Clean Bill of Health

Diego saw his pediatrician today for the first time. Other than waiting for some blood work, the doctor gave him a clean bill of health. He's in the 10-25th percentile for length, weight and head circumfrance, he's on target developmentally (except for the pincher grasp), and his physical was impressive. He didn't even whimper when they took 20 cc of blood, and only cried for a moment during his TB test. He's such an amazing kid!

Still ridiculously hot and humid here, but I'm trying not to complain as I watch what is happening in New Orleans.

Jane and Diego 

Emma and Diego 

Mr. Happy! 

Movin'

Diego is seriously mobile! He only started crawling two weeks ago and he is now pulling himself up onto every possible stationary object he can reach! Yesterday at Christian's clinic waiting room, he pushed a small table across the room as he walked behind it. At home he goes from place to place with such ease and is just learning how to creep along a table's edge while standing. I am constantly and daily amazed at how much this kid learns how to do! We had a GREAT day today with our friend Krishelle and Auntie Leslie. First, we took our normal morning jog through Woodcroft, then we swam and had lunch at Leslie's. Diego napped on her couch for one and a half hours! He played and played with Krishelle as I quickly cleaned our upstairs. Downstairs will have to wait until Christian is home tomorrow!

Tomorrow evening we go to Diego's first Durham Bulls baseball game! He even has a Durham Bulls outfit all ready to wear!

Life is very, very good.

Swinging at our very first play group! 

Papa and Diego 

Mama and Diego 

All On His Own

For the VERY FIRST TIME, Diego fell asleep in his crib on his own this morning! He usually naps around 9:30 am and this morning since we didn't go running (bad on me), I gave him a bottle then put him in his crib. He only fussed a tiny bit, not even real crying, before I heard nothing. I tiptoed down the hall to find him passed out in his crib just 5 minutes later. Yay!!!

Last night we had a really great time at a friend's house for Sunday Potluck - a tradition we have enjoyed the past couple of years. The families all have children - all ages - and they are terrific! Smart, funny and very down to earth people. Diego LOVED being around all of the kids. Little 3 year old Jane has a bit of a crush on him I think...she kissed him all morning at church and then all evening at dinner. She was sitting on the couch next to us and said to me, "He sure is cute. I sure hope Diego likes me." How cute!!! Diego did very well around all these new faces!

He is also starting to sleep better at night. He's not needing a bottle anymore...just a few sips of water and he goes back to sleep quickly. I think I got to sleep in my own bed for like 6 hours last night!

It's really, really hot here and I think I'm going to ask our neighbor if we can go swimming later this morning. The heat index has been up in the 105's!

Road Trip!!

The Ramers Trio took their first roadtrip together as a family to Asheville, NC. Diego hasn't spent a whole lot of time in a car seat in his life, so the four hour trip was pushing it for him. Both ways, though, he only cried for 25 minutes. Christian presented a poster at the NC Society of Pediatrics Meeting last night and attended some sessions this morning while Diego and I swam at the pool. We had a delicious lunch at Salsa, the Caribbean/Mexican restaurant in downtown Asheville while Diego slept in his stroller. Then we headed home after stopping in at a few art stores. It was a great mini getaway, and we even got upgraded to a corner suite with a large play area for Diego because the Grove Park Inn had messed up our reservation. Diego did fairly well for his first road trip, given that he's only been in the USA for one week! He's such a trooper! We had WAY too much fun in the pool today...that kid loves to swim!

Christian is on call again on Sunday (Q3 is tough on us all!), and I'll be going to church and then to a potluck dinner at friends to introduce Diego. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Choo Choo!! All Aboard! 

Daddy's got me drumming already! 

My newest duds from Abuela Anna! 

All right, who's in charge here? 

The VERY happy family! 

I love to read with my Auntie Leslie! 

Thankfully I learned to crawl the night I got home to Durham so that I could chase after the kitties! I LOVE doing that! 

