I received a notarized copy of the DNA results yesterday. Attached to the back was a picture of Eddy with his biological mom. I knew it was going to be there but I did not expect the feelings I had when I saw her holding him. My heart ached for her. Usually, the children are just sitting in mom's lap - there is no emotion - and the mother is barely touching the child. Edison's mom, Jemmy, was actually holding him in her arms. They were both looking at the camera and it looked like he was trying to put his hand on her cheek. I know she loves him, or she would have never placed him for adoption. She is a beautiful young girl. She is 18 years old and has a 20 month old son at home. She is unmarried and lives with her mother. She stated in the relinquishment papers that she could not afford to care for both children. I cannot imagine what life would be like to be so poor I could not care for my children and had to make a decision to give them up - knowing it would break my heart; also knowing that it would be for the best.
I cried for Jemmy yesterday. I hope to meet her one day so I can express to her how grateful I am that she has allowed Paul and I to raise her son. I give God all the glory for orchestrating Eddy's birth and allowing our adoption of him.
I love this poem and it is perfect to place in today's blog:
TO OUR BABY BOY
We both love you,
and we both have hopes and dreams for your future.
She carried you in her body for nine months;
I carried you in my dreams for numerous years.
She labored through birth;
I labored through INS, social workers, and foreign law.
She is nature; I am nurture.
She wonders are you healthy?
I sit and rock you wondering when your fever will go down.
She wonders if you have enough to eat;
I wonder should I make you eat your broccoli.
She wonders are you happy; I love to hear you laugh.
She wonders if you are loved;
My heart melts with every smile and breaks with every tear I soothe.
She wonders what you look like;
I proudly display your pictures all over the house.
She hopes you get a good education;
I sit and help you with your homework every night.
She wonders what you will grow up to be like;
I teach you to be strong, independent, and to believe in yourself.
She wonders if you will marry and have children;
I help you plan your wedding day and cry when I hold my grandchild for the first time.
She gave you life; I am grateful to her every day that you are a part of my life.
She will always wonder about you;
I will always be thankful to her for bringing you into this world.
She will always be your biological mother; I will always be mommy.
by Audrie LaVigne
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
DNA Match!
It is official! Eddy's DNA is a 99.99% match to his biological mother's DNA!
Now, we move to the next step - Getting the DNA results certified and authenticated. Once this is complete, they will be sent to the American Embassy in Guatemala. Now we wait for Pre-Approval from our Embassy! Pre-Approval allows us to enter PGN!
Now, we move to the next step - Getting the DNA results certified and authenticated. Once this is complete, they will be sent to the American Embassy in Guatemala. Now we wait for Pre-Approval from our Embassy! Pre-Approval allows us to enter PGN!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Kids say the darndest things!
I've got a few stories to tell about the funny things that kids say.
The first is a conversation I had with my 10 year old daughter, Kensley. One day, out of the blue, she asked, "Mama, if me and Emily get older and Edison is still little, and I don't mean to make you mad, but what if, now I don't mean to make you mad, but let's just say, what IF, something happened to you and Daddy? Who would take care of Edison?" I told her that it would depend on how old she and Emily were and if they were mature enough to take care of him. She said, "So... I could take care of him if something happened to you?" I said, "Yes, as long as you wanted to and you were old enough." Her reply, was "Good, I want him!" I told her I thought that was very sweet and then I asked, "Do you think something might happen to me and your Dad?" And she said, "Well...." My reply was, "Do you think we're too old to have a new baby?" To which she sheepishly replied, "Well, sorta." I told her that 37 years old was not too old to have a baby and that lots of people my age and older either have a baby or they adopt. I told her I was pretty young when she and Emily were born. She seemed satisfied and went back to playing. You just never know what a child is thinking!
