Thank you for all of the prayers!!

Thanks everyone for your prayers!! Pala's passport was a quick fix in Kolkata. Shad and Ms.Roy were able get it fixed with no problems. It was a huge inconvenience to us but it is fixed. Today at the Embassy the staff had totally different attitudes towards us. I almost think that they thought we were just going to give in and not push the issue of having everything done by today and stay a few extra days for their sake. Not the case!! They were totally surprised to see us back today. We were told it was a miracle that it was cleared up so quickly! In our case I have to agree. The Embassy tried telling us that it was going to take 2 days but they would see what they can do. There is NO reason for it to take 2 days!!! To all travelng families... stand your ground and be firm. So, any hoo, I am happy to say that this is certainly one Thanksgiving that I have a lot to be thankful for. At around 8:30 tomorrow morning I will be able to give my 3 favorite boys in the whole world the biggest hugs they have ever gotten because we are coming home!!! Packing up and heading to the airport in an hour!! See you in America!!! :)

What more could go wrong?!

Well, we've hit another road block. This adoption has certainly been a challenge for us. Although I can say Miss PEA is an absolute dream!! She is doing VERY well with us now. Oh, the road block.... well, yesterday we went to the doctor for our medical visit for the Embassy and Pala's birthdate is wrong on her passport. It says 2009 instead of 2008 for her year of birth. So after a very long day of trying to get someone here in New Delhi to help us... Shad flew back to Kolkata this morning to try to get it taken care of. Pala and I have transfered to the Hyatt Regency. It's gated and I feel much more comfortable here. It's quite pricey but safety is my main concern right now. Do not stay at any of the Parkland hotels... I repeat... do not stay at any of the Parkland hotels. What a fiasco!!! Kristy L will agree with me!! We had a terrible time with them. We were supposed to stay at the Parkland Greenpark on Sunday... even confirmed our reservations there... when we got there to check in we weren't in the system, then after getting a bit nasty... oh, my there we were but they didn't have a room for us!!! They transfered us to a different Parkland out by Nerhu Place and it was not pleasant. The room was nice but the noise was awful. We couldn't make calls from our room or use the internet. "They were having some problems with them" we were told but we could give them the numbers we needed to call and they would connect them for us. So, we tried that.... 15 minutes later (and some longer) we were connected. Grrrr!!! The service sucked!! Well, not all of it, there was one bellboy that was an absolute sweetheart! Yesterday we asked for a car @ 8:30 am so we could go to the doctor appointment by 9am and at 10:15 the car was still not there. We were told it would be there in 20 minutes and that they had just called them. As if that didn't start my day off well!! Then we went to the doctors office (1st on the list). It was nice but busy. We really didn't wait all that long but the receptionist kept saying "Your daughter 2 months?". No, she's 14 months... again "No... your daughter 2 months?" "No" I said speaking very slowly... "No, she is 1 year and 2 months." Then she showed me Pala's passport. My heart sank!! Now what do we do?! The doctor called us into his office and did the exam, then explained that he couldn't write the report until the passport was fixed. We should go to the Embassy and explain the situation and see what they think would be the best way to handle it. So, 2 hours at the Embassy, they sent us to the Regional Passport office in Delhi. At the passport office they yelled at Shad and told him it was his fault there was a mistake and said he was getting involved because it was US adoption case. So back to the Embassy we went to let them know what had taken place and they started yelling at Shad. Shad raised his voice and started getting a little crappy with them and the guard came over. The guard was very nice and couldn't believe that we were being treated this way... that was OUR Embassy. After 2 hours of being treated like total crap we were no further ahead and were told that next time we should look at things more closely. So we went back to the hotel and called Ms. Roy, booked the first flight out this morning to Kolkata for Shad only (at Ms. Roy's request because of some sort of protest march going on). They will go to the passport office in Kolkata and hopefully get this taken care of. Needless to say we checked out of the awful Parkland and are now at the Hyatt. Way more than I wanted to spend but we are safe. This trip has been a nightmare and I can't wait to get home to my boys!!! Doesn't look like we are going to make it to the Taj... but I'm to the point I really don't care. I just want to be home on US soil!!! When I can find the humor in all of this I will try to post some positive parts of the trip. For now please please please say a prayer for us!! I really need this mess to be over with so I go home to have Thanksgiving with my family!!! I'm sooooo homesick right now and I feel trapped in a really bad dream that I can't wake up from.

"PALA" Day!!!

Pala day is finally here!! We've had a rough go at it but we are making it work! :) She's scared right now so there's been a lot of crying going on. She's trying to figure out what's going on. We will be taking it easy when we get home. Right now she is sleeping with Shad. :)

I miss you boys!! I can't wait to see you!!

