8.2.2009 weekend

Grandpa came over this weekend and we had a great time -- going to the park, making dinner, baking cookies, fixing minor house issues, etc. We got more done (Lanny mostly) on Mom's courtyard -- unfortunately I haven't taken updated pictures yet....but Mom, Dad, Myan and I had a great time sitting around, talking and taking in the afternoons. Here are some pictures from this weekend. Awesome family time!

Treats!!! Everyone came-running..:)

Wonderful dinner that Mom and Dad made...

Family Dinner. A fabulous hour...felt so right. Dad made rice w/ tomatoes, onions, celery and chicken. Mom made a wonderful spinach salad w/ avocado, cukes, onion and her own homemade dressing. It really was a great hour of good food and great family.

Papa and Myan making cookies...

Still making cookies....next time, we're going to make them from scratch!

papa's little helper...

Yes, i know what I'm doing here...

No More Diapers!

Myan's learning to use the 'princess potty.' Who ever thought that I'd be using words like 'princess potty' and Elmo underwear? Certainly not me! I'm not sure I'm enjoying this phase.....

8.19.2009
running away from the potty

giving elmo kisses

strangling elmo -- apparently he's the reason why she has to now use the potty :)

don't shake the baby!

so proud of herself....

notice...we have to take the tennis balls, the elmo doll and books in with her...

8.17.09

uh -- are you just goofing around or can we get this over with?

Myan Showing Off...

Myan got some new dresses from AL (Larnie) and she grabbed her purse-- and essentially started strutting her stuff.

Myan Gardening

I'm scared to get my PUD bill.....she's a watering fool. Course, do we stop her? Nooooo, we just let her keep watering. My ferns are loving her, however.

August 01, 2009

The Zoo!

Ok, it wasn't actually a zoo, it was an animal farm in manson. but, it was myan's first zoo!

what the?

Falling behind on posts!

allright, all right, i'm a bit behind. i don't have much time today either, so i'll just add some images! here are the pics from our trip to my dads last month. i re-did his front porch -- it better still look this good!!!

Name Changing

Please note: I'm giving up my jenniferlynnpage.com website, so i'm moving everything over. It's confusing, i know. I tried to date the back-dates material -- just hoping not to confuse everyone too much!


3/13/2008: Name Update.

As some of you might already know, Nadash has a new first name.

Here is how the story goes:
I chose the name Myan Hydra back in 1992 for my future daughter. For the last 15+ years, I never thought of another name.
Through a long series of events, I ended up adopting from Guatemala. Once the process started, I got nervous about how cliche it would be to have a daughter from Guatemala
named Myan. (Their spelling is Mayan, but you still get the point.) I immediately decided that it was meant to be -- then reversidly decided that it was corny and cliche. My Dad
and I sat at his house one night and tried to come up with other names. We went thru a whole host of possibilities, before deciding on Nadash.
It was an honor to me and my Hungarian family that we decided upon the name Nadash. It was unique and fun and Dad and Kelly and I were very pleased with the name, and we were excited that her nickname was going to be 'Dash.' My Mom, I could tell, wasn't too keen on the name at first, but she grew to ... well, I believe that she ended up thinking that it was a very unique name. (It's almost one of those names that you have to say quite a few times in order to get the rhythm of it.)

For the next months, she was referred to as Nadash. But, every time I called her Nadash, she didn't respond to it, and neither did I. It didn't feel right. It didn't fit her, and it didn't
flow. There was just something missing with the name and the connection and she and I had to it.

I talked to my friend Nicole, and told her of the dilemma that I was in, (honestly, I told her a fake story, because I didn't want her to think that I was bonkers, so I essentially 'tested' the info out on her to see her reaction) and her suggestion was to let Nadash pick between the two names. Lanny suggested this option before, but
for some reason I didn't take it to heart like I did when Nicole brought it up.

Last night, I went home and wrote 'Nadash' on one piece of paper, and 'Myan' on the other. I folded them many times, put them in a bowl, and mixed them up. Not wanting her
to choose the name that ended up on the top, I put one piece of paper in each of my hands and sat her on my mom's lap in front of me. I didn't know which name was on which piece
either, but with her slow and graceful movements -- she looked at both pieces. She waited about 2 seconds and then, with her right hand, she crossed over my left hand and took the paper that was on the diagonal and lifted it up. My mom and I were really excited to see which name she picked. I opened up the piece of paper, and there it was: Myan.

I was a little shocked. At 9 1/2 months, I'm going to change her name? What am I thinking? What will people say?
(side note:) I asked my Mom, 'Will people think I'm crazy?" -- and with a laugh she replied, "They already do." Fair Enough. Let's move on.

