The Journey Continues...

Getting back to normal...

2009-02-02T20:57:00.006-05:00

Last week was a little bit crazy... we got lots of snow and ice and lost our power for several days! We tried to have fun the first night without power by cooking hot dogs on the fire and camping out in the family room to stay warm. But after that I was over it and ready to get our electricity back.

Cohen had fun playing in the snow. He thought it was hilarious to go down the slide and land in the snow. I think he's still talking about that!

And my little Leah... How is she already eight months old? She has two teeth on the bottom and I think she is working on some more. She has been drooling more and chewing on everything. Her latest trick is shaking her head to tease you. Tonight I asked her to give me a kiss and instead of her usual slobbery kiss on my cheek she just smiled and shook her head no.

And big news for Cohen... I never thought I would blog about this, but I can't help but be excited. Cohen went poo-poo on the potty tonight! After supper he snuck off to hide behind the couch. We have been talking about how when he thinks he need to go, to tell me and then we will run to the bathroom. (We've also been talking about how Mommy will take him to the store and let him pick out any choo-choo he wants when he goes poo-poo on the potty.) So anyway, when I asked him if he needed to go potty, he said yes and took off for the bathroom. I was feeding Leah so Robby went to help him. Robby left him on the potty for a minute to throw the old diaper away and when he got back Cohen said, "I went poo-poo on the potty, Daddy!" I guess he just needed a little privacy!

A little bit of free time...

2009-01-24T11:23:00.008-05:00

Since Cohen and Leah are going to be spending the week with my mom when Robby and I go to Guatemala in March, we decided that we should probably have him spend the night with her now just to see how he does. So he is at Nana's for part of the weekend and I have some free time!

Cohen is doing everything that Daddy does these days, so he loves all things related to Jeeps, mountain bikes, and climbing. Here he is trying to climb up the door frame.

And bath time just got a little more interesting -- Leah is now big enough to sit in the bath tub and take a bath with Cohen. They have a GREAT time splashing and playing together in the tub.

We are all tired of this cold weather and anxious for warmer days so we can enjoy being outside. The other day Cohen came out of the closet trying to blow up his swimmies. He said, "Be right back, Mommy. I go to the poo."

Cohen has also stepped in to help me with photo shoots with Leah.

Leah is not crawling yet, but it is seriously my fault because I do not put her down on the floor enough. It is just much safer for her to be in the exersaucer when I am doing things around the house. Cohen is a wonderful big brother, but when I turn my head from him for more than a minute I come back to find him playing trains with Leah as the train tracks. She is very patient with him and lights up whenever she sees him.

Christmas and New Year's...

2009-01-08T17:00:00.006-05:00

The blog is not very high on my list of things to do these days, but I did want to post some pictures from Christmas and New Year's. We had such a wonderful time this year and felt incredibly blessed to have our two sweet babies -- although Cohen now tells me he is a big boy.

Cohen says everything these days and provided constant entertainment by singing songs everywhere we went over Christmas. He knows all the verses to Frosty the Snowman and after reading the book over and over so do I! Before Christmas I would rock him to sleep (I plan on rocking him until he tells me not to!) singing Away in a Manger. When I sang, "The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay," he would correct me by saying, "Asleep on the couch!"

Everyone was anxious to hold Leah at all of the Christmas parties and we passed her around so much that she caught a bad cold. But she is feeling much better and back to her happy little self. We went to Florida with Robby's family after Christmas and had a great time. I think Leah forgot that we had two dogs at home though because now when they get close to her she starts to cry.

Leah is a busy little girl -- the days of her sitting in my lap as I check my email are gone. She loves to play in her exersaucer where she jumps and squeals. She is also very interested in playing with Cohen's toys... and he is not so anxious to share with her. She has been jabbering and saying "Dadda" for a while now, but still just laughs when I ask her to say "Mama." She will give slobbery kisses when you ask and is starting to stick out her tongue when you ask, "Where's your tongue?"

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T21:15:00.008-05:00

We are so excited about celebrating Christmas this year. Two precious little ones add even more joy to this season! When I look at Cohen and Leah, I can't help but think of the verse: "Every good and perfect gift is from above." ~James 1:17

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Little Miss Chatterbox

2008-12-10T22:02:00.004-05:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

On Saturday Leah said "Dadda" for the very first time and today she started jabbering and hasn't stopped! She smiles and you can tell she is very proud of herself. All of this while two bottom teeth are breaking through. She's such an angel!

And let's see if I can remember all the funny things Cohen has been doing and saying these days...

His new favorite book is Frosty the Snowman. Sometimes Robby will try to just say the words instead of singing them. Cohen points his finger at him and says, "Sing, Dad!"

We've also been reading The Night Before Christmas a lot lately. On the last page it is says, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night." Cohen pointed to the C in Christmas (which is written a little swirly) and said, "Chick-Fil-A!" Guess we go there a little too often!

Cohen watched anxiously as Robby put up the Christmas tree. He loved all the lights and decorations. The next morning as we walked past the tree he said proudly, "Daddy built that!"

I guess anytime Robby starts driving a little too fast I say, "Robby! Slow down!" because the other night we were on our way home and Robby pulled out onto the street pretty quickly. I didn't say a thing, but Cohen yelled from the back seat, "Robby! Slow down!" Later he said, "Weeeeeee!"

He constantly asks "why" these days. After explaining and explaining we finally just say "because." It backfired the other day -- Cohen did something wrong and Robby asked him why he did it. He answered, "Be-tause."

Time for Christmas Pictures

2008-11-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

Maybe because I waited so long for my two sweet babies, I have these visions of the perfect Christmas picture in my head. Well, after two different days at the studio I'm just glad to have some pictures with Cohen IN the pictures -- he really liked hiding behind the backdrops. Leah is still at that age where she smiles and lights up when you point a camera in her direction, so it was very hard choosing just a few shots of her. I'm not giving up on the "perfect picture" of the two of them together yet though -- I'm going to start taking pictures of my own as soon as we put our tree up this year!

FFF - Kisses!

2008-11-14T21:15:00.001-05:00

I have been following Sarah's blog forever and yet this is my first Favorite Foto Friday. Since I rarely have the time, motivation, or energy for posting pictures these days I thought this would be a good way to make sure I post pictures at least once each week. And I love the theme of this week's FFF -- Kisses! I don't have any pictures of us kissing Leah yet (horrible, I know) so I am sharing one of my favorites from our time in Antigua. We were standing in the little courtyard area of our apartment and my mom took the picture from the living room. Such great memories!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-04T19:39:00.005-05:00

Cohen and Leah enjoyed dressing up and visiting with their Aunt Maryann and Uncle Steve this Halloween. Cohen helped pass out candy until some scarier kids stopped by. He called the scary kids "big clowns" and was not about to get close enough to give them candy. He is saying everything these days. One of my new favorites is when he lays on the couch, pretends to snore, and says, "Trying to sleep." I promise that's not what I do all day -- I think I'm always telling him we have to play quietly because Leah's trying to sleep.

