NEW PICTURES!

Finally some new Pictures!!

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Here we are with exactly 2 weeks left before coming home!! I can't believe I'm saying that. It's like a dream come true. Blake and I are doing well and just waiting for Chris to arrive on Saturday, the 2nd. We are so glad we'll be able to go home as a family. Not too much is new here except that Blake and I have been spending lots of time with little Vinsy and Flor. These little girls you've seen before on my blog. They sell in the park every day. They have now returned to school (4th grade), but still sell every afternoon. We have had a great time eating at Burger King together, having hair braiding parties and walking around town. These pictures crack me up of Flor with Blake on her back and wearing my sunglasses. They are the sweetest girls and every day they ask me when they can come to visit or live with Chris and I. It will be hard to leave them. It melts my heart when I see them running up to me and Blake in the park calling our names and hugging us. These beach pictures are from Monterrico where my friend Beatriz and I went last Friday. It is about 2 hours away and was absolutely beautiful. There were pigs running around the streets - very funny!

WE HAVE OUR EMBASSY APPT. AND ARE REALLY COMING HOME THIS TIME!!!

Hallelujah! We finally received our Visa/Embassy Appt. on Thursday morning!!! This is the VERY LAST THING we have to do before coming home. Our appointment is set for Monday, February 4th (in 16 days and yes, we're counting them down), which is not too far out. We were hoping for sooner, but apparently the holidays have backed up the embassy's appointments. We will hang in there though. Of course we've already emailed them to see if we can get an earlier appointment or be put on the cancellation list, but we haven't heard back yet. That probably won't happen though so we'll just enjoy our last couple of weeks in Antigua. We can't even imagine what it will be like to be at home now. Every adoptive family here says, "Until I'm on that plane, I won't feel like we're really going home." This is so true. It often seems like things will always go on and on and you'll never see this day. It is actually here for us. Our plan is to go to the embassy for our 7:15 AM appt. on Monday, the 4th. Then, Blake's Visa will be available for pick up after 3:00 the next day. Therefore, we will fly back home on Wednesday, February 6th!!! And, this is 1 DAY BEFORE BLAKE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!! It will be exactly one year since he was born that we have been going through the adoption process. Wow! This has been an amazing journey. Blake is SO WORTH everything we've gone through here. Yes, it has been VERY frustrating and emotionally draining at times, but for the most part, the things we have experienced and seen in Guatemala we are so lucky to have been a part of. How often can you wake up in the morning to sunshine and the sound of doves in the trees? How often can you say "Buenos Dias!" to every person that walks by and have them respond happily? How many times can you see pigs wandering through the streets like dogs and walk on a beach with your baby on your back? (yesterday's trip to Monterrico beach). How often can you make friends with and directly help a child in need by walking to the nearest park? How often can you order any type of fruit smoothie just by walking up to a bar in a cafe? The list goes on and on. We are SO thankful for Blake and this trip. We have been able to foster Blake for 5 months and we can't imagine life without him. At this point, we'd like to take 3 children home with us when we go, but that's impossible. All we can say is that if you are even the slightest bit interested in adopting, DO IT!!! You will never regret it. Yes, it can be trying, but like I continue to say, SO WORTH IT when you see that little smile every morning! Anyway, we're hoping to post more pictures soon. I'm taking my new fancy disposable camera to the camera store today so look for new ones tonight! We can't wait to see you! Chris said he's planning on kissing the airport floor as soon as we walk off the plane (hee, hee)!

2-3 More Weeks and it's Homeward Bound!

Hello friends and family! We hope everyone is well in the states. We are still hanging in there for our last few weeks in Guatemala. We are now waiting for our official "pink" email with our embassy appt. date. Our DNA results have been sent to the embassy (our agency confirmed) and now we wait once again. The good news is, we should get the email today or tomorrow. The not so good news is that some of the appts. have been for 18 days out. We can try to get an earlier appt. if this is the case for us, however the majority of my friends who've tried this have had no luck because the embassy is still backed up from the holidays. I think we can hang in there, but we're really starting to want to come home now. What else is new here. I got really sick on Monday night from eating at McDonald's again (I've been sick from eating there before and continue to go back). It was like the 24 hour bug because I was up all night vomiting. Sorry for the visual. Thank goodness Blake didn't wake up during this. Thank goodness also for my wonderful neighbor Beth who nursed me back to health with Gatorade, bananas, and everything else I needed. She is great. Blake is doing great, by the way and growing like a weed! He is now able to stand up on his own and has figured out how to step down a curb by putting his arms straight out for balance. It's really cute because he's so intent and focused when he does this. We also think he's beginning to cut a few more teeth because his appetite has decreased a bit and he's been really fussy and clingy to me. Any moms out there that can help me with this one? He doesn't have a fever, but is just not his usual self. Let's see. Oh, my camera is officially lost now. That's why I haven't posted any new pictures lately. I'll have to post some older ones and/or wait for Chris to get here with the other camera. I did buy a disposable, however so when I get the pictures developed soon, I'll put them on a CD to download to my computer so you can see some more recent ones! I will post again as soon as we receive our appt! Cross your fingers for an appt. not too far out!!

