Random pictures...

Here are a few random pics. The first is Samuel at play- we've been practicing "Un besito para el osito de Samuelito" (a kiss for Samuel's bear- sounds much cuter in Spanish!). He looks like he's biting the bear, not kissing, but what can I say? Jenna- thanks for the bear- he loves it.

The second pic is Samuel in the mirror- he loves looking at himself. Should I be concerned? :) It buys me time to get ready.

The last pic is our dessert night yesterday. We went to our friend Kimberly's apartment and had the best version of strawberry shortcake we could put together in Guatemala. It was good stuff. We were proud of ourselves for getting out after dark with the babies. We were home by 7:30, but it was still dark, so it counts. I know you must think we are wimps, but if you saw all the was required to get out, you'd understand. We were meeting Angie after her cooking class, so I had Samuel on me in the carrier and Milo in the stroller. Both my stroller and Lee Anne's were loaded up- babies' dinner, babies' pajamas, our contribution to dessert night, diapers, bottles, etc. We walked the 20ish minutes to Kimberly's with success. Then it started raining when we were planning to come home. We had to leave the strollers and hail a tuk-tuk- 3 moms and 3 babies in one tuk-tuk is a tight squeeze! Anyways- it was all worth it to visit with our friends. We decided it was also a PGN celebration as we've had confirmation that some people's cases have been officially released from PGN. Not many cases- but we will celebrate that something is happening!

2 Good Days

This week has been pretty calm and "routine" for us- as "routine" as it can get living here! Wednesday Samuel and I hit the pool. We haven't done that in a few weeks due to rain or cool weather, but yesterday was great. We were there a couple of hours by ourselves- Samuel slept the first hour so I got to enjoy the sun and a book. Then we had a few friends arrive. The past two weeks I've been really blessed by getting to know two new friends, Kim and Melissa, and their precious little girls. They have both been here over a year waiting the adoption process. Their faith and stories are encouraging and they are just a lot of fun! The pics below are of us at the swings at the pool. I know I cut Samuel's head off in this picture- what can I say? It's hard to take pics and make sure he doesn't fall off. I haven't mastered that yet!

On the walk home from the pool....

Today I had the babysitter for two hours so I got to hit the gym. I look forward to watching mindless TV while on the treadmill. I was disappointed because they had on ESPN2 with fly fishing... honestly, who watches that? It was a rainy day so we hung out at home and then took a late afternoon stroll to run some errands and stopped by our friends Kim and Beth's place. There's a picture of Erick below exploring their patio. There's no water in that fountain, I promise. Tonight we even ventured out with Lee Anne and Erick to the worship night at a local coffee house. The boys didn't make it through the whole service, but it's always a treat to go out after dark. We had them in PJs and they were both asleep before we got home.

We have heard rumblings of good news in the adoption world. Nothing is confirmed, so I hate to say much, but we think some cases were released from PGN today. This would be good news and would mean those released are done with the Guatemalan part of the adoption process. After PGN comes about 4-6 weeks of final steps with the US embassy. We aren't in PGN yet, but just knowing the process may be moving again gives us hope! We also found out that our case is still sitting at the Family Court, but that the social worker report is done and waiting to be picked up. Our lawyer has been waiting to see what happens with the drama at PGN before she submits our case. While I'm frustrated with all of the waiting, I am thankful that there are no issues with our case in Family Court. I am also hoping that some of the issues/drama in PGN will subside before our case is there.

That's all the news from here. Tomorrow is Friday- the week has gone quickly and my family will be here so soon. We can't wait!

The Boys

Pretty cute, eh? This is Milo, Erick, Aeson and Samuel all in their "soccer/athletic" gear. The moms made lunch together and then attempted a very brief (less than 5 minutes) "game" where the boys chased the soccer ball around with our help. It was really comical and I think our housekeeper, Virginia, thinks we are nuts!

Hanging out upstairs is Kimberly with Aeson, Lee Anne with Samuel and Angie with Milo.

Erick hiding in the "trees" and eating more dirt. He can't get enough :).

Playtime in the toy room for Samuel and Aeson.

It was a gorgeous day- warm and sunny all day. We enjoyed the day as we haven't had many days lately when it hasn't clouded over. This is the backside of the church down the street from our neighborhood.

Monday Rambling...

