More details

Hi everyone! OK, I figure that some of you want more details than what I wrote in the last blog. As it turns out, the blog entry that announced our case completion was written by a friend of mine here, Melissa, as our internet service was not working yesterday at the time I heard the good news. Thus, I was brief and I am sure you all want to know more.

So, the paperwork that needs to be completed is all very routine and usually takes 2-3 weeks to gather. I don't have to do anything until I receive a "pink slip." At that time I will go to the US Embassy with his passport and other documents and receive his Visa to travel to the US. At that point we can travel together out of Guatemala. When we first arrive on US soil, I will have some paperwork to turn into immigration with respect to Diego's adoption. Then, we will make the last leg of our trip home to Durham. I will be traveling alone most likely unless something changes. But Christian will not have time off until the end of July and more than likely I'll be coming home that last week, so we have decided that I'll make the trip by myself. I'm not worried at all about traveling. Diego is such an easy-going kid.

We are more than thrilled with this surprising news! I really didn't think we'd hear anything from PGN for another few weeks, and then I thought we'd have what are called "previos" or kickouts. It turns out that our case never got kicked out of PGN and was signed off on yesterday. Today is a national holiday - military day - so tomorrow will begin the paperwork process and the last few steps of the adoption. We are more than thankful for the speed of our case, as many cases don't finish in less than 6 months. Ours took just 3 1/2 months.

I'll post more as things happen and of course more photos next week. Much love to all of you, our friends and family. We cannot thank you enough for all of your continued support through this process! Love, Lauren

He's Ours

This afternoon Nancy surprised us with great news! Our case is out of PGN, which means the adoption is nearly final! One signature, his birth certificate, his passport, and his U. S. Visa is all we need before coming home! We think we'll be ready to come home is about 3 weeks! Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!

The Ramers Family!

Buenas Noches! 

Tuesday

The days here are passing by quickly for the most part. With teaching in the morning and running errands or meeting a friend for lunch in Antigua in the afternoons, I usually wrap up the day after I put Diego down around 7 PM and think to myself...another day closer to going home. Though, this place - Guatemala, the apartment I am in, the children's home - they are starting to feel more and more like home everyday. My mother and father arrive next week for about three weeks, which is a delightful treat! Then, Papa Christian will come the last week of July. While there is no way to predict what may happen, I hope the end of July brings good news of coming home. While I don't look forward to the sweltering heat of North Carolina's summer and I will miss the cleansing rain of Guatemala, I look forward to introducing Diego to our life and friends in North Carolina. I have the opportunity, also, to fly to San Diego for Labor Day weekend and I can't wait to see old friends and have them meet our new son!

My friend Melissa and her son Gavin will be going home to Indiana within a couple of weeks. She found out on Thursday that her adoption case is final and that Gavin is hers forever! She is very excited, and I am thrilled for her, but I will miss having her around and meeting her for lunch in town!

So, I decided to start renting DVD's to watch in the afternoons or nights here off of my little laptop. The first three I rented cost me about $5 for two nights. However, most rental shops here only rent out copies of the movies and they won't work on my computer. In fact, the first one I tried froze the computer about 10 minutes into the movie. So, my mom is going to bring down some DVD's of my brother's and her first two seasons of The West Wing. I'm excited about that and wish I had thought of bringing down more DVD's earlier than now!

I also have finished reading the 10 Hollywood trash magazines (and People) that my friend Tracey brought down for me. OK, now I asked you all to keep me updated on important happenings in the US as I don't watch TV here and thus never see the news. Jennifer Garner is pregnant? Tom and Katie? Paris Hilton engaged? People! These are important things in my life!!! I have to know this kind of gossip!

Our wedding anniversary is this Sunday, and yet again, we will spend it apart! I think we've only spent 2 of our 6 anniversaries actually together. Oh well!

That's it for now...I'm eating the most delicious chocolate brownie I think in all of North and Central America (I can't include Europe and Asia as I just don't know their fare as well). It's warm and chocolately and I'm in heaven. Plus, the rain has just started to downpour and it's such a soothing way to drift off into sleep!

Love you all...Lauren

I never noticed this before, but the fountain in the central park is pretty funny...a woman holding her breasts with water running from them. Interesting for such a modest country...Thanks for pointing it out, Tracey! 

Just like my mama, I LOVE talking on the phone! Call me...1-800-I AM CUTE! 

Ooohh...kisses! 

Drink # 4 on our "pub" crawl up the beach! 

The black sands of Monterrico...ain't no San Diego...but it was just what I needed! 

