Blake Rides in his First Tuc-Tuc (the roller skate car)

Our House!

There's a New Girl in Town!

Swimming!

Monday Submitted to PGN?!!

After talking to Lourdes today, we found out that our pre-approval was picked up at the embassy and our file was being reviewed by her before being submitted to PGN. She told us that our file was somehow missing Chris' Washington State police clearance (which we have, it just wasn't there) and photos of our family, house, job, etc. which we mailed to Robert, our agent months ago. Don't ask me how one or two things can somehow just be missing. This is how families get kicked out of PGN however so at least we know our file is being reviewed well ahead of time. Anyway, the story is that Robert is mailing these items tomorrow Fed Ex however they won't arrive to Guatemala to Lourdes until Friday. If they arrive in time, Lourdes will bring our completed file and submit it to PGN. If it arrives too late, we'll have to wait to be submitted on Monday, July 30th. Lourdes also said that in two weeks (around August 14th), she will check on our file in PGN to find out if we'll be getting kicked out for something else that they may have missed. If she finds out that we won't have a "previo" (kick out), then we've been told it could just be 4 more weeks after that to get approval (6 weeks in all). You never can trust dates you hear though because of course, it will be out of her hands at that point and in the hands of PGN officials. If they see an error in translation we could get kicked out. Please continue crossing your fingers. If this timeline in fact happens, I may rethink about returning home. I would love to stay, of course with Blake, but at this point we have to wait to see if we get kicked out or not. Without kick outs, this could be our timeline to final approval. Anyway, let's move on to a new subject. How about we talk about some of the things we see here every day that is completely different than the US! There are so many, so I'll begin listing them (these I will call the "Top Ten of Antigua"):

1. Babies ride on motorcycles along with their entire family (baby is usually in front of dad and mom in back of dad so it often looks like baby is driving)

2. Fresh meat (literally just sliced off the cow) is always available and sold at the market unrefrigerated -includes flies if you ask

3. Human feces is covered up by a white substance so people are more aware of what they're walking in on the sidewalks

4. Women breastfeed openly (I mean this literally) - breast hanging out and baby hanging on

5. Men ride bikes on bumpy cobblestone roads (this has got to hurt)

6. People carry furniture (sometimes larger than themselves) on their backs for miles - women carry baskets with goods on their backs sometimes while at the same time carrying a child of 5 years of age on their back and four other children in tow

7. Random blasts throughout the day and night (we're not sure if they're fireworks, guns??)

8. Armed guards no older than 18 at times, stand in front of every bank and will not smile no matter what to show their brut power

9. Psychedelic chicken buses dominate the streets and yell "Guate, Guate!!" as they go by (meaning they are headed to Guatemala City)

10. There are no traffic lights and rarely a traffic sign therefore, traffic is a game of its own. If you're hit, oh well!

Actually, I don't mean to make light of any of this. It is quite an experience being here every day. These are just some of the things that make me smile as I cruise by with my baby who thinks nothing of it!!

The people here continue to be the kindest people I've ever met. They are genuine, helpful and work so hard for their families just to survive every day. It makes you realize how good we have it in the U.S. Did you know that 1 in 4 children die here every day because their families can't afford the medicine at the hospitals needed to keep them alive? I may have already mentioned this. It breaks my heart. You want to help them all and hand them all money. If you ever feel like donating to a good cause, please donate to a family or child in Guatemala. I know other countries are needy as well, but this country will always hold a soft place in my heart. I want to take 4 children back with me, but I know this is not possible. Still awaiting Auntie Melaine's arrival! We can't wait to introduce her to the top 10 of Antigua!! By the way, the picture of the two women together are Blake's foster mothers who are sisters (Rocio and Karina). They are amazing. They have given nothing but love and care to Blake. They love him as their own. The other lady holding Blake is Virginia, the housekeeper of our house. Oh, there's one more lady with long curly hair holding Blake. I met her the other day at the market. She was from Honduras and here doing business. She adored Blake and quickly swooped him into her arms! His new name is "coqueto" which means flirt in Spanish! Can't you tell from all of the women holding him! He's only 5 months and they can't keep their hands off of him! What will we do when he's 17?!!! Thank you all for the thoughtful and reassuring comments. I love to read them every day. You have all been so supportive and wonderful.

We have Pre-Approval!

