Do you want the good news or the bad news?

I got a call today from our coordinator, Dusty. We don't really speak on the phone often so when the Indiana number pops up I know something is up. I was once again at work and driving around with my partner just getting ready to pull into White Castle for our coffee-just like when we got our referral. I saw the number and I didn't even say hello I just answered and said "I hope you have good news". She said "well, I have bad news and good news". I knew right then exactly what she was going to say. We were kicked out of PGN on 7/17 but the good news was that we were re-submitted the same day. That means that whatever the reviewer felt was wrong with our file was a very minor problem and the attorney was able to correct it within the day and get us back on the pile to start all over. It could have been something as little as a missing accent mark or they wanted a clearer copy. Don't laugh, it's true! And the mistake could have been on the first page of our hundred page document. The average person would think that one would continue to read to find any other mistakes so that they could all be fixed at once but there is nothing average about PGN reviewers. Dusty didn't know what the kickout was for but who cares, we are back in.

I felt like I knew when the phone rang that this was not going to be "the call". I wish it would have been so that on Sunday at our shower we could tell everyone we would be picking him up in about a month but no such luck. I hate to say I have good days and bad days because I am really trying to focus on enjoying our last childless days and find ways to stay positive and upbeat about this process but it is really hard. Today was not one of the best days. I have tried to stay off of the chat group because it was making me crazy,but it's like crack-I can't stop. So I peeked at a few postings and found that someone with a son that was born 3 days before Collin got their PGN approval today after 2 weeks. It seems like if people aren't getting out in a week they are the extreme opposite and stuck in PGN for months and months. I am happy for those people that got out so fast but I really hoped and believed that we would be one of those people. So the news made me really sad and then add the phone call on top of it and I have to say it was not a good day. I should really stay off the chat board!!

Ironically, I was tossing around the idea of taking another visit trip since Collin turned 6 months the other day. Wyatt isn't going to go because he doesn't want to be broke. I, on the other hand, will deal with being broke. We have been working a ton of special duty to save for the pick up trip and for our last big payment ($11,000)that we had to send in last week. I just think it is important for Collin to see at least one of us again since it is obvious we won't be picking him up as soon as we would have liked. He is 6 months old now and his object permanence is going to start kicking in. I want to be an object in his head. I want him to recognize and miss me when I leave and know me when I come back to take him home. If I have to spend some money to take a trip down there and spend a week with him that is what I am going to do! My mom just got her passport in the mail yesterday so I am taking it as a sign. She is going to go down with me at the end of August and Collin will get to meet his grandmother for the first time. She will be the one babysitting him when he gets home and we go back to work. I am excited that she will have the opportunity to see his beautiful country so that she will know first hand where he came from. And hopefully both of us will return alive and on speaking terms! =*)

We are getting excited for the party this weekend. I hope the weather is good. Chrissy and I did some party shopping yesterday. There are lots of fun things planned!! And a ton of adult beverages!! How fun to be able to drink at your own baby shower!

I eventually will get back to my FAQ posting. I had hoped to have it done before the shower. I sat her for almost 3 hours last week composing a work of art that answered all of the "frequently asked questions" that we get. I thought since the blog was on the invitations that some people may want to take a look and it might be a good way to get everyone up to speed. When my masterpiece was completed the computer decided to eat it. I am certain it was no fault of my own and if I wasn't still paying for this computer I would have thrown the damn thing out in the street! It was gone and never to be seen again. So it has taken me a good week to get back on here and post after that trauma. I guess I am over it now and on to the next crisis!

I hope to see everyone this weekend. Be ready-as Wyatt would say.

WE ARE IN!!!

After weeks of bugging our coordinator with e-mails I decided to make a call and make sure my point got across-we want to know where we are!!! I got the same story, I'll e-mail the boss and have her contact the attorney. I was not happy but what can you do? She said she would let me know as soon as she heard anything. Our agency has an online adoption tracker that most people stalk 24/7. You usually get information there long before you get it from your coordinator. So, I just happened to check it later that afternoon and what do you know....we have been in PGN since 6/20...2 days after we got Pre-Approval!! That means we have 3 weeks of PGN under our belts. I'd love to say we didn't have to suffer through it but we did. Or should I say I did, Wyatt remains in his state of "ignorance is bliss". He listens when I tell him about the latest but somehow none of it phases him. I used to think he didn't even listen but I found out he knows a lot more than I thought he did. He was chatting it up with all the parents in Antigua.

