I've gone to the mailbox every day looking for a letter from Immigration. I know it's only been a week and I'm not stressing about it or anything, but it can't hurt to look, right? Well, it might have been silly to go look today seeing as how the mail doesn't even run on Sundays, but I can reason it pretty well in my mind. You see, what if the mail ran after I checked yesterday?!? Anyway...

Not much else to write about today. So I'll just post a picture of my angel. This first picture is of Flor sitting on the back of my car at the lawyer's office. Then we took uncle Haven to get his hair cut in San Cristobal on our way home from the lawyer's office.

Indescribable.

I am simply amazed at how I am still amazed at how God provides for Flor and I!



My cousin called me last week. She has two daughters that are both a few years older than Flor. She has already given me so much and called to say she had more clothes for me to go through! I was so excited I offered to come get them the next day! We talked for quite awhile catching up on everything in the world. I mentioned that I had been working on Flor's room and had originally decided on using white wicker. I have an armour that was my moma's and that is the only piece I had so far. I didn't realize that wicker was so expensive!! (I still really don't understand why that is...) Then she said, "Well... umm.. I just got (her daughter) a new bed and hadn't put it in her room yet because I didn't know what to do with the other one. IT'S A WHITE WICKER TWIN BED!!!" She said I could use it as long was I wanted to!! I almost couldn't believe it, but then I thought, NO, that's just God in the details. He does care about those things. So, anyway, just a little thing that meant a lot and I wanted to share.

Please pray for my friends who had a small problem with their dossier and were told they may have to do the whole thing over again!! I know that God is in control of every aspect. I'm praying that if it's His Will that this will just slide. AMEN!!

new pic

Look what I got in my inbox tonight!! Isn't it the cutest picture ever?!? Oh, it makes my heart hurt to see her through pictures, but I wouldn't trade them for the world!! I love the way she cuts her eyes like that!

Melissa said she was such an angel (of course) at family court, and that she won the social worker over with her charm! LOL! She says that meeting with the social worker and getting the report from her is the main step in family court, so as soon as I can send the rest of my dossier we will be rolling!!!

Keep praying for a speedy process!! I need her home YESTERDAY!!!

Family Court

Flor went to meet with a social worker at Family Court today!!! This is awesome considering that I haven't even sent her entire dossier to Guate yet!! Including the INS approval!! But I'm hoping to get that within a few weeks. I didn't find out until I got home from work today, but she went at 2. I bet she was such a big girl!!

We had our 2nd adoption life group meeting last night. It has been such a blessing! What a great time of encouragement and fellowship with others who have gone through or are going through the adoption process. I met several new families and got to see others that I haven't seen in weeks. It was great to talk about my trip and show pictures of my beautiful girl!

15 seconds

So, if the approval comes as quickly as I was in and out of Imigration, that would be AWESOME!!



I left my house this morning at 7am.. a little early because I wasn't sure how traffic would be leaving Huntsville or entering Birmingham. Well, I reached the office at 9. My appointment was at 10!! (They say not to be early) I wasted about 1/2 an hour at Walgreen's, then just decided to wait in the parking lot. When I got there I saw a security guard standing at the front door. I wanted to make sure I was at the right place.



"I know I'm not supposed to come early, but I just wanted to make sure I was waiting at the right place."



"What time is your appointment, ma'am?"



"10:30."



"Ah, come on in!!"



!!!!!



I was in and out in less than 15 minutes!! It was pretty cool, seeing my fingerprints on the screen in front of me. The lady said I had very good fingerprints... (I'm sure she says that to all the applicants..) ;)I thanked her, and then told her that it was not my doing. She just laughed. We actually cut up a little bit before I left. I am praying so hard that I get the INS approval quickly. Quickly, quickly, quickly!!



Flor,

I'm one step closer to bringing you home baby girl!! I can't wait to hold you again! I can't wait to feel you tugging at my leg, or yelling my name (moma) in the morning. I can't wait for you to come home! We all miss you and love you very much!!



Love,

Moma

A sweet gift

A sweet little friend of mine, and future friend of Flor's called me one morning to ask me a question: "Does Flor have a favorite animal?" I just didn't know, but I assured her that I'm sure she loved ALL animals! She said she had a little stuffed animal kitty that she wanted to send to her. I wanted to make sure Flor knew who it was from, but Virginia told me that she cut out a picture of herself and tied it around the neck. Is that not the sweetest thing you've ever heard?!?? This is a little girl with the sweetest heart I've ever known! She also bought Flor a baby doll with her own allowance money. I asked her if she would save it and give it to her in person when she gets here.

It just melts my heart to know a child that thoughtful!!

More from Antigua:

Little Miss Thang could not keep her shorts up! Everytime I turned around she was "cracking"... if you know what I mean. Haven seemed to think it was funny when I would kneel down to pull her pants up and "crack" myself!! LOL! Ok, maybe that is a little too much information, but I thought it was a cute story. He'd say, "Like mother, like daughter!" HAHA!! He's so crazy!



I love this picture of Flor in front of the arch. I think it makes her look so tiny! I love the way she's got her little finger in her mouth, as if she's saying, "What's the big deal?" or "Look at me how cute I am just standing here on the street in front of the arch." I just love it!



