Hi,
Well after almost eight weeks of waiting, our case was officially started! I am going to Guatemala Aug 27th to Sep 5 to visit our beautiful daughter. She will be nine weeks old and very used to bottles,,,I will take things slowly, at least try to get her onto the Avent bottles/nipples while I am there.
Unfortunately my son and husband cannot go this time, I do get a little scared going alone,,but I am sure I will be fine.
The highest court ruled the Hague was unconstituional...so bye bye Hague! There are over 1200 cases ahead of ours, due to the backlog,,,but the important thing is she will be home!! We are even thinking about a second referral...can't decide between another little girl so she can have a sister,,,OR an older boy so our son could have a brother closer to his age...any thoughts?
Thanks for all the support, I am starting to pack today,,,need to take out all her newborn clothes and since she is sooo big, I will just bring down six month and above sizes...also want to bring her a blankee and some toys and a cassette tape with our voices on it and some lullabyes,,,,getting excited!
Thanks to everyone,,,Cathy

it is exciting isn't it! We fly today to California to visit with our hopeful baby girl. We will be visiting with her family til sunday evening.. maybe its going to come together for all of us now.. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

HI Nona!
Best wishes and we will be praying for you!!!
~Rachel

Hi Nona,
I am glad your adoption is so close! I envy folks who are able to adopt very young babies,,,At least you have alot of milk stored for her,,I only have one 5 ounce bottle filled so far.
Iam going to continue to pump until at least I get back,,then probably stop for awhile. Good luck Nona,,,,Cathy

Cathy, That is wonderful news-- enjoy your visit and bring us back some pictures! As far as adopting another one too, I would be inclined towards another young baby vs a toddler or older child. The last thing you need while getting two settled in is to have one struggling with attachment issues. I speak from experience-- it is terribly, terribly draining on the whole family....One of mine came home at 20 months and I cannot imagine also caring for a younger child while working through his issues and getting him well attached and secure in our family. Of course that is just my opinion-- you and your husband have to decide what is right for you. But older kiddos are NOT necessaily easier. OK--I will hush up now!
Congrats again-- I am SOOO delighted they started your case!

Cathy,
That is so awesome! I hope you really enjoy your visit. It really is too bad that your family couldn't go with you. If I were you, I would also be considering another referral while there. Why not add another family member while you can?
I hope you can post pics when you come back!

Cathy,
Wonderful news! You must be so excited. Have fun anticipating seeing your Ana. Your daughter sure sounds healthy.

If you and your hubby are up to it why not get a referral for another one. I am envious. It was always my dream for a large family. We still see this as a possibility for us in the future. After we get our baby after a while we want to look into being foster parents. My husand even said the other day that in the future he wanted to look into adopting from South Africa. I said sure sounds like a great idea.

I do have a thought on as to what referral to take. Only you two can make that decision. This is just my opinion but your son has been use to just the two of you for so long. A sibling closer to his age could work for you or against you. Any child closer to his age could also seem much younger than they really are. Think about how he would handle either scenario. I'm sure you have done this but ask him his opinion on the matter. That's just my two cents.

Best Wishes,
Bella

Nona,
I just wanted to wish you luck. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I really think that things will work out for you.
Take Care,
Bella

Hi Cathy,

Congratulations!!! I know you were asking me what I recommend concerning the protocol for you.

I recommend that you enjoy your baby. If that means breastfeeding with a supplementer in the beginning, so be it. There are some women who do great on the protocol and then just don't let down to a pump for some reason.

You've done what you can...7 months on the protocols, now it's up to you and your little one.

Have a great time.

Fondly,

Hi,
My computer is really acting up, not letting me respond to e-mails,,if this one goes through I esp wanted to see how things are going with Nona, and also congratulate Shelley on her pregnancy! Dawn must be excited with the baby so close...
I am reading about a woman who did the accel. protocol and is pumping 12 ounces a day,,,you would think me being on a high dose med like Diane for seven months,,,,,oh well!
I was wondering if I can bring my 5 ounce frozen stash of breast milk I have worked so hard for the last 3 months to get...the total travel time is around 8 hours,,,would it be ok in an insulated bag with some ice packs?
Also, due to being booked, I will be in 3 different hotels in my 8 night stay,,yikes! One does not have a fridge...I guess I will have to make one Lact-aid at a time...I will also have no way of heating the formula, so I guess she will get used to room temp meals!
I hope all this is like riding a bike,,its been awhile since I took care of a little one...at work I take care of adults, and definately do alot of poop cleaning and diaper changing at work,,so that part is ok. The diapers now are so soft, not the plastic like outside like with our son, and what happened to that stuff that makes the urine turn into a gel? I guess things have really changed. I have my Maya wrap sling, lact-aids, Avent bottles, clothes, toys,,anything I am forgetting?
Mary, when I get back I hope to hear that you are officially matched,,,as well as Bella! Nona, keep us posted,,,(I found a handsome 3 month old boy on my facilitators website,,maybe, just maybe! ) Thanks, Cathy

Cathy, I am SOOOO thrilled for you-- I can't wait to hear the whole scoop on Ana when you get back. Remember the trick of putting a bottle nipple over your own nipple (with the lactaid threaded thru) if your baby won't take the breast at first. That was a really helpful transition step for me in getting my 4 month old Joshua to start nursing. Actually that is exactly what I am doing in my pix to the left of this post. He had been home just one day, was 4-1/2 months old and didn't truly breastfeed for another day or two. But feeding him with his familiar nipple in the nursing position was a great help in getting him to take the breast eventually....
praying for you!