10:45 but to be ready at 10:30 and that we'd be meeting Jack at 11:30.  We really wanted to get our stuff put away so we scrambled trying to eat breakfast, shower and get ready and put everything away. Fortunately, Cecilia called back and said that Maria Clemencia was going to be in a meeting and we wouldn't be meeting Jack until 12:30 so we had a little bit of time. At 11:30, Cecilia arrived at Hotel Paris and she said we had some time so we sat and chatted for a while. Mostly about Murphy but about her family, her time in New York... It was nice to catch up for a little before we left. When we got to Ayudame, we met Maria Clemencia right away and went to her office. She went over his referral with us, told us how much he weighed and how long he was, told us that he had jaundice at birth, which we knew, but said that the lights didn't help so he had to go to the hospital. While there, he got bronchitis and had to stay there for 12 days. We knew he'd been in the hospital for that long, but thought it seemed quite long, so now it makes sense. She told us which formula to use because he has reflux (and let me tell you...yes he does) and that he should sit in a carseat to sleep. And that he eats five times a day and sleeps from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. every night. Murphy went to play with the kids for a while because she couldn't sit still for that long. And then finally Maria Clemencia got up and told Murphy to come with her and someone else took us out to the couches to sit. It wasn't long before we could see Cecilia with our video camera and she was talking so we knew they were close. They came around the corner and we got up and she brought him to me and he gave me a great big smile! It brought so many tears to my eyes. He is a very happy baby and smiles all the time, but that smile was meant for his Mama. Murphy was all over him...she just couldn't get enough. She wanted to hold him and touch him and talk to him. Such a good big sister. She's waited for this for a really long time. Poor girl...we've been talking about this for as long as she can remember. So we had a lot of "Murphy not so close" and "Murphy get out of his face" and "Murphy stop trying to pick him up"... She really has been fine but it was a little overwhelming for her. She keeps asking us "Am I being a good big sister?" and we tell her she's being a great big sister! Before we knew it, Maria Clemencia was gone and Cecilia told us we could go. So we all piled in a little tiny taxi and came back to Hotel Paris. We needed formula so they called the drugstore and had some delivered. What a service that is, let me tell you! And we walked to Carulla for a few groceries. It was nice to get out for a little bit. We didn't sit and stare at him for hours like we did with Murphy. It just seemed normal to have two kids. We are enjoying everyone at Hotel Paris. There is only one other family here and they are from Wisconsin. So we all get ALL of the attention! :) Everyone loves Jack and thinks Murphy is just a doll. The weather has been beautiful. Nice and sunny...just the way I like it. Everything is going really well and we couldn't be happier. Stay tuned! 

Passing the time with her puzzles. 

Mama and Daddy impatiently waiting while Murphy got to meet Jack first! 

Her first look!

Leading Maria Clemencia downstairs! 

Greeting Cecilia! 

The first of many, many smiles! 

Family of four! 

Thanks Klebsch's for the adorable outfit! 

Murphy picked out a toy for him! 

Making sure he sees it. 

I didn't tell them to use the flash, so it's hard to see us with Maria Clemencia. 

With Cecilia! 

We think this was one of his nurses. Another woman came and took pictures of them together. 

Here he is!!

The Lewis'...finally together.

Notice the arm around him! 

Mama's turn! 

She has been waiting for this day since she got her first baby from Santa in 2008! 

Change of plans already!

12:30!!

Presentation Day!!

Crazy day yesterday! We woke up to a phone call from Cecilia that we will be meeting Jack at 11:30! They are going to be here between 10:30 and 10:45 so we quickly ate breakfast, got our Internet information, and are now going to get ready! Will post pictures as soon as I can!

On our way to Jack!

