OUR PRINCESS KARLY

This blog was created for our beautiful daughter Karly, who we adopted from Guatemala at 10 months old on 03/06/08. Thank you all for your love, prayers & support, we really appreciate it!
Lilypie 3rd Birthday Ticker
Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers
Lilypie Kids birthday Ticker

December 30, 2008

Yesterday was Luke's surgery to replace his ear tubes and remove his tonsils and adenoids. He did great, and today he's been doing all the things he normally does. He doesn't mind taking the amoxicillin, but hates taking the tylenol with codeine. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, he's drinking and eating soft foods. I wish I could recover from anesthesia as quickly as he did! The doctor said his tonsils were very large and his adenoids were humongous! So, his speech, hearing and breathing should be dramatically improved once the swelling goes down.

Karly is recovering from another ear infection, her 3rd one in 9 months. It's looking like she may possibly be getting tubes by Spring at the rate she's going. I don't think she would do as well as Luke, I'm sure there would be some major screaming before and after surgery with her.

Drew is enjoying playing his Wii. He's very good at it, and usually beats me. He and I went bowling today and he was disappointed that it was much more difficult than Wii bowling!

December 18, 2008

It's time again for a monthly update on my kiddos! We'll start with Karly. She is still doing very well. She is sleeping through the night, from about 7pm-8am and she takes an afternoon nap from 1pm-3:30pm. She is usually very happy, but has the occasional fit when something doesn't go her way. She likes to get in my cupboards and pull out pots and pans, food, anything she can get her hands on. She also now likes to climb up on the big chairs at the table and tries to grab people's food. She is still not really talking, so Early Intervention will be coming in early January to evaluate her. She'll probably have a special instructor like Luke did. I'm sure once she starts talking, she'll talk ALL the time. She seems to understand what we're saying to her, so that's a good thing.

Luke is doing very well in Preschool. He goes 2 days a week and seems to really like it. I just found out today that he needs to have a 2nd set of tubes put in his ears, because the last set fell out and he's not hearing well again. He's also going to have his adenoids and tonsils taken out, because they feel that this will help his speech, ear infections, breathing, snoring, etc. He's scheduled for surgery on December 29th. Please pray that all goes well for him, that he recovers quickly, and that this is the last of the ear problems for him! Other than all that, he is a very happy boy. He's quick to comfort someone when they hurt themselves, he's very compassionate and empathetic. He enjoys watching Spongebob, ALL the time! He's still crazy about Thomas the train too. He's our little clown, he's always saying and doing funny things. He is fully potty trained, and needs very little reminding to use the potty.

Drew is doing awesome in school. He got his first report card in school, and it was great. The only thing that he could really improve on to get a better report card is his neatness and legibility. His teacher tells me that he is a very bright little boy and he sets a fine example for the other students. She also says he's shy and reserved at school, is she talking about the same kid??!! At home he's bouncing off the walls sometimes, and just loves to annoy Luke. Most of the time they all get along very well though.

Well, that's it for now. I posted some more pictures for you to see.

November 15, 2008

I haven't done any updates for awhile, so I figured it was about time. Karly is now 18 1/2 months old and she's such a pleasant little girl. I posted some new pictures of her, I love the ones where she's picking apples! She still doesn't say too much yet, she doesn't even babble much. She has said, mom, dada, nite-nite, uh-oh, hi, bye, and "is" for Otis, but she doesn't use any of those words regularly. She loves to be chased and tickled and when she smiles and laughs her whole face lights up. She's a very happy little girl, although she does have her grumpy moments.

Luke is doing very well at preschool, and he has stopped hitting people like he used to. He is now fully potty trained! He can say anything he wants to now, and he talks a lot! He's our little clown, he loves to make people happy!

Drew is doing awesome in 2nd grade! He's so smart and a model student, according to his teacher. I go to his school several times a month to help his teacher out, and to tutor kids in reading.

Well, that's all for now!

September 10, 2008

Besides being very busy, things are going very well with our family. Luke will be 3 on Friday, and he just started preschool last week. So far he loves it! He's always asking when he's going back to school.

Drew is doing great in 2nd grade. He doesn't like it as much as 1st grade, but maybe once they really get into the swing of things he'll like it more. He has his first spelling test on Friday.

