weAndersons

I just want my baby.

Almost three full months.  That wait was grueling.  I really hoped you would be home by Christmas.  I was sure you would be home by Christmas.  I am still hopeful you might get home by Christmas.  You are already seven months old, the age Mario was when we brought him home.  But we still have to get the new birth certificate and then get the appointment set at the Embassy.  Since you were born in Villa Nueva, not Guatemala City like Mario, I have no idea how long it might take to get your new birth certificate.  I know things pretty well shut down in Latin America around Christmas time, but I'm still hoping that you will be my Christmas present this year.

Way to go Erik!  You're doing your job of growing and growing.  At just over 4 months, you are 14 pounds, 66 cm (25.98") in length, and 41 cm (16.14") head circumference.

Here are the photos to prove it!  Look at those thighs!!

Yay!  Things are moving right along!  Let's home PGN goes smoothly and quickly.  With Mario, it took about five weeks, so I really hope for a repeat of that.  Not much I can do.  Pray. Pray. Pray.

I love picture day!  It is so great to see photos of you, and now you are smiling and laughing!  Your foster mama Betty is holding you and obviously is taking good care of you.  You are putting on weight, look very well, and look at that hair!

This is good!  We're moving along.  Next step is that our case gets out of family court and into PGN, the Guatemalan attorney general's office.

I know, after the fact, but we've got all our ducks in a row now.  Isn't that a funny expression:  imagine trying to get ducks to all sit in a row!

What a sweetie you are, Erik!  After receiving our referral so quickly, we hadn't been paper ready, so we had to jump in gear right away.  We signed the new power of attorney for the attorney in Guatemala, Paco, to act on our behalf.  We also had to start up with the home study again.  It was almost a continuation of the first, but our social worker was able to complete it all a couple days ago.  I was so grateful that everyone was willing to work so fast and so hard for us to get you home as soon as possible.

Hello, my pumpkin!  When Daddy and I first learned about Mario, we started a journal like this, and now we are doing so for you so you can hear all the details of how you joined the family and how much you were loved.

Children of the World, our adoption agency, has various get-togethers for their families, and last month we were at a Mother's Day picnic at Shaw Park with Rudy, Maria, and several families, enjoying hot dogs, cole slaw, and playing on the playground.  Daddy was chatting with Uncle Rudy and mentioned that at some point, eventually, we were going to come knocking on this door to start the adoption process again.  Rudy was happy to hear that and recommended that if we were serious, to start the process soon, since there were lots of rumors that adoptions in Guatemala would be halted, potentially this year.  We were a bit surprised and talked about it all the way home, throughout the day, and for a couple days.  We knew we wanted to adopt again.  We knew that as soon as we brought Mario home, in fact even before that, that we wanted another child in the family.  We just weren't thinking about this kind of timetable.  We prayed a lot about it, and by the end of May had signed the contract again with COTW.

Then earlier today, I was at home with Mario when the phone rang.  It was Kati from COTW.  We chatted for a little bit, Mario was doing well, yes we were excited to begin the process again, that sort of thing.  Then Kati tells me that when we filled out the I-600A with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for Mario's adoption, we had said two children.  That was the process really, in case our referral had been for twins or something like that.  Well, Kati tells me, because it was so recent that we had filled out the I-600A, that it had not expired yet, so there was the possibility of proceeding now if we wanted to.

It took a few seconds and a lot of stammering on my part to understand what she was saying.  "We could proceed now?  You mean there's a baby now?  You mean, that there is a baby now?  Now?  Right now?  That there is a baby for us now?  You mean now?  Right now?"

Kati laughed and said yes, there was a baby available for us now if we wanted!

I shouted "YES!  Oh wait, let me call my husband!"

So I called Daddy right away at work and explained the situation as best I could.  I was so excited that I could barely talk.  Daddy paused a couple seconds, and then said yes.  We hadn't thought it was our timing, but he believed that it was God's timing.  God had brought Mario to us, and he believed that God was saying to us right now, this new baby, this is your son.

Oh my goodness gracious!  As much as I loved Daddy before that moment, I loved him even more at those beautiful words.  Your Daddy is such a wonderful faith-filled man.

So I happily called Kati right back and said "Yes!!" again.  She said great, and that she would send pictures right away!



What a handsome little man!  At four weeks, you were 8 pounds, 52 cm in length (20.47") with head circumference of 36 cm (14.17").  And very healthy!