What's happin' with the Morris-Seales family?

This is a question I am getting a lot here lately. Or what is PGN? For those people who are not involved in the Guatemala adoption process it all sounds like a bunch of jiberish. I've done some research on the internet and found the following explainations for the remainder of our process. I hope that this will help. Todd and I have made it so far in the process and the past six months seem to have flown by, but now we have to wait some more. But just knowing that we are in this final stage is somewhat of a releif, even though we still can't see the end of the tunnel we are starting to see a small light leading the way. PGN After your case exits Family Court and you have U.S. Embassy pre-approval, it will be submitted to Procuraduria General De La Nacion (PGN). PGN is tasked with ensuring that the requirements for adoption under Guatemalan law are met. As part of this process, your case will be submitted to a PGN reviewer for a determination as to whether all legal requi...

I just got the call from the agency. We are officially in PGN with a log in date of today 12/20/06. So we now sit and wait some more but we are getting really close. Let's all pray for a nice reviewer and hope that after the Christmas/New Year holiday they come back ready to work work work, and release cases everyday. We also need to pray for no Previos or kick outs. My friend Rebecca received a kick out this week for a document filed in the wrong place in her file, this is a very minor kick out and she is already back in PGN. Another one of my friends got out of PGN last week after being in 11 1/2 weeks she had one kick out just like Rebecca. So if that's how long it is taking it looks like March or April will be Meredith's homecoming, although no one really know it's in the hand of our PGN reviewer and the PGN director.

We just received the monthly medial update and pictures. Meredith is now 16.4 lbs and 25.5 inches tall. I think we've had a hair cut too wow wee that's short. Hopefully later today I can update the blog again we are supposed to enter PGN today!!!

I love it when the mail man delivers something other than bills haha . I've signed up to have a secret blog pal and I got a gift in the mail today from mine. I sure wish I was in her state right now, she's from Florida, my favorite place to vacation. Anyway here is what I got yyyiipppeeee !!!! A set of stamps for the scrapbooker in me. A reminder with a goal to bring Meredith home, I totally agree Valentines day would be great. A CD with loads of music for Meredith, it has my fav "The wheels on the bus", LOVE THAT ONE. And a frame ornament with a picture of our angel for our tree. Thank you so much for my gifts I truly love each and everyone one. It has really brightened my day.

We kinda got in the Christmas mood today. We decided to put the tree up and wrap some presents. So here is a couple of pictures. I heard back from the agency today and the Guatemala attorney did get our documents yesterday and took them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now it will take about 3 weeks for them to be processed, then we can enter PGN . We are hoping and praying for a short stay in PGN , but no one really knows how long we will be in this final stage. I just keep telling myself this is the last major step before Meredith can come home, and so what if we miss the first Christmas there will be others and I know Marina will take lots of pictures for me. We do know that Meredith did get her ears pierced about a week ago, can't wait to see those. Well I guess that's it for now, I'm working on some photo albums to take with us to Aunt Lib's this weekend.

Ok so the updates are getting farther and farther apart. Yes the lack of communication is very hard!! But Todd and I are taking one day at a time. Rebecca and I did the yearly ritual of shopping on Black Friday!!! WHHHOOO was that fun, what time was it Rebecca, 4 am when we got to Wal-Mart. Oh well we got everything we went for. Santa Claus has already dropped off a lot of goodies for Meredith. Todd and I are kinda feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge this year. We are debating on when or if we will put a tree up this year. If we knew that Meredith was coming home in January I would put it up now and just leave it up. But we have no idea as to when she will be coming home so if we do put up the tree we will probably put it up in her room and just leave it in there until she comes home. Who knows we may be having Christmas at Valentines day or even Easter. As for our case I sent out the authenticated documents via Fedex on Thursday. I just tracked the package and it was delivered down in Guate...

We did hear from the agency today and we do have to send in a 3rd Power of Attorney, well this one is a modification explanation to the first 2. We did learn today that the problem with the first POA had nothing to do with the line not being long enough as we were told. In fact they had written Meredith's given name incorrectly. If they had taken the time to explain this issue in the second POA we completed, we would not be in this mess right now. So we all know how long it takes to get a document authenticated here in the US, 3 weeks. OH MY GOSH!!!!! Well that is if the agency handles the document for us, I've decided to take matters into my own hands and I will be heading to the county clerks office tomorrow, the Secretary of States office on Thursday and sending out the POA via FEDEX to the Guatemalan Embassy in Washington DC Thursday afternoon. I've already called the Embassy and talked to the head lady and she said that she would turn it around in 24-48 hours. Our atto...