Karly is doing really well. She walks all the time now, and she's really good at it. She doesn't say much, but she seems to understand what we tell her most of the time. She had strep throat last week, so she was miserable. She's cutting the 2 molars on the bottom and she's a bit fussy from that, but usually she's very happy. The evening is when she gets the fussiest, she just wants to be held from 4pm-7pm. She goes to bed at 7pm and wakes up at 7:30am. Then she takes a 1 1/2 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon. There was a time when she first came home that I thought the child would never sleep, and now she's a wonderful sleeper, thank goodness! Luke continues to try to bully her and push her down, but he seems to be getting better with it. And she seems to be starting to learn how to fight back and she'll try to hit him! I will really have my hands full when she can talk and is able to get into more of his things. Drew is wonderful with her, he loves his little sister!

July 17, 2008

Here's a quick Karly update for you: She is really starting to take off with her walking. As I'm typing this, she is walking around our playroom. She doesn't use walking as her primary mode of transportation yet, but she will just all of a sudden stand up from a sitting position and then start walking towards something. It's so cute to see her little steps. I think her record so far is about 15 steps. She loves to climb on everything, and she loves to play in dirt!

July 6, 2008

Today we took the kids to Lake Tobias Wildlife Park. We had so much fun! The kids loved all the animals. We took a safari tour, and they had lots of baby animals to look at. My favorites are always the monkeys, but the baby zebra and bears were adorable!

June 29, 2008

Today at church we had a Dedication Ceremony for both Drew and Karly. Luke was Dedicated in 2006. It went well and the kids looked so cute all dressed up. The picture of Karly in her white dress is from this day.

June 22, 2008

We've had a busy past few days! On Thursday we went to Indian Echo Caverns, Friday we went to Strasburg Railroad to see Thomas the Tank Engine, and yesterday Drew and I went to see the 2nd Chronicles of Narnia movie with my mom and sister.

Hope you like the new pics of Karly, doesn't she just look so pretty in teal?! She's wearing the new outfit that her Nanny bought her. :) She is still doing really well, and is definately on a predictable nap schedule, thank God for that. I thought the child would never take real naps! And she's been sleeping through the night the majority of the time, sometimes she wakes up once. She has a contagious smile and is always laughing and smiling at people when we're out and about. Everyone at our church loves her, she's always smiling at someone!

She's taken some of her first steps, but she's not walking yet. She hasn't gotten any new teeth since she came home, she still only has 8 teeth. I'm wondering if she's ever going to get any more. She can say mom, dada, papa, hi, bubble, uh-oh, and she has a word for Drew but it doesn't sound too much like Drew yet, but does seem to start with a "d" sound. She is such a joy, we're constantly hugging and kissing her!

June 21, 2008

Here is a nice video that I found on youtube. If you have a couple minutes check it out, I love the song! It's called "In my Arms" by Plumb. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARAJ7uwnhYU

May 29, 2008

Karly is still doing really well. She finally has a nap schedule and sleeps in her crib for all naps and at night time. She takes a 1-2 hour morning nap at 9:30am, and then a 1 1/2 hour afternoon nap at 2:30pm. She goes to bed at 8pm. She usually wakes up around 11pm to eat a few ounces but then she sleeps all night and wakes up at 7:30am. Overall she is a very happy baby.

We went to Dutch Wonderland on Sunday. The boys had so much fun and Karly was very good just riding in her stroller. We saw a Thomas the Train show, so Luke of course was very excited about that. Luke rode his first mini roller coaster too, his face was precious when we would go around the turns! We had a very good evening at DW and hope to go back again soon.

April 28, 2008

Karly went to the doctor today for her 1 year checkup. She is now 20 pounds and 28 1/4 inches long. She has gained a total of 2 pounds since coming home. She is very healthy and developing normally. She got 3 shots today, but she did very well with them. I think it was harder for me than it was for her! Those are the first shots I've ever seen her get.

April 26, 2008

Today is Karly's 1st Birthday! We had a big party for her, complete with a cotton candy machine, pony rides, and a petting zoo! It was so much fun! We got a lot of cute pictures. I really can't believe that she is 1 already. Next thing you know, she'll be talking! Enjoy the new pics!

April 11, 2008

We took the kids to get professional pictures taken tonight. Karly went first and she did very well, she was actually the easiest one to get good pictures out of. Luke started to not feel well by the time it was his turn, but I think we got at least one decent picture of him. Drew was the least cooperative, he kept trying to smile a cheesy forced smile. All in all it was an okay trip, no one started screaming or crying!

