All Fresh and Clean After my Bath

Look Mommy, I combed my hair all by myself:)

Bath Time

This is the kids favorite time....giving Princess Christina her bath everynight. They have taken over but I get to squeeze in some time once in a while. She loves her bathtime with her brothers and sister.

10 Months Old

I can't believe our little girl has been home 2.5 weeks. She has been a true blessing and joyful addition to our family. She turned 10 months old on Thursday. Boy, does time fly. She started crawling on the 21st and today she sat herself up for the first time. She still doesn't eat food but she has formula, pediasure, rice in each of her bottles so I she isn't starving as you can tell from her pictures. She gets tummy aches from eating food so we are going to hold off for a little while and try again later.

Yes, she is also started crawling instead of scooting. She learned how to sit herself up as well. She is growing up so fast.

May/June Journal

Grandma Nelsen fell in love with Christina at first site and Christina fell in love with Grandma:)

MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007 01:25 PM, CDT The kids have been waiting for so long to bring Christina to her first Barn dance. They had her outfit picked out before she came home. Do they look happy or what!! We had a great time. Mom and Dad had to finally call it quits at 2:30 AM. The kids were dancing all night and still didn't want to go home. Christina was an angel and she dance, smiled and cooed for everyone.

FRIDAY, JUNE 08, 2007 02:52 PM, CDT We are Home and we are so blessed with a beautiful, happy litte girl. She has been a dream. She has only had a couple meltdowns (Grieving-Screaming, shaking, and hyperventilating) since she has been with us. She sleeps 8 hours, wakes for a bottle, and then sleeps 2 more hours. She takes three hours worth of naps. When she isn't sleeping she's smiling and cooing all the time. At the airport she was talking with everyone on the plane and at the airport. Joe called her a "girl magnet". He was carryng her in the front pack at the airport when I was getting things organized and people were stopping and talking with her and Joe all the time. She was smiling at everyone and cooing.

We are soooooooooo happy. She loves the kids and the kids don't want to be out of her sight.

I will write more later when I have a chance.... Christina is hungry. Thank you for all the prayers. This experience has had its up and downs but it was all erased the first time we held our little girl. God Bless, Joe, Jean, Anthony, Michael, Maria and Christina Callens (Yes, we are a family of six!!!!!)

Here is a picture of a diaper cake that Kimberly, Nicholas, Anthony, Michael, and Maria put together for us plus they made us cards. It was so beautful and what a surprise.

SATURDAY, JUNE 02, 2007 06:49 AM, CDT Today is the big day. We are finally going to get our beautiful little Princessa. I was up until 3 AM getting things ready. Not like waiting until the last minute. You would think after all this time I would have been ready:) Please keep us in your prayers for a safe trip down and back as well as for Anthony, Michael and Maria. We haven't been apart more than a couple nights so it's a little difficult. They are excited for Uncle Jimmy, Aunt Kimberly and Cousin Nicholas stay with them which is making it easier. I will try to update as much as I can. Thank you for your prayers through this Adoption Journey we appreciated them more than you know. Signing the guestbook will be a great way to keep in contact with us in Guatemala:) THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007 05:23 PM, CDT Yes, you read it right Christina is coming home!!!! After this long journey we will finally be a family. We were just notified that we have Embassy Approval (Pink). This will be our schedule: June 2nd-Fly to Guatemala-Leave Minneapolis at 2:45 PM arrive in Guatemala at 9:02 PM June 3rd-Christina will be placed in our arms forever AM June 4th-Embassy appointment at 7:15 AM number 2 on the list of 35...yayyyy!!!!! June 5th-Pick up Christina's Visa at 3:30 PM June 6th-Fly Home-Leave Guatemala at 6:25 AM and arrive in Minneapolis at 4:45 PM. We want to thank you for all the prayers!! We couldn't have done it without them. We are asking for prayers for a safe flight to Guatemala and back. God Bless:) MONDAY, MAY 07, 2007 03:37 PM, CDT It's Official..Christina Is Ours. We got out of PGN today. I still get butterflies when I think about it. We will be holding her within the next 4-6 weeks. I can't believe. it. She will be home for Father's day. The next step is for the birth certificate to be change to our last name, have everything translated into English, get Christina' passport and then submit to the the US Embassy. The embassy will then take a week to look everything over and will send us a pink slip telling us when our appointment is to get her Visa at the US embassy in Guatemala. The appointment is usually two weeks after we get the pink slip......yes, this is a pink slip that is good....lol. Thank you for all of your prayers. They helped more than you know!!!

