Nadia 3-30-07

Hello everyone, we are still having a great time here in Guatemala! Last night Nadia found her little arm, and was staring at it for what seemed like hours, but was really 20-30 minutes. Daddy had a blast taking pics of her, she was a little baby model! Click on the picture above to go to an album of almost 50 pictures!

We will have more soon, we are on the way to the pool for our first family swim.

Nadia 3/28-3/29

Hey everyone, click on the picture of Nadia to be taken to a web album of fun pictures from the last few days in Guatemala.

We are having so much fun with Nadia, please check back often for more updates!

We are so excited to finally hold Nadia! Here is a short video of our first few minutes in our hotel room, interacting with little Nadia. Keep checking back for more videos and pictures!

We are here and safe and the hotel is even nicer than before..Heavenly Beds and Pack n plays.....they bring her this morning we have not held her yet. Mike and I went out for dinner together last night the last chance for me to leave the hotel for the week :( But it is huge with several restaurants. We all know that I just want to hold her anyway. Check www.meabon.blogspot.com for photos throughout the week. The anticipation is not only exciting but a really nice place to be in this crazy process. When I woke his morning God gave me a great song and it will now be my theme song for the rest of this process. With Gavin it was Blessed be Your Name...
For Nadia it will be: You Never Let Go
Check out the lyrics http://www.pwarchive.com/song.aspx?SongID=2641&v=1

Thanks again for your prayers.

Psalm 103 was beautiful to us this morning read it when you have a chance!
Holding on to so many verses but this chapter was a gift from God this morning a we anticipate holding her for the first time

Also we are standing on:
Proverbs 20:24 The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way.

We also received her 3 month medical today and she now weighs... drum roll please....9.9 lbs and is 21.9 inches long.
Look out Nadia here we come... we cannot wait to kiss those cheeks and love on you. She is wearing the outfit we sent her and the hat we sent too. She is so pretty in PINK! (mommy's favorite color) What a blessing you are already so many people are already praying and dreaming of loving you...Especially Mommy, Daddy, and your big brother Gavin. He asks about 3 times each day to "baby watch?" because he loves to see your video. We are so excited to hold you soon and pray for your growth and development each day.

Nadia we love you,

Mommy, Daddy, and Gavin

We just received our 2 month medical and Nadia is doing really well...She weighed 8.1 lbs and was 20.9 inches long super TINY!

Check out a new video of our baby girl Nadia Laurabeth in Guatemala:

Samantha Beth Deal born March 4, 2007 at 5:15 AM weighing 8'4' (the biggest baby of the night!) She was 20 inches and stole each of our hearts from the first glance. She and the new Deal family are doing wonderfully! Michelle was simple amazing and it was a really long night! We love you Samantha...

So, this is not exactly a current picuture, but I love it! He went through a phase around the time of my brother's wedding 6/06 of holding up his shorts like a dress. It felt too weird to put an actual picture of Gavin making poop poo's on the poppy (as he calls it). He actually reads a magazine like a little man while he goes..hee hee. I am so excited and proud of Gavin for making poop poo's twice today on the potty! He was also proud and amazed to see what he did in the potty. This will be a fabulous and wonderful thing to have him at least partially or maybe (kind of a lofty goal) all the way trainned before Nadia comes home!
Speaking of Nadia we may have an update tomorrow:) I must say some days are harder than others but I keep holding onto Proverbs 3:5-6 To trust in the Lord with all my heart...and to not lean on my own understanding and to acknowledge him and he will make our path straight. I believe that in my letting go and in my acknowledgement him I am finding a peace that I cannot find from any other source, person, and especially not on my own...I am so thankful for my faith and so thankful for the my relationship with God, without him I would be so lost...
We do know that we still have quite a road to cover in waiting for her process to be completed and for her to become a part of our forever family. She will be such a blessing to so many...

Nadia we are praying for you, preparing for you and dreaming of you...

Love,
Mommy

Burr it's fun outside in the SNOW, Gamma will keep me warm!

It's a big driveway with a lot of SNOW! I helped Papa Dan clear the snow with his "TRACTOR." It was cowld (my pronounciation) outside...

Happy Valentine's Day 2007! If anyone was wondering there is a level 3 snow warning in Toledo, Ohio today. A level 3 warning means you cannot drive unless you are an emergency personel. Basically, the entire city is closed down. My parents yard has a lot of large drifts. Too bad Mike is on his way to Phoniex, AZ for work while we enjoy 12 degrees he will be enjoying 72! We miss you and Happy Valentine's Day!

My birthday was very special. During my mother's morning out (Gavin goes to school at our church from 9:00 am-1:00pm) I treated myself to some fun! First, I ate McDonald's breakfast which is totally greazy but yummy to me! I did'nt want to be in the atomosphere of McDonald's so I took it to go and had coffee at starbucks. Does everyone know that you can have a free coffee on your birthday at Starbucks? Well, it was not excatly free I also treated myself to the new Norah Jones CD, and one pound of Guatemalan coffee. Unbelievable what happened next though! I was really mising Nadia as it was my birthday and we were waiting to learn more about out process on Friday. As I sat down I looked up on the wall and a huge poster of the Center of Town Antigua Guatemala appeared! Check out Antigua the city where I lived and fostered Gavin and where I most likely will be living again soon. Anyway it felt unreal to be looking at this picture of a place so meaningful to me and so far away yet pictured in my hometown Fishers, IN.
I then enjoyed some shopping and a manicure with the Colts symbol painted on two of my fingers! Go Colts, which Gaivn loves to say by the way....he cannot say Gavin but he says, "Go Colts! Then after picking up Gavin and putting him down for a nap I enjoyed phone calls from loved ones. Mike's parents graciously came for the weekend and sat with Gavin while Mike and went out to the Melting Pot our favorite 3 hour romantic dinner place.

The weekend was even more special as we learned our case is now in family court! Our attorney will be getting our DNA authorization this week also! Go HECTOR....

Sweet sleeping angels! Lauren and Jillian came over to have their morning nap at my house today. (my friend Jenni's almost 4 month old twins) Thankfully, my friend Anabela was here to help get them asleep. Gavin loved the babies and really wanted to play with them. He also kept squealing "baby baby" with the sweetest voice. The girls are so beautiful!

Michelle's babies room is done in farm animals and she even painted a tree herself in one afternoon! So cute! Gavin loved pointing out all of the animals and making their sounds!

In my parents garage my mom and I had a great time making over 20 fresh flower arrangements for the shower. Don't you think the flowers look great next to the chainsaws?

Over 90 people showed up to shower Michelle with love at her baby shower! Not bad for a icy cold evening shower. Samantha is one loved baby girl. We are all so excited to meet her. The first picture shows our Aunts and mother in laws. The second is Me with Michelle and our amazing mum!

Here Gavin's cousin Morgan is putting him to night night...however I'm not sure if Gavin is exactly ready for bed :) Happy Birthday Morgan today is her 6th birthday!

Aunt Chelle and "chee cehe" for those of you who do not know Gavin still loves to be snuggled when he is tired and drinking his milk. (probably a bad habit but we all love it) Here his Aunt Chelle with a bump, she will be having a baby girl soon! She is due February 28. We are all excited to meet you baby Samantha.

This morning we were given an updated medical report on our baby.

Nadia is doing very well with her development. She now weighs 6.11 lbs! That means she gained 1.9 lbs in one month. YEAH! Go Nadia. She now is 19.3 inches long which is almost 2 more inches in length. We love you and miss you!