The only person that I needed affrimation from regarding her name change was my Dad. He and I had worked really hard to come up with Nadash, and it's from his side of the family, and I didn't want to cause any waves, or have him think that I was eternally crazy by doing this at 9+ months. I called him 5 times in the span of a couple of hours but only left one message. (Until he reads this, he probably doesn't know that I tried so many times...but now he can check his caller ID and laugh.)

I told him what I wanted to do, and asked him what he thought about it. Our family has been though a lot this last couple of months, and I know that little things can send me into a spin, and I wasn't sure if this would be one of those 'things' for my Dad.

When I finally got ahold of him, and let him know that I wanted to change her name, he was without question, so sweet about it. He said that he loved the name Myan and while I was on the phone he went to Uncle Kelly's beloved Oxford Dictionary to look up Mayan, Maya and the descriptions and informatoin about the words/names. I told him that I'd always spelled it Myan in my head, and I was going to stick with that spelling. I wanted it to be just as I dreamed it would be.

And....that's the story of how my beautiful, perfect baby chose her name.
(You might think that it was just a 50-50 shot, but I believe not.)

Myan C.C. Page

Adoption Day! April 18, 2008

Oooh, this was like no other day I'd experienced. We got up early. We had to be in Seattle at the King County Courthouse at 1:30. I was panicked all morning. Lanny and my Mom were feverishly trying to help me get Myan's things together -- trying to get her dressed, packed -- get all of the paperwork together -- I'm sure that I wasn't much help. No, I know I wasn't.

We got to the courthouse early. Thankfully -- because it took us quite a while to find a parking spot. It was cold -- and windy -- and rainy. Typical weather -- we'd planned for it. I think I yelled at a couple of other drivers, was pacing -- flipping out a bit -- I'm not sure why Mom and Lanny didn't just leave me there -- well, yes, I guess I know why -- for Myan. They were certainly finished with me for the day :)

We got upstairs and found our way to the 6th floor -- or 2nd, or 10th. Heck, I don't know. Besides the fact that Lanny coulnd't make it through the metal detector -- he had a switchblade on him -- (uh -- lanny? a little help here?) .....

Once upstairs -- my lawyer met us in the hallway and asked if I had all of the necessary paperwork in order -- I thought so -- I said -- and we waited.

At 1:30 the doors opened. We went in and sat down. At 1:35, our name was called. What? Us? Already? Oh, no.

We were motioned and moved to a closed door meeting room. Flags, God Bless America -- the works. Oh, and a judge sitting behind his 'i'm looking down on you' desk.

Great. This should be fun.

My lawyer started out requesting to the courts that I be able to legally adopt Myan -- this went on for a few minutes -- she read all of Myan's paperwork, etc. etc....

The judge then turned to me and started firing off questions.
What's her birthday? When did you arrive in Guatemala City?
Are you prepared to be her mother?

As you guessed, I got all of the questions right.
It was a blur--I'll tell you that. I just wanted it to be over with. I'm not sure how long it was (I'm told 20 minutes) and I'm not sure what my answers were (apparently they were correct) but . . . they finally granted me adoption rights and . . . well, we left.

We went back to the claims office so Lanny could get his switchblade (i could go on and on about what a hilbilly move that was to bring it to my adoption day hearing, but i shant)

We then drove to Pike Place Market for a celebration.
We took pictures -- ate -- and got Myan a beautiful hand painted mural for her bedroom to mark the occasion. It was a wonderful day -- in that I got the approval and paperwork.

The rest of it: a little stressful. I don't recommend doing it often.

During the court hearing...Can we get this over with, please!

Lanny, Myan and Me after the court hearing.

Three generations! (right after the court hearing..I look a little stressed, aye?)

Grandma and Myan after the court hearing.

The judge who finalized the adoption, and asked what seemed like

1000 questions...I find out that there were only 15. (101/2 months)

Myan talking back to the judge.

Must have learned that from Uncle Puma. (10 1/2 months)

Pre-Home Pics and Information

(If You're Interested, the Timeline of Events
is Located at the Bottom of This Page)

Update 11/28/2007
We received an update on your case today. The attorney has received authorization from the US Embassy to do the 2nd DNA test. Once that is done, they will just be waiting for the pink slip!

Update 11/27/2007
From Doctor Carlos Moran: "That I have evaluated Eva of 5 months and 24 days of age and she presents the following statistics: Current weight: 12.11 lbs, Current Height: 62 cm. She's active, with good muscle tone, normal reflex, heart and lungs are normal, normal abdomen, soft, no lesions, strong suction, loud cry, holds her neck, keep looking, make some cooing noises, a little slim but she present a low weight at the moment of the birth. On this visit she received her pneumococcus vaccine and has been reccommded a special diet for her age (which they don't tell say what it is) and is recommended vitamins via mouth." This report was done on 11/19 and Myan was 5 months and 24 days old in these pictures!