Who knew a four year old would wake up at 4:45 a.m. and not stop talking the entire day? I guess we should have! Rob and I got up at 3:45 and finished packing and after getting everything in the pickup, we woke up Murphy, who slept in her clothes, and were out the door. I don't know what she was dreaming about because she literally woke up talking and wide awake and just kept right on going. We got to Aberdeen around 5:35 a.m. and were reminded why we fly out of Watertown. There is a girl in her twenties that was snotty to everyone should could possibly find. We tried to check in via the little kiosk and Murphy was in an exit row seat and it said we had to see a customer service agent. So by the time we got to the front of the line, it was close to 6:00 and she ripped us apart for not having checked in earlier. She couldn't get Murphy's seat changed so she finally just sent us through security. And then told us that our bags were checked in late so they might not make it to Colombia. Then yelled at the lady behind us and said that if we hadn't been so late, she wouldn't have let her on the plane since she was so late. We had two bags that were over weight and the cost went up just a little in the last four years. It was $50 then but $90 now. Oh well. We finally made it on the plane and Murphy and I were way up front and Rob was way in the back. Fortunately the flight to Aberdeen went really well. I was afraid it would be bumpy and we would need to drag Murphy on the next two. That didn't happen until the third flight! We had a couple of hours in Minneapolis and she and Rob played with her babies. The next flight to Atlanta went pretty good, too. She got a little sick during both landings but never threw up. Just said she didn't feel good. Once we got to Atlanta, we each found something to eat and exchanged a little bit of money. And all of the sudden it was time to go! So we found our seats, the second row from the back, and settled in for a five hour flight. Luckily they had movies! And food! Murphy watched Rio and I watched Bridesmaids. I have to say, it didn't do a whole lot for me. Rob was the unlucky one of the group because the connection to his headphones didn't work and neither of us was giving up our spot. They served supper and we were getting close to Bogota when the captain said "flight attendants take your seats". I didn't think we were close enough to land and all of the sudden the whole plane dropped. The flight attendant behind us, who didn't have time to take his seat, fell in the aisle and things went flying. I tell you...I was scared to death. I've never been on a flight where that happened and I hope to never be on one again. The captain came back on and said "Folks, as you noticed we went through a little bit of turbulence!". Really? We got in at 8:44 p.m. so it was dark when we got here. We got off the plane a little ways away from the airport and then took a little bus to the airport. We made it through customs OK, but were a little freaked out when they asked to see Murphy's Colombian passport and then needed to go talk to a supervisor for quite a while. We were afraid he was going to take it! Luckily he brought it back and stamped it, not the American one, and we were on our way to get our bags...all six of them. Twelve if you count carry-on's and backpacks. After taking the little bus ride, we got into the airport at 9:10 and were out the door at 10:10 and there was a little sign right in front that said "Lewis family" so we pointed at him and he came around to meet us. His name was Viron (like Byron) and he was very nice. He had to go get the van and I think it was a ways away because it took him forever to come back. He studied at the British Colombian High School in Bogota so his English was very good. Murphy finally fell asleep in the van but it didn't take us too long to get to the motel. We were here around 10:45 and put a few things away before we are all going to bed. We are all exhausted! For all of us, but especially Murphy, the whole idea of "Jack" has been so surreal and now it is all becoming an actuality. I don't think Murphy actually understood anything of what was happening before we left. She is such a pretender that I think she thought it was just another story she played with her babies. So we still don't know when we are meeting Jack...it might be tomorrow and it might be Wednesday. We'll find out tomorrow! 

Leaving the grumpy airport lady behind in Aberdeen! 

No grumpiness here! 

One of the few quiet moments on the trip. 

Taking care of her babies in the Minneapolis airport. 

It gave me butterflies! 

She watched Rio on the plane. 

On the bus that takes you from the airplane to the airport. Lots of stuff to carry! 

Leaving on a jet plane!

I haven't updated for a couple of weeks but wanted to get a quick note out here that we are leaving tomorrow! We don't know a presentation day yet; it will either be Tuesday or Wednesday. So I will update as much as I can while we are travelling tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Consulate visit!

Back on track!

In typical Dana fashion, I stressed out for a couple of days and now it's taken care of and I feel so much better! :) Well, I hope it's resolved!

