More Video!

here is a little more. He wanted so badly to go to sleep...precious!!!!

Nate's Video!!!

The Video came!!!! I hope you enjoy!! I have watched it over, and over, over, over, over, over........

New Pics!!!

When I checked my email tonight, we had a nice surprise waiting for us- New pics!!!! I can not get over how much Nathan is changing and how big he is getting! It is amazing how he can look so different from one picture to another. He has sooo much hair!!! Sheri said she put our video camera in the mail today, so we should get it soon! I will post it as soon as we get it processed and after I have watched it a million times ;)


I am so ready to go to Guatemala. It gets harder with every picture I see, but I love to get them!! Enjoys the new photos!

Nathan Got His Package!!!

I heard via email from Sheri, who took Nathan's package from us! She said she gave his caregiver, Martha, all his stuff and the next day his crib was all decked out! She also said she got a video with the one time use camcorder we sent!!! YEAH!!! She said it might be a little shaky because he is sitting in a bouncy seat, but it does not matter. He was awake, but falling asleep. She said he sleeps a lot!! She said she got pictures of all the babies, so hopefully I will have some new pictures of our precious child for you too see soon!

Also, his bedding that Pop Hooty and Nana (Robert and Darlene) got for Nathan came in today!! Thank you Pop Hootie and Nana!!!! We can't wait to see it all together especially when Nathan gets home! Now we just have to get furniture to go with it ;)

Please keep up the prayers that Nathan will be home quickly and in God's perfect timing! Thank you for the support! We could not get through this process without family and friend who love and care for us and support us in our efforts to bring our son home forever!

"For I know the plans I have for you, "says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

2 Months Old Today!!!

Nathan is 2 months old today! I can not believe it has already been 1 1/2 months since we accepted our referral of Nathan. I can not wait to get the new picture the beginning of September to see how much he has changed!

Please continue to pray that everything goes smooth. We should here from our attorney next week as to what he decided to do with our case (whether he submitted us to PGN or not with out PA).

Even though at time, it seems like this process is going by fast, it still is going by really slow! It is hard to imagine still having to wait at least 5 months before we get to bring Nathan home forever! My only saving grace through this whole process has been Jesus Christ! Without him, we would not be able to make it though a process like this and many other trials Casey and I have had to got through and are going through.

Continue to pray for Nathan and is growth and development. I have not been able to find out whether or not if he is still sick, but no news is good news. Also pray for the "mama's" taking care of him. Pray that they will provide for Nathan's needs and show him love while we can not.
We thank God everyday for this child he has blessed us with!

"You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,"

Timothy 2:1

Where We've Been, Where We're Going!

Here is a timeline of where we have been and where we will go witht the adoption. I hope this helps those of you who do not understand the process. I sometimes do not understand what is going on :). We are just ready to bring Nathan home!!
We are so thankful for family and friends who love us and are praying for us through this journey. I hope this helps!

By the way, Nathan got his first care package from us yesterday! I hope he is enjoying his mobile! I can not wait to see pictures of him in his clothes:). Hopefully the lady who took his package will be able to take the disposable cameras that we sent and bring them back with her!

Waiting for Nathan,

Casey and Stephanie

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:14

~Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going~

Where We’ve Been:

~2006

Nov 7 - Mailed Lifeline Application!
Dec 8- Hueytown Fingerprints done

~2007

Jan 3- Fingerprints done for USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services)
Apr 30- #4 on the Boys List!
May 23- USCIS Approval in the mail
May 29- #1 on the Boys List!
June 7- Received Mauro Jose’s Referral, Born March 24, 2007
June 11- Officially accepted Mauro’s Referral (Joseph Cooper)
June 21- Received the call that Mauro’s birthmother decided to keep him, so we are back at #1 on the boys list
July 13th- Friday, the 13th, we received our Referral of Jose Pablo. We are naming him Nathan Lee. He weighs 6lbs 14oz. and was born June 24th. We will officially accept on Monday.
July 17th-Turned in Power of Attorney(POA) and USCIS, Our attorney is Pedro!!
Aug 2- Received updated pictures of Nathan Lee (5weeks old)
Aug 8- Received health update- Nathan weighs 8lbs 9oz, 21in long, 14in head circ, 3.2in foot length. He has a cold right now. He also went for the appt for his DNA test today.
Aug 17- DNA is a Match!!!! (Took exactly 1 month J for DNA)

Where We’re Going:

THE NEXT STEP:

We are waiting for Pre- Approval from USCIS Guatemala. It is taking up to 60 days now. Our lawyer will do one of two things.

