Back from Guatemala!

We're back from another amazing visit with Catalina and Gus! I don’t even know where to begin or how to explain to you how wonderful they are and how difficult it was to say good-bye. I’ll start by saying that we had some major travel-related drama, but I’ll save that story for a later posting. Despite the drama, we met my mom in Atlanta and all three of us made it to Guatemala safely and were right on-time to meet the kids and their foster family. Catalina was very shy at first, but warmed up quickly. We introduced Cati and Gus to their “Abuelita” (the pet form of “Grandmother” in Spanish) and, after only a short while, Catalina was very accepting of her. Suffice it to say that Abuelita fell head over heels for those two! She was so glad that she made the trip with us and we were very glad to have her.



Catalina is an absolute joy to be around…sweet, affectionate, funny and smart! She is so loving with and attentive to her brother, giving him kisses and holding his hand all the time. When he cries, she takes him a toy, trying to make him feel better. It’s really touching to see. We also noticed that, since our last trip, Cati says “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome” a lot more. And, she’s even more independent than last time, if that’s possible. Also, she told us (and everyone else that would listen) that she’s going to the United States and that she’s very happy about it. It was so sweet when she said it, but it broke our hearts every time, knowing that we wouldn’t be taking her back with us this time around.



One thing that is a little disheartening is that she is still very uncertain about Louie. She loves the idea of him, but she doesn’t actually know how to interact with him. We know that this is completely normal, given the absence of a father figure in her life and given all that she has been through at such a young age. I know that lots of you are praying for our situation, so, if you’re one of those people, will you please add this to your prayers…that she will come to understand very soon the enormous love that Louie has for her and that their relationship will flourish.



Gustavo is a little dream! He has grown so much and is absolutely adorable. He’s so cuddly and sweet and I just can’t tell you enough times what a good baby he is! He doesn’t really fuss about anything except when he’s hungry, wet/dirty, or tired. Other than that, he’s just a really happy baby. He was a good sleeper on this trip. Only woke up once each night for a bottle and was back down until 8ish.



We brought a little activity mat and whenever we put Gus on it he would just smile and kick and go nuts! Oh, and speaking of that smile…it is the most darling thing I have ever seen! Seriously, we might have missed his first one, but he made it up to us this weekend by smiling and cooing all the time. His entire beautiful face just lights up and it completely melted our hearts every single glorious time he did it!



Please take a look at our many photos from the trip if you get a chance (go to the “Links” in the right-hand column and click on “Our Photos on Flickr.com.”). There are photos from both my camera and my mom’s camera. You’re going to think that there is a lot of repetition, but, remember…what looks to you like five identical photos of Catalina are really five distinct facial expressions that we won’t get to see in-person for several more months!

One more little update to share with you…we are in PGN and have been for a week now! PGN is Guatemala's version of the Attorney General. They must review the files, the Embassy pre-approvals, and the social worker's reports and then sign-off before the adoptions can be finalized. This process could take anywhere from three weeks to six months. After we're out of PGN, we'll have to wait three to four more weeks before traveling to pick them up. Six weeks to three months seems to be the average PGN timeframe at this point, but we're still crossing our fingers for an even shorter stay!

Thanks for making it to the end of my long, long posting!! You're a trooper. Have a great day!