I spoke with the USCIS specialist this morning and she said that she hadn't run into the issue of me not being able to sign but that maybe our particular USCIS agent required it. So Rob signed the form and I FedEx'ed that to Missouri. She also said that she needed to send a letter to them explaining that LSS of SD is affiliated with LSS of MN. So she FedEx'ed that to Missouri as well. She said that from past experiences, she thinks they are close to approving it and she would check back with them later this week to see if we had it rather than waiting until we get the official letter. If that's the case, we have the next step ready to go. The DS-230 is the visa application that will be sent to the US Embassy in Bogota. It's filled out and scanned and ready to be emailed. Then we wait again until they approve that one. And then we get a travel date! Although we still won't be quite ready to go at that point. We still will have to go to Chicago to get our visas so we are back on track for the 24th.

IF.....our FBI prints don't expire on October 14. So we really would like a travel date of September 24 to get a presentation date of September 26 to get a court date before October 10. That still gives us a few days leeway but we'd really like to spend a Market Day with just Murphy. So just in case they expire, we went to the sheriff's office right away this morning and had them done. They were sent off to the FBI today too, and since we plan to be gone soon, we'll have the results sent to LSS. She did say that it's taking longer again. So we'll just hope for a presentation day before September 30!

I'm starting to get butterflies! We're so close! In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my trip to New York this week! After our work is over, we're going from one extreme to another...Wicked to Rock of Ages. And since I'm an 80's rock band fanatic and still can't get past the days of "big hair" I'm really excited about Rock of Ages! Maybe I'll even take my blue eye shadow! :)

A little tiny setback

We have been waiting for our I-800 approval and thought it would be coming this week. We went to the lake on Friday for the weekend and got home this afternoon. We found two pink letters from the USCIS in our mailbox. Actually they were both addressed to Rob. But we all know who does the paperwork at our house. Not Rob! So the first letter was in reference to our I-800A, which is what we were in the process of extending when we got our referral. The letter said that our home study preparer does not appear to be accredited by the Hague Convention and that we should have LSS, who is an accredited Hague preparer prepare our home study. Now it doesn't take a lot to confuse me sometimes, and this is no exception. LSS prepared our home study in the first place so I'm not sure what that is all about. The other letter is in reference to the I-800, which is the paperwork we sent in with Jack's information. One of the forms is the I-864W and I signed it as Jack's adoptive parent. Little did I know that Rob was supposed to sign it. So I will be overnighting the correct one on Tuesday. I emailed LSS about both issues but with the long weekend, know I won't hear from Sue until Tuesday. Obviously we are a little disappointed. We were really hoping to get our approval by the end of this week, get Jack's visa by the end of next week, and travel the next weekend. The part that makes me nervous is that our FBI fingerprints expire in October and since we anticipated we would be there before then, we didn't redo them. It takes several weeks so I'm not sure if we should send them in again or not. I know that we are still three weeks closer to Jack and that's what matters. We knew that the 24th would be tough to do but it was still possible. Now, I'm not so sure. I don't think either of these issues are big ones. Since LSS did our homestudy, I'm hoping they can just clear up the situation and be done with that one. And Rob signing the other document should clear up the second issue.

In other news, we sold our house! We are supposed to close on October 28. And we will be gone then. And our new house won't be ready until around April 1. And there are no rentals available in town. And everyone thinks I should be freaking out more than I am. And oddly enough I'm not. I'm sure there is something out there. I just have to find it. But I go back four years to when we moved in here. We had been looking and looking for a house to buy. We had also been waiting and waiting for our referral. And the day we were at the old house shampooing carpets, we got our call. So the timing was perfect. We finally had a home to bring home our baby. And I believe this is all in "The Plan" as well. We've been waiting since October for our house to sell. Now it has and our new house will be done in the spring. So while it might be a little inconvenient for a little while, it will be fine.

