Tony is Famous!

December 21, 2007. Our article final went to print. You can read it here:
http://x.adelantesi.com/news/story.php?ID=654

PA Today!

December 21, 2007. Don't things just happen when you least expect them? I opened my phone email today to discover we had PA (pre-approval). My computer crashed 2 days ago and I have been out of commission. I am still not sure if I have lost all my documents or not. Geek Squad to the rescue! I am using my laptop but I am having a hard time typing with it. It makes it almost impossible to do anything. Tony was sooo excited to hear we had PA. Merry Christmas to all and thanks for all the support everyone has lent.

Just the Two of Us..

December 12, 2007. I have returned from my visit a few days early. Poor Nic was sick when I left, my first experience with the baby vomiting. Breaking me in fast, Nic. I couldn't have asked for a better baby, Mr. Happy. Even when he got ill he was good and hardly cried or fussed. I met the best couple, Genevieve & Chris. They were visiting their daughter Tilly, tiny Tilly :) She is beautiful and they are the nicest couple in the world. They sure helped me get through a hard time and I thank them for that. It was lonely coming home and not talking with you guys. My Chris never made the trip and it was his loss I'm afraid. Nic is growing so fast and you can never get that back. Enjoy the pics :)

Nicco Likes Mango!

December 6, 2007. I can't believe it is Thursday already. Today we spent the afternoon by the pool with Terry, Pete & Jackson. Jackson is going home at 6 months! He is adorable, and it was nice to have a friendly couple to talk with. Nicco had his first taste of fruit he liked today, Mango. He had a taste of bananas the other day but did not like it. He reminded me of Tony so much as his little tongue went in and out trying to taste it all. He is such a good baby and still hardly ever cries. He is VERY picky about food though. He is definately bonding with me, as he will go to anyone but will not take his eyes off momma. I cannot believe he says momma, but he does clearly, so cute. He also does not believe in sleep. I guess nothing is perfect, but he is as close as it gets. Tony, you will love this snuggle bunny!

Go Badgers!

December 6, 2007. Good morning from Guatemala! Last night Nic got dressed in his Wisconsin Badgers best, courtesy of dad, and went for a walk of the Marriott with Mom. We had a good time but couldn't find any other babies. There is no one down here right now. Last night he finally slept for 3 hour periods at a time. He wakes, fusses, I pat his belly, he falls asleeep again. Routine..were getting it. He is also sleeping with me though!He has still been very fussy with eating even after I went to the grocery store and prepared the special mix from the foster mom.(cinnamon sticks boiled and sugar) I am hoping things will go better today as he gets more hungry. Tomorrow dad comes down and we can hardly wait! Nic is already to go to the pool!

Guatemala baby!!!

December 5, 2007. Well I made it, all by myself. Christopher will be here Friday and I can hardly wait. My plane was a little late and after the usual airport craziness in Guate I found my ride and was off to the hotel. Nicco was there within minutes and boy had he grown! He looks just like a little man. Just adorable. The best part about him is his personality. He smiles all the time and laughs out loud so cute. I bet we spent half the night laughing out loud at each other. I wonder what he finds so funny about me? lol
Everything went really well until I tried to feed him. He hasn't been happy with the bottle situation all night.I do not know what I am doing wrong, but he drinks a bit and then gets really mad. He only slept an hour at a time since I have been here. He is NO crybaby though. And when he needs attention he lowly whines mamamama...so cute. I think I just have something wrong and he is trying to tell me what it is. I feel so relaxed with him and head over heals in love. This is so much sweeter as you age and mellow. I will post new pics when he sleeps (if he sleeps). The Marriott is wonderful even with the contruction, no noise, decorated for xmas and a new baby room open. Wish me luck with the rest of the day...

Happy Birthday baby!

December 1, 2007. Happy 4th month Birthday Nicco. Only a few more days & I will be there to celebrate with you. I cannot wait to hold & kiss you! As always Tony had a wonderful celebration counting the days until you come home. He was so happy to see new pics of you and can't wait to see everything I bring home this visit trip. Happy Birthday Sweetie!!

Not So Chubby Bunny..