Myan @ 5 months and 24 days old. Sporting the headband...

12.11 pounds...of which 2 pounds is cheeeeks!

Update 11/14/2007

From My Agency: We received an update on your case, but not much news. The update just said that your case came out of PGN (which we knew already!) and that the attorney was obtaining the final signature from the birth mother. Once the signature is obtained, then they will move on to the next steps of obtaining the birth certificate, passport, etc.

********* Update 11/12/2007 *********
I am OFFICIALLY out of PGN, and approved! This means that the entire set of paperwork that I have been working on for over 11 months has been approved by PGN (the official Guatemalan Adoption Department)!! Now, I just have to wait for Myan's new birth certificate and Guatemalan Passport to be issued. After that's done, it will be submitted to the US Embassy and they will issue the order for the 2nd DNA test to be done, and once that is completed, the US Embassy will send me a Pink Slip that will have my Embassy appointment date on it. I will then have to make quick travel arrangements so that I can be in Guatemala City on the date that the pink slip has on it so that I can do the final interview with the Embassy and then I can come home with Myan! This is the BEST news, and I'm so happy that everyone can share in the joy with me!


Update 10/23/2007 from Agency
"I received an update on your case today and the file is still in PGN! I know this doesn't seem like much news, but it is good news since the file has not been kicked out of PGN. The typical time to wait in PGN right now is around 8 weeks so we are still on track (this is the 7th week). I may have mentioned this before, but once the file comes out of PGN, we will find out right away. We don't have to wait for the regular update to find out when the files come out. And of course, I will let you know just as soon as I hear the news!"

Update 10/16/2007
She's wearing the outfit that I sent down!!!!!

"Today I have just finished seeing little Eva Maria who has now reached 4 months and has been, form what the caregiver shares with me, doing well in the time since she was seen for the last time on month ago, she is very alert and shows interest in all that goes on around her will listen when talked to and trust sound, especially to the sound of voices, she is vocal herself and will manifest her eagerness and happiness , laughs out loud and giggles a lot, she shows increasing control of her neck muscles and will keep the head very straight in the midline when pulled to the sitting position, also when on her stomach she will lift her head clear from the bed, she will attempt to grab things that are nearby with swiping movements. The caregiver tells me that this little one takes well her formula and is also receiving her ordered vitamin supplement. Upon evaluation today I found her alert and active, appears in good health, her physical exam, besides a runny nose, does not denote any abnormality and her neurological assessment is appropriate for her age, her weight is 11 lbs 14 oz, length of 56.2 cms and head circumference of 36.8 CMS Please find some pictures attached." Best Regards Francisco

Baby Myan, @ 4 1/2 months, sitting up - she loves those pants!

Update 10/02/2007
I received an email from my agency today and here it is:
"We received an update on your case today. The file went back into PGN with pre-approval on September 5th and remains there now."

*This might not seem like much of an update, but as long as I'm not getting kicked-out of PGN, I'm happy that the report is that I'm still in!

Update 09/28/07
I received and email from my agency today and I got new pictures and a medical update! Due to the issues/problems right now with the Guatemalan Government (more in detail in the paragraph 'frightening update' below) my update has been delayed, and so these pictures were taken almost a month ago. She's not wearing the outfit that I sent down, (thanks to my new friend and fellow Adoptive Parent who took my outfit down with her to Guatemala) but it might still be too big for her. Hopefully next month! (Myan is 4 months and 2 days old today, so these pictures were taken at the beginning of September.)

Medical Update 9/28/07:
"I trust you continue to do well, this morning I had the opportunity to review little Eva Maria, she has, as you know, reached 3 months of life and has been the caregiver share with us, doing well in the time since she was seen for the last time for a medical visit, she continues to grow and from what I am told, her development also appears to be showing continues progress, she is a bright little one who shows interest in what goes on around her, will turn to sound, especially to the sound of voices, makes cooing noises of her own and now also smiles socially, she now shows active, symmetrical voluntary movements of both arms and legs and will alternate opening and shutting her hands as well as kicks and pushes with her feet, when on her stomach she will briefly lift her face from the bed. I am told that this little one takes well her formula and is also receiving her ordered vitamin supplement. Upon evaluation today I found her in good health with a normal physical and neurological assessment, her weight is 10 lbs 4 oz, length of 53.5 CMS and head circumference of 35.6 CMS Please find some pictures attached." Best Regards Francisco

Myan at 3 months and 8 days. She's definitely up to something!