The other down side is that we are obviously not one of the "5 day out" people, which is fine, I'll take a 5 week out. We still have a lot of work to do before the big day but if they called us to get him tomorrow, that would be just fine.

I should learn to listen to my gut feeling. I felt like there was nothing to worry about but easier said than done. I know we have one of the best attorneys and that he works very diligently to get things done quickly but when you don't know what is going on it makes you crazy. Hopefully my gut is right this time too because I feel like we will be out of PGN in no time and pick up Collin in late August or early September. Keep your fingers crossed!!

Give us something PLEASE!!!

As if it wasn't hard enough waiting for 8 weeks for pre-approval we have now waited almost 3 more weeks and heard NOTHING!!! I am trying to stay positive as our attorney is known for working diligently but not updating so hopefully we are well on our way in PGN. I have e-mailed our coordinator several times the last couple of weeks hoping for some glimmer of hope. I think I am being ignored! I really don't understand what can be so difficult about making a phone call and getting an update on our status. Obviously, it is nearly impossible. Oddly enough, as crazy and stressed as I feel something tells me that we are making progress and not to worry. Whatever that something is, I hope it's right. I keep thinking, it has been 3 weeks. We could have been in PGN for 2 weeks or more. Maybe we will find out we are out before we hear we are in!! OR maybe our file fell off the desk and into the trash can...I never claimed to be an optimist!


We did get one shred of good news. I was concerned that a few people with our attorney have had an issue with the wording on their Power of Attorney and have received a kick out from the courts. I was so incredibly organized and agonized over keeping records of everything during our "paper chase" but it turns out that I neglected to make a copy of our POA before I mailed it. Probably because I wanted to set the world record for speed and get it back ASAP! Our coordinator sent me a copy and the wording was correct on ours. YEA! One less thing to worry about.

On a lighter note, we did get updated pictures of Collin. It appears Mama Rosa (or Luisa, her granddaughter) may have given him a haircut. Not the curls, just the bangs. She must have used a bowl or a ruler to get them that straight!! Not the best pictures but he looks like he is gaining weight. We haven't received the updated weight and measurements yet. Those usually come in the first part of the month. They take pride in fattening up the babies down there. Hopefully we get him home before they turn him into an Oompah Loompah.

I tried to call Mama Rosa tonight but her neighbor that speaks English wasn't home. It is always an entertaining conversation when neither party has a clue what the other one is saying. I did get to talk to Collin but he didn't talk back. They were laughing so he must have been doing something funny. Or wait, maybe they were laughing at me???

I have been taking Spanish at Columbus State Monday thru Friday 8A-10:30a. I am hoping to learn as much as possible before Collin gets here. We will see how it goes. It is quite a challenge getting up every morning after getting home at 11pm and finding time to study. I managed to make it 6 months without going to school. Why didn't I take Spanish instead of sign language??? I don't think I would have been nearly as driven to learn it if it wasn't for Collin.

I have also decided to change jobs. I am moving to the Domestic Violence Unit. That should put an end to the middle of the night call ins and the days off will work out better for child care. We were trying to get opposing days off so that Collin would only need to go to his Nana and Pops 3 days a week rather that 4 or 5. But, who knows what will happen. Wyatt still could get promoted and end up with a schedule that changes the whole plan. It will be a nice change hopefully although it is always difficult leaving what is comfortable and familiar. I look at it as a time of transition and change for all 3 of us. Wyatt is in a new job and may end up promoted, I am going to a new job and Collin will be leaving his familiar surroundings soon and coming to an unknown place with different people, smells, sounds, language and scenery. Everything will be new to him and to us but we can't wait and hopefully it will be a smooth transition for all of us. I can only hope that some day he realizes how many people loved him before they even knew him and looked forward to the day that he finally came home.