Some Samuel pics from last week.... doesn't he look relaxed?



Here's Erick hanging out in our room putting Samuel's maracas to good use. Not only did Erick teach Samuel to eat dirt, he has now taught him to pull on the trashcan. Samuel can now reach it from the walker and thinks it is great. Can't wait to see what Erick will teach Samuel next... :)

I think this was a mid-yawn photo. Doesn't he look like he needs a gold chain to complete the outfit?

The past couple of days have been pretty quiet around here. I've done a bunch of baby food making so I'll be set for my family's visit next week. Samuel has added broccoli and black beans to his diet. I also pureed some chicken for him. It smelled and looked pretty gross, so I haven't had the heart to have him try it yet. Samuel has run a low fever for two days now, so we've hung out in the house a lot just letting him take it easy. He is happy- eating and sleeping well, so I think he may be teething. He's also started getting up earlier- close to 5. I need to make myself go to bed earlier!

Tomorrow we have a baby "football" match that my Brittish roommate has arranged. Her version of football is, of course, what we would call soccer. I don't know if she is actually envisioning a game taking place or just the babies fighting over our baby soccer ball. Regardless of what kind of "game" we have, we are making lunch for a few of the other moms. We try to plan one "event" a week to mix things up. This one should be interesting....

I love being here, but have had some major homesickness the past couple of days. Yesterday it rained and the smell of the rain on the hot pavement smelled like spring at home- it about made me cry! Good thing we have more visitors coming next week. My parents, brother, Billy, and his girlfriend, Blair, will be here for 7 days. I think Jimmy may break down and make another trip to visit at the end of June or early July. He has the month of August off, but I don't know if Samuel and I can make it until August without him here :).

Still no news on our adoption, but we have had several more friends get their second birth mother interviews completed, so we praise God for that! Hope you all had a happy Memorial Day!

It's a Beautiful Day...

I can hear the U2 "It's a Beautiful Day" song playing in my head. Jimmy would be proud. Yesterday was a gorgeous day and we made the most of it. We were out most of the day with Bethany. This is a view of our street- I've posted similar before. It was a "good volcano day" so I snapped another picture.

You'll never guess where this was taken- pretty fountain, ruins, volcano. The next picture gives it away!

As a kid, we used to go to Manhattan, KS for swim meets and I thought their McDonalds with the big fish tanks was impressive! They've got nothing on Antigua's McDonalds :). It has to be the most beautiful McDonalds in the world. Bethany and I stopped in for a drink and enjoyed the garden area.
I also took Bethany to the obligatory lunch at Sky Cafe- probably my favorite place to eat in Antigua (although I haven't tried that many...). After Samuel went to bed, my roommates kept an eye on him so we were able to go out after dark which is a special treat. I think I've done it 3 times now in 10 weeks! We went to La Pena and listened to music for an hour. We were still home by 9 and in bed by 10 :). Bethany left this morning and we were sad to see her go! Bethany- thanks again for your visit and friendship!

No news on the adoption front... we have had several friends have their second birthmother interviews. My roommate, Lisa, who is here short term will be flying home this week. Our case is still sitting at Family Court. I am hoping that cases will start to be released from PGN in the next couple of weeks and our case will be able to enter PGN. Still waiting, praying and trusting the Lord! I read in Psalm 119 yesterday and it says that God's promises bring us comfort admist suffering and that there is much to learn in suffering (verses 50, 71). Somehow the word "suffering" seems a bit dramatic to be applied to what we are facing, but I am still thankful for the Lord's promises and what He is teaching us through this.

Samuel's Grandma Mary and cousin Kate are visiting Jimmy in KC and I am thankful for their visit. I think this waiting business is probably harder on Jimmy than me since I am with Samuel and he is without us both.

Just realized this post has no Samuel pictures... I'll have to work on that for next time. Have a great weekend!

Bethany Bonding

Bethany arrived Wednesday afternoon and we are so happy to have her here! Samuel is now fitting into his 12 month clothes - check out the Hawaiian shirt (thanks, Heather!).

Yesterday we took a taxi to the macadamian nut farm that is just outside of Antigua in a town named San Miguel de las Duenas. It was an interesting outing. We packed five women and three babies into a taxi and spent a couple of hours there. We went on a brief tour where we learned that they are trying to promote macadamian nut farming in Guatemala because it is more profitable for farmers and better for the environment (because currently farmers burn the land a lot). The tour guide said they have the most romantic bathroom in Guatemala- see the picture below. Yes, Bethany is on the toilet!