Leah is now five months old and I'm amazed at how quickly she's changing. She loves watching Cohen and she's smart enough to know to squint her eyes when he gets close. Yesterday I took Cohen in for his two-year check-up and Leah was the hit of the office. All the ladies that work there started lathering up with anti-bacterial gel so they could have a turn to hold her. Today she had just as much fun as Cohen at story time at the library. She laughed out loud as we sang songs and played with the parachute.

Mr. Pumpkin Head

2008-10-25T15:26:00.004-04:00

Did anyone else see those Mr. Potato Head kits for pumpkins at T@rget? I thought they were adorable, but I didn't want to spend the money. We just used our Mr. Potato Head pieces on Cohen's little pumpkin instead. He thought this was hilarious!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T21:55:00.004-04:00

We had the best time yesterday at the Pumpkin Patch! We went to a smaller farm nearby and we practically had the place to ourselves. They had a castle made of hay, hay rides, pumpkins, and Cohen's favorite -- a real tractor that the kids could climb on and pretend to drive.

On the hay ride they took us out to where the cows were grazing. Cows are one of Cohen's favorite animals (every time we drive past a field he asks us: "Cows?") and he moo-ed loudly as we rode past them.

As for Leah, I've decided she needs to stay four months old. I love this age! She is perfectly happy watching Cohen, playing with her toys, or being carried in her sling wherever I go. Really, she is pretty happy no matter what. Just like I was telling Robby's mom tonight -- she couldn't be any sweeter!

Candy AND the Park?!

2008-09-28T15:15:00.004-04:00

Recently (and I say recently because I honestly can't remember what day it was) we met some friends at the park. As I woke Cohen up that morning I asked him, "Do want to go see Candy at the park?" He started jumping up and down saying, "Candy! Candy!" Since he has only been around her a few times, I wasn't sure why he was so excited...

What do you mean your name is Candy?

Do you at least have some candy you could give me?

We also met another mom and her daughter there that day. It was so fun to see the differences between boys and girls. As Cohen was hopping, climbing, and having fun just being silly, the little girl was staying close to the Mommies and trying to get into the conversation as much as she could.

Leah now prefers the Baby Bjorn over the first sling we used where she could lay down. Now she is happy to be able to look around more and see what's going on. Of course she still likes to cuddle and nap as I carry her around, which is so nice. What am I going to do when she starts moving on her own?!

Thanks, Candy, for taking some great pictures for us!

We survived the wind...

2008-09-17T21:40:00.005-04:00

On Sunday we were hit with a huge wind storm. We didn't actually realize how bad it was at the time -- we were on our way downtown to meet some friends for a cruise on the Belle of Louisville. We didn't get far before we saw some trees down and turned around. Robby's first thought: "Maybe I can go mountain biking instead." My reply: "Yeah, I'm sure that's much safer than a boat ride. Great idea!" We ended up spending our afternoon at home and luckily we didn't lose power like so many in Louisville.

Cohen's new playset survived the storm and he has been enjoying it ever since. Every time he catches a glimpse of it from a window he starts shouting, "Playground! Playground!"

Everyone has been trying to figure out who Leah looks like. Isn't that always the question with new babies. Well, at first we thought she was going to look exactly like Robby -- their hospital pictures were identical. But now we're not so sure. So today my aunt Maryann said, "I think she looks like me!" We all laughed, but sure enough when she brought out one of her baby pictures they really do look alike.

Here's us trying to get a family shot by setting the timer on the camera. :)

Mommy's Happy Girl!

Happy Friday!

2008-09-12T13:40:00.004-04:00

This week has just flown by! I'm trying to think back to what we even did this past week. I met with a new social worker with Love Basket on Monday who is working mainly with domestic adoption. I've always been drawn to international adoption, but after talking to her I was just as excited about domestic. (We are not thinking about adopting right now -- we were just meeting with her to help arrange seminars with our church.)

Tuesday Cohen, Leah, and I made it to story time at our library. Leah was content in her seat and Cohen stayed quiet and just took it all in. I thought he would be so excited when they brought out the parachute to play with, but he was very serious and not so sure about holding on or running under it. Next time I'm sure he will be more confident and enjoy it even more.

Today we went to Southeast for their International Playgroup. It is such a neat group of families with kids adopted from all over the world. Today's group was small, but there were kids from Guatemala, China, Russia, and the U.S. The play area has this amazing playhouse, which Cohen loved. He climbed upstairs and waved at us from the windows and had the best time. Leah slept through the playgroup in my sling. :)

Three Months Already!

2008-08-29T19:56:00.005-04:00

Poor Leah, I've already gotten second-child syndrome! Last night Robby was talking to his mom on the phone and she said, "Isn't today the 28th? Leah is three months old!" Three months old and I haven't even sent out birth announcements! (Not going to happen I'm afraid.) So today I made sure that I dressed her in an adorable dress (given to her from Nana) and took some pictures.

Since I might not write this all down in a baby book, here's Leah at three months: She loves sitting in her bouncy chair and smiling at the toys that hang down. She is already such a talker. She says ooh, oh, boo, and goo all with the most beautiful smile on her face. And talk about an easy baby, last night I fed her at 8:30 and put her to bed. She slept until 8:00 this morning! Such an angel! (Does this mean she is going to make up for it during her teenage years?!)

And while Cohen has an equally perfect sleeping schedule, he goes non-stop all day! We are planning on getting him a playset for the backyard for his birthday and I am hoping it turns out the be an EARLY present because we both need it. :) Even though he is very active these days, he still enjoys some quieter activities. He loves puzzles, playdough, and his new Wheels on the Bus book his Aunt Amanda gave him.

Fun at the Airport

2008-08-24T20:30:00.009-04:00

On Wednesday we headed to the airport to meet some friends who were bringing home their daughter from Guatemala. (I had chills walking into the airport just thinking about this time last year bringing Cohen home.) There was quite the party at the airport -- I think I counted eleven little ones waiting to welcome Eliana and her big brother Roberto.

