BLAKE IS WALKING!!

We are home sweet home and there is nothing better. There is so much happening that I don't even know where to start. Forgive me if this post is all over the place because it's 10:30PM right now and I'm tired, but so eager to let you know about life back in Washington!! First of all, many people ask us how Blake has adjusted to being in a new country. The answer is, beautifully. He sleeps and eats well and is doing everything he needs to be doing at age 1 (we think)! He is happy, full of life and into everything as usual. And, the most exciting news is HE IS WALKING!!!!!! About 5 days after his first birthday on February 7th (the day after we got home), Chris and I were sitting on the couch watching TV and all of a sudden Blake just took off with this arms straight out in the air like a mummy. We knew he was close, but it was so funny how he just decided to go one day!! It has been quite humorous watching him walk. He now thinks he is way cool and opens every drawer, tries to take everything off of shelves within his reach and pull the dogs tails (so far so good with the two dogs). The babbling is now turning into more defined babbling so the random "ba, ba, ba" is now "dada" or "do" for dog. He tends to leave off the last consonant. Let's see. We celebrated his first birthday party the night after getting home (actually on his birthday) and we had dinner and cake with close family. Chris and I opened gifts not only for Blake, but ones missed from Christmas. My sister, Melaine printed out our whole entire blog in color and put it into plastic sheet covers and then into a large 3 ring binder (see the picture). It is one of the best gifts we've received as it will be so special to share with Blake when the time is appropriate. Oh, we took Blake to the snow on Snoqualmie Pass on Friday and that was a hoot. Chris' sister Heather and two of her three kids came to visit for a week to see Blake so we took the clan up to the pass to sled. As you can see by the pictures, Blake wasn't too sure about being in the cold sledding, but you have to admit he looked so darn cute dressed in camo two sizes too big for him!!!!!!!!!! Today, Chris, our friends from Malibu and I went down to Pike Place Market in Seattle. We had a blast and had to get pictures of Blake with the famous fish throwers (men in orange). Jody and Nik, our friends, loved Blake and we will spend one more day with them tomorrow before we bid them farewell. Last night, Chris' parents hosted Blake's welcome home party and it was so fun to share Blake with friends and family whom we hadn't seen in ages. We had Mexican (close to Guatemalan) food that was delicious and my sister-in-laws worked hard to decorate the house to look Guatemalan. We even put the Mayan guipiles around the chair backs! It was beautiful and we had fireworks on the dock after dark. Blake did great being passed around the crowd, but of course crashed immediately after returning home. Anyway, enough blabbing, let's post the new pictures!!! We love you all and are SO GLAD to be back in the beautiful Northwest!

HOME SWEET HOME AND BLAKE TURNS 1!

I know I always seem to post two topics at once every time I update the blog, but it always just seems to work out this way! We are FINALLY HOME AND TOGETHER AS A FAMILY! We can't even tell you how good it feels to be here. Honestly, we feel like we've died and gone to heaven. We could not be any happier I don't think. We arrived on Wednesday night to our family holding "welcome home Blake" signs at the airport. What a happy feeling to walk off the plane to this. Everyone was crying tears of joy including ourselves and Blake just smiled as usual to make it even more special. He got to meet his Auntie Marne and Uncle Erik along with cousin Hadley, Grandpa Dick and Grandpa Larry for the first time which was really emotional. We went home in cold windy weather, but it felt so good! We truly felt like we were back home. Now, we've spent the last 4 days getting the house back in order, baby proofing the house a bit more, meeting new friends and spending time with family. Oh, I forgot that we've also had a blast driving, going to Target (I love that store) and SAFEWAY!!! What a great store and a nice change from Bodegona where you can barely walk through the aisles.

Blake celebrated his 1st birthday on Thursday night and of course, the whole neighborhood showed up!! He has more new toys now than he could ever need and is intrigued by each one of them. My mom made a lovely dinner and Blake had his very own piece of chocolate cake! He was so tired by the end of the night though that he decided not to eat it. Oh well! On Friday I took Blake to my school to meet my students and staff. It was so nice to see everyone again. My students were overjoyed to play with Blake and had pictures and emails from me on the classroom door. It was very cute. I missed them so much. I will go back to work on March 24th now so it will be nice to not only teach again, but have such a short year!!! I feel like I've already been on vacation for 6 months and now I'll have another summer one! Can't beat that.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your constant prayers, positive thoughts and support throughout this year of our adoption. We are truly blessed and thankful for not only Blake, but for people as wonderful as you. What would we do without you?! All of this waiting was truly worth it. We love you all.

HOTEL PICTURES/VISA APPOINTMENT DONE!!

Hello all! We arrived here at Hotel Casa Grande on Sunday and we already are getting picked up at 5:45AM for our 8:15AM flight to Seattle tomorrow morning. We are at the end and can hardly stand it. Both of us have had trouble sleeping - actually all 3 of us because we're so anxious! Tonight, Blake's foster mother is coming to visit which will be a little sad. She has already been teary while on the phone with us, but she also is so happy that he is happy with us and ready to begin a new life in the U.S. I am posting a few pictures we've taken while being here as well as a couple from Antigua. See you in Seattle!!

LAST POST IN ANTIGUA!

We are actually coming home. It is still surreal. It will be quite a change to come home to freezing weather, but I'm sure we'll get used to it quick. We are so excited to see you all and share Blake with you. Blake is doing so well and is just on the verge of walking. He can stand alone, say no by shaking his head, clap, and take steps from one chair to another if they're close to each other. He is so grown up and this first year has flown when we look at how much he's grown. We will miss our friends and daily routines in Antigua, but will look forward to creating more memories at home. Tomorrow night (Saturday) Chris arrives and then Sunday we'll head to the city to stay for our last 3 nights. Our plane leaves at 8:00AM on Wednesday morning so we arrive in Seattle at 5:30PM!! I will keep up on the blog when we return - I promise!