good news from colombia

A few different things have happened this week. Colombia recently changed it’s referral policy allowing those of us non-Colombians who are adopting sibling groups and/or special needs children to be treated as Colombians. This means our dossier (paperwork) once in Colombia will be expedited and we will receive travel authorization 2-3 months ahead of schedule!!!!!!!!!

And if that’s not enough amazing news, our caseworker is currently in Colombia and met with CRAN (the authority/agency in which we will get our kids from)…they are aware of us and are anxious to get our paperwork in their hands. They said the kids are ready to go and they are anxious to get them permanently places. This will ensure the paperwork is expedited.

Wow, can you believe it? We could be there anywhere between April and June. This is much different than the previous timeline of August-October. A few months probably doesn’t seem like much of a difference, but for us it is HUGE. Adam won’t be back at work full-time as we previously planned. This means thousands of extra dollars we thought we would have before travel. We Can and Will make it work with the help of family and EBay.

This also means I will go straight to Colombia before moving back to Las Vegas. Luckily, mom-in-law, Debbi, has two extra bedrooms we can use when we return with the children while we search for a rental house. We’ll also need a vehicle that holds at least six people. Hopefully, mom, Cathy, is still willing to let us swap her Pilot for the truck for a few months….right, mom? Not like she hasn’t done enough already or anything. 🙂

Some of you wonderful friends have asked what you can do? Now’s the time. We need clothes, shoes, bedding, booster seats….you know, all the stuff you put in boxes thinking you’ll take to Goodwill someday. If you know anyone who has any of these items and is looking to get rid of them….we’re your people. Our boys will be 8 and 5, our girls will be 7 and 6 when they come home. All four children seem to be average size from the picture we have. I can’t post the pic for another six weeks or so, but I can email it to you privately if you need some idea of size.

Adam’s sister and our friends, The DeMarcos, each have a set of bunkbeds they are giving us. I believe they are both singles on the bottom and top, but I will double check. Bedding isn’t terribly expensive, but if you are looking to downsize let us know.

That’s all for now. We are super excited and gearing up in the next couple of months to prepare to travel. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers. The kids all have birthdays between now and June. I was afraid Daniel would be almost nine when we actually picked him up. This means he’ll barely be eight….this is a big difference developmentally and all. Juan will barely be five. Ooohhhh, I’m getting goose-bumps thinking about teaching them and loving them and snuggling with them.

6 comments

  1. I am so so so Excited for you guys! I hope that you are able to go as soon as possible. You will be there for 7 weeks, right? Wow that seems like so long! What will be doing for that long? I can’t believe that you guys will be a family of Six! That is so awesome! They are so lucky, even if they sit in the kitchen sink until they are pruny! We love you and are excited to hear what you find out!

  2. I’m so incredibly happy and excited for you guys. Kenny and I can’t wait to meet our new nieces and nephews, and Miranda is very excited to FINALLY have more cousins.

    The bunk head we’re saving for you has a twin size mattress on top and a full size mattress on bottom. I’ll talk to you more about that, since I am planning on getting the bedding but want to talk to you first about colors, themes, etc.

    Love you both!
    Marisa

  3. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait! Hey I know how it feels to wait (some what. I really wanted Adona to be here in the end of May, but she made me wait until the end of June. Welcome to MOTHERHOOD!!!! HA!! (I guess Fatherhood too Adam. haha!) When we see what Dave’s raise is, I’m going to go crazy for these cuties!! Love you guys! (And I can’t wait for you to be back here in Vegas!)

  4. Rachel! Hi.

    So here is what I learned today-

    Hola! Me llamo Megan. Yo soy tu tia!

    Awesome! What would not be awesome is if that doesn’t really mean what I think (was told) it does. Haha.

  5. The sooner the better… This is wonderful. I am still so glad that you have been documenting every little piece of this journey. It’s been so beautiful to witness, despite all the frustrations and set backs. Can’t wait until we get the call that you’re headed to Columbia.

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