We knew their flight was delayed, but we wanted to be sure we wouldn't miss them, so we ended up having plenty of time before they arrived. Here's how we kept everyone entertained for three hours at the airport. We watched all the airplanes outside -- Cohen cheered every time we saw one take off. The little girls loved watching Leah and were so sweet with her. One of the Nana's was a retired kindergarten teacher, so she had "Circle Time" with plenty of fun songs. Miss Holly read some Dora books and of course we had lots of snacks. When it was almost time for them to arrive, we lined all the kids up for a photo shoot.

At home Cohen has been loving his new lawnmower. He cracks me up the way he pushes it for a while and then stops to work on it. And Leah is still such a sweet, smiley baby. She enjoys her tummy time - especially when big brother gets on his stomach with her and makes her laugh!

Happy Forever Day, Cohen!

2008-08-15T21:37:00.006-04:00

Today we celebrated Cohen's Forever Day -- it has been one year since he came home to be with us forever! As I think back, there are so many important dates. November 7th was the day we got the call that Cohen was born and saw his face for the very first time. March 19th was the day we held him in our arms for the very first time. June 18th was one of the best days of my life -- I arrived in Guatemala to stay with him until we could bring him home AND found out that our case was out of PGN. But what an amazing day August 15th was -- we brought Cohen home for good!

We will always celebrate this day as his Forever Day. We brought back special gifts from Guatemala so that he can receive one every year. I thought it would also be fun to fix one of our favorite foods from Guatemala -- tamales. Earlier this week I went to Luis' Market to get everything I needed to make them. I walked in with a recipe I found online, but after talking with two of the girls that worked there, decided to throw my recipe away and go by their instructions. Sounded like a great plan until I started cooking tonight...I didn't exactly read their entire recipe until tonight and realized that I don't own the steamer I needed to make the tamales. So a quick change of plans and we still had a delicious Guatemalan meal -- chicken, black beans, rice, and guacamole. Cohen's favorite part? The cake for dessert of course!

Cohen didn't get ALL the attention today. Leah made sure today was a special day for her as well. She rolled over for the first time! Although she loves sleeping on her stomach, her pediatrician told me not to let her until she could get in that position on her own. So when I put her down for her morning nap, I made sure she was safely sleeping on her back. When I checked on her after my shower I found her sleeping happily on her stomach!

Big Smiles

2008-08-09T17:48:00.004-04:00

Just a few more sweet pictures of the kids!

Summer Fun!

2008-08-04T14:49:00.005-04:00

We've been having a great time despite the hot, hot weather. Last Thursday we met up with some friends at Beef O'Brady's for our second fundraiser for a new orphanage in Guatemala. We tried and tried to take pictures of all the kids together, but after being good for an entire meal, they were all a little restless and ready to head home. Thanks to everyone who was able to come out and support the cause!

Saturday we joined the Latin Family Connection at the Zoo. It was so hot, so Cohen and Robby played in the Splash Park while Leah and I hung out in the shade. Cohen had a great time with his friends Sydney, Kaya, & Jenna! Such sweet girls!

Leah is making us very proud by sleeping through the night. She has been sleeping eight hours at night now and wakes up happy and smiley -- and so does her Mommy! She loves to watch Cohen and smiles when he takes her hands to play pat-a-cake.

Cohen loves being outside these days and his favorite places are the "poo" (pool) and the "pa" (park).

2008-07-13T13:19:00.004-04:00

My friend Candy came over last week and took some amazing pictures for us. I just love them all! I was so anxious to post them, but I guess because of their quality it is difficult to post. So here are just a few. If you would like more information about Candy's photography, you can visit her website at: candyailstock.com.

Cohen's Playdate with Ryan

2008-07-02T10:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday Cohen had a playdate with Nana, her friend Susan, and Susan's grandson Ryan. As you can tell from the pictures, the boys had a great time playing together!

A Few Quick Pictures

2008-06-24T21:28:00.005-04:00

Every day I plan on taking a ton of pictures of Leah since she is only going to be this tiny for a little while and every night I wonder how the day got away from me. My friend Candy is a photographer and I just need to call her up and plan a day for her to come over. I'm sure she would take gorgeous pictures, so I'm not sure why I haven't already called her.

This evening I sat down to write thank-you notes. I am awful at writing thank you notes. I have the best intentions of writing them, but sometimes procastinate a little too long. Then I think it has been too long since the gift has been given to even send a card so I don't end up sending one. I am really trying to be better at this. So as I was writing away, I asked Robby to drop off the ones in our subdivision. He decided to hook up the trailor to the back of a bike and take Cohen along for a ride. Cohen absolutely LOVED the ride!

Fundraiser Results...

2008-06-22T15:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry I am just now posting the results from the Beef O'Brady's fundraiser. (Can't imagine what's keeping me so busy these days.) The event raised $421.53 for our attorney's new orphanage! I am going to be meeting with the owner of the restaurant this week to discuss making the last Wednesday and Thursday of every month Guatemala Days. He suggested the idea and we are going to meet and work out all the details.

Here's who this money will be helping -- the first three children who are living at the home -- David, Luis, and Stephanie.

To read more about God Bless the Children click here.

One Year Ago Today...

2008-06-18T21:56:00.007-04:00

One year ago today I was arriving in Guatemala to stay with Cohen until we could bring him home. My mom and I flew down and we were both so nervous not knowing exactly what to expect. It was amazing how everything fell into place. Our driver picked us up at the airport and took us immediately to our attorney's office to meet Cohen and his foster mom. Our attorney surprised us with the news that our case was out of PGN and Cohen would soon be going home with us forever. And although there were many stressful moments in Guatemala, I look back at that time and treasure the time we spent there.

Cohen has changed so much (and so quickly!) this past year. He amazes us daily with how smart he is and makes us laugh with his entertaining little personality. And he is embracing his new role as big brother. One morning he was sitting next to me as I was feeding Leah. I looked down and he was holding her little hand. He is so concerned about her -- whenever she cries he either pats her, brings her a pacifier, or holds his hands out like he wants to hold her.

2008-06-06T17:23:00.004-04:00

Things are busy around our house, but I just had to take a minute to share a few pictures of Leah and Cohen. Leah is doing great and even slept for a straight four hours last night! Cohen seems so big these days and continues to amaze us with all the new words he comes out with.

She's Here!

2008-05-31T20:28:00.006-04:00

Little Leah Kate has finally arrived! At my last doctor's visit, Dr. Brown said I was making her nervous and wanted to move the induction up one day to the 28th. So we went in early Wednesday morning and Leah was born at 5:23 that evening. She is a tiny little girl (5 pounds and 7 ounces) and has a head full of dark hair.