1.Wait for PA before submitting us to PGN
2.Or submit us to PGN without PA, let the reviewer examine the documents and notify the lawyer if there are any missing documents besides our PA, then “kick us out”. Then he will resubmit us with our PA and hopefully make it through PGN with no more KO’s.

ADDITIONAL STEPS:

*PGN (Guatemala side)

Once the case has exited Family Court and visa Pre-Approval had been received, the case enters Procuraduria General De La Nacion (PGN) to ensure all legal requirements have been met. The PGN reviewer examines the dossier, the Family Court report and the visa pre-approval. The reviewer may request additional documents or interviews. When that happens the case is kicked out of PGN and must be resubmitted with the additional documents. Once the reviewer is satisfied that all legal requirements have been met, the file is signed and submitted for Final Approval. PGN issues Final Approval for the adoption to proceed. On average PGN takes 8 weeks.

*Adoption Decree (Guatemala side)

Birth mother signs her fourth and final consent to adopt.Adoption decree is issued (which makes him legally ours!). Second DNA testing done (on baby only). Now we wait until we have his passport and US visa are issued so we can travel home! The new birth certificate is issued by the Civil Registry with our last name (can't change first or middle name until we're back in the US). Once the new BC is issued our Lawyer takes new birth certificate and applies for a Guatemalan passport.

*Immigration (US Embassy)

All documents are translated into English. Lawyer submits paperwork to the US Embassy and requests a US visa. Visa photo is taken. US Embassy issues Pink-Slip requesting final interview with us and an embassy-approved medical exam of our child. US Embassy issues a visa and gives us a "sealed packet" of documents. We are free to bring our son home!

Meet Nathan Lee Allums

Well, we heard this afternoon that the DNA was a Match!!! We decided once we heard this that we would post Nathan's pictures, so here he is...

Nathan's Referral Pictures~ 2 1/2 weeks old



Nathan's August Update Pictures~5 Weeks Old





Nathan Being held by a precious woman named Amy(thank you again Amy!!) who is also adopting from Guatemala (trustingforseven.blogspot.com)

DNA Done!!!

Great News! We got word today that the DNA test was done on the 8th- Praise God!!! We are so thankful the birth mother showed up at the first appt. Now just pray that it is a match. We should here next week what the results are. We have not heard how Nathan is doing since he has been sick, hopefully we should here something soon. A lot of the babies are sick down there. The orphanage is at full capacity!

Thank you so much for your prayers. We are one step closer! Please join us in praying that our case continues to go quick and smooth without delays. Also pray for Nathan that he will get better and stay healthy as we enter into the winter months soon. He is still so small!

We are so amazed at how God is working in our lives. He has blessed us in so many ways. So many things have happened over the passed months, too numerous to blog, but just know that our God is awesome and we give him all the Glory and are so thankful for this journey he has brought us on!
Stephanie and Casey

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 86:12

Solola, Guatemala

This is a picture of Solola, Guatemala where Nathan is. It is a beautiful place surrounded by amazing scenary. I can't wait to go there and see it with him! The orphanage where he is actually use to be a time share hotel for tourist to vacation in. I just thought I would share this beautiful picture I found.

When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman

Here is a video that a friend posted on her blog that is reguarding adoption. Enjoy and grab a tissue!

Health Update

We recieved new pictures last week and recieve Nathan's health update today. Here are his stats:

Weight- 8lbs. 9oz.
Height- 21 in.
Head- 14 in.
Foot- 3.2 in.

We did get a little bit of not so good news. He has some kind of respiratory infection and is on medication for it. It seems that many of the babies in the orphanage are sick down there. Many have even had Pneumonia. Please pray for Nathan and all the babies that they will get better and make it through the winter with minimal illnesses.

We also got an update on the case. Ou lawyer, Pedro, should be scheduling the DNA very soon. Please pray that the birthmother shows up for the appointment and all goes smooth so we can move on to the next step.

We are ver exctied and it gets harder everyday, especially when you get pictures and he is changing so much and we can't be there to hold him and love on him. Please continue to pray that our case will go very quickly and smoothly, with no delays. Pray for Nathan that he can fight whatever bug he has without getting sicker. Pray for all the other babies also who are sick.

Thank you for faithfully praying for us through this process. God has been so good to us and we are so thankful for being chose to go through this process- GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! Nathan is so worth the wait!!!!