I am heading to New York later this week. The company we are doing a joint venture with has invited us to their "analyst day" on Thursday so a group of us are flying out on Wednesday and then coming home on Sunday. We are going to two shows on Broadway while we are there and seeing every touristy site we can in a few days. Unfortunately, Rob is going to be using all of his vacation for our trip to Colombia so he isn't able to go. Last year I went to Washington, DC and he wasn't able to go so he's very disappointed. Again. But I'm  still going without him! My sister-in-law and I have been trying to plan a time for Murphy to go stay with them all summer and we just haven't gotten it planned. So after dance on Thursday, Rob is going to take her to Aberdeen and she'll spend the weekend with them. They have horses and goats and dogs so she loves going there. She has to be back on Sunday for Rally Day at Sunday School. It's hard to believe it's that time already.

OK, that's all I know for now. Keep your fingers crossed that this doesn't put us behind schedule. Even though it was "my" schedule and I should know by now that I'm not the one in charge of my schedule!

Happy Labor Day!

I-800....CHECK!

One more piece of the puzzle is done! I sent our I-800 off today. It really wasn't very hard...just had a few questions for LSS and I was able to send it off. And now we wait for about three weeks until that is approved. Those three weeks will go by so very fast. Rob starts school next week. He's gone to school almost every day this summer but in shorts and a t-shirt. It's back to suits and ties now. Love the fact that I get to wear jeans every day! :) He said he registered quite a few new students yesterday and today so his days have been pretty busy. He's been at school every night this week, too and I've let Murph fall asleep with me then he takes her upstairs when he gets home. You'd think I'd have some room in a king sized bed. I have even less room when Murphy sleeps with me than when Rob does! Letting the dog stay up late doesn't help, either. Anyway, I know these next few weeks will go by quickly.

We put up the crib on Saturday. This also meant taking down the bed that was upstairs. Murphy was a little put out by this. As she clenched her teeth she said to me "What exactly are you doing with Grandma and Grandpa's bed?" She did need a little extra attention that day. So we are trying to not shove the baby down her throat and ease her into this. The crib is now piled with stuff; clothes, bottles, blankets, onesies, wipes, bibs, socks...everything we'll need to take with us for Jack. Well, not everything. The crib will be overflowing by then. But I think I have all the clothes we will need. Hopefully he will be like Murphy and never spit up or have nasty diapers that spill out in every direction. We learned quickly that the outfit we put on her in the morning would be the outfit that stayed on her all day. Even if Pisingos did tell us she had reflux! I'm still waiting to wash the outfits just in case he's grown more than I anticipate. I bought 3-6 month clothes so we'll see if they fit. I've been buying diapers when they were on sale so I have boxes and boxes stashed in the room, too.

Murphy starts dance on Thursday, back to daycare next week, and then preschool later on in the week. Getting up at 6:15 will be a huge change for her. She's gotten used to sleeping in until 8:30 or so. We've had two great babysitters this summer and we've loved all of the time Maggie and Megan have spent with Murphy the past few months. We love Carol, too, and will be happy to get back into a routine. As much as I dread summer coming to an end, it is nice to get back to normal life. As normal as our life is, I guess!

:)

Paperwork, paperwork!

