Houston....We have been Submitted!

Yes, it is true.....We have finally been submitted to the US Embassy for final SIGN-OFF and the infamous PINK SLIP!!!!! We have been told that we were submitted on Tuesday, and now Bianca is scheduled for her 2nd DNA test on Monday. I have been seeing Pinks coming out about 2-2.5 weeks after submit....Though it is taking her a bit longer to go for the DNA appointment. So, once her DNA sample is taken- then it is shipped to the US...and a few days to a week later approved and once again shipped back to Guatemala....I think we are looking at getting our pink if all goes PERFECTLY 2 weeks from today....then we will travel the following week (Around the 15th?)Please do not mark my words here. I have had way to many people lately see me and ask about when Bianca is coming home....I then say, "It looks like it will be 3-4 weeks"....And then I of course hear..."That is what you said the last time!"...Like I do not understand their frustration!!!! Please people! Of course, I am not speaking to ANY of you, as you I am sure are so faithful to the blog for your Bianca fix...So you have the inside scoop anyway. Hee Hee (Does anyone really say, hee hee?) I write that sometimes then try to imagine that EVER coming out of my mouth.
As you might have guessed by my nonsense, it is late and my brain is beginning to fog. I guess I might as well get this out in the open....It has been bothering me for a few days now....Okay I am just going to say it and then it will be out there...
My name is Bianca's Mom and I am addicted to Ebay....Please do not judge me....
Those of you who know me well also know that I am a very competitive person....I LOVE to WIN...hence my major affinity to Ebay....It is not that I have been winning ALL that much...But I have learned a technique to winning that I am pretty sure I could market. It is invigorating to WIN...just hard to remember at times, that we PAY to win...What a concept.
Let's move on to another less sensitive topic. I have been thoroughly enjoying myself lately. I have really been taking in my free time and enjoying my alone time with Eric. I am really trying not to rush this last part of the adoption process. Now we know that Bianca is coming home and no matter what in a matter of a few weeks we will be going down there, to bring her home FOREVER! Makes me emotional just thinking about it.
I cannot wait for Bianca to meet so many of you who have been such a fantastic support system to us. To our awesome family, friends, community, and forum friends, I say thank you! I am running out of steam so I will sign off for now.
Peace & Love-Chantelle

No Bianca Update Today...And Other Stuff on My Mind

Hi everyone...Nope this is not a photo of Bianca today. I did not hear from our attorney today, but he was supposed to submit her paperwork to the US Embassy....At this point, I know God is in control of it all....Like it did not take long enough for me to figure this out! I am of course totally in love as is Eric with our little lady. I have been thinking so much about her life and my own, and I wanted to share something a bit off topic of the adoption journey.
As many of you know, I have traveled to several countries in Africa learning about the AIDS crisis. I have spent time with AIDS orphans, living daily life at an orphanage with over 60 babies, and at a refugee camp...All in different countries in Africa. I have been changed by this time overseas and I am always looking for avenues to educate people on the crisis happening there.
I finished a short documentary a few months ago with footage of my trips, that is an educational video to take into schools. When I look at my own life, and now at Bianca's I think of all of the millions of lives, on the other side of the world that are in desperate need of food, water and medical treatment...And that is the tip of the iceberg. I guess more than anything this post is to remind us all of our responsibility to be aware of what is happening in our world....and at whatever level, to take action. If you would like to learn more, start at these websites:
www.one.org
www.data.org
www.hrw.org
I live a life FULL of freedoms, and I know we all take these for granted. This is an opportunity to learn more about life for people like you and me living under very different circumstances. I want to do more. This is just a step. I want Bianca to grow up being a part of the change in this world, and how awesome would it be to see this pandemic end? What a great thought to ponder. God Bless-Chantelle

It's Only a Matter of Time Now!

Today we received an email from our attorney in Guatemala. Just as we had heard, the US Embassy is closed this week for training purposes....(God is STILL trying to teach me patience!) So, as of Monday we will be submitted to the US Embassy. I loved his email....He said "Your adoption is final in Guatemala. You are legally the parents of little Mayra" (her given birth name)...Now that is HUGE! Now it is only a matter of time on the US side to get her home!!!!!! Is that phenomenal or what? I think back to the days when I was so sad, or just kind of bummed wondering if these days would ever come...I would think, how will I feel, what will it be like???? Well, let me tell you, it has been the most beautiful time in my life. I have been able to really take it in and focus on what God has done for us.
I know some of you who read this blog might think my God comments are over the top, but I must tell you, now more than ever I believe ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE when you believe and have faith. I cannot stop talking about it....and I probably never will! Yee haw! Okay, refocus...So now it is looking like 3 weeks until we travel. If we are submitted on Monday and it takes 2 weeks for new DNA and approval, then the 3rd week we will be in Guatemala!!!!!
For those of you still hanging on, I must also inform you that I did "WIN" the carseat on Ebay....That site is addictive...Little does Dr. Becking know, I have also "WON" many other things since I learned how to use it! Yikes!!!! Stuff for Bianca of course, and you all know how much she NEEDS it! Ha Ha
Okay, that is about all I have to report tonight.
Much Love going out to you all-Chantelle

Oh Happy Day.