Eating macademian nut pancakes and pie- yum!

Bethany and I explored the market while Samuel was with the sitter today. We were successful and each bought two shirts for under $3 each.

Bathtime with Bethany.... Samuel had fun and wound up with some "interesting" hair-do's.

Un millon de gracias

I can't say thanks enough for the outpouring of support and encouragement we've had through this whole adoption process, but especially the past few days. Lee Anne and I were just saying how amazingly well we are doing- walking in peace and in confidence *most days!) and we know that is because of all of the prayer support of others. We are so thankful and humbled! It has been such a blessing to be in a place of need and have the Lord provide so mightily... is that a word? Our internet has been down at the house for two days, so I'm at an internet cafe. My college friend, Bethany, arrived today. It is sooo good to have a visitor during this time. I have been talking her ear off and she is putting up with it :). I have a cute pic of her and Samuel, but we're at a bit of a hole in the wall of an internet place and the technology is weak. We'll post more pics as soon as our internet is fixed at home.

Samuel is doing well- had his 9 month doctor's visit yesterday. He is 9 months old as of today! He weighs just under 19 pounds. With all of the holding and stroller pushing I do, I was sure it was more than that! He had a vaccination and ran a fever last night and this morning, but seems to be doing better today. He warmed right up to Bethany and is loving the extra attention.

Have a great evening- love you all!

Monday Moments

Samuel has figured out how to really move in the walker which has opened a whole new world of things for him to see, pull off shelves, etc. He stared at himself in the mirror in the walker for 10 minutes this morning- pretty proud of himself.

We had a late afternoon thunderstorm today which reminded me of spring at home. We watched the storm roll in upstairs where Samuel discovered Athena's (our new housemate) jumper. He loved it!

Side note: This is also outfit #2 for the day, actually it's pants #3 for the day. Mommy Lesson: There is a reason that cheap diapers are cheaper- they leak a lot. I'm going back to huggies :).

Storm clouds rolling in- pretty impressive...

Our patio went mushy really quickly... welcome to rainy season...

Good news- only rained an hour and the sun popped out. If you look carefully, you can see the rainbow. What a timely reminder of God's promises and faithfulness admist life's storms. I was so thankful for the rainbow today.

Dinner time- Samuel's enjoying a post-dinner pineapple core. He was totally content to chew on the pineapple and plastic spoon- simple pleasures are the best!

Here is Samuel's favorite dinner partner, Erick, who was happily eating peas disguised in yogurt. Quite a combo!

This Wednesday my good friend from college, Bethany Schmich Millar, is coming to visit. She is currently in Costa Rica on vacation with her husband, Robert. Thanks to Robert, Bethany's return ticket has a three day "layover" in Guatemala for her to visit us. We can't wait!

Only when you're one is it ok to...

...play naked with your roommates. Check out Erick and Milo below. Erick was pushing Milo and started taking rides on the back of the walker. It was pretty entertaining!

Milo in action...

Today we went to Kimberly's house in Jocotenango (suburb of Antigua) and made pancakes. It was a treat to eat something besides cereal, quesadillas, yogurt and granola (and of course ice cream) which have become the staple meals. Our new housemate, Lisa, and her daughter, Athena, went with us. They are in the picture below. Lisa is out of PGN and will be here for just a couple of weeks.

Milo, Samuel and Athena hanging out while we made pancakes.

Town Hall Meeting with US Embassy in Guatemala

Yesterday the US Embassy had representatives in Antigua for a "town hall" meeting for any interested US citizens living in Guatemala. It was not an adoption specific meeting, but several adoptive moms went. The meeting was held at La Pena, a restaurant just ten minutes from us, so I went for about 45 minutes of the meeting. There were 5 or so reps from the embassy who gave reports about their various areas of work. The two reports I stayed for were not exactly the most exciting :). I learned some random facts about Guatemala and some of the programs the US supports here. Here is one fact: the nationial homicide rate here is 6 to 7 times that of the US. Yea! Good news- less than 1% of the homicides involved US citizens (and usually those are US citizens involved in the drug scene), so don't worry Mom!

