Blake is almost 5 months old!

Well it's been awhile since we've posted anything, but now we have reason to because we received 15 of the cutest pictures yet! Blake is now 4 1/2 months old and 15 pounds. He will be 5 months on July 7th so we will be able to celebrate his birthday with him this time as we leave for Guatemala on Sunday, July 1! We are beyond excited to meet our beautiful little boy and are finding it difficult to sleep at this point because all we do is think about meeting him. His pictures this month were so reassuring because we know from that beautiful smile that he is happy and healthy. The doctor says he is giggling now and in the pictures seems to be sitting up almost on his own!

Chris and are beginning to pack now for our trip and with the help of Rebecca, a friend adopting through the same agency, we now know what to bring. Chris will stay in Antigua (an hour away from the airport in Guatemala City) until Friday, July 6th, but then have to return for work (his only employee is in Ecuador for his own wedding). My mom and mother-in-law will arrive to visit Blake on the 4th of July and will stay at a bed and breakfast close to the house where we'll be staying at (www.casabella112.com). I plan to stay through August 1 so I can be with Blake as long as possible. At this point, we are still waiting for pre-approval to go into PGN (the last and longest step of the adoption) so it looks like we won't be able to bring Blake home until October. There's a chance it will be September if all goes well, but things don't always go so smoothly once you're in PGN (as many families get kicked out for minor errors on their paperwork). The kickouts cause weeks delay. We are prepared for at least one kick out though and will continue to do our best to be patient with this lengthy process. Soon, I will post a timeline to better help our friends understand where we are in the process. Once we're out of PGN, then things tend to move more quickly. So, please thinki positively that we get our pre-approval from the US Embassy soon!

Not too much else to say at this point, but that we will try to post as many pictures of us together during our trip to Guatemala. We have heard so many good things and seen so many pictures of this beautiful city, we can hardly wait to see it for ourselves with Blake right next to us! Melaine has been planning a baby shower for me for about the last 2 months or longer and is working her rear off to make it special. We are so lucky to have such a supportive family who is just as excited as we are! Enjoy these new pictures!