Monterrico Fabuloso

Today Tracey and I traveled to Monterrico, a beautiful black sand beach on the Pacific Ocean about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Antigua. It was definitely what we would describe as a backpacker's haven - small hostels and bar/restaurants dot the simple, but expansive beach. Since today was Thursday, there were few people on the beach. The waves were huge and the sun was hot! We are both a little burned...the breeze fooled us in thinking we were cool and "protected" from the sun. After a nice walk and relaxing on the beach, we started a "pub crawl" back towards our pick-up spot. We thought we'd have a drink at each one of the bars before returning to our van. I think we hit like four of the eight or nine bars that looked open. We just aren't as resilient as our UCLA/Westwood days! It was a GREAT day spent lounging and enjoying the ocean air! I'm not sure I would stay overnight in Monterrico, but there is a great opportunity for a nice resort. The beach is great and the waves are huge...there's just no real nice place to stay. But for the day, hanging out, drinking beer, mojitos and pina coladas - Monterrico hit the spot!

Look who's big enough to sit in a highchair! 

Shopping for fruits and veggies at the market! 

I love jumping! 

First bath in the sink! 

Bath Time in the Sink

Yesterday was my first bath in the sink! It was fun to sit up and splash in the water!

My dear friend, Tracey, arrived to Guatemala yesterday. After a brief trip to the super market - and I mean SUPER - we grabbed a Taco Bell bean burrito (I know, pathetic, right) and headed back to Antigua. A bottle of wine and a light dinner later, we spent hours catching up and chatting. Christian Diego and Tracey are mutually in love and we've just been hanging around today as the weather is very rainy and the sky is dark - not so much fun to hit the town with a baby in tow and a downpour!

I haven't even showered yet, so I should go do that while Diego is sleeping. Much love to you all! Happy Monday! And a belated happy father's day to all those dads out there!

Milestones

I weighed Diego today - about 15 pounds, plus or minus a few ounces. His head is 17 inches and he is 27 inches long. Today, he got jealous for the first time. I was holding another little girl, Esperanza, and he started fussing (not really crying, just a message to me that he wasn't happy) until I put Espa back into the jumpy seat and held him. He also discovered his shadow today, which he played with for 10 minutes. Tracey will arrive tomorrow! Yay!

Aren't I just the sweetest? 

I can make some pretty silly faces with my tongue! 

Happy Friday everyone! I love mornings!!! 

Playing with my "Drive and Drool" keys. Thanks Jennifer and Chris Walker - I love my toys! 

Sunrise

One of our morning rituals is to wake up and turn on the computer. I make coffee as Diego plays in his spaceship, making all sorts of ungodly noise at a very early hour! Then, I play Norah Jones' album - Feels Like Home - and sing "Sunrise" to him. Oh my gosh, that smile is unlike any I've ever seen. Yup, my son is a Norah Jones fan...I'm training him well! (For his dad's sake, I do play Miles Davis and Jason Mraz during the daytime). But Norah, she's our woman!

An update

On June 8 our case entered PGN, which is the attorney general's office here in Guatemala. This is one of the final stages in the adoption process. At this point, we will wait to hear for "previos" - those are questions PGN officers have about the paperwork. Once those previos are handled, the case will move out of PGN and we will be within 2 or 3 weeks of wrapping things up here in Guatemala. No one is able to predict how long or how short the time in PGN will be, so I promise to let you all know when we are out of PGN. Until that time, I won't have much to report on the adoption...instead I'll just write all about how wonderful my gorgeous son is!

I have settled into a nice schedule here and with the help and support of several people around me here (Nancy, Susan, Melissa and of course my family), I am trying very hard to enjoy the time I have here with my son in this beautiful country. I am so lucky to have this opportunity and while it is a daily challenge to be away from my husband (and kitties), I am so very thankful that I have had this past month and a half with Diego. I really feel like we have bonded - he knows his mama and it is a daily joy to spend this time with him. I wouldn't have done it any differently! If my blogs sound like I'm a bit down once in a while, just know that those are the typical ups and downs of being away from Christian...everything else is simply wonderful here and I am going to work really hard this week to focus on the present moment, not to worry about the future or what has happened in the past, but to enjoy each and every moment I have with Diego in his birth country.

I'm getting addicted to Pop's vanilla milkshakes (Pop's is a Central American ice cream company - deliciosa!!). Definitely not on the South Beach menu....I am trying to limit myself to one a week.

I can sit up all by myself and play with my toys! 

Diego in his cute Patagonia outfit! Thanks Liz! 

Daisy playing with Christian 

Happy Half-Year Birthday, Diego!

Today, June 13, is Diego's six month birthday. Happy Birthday! We're not doing anything special, but I thought I'd let you all know...he was born on December 13, 2004. I can't believe how time flies. He wasn't quite five months old when I first met him...and already we have hit the six month mark.

My favorite time of the day is in the early morning when he wakes up. When he wakes up and cries or fusses, he wants to go back to sleep. But when he wakes up and wants to be awake, he smiles the biggest smile and laughs and cuddles with me in bed for almost half an hour. These are such beautiful, precious moments that I will cherish forever!

