Isabelle Grace is COMING HOME!!!!!

I still can't believe it! Angela called this afternoon to tell me she had my PGN decree in hand saying that ISABELLE IS LEGALLY MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow. I'm been walking around the house in a fog and making calls! Wow.

And now, for the (already) FAQ's:

1. Am I still going to go visit next week?
Yes! Yes! Yes! Actually, now I am even more excited about the visit. Of course I am looking forward to seeing her, but I am also aware that the older she gets the harder transitions will be. I am hopeful that this week together will help her to bond with me and will help me to learn to 'read' her signs and understand her behaviors, etc. She's starting toddler talk in Spanish, so this time should give me a jump start on what she likes and how she communicates! I'll also have a better sense of what she enjoys playing with and stuff so I can begin to stock the house!

2. When will I bring her home?
I am hoping to have a much better guesstimate by the time I get back from my visit trip. The next step is to get her new birth certificate. Some people get birth certificates in one day, but others are having to wait for weeks. It literally means going back to the area she was born and going to the local civil registries office where they will rewrite her birth certificate with my last name. (Guatadopt folks, I don't think I'm going through RENAP) After that I should have a better sense of the timeframe. Pray that it is done while I am down there!

3. Why can't I just bring her home now?
In the eyes of the Guatemalan government, she's legally mine. If I wanted to stay down there, I would have custody of her. Only problem? She doesn't yet have permission to immigrate into the US :) Sort of important, at least in my eyes!

4. What still has to happen?
1. Signing of the Protocolo (legal paperwork, not a big deal)
2. Obtain new birth certificate
3. Obtain permission from US Embassy for 2nd DNA test to be done
5. Get her US passport pictures taken and go to the US Embassy doctor to make sure she is 'fit' to immigrate
4. Do 2nd DNA test and send back to the US to make sure it matches the sample from September (this is to assure that I'm taking home the same baby I started with....duh!)
5. Wait for an e-mail from the US Embassy telling me when I need to be there for Isabelle's appointment at the US Embassy. That's what will ultimately determine when I will go get her. Right now, people get about 7 days notice before the appointment, so they leave about 5 days from when they find out about it. I will know I'm close when the DNA comes back to the US and I'll become a "FedEx Stalker" checking the tracking number to see when it is here, and then when it is back in GUA.
6. Scramble like mad, get everything arranged at church to be out for 3 months (no, I won't wait until that week...), and jump on a plane! Hopefully, it will work out for mom to go with me on the pickup trip!

Complicated? Yup...and that's the watered down version :) But hey, no complaints from me! My sweet baby is COMING HOME! Praise God!