Check out my big boy!

Holding his own bottle all by himself! Mama was very proud! Those bottles aren't light.

Ella Embroidery

My sweet friend, Mesa made this adorable onesie for Gabriel. She recently started embroidering these onesies and bibs and set up her own blog and store on Etsy named Ella Embroidery, named after her sweet angel, Ella.

To check out more of her work, here is her blog http://www.ellaembroidery.blogspot.com/ and here is her Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5445384

Back to work...

Sorry I haven't blogged in a couple days, but Gabriel and I have been getting used to me working from home. I started back on Monday. So far so good. I honestly cannot complain. Gabriel is such a great baby. We have a lot of one on one time during the day and then daddy comes home around 5:30pm to help me out.

I promise to take some pictures of his nursery. It's just hard for me to do this while it's just me at home since I have to keep my eyes on him 24/7. It only takes seconds for him to get into trouble and find himself in some predicament. I will try and get around to taking them tonight. Thanks for being so patient for those pix.

8 Month - a - Birthday!

Gabriel turned 8 months today! Here's a picture of him today at the King Fish Grill in Vilano Beach (near St. Augustine). Greg's parents were visiting so we met up with some friends of theirs and had lunch.

One Month Today!

Today marks one month since Gabriel was handed over to us - forever. We are absolutely in love with our son. He is such a precious gift from God and we are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to raise him and watch him grow. Time really does fly by and we are making sure to cherish each and every moment.

Catching up!

I'm sorry it's been awhile since I have blogged, but life has been so busy especially with the holidays in there as well! I wanted to post one of my favorite pictures of our little man. We are in awe of him and so very thankful to God for allowing us to be Gabriel's parents. He is the light of our lives and he definitely completes the Voss family.

Pictures from Pick Up Trip

With everything we have had going on, I had not had a chance to post our pick up pictures. Here is a link to them. Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=u7nq020.837rloj4&Uy=-2kc8o&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

First Voss Family Picture!

Here is our first shot together as a family on our flight back to the US taken courtesy of our Spirit Air flight attendant, Bill.

We.Are.Back.In.The.USA!

Well, the Voss family is now complete. We touched down yesterday in Ft. Lauderdale at 11:20am EST. We cannot be happier about finally having our son home and in time for Christmas. He truly is a dream come true and the best Christmas present EVER. I will upload more pictures once we are back in Jacksonville next week. But I will post this one of Gabriel at the Westin pool on Wednesday.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during this long journey. We truly appreciate them from the bottom of our hearts. And now the true adventure begins - PARENTHOOD. And we simply cannot wait!

Update from Guate City!

I just wanted to update everyone that we made it safely to Guatemala City and picked up Gabriel on Monday morning - for good! We are elated to have him with us and that tomorrow we don't have to give him back as we had done two times before. It still seems very much unreal to us that he will be coming home with us tomorrow. God indeed is very good. We went for Embassy day yesterday and everything went very smoothly. Today, his visa is being delivered to the hotel and tomorrow, we are off to the good ole' USA. Gabriel automatically becomes a US citizen once we touch down.

We will be in Miami for a couple of days, but as soon as I get back to Jax, I will upload his pictures.

Thank you for everything! Without you guys, this would not have been possible.

GC Bound!

Well, everyone, we are Guate City bound today!! I will try and blog a little bit while we are there. But don't worry, there will be a ton of pictures once we get back! I simply cannot believe we are on our way to picking up our son and bringing him home - for good!

Thank you for all your prayers, thoughts, well wishes, emails, and calls during this journey. They have absolutely meant the world to me.

Next time you see pictures, Gabriel will be in our arms!

We Got Pink!!!

That's right! At 3:13pm EST, I received the email from the American Embassy in Guate informing us that Gabriel received pink! Next week, we will he will be placed in our arms forever and we will be bringing our sweet, little boy HOME!

DNA 1 and DNA 2

I thought it would be cute to show a picture of what Gabriel looked like when he had his DNA taken out at the beginning of our adoption journey vs how he looks for his 2nd DNA test this past Tuesday. In the first picture he was a day shy of 1 month; in the second picture he was 6 months (and 7 days) old.

And The Countdown For Pink Begins.......

We found out today that Gabriel had his 2nd DNA test done on Tuesday, the 14th. From that point on we begin the two week countdown to PINK! So most likely we will receive pink the final week in November! Pink, for those that don't recall, is the US Embassy's notice to adoptive parents of their Embassy appointment to finalize the adoption paperwork and get the baby's passport and visa to travel home!

This 2nd DNA test began recently in August to aid in eliminating any issues with regards to switching babies. Our agency is incredibly reputable so we never feared that problem, but every baby adopted from Guatemala now has to have this test done. This is a good procedure to have in place - to be able to compare the baby's 1st DNA test with his 2nd DNA test.