We were able to come home yesterday evening and Cohen is doing great with his new role as big brother. He says "Shhh" when she is sleeping and gets concerned when she cries. He hasn't acted a bit jealous about his new baby sister, but we will see what happens when Robby goes back to work on Thursday...

We still need to have a photo shoot with Leah here at home. You can see her hospital picture by clicking here.

Here's Cohen tonight during dinner. Obviously his baby sister is wearing him out!

News about Baby Girl!

2008-05-20T13:10:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update on Baby Girl... We went to the doctor last Thursday for another ultrasound and she is doing great. They are guessing that she weighs 5 pounds and 1 ounce. My doctor suggested that we induce on May 29th, which I thought was a great idea. I am so anxious for her to get here! So still plan on eating at Beef O'Brady's on the 29th (or the 28th), but we will be having a baby that day unless she decides to come sooner. :)

Guatemala Day at Beef O'Brady's!

2008-05-12T14:15:00.001-04:00

As some of you know, implementation of new international laws have caused Guatemalan adoptions to stop. While the country works to be in compliance with these new laws, thousands of children will be left with no family and no place to go. The reality is that these children will live on the streets, in garbage dumps, or the lucky ones in overcrowded orphanages. Because of this, our attorney in Guatemala Cynthia Vallejo is turning her law office into an orphanage for as many children as she can. The Guatemalan government does not fund orphanages, so she is turning to others to help her with this mission.

One way Robby and I thought we could help is by promoting Guatemala Days at our local Beef O'Brady's. The owner has graciously offered to donate 10% of proceeds to Cynthia's orphanage! All we need to do now is get the word out to eat at Beef O'Brady's on Brownsboro Rd. on either May 28 or May 29. You can stop by any time on either day to help support this cause.

Thanks so much -- we hope to see you there!

Apple Juice & Cameras Don't Mix

2008-05-04T21:24:00.010-04:00

These days it seems I need to "pack" no matter where we are going. Travelling lightly, even to the grocery store, seems to backfire on me, so I now try to make just one trip to the car carrying everything I could possibly need. One night Cohen and I were headed to my aunt's house for dinner so I had: Cohen, his booster seat for dinner, diaper bag, purse, and almost forgot his sippy cup. I threw the cup in my purse and we were out the door. When we got to my aunt's house I discovered that the sippy cup had leaked on everything in my purse... including my camera! I had just about given up on my camera ever working again when Robby took it apart and let it dry out some more. That must have done the trick because the camera is now working again! So here are a few pictures to catch up from the apple juice/camera catastrophe.

Cohen and I recently met Kim and Alex at the park for a playdate. We all had a great time yet I only managed to take one picture the whole afternoon!

Cohen continues to keep me on my toes. One afternoon he decided to play quietly by himself... WITH POWDER! Instead of getting mad about the mess he had just made, I grabbed my camera and took pictures. When I asked him what he was doing, he pointed to his diaper and said, "Poo poo." I thought it was a nice try on coming up with a quick response because his diaper was perfectly dry.

Yesterday was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo -- beautiful weather and everyone else in Louisville was either at the Derby or a Derby party. Cohen enjoyed watching the lions this time and "roared" as soon as he saw them. Robby took him in the lorikeet exhibit and he was really interested when one lorikeet landed on Robby's shoulder and started pecking on his beard.

Cohen's latest favorite toy is a can of tennis balls. He loves throwing them for Bailey and having her bring them back, but the most fun was when he decided to open the can while laying down...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The lastest about Baby Girl is that on Thursday I will be 35 weeks along. My doctor said she is throwing a party at 36 weeks and dancing in the delivery room when she is born. (I have the greatest doctor and you should see how thick my chart is!) I am getting anxious for her to arrive, but at the same time I'm trying to enjoy every last minute of one-on-one time with Cohen. Still not quite sure how we're going to handle having two under the age of two, but feeling very thankful that we have been given these two amazing blessings!

What's Cohen Been Up To?

2008-04-16T21:57:00.006-04:00

Cohen is on the go non-stop these days, which means there is always some fun and excitement around our house. (It also means I sleep very well at night.) He loves to get ahold of the phone to call Daddy. Today he was sneaky enough to grab it and head for a corner in his room, hoping I wouldn't find him as quickly that way.

He is also very interested in his Baby Sister's room where we have been spending some time getting things ready. The ladder is definitely his favorite thing in the room and he is already taking after his Dad and working on his climbing skills.

He discovered today that Boo & Bailey's dog crate makes a cool playhouse...

And he absolutely loves to play outside!

Loving Some Cookies

2008-04-12T19:50:00.004-04:00

Cohen is amazing us with all the things he is doing and saying these days. He used to just point out all the trucks we would pass while driving by saying, "ta, ta, ta." Now he can spot a Jeep on the road and tries to say Jeep. His Daddy is so proud!

Another favorite thing he is doing now is telling everyone I am his Mama. We will be in the grocery store, a restaurant, church, or wherever and he will tell others that I am his Mama. If Robby is with us, he will introduce Dada too. I just love it because I know that there will be a day when isn't so excited about being seen in public with his Mom.

Until recently, Cohen hasn't really seemed to notice that my stomach is getting bigger. We talk about his baby sister in my belly and practice being gentle with his baby doll, but he is still so young and doesn't understand what is going on. Which is why we cracked up at dinner the other night when he out of the blue he pointed to my stomach and said, "Ball!" I think he was trying to figure out why he couldn't have toys at the table, but Mommy could.

Baby Girl is still doing well. We have about two more months to go and I am starting to feel a little panicked about getting her room ready. We have so many little projects that need to be done. We (and when I say "we" I mean Robby) are putting up crown molding and replacing the carpet in both Baby Girl and Cohen's rooms. We still have to touch up the paint on the furniture in her room. And as if that is not enough, we also decided to replace the carpet in our bedroom with hardwood. So, I think we have plenty to keep us busy these next two months and I will be so happy to have everything finished.

Cohen is way too busy for photo shoots these days, so most of my recent pictures of him are either blurry or taken when he is in his highchair. Here is a little clip of him asking for a cookie -- how can I say no?

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Easter Fun

2008-03-25T12:08:00.004-04:00

We had a great time with family this past Easter weekend! Saturday we went to my Aunt Karen's house where Cohen learned the sign for cookie. He's been asking for cookies ever since! First he says "tut tee" while I pretend not to understand what he wants. Then he pairs the word with the sign and points in the direction of the cookies. Such a smart boy!