April 9, 2008

Yesterday we had our first post-placement visit with our Social Worker. She is very happy with how well Karly has adjusted so far, and apparently Karly's sleeping problems are quite common. She was even very understanding of Luke's recent attitude towards Karly, where he just wants to annoy her any chance he gets. Typical big brother, right?

April 2, 2008

Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated this site. Having 3 children is definately keeping me busy lately. Karly is adjusting very well, we just wish we could get her to nap better. She sleeps from about 8pm to 7am, but she wakes up at least once and eats a few ounces. She fights naptime really hard, but usually takes at least an hour nap in the afternoon in her crib, and then she'll sleep on the couch with me for another hour.

She's usually a very pleasant baby, but she still gets upset most of the time if I put her down and get too far away. Drew is very good with her, and she got super excited when he got home from school today. Luke is still adjusting to her arrival, he's very possessive of his toys, and he likes to boss her around. I'm sure things will get better as he gets older, after all, he is still in the terrible 2's!

Karly has had a cold now for over a week and I took her to the doctor's office today. She has a double ear infection! She has been remarkably pleasant for having a double ear infection. She wasn't sleeping as well, but I thought it was because her nose was stuffed up and she couldn't breathe as well. I hope she doesn't end up needing tubes like Luke did.

She loves to pull herself up on everything she can grab. I predict she'll walk around 13 months. She's already starting trying to climb up the stairs! She's about 19 pounds now, but she doesn't appear to be getting too much taller. I'll be very happy to keep her little for a long time!

March 6, 2008

Karly is finally home! She did wonderful on the flights, she slept most of the time. We got to go to La Antigua, Guatemala this trip, and we are so glad that we got to experience some of Guatemala this time. Karly seems to like her big brothers, and Luke seems to be doing very well with her. Of course Drew is very excited to have his little sister home, he won't leave her alone!

Last night was a bit rough, because for the last 3 months Karly has been sleeping with her foster mom and she wasn't used to a crib anymore. It could've been worse! We still can't believe our baby girl is home!

March 2, 2008

We will be leaving tonight at 2am, so the next time anyone sees us our daughter will be home forever!!! We can't wait to get to Guatemala and see Karly. Please pray for a safe trip for us and for a smooth transition for Karly. Adios amigos!!

February 26, 2008

WE ARE PINK!!!! We finally know when we are going to get our little girl and when she'll be home forever! We're so excited!!! We leave in 6 DAYS!!! And I haven't packed a thing yet! We leave on Monday March 3rd early in the morning, and Karly will be brought to us later that day. Then our Embassy appointment is on Tues. March 4th at 7:15am. The next day our attorney will pick up Karly's VISA and we will fly home early on Thursday March 6th. We are still in shock!

The reason we got a faster appointment date is because I became concerned about Karly's one eye in the last couple sets of update pictures. It seemed to be turning in more than the other eye. I took her photos to a Pediatric eye dr and then to our Pediatrician and they both wrote letters yesterday stating that she should come home ASAP to be checked out. They don't really think it's anything major, but they want her to be checked out. It could be a "lazy eye" type thing, and maybe she'll wear a patch for awhile, but she'll fit right in here with Luke and his eye winking disorder! LOL!

Well, I have a ton of things to do and I still can't think straight, so goodbye for now!

February 25, 2008

Our DNA was delivered to the Embassy today!! That was the last major hurdle, now we just sit back and wait for our e-pink which tells us when our Embassy appointment is. Everybody think pink!!!!

February 23, 2008

Overnight Karly's results got to Memphis, TN. As of 5 am this morning they were in transit in TN. I don't know where they're going next, but hopefully somewhere to be put on a plane to Guatemala!

February 22, 2008

Karly's DNA results are finally on their way to the Embassy in Guatemala. I have the tracking number for the package and the estimated delivery date is Monday! You can believe that I will be stalking that package like a hawk! Hopefully we will get our e-pink on Wednesday and I'm hoping for an Embassy appointment date of 3/12.

February 19, 2008

We got word today that Karly's DNA sample just arrived at the Lab today. Let's hope they can process it quickly and get it back on its' way to Guatemala by the end of the week.