Well, here she is..LIVE!!!! She was sooo hilarious when we were there last. She gets so easily tickled it is fun to watch. Here is a little taste of what we are in for. This is a short clip of her laughing hysterically! Too funny!

Bianca is ours...legally!!!

We have an update people!!!! Just got confirmation from our agency today that Bianca has been issued a new birth certificate and a new passport....Hope she smiled for her photo..Hmm I wonder how she signed it? Foot print maybe...I mean she does have a great set of little pigs. This is a fantastic step forward. Legally she is our daughter. And we could not be happier or more humbled by the fact that her birth mom's choice gave us the chance to adopt Bianca. I will never forget who Bianca's birth mom is, and I will always be grateful that she gave us this gift. It was a selfless choice really. God works in such mysterious ways. Something that could have been so different has been such an amazing blessing in so many people's lives. Some day we hope that Bianca will be able to meet her birth mom, and I will look forward to that day myself.
As for now, we can hardly wait to bring her home to meet her new family. Okay, so the next AND FINAL step will happen on Thursday....We will be submitted to the US Embassy...Wouldn't you know it, they are closed until Thursday for staff training of some sort...What timing! Anywho, no big deal. Once we are submitted the little short stack will have one last DNA test and within about 2 weeks we will get a PINK slip....This will have our Embassy appointment date. MUSIC TO THE BECKING'S EARS! And from my current calculations, it should be about one week from the pink slip date and we will be bringing her home....THAT MEANS SHE WILL BE COMING HOME ASAP!!!!!! What a freakin' party we will have!
We will continue to keep you posted as we learn more, but this gets you up to speed. Everything has gone smoothly so far. We have been out of PGN for 2 weeks today and they have accomplished a good deal of things...Her new Birth Certificate, Passport, and translation of her documents. So guess what...now we wait....Sounds familiar! Much love to you guys!!!!! Chantelle

Change Your World

This song has such a great meaning for us espeically at this time in our lives. God is truly so good....And watching the video is so moving. Kids just need someone to love them...It is that simple. Wow, I can hardly believe we are nearing the end of this journey....I guess only a matter of time before we start again! It is so cool what God can do in our lives. What a great life!

Still Adorable....And Waiting!!!!!

I am running low on photos that I have yet to post, but I love Bianca in her swim suit...Boy, is she in for it! Mama is conservative when it comes to the little lady's swimwear! Okay, so I am sure you are all wondering...Any news???? And of course, that answer is still ...NO...Go figure. It has kind of been a pattern during the last half of Bianca's journey. So, hopefully we will hear next week that we have been submitted to the US Embassy...Word on the street is the Embassy will be closed the 20th-23rd for "training". Who knows really. No matter what the little hot stuff IS coming home!!! And that is something to celebrate. I have been rejoicing for the most part, but I will admit, the days are going by so slowly as we wait for the final HOORAH!
We should be receiving new 9 month photos from her medical check up soon also. So I am sure we will all be on the edge of our seat awaiting those...or maybe just me and the doctor... Hmmmm, what else is happening? Of course, I bought several more things...important things of course for Bianca this week. I have also been working out a lot...I have a lot of extra energy these days. I am enjoying ALL of the my time with Eric and we are really taking it in.
Okay, I will check in later! Much Love-Chantelle

Where's Eric in all of this?

Hello all. I have been very busy at the office so I look forward to reading Chantelle's blog and appreciating her hilarious writing style like the rest of you. I am so pumped about all that is going on in our world right now and I thank God for how wonderful He has been to us. I want to thank everyone who has been following our blog and following our journey. We feel your support and prayers and we are all creating one heck of a welcome home for little Bianca. Our little girl has no idea what kind of support system she has waiting for her and how much she is going to add to our lives. I am so glad that Chantelle has spent countless hours pouring into this blog so that everyone can really be a part of our little girl's journey home and our lives as we experience it. I'm writing pretty late for me so I may stop making as much sense. It's funny because Chantelle is up at 12 and 1 writing the blog and I'm up at 4 or 5 reading it. What a pair. We're almost home free and Bianca will be lying in bed with us on a Saturday morning. I don't think I can even fathom how much this is going to change me and us. We are so pumped. Talk to you later.