Big news! We received pre-approval from the US Embassy yesterday! Hooray! This means that our DNA was approved and our next step is our last step - PGN! On Monday, Lourdes, our facilitator here in Guatemala will pick up the pre-approval and then submit it along with our file to PGN. She told me should would do this on Tuesday or Wednesday. We are so happy to finally be moving on once again. What a relief. We will hope for a quick time in PGN. What is new here? Well, let's see. Blake's bottom two teeth are really beginning to show now and he is not as fussy as he was when they were popping through. Poor little guy. At one point I actually found a small chunk of his gums hanging in front of his little tooth. I felt so bad for him. We went to see Dr. Montiel yesterday (see the picture) for my first time - Blake's 5th! Blake weighs 15 1/2 pounds now which is only 1/2 lb. more than last time so I think we'll up the rice cereal a bit! He was smiling and talking to Dr. Montiel until he had to get a Polio shot which sent him over the edge! It is SO awful to watch your baby cry like that. Thankfully, he happied right up. Rocio, Blake's foster mom has been missing him terribly so I invited her to come meet us along with her daughter for the appointment. She couldn't take her hands off him and was a great help at the doctor's office. We are so fortunate to have her. We hope Blake will always stay in contact with her throughout his life. Let's see. Oh, mom has had Montezuma's Revenge after eating at McDonald's (which I'll never do again) last Wednesday. Fortunately I loaded up on the "D" medication before leaving so this has helped. This is the second time now so hopefully it will be the last! On another note, Antigua has been celebrating a certain saint day (July 25th) all month and so there have been much festivities in the central park along with fireworks at night! Thankfully all the babies here are used to this noise and they sleep right through it. Blake has been attempting rice cereal in the last week or so. He's not too sure about it, but a little bit is going down at least! These pictures say it all! I am trying really hard to stay occupied and distracted day by day because the minute I don't, I begin thinking of home and Chris and my dogs that I've left behind. It is hard, believe me. I am trying to keep my head up though for Blake's sake though to be the best mommy I can be. The daily emails from Kaylie and phone calls from Chris continue to keep me smiling as well as Blake's adorable face.

On another subject, Blake's birth mom wants to meet me. This has been a really sensitive subject lately and Chris and I have been really torn about whether to meet with her or not. We received a phone call last week from Lourdes who said that she wanted to meet me to make sure Blake was happy and safe and that I was a good person. Apparently, as awful as this sounds, there are newspaper articles in Guatemala that are stating that Americans are adopting babies to donate their organs for money. This makes me sick, but to some Guatemalans, this is very true and they believe every word especially when their towns are pressuring them. This is what has been happening to Blake's birth mom. We had planned on meeting her (along with Lourdes and her business partner) last Wednesday, but I got a call at the last minute saying that the birth mom's brother had died the night before in a car accident and that she wanted to reschedule. So, as of now, we sit waiting for the phone call to meet again. Perhaps that phone call will not come (which might be a relief), but if it does, I think it will be best if I meet. If not, our agent has said it will cause more anxiety and who knows what could happen at that point. The thing that has been stressing me out to the max is that a friend of mine, Jen from Arizona who was fostering her 3 month old baby in a house nearby was in the same step of the adoption process as us. 5 days ago, she received a phone call from her agency saying that her baby's birth mom had changed her mind and they were coming to get her baby in three hours. She was devastated of course and came to talk to me about it. I was speechless. She assured me though (after me telling her that I was meeting with Blake's birth mom the next day) that this was a rare occurrence and I shouldn't worry. Still, I cannot stop thinking about the phone call I might get in the next few weeks. At this point in the adoption, she can still change her mind. Please send positive thoughts our way so that this won't be the case. I have spoken with Lourdes several times about how we feel and she continues to tell us that the birth mom is 100% positive about her decision to put Blake up for adoption and all she wants to see is that Blake is in loving arms. Hopefully this will be obvious to her when we do end up meeting. I have begun writing her a letter in the hopes that she can take it back with her. Chris has sent me pictures of us, our house, our dogs, and Blake's nursery in the hopes that they will put her at peace with this adoption. Auntie Melaine will be here in 3 weeks! She is still waiting on an expedited passport that is supposed to arrive in the next 2 1/2 weeks. It will be cutting it short so if it doesn't arrive in time, she will reschedule her flight for a few days later! We are thinking of you all and wishing you well. There are so many fun things I keep thinking about that I want us to do when we return home I can hardly stand the wait! Please pray for no kick outs and a smooth PGN process! Please also pray for the speedy return of all of the moms living here with us at Casa Bella. Love you all.

Grandma Bennett returns to Seattle :(

We said bye to Grandma this morning and it was so sad once again to see our third family member leave us. Grandma grew so attached to Blake and Blake loves her so much. Every morning when he woke up I'd bring him to her and he'd greet her with a huge dimply smile! We are so lucky. What a sweet baby we have! Now Blake is sleeping and I am sitting here a bit lonely for my mom who was so helpful and reassuring of my mothering! Today is a beautiful blue sky day and Rebecca (another mom here), our babies and I made our way to the local market (we do this daily for entertainment) - the Bodegona to buy diapers and other baby necessities. Blake continues to be a trooper and is happy as can be smiling at everyone walking by. Everyone stops to shake his little hand and say "Que bello bebe o que bello ojos" which means "what a beautiful boy "or "what beautiful eyes." Those big brown eyes are hard to miss I must say :) Big news! Blake's bottom two teeth are coming in as you can see in the picture I just posted! One is really showing while the other is just poking through. He continues to shove everything in his mouth as he teethes and has not shown much sign of distress which is a plus. He also just started giggling which is my favorite! His little giggle is so sweet. Chris and I continue to stay in contact via phone every day. He is thinking about getting web cams for us to talk and see each other! I don't know if this will make me happy or sad. I think us seeing each other might make us miss each other more. We hope you are all enjoying the summer. Will post again soon. Oh, did I mention that there is a 10 day old baby girl available through our agency?....:)

Hola!