November 28, 2007. We received updated medicals yesterday on Nicco. He is so very healthy and growing everyday. He weighs 12 lbs. which actually makes him pretty normal and not so chubby after all. We think it is the layering of clothing making him look so thick. LOL Note worthy giggle, Nicco's med report says "child saying any words?" answer: AJU', my mom says maybe he's sneezing? LOL Smiling not laughing yet and not sleeping through the night :( He is also still eating 8-9 bottles of formula a day! I am from the old school of early cereal, this baby is hungry! I listened to the grandma's instead of the doc's with Joey and she was on cereal at a little over a month at night. She immediately also slept all the way through, so I am glad I listened. Ah, my two cents..
Less than 1 week until Nicco kisses!!!

Oh Happy Day!

November 26, 2007. You ever wake up and just know it is going to be a good day? I woke up this morning with a fantastic call from the agency. More pictures! And is he getting cute or what ? I just love picture day. No news on our case but everyone is moving along quickly that I talk with. I am hopeful our PA may be on time after all. Hoping for good news next week in Guatemala. Be sure to check out my new addition in the right Column, top page, click each link under happy holidays from the boys for a good laugh. Caution, it does take a bit to load, but trust me..it's worth it!!

Needing a little Motivation..

November 24, 2007. Well, I worked on Nic's room a little more today. I still haven't really started the painting. I have been trying to repair the walls from those animal stickers I had up when it was Anthony's room. What a mess! I am almost finished and it has come out quite nice. I will soon begin the base coat, a cream color, and then Jim (our Neighbor) is so kindly going to help me do the baby blue stripes. I picked up the glider and stool I ordered this week, it looks gorgeous! The dark espresso wood looks so good with the baby blue. I also picked up the little giraffe bedding set I ordered. My girlfriend Steph got a kick out of what a "psycho" I am because the blue satin was a shade off in color from the samples. It has really bugged me, and I am to much of a perfectionist. I don't think anyone would pay it any attention, but I had it in my mind a certain way..lol. Oh well, the velvet was exactly the right color and Tony said he was so jealous because it felt like heaven. He says Nic will sleep forever..ah, yeah, OK! This is Tony's first baby can you tell?? LOL I will post some pics as I progress. Going to the adoption service at the Cathedral Basilica tomorrow..so much to be Thankful for. Goodnight.

Something to be Thankful for..

November 20, 2007. Almost turkey day and we have been so blessed to be thankful for so many things this year. I cannot believe we will be seeing our little Nicco in just a little more than a week. I can't wait to get my hands on him and kiss him a hundred times! I am also dying for some new pictures. I can see that look already..oh no, the crazy lady with the camera again! I took 400 pictures in 4 days. Can you imagine what I will come back with in a week? We are thankful we have been given this little miracle, our son, and that we will someday soon all be a family. Happy Thanksgiving all!!

A long Weekend

October 11, 2007. Friday I finally received my copy of the DNA results in the mail. I was so excited to see the picture of Nicco and his BM, until I looked at it. I immediately broke down in tears and cried all weekend. She had such a look of misery on her face. I could feel her pain like it was happening to me. This is an amazing journey, filled with many emotions. I had so much guilt on Friday and no matter how much anyone tells me how this is meant to be, I still feel terrible for her. I am happy I will have this pic for Nicco. I know this may ease his mind in knowing he came to us out of love. I pray it does. I will share his happy little face with you..

New News!

November 7, 2007. Great news today as we heard several Guatemalan news papers announced the hague would postpone until April 30, 2008. While we have nothing official, this is a huge step in bringing Nicco home. I'm not much for counting chickens before they hatch, but I do believe, as I have since the beginning we will get through this process. I have my bags packed already, (can you believe this?) and I am ready for my visit trip. Should be interesting, it's been awhile for me:)
No news on anything Nicco. Lisa..I need an update! lol
It should be slow from here on out. We should enter the final court around the middle of December and we can only hope for a speedy out, could be March could be July. I'm posting a picture of my other goof ball tonight because he is just so funny waiting for his brother. Nicco is so lucky. Goodnight all.