Here it is, Saturday, and I'm still running around with my head cut off. Wednesday, of course was pretty busy. We told people at work, posted the news on the blog, and then on Facebook. Those three things kept me pretty busy. Thanks for all of the well wishes. I know we are not alone in this journey! Wednesday after work (golf for Rob) we were going to Sioux Falls for a school conference that Rob goes to every year. So since we hadn't packed on Tuesday, we got our things together and were on the road by 6:30. Thursday morning, my friends Jen  and Ang came with Ang's daughter, Emily, and the girls swam in the pool for a couple of hours. Then we headed to the mall for dinner and pedicures. Murphy sat so well; we really had a good time. She loves getting her nails done. She usually peels it off (her fingers at least) within a couple of days, but I think she'll leave it on her toes for a while. I tried shopping but it's just too hard to shop when I'm constantly putting everything back on the racks that Murphy has taken off. We met Christy and Rob for supper and then Rob, Rob, and Murphy went back to Rob and Christy's to watch the Charger game while Christy and I went shopping! I've been saving coupons and Gap/Old Navy Buck Back forEVER so I was able to get quite a few clothes. I think I have all of the 3-6 months clothes we'll need for the trip and got some 6-9 months stuff, as well as some for next summer since that was all on clearance. Yesterday morning Murph swam for a while then we got everything ready for when Rob was done with his conference at noon. I got in a few more stores while Rob, Murphy, and now Riley, who had been at Mini Critters, got gas, deposited some checks... And then the big question of the day would be for the USCIS (Immigration). We originally applied for our I-800A, which is how the USCIS determines if we are eligible to adopt a child from Hague country, in May of 2010. It has a 15 month expiration date. So we have been working on extending that since the beginning of July. We know that they have received our extension application, but we haven't received our fingerprint notice (we have to have our fingerprints done in Sioux Falls). So since we were in SF, we decided to try to get an appointment. I called the USCIS officer in charge of our case and she said there wasn't a way to call the local office but that we could just show up and ask if they could do the fingerprints. She also said we needed to be prepared for them to say no. We knew that was their right to say no, so would have not have been surprised had they done so. But they didn't! We have had such luck with the woman who works there. She's been very accommodating to us with both adoptions. So our fingerprints are done and we won't have to worry about going back in a week or two when they tell us we finally have an appointment. So our next step is to complete the I-800, which is how the USCIS determines if Jack is eligible to be adopted by us.  Yes, I know, very confusing. So that is what will take quite a bit of our next six weeks. Had we not been out of town this week, I would have already submitted this to Bettina. I did a hand-written version while Rob was driving so I'll enter it all in the computer today and send it to her this weekend. Then we can officially get it sent off once she tells me it's OK. We'll also be going between the storage shed today to get the baby supplies and take out the stuff in the extra bedroom. Poor Benny is going to lose her bed today! She always sleeps on the bed upstairs and I don't think she is going to be thrilled about having a crib in her room. We are a few days closer! And not only is today my nephew Collin's 27th birthday (I'm not sure it's possible that it's been 27 years!), Jack is three months old! We know Ayudame is taking great care of him. We'll be there before we know it. Happy Saturday, everyone!

It's A Boy!

We found out today that Murphy has a little brother, Jack Mateo!! Jack was born May 13 in Bogota, Colombia, and we can't wait to get down there and show him some love! We'll have to wait a little while, as the next steps in the process take about six weeks, so we're hoping to be there at the end of September. Bettina called us around 12:30 today and we stuck it out at work until 2:00, when we went home to look over all of the paperwork. He is a very healthy baby, had bronchitis and spent some time in the hospital, but has been healthy ever since. He was 6 pounds, 8 ounces at birth and was 19 inches long. We signed all of our papers and will send them in tomorrow. After Murphy got home we showed her the picture and she asked who he was. Rob told her "That's your baby brother" and she got a huge smile on her face. She has been preparing for this ever since she was 18 months old and got her first baby for Christmas. I'm sure we'll have some adjustment issues; she's been an only child for four years. I would say it's to be expected. So then we went over to Rob's parents' house and then to my mom and dad's. We lose cell phone service once we get north of Aberdeen so once we left Hecla, it took us a while before we could call our siblings. We got that done and then sent a text to my nieces and nephews. I have some texts ready to go for tomorrow morning as well as an email to go out. But we want to tell people at work first. Then we're ready for the whole world to know!

We had a clue last week that we were this close. Last Monday, August 1, we got an email from Bettina to update some of our documents. I'll have the last one tomorrow. Then they'll all be sent to the secretary of state for the notaries to be notarized. Then down to Colombia for our dossier. We are also waiting on our fingerprint appointment for the USCIS extenstion. We are going to go to the office in Sioux Falls and see if they will fingerprint us without an appointment. I'm hopeful they will, but won't be surprised if they don't.

