There's no place like home....

We're home!

We arrived home last night and the flight and trip home went so smoothly. Nathaniel is a great traveler and he did amazing on the plane. Passing through immigration and customs was very easy, too.

It is so surreal that we are here. It seems like I have already forgotten about the 8.5 months of waiting to bring him home (though I know I never will). Just tonight I was watching him eat his cereal with his dad in his high chair and he was smiling, and playing peek-a-boo with me- as if he has always been here. He loves his exersaucer (as you can see below) and he is mesmerized by the big screen tv!

It was hard to leave beautiful Antigua after a month but being home feels so good. It's really true when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Stay tuned for more adventures at home!

Embassy Day- A Success!

Our embassy appointment today was a success! It was definetely the smoothest part of the entire adoption process. It's so refreshing to know we're completely finished with everything and now we can simply focus on life as a family. :-)

Tonight we celebrated our last night in Guatemala. That's right- we're leaving tomorrow! We changed our flight to leave tomorrow afternoon! Today was bittersweet on many levels. We had a goodbye dinner with Maria and her family. It was truly a wonderful evening. We both were so anxious to see Nathan's response to Maria again. As soon as she held him he began to cry....and about 5 seconds later he smiled and put his arms around her as if to say, "I am so happy to see you again". It was a moment we will never forget; he was so loved by Maria and we couldn't have asked for a better caregiver for our son for the first 7 months of his life.

All dressed up and ready to take on the embassy!



Happy as can be for the big day... (spikey hair and all!)



This time- it's for real- Nate's coming home tomorrow!!

Lake Atitlan Adventure...

We just spent 2 full days visiting Lake Atitlan in Panajachel. We had an awesome time. Lake Atitlan is a gorgeous lake. The views are beautiful and we were able to spend some time learning about the culture and meeting the people who live around the lake. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Antigua. Early Sunday morning the shuttle picked us up and we arrived at the lake around 10am. We checked into our hotel and hung out by the pool and palm trees- the weather was perfect as usual.

From there we headed to lunch overlooking the lake and walked around the city of Panajachel. Most of the people here are indigenous Mayans who speak only Mayan dialects. Later in the day, we headed to Pana Rock (just like Hard Rock!) to watch the superbowl. What a bummer of a bowl! It was a good game but just like our Red Sox passion, we are BIG patriot fans!

Monday was a long day...but well worth it. We got up, had breakfast at the hotel and then met the boat tour operator to leave for the lake. We headed out on the lake to visit 4 villages: San Marcos, San Pedro, San Juan, and Santiago. Wow- they were amazing. We really got a sense of what these villages are like. They are very poor and there is little, if any economy (other than tourism) that exists within these villages. Most of the natives survive on tourism through selling fruit, vegetables, and tortillas. There was some beautiful architecture and the views of the lake from these villages were stunning. Our favorite was San Marcos and San Juan...they were both very quaint little villages with extremely interesting history. While visiting San Juan, school had finished for the day and so we got to meet all the school children...who, of course, were adorable and so happy to see the baby, too. They gathered around Nate in the stroller like they hd never seen a baby before; it was really cute.

We then headed back to Pana and caught the 4pm shuttle back to Antigua. Nate was perfect in the shuttle. The ride is not for the faint of heart and he was such a trooper. If you are afraid of heights or extremely fast driving over bumpy roads through indian villages- this ride may not be for you. But we all did fine and it was a great trip.

Here are some pics from our adventure...

3's a family!!

We're together at last...



Rich arrived safely on Wednesday and we have been having an amazing time. We're exploring Antigua and spending time together as a family.

Nate just LOVES his dad. He went right to him once we met him at the airport and it was like they had never been apart. Thankfully, they never will again!



This weekend we are going to Lake Atitlan to see the lake and the mountains, and so much more. Looking forward to posting pics about our adventure...

Practice Photo Shoot

With a very easy subject! I thought we would practice taking photos since we will take Nathan to get his 9 month pictues as soon as we get home. I think they came out pretty good- though I need to get better with understanding the lighting on my camera and can fix that when I get home. He's so easy going and just eats the camera right up!

