Levi Douglas Bradley: Update from Guatemala

Our Adoption Story

Levi was born on April 21, 2007 in Chinautla, Guatemala, a small town known for pottery. He weighed 6.7 pounds and was 19.7 inches long. He was in private foster care in Guatemala City where he lived for 10 1/2 months with his foster mom, her son and daughter and Isaac, his foster brother. Throughout our difficult adoption journey, Isaac's mom, Nancy and I became very good friends. God placed our boys together and had the perfect plan in place long before we ever realized it. When I was undecided on an adoption agency, I joined an online forum where Nancy provided me with information about her agency and recommended them to us. We decided to sign with the same agency and I emailed Nancy back to let her know. Over a few months we emailed back and forth to learn we were both from TN and lived only 30 minutes apart... we thought wow, it's a small world. Little did we know a few months later we'd both get referrals, earlier than we expected, of 2 beautiful Guatemalan angels. When they turned 2 months old our agency called and decided it was time to tell us that they were in the same foster home together and had been since they were 1 day old. We were amazed they were together. Even more so, God amazed us once again when we learned shortly after that they were born on the same day and were from the same town... no longer a coincidence that was for sure. We were being told by the foster mom how attached they were and acted like brothers. But, Nancy and I got the chance in January '08 to go to visit them and see it for ourselves. It was an amazing time of bonding with our boys that we will never forget. After that trip it seemed when one of us would reach a roadblock in the crazy process of international adoption the other would be delayed with something else. We stayed right together until the very day we picked them both up. We had our US Embassy appts the same day and we flew home through Atlanta on the same flight on March 11, 2008 when they both entered the US as citizens! It was an awesome time for us in the Atlanta Airport when we rec'd the congrats they were official! We've made friends for life with Nancy, Eric, and with Isaac's extended families. We look forward to many years of watching them both grow up so close together. Over the past year, as we went through battle after battle to bring our boys home, Nancy and I both would never think of one without the other in our endless prayers to keep them safe, happy and healthy until they could be home with their forever families. We're finally parents and it's what we've both waited for, for so many years.. our families are finally complete!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Update from Guatemala

Hey all- I wanted to post real quick and let you all know that we made it here safe to pick up Levi and he is in his daddy's arms as we speak. He has had a pretty rough afternoon and been scared to death just like when Nancy and I came in January. He didn't want much to do with me at first but, he eventaully had no choice so, he gave in. He is finally warming up to Steve. He was just scared of him at first, which broke Steve's heart but, he was patient enough to just stay back until he was ready. He still won't let my mom and dad hold him yet but, he will. It may take a few days before he's ok with all of us together. We've been taking everything slow and letting him set the pace. We have our US Embassy appointment in the morning and I am sure he will be hating that. It would be nice if he slept through most or all of it. We are being picked up here at our hotel at 6:45am...too early!! Well, just pray for him tonight and pray that a bath and a bottle to follow will get the job done for him to rest tonight. Love to all and thanks for your prayers. Despite the crying and the adjustments we're making right now, the fact he's ours is great! His foster mom and her son today had a really hard time and they need to be remembered in your prayers as well. They both cried and cried. I promised to call her tomorrow and update her on how he did tonight. Blessings- Tracy (aka Levi's mommy)