Colom Elected President

November 5, 2007. I'm not really sure what this means to our adoption, but, Guatemala now has a new president Alvaro Colom. It sounds as if the elections went off without any major issues, which is great news! We are hoping this will now move along the talks to add in a grandfather clause for our adoption. I will be off to visit soon, Nicco's luggage is starting to get ridiculous! I have also started on the nursery finally. I thought it would take us forever to get the decals off the wall. Guess what? I bought more..lol I found some really cool circles I thought I would put above the closet with each letter of his name on them. I think they should look good on the striped walls. We shall see...
No new word on Nicco court process updates, PA, PGN, won't expect anything until around the end of November. Knock on wood, we have been right on time so far :)

Happy 3rd Month Nicco!

October 30,2007. Happy Birthday to you my sweet baby! Number 3 already, I cannot believe you are growing up so fast. Tony celebrated again with a special number 3 birthday cake, cream cheese! He can hardly wait until you get here. To celebrate we watched the video of our visit trip for the first time. Tony is still convinced you look just like him! Tony (who had a full head of spiked hair when born) is anxiously waiting for your hair to grow. He swears it is much thicker in the new pictures :) Everyone got a kick out of me almost dropping you nicco (not quite) and your expression of, somebody get me an experienced mommy! I promise to have a good grip on you next visit! DNA results anyday...

What's in a name?

October 28, 2007. No news on Nicco lately, but I have had several people ask about his name. Nicco, pronounced nee-co, which is Italian & Greek, is a variant of Nicholas. It means victory of the people, mythological Nike was Greek goddess of victory and root origin for Nicholas. Anyone who knows Chris or has googled him knows why this is important. We came to Nicco because although I loved the name Nic, I (Kelly)did not like Nicholas. Cristiano pronounced Chris-tay-ah-no, which is Spanish & Italian, means follower of Christ. The definition says people with this name tend to be very inspired,intuitive and creative. Their aim is to improve the world and can be quite altruistic. They strive to see the "big picture" and achieve their dreams. Again, if you know Chris, you understand why this is important. I (Kelly) chose this name because it was a variant of Christopher and both Spanish & Italian. A mix of both of us if you will. It's meaning is also everything I admire in Chris and it just made sense to me.

Monthly dose of Sunshine

October 22, 2007. Well there I was in the middle of pysical therapy and I hear this ding, I have mail. Can you imagine how happy I was to see Nicco's smiling face? I cannot believe how much he has changed in 5 weeks! I can see all those bottles are starting to catch up with him, he likes to eat! It really is funny how you are more in love every time you see them. So here's to my chubby bunny, I cannot wait to hold you!

Not much to Update

October 15, 2007. Not much to update yet. We are waiting for that DNA and to move on to another part of the process. I have come to be very calm now and feel things will fall where they are meant to be. Although I have always believed this, sometimes it is hard to follow. I've stopped following those groups so much and realized I need to have faith in who I hired. I am already so ahead of the game in my experiences with them. I've heard people talk recently about using hotel staff to translate for their Foster Mom. Taking cabs from that airport or shuttles and then the horror stories of no answers from their Representatives on their children. Alot of unprofessional people. I also found myself scared stiff to go to Guatemala after reading some of the stories. I grew up in a suburb outside Detroit. I now live in St. Louis. Guatemala City wasn't much different. A little common sense about things and your fine. Do you see the guns? Yep, only difference as far as I could tell. I'd rather see them. I wonder how many people miss out on their child due to this fear. Anyway, moral of the story for me is to calm down and let it take it's course and keep the drama at bay. I'll add a pic of Nicco just to see his face today :) Goodnight.

Please take the time to view

You can donate to Opal house at http://www.opalhouse.org

Charge it!!!!!!!

October 11, 2007. I do not think I have ever been happier to look at my credit card statement as I was today! There it was in the middle of all my shopping, a charge to Labcorp for DNA. I am so happy we are moving along. I looked at some options for travel today, I have the unused tickets from our change last visit to use still. I also purchased some vouchers for free nights at the Marriott recently from a charity auction, I love a deal :) I am going to hate to fly that spirit airlines flight going to timbuck too and back. I was so spoiled with Continental and arriving so early in the day. But, I have nothing better to do for a day and I am saving money. More money for baby hats!! I can just see Nic's face again, "isn't that the hat lady again?" Hopefully he is used to them by now. I will anxiously post when I hear DNA has been taken for sure.