The Easter Bunny came to our house and brought Cohen some fun things. He loves his bubbles and asks for them whenever he sees them on the counter in the kitchen. He's still working on mastering the noisemaker that looks like a duck bill (we are not encouraging him to practice because it is pretty loud) but he does think it's funny when Daddy makes the noises. And he has had a great time with his soccer ball Easter eggs -- he likes to scatter them around the house and let Mommy find them. :)

Sunday we went to Robby's parents' house for some more Easter fun. Cohen had a great time searching for Easter eggs and looking through his Easter basket. He and his cousin Drew sat down next to each other and enjoyed tasting the treats in their baskets. They are just four months apart and are so sweet together. We hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

One Year Ago...

2008-03-19T20:28:00.005-04:00

One year ago today we met Cohen for the very first time. What an experience that was! I remember feeling such excitement and nervousness as we landed in Guatemala. Robby and I got settled in our hotel room, changed clothes, and decided to go on to the lobby of the hotel to wait for Cohen and his foster mom. When we walked into the lobby -- there was Cohen! His foster mom didn't speak English and the interpretter hadn't arrived yet, but we managed to communicate and she let me give Cohen a bottle. All of our fears and worries disappeared those first few minutes and we knew Cohen was meant to be our son. Such a magical day that we will never forget!

Then...

Now...

Edited to add: Robby just gave me my last shot! I am now 28 weeks and won't have to have them any more. (Had to post this picture for my dad who hurts just a little bit when I mention getting a shot in the stomach.)

Pictures from the Zoo

2008-03-13T21:30:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been well over a week since we actually went to the zoo, but these pictures are just too cute not to post. Cohen and I met Sarah, Caleb, and sweet little Grace at the zoo on one of those really warm days right before we got a ton of snow. This was the first time Cohen really noticed the animals. He got so excited and pointed in amazement. He loved the elephants, camels, giraffes, but overall I think the highlight of his day was hanging out in the back of a minivan(not mine -- Sarah's, which I am still giving her a hard time about) eating goldfish with Caleb.

Today we spent so much time at my doctor's office that Cohen made friends with just about everyone in the waiting room. Dr. Brown was delivering a baby and after waiting to see her we had to go to the lab for my diabetes test. As I was drinking the orange drink for the test, Cohen was alternating between saying, "Ju...ju" and holding his mouth wide open. He finally gave up and started mingling with the other patients waiting. One man showed him a picture of his dog on his cell phone. When Cohen said "dog" another lady pulled out her camera and began showing off pictures of her dog. Cohen continued to make friends with every new person that came in the waiting room until we were finally ready to go home.

Baby Girl still seems to be doing well. We didn't get an ultrasound today, but will go back in two weeks for one. It is hard to believe that her due date is exactly three months from today! We haven't even started getting her room together, so we will be getting busy with that very soon. Robby's sister is letting us use their crib and changing table and we plan on using a dresser that my granddaddy made for me in her room as well. The fun part is going to be picking out colors and putting it all together!

Whew!

2008-03-05T16:46:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Cohen's surgery went well today. He did such a great job! We weren't able to feed him anything before the surgery, so as we drove to Cincinnati he kept signing "eat." Finally, he said, "Nana," -- thinking if only one of them were here I would get what I wanted.

We went back with them and I held him as they put the mask on his face to make him go to sleep. We sang a few verses of "Wheels on the Bus" and he was asleep. It was so hard leaving him! But we are home now and he seems to be doing great. He is hanging out on the couch eating Cheerios with his Daddy right now. Thanks for all your prayers!

New Pictures!!!

2008-03-01T19:01:00.006-05:00

Cohen and I went to Lexington today for a photo shoot with his cousins Hayley and Ethan. This was our first attempt at group pictures and I thought they all did a great job. My sister and I decided we better practice with three kids since we are both expecting and will have five kids altogether pretty soon!

We also have a new picture of our baby girl! I went to the doctor this past Thursday and everything looks fine. My doctor still wants me to have one ultrasound each month until I deliver, which makes us happy. Other good news: less than three more weeks of shots and I will be finished! I know some of you have asked about pictures of me... and that's just not going to happen! :)

We rescheduled Cohen's surgery last month because he was congested, so as long as he is still healthy this Wednesday he will be having the surgery. Please keep him in your prayers. It is a routine procedure, but we are also talking about my baby boy so I can't help but be a little nervous.

Not so sure about snow...

2008-02-13T17:08:00.008-05:00

I've been a slacker in the photography department lately, so I'm going to try and catch up. A few weeks ago we took Cohen to Murray for the weekend. It has been probably five years since I've been on campus and it was so nice to go back for a visit. Cohen enjoyed his first Racers game -- keeping his eyes glued mostly on the pep band. He would clap after every song they played and cheered every time Murray scored a basket.

We have been staying home a lot lately because of the cold weather. Cohen is Mommy's Little Helper and loves to "help" with laundry.

We've had snow the past two days and Cohen is still not so sure what he thinks about it. He loves to look at it through the back door. But once we go outside he gets a little concerned. Now it may be the fact that I bundle him up with layer after layer of clothes or the fact that the snow boots I bought on clearance last year are about two sizes too big for him, but he isn't as excited as I thought he might be about the snow.

Getting so big!

2008-01-30T17:08:00.000-05:00

My little man is getting so big -- I can't believe he is now 15 months old! He is really starting to show us his sense of humor these days. He likes to tease us and make us laugh. Of course whenever we laugh he continues to do whatever it was we thought was so funny.

He is now walking everywhere he wants to go and those arms (that he held up in the air for balance) are slowing coming down. Now he likes to carry toys and books (or my shoes) around the house.

Today we went to story time at the library and he loved it. There were lots of other little ones his age there and he had the best time watching them, listening to stories, and singing songs. I think we will definitely have to go back!

Lastly, I have been tagged by Becca to tell seven weird or random things about myself. And I tag: Hunter, Emilee, Amber, Andrea, Katie, Alleen, & Emily.

1. I started having dreams about adoption in college. I had the same dream over and over about two little boys named Hakeem and Rashid who I adopted in my dreams.

2. I will not eat or drink after anyone -- not even Robby or Cohen. The thought of sharing a fork with someone grosses me out!

3. I have sympathetic pain for others. Just hearing the details about a doctor's visit or injury is enough to make me almost pass out. I come very close to passing out when I have blood taken or get a shot... yes, still getting a shot in the stomach every night though. :) Thank goodness Robby isn't squeamish and does them for me.

4. To Robby's disappointment, I am afraid of heights and do not enjoy rock climbing. The first time I tried, when I got to the top he said, "OK, now let go and lean back." Yeah, right!

