Been busy

First, let me thank you for your emails (we got hundreds, literally!) and calls and blog comments congratulating us on our PGN approval! I look forward to sharing all of your kind messages with Catalina and Gus someday (I have saved every single one since the very beginning of this).

Sorry that I haven't posted since our PGN news, but we've had a busy week. Louie and I participated in our church's living nativity production on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. We were so glad to be a part of it. Our friend was the director and it was fun to watch him in action. Plus, the kids playing shepherds and townspeople were just adorable!

In addition to the living nativity production, I've been trying to get some last minute things done around the house before we travel to pick up Catalina and Gus (Yeah!!!! I still can't believe it!!!!). Finishing their rooms mostly. Aunt Julie finished the artwork for Gus's room (we received it right before we got the call about PGN, so we think that the artwork might have tipped the scales!)! I'll post a picture once we have hung it in his room. We are very grateful to Jules for helping make their rooms so beautiful!

For those of you wondering what's next in the adoption process, here's what happens after PGN approval:

- The attorney prepares the final adoption deed and meets with the birthmother for her fourth and final consent to the adoption. I don't know whether our deed has been prepared, but I know that the birthmother consent, in our case, is not applicable. Our birthmother signed a power of attorney in September for the final consent.
- The attorney applies for new birth certificates for each of the children...with OUR last name!!!
- The attorney applies for their passports and submits all the final documentation to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City.
- The Embassy issues its final approval and schedules an appointment for the new and improved Caputo family to appear at the Embassy for final verification.
- The Embassy issues the kids' visas. Once we pick those up, we're headed home to begin our lives together!!

All of this shouldn't take more than a few weeks to accomplish; however, many offices in Guatemala are closed at various times over the next couple of weeks for the holidays, so it might be a little longer before we are ready to travel. Still, we are completely overjoyed and thankful. We just couldn't ask for better news this Christmas!!

More soon. Hope y'all have a good Monday!!