We have been so busy the last few days. It seems we are out to lunch each day with some new friends we have met. Last night we had pizza with our new neighbor (also adopting) from Dubai and this weekend we went out to dinner with some other friends. Nate loves the attention he gets from all the people and he is so good when we go out. Yesterday we went to the market and bought a few things to take back. I got Nate a mayan sling which I can wrap him in if he falls asleep. The weather continues to be- perfect. Honestly, the past few days have been mid-70's without a cloud in the sky. What I would do have this climate at home...

Tommorrow is the big day....Rich arrives at the airport at 2:30pm! Nate and I will be there to meet him and it will be such a relief to all be together at last. We have a busy week planned here in Antigua before we head to the Marriott in GC next Tuesday for our final appt.

Adios for now!

My little "Escape Artist" ....

Oh, look, I can get out of here if I want to...



I'm almost there!



Oopps, I got caught!




I know I am probably biased as a mom, but Nate is learning and developing so well. He is such a smart little guy. He is getting into everything lately and is very active. He loves to play and move around. He has discovered, and very well, that when you hide an object- it still exists! I've tried to trick him a few times into believing I hid a toy....well, he does everything in his power to turn his whole body toward it.

He's also learned that there is other food besides formula, cereal, and baby food. Anytime I eat he uses all the strength in his body to try and grab what I am eating. It's so cute... he had his first taste of Domino's pizza tonight (didn't actually eat it but he tasted it in his mouth). I think he thought it tasted better than his pears and apples!

The missing shoe

We've been here almost 4 weeks and as of early this past week- we had managed not to lose any shoes. My mom gave Nate some really cute shoes on her trip here and while returning home from town earlier this week- I realized we lost one.

I was talking with my mom later in the week and she suggested I retrace my steps and find it. I had to explain that it would be gone (Guatemalan's generally pick up clothing, etc. that is fair game on the side of the road).

So, fast forward to today. I had written off the cute teddy shoe and figured it was lost in Antigua forever. I really didn't give it a second thought. After having lunch today with some friends, we stopped by the farmacia for some baby wipes. I requested the wipes and got my money out to pay the cashier. Just as I looked up, the woman cashier looked at me and said, "is this your baby shoe"? I said- "yes"!!! I couldn't believe that the shoe had made its way back to us without even being looked for. I guess we were meant to have that cute little teddy shoe!

AT LAST!!!

It's official- we're PINK! We're coming home!

OUR Embassy appointment is February 6th with our Visa pick-up on the 7th. We'll be flying home on February 8th. Nathaniel will be comfy and cozy in his home on his 9th month birthday!!

This has been a process filled with joy, sadness, and significant uncertainty, but it has ultimately been the most fulfilling journey either of us will ever embark upon. We have been truly blessed throughout this process with the support of our family and friends and for that we are eternally grateful. What a life-changing journey...

Rich is coming early next week!

We're so happy we can barely stand it. Can you tell?!

Sharing some pics from the weekend....

This is the El Arco Restaurant in Antigua...the ambiance is beautiful and the food is excellent too.



One of my favorite places to eat and to visit here...Casa Santo Domingo- an old convent transformed into a beautiful hotel and restaurant. There is a wedding here almost every day of the year.



This is a typical Guatemalan "Chicken Bus" which is used for public transportation here. It acquired the name "Chiken Bus" because when people travel in these buses they put their belongings on the top. This includes everything from chickens to furniture, to people!



This is San Lazaro cemetary, one block from my apartment. It is a beautfiful cemetary and a very peaceful place.



On Saturday night, Nathaniel and I went to dinner with our friend, B and her family. B is adopting a little girl and lives in a home only 2 blocks from us. We get together often and had a great time at dinner on Saturday night. We ate with her parents who are visiting for 2 weeks. This picture is in Cafe Mediterraneo: a must-visit while in Antigua!





Finally, after a long weekend, we're tired and it's time to rest!

Good News....but no appointment yet

First, the good news- Nathaniel's feeling better. I think the medicine is starting to work its magic. I'm so relieved!

And, secondly, what else to report but more waiting...we did not get our appt. today. This does not mean we will get a later appt.- it only means we will have less notice to plan for Rich to come down and to book our return ticket. Looking into my crystal ball (combined with some obsessive stalking of other boards)... I think our appt. might just be on the 6th of February. I hate to make predictions when this process is so ridiculously irrational, but we're so close now I just have to. :-)

The US Embassy will be closed on Monday for the MLK holiday. Looks like Tuesday might be the big day. Keep your fingers crossed for us!