Two weeks down!

Well, we've been out of PGN for two weeks and I will telephone our agency tomorrow to see where our case is. Many of you have inquired about the remaining steps of this adoption process, so I thought I would list them below. It will be fun to see these steps happen over the next several weeks! Our agency told us to expect about 8 weeks to travel from PGN exit, which would be around the first of October...maybe we'll make it for Greg's birthday, Oct. 5!

Please continue to pray for Madalyn's safety in Guatemala...we are very much ready for her to be home with us in the U.S. Pray that our attorney works quickly and thoroughly to complete the steps below. We love you!!

After exiting PGN ...

1. The lawyer meets the birth mother for the 4th and final sign-off.

2. The adoption decree is written and issued by our lawyer and Madalyn is now legally our child!!

3. A new birth certificate is issued by the Civil Registry with Madalyn's first and middle names unchanged, our last name, and Greg and I listed as her adoptive parents.

4. Lawyer takes the new birth certificate and applies for a Guatemalan passport (although Madalyn is adopted by U.S. parents, she is still a Guatemalan citizen).

5. All documents are translated into English by certified translators, as required by US INS regulations.

Then..... for the final stages:

1. Guatemalan passport is issued.

2. Madalyn gets a U.S. visa photo done.

3. Lawyer takes all the paperwork back to the Embassy, including the passport, our dossier, the Family Court findings, the adoption decree, the DNA results, all translations, and the visa photos, and requests approval for an orphan visa to enter the U.S.

4. Lawyer receives a request for a child-only DNA test directly from the embassy, called an "orange slip." The lawyer sends the form to our agency, they then forward this onto the lab that did the original DNA test (on Madalyn and her birthmom). The lab will sign the paid receipt and send it back to the agency to forward to the attorney. The attorney will have the foster mom bring Madalyn to have the samples taken as soon as possible. The samples are sent to the lab where they are expedited. The results will arrive back at the embassy anywhere from 4 – 7 days after the samples were taken.

5. Once the embassy compares the 2nd results to the 1st results, the embassy authorizes the visa and a "pink slip" appointment will be issued.

6. Madalyn gets an exit physical by an Embassy-approved doctor (to make sure she doesn't have unrecognized handicapping conditions or infectious diseases).

7. We are told our case is complete and then we travel to Guatemala!! (Many people travel sooner but this is the "official" time when travel is recommended.)

8. Since Madalyn is legally our child, she will meet us at the hotel as soon as possible after we arrive...and we never have to say goodbye again!!

9. The lawyer completes required INS and State Department forms for visa issuance and includes them in the document package along with the results from the exit physical.

10. We will bring Madalyn and all the papers back to the Embassy early one morning (Monday - Thursday only, no visas are issued on Fridays), pay the visa fees, have a short interview, etc.

11. Then we can come home!!