We're Home...sorry for the delay

Well, we made it home safe and sound. We flew out of Guatemala City at 2:00 in the afternoon. Then, we had a layover in Atlanta for 3 hours. In Atlanta we spent over 2 hours in Customs/Immigration to get Madison's paperwork processed. But, everything is complete and she is now a US Citizen. Now all we have to do is get her SS card and complete her readoption to get a US birth certificate. Then we will be officially DONE! She is adjusting well. She is eating better everyday and sleeping better everyday. And, we took her to the doctor yesterday and she has a clean bill of health (so far). She received great healthcare in Guatemala. We are waiting for the blood work to come back to confirm there are no health issues. But, based on the initial evaluation, all looks good. She loves playing with her dog and big brother. Mason has done a fantastic job! He brings her toys and checks on her if she's crying. So, I am very pleased that he is doing well. We have had many visitors to the house and she has handled it all well. She sits close to us and will play a little. If there are kids around, she loves it. She will go off and play with them, no problem. That is truly a blessing. It helps her be more comfortable which is all we want. Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. We are glad to be home and EXTREMELY happy that our family is complete.

Ryan, Rachel, Mason (a.k.a. Big Brother), and Madison (a.k.a. Lilly)

Day in Antigua

Well, we decided to go to Antigua today with Carla, who works for our lawyers office. She picked us up at 10:00 and then we took the 30-45 minute drive into Antigua. It was beautiful. We drove up the mountain or volcano (not too sure which one), then down into this small cobblestone road town. There were many, many tourists and a lot of great little shops. There were hotels, government buildings, central park, and many churches. None of them were open for us to walk into, but from the outside they looked beautiful. We went shopping in the handcraft market, had lunch at a great hotel, and walked around central park. Central park was nothing like New York. But, it was called Central Park. Then, we headed back to Guatemala City to pick up our paperwork from the Embassy. We got to the Embassy at 3:30, picked up our papers, and headed back to the hotel. Carla was absolutely wonderful. She was so kind. There were a few other people at the Embassy who's lawyer did not show up. So, she helped them complete their paperwork and made sure the documents they received back were correct. I was very thankful that our agency and lawyers in Guatemala did everything they said they would. They have exceeded our expectations once again and we are so happy! We leave tomorrow and should be back in Milwaukee at 10:30 tomorrow night. So, I'll post one more time tomorrow then start weekly posts of how she is doing meeting her big brother, dog, family, friends, etc. We love you Mason and we'll be home soon.

Embassy Day!!

Well, this morning started out at 5:30. We ate breakfast at 6, then made our way to the US Embassy. There were two lines there. One line was for Guatemalan citizens getting a Visa to enter the US, and the other was for adoptions. They say in years past, the adoptions line used to be much longer than the Guatemalan citizen line. But, today it was probably 1/2 the size. None the less, we entered the US Embassy about 7:15 and didn't leave until 10:30. Long time there, and strangely enough, met a family from Brookfield. Ryan was wearing his PWFD shirt and the man from Brookfield spotted him right away. It was fun talking to them and they also leave on Thursday. So, we'll see them at the airport. Madison did very well considering the long wait and the Embassy stamped our paper work "Approved" in bright red. Woo Hoo!!! It's actually done. We pick up our paperwork and her Guatemalan passport tomorrow and once we get in the US, she is a US citizen. Then, we will process the readoption in the states and change her name to Madison Lilly Lanser. Here are some more pictures for your view pleasure! We love you Mason and miss you very much. Your sister says "Hi, big brother". Oh yeah....and we miss everyone else too! =) Including Callie!

Day 2 with our Daughter

Well we started our day at 5am on the dot. Madison was not the happiest of campers but that changed real soon after that. Thankfully she went back to bed until 8:27am. She has be a adopting to her new parents real good. Or at least we hope so. She crawls all over the place but no walking yet. Were trying to teach her who her mommy and daddy are and her name is. Today we basically had nothing to do with any paperwork or any part of the adoption. So it was a nice day to just relax and spend time with Madison trying to have her get to know us. This afternoon, were planning on taking her down to the pool here and see how she handles that. Madison is teething right now as we can see. She has 4 teeth that have come through. Hopefully by Thursday things will be great for all of us and the plane ride will be smooth for everyone. Mommy, daddy and madison miss Mason and everyone else very much and look forward to coming home on Thursday. Evelle is loving the hotel and mall! See everyone soon!

Together at Last

Well, our flight was great today! We arrived safely and as soon as we got to the hotel, Thelma (Madison's foster mom) was here with Madison. She is absolutely adorable! Thelma and Carla (from our lawyers office) came to our room with us and gave us Madison's schedule, what shes been eating, how she sleeps, bath time, and all that good stuff. She is not walking yet, which is great for us. But, she is completely aware that we are not the "norm". We'll have a few minutes of quiet and some smiles and happiness. Then, poor girl is so sad and cries A LOT. Plus, she really didn't get a long nap. I was sleeping next to her, she woke up and saw me and that was it. But, hopefully in a day or so it will be better. No matter what, we'll make it through this and she will be just fine. Love is the trick! We miss you and love you Mason!!

Here we go!!!

Well, today has been fun filled with packing, crying, a little more packing, panic, and then happiness. I can't believe that tomorrow at this time, we will be 1 hour away from having Madison with us forever! I am elated and hope I don't go crazy before we get there. Ryan has been in Dad mode, making sure her room will be warm enough and making sure the car seat is in and secure. So, all in all I think we are set. Now comes the hard parts of dropping Mason off and Callie being picked up. I think I've organized everything...Mason has all of his medical consent and insurance card information. Callie has all of her vet papers. Both have all the essentials (clothes, food, toys). So, I think I'm done with them. And, I've fully packed Madison. Between her stuff and the gifts to the foster mom, the suitcase weighs just under 40 lbs. Hey...it's our first little girl. She has to have all her accessories!! =) And, we're back to diapers which really takes up a lot of space. But, the greatest part is soon our family will be complete. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasures of my packing skills. (I think it qualifies as a skill?!?)

A girl must have pink and purple. (At least I think so)

Baby Dolls waiting for her to come home and play!

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Madison's Room

We'll post again tomorrow once we're with our little girl!!

Off to Guatemala

Well, we leave on Sunday for Guatemala to bring home our wonderful, 14-month old little girl. We have been waiting for this for a long time and are so excited. This trip is much shorter than the trip to adopt Mason. We will only be gone for 5 days so, we don't have to be away from Mason too long. We'll post pictures each day that we are gone and try (I hope) to keep up when we get home. Below is a picture of Madison. She will be a great addition to our family. Mason is so excited to be a big brother and teach her everything. I can't wait to have us all together