I know I haven't posted much about our case since we returned from Guatemala. Reason being we haven't had good news to report. During our visit we received daily updates from the attorney's office. One day something was said about a letter needed for PGN explaining why we had two POA's in our file. But she wasn't too sure about this and the attorney was on vacation the week we were down there. So when we get home we got in contact with our state side advocate and he say that the attorney went to submit our case into PGN and they immediately kicked it out due to the two power of attorney's in our file. This is the first time our attorney has been asked to complete this letter so we get to be the guinea pigs. This all happened two weeks ago today, we were told that the letter would be written and authenticated by today. Well yesterday we received a call from our advocates supervisor and she said that the letter has been written and it is being reviewed by the US E...

Here is the latest medical update on Meredith. She now weighs 14lbs and is 24 inches tall. The doctors appointment was on 10/18/06, but we are not sure what day these pictures were taken. One of these pictures she does not look like a happy camper, but the other 2 are good.

Meredith in the bouncy seat in the baby lounge. LOVES THE CHAIR HAVE TO GET ONE!!!! Meredith smiling for daddy. Meredith in the big girl chair in the restaurant for breakfast!! Meredith and her boyfriend Zachary holding hands ready to trick or treat.

Yep we made it with only a couple minor problems. First we left Louisville 15 minutes late, and when we landed in Houston we had to wait on the Jet way for 15 minutes so they could clear our ramp. So Todd and I made it to our connections with 6 minutes to spare. YIKES!! Secondly, one of our suitcases must have got caught on a conveyor belt or something, one of the corners was punctured and the back was partially ripped off. We are not sure what fell out, but I'm sure we'll figure it out when we go get something that isn't there. OH well with the short amount of time between planes, we're lucky that all 4 bags made it. The Marriott is great, the people here are so helpful, all we have to do is ask. Last night Todd and I had a wonderful pizza, possible the best we've ever had, and they brought us chocolate ice cream for dessert. Our room has a great view of the city, but most importantly it has a view of the BIG McDonalds that is next door to the hotel. We plan to sen...

That's right the time has come, well almost. Todd and I fly out Sunday morning and should be in Guatemala around noon their time. Once I get home tonight at midnight(working Archivers tonight) I'll put the very last stuff in the suitcases and get them ready to load in the truck. Tomorrow is equally as busy as today, Todd and I are both working tomorrow and won't have time to do much of anything. Gizmo is going to the kennel in the morning, let just say his digs are as good as ours in Guatemala. PetSuites is posh, they have 2 room townhouses with toddler beds and a private TV in each that plays the animal planet 24/7, this is a far cry from where Gizzy has stayed before, no more cat room for you little buddy. Todd and I will have to be in bed by 9 pm Saturday night, we will have to be up at 3:15 in order to make it to the airport by 5, WOW very early. But we can't wait to get there, three of my friends have already checked in and they are waiting for us to get there. I s...

Today was a good news day. Our attorney went to the US Embassy and picked up our Pre-Approval. That means we will be submitted to PGN this week. Lets all hope and pray for a nice PGN reviewer and that they don't find any mis-spelled words or anything else to kick us out for. Let's hope for a short 3 week stay in PGN, more realistic is 6 weeks, but there is always a chance. Todd and I leave at 7:10am on Sunday for our trip to Guatemala. I probably won't update the blog again until after we get back unless I can get access to the computers in the Hotel lounge.

Our authenticated DNA results were received at the agency on Tuesday. The agency said that they were overnighting them to our attorney the same day. So the only thing that is keeping us out of PGN is the pre approval from the US embassy. 11 days to go!!!

Today's weekly report from Guatemala stated that our social worker report is complete and the only thing our attorney is waiting on is the authenticated DNA results and Embassy Pre Approval and we can be submitted to PGN. I've asked our advocate if we would be submitted into PGN by the time we get there and he said the chances are very good. As for PGN it is a crap shoot. I'd have better luck picking the lottery numbers than guessing when we will get our of PGN. The time line for PGN runs from 3 weeks to over 6 months. I know people at both end of this spectrum. So we'll just keep our fingers crossed that we are one of the 3 week families. As for the countdown we are at 12 days. Todd and I have to get busy packing this week, we are both going to be very busy this week and next with Archivers and a Horse Show at the expo center. Several of you have asked if we have everything we need for our trip and as of right now we don't think so. I'm off tonight so Todd and ...

