Happy Monday! 

63 Days

Yesterday someone asked me how many days until I get to travel to Guatemala and see Christian Diego: 63 days. Let the countdown begin!

Getting Closer

The power of attorney, which gives an attorney in Guatemala to act on our behalf for the adoption, arrived today from the Guatemalan Embassy with its official authentication. It is now on its way to Guatemala via Fed Ex. This is the most important document to get the ball rolling for the adoption on the Guatemalan side of things. Now the waiting begins. Once the documents have been reviewed, there may be requests made of us, so then we will engage in another round of documentation gathering. But for now, we hope that all will be approved without any further requirements of queries.

Friday's new photo! Doesn't he look so cute in red? 

Tuesday's Pick 

Monday's Pick 

Raising an Intercultural Child

I am reading a book titled, Does Anybody Else Look Like Me? by Donna Jackson Nakazawa (Caucasian woman married to a Japanese man with two biracial children). I really like it! She shares many incidents and encounters with people who are either insensitive about or flat out racist towards her interracial family. She shares practical advice about how to address these issues with children growing up in a multiracial family and discusses the issues of race so honestly, I feel like I'm sitting in a coffee house chatting with her over a non-fat, sugar-free, vanilla latte (the only Starbucks drink I can have on the South Beach diet). I'm only two chapters into the book, but I feel like it should be read by anyone who comes into contact with multiracial families, and in many states that's a growing segment of the American population. She makes the argument that while it would be nice to raise children to be "color blind," the reality is that this world is very "color conscious." Having moved from a city in our country that is very diverse to a community that has a significant history in race relations, I have to agree with her that we can't raise our children to not be prepared for a color conscious world. The part of the book that has got me thinking this morning is her discussion on our obsession with commenting on children's physical features...beautiful hair, beautiful eyes, skin tone and complexion, etc. I am at fault of this kind of objectification...and it has really caused me to step back and think about what I will say the next time I see a child, even to a white child with a white family.

I am not nervous about raising a child who is of a different ethnicity than mine. I just want to be prepared for how I will handle the kind of comments or stares that I will most definitely encounter. I especially want to best raise our son with a strong sense of self so that he will be able to confidently respond to people who either naively, or not so innocently, make comments about our interracial family.

"Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen..."(yes, that's a cheesy line from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack) 

My favorite new picture of Christian Diego! 

How Can I Stay Away?

In the last two weeks, many of my friends have asked how I can stay away from that sweet little boy? How can I stand not being with him? I have been thinking about how to respond...First, I imagine this waiting period is much like being pregnant for 9 months. While 9 months of pregnancy is certainly not the same as waiting for an adoption to finalize, the sense of excitement about meeting the baby for the first time I think is. Second, I have known for over a year that I would have to endure these months of waiting...I have been preparing mentally and emotionally for this exact time frame, and while it is a difficult period of time, I also know that soon it will be over, and I will be with my son from that point on. Third, last year I set several financial and professional goals for myself in order to make this time go by a bit more quickly. I am working towards those goals as I write, and things are going well. My goals keep me focused and busy. May 1, for me, is really not so far away... only 4-5 weeks of work (traveling), two rooms to be painted, several days of yard work, entertaining guests, March Madness, a weekend or two away from town with Christian and many hours in the gym. Plus, I keep myself busy with preparing for Chrisitan Diego's arrival every day...researching the best car seats and strollers, shopping around town for the best deal, journaling in this blog, printing and framing pictures, and emailing my parents who are in Guatemala with Diego right now. Last, and I know this may sound selfish, but I spent 6 years consumed with other people's children when I was teaching. I spent last year traveling like a maniac with AVID. This is the first year for as long as I can remember that I haven't felt overworked, underpaid, stressed out or overwhelmed. I am enjoying the time off that I have to reflect, think, and prepare for motherhood. When May hits, that's it. Forever my life changes and forever I will be responsible for not only my life, but the life of another human being. That's a lot to comprehend for someone who has only had to worry, for the most part, about herself for 31 years. I just ordered the book, Perfect Madness, a new publication about mothering in an age of anxiety and the pursuit of perfectionism. For those of you who know me well, you can see why I am drawn to this book. I don't want to be a perfectionistic mother...an anxious mother...and so I am going to enjoy the last few months I have of sleeping in, conforming to my own whims, taking care of myself and enjoying the few hours of the day I have to spend with my husband. This is how I will survive the next few months.

Sweet Baby Boy 

Grandpa Dave gets Diego to laugh! 

Sweet dreams, little boy 

Diego is waving hello to everyone! 

Grandpa David with Christian Diego 

One Week Later

Thank you to everyone who has sent well wishes and congratulations to us! It has been one week since we received our referral...what a week it has been! "Papa Christian" - a name fondly coined by Gabriela Bailey, the daughter of the director of Semillas de Amor - and I have only spent one evening together since meeting "Baby Christian." The news has definitely set in, but we are still on cloud 9! Christian is finally done with a 6 week rotation in the MICU - the sickest place for Duke patients - and will return to a somewhat normal schedule for the next 6 weeks. I am home for the next 4 weeks, which means we will have all sorts of time to finally celebrate and marvel as we enter this new stage in our lives.

My father, grandpa Dave, has just returned to the children's home from a conference in Tropical Medicine. He will spend one week at the home with my mother. She will be staying until the end of February. So right now, Christian Diego is being loved, spoiled, and cuddled by two of his grandparents. He is one lucky little boy!

I finished one more round of paperwork for the adoption Friday and Saturday.

Look for more pictures as they are sure to come from my parents very soon! Thank you all again for your support and excitement! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and colleagues! -Lauren

Cristian y Abuela Ann 

Introducing Cristian 

Introducing Cristian

On Sunday evening, we received a referral from Nancy Bailey at Semillas de Amor. His name is Cristian, and he is 2 months old on February 13, 2005. WE ARE IN LOVE! Cristian is healthy and happy, as he is being held and fed daily by his grandma, Ann, who is spending the month at the children's home. He weighed 10 pounds on February 4. His birth weight was 7 lb. 7 oz. The paperwork to begin the adoption in Guatemala is being submitted and will take anywhere between 3-6 months, we hope. We honestly couldn't be happier!!!