Have you ever hiked a Volcano with a Baby on your Back?!!

Yes indeed, we did just this. On Tuesday, our friends Heather, Grady and their daughter Kylie along with Blake and I did a 2 hour climb up the volcano Pacaya. I think now that we're out of PGN, I'm feeling like I want to see everything before we go so I decided to put Blake and my back and go for it. We drove a very scenic route about an hour and a half away from Antigua and then hiked an hour up and another one down. It was absolutely amazing and SO worth the aching legs the next day. I actually sat in front of a lava river that was about 3 feet away from me. We walked on volcanic rock that radiated heat under our feet. It was surreal. The view at the almost top (they don't let you actually summit for safety reasons) of the volcano was breathtaking. We were actually looking down on towns while watching 3 lava rivers flow down the mountain. Our guide, Luisa, was amazing and she had us all roast marshmallows on one of the white hot rocks. That's how hot it was. Another nice woman on our tour watched Blake while I got close to the lava rivers so don't think I'm too crazy. I had to laugh because as we got to the top, an English speaking man walked by and said hi to me before realizing Blake was on my back. He then said, "Wow, you have a baby! Where are you from?" I said Seattle and as he walked off I heard him say to his friends, "Only a person from Seattle would bring their baby on their back and hike a volcano!" Go Seattlelites! I had to laugh at this one because I'm not a typical Seattlelite and normally wouldn't do this! The bad part about this trip is I lost my camera or it was stolen. We had amazing pictures of the volcano. Luckily, my friend Heather has some of us that I'm having her send. I will post them as soon as I receive them.
So much has happened here in the last few days so I'll start at Monday. We now have Blake's new birth certificate, Passport and 2nd DNA completed. The DNA was sent to a US lab yesterday and the results should be at the US Embassy by next Monday (according to our agency). Our facilitator said that we will receive our "pink" email (used to be called a pink slip because you would get an Embassy/VISA appt. date on a pink piece of paper) by next Wednesday if the results come in Monday. By law the embassy has to give you an appt. date within 48 hours of receiving 2nd DNA. Once we have that appt., we will go to the Embassy for our final doctor visit there (you have to check out of the country with a thorough exam from a designated Embassy doctor) and then attend our VISA appt. date which should be that same week. We will be handed a sealed envelope with Blake's paperwork to get through customs at the airport and then go through a short interview. The next day, we will return and pick up his VISA. Once that is in hand, we can RETURN TO THE USA!!!! We are so excited to come home, yet sad that we'll be leaving this beautiful place. It has been an experience we will NEVER forget. We are blessed and SO incredibly lucky to have this sweet baby boy.
On another note, I have been busy this week helping the family whom we brought gifts to at Christmas. Remember this family? I have pictures of Juanita (the mom) with her 3 boys (5, 3 and 4 months). This is the family who is homeless, living in a shelter and whom I've become really close to living her in Antigua. Basically the mother has no money and sells probably 2 bracelets in the park a day equalling about $8.00 a day. She is supporting 3 kids on this income. To make a long story short, the oldest child, Esteban, developed an enormous tumor like looking mass on the inside of his right leg. Literally, it was the size of a grapefruit. I had not seen it until Monday, but Juanita had told me that her son was not well and she was really worried. Finally, on Monday when I came through the park for our daily walk, little Esteban showed me and drew a crowd of people amazed at how bad this mass was. I asked her if she'd been to the doctor and she said yes and was given an antibiotic prescription. Of course, she couldn't pay for it so she returned to the streets. The mass just continued to get worse. So, to save this little boy's life (literally), I took them all by taxi to Dr. Juarez where I take Blake in town. He took his temp. and said that not only did he have a fever, but that Esteban had an infected abcess filled with puss. I know this sounds absolutely awful - it was. He said he needed to go to the hospital and I had two choices - one associated with him around the corner and another a little outside of town (little did I know that the "Nacional" hospital is government operated and treatment is free). Of course I chose the closer one not knowing this. We waited with 4 children in the lobby of the hospital for an hour before Esteban was given a room. He stayed for 2 nights and Dr. Juarez basically took out the puss and filled him with antibiotics. He was released yesterday and I paid a huge hospital bill. Thank goodness though for my wonderful former roommates who had helped Juanita at Christmas though because they all donated money and helped to pay me back. Basically we all ended up chipping in money for the cause. The mother, Juanita, has been calling me now from a friend's home (we also paid rent for her to stay there for the month while Esteban heals) beyond thankful. She continues to tell me that her son would've died if we hadn't helped. This is true I'm sure. Esteban is a prime example of the children that die because their parents can't afford medicine and hospital treatments. When I went to visit Esteban the day after his treatment, he was SO happy and like a different kid. I left that evening with tears in my eyes. I can't even tell you the feeling I had knowing I had helped save this little one's life. I'm tearing up right now writing this. Anyway, I will never forget this experience. It was definitely a once in a lifetime one.