I'm trying to post every week to the blog, so far I'm failing miserably!!! Ok I will try to do better. Anyway with this weeks update there wasn't anything new to report. Our DNA results are in the authentication process and should be back by weeks end. Once back at the agency they will over night them to our Guatemalan attorney and she will take that and the Social worker report (when it comes in) and submit us into PGN. So we are very close to the getting into the final stage of the process. There is one more piece of paper you need to get into PGN and that is a Pre-Approval from the US embassy and they issue that after they get the DNA results from Labcorp. Right now those are taking on average 30 days from the day Labcorp overnighted the results to the Embassy. So ours was sent out on September 15th so we are half way there. So we are hopeful that the DNA results, social worker report, and pre approval will all be back and they can submit us to PGN on or around the ...

27 days and counting!!!!!! Todd and I are getting really excited. Today was medical update and picture day yiippee!!!! Meredith is now 12 1/2 pounds and 23 inches tall.

I've been getting that question a lot so I thought I should explain to everyone what is going on right now. As the last post states the DNA test has come back as a match which allows us to travel and visit Meredith. 31 days and counting. Our friend Rebecca will be down there too at that time so we are looking forward to meeting her in person. The DNA test results from Lab Corp came in the mail on Wednesday, a copy was also sent to A Helping Hand. Once AHH gets their copy they will send it off to be authenticated and then it's off to the US Embassy in Guatemala. Once down in Guatemala the Embassy will issue a Pre-Approval for the adoption to enter PGN. We are currently waiting on our Social Worker down there to complete her home study on the birth mom and foster mom. That report should be back in a few weeks if not sooner. Once the social worker report is complete and the Embassy has issued the Pre-Approval we can enter PGN. PGN is where a case worker reviews everything with a f...

I've just booked our flight and hotel reservations for our first visit trip. I can't wait to get down there. I think the countdown said 34 days this morning!!!! I'm so excited to get to see Meredith and I'm also excited to be visiting another country!!! Now that everything is booked it's time to make sure we have everything we need for the trip. YAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! Hold on Meredith mommy and daddy are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just received the results from the DNA test that was performed last week on Meredith and her birth mom. The results came back a match 99.99% That means Todd and I are free to travel. YAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleepy baby. Our first family photo!!! I'm a happy girl!!!

Finally we have some new pictures, thanks to Rebecca another adoptive parent that just returned from visiting her son. This is one of the dresses that we sent down a couple of weeks ago.

Good Labor Day everyone. Well summer is almost over and I must say that this summer has moved very quickly. I guess we have been pretty pre-occupied this year, I wonder with what??? One of my new friends that is also using our agency made a visit trip to Guatemala this weekend to see her son. In an effort to obtain information about Meredith and another families little guy, she asked our attorney if they would bring the babies over to the hotel for her to meet them and take pictures. And by a sheer miracle they granted her request. She spent over an hour with Meredith and Anthony plus their foster moms. She conducted mini interview with each foster mom to obtain information about our babies. Here is what she found out about Meredith: "She is beautiful Veronica. I held her and took lots of pictures with her. I got pics of all of the babies with each other...and with the foster mom and with me of course. Meredith was dressed so cute in one of the outfits that you sent down. Meredith...

Hey everyone, We don't have much to report this week. We were told we could be submitted for DNA authorization this week and possibly family court next week. We hope to know more next week. We did not received the medical update this week either, another hope for next week. We need to pray for Kim and Jay they flew to Guatemala today to meet their little boy Alex. I hope to see some pictures later tonight. Thanks again Kim for taking those clothes to Meredith. I wish you could see her for us, but we know that won't happen. This week was also the beginning of my Archivers training, the store is opening on Sept 22 and we begin moving into the store this Thursday. Exciting!!!! Look at this picture. What am I doing? Just bored and taking pictures???? NOOOOOOOO guess again, oh ok one more hint. Yes that's right Todd and I are planning a visit to see the munchkin. And no one make fun of my homemade countdown!!!!! I guess I should explain how the visit process works. Our agency r...

Meredith is 2 months old today. Hopefully she will be going to the DR today unless they took her last week. We hope to get the medical update this week. I wonder how much she weighs? (Becky we may have to return some clothes, hehehe) And just maybe there will be pictures too. We're also hoping for DNA authorization this week. Training begins this week for Archivers and we start loading the store either later this week or early next week. The store is scheduled to open Sept 22. So it's time to get busy, busy, busy.

The title says it all. The advocate at the agency went on a trip down to GUA to visit the attorney and the Foster moms and babies. Some of the families received pictures, unfortunately we were not one of them. They took pictures of all the babies, but the camera got lost either in the room or at the airport so there are no pictures for us. BUMMER!!!!!!!!! Those families that did get pictures were from the Foster moms and the disposable cameras they have left with them. In the same day we find out our Power of Attorney is no good. The line where the babies' name goes isn't long enough. So we have to submit a new one and it has to go through all the different offices just like the other paperwork did. So we have probably added another 2-4 weeks onto the process. They can not go any further with Family Court until the POA is corrected. On a happier note we were told this would not affect the authorization of DNA which we should be getting the OK from the US Embassy to have that te...

