A gift of the Lord....

Mateo- Gift of the Lord. I had no idea that our life would lead us to the adoption of our son. I had no idea that the name we picked out for our son wouldnt be just a name reccomended by my best friend Laura, but that it was a divine intervention. Mateo IS truly a gift from the Lord. We had prayed God and thanked him for more than we ever have before. This process has opened my eyes to what is really important. This process showed me how lucky we are to have been blessed to have Mateo placed with us to be his forever parents.

Mateo has experienced so much in his short little life, more than he will ever be able to express to us but enough that we know just how strong he is. He has such a loving heart & spirit. He freely gives kisses and love to us, and he trusts us. The nannies at his hogar love him because he has this special something about him that just makes you fall in love with him from the moment you meet him.

In May of 2002 when we were first assigned to Mateo and received his pictures in our email was one month that I will never forget. I prayed for God to let me love him just like I do my biological daughters, I prayed to the process to work out. God has blessed our broken road many of times, and I know that we will see Mateo come home to us in 2010! He will be able to experience all the love that his family & friends have for him. When I looked at his pictures for the first time it was love at first sight. He melted me right then. I had no idea i would still be waiting to bring him home almost 3 years later. Although God designs a plan for us and we are his servants and have to have faith and follow his lead. My faith has been tested, but I always realized how much we have been blessed with, and I am reminded that it is the broken road that led us straight to Mateo. That song melts my heart when I hear it because it describes our journey to the "t".

In October when I found out that we wouldnt be bringing you home that year it was one of the hardest days I had ever had. We were only 1 signature from bringing you home! ALthough, again...GOd had a plan. Then in February of 2003 when we received a phone call saying that because of the documents that were falsified from the birth mother that we would more than likely not be able to complete our adoption, we decided to go ahead and fly out to see you for your 1st birthday. We took a flight of faith and believed that even if we only have you for 5 days , that for 5 days we would love all over you and you would know you were wanted. I think DOug was nervous to go because he was afraid if something happened and we werent able to complete our adoption that I wouldnt get back to normal....but I had faith, enough for both of us. DOug fell in love with Mateo the moment he laid eyes on him in person. Doug instantly cried and of course I melted....

In May of 2003 I had spent 1 day scrapebooking all of the pictures from our trip to visit you in March, and then I got home and receceived an email from Nancy Bailey at Semillas de Amor saying that because we cancelled the POA that we had signed for her attorney that she assigned to us, and hired another due to advice we took from PGN Minors Court, that we would no longer be able to adopt Mateo. She said he wasnt our son and that we did this to ourselves. I was sick, I remember being in a fetal position crying myself to sleep. I remember not wanting to wake up and get out of bed and get on with the days....but then I realized that this is one part of our journey to bring Mateo home to us, and I needed to be strong for him and for Rylie and Adyson who needed me. Doug didnt know what to do with me he knew that I was taking it hard. Very shortly after that nasty email from Nancy, we decided that we would do whatever it took to bring Mateo home and so we worked with our attorney and did what was needed to get out of the MP & Minors Court. We were there from Oct of 2007 to August of 2008. Then it took from AUgust of 2008 to July of 2009 before we recieved a paper saying that the investigation was dimissed and we could offically enter the CNA and start the process to be linked to Mateo.

Now here we are in Guatemala with Mateo on our empathy study, about 5 months from having him home with us....faith, stregth, prayer, faithful friends & family, prayer warriors have gotten us through and we thank all of you for being there for us during this very difficult time but also this very special time in our lives.

Mateo is a gift from God . He placed Mateo with us and we are his forever family.

SO as I sign off for the night I will sign off with a poem...

The Adoption Creed

Not flesh of my flesh, not bone of my bone- but still miraculously my own. Never forget not for a minute-you werent born under my heart but in it.

Mateo my love, we are getting closer and we love you! Blessings, Valerie