February 17, 2008

We got a new medical update on Karly today. She went to the doctor on Friday and she was 17 lbs. 15 oz. and almost 27 inches long.

February 15, 2008

Today they finally took Karly's DNA. It will now be sent via Fed'Ex to the lab in the US and then they will compare it to the 1st DNA test. Then the results will be sent via Fed'Ex to the US Embassy in Guatemala. They should have the results in about a week. Then they can let us know when our appointment is.

February 12, 2008

WE ARE ORANGE!!!!! I know most of you don't know what that means, but it means that the United States Embassy in Guatemala has given us authorization to do the 2nd DNA test. We are one step closer to bringing Karly home! The DNA test should be done on Thurs or Friday and then we wait for the results to get back to the Embassy, about one week. Then within a few days we will finally know when we will get to travel to Guatemala, about 2 weeks after that. We're getting closer....!!!!!!

February 8, 2008

Well, I'm pretty sure that my attorney got the documents back from the translator yesterday in time to submit them to the USE, but apparently there are some very, very horrible crimes happening in Guatemala City right now, and I guess he was in fear of his safety. He's also very busy re-registering all of his other pending cases with the Central Authority, so I guess he didn't have time to submit my paperwork yesterday. He says he will submit us to the Embassy on Monday, and we will get the Authorization the same day. Hopefully her DNA will be drawn the next day and then we wait for the results to get back to the Embassy. Then I will start watching my email like a hawk looking for our E-pink, the email that will tell us when our appointment is at the US Embassy in Guatemala to get Karly's VISA. We're getting closer, maybe about 4 weeks yet?

February 5, 2008

Karly got her Guatemalan passport today, so we're getting even closer. My attorney also took several of our documents to be translated and he hopes to have them back by 12pm on Thursday so he can submit them to the US Embassy to get the 2nd DNA authorization, otherwise known as Orange.

February 4, 2008

WE GOT KARLY'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!!! She is now officially a Thompson!!!! Her name right now is actually Mercedes Thompson, but she's still a Thompson! One more step down!

January 30, 2008

Our attorney traveled to Antigua today and submitted our documents to the Civil Registry. Now, we sit and wait for Karly's new birth certificate. We are hoping that it comes very quickly, I know that some people wait weeks and weeks for theirs.

January 29, 2008

The birthmother finally got into Guatemala City and signed off for the final time! Now our attorney can submit all of our paperwork to the Civil Registry in Antigua and request Karly's new birth certificate. We can't do anything else until we have her new birth certificate.

January 24, 2008

WE ARE OFFICIALLY OUT OF PGN!!!!! Our attorney has picked up our file and has already started working on the Adoption Decree. I still can't quite believe that we are out, and we actually got the Approval on my birthday 1/22! We have several more steps to go through before Karly can come home, but they don't seem so bad since we've gotten through PGN! The first and most important step is that her birthmother must sign off for the final time. I will let you know when she does!

January 16, 2008

7 Weeks in PGN today since we were resubmitted! (12 weeks total that we've been stuck in this step!) The average stay in PGN is around 8 weeks now, so we might only have one more week to go!! I heard that we are still with the 2nd reviewer, but we should be sent for final signature soon. I really hope so, because it's starting to feel like we will never get out of the black hole that is PGN. Maybe on my birthday we'll get our long awaited approval. Then within 4-6 weeks we will be bringing Karly home!

January 14, 2008

I was told today that the members of the Central Authority that were sworn in on Friday, will not be the final members because the new President takes office today and he wants to appoint his own members. So, if this is the case, we're no closer to the Central Authority being ready to start registering cases than we were last week.

According to the JCICS, they are recommending that any case that is already in PGN, and has an Aviso filed, should be automatically registered with the Central Authority. That would be good news, but we are still waiting for the Central Authority to publicly announce that they are going to accept that recommendation. There are still rumors going around that PGN is not working on any cases at all, but we are still hoping that's not really the case and that we can get out of PGN by Jan. 30th. But the quicker the Central Authority is up and running, the better for everyone adopting from Guatemala. If you want to know more, you can always go to www.guatadopt.com. They post important information about what's going on with Guatemalan adoptions.

January 11, 2008

We got word that Guatemala has sworn in the members of the Central Authority today. They are expected to start working possibly as soon as next week. This is good news, but knowing how slow things move down there I am still anxious for them to start the process of registering cases. In case you don't know, all cases must be registered with the Central Authority in order to be grandfathered in and allowed to continue under the old adoption system. So, we need them to get up and running and to register our case so we can finish our adoption under the law that was in place when we started this whole process.