My nephew, Cash, spent the night with us last night. I put together a Welcome to Our Family book for Edison and had Shutterfly.com print it. We are sending it to Guatemala with a friend on Tuesday who will make sure Edison and his foster mom receive it. I read the book to Cash this morning. The book introduces Eddy to Paul and I, his sisters, our house, our dog, our horses, our truck, different rooms in the house, his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. I made one page with my nieces and nephews and titled it "more family". Cash's first question was, "Why don't you have my name in that book?" I said, "I wrote more family". He said, "You have my Granna's name in that book. How come my name is not in there?" I said, "I only had a little place to type and I couldn't get everybody's names in there." He finally let that go. His next question was, "Aunt Dana, do you really have a little baby?" I said, "Yes, I do, but he lives in Guatemala right now but he is going to move here and live with us." He said, "Is he going to leave his mama there?" I said, "Well, Eddy's mom does not have enough money to buy food or clothes for him and she can't take care of him so she is going to let us adopt him and come and live with us because we can buy food and clothes for him. We will be his new Mama and Daddy." He said, "Well, me and my momma have enough money so we can help you take care of him sometimes." I said, "Okay - because I may need it!" Cash is 4 years old and he is so excited about his new little cousin. I hope they will be great friends!!
The first is a conversation I had with my 10 year old daughter, Kensley. One day, out of the blue, she asked, "Mama, if me and Emily get older and Edison is still little, and I don't mean to make you mad, but what if, now I don't mean to make you mad, but let's just say, what IF, something happened to you and Daddy? Who would take care of Edison?" I told her that it would depend on how old she and Emily were and if they were mature enough to take care of him. She said, "So... I could take care of him if something happened to you?" I said, "Yes, as long as you wanted to and you were old enough." Her reply, was "Good, I want him!" I told her I thought that was very sweet and then I asked, "Do you think something might happen to me and your Dad?" And she said, "Well...." My reply was, "Do you think we're too old to have a new baby?" To which she sheepishly replied, "Well, sorta." I told her that 37 years old was not too old to have a baby and that lots of people my age and older either have a baby or they adopt. I told her I was pretty young when she and Emily were born. She seemed satisfied and went back to playing. You just never know what a child is thinking!
My nephew, Cash, spent the night with us last night. I put together a Welcome to Our Family book for Edison and had Shutterfly.com print it. We are sending it to Guatemala with a friend on Tuesday who will make sure Edison and his foster mom receive it. I read the book to Cash this morning. The book introduces Eddy to Paul and I, his sisters, our house, our dog, our horses, our truck, different rooms in the house, his grandparents and his aunts and uncles. I made one page with my nieces and nephews and titled it "more family". Cash's first question was, "Why don't you have my name in that book?" I said, "I wrote more family". He said, "You have my Granna's name in that book. How come my name is not in there?" I said, "I only had a little place to type and I couldn't get everybody's names in there." He finally let that go. His next question was, "Aunt Dana, do you really have a little baby?" I said, "Yes, I do, but he lives in Guatemala right now but he is going to move here and live with us." He said, "Is he going to leave his mama there?" I said, "Well, Eddy's mom does not have enough money to buy food or clothes for him and she can't take care of him so she is going to let us adopt him and come and live with us because we can buy food and clothes for him. We will be his new Mama and Daddy." He said, "Well, me and my momma have enough money so we can help you take care of him sometimes." I said, "Okay - because I may need it!" Cash is 4 years old and he is so excited about his new little cousin. I hope they will be great friends!!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Edison - Growing Up
Click here http://growingupeddy.shutterfly.com/action/slideshow?caid=67b0de21b35e5352258e&a=67b0de21b35e5352258e&auto=1&idx=-1&m=1&d=1200150415515 to see Edison growing up before our very eyes!!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
DNA
What wonderful news we received today! We got approval from the US Embassy in Guatemala to proceed with our DNA testing of Eddy and his biological mom. The fee to LabCorb has been paid, we have received a receipt indicating that it has been paid and have faxed it to our attorney in Guatemala. She will deliver the paid receipt for the DNA testing. If all goes well, we should receive DNA results within 2-3 weeks!!!!! One step closer!! Yeah!
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2008 will be Great!
Dear Edison,
It's a little past midnight on January 1, 2008! Everyone is asleep and for some reason I am wide awake. Kensley has been so excited because I promised her we would watch old movies of her and Emily we had taken when they were babies. That is what we did the last few hours of 2007. I cried watching Emily on video. I knew she had grown up - but I had forgotten what a sweet, little girl she was. Her voice and the way she said, "Mama?" and her singing off-key is priceless - I even filmed her one afternoon "throwing a fit" for which she is famous in our family. So far we have only seen Kensley's ultrasound and that was pretty boring after a few minutes - especially since I can't remember what all the parts are but I promised her we would go out in the garage and find some of her when she was little. The girls have grown up so quickly and I will be saying the same about you several years from now. Emily is off tonight at a church lock-in with a bunch of her friends. Kensley is asleep and Cash is here, he's sleeping with Paul. I'm not sure where I will end up - either with Paul and Cash (too crowded) - or maybe with Kensley??