We May be Home Sooner Than we Thought!!

After 11 months of waiting for our adoption to be finalized, things are finally moving rather quickly. Moving quickly in Guatemala is literally unheard of so we are very lucky. Tomorrow morning we are headed to the city to get Blake's Passport and 2nd DNA test done. Last week we received his birth certificate in 1 day as well as his adoption decree. Birth certificates can take weeks at times depending on which town they're coming from so we feel very fortunate. We actually went to get his Passport last Friday however the man needed Chris' signature which is impossible now that he's returned home. So this is why we are returning on Wednesday with our Mandatory attorney (the one whose last name was mispelled on 1 document in our file) and she has a Power of Attorney that says she has legal responsibility of our case should we not be in Guatemala. So, all is well. We have to be there at 7:45 AM before they open so this will be interesting. Blake will wake up and will literally jump in the taxi!

Antigua is, believe it or not, rather calm since the holidays have ended. Many stores have shut down for awhile because of a lack of business and others are closed due to renovations. My favorite coffee shop is closed, however not for renovations. We're still trying to figure out why when it's one of the busiest places in town. Speaking of coffee, I thought I'd make a couple of lists again of things I miss about Seattle and things I'll greatly miss about Antigua. Now that our trip is coming to an end, I'm suddenly having all of these thoughts of things I remember and will miss. What a journey it has been and probably the greatest experience of our lives. I've posted some new pictures today too! We miss you all. Here goes the lists:

Things I miss about Seattle:

1. Starbucks Mochas (actually Starbucks in general). They don't make mochas too much here and a cappuccino is actually a latte.

2. My husband, dogs Remi and Lucky, and my family.

3. My car.

4. Carpet.

5. Regular shoes.

6. A warm fireplace.

7. Normal lighting.

8. Scented candles, lotions and soaps.

9. The mall.

10. Target and Walmart.

11. My school and 24 kindergartners.

12. My neices Savannah, Jordan and Hadley and nephews Cody, Reilly and Carson.

13. My house.

14. Tucking Blake into a normal crib rather than a Pack and Play.

15. Constant electricity and running water.

16. Paved roads.

17. The convenience of the states (everything is available when you need it and you don't have to search all over town for things).

18. Las Margaritas chips and salsa and bean burritos (Woodin staff I'll be wanting to go weekly when I return to work so get ready).

19. Real Mexican food (I still am biased to it probably as a result of all of my wonderful Mexican parents who bring me lunch every so often at school).

20. Snow, cold and wearing warm turtleneck sweaters.

21. Shopping with my sisters.

22. Fresh air - especially from the lakes and oceans.

23. Our weekend neighborhood get togethers.

24. Cash machines that always have money and never run out.

25. Safeway and grocery stores where I can walk through the aisles without bumping into 5 people at once.

26. My bed and sleeping in (I guess the second part is unlikely to change much)!

27. Visiting my parents.

28. Costco.

29. Full length mirrors.

30. Receiving mail.

31. Normal Internet service that also doesn't go out every day!

32. Saturday Night Live and Grey's Anatomy (I'm going to have to buy an entire missed season I think).

33. Country music (this one's for you Amanda, my friend!)

OK! Things I'll miss about Guatemala:

1. The beautiful architecture, restaurants, doors and vivid colors.

2. The kind and gently people.

3. The swimming pool, brunch and the best Eggs Benedict ever at Hotel Antigua.

4. Horse drawn carriages.

5. The wonderful friendships I've made with other adoptive families and Guatemalan women.

6. The calmness of every day life.

7. Homemade tortillas available on every street.

8. Hyper Paiz (the large Target store in the city).

9. The market prices.

10. Tokens to do my laundry (this one's for you Monica).

11. Carlos the 12 year old who shines shoes and gets mad at me when I don't wear my shinable shoes every day.

12. The two little girls who always ask me, "Laurie, what will you buy me today?"

13. The market women asking me, "What you like lady? Good price" (Mel, this one's for you).

14. Being able to walk for miles every day and enjoy every bit of it.

15. The market in general.

16. The used clothing section of the market (it's like an oversized Value Village).

17. Pollo Campero (the best fast food KFC type restaurant in town and they deliver).

18. Pushing strollers over bumpy roads and bumpy Tuc Tuc rides.

19. The "Tres Leches" coffee drink made with evaporated milk, whole milk and whipped cream (fat? what?!!)

20. The beautiful views.

21. The church bell ringing all day long at random hours.

22. The random fireworks.

23. Curious, yet smiling children's faces.

24. The look on a Mayan child's face when you give them a toy or give them anything for that matter.

25. Warm banana bread fresh out of the over at Dona Luisa bakery.

26. I'm sure I'll keep adding to this list as the week goes on!