January 4, 2008

Today we got more pictures of Karly! She looks absolutely gorgeous! She's even wearing an outfit that we took down for her in August. I think the pictures were taken on Dec. 20th, but we just got them today.

January 4, 2008

Today guatadopt.com came out with a new statement regarding the legal situation in Guatemala.

"We are getting mixed information but our ground forces are trying to clarify the reality of the statement. At this time, we believe (based on the information) that PGN is not accepting new cases but they are continuing to process cases. Under the new law, they are in a questionable position because the law states that all cases must be registered with the Central Authority...you know, the one that does not exist yet. So, I believe that the translation is that they are still working on cases, but there may not be any "approvals" until this has been ironed out."

There is a lot of speculation as to what is happening right now, and we are hoping and praying that PGN is still working on cases as usual and that they will still issue approvals. We would love to get out of PGN by Jan. 9th, so that we could possibly avoid having to do another home study.

November 28, 2007

Well, today we finally got resubmitted to PGN. So, our wait starts all over again! Ugghhh!! We are really hoping that there are no more errors in our file and that we can get out of PGN ASAP!

November 21, 2007

Today we got new pictures of Karly. She is almost 7 months old (on the 26th she will be). I guess our attorney felt bad for us since we got kicked out of PGN and tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

November 19, 2007

Well, today we got some really bad news. We were kicked out of PGN because of a typo in the Social Worker's report. Apparently we were kicked out last week, maybe around the 15th, and my attorney in Guatemala is already working on getting the error fixed and he will let us know when we are resubmitted. This is very disheartening news, since we'd already been in PGN for 3 weeks and we were hoping that we would be getting out within the next 3-4 weeks. Back to square one again....

October 23, 2007

Today we finally got the word that we were submitted to PGN. This is a big step and we hope to have a short stay! This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks that we have to overcome before we can bring Karly home. This is basically where 3 reviewers will go over all of our paperwork with a fine tooth comb and if everything is in order, then we can expect to be out of this step in about 8 weeks. Then, we can bring Karly home about 6 weeks after that. If they find any errors, they must be fixed and we must be resubmitted into PGN and basically start our 8 week wait all over again!

Adoption Timeline

Karly born: 04/26/07
Accepted Referral: 05/16/07
DNA taken: 07/02/07
DNA results: 07/14/07
FC: Not sure of dates, but SW interview was on 7/24/07
Pre-Approval: 09/03/07
Held up for 6 weeks from entering PGN because a Judge wouldn't release our social worker report!
Enter PGN: 10/23/07
Kicked out of PGN: 11/15/07
Resubmitted to PGN: 11/28/07
Out of PGN: 01/24/08 Actually approved on 1/22
New Birth Certificate from Antigua: 02/04/08

Passport:02/05/08
Orange:02/12/08
2nd DNA test taken: 02/15/08

DNA results received at Embassy: 02/25
PINK slip from Embassy stating when our appointment is to pick up Karly's VISA (sent via email): 02/26
Travel date: 03/03

Embassy appt: 03/04 at 7:15am!!
Home forever: 03/06!!!

About Me

Pennsylvania, United States
I am married to the love of my life, Rick and I am mommy to 2 boys, Drew (7) and Luke (3), and 1 girl, Karly (1 1/2). Drew (4/25/01)is our biological son and he is in 2nd grade. He's such a smart, handsome boy! We adopted Luke (9/12/05) from Harrisburg, PA in 2005 and we brought him home when he was 2 days old! He is always making us laugh! We adopted Karly from Guatemala and she came home on 3/6/08. She is our little princess. I am also mommy to my 2 angel babies in Heaven, Blake (12/26/03)& Gabriella (10/10-10/13/04) who were so small, so sweet and taken all too soon. I run an infant loss support group once a month and I volunteer at a grief center for children.
YOU

All babies are a gift, some are even surprises.

But YOU, my adopted child are a treasure!

YOU were not only planned and prepared for;

YOU were a journey we took, a mission we had our hearts on, a treasure so precious!

YOU were worth the wait, worth the tears, worth all the fears we faced.

Because YOU, our adopted child are a treasure!

Not of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart,
But in it!