Can we say we are the LEAST bit EXCITED?????????

Please Watch This

Please watch this video.

http://www.wisn.com/video/14602976/index.html

Two families from my agency (www.forthischild.org) were interviewed regarding their personal adoption journeys and they bravely told their story. We continue to pray that a grandfather clause is enacted for in process families to be able to finish the adoptions they began.

In the meantime, we keep Baby Nora and Baby Isabella in our prayers; that they may be reunited with their forever families very, very soon.

Good News x Two!

Today we found out that Gabriel's birth certificate has been issued with our last name! Funny enough they added my maiden name as his 2nd last name, but that is very traditional in the Latin culture. Now we can add him to our health insurance policy.

On another good note, I was checking my credit card statement online and noticed that we were charged for his 2nd DNA test today!! So hopefully his DNA will be taken soon and the results can be sent to the US Embassy in Guatemala quickly so that they can issue pink!!!

Steps left:

* The new birth certificate and the entire adoption file of documents are sent for translation from Spanish to English.
*After translation, the final file is submitted to the Embassy for pink slip and the lawyer is given a second DNA authorization slip (US office processes payment with US Lab and faxes confirmations to Guatemala lab).
*The child is brought into the Guatemala lab for a second DNA test. The Guatemala lab sends samples that same day to the US lab.
*When the Embassy receives the results from the lab in the U.S. indicating a match with the first DNA test, it issues the pink slip (probably within 14 days of the second test).
* Pink slip is picked up at 3:30pm - embassy appointment day and time will be printed on the slip. FTC sends Pink Slip to you by email and you book your flights.

*After receiving pink slip and before Embassy Day, Guatemala office will prepare the package for Embassy Doctor visit and make the appointment based on availability of the Embassy Doctor.
*You come for Embassy interview appointment (M, T, W, or Fri, currently one to two weeks after pink)
*Next business day – Visa is ready (3:00 pm M-Th; 11:00 am Fri. – FTC will pick this up for you)
*Next Day – you can fly home

New Pair of Kicks

As you all know, I love baby shoes and my mom found these and well, she just had to get them for lil' G. Aren't they *just* adorable?

November Doctor's Visit

Gabriel went for his doctor's visit on Wednesday. He is up to 14lbs, 1oz.

I picked up that cutie out for him at Target. I think it looks just adorable on him.

Shoes

Oh how I love baby shoes! I adore baby clothes too, but shoes always get me! Check out the three pairs I bought for little G. I can't decide which are the cutest, but when I saw the black ones, I had to get them because they are just like his daddy's.

Bittersweet

Oh what a bittersweet moment I experienced this afternoon.

We found out today at 5:07pm EST that Gabriel's birth mother signed off for the fourth and final time. Upon finding out, I started sobbing uncontrollably. I am beyond elated that he is officially our son, but my heart hurts for her tonight. She will never be far from my thoughts and one day I will tell Gabriel what an ultimate sacrifice she did for him ~ to have a better life. I knew this journey would not be easy for me. I have experienced a myriad of emotions on this rollercoaster ride especially since my birth mother gave me the same gift almost thirty years ago. I don't expect a lot of people to understand my feelings, but that is quite alright. My son and I already have things in common ~ a birth mother that loved us enough to make this sacrifice and adoptive parents to carry that journey out with unconditional love.

Happy 6 - Month - a - Birthday!!

Our little guy turns 6 months old today!!! We miss him terribly, but know that we will be on our pick up trip very, very soon!

Guatemalan Elections

Here's an interesting article on today's elections in Guatemala that my friend Beth sent me.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071104/ts_nm/guatemala_election_dc

What Needs To Happen Next?

Ok, for those wondering the order of things that still need to take place - here you go:

• Birthmother signs final decree (final time she signs off)


• Birth certificate issued (From Maza for those wondering - with our last name!)


• Passport issued


• Orange (request for DNA to be done)


• DNA taken


• Results to US Embassy


• Pink (Embassy appointment is issued)


• Buy plane tickets and pack our bags to go pick him up!!

Surprise Visit Pictures!

Well, today we received my favorite pictures - surprise visit ones. Isn't he just adorable!? I can't wait to bring him home for good. My sweet little man...

Here are the rest of the pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/slideshow?a=67b0de21b35574b50534&sid=8CYuHDRqxbsi0&auto=1&idx=-1&m=1&d=1194712873756

Almost 24 hours ago...

It has been almost 24 hours since we got THE CALL and I am still having a hard time believing we are truly OUT of PGN. Thankfully I have my caller id to rely on that reminds me, YES, this did actually happen.

For those concerned as to why I would put my agency's number on my blog, need not worry. This is their main number that can be found on any internet search or their main home page. Besides, why not spread the word that we have the world's best agency???