We went to see the "mustard church" too, which is a pretty awesome thing to stumble upon if you've never been to Antigua. You just walk around a corner and SHAZAM!! A huge yellow church. It's really called La Iglesia de La Merced, but I call it the Mustard church because, well, just look at it! I've been inside once, but that's a little creepy to me. I went in with a group of 'tourists' in my mission group and people were actually in there praying and lighting candles, and the people touring the church were taking pictures and talking.. I felt awkward. I'm not catholic or anything, but I'll respect someone's prayer time. But I have stood in front of that church several times to take a picture. But not with my baby girl yet! She was so cute holding her hands over her eyes like that, so I decided to mimick her by doing the same! I may be biased, but I think it turned out pretty cute.

Antigua: part two: meeting an old friend

We called Jon Henry while in the park to see if he was out of school yet. My family sponsored him years ago at another home, and we still keep in touch with him. He and Haven are about the same age. He came to meet us for lunch, after one finally opened! We were so hungry by then! I ordered my favorite from MonoLoco: Quesadillas!! Haven got nachos.. MUCHOS nachos!! Then he put ketchup, mustard, AND hot sauce on top!!! I just had to take a picture!
Here's Haven and Jon Henry stuffing their faces. Then Jon Henry ate the rest of Flor's fries too! That all after he had his own lunch! We went to walk it off later at the market.

Antigua

On Monday Haven, Whitney, and I, and the kids went to Antigua for the day. Haven and I both were pretty excited to show Whitney one of our most favorite places in the world, and I was equally excited to share more memories with Flor.
We didn't head out too early since nothing in Antigua opens until almost noon anyway... and by that I mean the all restaurants! We were starved by the time we got there, it was 11 and still nothing was open. So, we went to Cafe Condesa, a little cafe with the best desserts, and ordered some fruity drinks to pass some time. The best thing we got there was crayons and a placemat to be colored for Flor. It proved to come in handy later on in the day. She even pulled it out while we were sitting in the park and started coloring. We went for a walk to the market after lunch. Flor is such a big girl. She walked and walked and never got tired or asked to be carried. We walked all around the market and saw everything twice! I got some gifts for my co-workers, who were working hard back at home short handed! Flor got a tiny doll. Although, she kept lying it down in random places. I had to ask her several times where it was, and she would drag me several booths back and take me directly to it. It was the funniest thing. She loved it so much that I actually made it home with it and she never thought twice about it!! But I'm glad I'll have it for her here to remember her country.

I can't breathe!!!

Maybe because I just RAN back from the mailbox!! I got my Immigration appointment!!!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! It's next Friday at 10AM!! I'm calling everybody I know and no one is answering their phone!!!


Praise GOD!!

my little alarm clock

I may have already mentioned, but I'll write about it again because it's my blog and I can. Every morning I woke up to my little girl's unique voice searching for her moma. I literally woke up to her screaming, "Moma?! Moma?! Moma?!" And if that didn't work she would scream, "Amanda!? Amanda!?" The room I stayed in had these glass panels on each side. If she wasn't just banging on the door, she was trying to look through the glass. I rushed one morning to snap a picture of this precious hand. I mean, seriously, can she BE any sweeter?!?

awaiting fingerprint appointment

I found out when I got back from Guate that my home study left DHR while I was there and went to Immigration!! So, now I have another reason to go to the mailbox every day! I'm waiting on that sacred fingerprint appointment!! Pray with me please that it comes quickly!!

Compassion flower

I was thinking about my sweet girl today. I remembered her compassion. That was something I learned about her this trip. As we were walking in Antigua, Flor would stick her little hand out and try and touch people as we passed. Of course, I discouraged her from doing it, but I watched as she watched the people go by. Lines were long outside of every bank because it was the last day of the month. A homeless lady walked up and started speaking incoherantly and Flor reached out to her. As we passed another man lying on the sidewalk, she looked at me with such compassion in her beautiful eyes and motioned for me to look at him. I knew she wanted to ask me why he was there all alone.

I was so impressed by my little girl's heart.

Where to begin...

Honestly I have no idea. I think I'll post date some entries to their appropriate day so I don't confuse anyone (and by anyone, I mean ME!)

I'll give you a little sneak peak at what's to come:



It was so hard to leave yesterday.

She woke me up as usual by calling my name, "Moma!", but for a good bit of the morning I just let her play with her toys that I brought her. I just watched her from a distance mostly. I was trying to soak in every moment.




Oops!! She caught me!




But about 9 I brought her in to put her drops in her ears (ear infection) and she hung out with me the rest of the time. I tried to explain to her that I was leaving and that I'd miss her so much, but she wouldn't have it. She just kept saying, "NO!"

I tried not to make a big out of it for her sake. But in the last few minutes, I had to get my hugs in and that must have just squeezed it out of me. She was so sweet and just kept on hugging me. She looked up at me at one point and saw me crying. She didn't say anything except for that sweet look in her eyes, and she just hugged me even tighter!

*sigh*

I miss her so much!


Well, that's enough for tonight. Check back next week for more posts and more pictures!!