Frightening UPDATE revised: 10/01/07
There is some disturbing news coming from the Guatemalan Government today, (9/27/07) stating that after 12/31/07, essentially no adoptions will continue from Guatemala to Adoptive Families. Because Guatemala is going to revamp their adoption system, (which we knew last year) the President of Guatemala has ordered a stop to all foreign adoptions after the 31st no matter what stage of the process you are in. We were told at the beginning of the year that if you had your POA (Power of Attorney) and your I-600 paperwork in, that you would essentially be 'grandfathered' in and the adoption would still proceed. With this new news from their President, it's very concerning to all involved, and frankly makes me sick to my stomach. My agency is working hard to find out more information, and I am writing to our Senators and Legislators to ask for their help with the issue as requested by my agency. Right now, I am 4 weeks into PGN, so I have a really good chance of bringing Myan home sometime in December, and possibly not having to deal with the 12/31/07 deadline that has been issued. However, there's still a chance that my paperwork could get delayed -- but unfortunately there's no way of knowing right now. There are 5,000 children in Guatemala right now that are in the process of being adopted, and I feel for the parents of those children who aren't as far along as others in regards to their paperwork -- should this actually go into effect on 12//31. We need a miracle! We have a strong force of adoptive parents that are fighting to keep the cases that are in process proceeding through, and our agency is working extremely hard to tackle the issue and help every family with their individual case. If I get any new information, I'll be sure to share it.

A prayer goes out to all of the families and children affected by this rash and harmful decision.

Update 9/07/07
I received an email from my agency today and they said that I got my approval from the US Embassy!! This means that my case is now (finally!) in PGN! I talked to another mother who is just got out of PGN, she said that it took about 9 weeks....then there is another 5-7 week wait to go pick up her daughter. I can only hope that mine moves a little faster -- as by her timeline,this would put me out of PGNon 11/09 and then 6 weeks after that would put me traveling right around Christmas. This is the closest timeline that I can come up with at this point, but at the very least -- it's a good guess.

Update 8/15/07
I received new pictures of the baby this morning and her beautiful eyes are open!

Here is her most recent medical information.
Please enjoy the newest pictures!

*This is the info that was sent from my attorney who saw Myan and took the pictures on August 3rd*

Today I had the opportunity to review little Eva Maria for her monthly medical visit, she is now aged 2 months and has been, the caregiver tells me, doing well in the time since she was seen for the last time one month ago, she is much more alert and spends a good part of the day awake, is aware of her surroundings, she will listen attentively when spoken to and makes some initial cooing noises of her own as well as smiles in reply, when on her stomach she is able to lift her face from the bed, she also shows active, symmetrical, mainly reflex movements of both arms and legs. I am told that she takes well her formula and is also receiving her ordered vitamin supplement. Upon evaluation today I found her affected by a cold mainly with a congested nose and a mildly congested chest, her weight is 8 lbs, length of 50.1 CMS and head circumference of 34.2 CMS Please find her pictures attached.

The most beautiful baby ever! (2 months & 3 days old)

Update! 7/10/07
I got new pictures today of the baby this morning. She went to the doctor yesterday -- and her latest pictures and the updated information from her doctor's appointment follows.

I still don't have any updated information as to when her paperwork will be approved. So far, there have been no serious glitches with her paperwork and the Guatemalan Embassy -- and once the interviews are done w/ the birth mother and the foster mother -- my dossier (the packet of paperwork) will be ready to proceed to the higher courts in Guatemala. From there, the paperwork all has to be translated into Spanish and then -- then, it's probably more waiting! As soon as I know anything new, I'll update the site again. My agent says that I should have more pictures next month.

*This is the info that was sent from my attorney who saw Myan and took the pictures yesterday*

"This morning I had the opportunity to see little Eva Maria for her first month appointment, the caregiver shares with me that this little one has been doing well in the time since her first visit with me one month ago, she is now spending more and more time awake and starts to notice her surroundings, will quiet her cry if spoken to and makes normal reflex movements of both arms and legs, when on her stomach she will briefly lift her chin form the bed. I am told that this little one takes well her formula and is also receiving her ordered vitamin supplement. Upon evaluation today I found this little one in good health with a normal physical and neurological exam, her weight is 6 lbs 3 oz, length of 46 CMS and head circumference of 32.8 CMS Please find some pictures attached."

1 month and 3 days old.

Who can resist those bunny ears? She's perfect!

