Out of PGN!!!!

December 5, 2007

We got an e-mail from our facilitator/orphanage director, at 5:15 that we are out of PGN!! We were in PGN for a total of 3 months and 1 week due to our "kick-out" in early October. That put us behind 5 weeks. PGN is the last approval stage. Now the birth mom signs off for the 4th and final time and then our case is registered in the Adoption Book in the Central Registry in the town of Coban, where Cristina Elizabeth was born. After this is completed, our adoption is considered final according to Guatemala. The Central Registry will re-issue the birth certificate with our names as her parents and her name will officially be Cristina Elizabeth McDermott!! She will also need to get a passport. Next will be a 2nd DNA test, to match the first DNA taken back in June to make sure that she is actually the baby that was referred to us back in May. I know that is just a formality but there's no way that they could switch babies and we would not recognize her since I met her in July and we have received updated pictures about 2 or 3 times since July. After the 2nd DNA test is taken and is sent to the lab in North Carolina where the first DNA test was analyzed, they will match results and send them to the US Embassy in Guatemala. Lastly, the embassy will send us our "pink slip" via e-mail, which is our appointment at the Embassy in Guatemala to pick up Cristina Elizabeth's visa. I don't know why they call it "pink", they should call it GREEN since that's our "green light" to go and pick up Cristina to bring her home!!! We are so excited to be getting closer to bringing our baby home!!