DNA

October 10, 2007. We were so happy and surprised to receive our receipt for DNA today! It seems we are finally moving along. Today I have been so excited again because I know I will be able to see Nicco again soon! I couldn't help but get a little nervous today as I thought about Nic's mom seeing him again. I am so worried she will change her mind and I don't even think I could be upset if she did. He is so beautiful, and such a gift. Although we are full of joy, I know her heart is full of grief. We had another sign of "fate" with the DNA, but I will keep this one to myself. Everything happens for a reason, sometimes so hard to remember.

Great News Finally!!!!!!

October 9, 2007. We received great news today that our DNA should be taking place soon. I am back to having faith that we are moving in the system even if it is a slow process. I am hoping again we will still be able to visit with Nicco in December. I cannot wait to see him again and rub his little head! Everybody keep your fingers crossed for DNA next week!!

Same Ol'

October 9, 2007. Nothing new to report I am afraid. I heard from a lot of people today..a lot. Nobody seems to be moving anywhere in this adoption nightmare and depending on who your agency is, they have had no luck getting answers. I spoke with one friend who is a month longer in process than us and received a terrible reply from our agency today. My heart goes out to her as this is an emotional thing for anyone going through this. I hope we are never sent an email like that. It is a shame that everything becomes so politically motivated and not about these children finding a good home. I pray this system will find it's peace and that Nicco will be allowed to come home to us. Today I find myself wondering what he is doing and what he looks like. I know he has probably changed so much. I would give just about anything to hold him for a minute. I hope Maritza has been using those disposable cameras I left her. I can hardly wait to see those pics! I'll update when I hear something...

I'm depressed today..

October 4, 2007. No DNA still and I am losing any hope of seeing our son in December like we originally planned. I do not understand all the politics of things. We have friends 3 weeks behind us in process and they have already been allowed their first overnight visit with their son, they will make there second in December. In hindsight I guess these are all questions I should have asked before starting the process. I assumed policies would be the same across the board. I am trying not to pay any attention to the negative press and everything about the suspension. In honesty I do not think we would have a problem waiting if we thought we could continue a relationship with Nic, but not having the answers to questions and not knowing we are moving along in the system is making things unbearable. I am worried since this new law has passed and unfinished cases would need to start over that we have been set aside to "wait & see". I am sure the thought would be, what's the point in getting DNA and family court if we need to start over. Ugh! I am frustrated. I know Nic is in great care with Maritza and I do not worry about him, but I feel like I am being robbed of his baby moments. Moments I thought I would get to see. Anyway...I had to vent, I don't feel any better though. I miss U Nic.

Current Events, Please lend a Hand.

Dear Friends,
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1 2008. The Joint Council on International Children’s Services strongly opposes such a suspension and asks for your support in their efforts to ensure that all children retain the right to permanency through Intercountry Adoption.
President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Such a suspension would be extremely detrimental to the children referred to adoptive parents. If President Berger’s plan is actually implemented, up to 5,000 will unnecessarily remain in foster care or orphanages indefinitely.
This situation represents a pending crisis for the adoptive families who have lovingly chosen to provide permanency, safety and love to a child in need and most importantly a crisis for 5,000 children of Guatemala.
What can you do? Make six simple phone calls and one email.

1. Call your U.S. Senator.
• You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.
• You can find your representative at www.house.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Headquarter
• Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director
• Their number is 212-326-7000
• Their fax number is 212-326-7758

5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala
• Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique
• Their number is 011-502-2327-6373
• Their fax number is 011-502-2327.6366
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

6. Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org
• Write briefly or at length
• Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption
When should you call? Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th 11th)
• For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.
• Inform them that you are calling regarding Guatemala 5000

• Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger

• Ask them to sign the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF

• Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008.

• Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process.

• Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.

• Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sample Statement
Hello,
We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson add their signature to two letters. First, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute sponsored letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. Second, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF.
As you may be aware, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. Your office must get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.
Sincerely,



Can you explain the problem behind the pending crisis? Here is some additional information…

• Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to effectively stop all adoptions into the United States including those children who have already been referred to adoptive parents

• Over 5,000 children have been referred

• The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights. As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family

• The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children

Birthday Bash!

September 30, 2007. Once again the birthday celebration was a great success as we celebrated not only Nic turning 2 months old but Anthony turning 9! Once again Nicco was here in spirit and we look forward to being able to see him hopefully for Christmas. Some pics to enjoy from the boys....

Have You Signed?

September 28, 2007. Just a brief post this Friday night before I am off to celebrate both my boy's birthdays. Today Nic is 2 months old, and Tony will be 9! It is cake for us tonight!!
You may or may not be aware of all the current issues with adoptions in Guatemala. There is a chance that adoptions in this country may cease January 1, 2008. I am confident this will not happen and if it does it will be very short term. There is a online petition regarding this and I would like to ask you to take the time to sign. It is an important issue, not just for us, but for all the children who will be left in limbo without a family. The link is below:
http://www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.html

Thank you!

Tic, Toc

September 27, 2007. Well here we are waiting again. This seems to be a reoccurring theme. At this date we still have no DNA test started. I am frustrated for the process to get moving, (Lisa, please hear my pleas!) Nic will be 2 months old tomorrow. We are both ready to return to Guatemala as soon as possible for the next visit! Once we have our DNA results we may return and keep Nic with us while we are there visiting. This is a very brief explanation of the process:

Prepare the Dossier: These are all the documents pertaining to the adoption, basically your whole life in a neat little package. This includes the 171H approval by the INS for adoption.

Referral of baby: You receive a picture and brief information and medical on a baby ready for adoption. (scroll archives for ours)

Ministry of External Relations: This is where your documents are checked to make sure they have the appropriate seals. Then they are translated.

Then I'm not really sure what happens because we seem to be doing this process differently.

But these steps all need to happen regardless of what order they come in.

Family Court Investigation: A social worker is assigned and a home study of the birth mother/foster mother are conducted. Then the birth mother signs her second consent for adoption. Time frame 2-4 months.

First Court Action: The court reviews the social worker report and in most cases makes a recommendation for the approval of adoption.

DNA: The US embassy mandates a DNA test be done on the birth mother & baby. Results are taking around 6 weeks.

PGN: This office is equivalent to our Attorney General's office. Everything is reviewed here and inspected to make sure it is legal. Once PGN feels everything is perfect you can move on. (time frame: they work at there own pace)

Final Court Approval: The adoption decree is drawn up and the birth mother is notified the adoption in now complete. See then signs her final consent.

Registrario Civil: The adoption is inscribed in the civil registry where the baby's birth was recorded. A request for a new birth certificate with our last name is made.

Guatemalan Immigration/Passport Office: All documents are presented for the passport. Baby is fingerprinted.

US Embassy: The attorney presents the adoption file & Passport at the consulate for the exit visa.

VISA Appointment: The baby is taken for a health clearance, photo is taken for visa. Wait for Visa, GO HOME!!!

As you can see it is quite the process, one that will not happen overnight. Nic will likely be almost a year old before he finally comes home for good. Everything depends on how smoothly we flow through the system. Wish us luck...

Welcome Family & Friends!!

September 24, 2007. Welcome to all our family & friends who are now joining us on our journey. Can you believe we have managed to keep this a secret? I am posting a new poll tonight, look on the right column, please vote! Were you shocked or what when you opened the announcement? I hope everyone can understand we needed to keep this to ourselves for awhile before announcing our adoption plans. So now that you have gotten over that initial shock, Is he cute or what??? We hope that you will continue to pop in now and then, and to pray that our process goes smoothly. We hope to have him home and in our arms as soon as possible, but we may be looking as far as June next year. My next post will explain the process for those who are interested. Please be sure to go to the bottom of the page and read the archives. That is where our journey begins and there are alot of pictures. Also be sure to click on the arrow on our picture at the bottom to watch our video. Again, we are very pleased to be able to share with you, our family & friends, our amazing journey.