5. I've had some interesting experiences working with young children in their homes. In one home, the aunt had a mental illness and started greasing my hair after telling me it looked dry. I did manage to get out of there before she gave me mini-braids, but I did have to wash my hair several times before it was back to normal. On another day, I forgot to lock my car doors and a drug dealer got into my car and tried to sell me drugs. After seeing my freaked out expression he quickly said, "Oh, my bad, my bad!" and got out.

6. I love, love, love ice cream and have been known to eat it for breakfast.

7. Although I am getting better, when Robby and I first got married I had a lot to learn about cooking. We still laugh about one of the first meals I fixed for him -- hot dogs and lima beans.

8. And one more just for fun -- I used to always hint around for Robby to do romantic things for me. He would ask me for examples and I told him, "You know, put rose petals on the bed or something." One day he switched out the pedals on his bike and called me into our room. "Look! I put pedals on the bed!"

Cohen wants to tell you...

2008-01-24T17:49:00.000-05:00

"I'm going to have a baby sister!"

Everything went great at our doctor's visit today. I feel so much better and relax a little more as the weeks go on with this pregnancy. And I am so excited that we can say "she" instead of "the baby." My doctor said that everything looks just fine. We scheduled another ultrasound in four weeks just to make sure SHE is still doing OK.

We went straight from the doctor's office to Gymboree -- I had some Gymbucks that were burning a hole in my pocket. You know I had the best time shopping for baby girl clothes. Robby swears we were in the store for over an hour, but honestly it felt like about 20 minutes to me. :)

Thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers. We're half way there!

Our Mission Project

2008-01-21T15:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at church our pastor gave us an interesting challenge. At the end of the service we were all given a sealed envelope with different amounts of money inside. This symbolized the gifts, talents, and resources that God has given us. We were asked to pray about what God wanted us to do with the money we were given.

Of course I immediately began thinking about all the needs we saw in Guatemala. My envelope contained $20 and Robby's envelope had $10. We've prayed that we will use this money wisely and also contacted Dick Rutgers in Guatemala to see if he could think of a specific need we could help him with. He gave us several suggestions and they were all worthy causes. The money could pay for a special needs child to have a teacher come to their home since most children with special needs there are not allowed to attend school. The money could provide school supplies to children who want to go to school, but can't afford the supplies, uniform, or black leather shoes required to attend. The money could help build a home for families who are living in the most awful surroundings.

At first we didn't know how to choose the best cause. But then I remembered a clip from one of Dick's videos. He found this little girl living near a banana plantation. Her mother is single and has to work at the plantation each day to provide for her children. Because this little girl has special needs, the safest thing her mom could think of was to keep her tied in a hammock during the day. This girl desperately needs a wheelchair. I cannot imagine having to spend the majority of my day alone and tied in one place.

Please click here to see the video clip of that sweet little girl. The video is a little long, so if you skip to 4:13 you can see this little girl as well as the place where she calls home.

We will be sending the money we received at church along with a little more so that Dick can provide a wheelchair for this little girl. If you would like to contribute as well just leave a comment with your email address and I can give you more information. For $400-$500 Dick and a volunteer team can build a new home for this family. The homes are modest as you can imagine, but provide a safe, dry place for families.

It is our prayer that God will touch the hearts of just a few others so that we can use what we think of as an insignifican amount of money to dramatically improve the life of this one little girl.

2008-01-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Cohen is loving the slide that Santa brought him! He hasn't quite mastered getting his feet around to sit down and slide, but that doesn't stop him from going down on his own.

I am dreading February the 6th -- Cohen is going to be having outpatient surgery in Cincinnati. We took him to a pediatric urologist several months ago to discuss a very minor condition his pediatrician and the Embassy doctor discussed with us in Guatemala. The urologist here in town seemed to think it was more serious than we originally thought and suggested two surgeries. We decided to get a second opinion in Cincinnati and felt much more comfortable with the urologist there. So please keep us in your prayers on the 6th!

In other baby news, things with my pregnancy seem to be going well. This baby is a very active little thing and it is so reassuring to feel the baby moving and kicking. This Thursday I will be twenty weeks along and we are going in for another ultrasound -- hopefully finding out if it is a boy or a girl. Our niece Elizabeth has said from the beginning (even before she knew I was pregnant) that I have a baby girl in my belly. How crazy would it be if she was right! Our friend Greg is convinced I am having a boy because I am craving steak like crazy. Check back again soon and see if we have news...

Happy Birthday, Robby!

2008-01-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

When I was in my early twenties, my close friends Spears and Amanda and I were out shopping one day. We stopped in this card and party store where we were digging through the clearance bin full of birthday balloons. I remember saying, "See if you can find some for a 27th birhtday," to which Spears replied, "27! Who do we know that is turning 27!" (Robby of course turned 27 that year.) Like that was the most ancient age and we couldn't possibly KNOW a 27-year-old.

Now every year I like to tease Robby. "32! Am I old enough to be married to someone turning 32!"

Edited to add: Click here to see Robby on Rocksport's new webpage.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Day in the Life of Cohen...

2008-01-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

My favorite days are the ones when Mommy wears sweatpants and a ponytail. That's when I know we are staying home and playing all day.

I like to start off my day playing with my Handy Manny tools. They are not noisy like some of my toys... maybe that's why Mommy always suggests those first thing in the morning when she is still waking up.

Then I check out what's in my piggy bank. I mostly just like to dance after I put the coins in.

Sometimes Mommy calls me by my first and middle names -- like when I stand up and rock in my rocking chair.

Next it is time to play with Bailey. She never gets tired of chasing the ball and bringing it back to me when I throw it. We are such big buddies!

When it is warm enough, Mommy takes me outside to swing. I love to swing high and I get the biggest smile on my face when the breeze blows my hair.

Thanks for stopping by my crib!

2008-01-04T12:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we had a great time visiting with friends. For lunch, Cohen and I met Jackie and her daughter Jenna at Panera. Jenna was also born in Guatemala and is just three days older than Cohen. The two of them were so sweet together holding hands and smiling at each other. Cohen would lean over and act like he was giving Jenna a piece of his bread. As she was about to take it, he would quickly change his mind about sharing. Of course everyone in the restaurant loved seeing the two of them together and both Cohen and Jenna loved all of the attention. I think a few people thought they were twins. I hadn't realized before how much they do look alike. Can you believe I took no pictures during lunch?! Jackie and I said we would definitely plan a playdate soon, so pictures of Cohen and his future prom date will be coming soon!