It's been three years and two months since we started this process. We moved pretty slow in the beginning. We really weren't ready back then anyway. Then in December, we thought it could be any day. Any day turned into eight months. And the longer time went on, the more impatient we got. It was just so hard to explain to a little girl why we STILL don't have a baby brother or sister. (Hard for 38 and 40 year old's, too.) We knew there wasn't one thing anyone could do about it. Our baby just wasn't ready. And now he is. So, so, so worth the wait. We knew it would be but waiting is always hard. 

We are keeping Jack's birth parents in our prayers. We don't know how they are feeling right now and hope they are finding peace with their decisions. We pray this for Murphy's birth parents as well. It's been four years since they were at this stage and from we know about Murphy's birth mother, we expect that Murphy is never far from her heart. We will never be able to tell them how much we appreciate what they have done for us.

Hopefully I'll be better about posting. I'll have a lot to talk about! Thanks for being a part of this journey. We are so, so blessed. 

Still a family of three!

Here is it, August 1, and we are still a family of three. Five if you count the dog and cat. This statement will seem very odd to people that know me, but for the most part, I have been very patient since December 14 when we thought it would be "any day". Having been through this before helps. Knowing that our child just isn't ready helps. Having a four year old to keep me busy helps. Being very busy at work helps. There have definitely been some impatient days. And until recently, they were few and far between. But it's hard to explain to a four year old why we STILL don't have a baby brother or sister. And sometimes it's hard for a 38 year old to understand, too. I know that there isn't anything that LSS, Ayudame, or anyone can do about it. Our baby just needs to kick it in gear! We started this process in June of 2008. We knew we wouldn't be ready then but figured we would be when it was time. It's time and we are ready! Murphy is definitely ready!

It's been a sick winter at the Lewis'. Murphy had colds, strep throat, ear infections, pink eye, and rotavirus. Lots of throwing up. Lots of crying. Hopefully we have done our share for the year and can get by healthy for a while.

Rob turned 40 in April. We had a surprise party with a sports theme. I even squeezed into my shorty 1980's basketball shorts. Not well, but I fit into them. It's always fun when it's your party because you know everyone there. Unfortunately for Rob, he had to take his wife home early because she drank too much trying to get past the shorty shorts.

Our house is still for sale. We haven't built yet so we are really OK with not having been kicked out yet. We closed on our land today so now we are the owners for a big piece of dirt/weeds. We hope to start digging the basement in early October and be in the new house in the spring. I really want to live in the new house but I really want the payment for the current house. I don't think the banker will let me have my cake and eat it, too.

Murphy is still really into her babies. Their names have changed often. Rob tried telling her he was going to change her name every time she changed her baby's name but she does it anyway. She took swimming lessons again this year and now can glide under water for a while. She's a little fish; a brown one at that. I'm so jealous of her beautiful tan skin. Her natural curls are growing out but her hair is usually pretty unruly. Especially when it gets humid. Totally opposite of my stick straight hair. And pasty white skin!

Murphy's exciting news for the year is that she is registered for dance! It starts later this month and will be for 45 minutes once a week. She twirls all over in her tutus and leotards. And now she is starting to dance to pop music. She thinks she loves Hannah Montana, although I don't think she knows who she really is.

I've done some travelling for work again this year. Not as much as last year. A couple of trips to Denver, one to Indianapolis, and one to San Diego. We worked for about eight months with a company from the Denver area to investigate a joint venture to produce isobutanol instead of ethanol. We put it before our membership in June and the vote passed so we will start producing isobutanol late in 2012. We look forward to it, especially since ethanol still is such a volatile industry.

I celebrated my 20 year high school reunion in June at Hecla's 125th celebration. It was so, so, so fun! Well, all except the trip to the emergency room. Murphy's finger was caught in a door on Friday night and it was crushed so we headed to Aberdeen for the rest of the night. Murphy turned four years old in the ER. Unbelievably, it wasn't broken and I'm sure we'll pay a pretty penny for two pieces of tape. Saturday night I had so much fun at the dance. It was like we were all young again! I really did have a great time and we all decided we needed to get together more often. I still look at the pictures and smile. Love you guys!