We'll we haven't heard anything yet this week about Meredith, but I did hear from Archiver's. I accepted a part time supervisor position with the new store opening up here in Louisville. I begin tranging in about 2 weeks. YEAH!!!!!!! A much needed distraction, plus a little money. Todd found out on Friday that our Dossier is in Guatemala and is being translated into Spanish. Philip(our advocate) is checking on a few things for us regarding our foster mom, and hopefully we can get Embassy approval for DNA testing soon. I've been chatting with some other families that are in the process and we are trying to get a small group together to start a support group here in Louisville. Thanks to one of the other families Meredith will be getting a lot more clothes at the end of August. Thank You Kim for offering to take those down for us we greatly appreciate it!!!!

The agency emailed these pictures to the proud papa today!! ARGH her eyes are closed!!!! Finally a picture with her eyes open!!!!

We received the 1 month doctor visit report today and Meredith has gained almost 4 lbs in a month. She has also grown 3 inches. Her stats are 9lbs, 20.07inches long. She also received a bunch of shots. No photos came with this update. As for mommy and daddy, our week has been challenging. I've been sick with the stomach flu since Tuesday morning, pair that with not sleeping and I feel like a real winner. Todd on the other hand is the best "honey will you get me" guy I know. He calls it good practice for later on. Our paperwork is now complete and has been received back at the agency from the Guatemalan Consulate in DC. Our agency will send everything down to Guatemala on Thursday for translation into Spanish and then we are off and running. We are trying to pin down when we could visit if we want to or should I say can. Airplane tickets are expensive!!!! Oh well everything will work out. Talk to you soon. V

I hope everyone is doing great and are having a good summer. I will start sending a monthly update to keep everyone inform of what is going on at AHH and also pass on information about referrals. I would like to encourage everyone that is "paper chasing" to work quickly. If you are waiting on your Home Study to let us know when that is done and sent of to CIS. Also do not forget we need an authenticated copy for your Dossier. If you have a referral and your child's DNA has been done and pre-approval received, please contact us before you plan a visit so that we can consult with Cinthya about dates. Keep in mind she also needs to get rest and on Saturdays and Sundays it is very hard sometimes to deliver babies to the Hotel so it might not happen. To avoid disappointments plan trips on a week day. For those of you who have been waiting to get out of PGN the waiting has become long but I want to let you know that if we or Cinthya (attorney in GUA) had any way of getting...

After comparing prices with all the major carriers DHL was the cheapest. All the others cost more and would take longer to get there. DHL has guaranteed delivery by 6pm tomorrow Tuesday. Robin guessed $200 which was the closest.

Well I don't know what you win but guess anyway. How much do you think this box will cost to ship to Guatemala? It weighs approx 6.5-7lbs, full of clothes and disposible cameras.

Here is what the email fairy brought today. Our advocate at the agency said these were either taken today(Tuesday), or yesterday. Meredith goes to the doctor again on the 21st and we should get that update 1-2 weeks after. I'm just thankful to have new pictures. They say she is really healthy and has great color. I just wish the photos weren't so close up?? Oh well just glad to have them. The care package will be going out on Thursday. Todd read some Walt Disney books tonight and recorded them and I'll do the same tomorrow. I'll have a contest to see who can guess the cost for shipping this box down, you will be surprised. Is that a double chin I see??? Yep she'll fit in just fine.

These picutres speak for themself. Uncle Brians idea of a good team. Daddy's idea of a good team. I wonder which one Meredith will pick??? Oh and Todd wants to know where he can find some Chicago Cubs gear for her??? Thanks Aunt Becca for the cute outfits even though Todd says she can't wear this one, don't worry I'll sneak and let her. No new update just yet. We will post information as soon as we get it. We are sending down a care package this week.

Well Todd and I have had a very busy weekend. Ever since we found out that Meredith is here we've been going in overdrive. As you can see we finished up the nursery this weekend. We will put the changing table together sometime this week, the crib was challenge enough for one day. Oh and the border (that one piece deal didn't work too good Becky). Oh and Todd says if he sees one more thing Hello Kitty, he's going to hurl. hahaha But anyway the room is painted, the border hung, and the crib is put together. The only thing that's missing is Meredith!!! We haven't heard anything else since Tuesday, I'll try to get some more information this week, but it's doubtful that the agency will know anything new. They said we would get our next round of pictures in about 5 weeks.