March/April Journal

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2007 05:38 PM, CDT We received pictures and a medical update on Christina. She weighs 17 lbs and is 24.4 inches long. Yes, still petite but healthy. She has two bottom teeth. My baby is growing up. I can't wait to hold her. The medical also sad she is very healthy and developmentally on track. She is very vocal, smiley and active. She looks so happy in the pictures. We feel at peace that she is with a good fostermother. This next week is the week the social worker said we should hear something. Please pray we are approved and let out of PGN so we can go get our little angel. It will still be 4-6 weeks after we get out of PGN until we can hold our little girl and never let her go. Thanks for all the prayers they are so appreciated.

THURSDAY, APRIL 05, 2007 12:51 PM, CDT Our social worker called today to tell us the attorney in Guatemala will be on vacation until next Wednesday for Holy Week, so we won't be hearing anything for sure during that time. She also said that by two weeks after that we should be out of PGN. I sure hope she is right. The waiting is so hard but I know it will be worth it in the end. I bought a pink Onsie that had "Worth the Wait" written on the front. It is sooooo true. I can't wait to have her wear it. Keep the prayers coming that we are done with PGN the next couple weeks. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2007 04:51 PM, CDT Woo Hoo. We just got word that we are back in PGN. We were resubmitted on March 7th. The lawyer has been so busy that she didn't get a chance to tell the agency. Pray that our next call will be the call that tells us we are out of PGN with no kick outs. Then it is about 4 weeks after that when we will fly. Also the coordinator in Guatemala said that our case will continue to go through with the old requirements so it won't get stuck permanently down there. But it may take time. But we just want her home so whenever that is we will be happy. Keep the prayers coming. More good news. When I got home I had the medical update. Christina is 15lbs 14 oz. She is 24 inches long. She must be in a growth spurt:) WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2007 01:03 PM, CDT We received pictures of our little sleeping beauty. We are still waiting on news of being resubmitted to PGN. Everything is moving very slow right now. A lot of political stuff. I will update when I receive her updated medical which should be soon. The Attorney and Foster Mother couldn't get her to wake up. It sounds like they really tried but she wasn't going to wake up for nothing. Receiving the pictures and medical updates are what gets us through the wait. But your prayers make all the difference in the world. Keep'em coming:)

SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2007 11:24 AM, CST We are still waiting to be resubmitted to PGN(Court). The lawyer is fixing the document they are requesting so it can resubmitted. Yes, we are feeling down right now. We were expecting to have her home by 7 months of age but it's not going to happen. It 's looking like we won't have her home before Joe goes back to work either which is very difficult for Joe. But we know she is worth the wait. God has chosen her for us and everything is in his time not ours which He knows I am awful at. Please keep the prayers coming. They really help us get through the wait and please pray we are able to bring her home in April.

January/February Journal

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2007 08:32 PM, CST We received an updated medical on Christina. She weighs 14 lbs 12 oz and is 22.44 inches long. She is talking, smiling and really enjoys moving her legs and kicking. Please pray for a miracle so we are able to bring our Guatemalan Angel home for Easter. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007 02:19 PM, CST Well we finally heard something with our case in PGN. We were given a Previo which means there was a mistake on the Guatemalan side so the lawyer is fixing it and then we will re-enter PGN to try again. It is looking like it will be after Easter when we can go and pick her up so she will be 7.5 months old. Please pray it is sooner. I don't know how much more waiting we can do. The kids don't understand why it is taking so long. And I can't explain because I don't know either. Thank you for your prayers. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2007 12:09 PM, CST We received new pictures last night. We were so excited. She really has grown but she is still a little peanut. We can't wait to hold her hopefully soon. The Welcome picture shows she is talking. Can't wait to hear her voice. Pray we get out of PGN (Court) soon. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 02, 2007 07:25 AM, CST I spoke with EAC (Adoption agency). They said things are moving along. They had someone who went into court (PGN) the beginning of December get out last week so keep the prayers coming. It may be soon. THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007 05:28 PM, CST We received a new medical update and pictures. We think she keeps getting prettier all the time. But we are biased. Christina was at the doctor two days ago and she weighed 13lbs 10 oz. and she was 21.68 inches long. She is still a petite thing but oh so cute. She is developing normally and the report said she is cooing and making different sounds. As you can see from the pictures we have another pacifier baby. Maria was excited to see that since she was too. Keep the prayers coming. It helps make the wait easier.