Murphy's birthday was a big celebration; a parade, dance, quite a bit of her family around... She really is getting big and grown up and while I love seeing all of the new things she can do (such as ride her new bike) I like it when she snuggles up on my lap and is still my baby girl. School went really well for her and she looks forward to it next year. She is so imaginative. She always has a wild story to tell. She's also pretty bossy. Overcoming that one is an exasperating task. So is all the talk about boyfriends. That's what we get for having babysitters that have boyfriends, I guess! :) She makes us smile so often. What a gift from God she is.

So as we wait for our baby, we pray for his or her birth parents. I'm sure their struggles are difficult. We continue to pray for Murphy's birth parents, too. We are thankful for them and the sacrifice they made so that we could be parents. Hopefully the next time you hear from us we'll have some exciting news to share!

Are we there yet?

It's been four months since my last update and although I know we're closer than we were then, I am starting to ask "Are we there yet?". We've been pretty good with the wait and I told Bettina I wouldn't start hounding her until March or so. Or so I thought! :)

The end of August brought school for both Rob and Murphy. Murphy started pre-school two days a week for two hours a day. She's in the elementary school so every once in a while she sees Daddy. One day she was running to him and her pants fell down. If she had a moment of contemplation whether to pull them up or not, she didn't stop running. She was most excited to ride the school bus. I told her that while it might seem exciting at first, wait until you've ridden one for 13 years for an hour one way. (Hmmm...just realized that makes me sound old!) After her first day, we learned that she rode the bus, ate gummi worms, rode the bus, pottied, and rode the bus. Yes, the bus was her favorite part of the day. It took us quite a while to get anything but "bus" out of her mouth, though. I wanted to take her to school that morning but she was too excited about riding the bus. Coincidentally, the wheel fell off the bus that morning and she had to ride with me anyway! :) Rob thought for sure she'd see right through that, especially when other kids rode the bus to school, but I knew she'd be too excited to notice.

We met my parents at the Brown County Fair again this year. Murphy's goal was to ride the ferris wheel. She talked about it for weeks before and after. We took her to Storybookland on our way to the lake for Labor Day. She wan't nearly as excited as I thought she'd be. She was pretty tired so I'm sure that was the problem. We'll try again in a year or two. Going to Storybookland is sort of an unwritten rule around her, I guess.

I've done more travelling since my last update. The ethanol industry is a very uncertain one these days. It's better than it was two years ago when the corn market went haywire but we don't have a lot of support nationwide. That's been a big part of my travels this year. To educate myself so that I can educate those around me about the benefits of ethanol. In mid-August I went to Chicago for a meeting with our ethanol marketer. While we were there we took in a Cubs game from the rooftop of the building next to the stadium. It was really neat. We also had supper one night from the 94th floor of the John Hancock building. I'm not afraid of heights as long as there is a barrier in front of me. So I was able to look out the window out over the water and think it was a great view. I went to Washington DC in mid-September to talk to people on Capitol Hill. We went out a couple of days early and did a lot of walking. And I mean a lot. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Holocaust Museum, the Capitol, and rode the bus all over town. Of all of the historic places I went to, my most favorite stop was at Georgetown Cupcakes! :) The drunk Georgetown students kept telling us "They're not worth it!  Go make your own!" but let me tell you, they were worth it! The plain ones (chocolate, vanilla...) were plain. But the key lime cupcake and the peanut butter caramel cupcake, and the chocolate fudge ones were absolutely great! The best part? They ship!! And now that we know that, we will be recurring cusotmers! Back to business, talking to South Dakota's delegates about ethanol was like preaching to the choir. They know what we are up against. We just don't enough support outside the Midwest. It's amazing to us that some people don't even know about ethanol. And some of the criticisms about ethanol are so far-fetched, we just shake our heads. While we were gone, Murphy decided to swing a plastic Gatorade bottle at the dog and with her infinite coordination, missed and hit herself in the mouth and chipped a tooth. She ended up at the dentist's office and got her first checkup. He told us that unless it bothers her, we don't need to worry about it. You would think that would teach her but I'm sure it won't. In October I went to Wichita for a quick meeting and then in December to Denver for another quick meeting. I have racked up the frequent flyer miles this year, but I don't think they're even close to getting me a free ticket to my next destination!