Eating lunch at Chile's on Saturday. Daddy was post call and met us there! 

Introduction to ERUUF

This morning we all went to our fellowship - the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. We sat behind the sound proof glass for the first time. Christian calls it the Salad Bar. Diego was asleep when we arrived and didn't fuss or make noise at all during the service. He even played nicely with a cute little 10 month old girl, sharing his toys and books. It was great to finally introduce him to everyone (we did so during the Joys and Sorrows part of the service). Then, our minister suggested we go to an authentic Mexican restaurant where he can hear Spanish and see people who look like the people in Guatemala. We were both starving, so of course we headed up to north Durham, where the Latino population is emerging. Christian knows this great restaurant near the Durham Regional Hospital. It was fabulous, but really really hot. It's 100 degrees here today and the place had no AC. So, Diego lost it about 5 minutes after our food arrived. We packed up and got home after 20 minutes of crying in the car. He is now cooled down, fed, and playing with dad in the TV room. We expect more guests later this afternoon for more introductions.

So far Diego has met our neighbors, Krishelle and Kelly (co-residents), Bob - Emma - Jane (friends from ERUUF), Jeannette and John (newlyweds...Jeannette is a fellow Bruin and John goes to Duke Med School), some folks at ERUUF, and Leslie's neighbors and their daughter (4 months old).

The other exciting news...did I fail to mention? Diego is crawling! The first time in Atlanta airport as we were waiting to go home. Now he crawls after the cats and fun toys or to one of us across the room. He is also pulling himself up onto tables or anything tall! He slept in his crib last night from 8:30 pm until 1:30 am. We're making progress!!!

Mom and dad hope its naptime soon, as we need to sleep!!!

The Last Few Days

Well, I am more than happy to be home. Boy did I miss carpet, driving my car and grocery stores! It has been a tough, but joyous 48 hours....Diego had a really rough flight from Atlanta to Durham and then got home to a totally new environment and really struggled to sleep. The next day he was so tired and still a little sick that everything set him off. Three hours of crying last night, in my arms, until he finally fell asleep. Today has been completely different. He was back on his typical schedule and fell asleep nicely at 8 PM after a bottle. He isn't sleeping in his crib yet, but we'll get to that in good time. His first USA outing was, of course, TARGET!!! We needed some essential items...His second outing was Auntie Leslie's pool this morning. He had a great time! His third outing was Marshall's to go shopping for shorts for me...then to Wal-Mart for night lights and children's hangers. Very American.

Christian is on call tonight and so I'm holding down the fort. And it is one messy fort. I have had almost no time to put anything away, so the bedroom, Diego's room and the kitchen/dining room look like Hurricane Lauren swept through. Oh, yeah, she did! Christian has Sunday off, so between church and brunch and hanging out, I may find a moment or two to get things clean!

The cats are great...Juggs took to Diego quite well. Lets him touch him and pull at him. Sangria is having a harder time adapting. She's a little more terretorial than Juggs. She's still hissing at me...no cuddling yet. Diego is warming up nicely to Auntie Leslie and had a fun laughing session with daddy last night before the 3 hour tantrum. All in all, you can't blame the pobrecito....everything is new and different and stimulating. He will get used to it all in good time, I'm not worried.

Nothing much has really changed around the neighborhood - one new neighbor whom I haven't met and a campaign for unity (black/white) in our cul-de-sac regarding the school board in Durham. We all have unity flags in our lawns. I figured we should have one, especially, being we're the only interracial family on the block AND everyone else is white.

Things I will miss about Guatemala: Mena, our nanny/housekeeper, the cool weather, Cindrella's brownies, Cafe Glaze, the smiling children and eating lunch in Antigua.
Things I really missed here at home: Christian, my kitties, driving, shopping, grocery stores, being able to walk around my neighborhood, the hot tub
Things I am grateful for: Christian and Christian Diego Ramers, my family and all of my good friends who called or emailed to welcome me home....I love you guys!