Below are the first pictures of Eva! 5/31/2007.
Eva was born on 5/26/07 weighing 5 pounds and 2 oz. She was 17.4 inches long. She was born in a private hospital in Guatemala City. I don't have any additional information about her yet -- but hopefully more information will be coming soon from my agency. 6/21/07: I got a letter from my agency and all of my paperwork is now in Guatemala City at the Consulate.
This is FANTASTIC news, I might add -- as it took over 5 months just to get the paperwork finalized and sent. My agent said that we're now ready to get the DNA testing done -- and I need to look back at all of my paperwork to see what stage the DNA testing gets done at so I know where I'm at in the process. You'd think that I'd know -- right? Wrong. There is so much paperwork and confusion (not due to my agency!) that goes along with the adoption, that I'm just trying to keep from losing paperwork -- not to mention my mind -- and unfortunately, I'm quite unaware at this time what stage I'm in. Next entry -- I will have found out!

I should be getting more pictures in the next 3-4 weeks. I've been doing so digging, and it looks like the referral-to-home time is at the shortest 5 months and at the longest 11 months. I found one case where it was 3 months -- but I'm not sure how reliable that source was.

3 days old. Most precious!

Timeline at a Glance:
1/01/2007: Joined my agency, Commonwealth Adoption International
1/03/2007: Chose China as my country, found out the don't accept single-woman applications anymore
1/16/2007: Read all the literature I could find on Nepal and Guatemala adoptions
1/16/2007: Chose Guatemala!
1/18/2007: Signed the contract with CAI
1/25/2007: Started the Dossier paperwork
2/26/2007: Started the CAI parenting class
3/01/2007: Received info from CAI regarding Guatemala entering the Hague Convention in 2008.
Notice said that cases in-progress would be 'grandfathered' in.
3/20/2007: Home Study Completed!
3/28/2007: Completed parenting class
5/14/2007: Went to Seattle to Homeland Security office for fingerprinting
5/16/2007: Got all Dossier documents State Certified in Olympia
5/20/2007: Sent all State Certified documents to SF to get Authenticated
05/26/2007: Eva's Birthday!
5/31/2007: Received a call from Traci (my agent from CAI) that they had a referral for me,
Eva Maria Paz Gutierrez.
5/31/2007: Received the first pictures of Eva and her first medical update.
06/04/2007: Accepted the referral of Eva Maria!
06/04/2007: Sent Dossier packet to CAI.
06/06/2007: Received and completed the Power of Attorney
6/13/2007: Dossier was reviewed by CAI's program director, and got sent to Guatemala
6/20/2007: Request for DNA testing is in. File is in Family Court in Guatemala
7/05/2007: File is still in Family Court. Interviews with the
Birth mother and Foster mother scheduled for July 9, 2007.
7/10/2007: Received 2nd set of pictures and medical report
7/19/2007: DNA testing is done
7/24/2007: Michelle takes my clothes and blanket to Guatemala with her to give to Eva
7/25/2007: File released from Family Court and submitted to PGN
7/31/2007: File kicked out of PGN -- needed 'pre-approval'
8/15/2007: Received 3rd set of pictures and the medical report
8/20/2007: Received the Travel Packet!
9/06/2007: Received my pre-approval notice from the US Embassy. File submitted back to PGN
9/13/2007: Received an email from CAI that said that
'families will be able to complete their adoptions as long as they filed their
I-600A and have a POA (Power of Attorney) registered with Guatemala. I have!
9/26/2007: Received sad email from CAI stating that:
We understand this to mean that Guatemala will stop processing foreign adoption cases - beginning
January 1, 2008, no matter what stage of the process you're in.
9/28/2007: Received 4th set of pictures and medical information
10/02/2007: Received an update that my file is still in PGN.
10/24/2007: Received update that my file is still in PGN. This is week 7. Most files come out in week 8-9.
11/12/2007: OUT OF PGN & APPROVED! (2 months and 7 days)
11/14/2007: Received update that they're getting the final signature from birth mother - then obtaining passport and birth certificate.
12/13/2007: Received my Pink Slip from the US Embassy with my appointment date in Guatemala City. My appointment date is December 21, 2007 at 7:15 a.m.
12/14/2007: Booked my flight to Guatemala City & Hotel.
12/18/2007: Flew to Houston, then to Guatemala City. Arrived with my Dad in Guatemala City at 10 p.m. Received Eva due to 'other circumstances' that night at 10:45 p.m. What a day!!!
12/19/2007: Remained at the hotel with Dad and Eva for 2 more days.
12/21/2007: Embassy Appointment over! We're going home!!!
12/22/2007: Flight home day: Eva is now a US Citizen.
The most wonderful day of my life!