We were so excited to have Laura Beth and Cory over for dinner last night. Laura Beth and Cory are missionaries in the Dominican Republic and we met them in Antigua while they were in language school. We quickly became good friends with them and were so excited to find out that Cory's parents live about 30 minutes from our house. They are in the States for Christmas and we are so happy they were able to come over for a visit. Of course we took no pictures with them either so I am posting a picture of all of us from this past summer. Notice Cohen's expression... think he was definitely ready to leave the restaurant and take a nap!

I think I've shared Dick Rutger's blog before, but if you don't check it you've got to just read his entries from the week of Christmas. Dick is the missionary we met in Guatemala who took us to several orphanages while we were there. He travels all over Guatemala providing wheelchairs for children and adults with special needs. Many missionaries serving in Guatemala live in gated and very private communities. Dick took us by his house in Chimaltenango and I love that he lives on a typical street in that town. The kids on his street play soccer in his front yard, eat supper at his house most nights, and ride into Antigua on Sundays to go to church with him. Just reading about his experiences makes me miss being in Guatemala.

In a recent post, Dick wrote: "Even though most of the people living in Maria’s area appear to have very little as far as material goods are concerned, we were told that nearly every one of them are Christians. Judging by the songs that they were singing and the smiles on their faces I wonder if perhaps these people are a lot richer than we realize."

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:30:00.001-05:00

As I look back through our Christmas pictures this year I realize I didn't take nearly as many as I thought I did. But I did enjoy every minute of having Cohen with us this Christmas! He loved opening presents (whether they were for him or not) and dancing to the Christmas music we played around the house. Probably his favorite part of Christmas this year was the food. Our family loved spoiling him and giving him treats that he usually doesn't get to eat.

Last night was a big night for us... Robby and I went out to dinner with friends and left Cohen with a babysitter for the first time! He has stayed with his grandparents for an hour or two here and there, but this was the first time we actually called a babysitter. We couldn't have asked for better sitters -- my twin cousins Katie and Aubrey came over to our house and Cohen had a great time playing with them.

There was only one moment of panic for me... when my cell phone rang toward the end of dinner. Katie and Aubrey were watching two of our friends' kids along with one of our friends' dog. Much to my relief, they were just calling to ask if it was OK to let the dog out since our yard isn't fenced in. We all laughed that it was Amanda's dog that was giving the girls the most trouble.

We hope you all have a happy new year! We are looking forward to another exciting year in 2008!

Christmas Card Out Takes...

2007-12-17T12:13:00.000-05:00

If you haven't received a Christmas card from us yet, no it hasn't been lost in the mail... I still haven't mailed them! At this point, I am hoping that the cards make it to your mailbox by New Year's. I really hope to drop them off at the post office this afternoon, but my list of things to do is getting a bit ridiculous at this point. :)

Besides being busy like everyone else, things are going great. Cohen continues to make us laugh countless times each day. He really enjoys the colder weather -- the other day we got him out of the car at Target just as the wind started picking up. It took his breath away at first and then he just got the biggest smile on his face. Now each time the wind blows he starts laughing and kicking his legs with excitement.

If I don't post any more before Christmas, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Our present arrived early this year and we are so thankful to be able to celebrate Christmas with Cohen this year.

Making Gingerbread Houses

2007-12-09T19:36:00.000-05:00

How much do I love getting all the nieces and nephews together to make gingerbread houses! Of course every year we joke that the next year we are going to leave the kids with their dads and just make the gingerbread houses by ourselves, but the truth is that I absolutely love the excitement and noise that the kids bring.

We tried to get the kids to sit by the tree for a group shot. Hmmm...getting eight kids to sit, look at the camera, and smile. Add two crazy dogs to the mix and you begin to understand why our pictures turned out the way they did.

Cohen thought the day was fabulous. We had two tables covered with candy and I put him in his highchair. He immediately began signing "more" which means he is ready to eat! I gave him some bites of a gingerbread cookie (which he loved) and he didn't stop signing "more" until I took him out of the highchair. Usually he sees when the food is all gone and signs "all done," but with the amount of candy we had on the tables, he was never going to be "all done."

Today we went to Robby's parent's house to take a picture for their Christmas cards. Robby's mom had the best idea last year -- to take a picture of all the grandkids sitting in Christmas pajamas as Granddad read them a story. She even planned what the cards would say -- "Hope this Christmas season finds you surrounded by love." We were so touched when she decided to wait until this Christmas to make these Christmas cards so that Cohen could be in the picture too.

On The Move...

2007-12-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Cohen is still as busy as ever. He hasn't gotten the nerve to walk on his own much, but he is still taking a few steps at a time with our encouragement. This past weekend we went to visit my sister and her family. Cohen loved playing with his cousin Ethan's truck filled with blocks -- especially when he realized he could walk behind it!

Today I tried to have a little photo shoot with Cohen, but he wasn't very interested. I think I am definitely going to need Robby's help when we take pictures for our Christmas cards!

I am getting so excited about our first Christmas with Cohen! We always get a real tree, so we will be putting the tree up one day this week. Then it will be time to start wrapping Christmas presents... wonder how long those will stay wrapped with little Gorito cruising around. :) On Saturday, our moms, sisters, and all the nieces and nephews will be coming over to make gingerbread houses. It is always so much fun getting everyone together.

Catching Up...

2007-11-25T19:12:00.001-05:00

Seems like we have been running in a million different directions these past few weeks! With this being our first Thanksgiving with Cohen at home, we've had so much to be thankful for. Cohen absolutely loved Thanksgiving -- going from one house to the next eating delicious meals and playing with cousins -- what's not to love?

Yesterday was an exciting day for us -- Cohen took his first steps on his own! We were at my parent's house and my dad was playing with Cohen. Cohen stood on his own for a few seconds and the next thing we knew he was practically running in my direction! Won't be long until he is walking all over the place.

"I think I'll just help Mommy organize the diaper bag..."

Cohen & Daddy warming up for the Dash for Adoption

Cohen waiting for Nana & Granddad to come over

After waiting in the doctor's office for 45 minutes, I broke down and let Cohen play with the germ-infested toys. He loved giving the baby doll a bottle.

Playing with Drew and Nolan on Thanksgiving -- They all looked so sweet playing together I just had to take a picture.

Cohen met his Uncle Tommy who lives in New York for the first time on Thanksgiving. Cohen loved riding on Tommy's shoulders!