The reps allowed for some questions. One of the moms asked what they are doing to help the adoptions in progress and they responded that they are meeting with PGN weekly to encourage them to expedite the process and get the second birth mother interviews done. The concern of many of the adoptive moms is that the embassy is encouraging them to expedite these second interviews despite the fact that the interviews are illegal. Guatemala agreed to grandfather in our cases under the old law/system, but these second interviews are a change from the old law/system and there are many reports that the interviews are being done in a harrassing manner to the birth moms (i.e. the birth moms are being called names for giving up their children in effort to talk them into taking their children back or birth moms showing up 10 minutes late and PGN refusing to meet with them even when the moms have traveled a long distance to be there). Their identities are not being protected as there has been quite a bit of media attention at PGN lately. My heart hurts for the birth moms who are being drug through the mud in this process. The US embassy says they can't get involved in PGN. I am a bit frustrated that the US isn't doing more to help. They reported that they give millions for some programs that help children here. I can't help but wonder that the money we give wouldn't give some weight in influencing how PGN is handling the current situation. We have been urged to contact our senators/reps which we have done and I know many of our other adoptive families have done as well. The reps/senators have responded and many have contacted the embassy on our behalf. It was just disappointing to have the embassy say that they are basically doing what they can and don't want to get involved any further.

So that's the adoption update for the day! No more adoption talk for a few days- I promise. Just thought I'd share about that meeting- besides the 5 or so adoptive moms, the meeting was full of older, retired, what you might call "hippee" Americans living in Guatemala. : )

That's all from here- Samuel is eating his sock, so I should go. Have a good weekend!

Betcha can't do this?!?

Thought I would share a quick cute pic from this morning- how about that flexibility? I was impressed.

I talked to Jimmy after I wrote last night and asked him if I sounded negative in the post. I hope not- just wanted to share the honest happenings of this roller coaster of a journey. ¡Que tengan buen día!

A Long One

The rainy season is here and we are not excited about it. The rain brings more mosquitos and Samuel and I got attacked the other night. I bought a citrinella (sp?) candle and some lavendar scent to fend them off. Last night we didn't get any new bites, so I guess it was successful for the time being. Lee Anne and I got weather shields for our strollers. Our hubbies brought them down. Lee Anne tried hers out today and, wow, was bright yellow really necessary? As if we don't stick out enough with the babies and strollers- now we are really going to give the Guatemalans something to talk about!


Today we took Robincita, the housekeeper/manager's daughter, out for ice cream. She is adorable and the boys love her.

This is our housemate Milo at the ice cream shop- isn't he a cutie!?

Here's a couple of Mother's Day shots- this was one of my presents from Jimmy/Samuel. It says "My Mom Rules"... glad he's got that figured out already.

This is the brunch we went to at Hotel Antigua on Mother's Day. Can you see the sea of adoptive moms? It was packed with Guatemalans and gringos.
Honestly today was a tough day. It was finally my turn to have an upset stomach. I guess you can't expect to live in a third world-ish country and never get sick from something. Samuel was a bit out of sorts and didn't want to nap. The rain showers confine us to the house a bit more.

Then we got an email from our agency director who shared that she spoke with our Guatemalan lawyer today. Our file is still in the Family Court. Our case supposedly was going to be out of Family Court on May 5. The next step is PGN. Olga (the Guatemalan lawyer) said she will not submit any more cases to PGN until there is more certainty or guarantees of due process. She said that while the file is out of PGN it will not be subjected to the illegal actions that PGN is currently taking (adding a second birth mother interview).

Lymaris (our agency director) wrote "I cannot tell attorneys how to proceed, I can only make suggestions and respect their decisions based on what they feel is best in their own judgement. I have another attorney saying he will boycott the PGN. Olga said she is meeting with the ADA on Friday because they are still all trying to agree on the legal action or recourses to be taken. Olga is a very seaoned attorney. I don't know if you knew this but she worked for the PGN a long time ago. I have to rely on her decisions for her cases and she did ask me to let the parents know and please be patient as she has had to go to the PGN every day pretty much since this all started and she is doing all she can at the moment. Sorry I don't have better news yet, but hang in there. All I can say is at least you are there with Samuel."