Diego and I arrived home after a long journey at 2 am this morning. We are both exhausted! I am so excited to be home! Diego is adjusting, but it will take some time, as can be expected. He is still sick and very very tired, but napping in daddy's arms as I write. Thank you, Bob, for this precious photo! More later about the journey home. For now, I'm going to join my family on the couch and cuddle! 

Home Again Home Again

In about 24 hours, I will be arriving home with our son to complete our family in Durham! I am mostly packed (had to pack an extra suitcase!), got Diego's visa today at the embassy, have our tickets ready, and will be ready for the van pick up at 9 am. We said good-bye to all of the nannies here tonight and will say good-bye tomorrow to the rest and to the children. Everyone was giving Diego kisses and wishing him good luck! I cried when I hugged Elsa, our favorite nurse, good-bye. I am sure more tears will flow tomorrow morning. I am so happy to be going home to Christian, the kitties, my sister and our friends, but I will miss the wonderful people here - especially the children. Their smiling faces and silly laughter kept me going through the lonely times.

Delta flight to Atlanta at 1:20...then home to RDU at 10:30. I should arrive around 11:30 PM. Besos y abrazos a todos!

Embassy Trip 1 and 2 and MUCH Gratitude

Yesterday our first trip to the embassy was uneventful and successful. We waited about 4 hours to do 5 minutes of paperwork. The room had 60 seats, all of them were full, and there were people standing all around the very small, cramped, hot room. But NOBODY was complaining! We were all so happy to be in the final stages of our adoptions! Diego napped for only 30 minutes, but the entire time he was such an angel. No fussing...he just played and laughed and read his books. Today I am going back to the embassy without Diego to pick up his visa around 3:30 PM. So, this morning I've been organizing and getting ready to pack all of my stuff. It's amazing how much one person can collect in 3 months!! Mean is spending her last day with Diego - bitter sweet for the both of us. We gave her a present of bath products this morning and we'll say our good-byes, with tears I imagine, tomorrow morning.

We leave tomorrow - Delta at 1:20 to Atlanta. We will process a bunch of his paperwork there during our 4 hour layover and then catch the 10:30 PM flight to Raleigh-Durham airport, where we will meet Papa Christian and Auntie Leslie, and maybe a friend or two. I AM SO EXCITED!!! And I think Diego is catching my excitement - he has been smiling and laughing and being silly for the past couple of days! When we land he will become a US citizen...thanks to President Clinton!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED ME THROUGH THIS - my husband, my family, my friends, mi familia de Semillas de Amor y todos los ninos, Nancy, Gaby and Daisy, Susan and Viara...I have loved being with my son these past 3 months and you all made it possible for me to do so. I cannot thank you enough!

Antigua at Night

This evening I spent my last night in central Antigua. The Parque Central was filled with people, typical on most weekends. The restaurants were full and all the children were eating ice cream. Tonight there was some strange activity, though. A group of young people were doing cheerleading stunts in front of the fountain - basket tosses, lifts...crazy stuff...all on the concrete with no mats! It was really bizarre. Then, I saw one of the saddest things I've ever seen here. Four little children were just abandoned on this little strip of grass. One little girl, maybe 2 years old, was crying for her mama. The other little girl was getting kicked by a little boy. A baby was lying on a small blanket, asleep. His older brother, the kicker, was trying to lift his eyelids. He was mean. Their mothers were NO WHERE to be seen. Later, their mothers returned and then I saw a father figure hold one of the children. Now, this man happened to be sitting right next to me earlier when his son was kicking the little girl and the other girl was crying hysterically. I was so sad.