No news yet...

To answer the question we all have on our minds....Hopefully by the end of this week we will be ready to be submitted to the US Embassy. I might be pushing it a bit, but according to my own timelines, that is what I am looking for. From that point another few weeks in the embassy and then the pink slip as long as everything keeps rolling on. Once we get pink it is usually 10-15 days for pick up. So we are looking at 3-4 weeks by MY estimations....I have been known to be wrong once or twice however.
I hope it comes soon and very soon. I am starting to use up all of my adorable Bianca photos! So I will have to re-use a few if my timeline does not work out! Okay, so officially I am in the market for a cool car seat....I know...big stuff people....Hey, in case you did not read the name of the blog...this site is ALL about Bianca....I do have a life, okay....But a car seat is a big deal to a mom that has been waiting for the thumbs up from the Guatemalan govt for MANY months! I decided to hold out on that purchase until we got the go ahead! And stuff like NEW clothes...okay I did not wait for that, but know that I know she will be home for fall I can get started!

Bianca and the family want to send out a BIG SHOUT OUT, to the Abuela Birthdays in the house. Today was Grammy Janis B-Day and Wednesday will be Mimi Jill's B-Day.....We did not forget you, CH, Happy B-day to you also! We love you guys! And really, what better gift than Bianca coming home!!!! Wahoo!!!
Eric's B-Day in Sept. 15 and by then, he will be a FULL on DAD!!!!! How cool is that?
I will keep you posted as we learn more!!!!! Bueno! Chantelle

Bianca & Dad rest.....I am up planning our lives together!

Hi all- What a CRAZY week it has been. Since we got the OUT on Tuesday I have had a permanent grin on my face, and I am pretty sure I have been sleeping with it also. Of course, I am crunching all of the numbers to see when I think Bianca will be making her debut to the good old USA. There are really a lot of variables right now....though I am NOT complaining!
There is a new DNA test that the US Embassy put into place just days before we got out of PGN...So, Bianca will once again have her DNA test done to compare to the previous test. Her birth mom will not be there for this test, so it should go fairly quickly. But any time there are any changes to the process it can slow things down a bit.....or maybe not! Okay, so there is that step. She was born in the province of Amatitlan and getting the birth certificate from there looks like it has been taking on average 7 days...Which is great! Babies born in Guatemala City are taking 4-6 weeks to get the birth certificates! Yikes! and this step has to be done before they can submit the paperwork to the US Embassy. So, once her BC and DNA are hooked up she will have her paperwork submitted to the US Embassy and they will wait for DNA confirmation, then post a PINK Slip, which will have our date to be there for our family Embassy appointment...What's a girl to wear to an event such as this? Decisions, decisions! I am really hoping to see her home in 4 weeks from this point so we will see.
There is another subject of much interest as of late that I have been learning a lot about. Guatemala is up for elections, which will take place I think on Sept 15. There have been some very serious situations that have occurred surrounding these elections. It is more than a sad situation to say the least. Political leaders and their staff members have been killed and attacked recently and there is much political unrest in the country right now. Please really send some good will and thoughts their way. I so quickly take my life and freedoms for granted and it is such a reality check to learn some of what is happening in my daughter's home land. I will not go into details, but you can Google it if you want to learn more about the election situation in Guatemala. The NY Times had an article last week that was very informative on the current state of the country.
Okay, I probably need to say this.....Family, and you know who you are...don't freak out about this. Bianca will be fine, and we will be fine while there....We are dealing with a higher power here of course! But I think it is worth mentioning what is happening in Guatemala so people can see the realities happening in the world around us.
So, on a much lighter note, I am thinking Eric & I need to party it up the next few weeks as we ring in the last few weeks of being free from baby responsibilities. I think I can manage that! It is the weekend and that is always fun in this household! Well, as you can see, it is the middle of the night so I will wrap it up. Much love to everyone. Cheers-Chantelle

Still has not settled in!!!!!