A few pictures of our trip

We finally have a few minutes to post some pictures. Internet is a minimun of 600 Rupees per day. That's about $15. It doesn't seem like a lot but when you add it all up for each day... and you only have an hour or so to use it, it really adds up.

There really is no order to these but I know everyone has been waiting to see some. I miss my boys sooo much it's not even funny. I'm glad that we were able to do all of the things that we have but it's too long to be away from home. :) Not to mention we have actually spent more time either on a plane or in a car than doing anything to exciting.

Some of the children at the Compassion site

Dilshad presenting me with flowers at our arrival to Compassion

Dilshad with his mom and dad

The director of the site is in purple.

Cochin

Arrived in Cochin last night. Our driver was a no show. Had to stay in a hotel here and waiting to hear from my nieces orphanage about meeting today. Wish us luck. Using hotel computer so no pics. Sorry guys!! It's much hotter and more humid here than it is in Delhi. It's also a little bit cleaner and the people are much much friendlier!! Hope to post later today!

Compassion

Had an absolutely amazing day with our Compassion child. If you sponsor a child I would highly encourage you to visit him/her. Shad and I both agree that it was a day to remember. Wonderful staff, the kids were great... the visit was beyond our expectations!! Compassion is a wonderful organization!!! Even had my first experience with a squat toilet. :)

We made it to India!!!

Hi everyone!!!
We made it to India about 2am this morning after many delays!!! First off, our flight from Buffalo was cancelled and there weren't anymore flights available. After 2 hours of trying to get us out of there and me not backing down... United sent us by taxi to Rochester to catch a flight to Chicago. We wound up with a totally different flight itinerary but I didn't care. I was going to get to Delhi Monday night!! In Chicago we had some issues with the plane as well!! After being on the plane for almost 2 hours we had to deboard due to a fuel leak!! Thank goodness this was noticed by the attendant loading the luggage!!! American brought in another plane and about an hour or so later we were on our way. We left Chicago around 11pm instead of 7pm. Lay and behold... we are now in Delhi, tired as all get go but we are plugging along. We are waiting for our driver from Compassion to meet us in the lobby so I will update with pics later tonight.

Ready, Set, Go!!

All of our arrangements are made and confirmed!! YEAH!! Compassion was so great to work with. Even with all of the unknowns they managed to schedule a day for us!! Everything fell into place the way it was supposed to. I should have had more faith!!

Our trip in a nut shell...

Sun 11/15 leave US
Mon 11/16 arrive New Delhi
Tues 11/17 visit our Compassion child
Wed 11/18 travel to Kerala
Thur 11/19 visit my niece/ help out at orphanage
Fri 11/20 travel to Kolkata
Sat 11/21 Miss PEA Day/ visit SICW
Sun 11/22 travel to Delhi meet up with Kristy (another Dillon family)
and possibly another family
Mon 11/23 Embassy Day
Tues 11/24 Taj trip if all goes well at the Embassy
Wed 11/25 Fly home!!!
Thur 11/26 Arrive back in US in time for a blessed Thanksgiving with my boys!!!

As long as we have internet we will be blogging!!! We have a full itin so there isn't much time for site seeing. Our travel agent is awesome!! Thank you for suggesting him Kristy!! He listened to what I wanted and then made everything work!! Thanks to the 2 free night that we earned when we went to Iowa, we are even a little under budget!! Thats always nice! Sign up for every free travel rewards card that you can... you never know where it'll take you. Most airlines and hotel chains have them. We earned 2 free nights at the Inter Continental- Nehru Place (5 star rating) for staying at a Holiday Inn Express in Iowa last spring through Priority Club!! The 2 hotels are like night and day!! :) Doing another check of everything today so I can relax and enjoy tomorrow with my boys!!

A Thanksgiving to be thankful for!!!

This Thanksgiving is going to be a Thanksgiving we will never forget!! We will be bringing our daughter home!!! Yes... we have travel approval and will be leaving this Sunday for India!!! I was beginning to think our turn would never come!! Tickets are bought and I'm looking at hotels right now!! We leave on the 15th and will arrive back in Buffalo at 8:10am Thanksgiving morning!!

My sister Kate blessed me with a nephew last night... after a very long and exhausting day for her she wound up having a C-Section around 9pm. Cameron weighed in at 8.08 lbs and 20 1/2 inches long. If you know my sister, she is 5' 1" and 105lbs soaking wet. Cam was a big baby for her first!! I kept telling her to hurry up and have him!! I couldn't leave until she did!! Well, he was finally born last night and Tami called this morning... God's timing is everything!! :)

Still waiting...

for her family to come and get her!!!

Pala has been watching all of her friends leave with their mommies and daddies but she has to stay there. :( Her little expressions are heartbreaking.

It's sooo frustrating that her passport is taking this long.

Thanks Traci for the pictures!! They came at a perfect time today!!
Travel safe!!