Hello! How is everyone's summer going? Since it is the rainy season here in Guatemala the weather is fairly unpredictable. We are missing the hot summer days in Washington! Yesterday we had rain almost all day and it was overcast. Today, on the other hand, it is sunny with blue skies! Go figure. We're so sad today because it is Grandma Bennett's last day with us. She has been so helpful with Blake and we've had so much fun together that it will be hard to see her go tomorrow morning. We'll be lonely once again until Aunt Melaine arrives on August 14th! We can't wait and of course, she is overjoyed to be coming to meet her new nephew! I've been a little homesick lately and especially missing Chris and our dogs. Please continue posting us comments because I swear, they are all I have to keep my going! They make my day when I've been having a hard day missing you all. Not much else to write about today except that I can't wait to come home already!!! Love you all and missing you. Enjoy these new pictures of Blake in his Sunday best!

Antigua Scenery!

Yesterday, Blake, Grandma and I went walking and shopping together near the famous "arco" arch in Antigua. We had a great time and Blake did so good being lugged around all over town. With my shopping habit, he's going to have to get used to this! While Grandma went into the bank I had a nice conversation with a darling little girl (her picture is here) and her mom selling their jewelry on the street. Turns out that this sweetheart was 6 years old and getting ready to go kindergarten next year (we're still not sure why she's not in school now, but most likely because she's earning money for the family on the streets). So sad, but this is fairly normal here. Anyway, I couldn't resist taking a picture of her. How beautiful is she?! Today has been a tough day as I'm still debating what to do with work and our adoption. Basically, I have two options. One, I can begin my 40 day leave on August 28th when my contract begins and then stay here until the adoption is final. Problem is, this could go over my 40 days and then I'd have to apply for family medical leave with no pay. With PGN being so unpredictable, it could be possible I'd still be down here in November/December at the latest. The other deal with this option is that I'd have to come home and immediately start work again with no transition for Blake to be at home with us to adjust. However, if PGN did go into November or December, I would have some time to be with him as we'd be heading into Thanksgiving/Christmas vacation. Option 2 would be to come home around August 20th or so, set up my classroom and teach until Blake was ready to come home. Then, once he was home, my 40 days would begin and we would be guaranteed time together at home those days. So, this is the dilema I'm facing right now. Hopefully as time passes, the decision will become clearer. It just drives me crazy thinking about what would be best for me, Blake and Chris. Thank you for your positive thoughts on this subject! Hopefully it will just come to me. Right now, the thought of leaving Blake a week before August 28th makes me teary. We'll see what happens. I hope you all enjoy these new pictures! I'm off to bed so I don't ponder this anymore today!! Love you all.

The Internet is Working!

Hello! We finally have our internet up and working so hopefully it will stay working so I can post more frequently. Things are going very well here in Antigua so far. Blake has been busy getting to know his new grandmas and they are completely taken by him (I think it's the dimples)! Grandma Michele spent 6 days here (she left on the 9th) and Grandma Rosalie is still here (she extended her stay of course)! She plans to leave on the 17th. Today, she is spending the day by herself in another town to shop at a famous market. We can't wait to see what she comes back with!

Blake is as happy as can be and smiles all day long! We are so lucky to have such a beautiful happy baby. He has made a nice transition and seems to recognize his mommy and grandma's faces more every day. He is sleeping well at night and takes good 1-2 hour naps (just enough time for me to take a shower and get ready for the day)! He has been going to bed for the night around 8:30 PM and then wakes around 1:00, and 4:00 for a bottle. He usually wakes up each day around 6:00-6:30 and then talks, kicks and plays in his crib until 7:15 AM! I think we lucked out with this schedule! Daddy left on the 6th, but hopes to return at the end of the month. He loves Blake so much and had a hard time leaving (the picture of him holding Blake's hand was when he had to say goodbye :( We talk every day though and Blake likes to babble into the phone to him.

During the day, the babies spend time together playing and we often take trips to the market in the jogger strollers. The roads are fairly treacherous, but as long as we stick together and watch out for buses, we do OK! The people here are so amazingly nice and helpful. We couldn't ask for more. Every day we see something new and exciting. It is like being in a secret hidden village here. I feel like I'm in the middle of a postcard. It is absolutely gorgeous. I will post more scenery pictures soon!

The latest news with our adoption is that we are about 2 weeks away from getting pre-approval from the U.S. Embassy. After that we go into PGN (our last step) and the average amount of time families have been there is 8-10 weeks. No guarantees though on this time frame as many families get "previos" - the kick outs I mentioned before which set you back quite a bit of time. We will remain hopeful and pray that things go smoothly. In the meantime, I don't mind spending time with the cutest boy ever!

If the school district allows me to do so, I am now planning on staying for the duration of the adoption so I don't have to leave Blake and then return to bring him home. Pray that they allow me to do this! I think it will be the best thing for Blake and me! Chris continues to support me at home, but we miss him very much.

I will continue posting as frequently as possible so please check back soon! Miss you all and hope you are enjoying the pictures!