December/January Journal

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2007 07:48 AM, CST HI everyone, We just found out that we entered PGN on December 18th. PGN is the governmental authority who checks all the paperwork to make sure it's correct. It's like our family court and the court adminstrator together. Please keep us in your prayers. This is usually the longest wait. We just want to go down and bring her home. Waiting is the hardest part of the adoption journey but it's all worth it in the end. We should be getting a new medical and hopefully pictures soon. God Bless:) FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2006 07:17 AM, CST I have updated the site with new pictures. They were taken this week. She will be 4 months old on December 21st. The months are slowly ticking away. I hope the rest of the wait goes by fast. Keep us in your prayers especially Christina and her Birthmother. This time of year must be really difficult for her. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2006 10:03 AM, CST We received a new medical on Christina last night. (Yes, the agency we use is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) At 3 months 12 days she weighed 12lbs 8 oz and was 20.89 inches long. They must have put her on a diet:) She only gained a 1.2 lbs this past month. The last wo months it was 3 lbs each month. I can't wait to receive updated pictures. I am hoping to receive them before Christmas. I will put them on as soon as I receive them. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2006 01:56 PM, CST Another milestone has been reached. We have received pre-approval December 9th from the Us Embassy to move forward with the adoption. Normally family court would be the next step but that is already done so we will wait to hear when we enter PGN. PGN is the governmental authority in Guatemala who goes through all the paperwork. Everything will be in the air as far as what time lines will be since Guatemala Celebrates Las Pasadas starting December 16th and then Christmas follows. So not much will happen until January. Keep the prayers coming. We should be receiving another medical soon as well as pictures!! TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2006 08:13 PM, CST Christina is three months old today. We can't believe she is that old already. She is worth the wait. We are praying we will be holding her sooner than we think. Thank you everyone for the kind words and wonderful support. Without such great Family and Friends it would be so difficult to wait. Thanks:)

November Journal

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2006 07:19 PM, CST Today we received a copy of Christina's DNA report and a picture of her Birthmother holding her at 1 month of age. It was difficult seeing this because we have such torn feelings. We are so happy and blessed that the birthmother chose an adoption plan for her daughter but we are also sad that the birthmother had to make a decision like this. Please keep her in your prayers. She has to meet with Christina and sign off one more time which will be the last time she will see her. I can't imagine the feelings she will be feeling. They don't receive any information about us at all. She doesn't know what country she is going to or anything about us. She is trusting in God to place her with a loving family. What a sacrifice...it makes my complaints and worries so small and insignificant. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2006 08:45 PM, CST Woooo hoooo....Praise the Lord. We are so excited. The adoption agency called and we have a DNA match after 5 tries they were able to find the DNA strand that match 99.73%. They needed 99.7% to be accepted. All the others were in the 99 % but not enough to make the Embassy happy. The agency was as excited for us as we were. They were all celebrating since this has been trying for them as well. As I put in the other journal entry they had never had this happen before so they were as estatic as we were. Now we wait for an e-mail from the US Embassy giving us approval to move forward with the adoption. Which should take about a month. More waiting but we are praying the rest of the steps will go more smoothly. Keep the prayers coming and thank you for all of them up to this point. They have helped in more ways than you know. God Bless. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 09, 2006 05:26 PM, CST Praise God. We got some good news today. The DNA is still being tested but the lab has had this before and they feel it's a match just needing the right DNA strand and percentage. Please keep the prayers coming. We are to hear about the DNA next week. The other good news is while we were waiting for the DNA to come back the lawyer in Guatemala pleaded our case and had the family court finished which isn't suppose to be done after DNA so we just gained two to three week missed because of the DNA. Family court is when the birthmother signs off a third time and a homestudy is completed. We will get a copy of it when we pick up Christina. We are so blessed. The best part is that we recieved updated pictures of Christina today. She even gave her first smile for us. It is difficult missing her firsts but the fostermom is doing a great job keeping us up to date in pictures. She weighs 11lbs 6 oz and is 20 1/2 inches long. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2006 03:39 PM, CDT We finally have heard something on Christina's DNA. There is still not a match but it still is inconclusive...which means in an egg shell that the number needs to be 99.75% match with Birthmother or the US Embassy won't accept. The results so far are close to that but not the number the Embassy wants. I guess our DNA has many strands..(I should have studied biology harder in college) Christina's blood sample was sent back to the Lab for a third test. I am hoping to know something by next Monday. I did ask if there is a chance it wouldn't be a match and they said they don't know because they have had a non-match and they were notified in 4 days so they are thinking this must just be a challenging case and they have never heard of this before...imagine that...after notaries not being certified (which they never heard before either) and having to redo paperwork up to three times. I told them, "Welcome to our family...Christina must be chosen for us since her DNA is being difficult as well:) Prayers would greatly be appreciated since this is suppose to be the simple part of the adoption:) Keep Christina in your prayers as well. She turned two months old on Saturday. Thank you for your prayers up to this point as well. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006 03:29 PM, CDT I just received a call from the adoption agency and the DNA came back inconclusive...my heart just sank. I thought it wasn't a match and we wouldn't be able to adopt Christina but what it means is that a lot of Guatemalan children have one strain of DNA that is so close that the number comes back low and they want a higher number to give to the American Embassy. Confusing..huh. Anyway they are doing a deeper DNA test which takes longer and that is why instead of a week it will take three. Please pray it is a match. I am sure it is but prayers sure could help it along.