Is this a dream????? Heck NO!!!!! I can still hardly believe that Bianca has conquered the dreaded PGN!!!!! That little turkey will be coming home in no time now. I have been sitting in her room and I get choked up thinking about all of the times I have been in there thinking about her. I have had to many emotions sitting in that adorable nursery. I wonder what it will be like for Bianca to wake up in her room and what it will be like when I go in her room and pick her up. I think about her dad rocking her in the rocking chair and reading her stories. I cannot wait to watch Eric be a dad. He is such an amazing person and I can only imagine what Bianca will think about her daddy. I know he will be so full of love for his little girl! I wonder what she will be like, what her little voice will sound like and what she will be passionate about....So so many things to consider!!! But more than anything I just think about her happiness and how I just want to be a good mom and raise her to be confident in the person God made her. So, today I celebrate my little girl! What an inexpressible joy I have these days.....Chantelle

THE DAY HAS COME!!!!! WE ARE OUTTTA THERE!!!!!!

Holy Schnickeys!!!!! We are OUT!!!!! I can still hardly believe it! I got home yesterday and checked my email around 3pm...Our agency had sent the email 1 minute before I logged on....I read it 10 times and still could hardly believe it! We also got an email from our attorney around the same time so I knew it was FOR REAL!!!! I got in the car and drive like a maniac to Eric's office to tell him and we laughed and cried our eyes out!!! Praise God! I am still in shock...It is finally here! Bianca is coming home!!!!

Okay, so to give you the details of what has to happen now...

-She will be getting her new Birth Certificate (7-10 days)

-She will get a new DNA test- New requirement from the US Embassy (7-10 days)

-Her paperwork will be submitted to the US Embassy to process and we will receive the coveted PINK which will give us her appointment date for us in Guatemala City (Not sure, a couple more weeks)

So I am thinking 4 weeks...on the generous side. Then Bianca will come home and be a US CITIZEN!!!!!!! And she will live with us forever more!!!WAHOOO!!!! I cannot express in writing how I feel today...I am still pinching myself! We are just sooo happy and I can hardly wait to get my hands on that little squirt!

I have called some of you and I know others of you will read this on the blog. I just want to thank you all for your love and support as we have waited so long for this day to come. Now the wait will be short and sweet! I will post much more later and let you know as we learn more.

Much love to you all-Chantelle

Tick, Tick, Tick....

Okay for anyone who has not been logging on to read my rants, let me say that this COULD be the week! We will be back in PGN 8 weeks tomorrow. Any time between now and the 12th looks VERY promising....though I hate to put that out there in case the outcome is different. So last week not much happened in the PGN...Turns out the head honcho, Senor Barrios, was out of the country. He has to sign off on the final approvals of all adoptions in Guatemala.....Maybe I need to send him a fruit basket...I wonder if that could be considered a bribe, or even illegal...Hmm Maybe I should hold off on that one....at least for now.

On to other info...after a few of you have been frustrated by not being able to post, I have changed the parameters on the blog, so now anyone can post, whether you have an account or not, so feel free to try it out.

As I have posted in previous blogs, a group of women are starting a non-profit organization to educate people who are interested in adoption....I am a lead in this group. We are just beginning but have already had so much response...So on that note, if you know of anyone who would like more info on adoption please feel free to give them my contact information. The org will be called "Room for One More" and it will serve to field questions for people who are looking into adoption. We will also serve as a support system to families that are already in process or new families that need assistance with paperwork and so on.

Okay, I am busting at the seems to get back to Guatemala....And Eric is need of a vacation also! We are so ready to see Bianca! I know it will be a tough transition for her foster family when we bring her home, and I have been thinking about that a lot lately. Bianca will have her own adjusting to go through, but I am thinking her foster mom, Iris will be very sad when Bianca leaves her. Initially Iris thought that Bianca would only be with her for 4-5 months. Since that time has almost doubled, I am sure she sees Bianca as her owns daughter. She has spent every night with her pretty much since she was born. I have to tell you, Eric and I both loved Iris from the moment we first saw her. She speaks no english whatsoever, but it is amazing how much I see her love our daughter. We have been so blessed to have her in Bianca's life. Iris' husband, Hugo is also a very kind and loving Papa. They have 3 girls of their own, almost grown, so Bianca has PLENTY of attention at home. I will have to really work hard to impress her once she gets home....I am only one person, but some would say with MANY personalities!!! Keep the good vibes going...I have a great feeling our little lady is coming home soon!!!!! Love, Chantelle

New Look!

Yep, The blog site has a new look....I am really getting into this stuff. I feel like all I talk about is how much time we have spent in PGN, but it is because it is what I spend much of the time pondering! We are really so happy about where we are in life right now. Eric and I were talking at breakfast today about what it will be like to add Bianca full-time to our lives. She is already so humorous and fun. I just love our time together, and we both feel that the time is coming where she will be coming home soon. It is just so awesome!!!! I will check in again soon!

Chantelle