More Weird Events..

September 21,2007. Well, here I am one week later trying to regroup and ready to schedule my next visit trip. Can you get over how adorable he is? I laugh out loud everytime I see his little face, the personality will just kill ya. So I have more weird events to consider on my trip to fate. Nicky had this cute little outfit with Duckies when he came to visit Saturday. I recognized this outfit, it was the first I purchased from Once Upon a Child, the second hand store. I assumed at the time Chris had given this to the foster mom the previous night when we sent her home loaded with stuff. When I returned this week I went into his closest to see what I had remaining and if I thought it would fit. I couldn't believe, there was that outfit hanging there! The foster mom had the same exact outfit on him that I had purchased! Above is Nicky sleeping in his ducky outfit with his Mayan hat mommy bought him. So fashionable!

How Cute am I?

I am not happy today..

September 16, 2007. 7:00a.m. here in Guatemala City, and I am not happy today. I know the next time we see our nicco he will have grown and changed in so many ways. I can leave in peace though knowing how loved and cared for he is by his foster mom. We sat and cried together yesterday and spoke of how happy we are to be doing this all together. She will miss him so when he is able to come home, but she was happy he would come home to both of us. She wished us a speedy homecoming, one so our hearts could be complete with him at home, and two, so her heart would not break so much. She is an incredible lady, fostering not just Nic but another 2 month old boy as well. She cried as she told me of just losing her last 2, one also a boy named Wilson. Nic has his sleep pattern mixed up and sleeps all day and is up all night. I told her to wake him up! She laughed at me like I was kidding, she wouldn't possibly think of it, she is to sweet. He has really gained the weight at almost 10lbs. and she says he loves to eat. He also loved it when I rubbed his head after a bottle. We have to get this on camera, he rolls his eyes backward and smirks like he is in heaven. If I stop he opens one eye to see what I'm doing (with attitude I might add). Today we will play dress-up with all the outfits I bought him for our upcoming adoption notices. I am sure he will not be happy about it!lOl More hats!! Did you check out that handmade mayan hat I got him?? Tony, I have not found your size yet. Well, time to wake Chris for breakfast and get on with our day. He was so lonesome last night and sad he could not bring Tony. He is really hoping for his mom to join us on a trip. Pack your bags Pat!

Sleeping Beauty..

Mom click on pic to enlarge

Good Morning Everyone!

September 15, 2007. It is 7:00 a.m. here in Guatemala City and I have finally had a good nights sleep. I woke this morning with the excitement of seeing Nic again today. I keep looking at all our pictures. Our flights went easy (after we finally made it) and Chris was such a sport about running to catch the plane. He wanted to say something to me, but bit his tongue. lol When we arrived in Guatemala we were interviewed on camera regarding the new improvements to the airport, unless you have been here you can't imagine what it is like coming out of the airport. I believe it was the closest either of us will get to the red carpet experience. As you walk out there are people lined on both sides with signs for loved ones, adoptions, business, and everyone is shouting. Then there is the camera and microphone. We thought we were Brad Pitt & Angelina for a minute. lol Chris laughed I didn't miss a beat from my old days on the microphone and answered the questions like they were interviewing Vanna White. lol We were nervous for a few minutes because our scheduled pick up was not there. The traffic is like New York, and when she finally arrived she was wonderful. She helped us check-in (the Marriott is gorgeous) and gave us some time to explore before bringing Nicco over. HAVE WE TOLD YOU HOW WONDERFUL HE IS? (better get used to it) While he is no where near as hairy(head) as the other babies, I do believe he was cuter. And he had them all beat on the personality factor. A delightful mix of Chris & Tony attitude and will hold his own with them just fine. Tony he may even boss YOU around! Chris said, like with Tony "I was instantly in love" he was such the excited father and even said he can't wait to help (HUH??). I love him. I think we really need another girl in the mix to even things out though. lol Maybe we are becoming Brad & Angie. lol I will close this morning with this thought. May everyone who reads this be allowed to experience the love and joy in our hearts today for themselves at least once in their lifetimes.