The beginning

In January of this year we decided that we wanted to have a bigger family. At least, I wanted a bigger family, and Dave, being the ever supportive husband, agreed. We have alway been drawn to adoption, and the timing finally seemed just right. We spent the next two months researching our options and finally decided to adopt a baby girl from Guatemala. We signed with an agency in March and began the tedious paper chase. By mid-May with our dossier (international paperwork) just about complete we became eligible to receive a referral. On May 11 we received pictures of a beautiful baby girl named Damaris. She was just four days old, and as soon as I saw her face I knew she was mine. She looked just like my other babies with a head full of dark hair. We were smitten. We took Mother's Day Weekend to review her medical record and consult with our pediatrician, and on Monday May 15 we officially accepted her referral. The last few weeks have been sluggish as we work out a couple of kinks in our dossier, and our home study is being held hostage at the Guatemalan consulate. (Not actually ~ The consulate has to authenticate our documents, but they're backed up and taking way longer than normal.) We are also waiting for final approval from USCIS (INS) which should arrive early this week. Our baby girl is five weeks old today, and we are trying to find her the perfect name. We will likely keep her given name of Damaris as a middle name as we have grown rather attached to it. Dave and I hope to go and visit her sometime in the next 4-6 weeks for a few days, and if all goes well we are hoping to bring her home around the end of the year. Until then she is being cared for by a foster family in Guatemala City. Please keep us in your thoughts. ~Heather