I had a fun, a laughter-filled night with Bess and Tom. We ate at our favorite place - the restaurant where Bill Clinton ate when he was in Antigua (they even have the plate that he ate listed as Clinton's favorite!). Guatemalans love their Bill! I had Plato Tipico - fresh cheese, frijoles, platanoes, rice and a beef and spice stuffed red bell pepper. Diego was in great spirits and entertained us all! For postre...rellenitos, or breaded bananas filled with sweet beans. Yum Yum. I'm now home and ready to hit the sack for a "fun" day at the embassy tomorrow. 4:30 am is going to be EARLY!!! Good night!

Embassy Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning Diego and I will leave for the US Embassy in Guatemala City at 5:30 am. We have an 8 am appointment, but traffic can be really bad in the morning. We'll spend most of the morning at the embassy and return in the afternoon. I will turn in all of our paperwork and they will issue him a visa on Tuesday, which I have to go pick up. We leave on Wednesday at 9 am from Semillas de Amor. Our Delta flight leaves for Atlanta at 1:20 and we will hopefully arrive on time to RDU airport at 11:32 PM (9:32 by our body's time). Diego will be pretty wiped out by the time we get home!

Today we have spent a lazy day in our apartment. Diego is napping right now, and then we're going to head into town for some last minute shopping and an early dinner with our friends Bess, Tom, Ellie and Asa. We will get to bed early, though, as we have an early morning tomorrow! Wish us luck!

My best girlfriends, Daisy and Gabriela! 

What do you expect? My mom's an English teacher!!! 

I scooted all the way across the room. But I can only go backwards! 

Look at me up on all fours! I'm ready to crawl! 

Got Pink?

Yes We Do!!! I just found out at 8:35 am this morning that we got our pink slip! This means we head to the US Embassy for our visa interview on Monday morning. I will pick up the visa on Tuesday and as long as there is a flight available, we'll go home Wednesday!!! Packing, celebrating, taking photos and saying good-bye will fill our last 5 days here.

I can't wait to see all of our Durham friends and talk to everyone from US soil! Love to all!

Being silly! 

Playing with my friends Tony and Esperanza! 

Sometime This Morning

I should know sometime this morning if our pink slip was issued. This is what we need to go to the embassy on Monday for Diego's visa. I'll let you all know as soon as I do!

3 Months with Diego

As of yesterday I have been here three months. First of all, my visa has expired so I have to go pay a fine sometime next week so they'll let me out of the country! No big deal, I don't think. Q10/day - that's just over $1. Today Diego was sitting by the coffee table. He reached up and with very little guidance from me pulled himself to a standing position. Now, he then lets go of both hands in order to reach for something that he wants on the table (often my coffee mug), so I can't really let him do this on his own yet (at least until we get home where there is carpet for him to fall on. Tile is no good for the noggin). I can't believe how much he has changed and grown in three months. I knew these months saw drastic change, but I just didn't realize how much until I think back to what he was doing (not much of anything) on May 3 when I spent my first day with him.

We will know tomorrow afternoon for sure whether the pink slip has been issued, so check back tomorrow evening for the latest update.

A Little While Longer

Our trip to the US Embassy to apply for Christian Diego's visa will be next Monday, most likely. One week from today. That means the earliest we will be able to fly home will be Wednesday, August 10. Since this coming weekend is Papa Christian's last "golden" weekend before going to Q3 call in the CCU for 3 months, we were REALLY hoping to be home. Unfortunately, we will wait just a little while longer.

Tonight Diego's foot got stuck between two slats in a wooden bench. He got so scared when he realized he couldn't get it out. We tried to maneuver his foot to get it unstuck, but we couldn't do it. I had him wrapped in the tootsie roll, so Nancy had to go get a hammer and yank the wooden plank away in order to free his foot. No injuries. Just flashbacks of a time when I got my head stuck between two metal poles in Ashland, OR and the firemen had to come to pry the bars apart. For a moment, though, I thought he might break his little leg. Scary.

Nine days...I'll be soaking in Guatemalan culture, eating all my favorite meals here and soaking in the beautiful sun.