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