We have our house plan narrowed down but are still working with our builder to finalize the details. By this time next year, we'll hopefully be in our new house and we are really excited about that. We decided to list our house in mid-October because there was a prosepctive buyer who was not as much of a sure-bet as we thought. We showed it a couple of times and fortunately, the reasons people didn't buy it didn't really have anything to do with the house itself. Now that winter is here, we don't expect too many showings so hopefully things pick up in the spring.

We were able to attend the Latin American Adoptive picnic in September. How neat it was to see all these Latin American cuties running around. And the best part, we got to spend the weekend with the Willrett's. We look forward to those trips and being able to talk about the experience we shared in Colombia. Most people can't relate to what we've been through, so the conversation just flows easily.

We celebrated Murphy's Adoption Day on October 23 by going to the State Cross Country Meet and our annual ice cream treat. It's hard to believe it's been three years already. At times I want her to always be my baby and then at other times I'm excited for the new things she is doing. She is very ready for a baby brother or sister. Or one of each if she has her choice. She has 12 babies; each has their own name, blanket, and stuffed animal. Don't confuse any of their belongings or she will tell you of his unhappiness with you. She is very attentive to her babies and is sure to tell me to be careful with them. She has started talking more about going to get her brother or sister and is excited to get on the plane to take us there. She recently asked me "Mama, where did you go to get me?". I said "Colombia" and she said "What was it like?". I told her she'll be able to watch what it was like when we meet her brother or sister. She will be between 3 1/2 and 4 when we get down there (we hope!) so she'll be old enough to understand what is happening and will hopefully be able to remember much of it.

Murphy was Mickey Mouse for Halloween this year. We went to the PTSA carnival and she got to jump in one of the big, blow-up, bouncy castles. That night determined her wish from Santa. Except in her mind, the castle was a ballerina one. She has stuck by that wish until this last week when we were finally able to convince her that an outdoor castle in the middle of a South Dakota winter was just not a practical idea. We still aren't sure what she really wants from Santa (other than the castle) but I can guarantee you she isn't getting the castle.

She also was able to go to Sunday School this fall. Her outgoing personality just loves the interaction with other people. I do the music for Sunday School so Rob goes to the store and gets groceries until we're done. She has sung in church twice now and we had the program last weekend. She did really well the first time; she sang and did the actions. She must have entered a shy stage, though, because she really didn't want any part of it last week. It's fun that she is learning about God and to hear all the questions and comments she has. I'm so happy that she can grow in her faith at such a young age just like I did.

Wrestling started in November so our lives are extra-busy right now. It's already mid-December though, so the season will be over before we know it.

We had to redo our FBI prints in late September. They took about ten weeks to get back. I was starting to get a little nervous as our original prints expired in Decmeber. Plus, our homestudy expired in December so we had to redo that, too. It took a little bit of coordinating with sick kids and the weather, but we finally were able to finish that in late November. After getting everything notarized and apostilled and FedExed to Duluth, we thought we had a few months before we should start getting antsy. Bettina called on December 14 to tell us that one of the other orphanages, Ayudame, was in need of families, and wondered if we would consider switching from Los Pisingos to Ayudame. We talked about it and while we have strong feelings for Pisingos, we just really want to be parents. So we switched and now we wait anxiously for the phone to ring. We think a referral would be a great Christmas present! I find myself thinking "Is this the last time I'll do this as a mother of one?" on about everything I do. We know that our lives are about to get even crazier but we welcome it and can't wait for it to happen.

Merry Christmas to all of you. Thank you for being part of our lives. Even if we don't know you, something about our story has drawn you to us. Thanks again!