2008 is finally here! This is the year our family will finally meet YOU. 2007 was a wonderful year because it is the year you were born. 2008 is going to be great because you are going to officially become an Underwood! I'm counting the days until we meet you for the first time in February and already dreading the moment when they take you out of my arms and I have to leave you in Guatemala. The thing that will keep me going is knowing that Paul and I will return for you in only 4 short months and while that seems like a long time - it is shorter than the time we have been away from you! Just six more months and God willing, you will be able to come home with us. We can't wait.
I'm begining a project today that I hope to send to you in Guatemala this month (January). It will be a bilingual picture book, made by me (with the help of Shutterfly.com and my spanish speaking friends) that will introduce you to me, your daddy, your sisters, our dog, our house, the cars we drive, the horses and your grandparents. Hopefully it will be your favorite book and it will help you, when you see your daddy and I for the first time, recognize us and then it will make everything else familiar to you also so things here in Lancaster will not seem so scary.
I always knew that I someday wanted to adopt a child. I didn't know what year you would be born, when you would join our family - I knew nothing about you but then you happened in 2007 and that has been the greatest thing. There are years that come and go without much that sticks in your mind but there are other years that have some magical memory from which you can easily recall the year. 1970, I was born. I graduated from high school in 1988. In 1989 I married Paul, 1993 is when I held my first-born, Emily. Kensley came along in 1997.
2008 is going to be one of those memorable years - and your name will be attached!
Happy New Year, Eddy! Love, Mommy
It's a little past midnight on January 1, 2008! Everyone is asleep and for some reason I am wide awake. Kensley has been so excited because I promised her we would watch old movies of her and Emily we had taken when they were babies. That is what we did the last few hours of 2007. I cried watching Emily on video. I knew she had grown up - but I had forgotten what a sweet, little girl she was. Her voice and the way she said, "Mama?" and her singing off-key is priceless - I even filmed her one afternoon "throwing a fit" for which she is famous in our family. So far we have only seen Kensley's ultrasound and that was pretty boring after a few minutes - especially since I can't remember what all the parts are but I promised her we would go out in the garage and find some of her when she was little. The girls have grown up so quickly and I will be saying the same about you several years from now. Emily is off tonight at a church lock-in with a bunch of her friends. Kensley is asleep and Cash is here, he's sleeping with Paul. I'm not sure where I will end up - either with Paul and Cash (too crowded) - or maybe with Kensley??
2008 is finally here! This is the year our family will finally meet YOU. 2007 was a wonderful year because it is the year you were born. 2008 is going to be great because you are going to officially become an Underwood! I'm counting the days until we meet you for the first time in February and already dreading the moment when they take you out of my arms and I have to leave you in Guatemala. The thing that will keep me going is knowing that Paul and I will return for you in only 4 short months and while that seems like a long time - it is shorter than the time we have been away from you! Just six more months and God willing, you will be able to come home with us. We can't wait.
I'm begining a project today that I hope to send to you in Guatemala this month (January). It will be a bilingual picture book, made by me (with the help of Shutterfly.com and my spanish speaking friends) that will introduce you to me, your daddy, your sisters, our dog, our house, the cars we drive, the horses and your grandparents. Hopefully it will be your favorite book and it will help you, when you see your daddy and I for the first time, recognize us and then it will make everything else familiar to you also so things here in Lancaster will not seem so scary.
I always knew that I someday wanted to adopt a child. I didn't know what year you would be born, when you would join our family - I knew nothing about you but then you happened in 2007 and that has been the greatest thing. There are years that come and go without much that sticks in your mind but there are other years that have some magical memory from which you can easily recall the year. 1970, I was born. I graduated from high school in 1988. In 1989 I married Paul, 1993 is when I held my first-born, Emily. Kensley came along in 1997.
2008 is going to be one of those memorable years - and your name will be attached!
Happy New Year, Eddy! Love, Mommy
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We've been waiting how long ? ? ?
From the day we filled out our application for adoption (9/11/2007) to the day we picked up Edison's visa to come to the United States (9/11/2008) took exactly one year! Of my three pregnancies - this paper pregnancy was the longest and most stressful.
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