I know all of this adoption stuff may have your head swimming if you aren't familiar with the adoption world. My initial reaction was to be sad and frustrated. Then the Lord was quick to remind me of a verse I read a couple of days ago that says "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." (Psalm 112:7-8) I am praying that I will not live in fear of what these delays mean. Lee Anne and I discussed it and know that we just need to wait with patience and confidence praying that things blow over in the next month.

I hope that by sharing how my faith has carried me through the challenges of this process, it doesn't sound like I'm overspiritualizing this or being trite. I just truly don't think I would be able to make it through the tough days down here without the Lord. The challenges have increased my need for God and affirmed my belief that He is in control!

This post is a long one- wow. On a lighter note, I did get to go to the gym again today. My runner/gym rat friends understand how relaxing that is! It is also a great place to people watch- quite a mix of foreigners and Guatemalans. I witnessed a couple of gym fashion violations- a man with bleach blonde hair, those really short runner's shorts (the kind my dad used to wear- sorry Dad!) and a cut off tank top exposing his abs. It was a bit scary.

OK- I think I'll call it a night. Abrazos de Guatemala :)

8 weeks

So as of tomorrow, I've been here 8 weeks! Eight weeks full of getting to know Samuel, speaking Spanish, learning "mom" stuff, figuring out which sidewalks have the least amount of potholes and uneven cobblestone, finding which market stand sells the cheapest wipes, and learning how to navigate the grocery store without a meltdown. It has definitely been a life change!

Overall, I am loving my time here. However, I have to admit that when Jimmy left Sunday morning, my stomach was churning and for the first time, all I could think was "I want to go home!!" Of course I've been missing people the whole time, but Sunday I just wanted to say "adios" to Antigua and be home where things are comfortable and familiar. To distract myself from being sad because of Jimmy's departure, I went to brunch and swimming on Sunday with some other moms. Today, I finally broke down and joined "Gym Antigua". I was starting to feel gross and so I think I have it arranged that I'll be able to work out on the mornings the babysitter is here. For me it is an escape and I'm thankful to not have to attempt running on the cobblestone anymore!

We haven't heard anymore about our case. One of my friends here received a call on Friday requesting her to bring her son to Guat. City for the second birth mother interview. This is the step that the new leaders of PGN are requiring. She went in today and after 7 hours of waiting, her facilitators told her it went well (as in, the birthmother still said that she wanted to give the boy for adoption), but that there was no other news. We here rumors down here a lot- from everyone's agencies, blogs, etc. I find that it is easier to steer clear of these conversations for the most part because we just don't know what to believe. I've emailed our agency and our facilitators here in Guatemala and haven't heard anything yet about our specific case. Our family court/social worker report (results of the birth mother interview) was supposed to have been done last Monday (5/5), but who knows! With everything else going on, I'm not surprised that we haven't heard from them about this report yet. As soon as that report is done, we are ready to enter PGN. We have heard that they are still accepting cases to be submitted to PGN and hope this is true.

Here are a few more pics from our week with Jimmy:

This is from Lake Atitlan- so pretty!

Another "don't pee here" sign found in Panajachel (the town by Lake Atitlan). This one even threatens a fine! I wonder who enforces that rule?

Another view of the lake...

Back in Antigua- we ate at a "restaurante tipico" that served Guatemalan food. We ordered appetizers so we could try several things: guacamole (I know, I real stretch), tamales and pupusa. Deliciosa...

Samuel loves plants and dirt- all boy. Today I had him on a blanket in the grass. He was playing so contentedly. I went in the bedroom to brush my teeth and I hear Lee Anne calmly saying "Emily, can you come here for a second?" I walk out to see Samuel spitting up on Lee Anne as she tries to get a big piece of grass out of his mouth. He had swallowed a good size piece and was gagging. I know- bad mom moment for me :). Lee Anne wins "friend of the year" for choosing to get puked on and then helped me clean it up too!

Family "Photo Shoot"

Thanks to Pat and the camera timer, we got a few family pics today. Jimmy flies home tomorrow. I thought I'd post a couple while he's putting Sam's PJs on. Then we're headed out for a family dinner. It's been an amazing week and we are so sad to think of Jimmy leaving in the morning. Thanks for the encouraging emails and comments regarding our adoption process. We are hoping that within a week or so we'll have a better idea of how the situation really is. ¡Feliz Día de la Madre!