Lazy Weekends

Saturday was a lazy day for us. In the morning I went to stock up on food for the week. My neighbor, Susan, showed me how to ride the "chicken bus" - a first for me, even though I've been to Guatemala four times! It's quite easy, costs less than 25 cents and takes a fraction of the time I was spending walking. I still enjoy walking, but on some days I like to get to town and back in a quicker fashion. We stopped by the coffee roaster to pick up some fresh coffee. The guy who roasts is a trip - literally. He looks like he did WAY too many drugs in the 60s. Anyhow, I get it ground and "fuerte" which means strong. Though, it's not nearly as strong as I drink it back home. So, I've requested that my girlfriend, Tracey, who is coming to visit on the 19th bring me some good old Peet's! We stopped by the bodegona (super market) to pick up veggies and other foods. The eggs, I learned, are in the same section as dog food. Not sure what that means...We also stopped by Epicure (a specialty store) for meat and fresh bread...yum! Then we headed to the artisan's market to look for a wooden statue of Mary...none to be found for my friend, Susan. Alas, we headed home in a Tuk-Tuk - a whole dollar's ride home with many bags of groceries in hand.

In the afternoon after eating, Diego and I spent the remaining hours lounging in the back part of the children's home. There is a nice grass area and I bought a lounge chair the last time I was in Guatemala City at PriceSmart (Costco, basically). He so enjoys being outdoors. We both napped and I burned my legs a little!

Nighttime is the hardest around here, especially on the weekends when everything seems much slower paced. I get most lonely then. Diego needs more attention after about 4 PM and he's going to sleep around 7 PM lately, so until I go to sleep I get lonely. I don't have a TV that works and I'm pretty much sticking to my apartment now. I am SOOOO looking forward to more visitors....Tracey and then perhaps my mother or father again.

I still do not know anything about the status of my case. So, I have no anticipated date of returning home. It could be one month, it could be three. Your continued thoughts prayers for the speedy completion of the case are so appreciated!!

Later this morning we are going to Hotel Antigua. Sunday has become celebration day for us. We go swimming with friends and eat a delicious buffet lunch. It signals the end of another week - one week closer to going home. I miss Christian tremendously and Sunday is my day to be hopeful that I will see him again soon and that I can settle back into my own home, my own life once again.

Thank you to everyone who sends an email. I love logging on and finding your message. It gets me through the long afternoons and evenings.

Much love, Lauren and Diego

Our Posada El Ensueno...paradise! 

At the Artisan's Market 

Missing my friends

Today is day 2 without my gal pals around. Yesterday I am sure Diego was grieving...he was cranky and fussy. Today he is better, but I am cranky and fussy! Too bad I have no one to placate me! It is also getting more and more rainy in the afternoon, so I need to plan my outings in the mornings. I will go tomorrow morning to stock up on food. Diego is having a fit that I'm working on my laptop and not playing with him...better go!

My hometown gal pals-Liz, Kari and Jill (Left to Right)-at Panza Verde on our last night in Antigua together 

Sticking my tongue way out is my new trick! 

After a fun day of swimming at Hotel Antigua 

By the pool at La Posada El Ensueno 

I'm Back!

You have probably been wondering where I've been! Well, my three best friends from high school visited me and Diego this past week. They were here for five days. We had so much fun hanging out by the pool at Posada El Ensueno (with our gracious host, Juan Carlos), eating gourmet breakfasts and shopping in Antigua. Of course, they all fell in love with Diego, who was his typical charming self. Last night we had a fabulous dinner out to celebrate their last night here at Panza Verde, where a lot of wine was consumed...They all learned how to bargain at the artist's market and even a few words of Spanish. I feel like all we did was eat, so I'm going back to strict South Beach for a week or so starting tomorrow (Susan, my neighbor, made these delicious red beans and rice so I couldn't start back today). It was so wonderful to see familiar faces and hang out, talk and experience the ups and downs of having a baby with good friends. They left this morning for the airport, and we are back at Semillas de Amor. Diego is reacquainting himself with the surroundings and enjoying his spaceship exersaucer. I broke down and put batteries in it. He is discovering how to make noise. The sounds are worse than I could have imagined, unfortunately!

The rainy season is definitely here. Rain most afternoons and evenings now, so I will be using the taxi and Tuk-Tuks more often (mopeds with carts attached to get around town cheaply). When the sun is out it is warm and beautiful, but when the clouds and rain come, it gets chilly!

My best friend will be coming to visit in 10 days..until then, I will be teaching in the morning and hanging out with Diego and my new friend Melissa. Enjoy all the new photos! Diego is growing more and more hansome each day. Plus, his personality is sparkling! Last week he rolled over from stomach to back twice in a row, but has failed to perform again.

Crying baby is calling....adios! Lauren

TGIF!!! 

Don't I look good in my spaceship?