October Journal

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2006 11:13 AM, CDT We are still waiting for the DNA match to be completed. It was to take around a week and it has been two. I have been e-mailing with a couple from Minnesota who is adopting a daugther from Guatemala and they went for a visit. When they were down there in their hotel alone there were 40 couples bringing babies home to the US this week. There is a larger number I think due to the Hauge Treaty that will be inplemented in 2007. Which makes adopting from another country more paper intensive for the adoptive parents as well as the agencies. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2006 08:17 PM, CDT I just received word from a couple, I know who are adopting from Guatemala who live in Minnesota, that their daughter, who they were at the end of the adoption process, died today due to the Rotovirus. She was healthy and almost home. Please pray for them in their sorrow. The couple had just been down there to visit their little girl two weeks ago and they at least had that time with her. The video and pictures to hold onto. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2006 11:10 AM, CDT We recieved Christina's new medical update. She did really grow. She is up to 9lbs 8 oz. and 19.5 inces long in one month. They are obviously feeding her well. She must be taking after her Daddy already...loving that food:) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2006 10:51 PM, CDT Today we recieved new pictures of Christina...she has really grown. She has gorgeous big brown eyes. She is so beautiful. Our love is growing for her even more each day. We are praying to God she comes home soon. Please keep her in your prayers. MONDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2006 10:42 AM, CDT The DNA sample was taken from the birthmother and Christina and sent to the Lab in North Carolina. Once it is a match to make sure Christina belongs to the Birthmother (a save guard from baby being stolen) then it will go to family court. A picture of the Birthmother and Christina were taken together and sent with the sample. We will receive the results and picture when they are completed. At this point the Birthmother has signed off (that she wants adoption for her child) twice. Once in the hospital before she was put in Fostercare and once when the DNA sample was taken. She needs to sign off one more time when she makes the final visit with the child after a social worker interviews her to make sure she is doing this because she wants to and not because of pressure or money.

Our Adoption Journey

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 09, 2006 09:15 PM, CDT Joe came home from work today and was able to see pictures of Maria for the first time....He was in tears and said he fell in love with her at first site. We decided to name her Christina (Follower of Christ) Maria(To honor the name her Birthmother chose). We are filled with so much joy. It is all we talk and dream about. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2006 04:32 PM, CDT We just recieved the medical information, pictures and video of Maria Fernanda. Words can't describe the feelings we had watching the video over and over again. She is so beautiful and tiny. I just wanted to pick her up and out of the video. The social worker said the hard part would be the waiting and so it begins and yes the waiting is hard. I called Joe immediately and he said accept her and send in the paperwork with out even seeing her. I contacted the agency and accepted our new daughter-to-be. Actually she is our daughter in our hearts already. We can't imagine life without her