........................................Ollie... meet Alex! 
Alex... meet Ollie!
Alex wants to eat Ollie... (lol)
But Ollie has other ideas! Awww, poor Alex... t's been a long time since a new kitty lover pulled his fur! He really is an amazing cat... he would never ever scratch or bite or even hiss at a child. He's an old kitty (16 yrs old now) with a kind, loving soul. Thanks, Alex for being patient with our new family member! Now... on to meeting Pookie! :)
Here we are at the airport! We are very ready to go home!!!
Ollie with his passport! He will leave a Guatemalan citizen and become a citizen of the United States the moment his passport is stamped in Los Angeles!
.........Some of my Hello Kitty snacks? I don't THINK so Ollie Baby!"
....................... Woo hoo! Ollie's very first plane ride!!!
............................Happy Ollie = Happy Daddy!
The pilot invited us to see the cockpit... I explained that this was Oliver's first flight, and the pilot said that it was his too! lol :)
Ollie really wanted to fly the plane! Maybe he'll be a pilot someday!
Meanwhile, Sophie Lu let her Ollie Baby listen to some music before take-0ff...
..................................Then it was time to buckle up!
We had a great view of one of Guatemala's beautiful volcanos... bye bye Guatemala!
................Little Ollie Bear was soon asleep in his Daddy's arms!
......................... Wake up, Ollie Baby... we are landing!!!
......................................We're here! We're here!!!
And since they don't allow cameras in the immigration section, here is the first photo of Ollie Baby, the US Citizen!!!!
Welcome to the United States of America, our sweet Oliver!!! Welcome to your new life!
As much as we wanted to get home, we were actually a little sad to realize that this would be our last Sunday at the park... We (especially Sophie Lu) had so much fun on Sundays, and we are thankful for the beautiful memories we will always have. We enjoyed our stay in Guatemala City SO much more than our time in Antigua. The people are friendly, and all in all, GC just seemed like a cleaner, safer, more convenient, and happier place to us. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza and were very well taken care of. There is a nice grocery store right next to the hotel, as well as lots of places to eat and play. We had a suite, so we were able to cook in our kitchen- which was nice as well. Here is the view of PGN from the rooftop!
I also want to mention (and there will be more later) that from what I know, PGN is not the black hole that people think it is... it is much more organized and methodical than some would like us to believe. Also, Sr. Barrios isn't the evil one he is made out to be. I know he doesn't take bribes and that he is a compassionate man who wants these babies home and is thankful to the families who adopt the orphaned children of Guatemala. (I know PGN is taking longer than it should- I just think it's not all Barrios's fault and that he doesn't do some of the bad things he is accused of....) If you have been asked for money to pay off Barrios, then I am quite certain the person and/or agency who asked you actually kept the money (sidenote: this did not happen to me). I know there are many many families who believe they have been stuck in PGN for many months, even years- but the fact is, unless there is a minor birthmother or another reason for investigation (suspicion of fraud, etc.), these families are probably not getting the truth about their cases. Some agencies lie to families.... some attorneys/facilitators lie to the agencies (who pass along these lies to their clients without any investigation), etc... These agencies don't hold their contacts in Guatemala accountable for anything and (imo) don't ask questions for fear that they won't get more baby listings. Many times, when you are told you are in PGN, you are actually not. Many times, there are kickouts and it takes the facilitator weeks or months to pick up the file and even longer to fix the previos (mistakes) that shouldn't have been made in the first place. Unless these previos involve something the adoptive parents have to fix, the family and/or agency may never even know about the kickout. All the while, families think they have just been stuck in PGN and/or waiting on Barrios's desk because this is what these agencies WANT people to believe. Then if you question these agencies or tell them the truth you have uncovered about your case, they punish you by threatening your referral, not allowing you to visit, lying to your homestudy agency/social worker, forcing you to get a psychological evaluation or counseling with your Pastor, badmouthing you to other clients, and/or telling you that you don't trust because "You don't trust God and don't have Christ in your heart". (And no, not *all* of these things happened to us personally...) These agencies are supposed to be our advocates, NOT our adversaries. They have a fiduciary responsibility and are contracted to represent us. Once they have your money, they don't even pretend to care anymore...
While Ollie wasn't quite sure what to think of his first time in a swimming pool, he sure loved his first pair of swim trunks & posing for the camera (that's my boy)!!! :)
Yes, Ollie Baby got a little "haircut", and everyone has been calling him the funniest names! No one can seem to agree which famous bald guy he looks like most... what do YOU think? Vote below and leave a comment saying who you voted for and why! (Just for fun, of course!)
click to enlarge
Daddy is in LOVE with his boy! Honestly, I have to fight him for Ollie half the time! :)
Daddy always makes sure Ollie joins in whatever fun his big sister is having!
.........He put Ollie in Sophie's goat-drawn carriage...
And he even put him on Sophie's horsey! Your daddy sure loves you, Ollie Baby!
I had so much fun! Mommy took me down my very first slide!
And I got to drive!
Then I posed for a photo with my big sister Sophie Lu...
But I didn't know she was going to push me down the slide! Thank goodness Daddy held on to me!
Yeah, that was fun! I think I'll go back again soon!
