December 18, 2007

The flight from ATL to Guatemala City is 3.5 hours. Not bad. The time zone is Central, so only one hour difference. Flying into the country was beautiful. Mountains as far as I could see, part of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and Sierra de las Minas range. We flew over a volcano, too. It's named Volcan de Agua.

When I landed, I was amazed at all the Mayan people I saw. It was beautiful. A sea of brilliant bright colors of their handmade (loomed) clothing. They were obviously there waiting for the arrival of their families from the States.

The facilitator picked me up and we went to his house. The whole family was there. His wife and two children as well as three young children waiting to be adopted, and two infants, one of which is Sophia. After signing some papers they took me and Sophia to the hotel and I had the rest of the night with her. The family was very nice and accommodating and have a warmth that immediately put me at ease.

December 17, 2007

I just received word that I should travel to Guatemala to make sure I get my paper work submitted on time, and to prevent any issues with the upcoming 2008 changes to adoption procedures in Guatemala. The excitement of booking travel the day before and getting to see little Sophia so soon was not a difficult decision to make. I found a flight and hotel in a matter of minutes and started preparing to leave Tuesday for Guatemala.

This time tomorrow I will see my (hopefully) soon-to-be daugther! God is good. So, Deb and my Mom are out shopping for baby things for me to bring down and I am wrapping up work items and packing to leave.

Flexibility - Habla Espanol?

Flexibility is the backbone of all great efforts. The ability to adapt to change without an anxiety attack, is what I am talking about. I learned a few weeks ago that Ukraine had set their quotas for US adoptions, 452. Of those, less than 100 would be fore children under the age of 6. OF that number, how many would go to single women????? Not very many.

After spending time thinking about what kind of child I could see myself raising, I know that I want a younger child. At least under of the age of 2. Then, just a few days ago, my facilitator called me to say there was a newborn baby girl in Guatemala that could be referred to me. Wow. This is it. This is the answer to many days and nights of prayers and all the prayers of friends and family around me. Somehow, I know, this is my child.

I received one email with her birth certificate and the birth mother's id. Then, the next day, I recieved the photos. A beautiful little angel with a full head of hair. She is beautiful and she will hopefully be my child to raise.