Thursday, June 26, 2008

Red Letters Campaign...Blog Buzz

Do you have any tips / advice / suggestions for your “Gotcha Day” for people preparing to travel to pick up their little one. . .This could include things that made your day special, an easier transition at home, etc. Tell us what worked (and what didn’t) for you





First of all, it was one of the best days of our lives. We arrived in Guatemala on Saturday night and Jacob's foster mom couldn't get to our hotel till Monday. We knew this before we planned our trip. This leads to my first piece of advice; if you are able to, arrive a little early. Although, at the time it was hard to wait, in retrospect, it was nice to get situated before we got our baby. I was able to get acquainted with the hotel and unpack ALL of the stuff I brought. We also got to know the hotel staff (as best we could speaking two different languages). On Sunday we walked around the city.





We were warned that everybody runs late in Guatemala, so not to expect them to actually be there at 9 AM. So, that morning we went down to breakfast. Just as I was sipping on my coffee at precisely 9, I saw a group walk into the lobby with the most precious baby boy I had ever seen!! I lept from the table and asked the group if this was Jesus'. Jacob's foster mother, Maria, was so upset. She had cared for him from birth until this day, he was nine months old. That part was very difficult, because this was one of the happiest days of our lives, but it was a hard day for her. We had lunch together and she and her sisters stayed with us for about 4 hours. Maria was much less emotional after getting to know us. She was assured that we adored this baby boy that she had loved so much.



When we got back up to our hotel room we just marveled at this beautiful miracle that was our son. Jacob, however, was very reserved and looked scared. We didn't leave our room much for the next couple of days. We spent our time holding and kissing our son. After the first night he began to relax and trust us. There were many opportunities to tour the city as well as excursions outside of Guatemala City. We didn't take advantage of any of these. I wish we would have. It is our intent to return to Guatemala with Jacob in a few years.



I'm not sure if I've offered any "advice", but that's our story.




















Jacob and Daddy's first meal together. This is in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Just moments after meeting our son.


1 comments:

Angel said...

HOW PRECIOUS! Angel