So many blessings this year... Cohen is going to be a big brother! Robby and I submitted our application for the El Salvador program on a Friday and the next Monday were surprised to find out that I was expecting! The agency we were planning on using requires that if you become pregnant you have to put your adoption plans on hold until the baby is six months old. We have had losses in the past, so we can't help but be a little nervous this time around, but the doctors are keeping a close watch on this pregnancy (and I am taking daily shots to ensure that my body is able to maintain this pregnancy) and right now we are just praying for a healthy baby.

We hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We are so thankful for each one of you!

I Saw What I Saw

2007-11-11T16:59:00.000-05:00

We would like to thank everyone who came out yesterday morning to support us in our Second Annual Dash for Adoption. It was a beautiful day and with your help we were able to raise $725. We have decided to put our next adoption on hold for a while, so the money will be going to our church's adoption fund to help another family this year.

I came across this song and it expresses perfectly how I feel after having spent so much time in Guatemala. We saw such a totally different world and I will never be the same. I can't keep the questions out of my head. Why am I able to sit here comfortably in my home while there are so many throughout our world without a home? How can I say, "There's nothing to eat" when I open a refrigerator and a pantry filled with plenty of food? But mostly importantly, what am I going to do about it? I am going to be meeting with someone at my church this week to discuss the possibility of supporting an orphanage in Guatemala and future mission trips, but I'm not convinced that that is enough...

I saw what I saw...

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Cohen had the best time at my aunt Maryann's house playing in her leaves. We've never had an easier photo shoot -- he was perfectly happy sitting in one spot just studying the leaves. He pulled them apart, listened to them crunch, and even tasted a few. So much fun!

We didn't go trick or treating since he is still a little young and let's be honest I would be the one eating all of his candy. :) Cohen did get a taste of a Tootsie Roll Pop and thought that was fabulous. He quickly learned where Maryann's stash of candy was and would hold out his hand when we got near it.

It's Almost Time to Dash for Adoption!

2007-10-31T10:32:00.000-04:00

Thank you to all who have already mailed in your registration forms for this year's Dash for Adoption. This year's race is almost here! I plan on calling the t-shirt company this afternoon with the final number of shirts and sizes, so if you haven't let me know about a shirt size please call today.

We are so excited about our second annual event! We have some great prizes from some of our favorite stores and restaurants. And I think the shirts are going to be adorable this year. It should be another great day -- we are expecting a range of people from the runners at Georgetown College, new runners just starting out, and of course my favorite -- moms with strollers! If you live nearby, we hope to see you at Briar Hill Park on November 10th!

Party Pictures!

2007-10-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the big day -- we celebrated Cohen's first birthday! We kept the party pretty small and just invited our family over. It was a beautiful fall day and the kids enjoyed the pinata. Cohen was interested in all his presents, but I think his favorite part was definitely the cake! He was a little unsure at first, but after a little experimenting he started digging in. He had no trouble finishing the whole piece of cake either.

It's hard to believe that our little man is almost one! (Tuesday is his actual birthday.) I just want him to stop growing so fast. He learns something new everyday and he is turning into quite the little entertainer. Robby taught him to put his hands on his face and shake his head when Robby says, "You're driving me crazy!" We'll definitely have to get that on video. Cohen's latest favorite game is pretending like someone is going to get him. Robby will usually be the one to "get him" but during the day Cohen also likes to pretend like the dogs are going to get him. He starts laughing and hurrying over to me and buries his head on my shoulder -- just the cutest thing.

He is pulling up on everything and cruising the furniture and I think in no time he will be walking on his own. I am perfectly content with him not walking right now -- I stay pretty busy keeping up with him as he crawls everywhere!

And now the best part of this post... PICTURES!

Taylor's Finally Coming Home!

2007-10-25T19:28:00.000-04:00

We first met Hunter and Terry last March when we were visiting Cohen. They were also there for a week meeting their son Taylor for the first time. They were so much fun and we seemed to instantly become friends. When we arrived home I started following their blog and Hunter and I would check on each other through emails. In July, Hunter and Terry spent another week with Taylor and we were able to visit with them again.

Well after a very long wait, Taylor is FINALLY coming home! I just read an email from Hunter saying that they arrived in Guatemala City today. They will all three be coming home on Tuesday! Hunter and Terry, we are so excited for you guys! We will be praying for a Taylor's smooth transition and for your safety as you travel. Next time we get together, let's meet somewhere in the States, OK?

Reflections at the beach...

2007-10-24T09:53:00.000-04:00

Although Cohen wasn't a huge fan of the beach, he did start to like it a little more as the week went on. He was still not so sure about standing in the water, but he did enjoy playing in the sand and shells.

This time last year we were also at the beach. I remember walking on the beach with Robby as we wondered when our baby would be born. Looking back on this past year it is amazing to think about all the experiences we have had. We saw the first pictures of Cohen while he was still in the hospital and immediately knew he was our son. Friends and family joined us in praying that Cohen would soon come home to be with us forever. Our hearts ached as we watched him grow older and older through pictures, but we knew he was being loved by a wonderful foster mother. In March we were able to spend an unforgettable week with Cohen in Guatemala. We fell even more in love with him as we got to hold him in our arms, hear his laughs and his cries, and get to know his sweet personality. Months continued to pass and we thought we couldn't wait another day for Cohen to be with us. A generous annonymous gift allowed me to go to Guatemala to foster Cohen until his adoption was complete. Robby joined me two weeks later and the opportunity to live in Guatemala for two months was absolutely amazing. God used that time to not only allow us to bond together as a family, but to soak up the Guatemalan culture. We look forward to telling Cohen all the many things we came to love about his birth country and will forever be changed by the things we experienced there.

In just a few days we will celebrate Cohen's first birthday. We are filled with gratitude that God has blessed us with such an incredible son.

Beach Bums

2007-10-19T20:46:00.000-04:00

We have been spending the week at St. George Island in Florida and enjoying just being lazy. I haven't even turned my cell phone or the computer on all week and it has been so nice. But I couldn't resist posting just a few pictures from the beach today.

Everyone who meets Cohen comments on how happy and content he is. He really is the happiest baby and he goes with the flow most of the time. Which is why we were so surprised by his reaction to the beach -- he hates it! I don't know if it is the sound of the waves or the way the sand sticks to his feet, but he is not a big fan. This makes his Daddy proud because Robby would choose a trip to the mountains over the beach anytime.

"Walking on the beach isn't so bad..."

"And I enjoy the view when Daddy is holding me..."

"Just don't put me down in the sand!"

Perfect Day for the Zoo

2007-10-09T19:53:00.000-04:00

Today Cohen and I met my cousins, their little ones, my aunt, and my mom for a day at the zoo. We couldn't have asked for better weather -- it was just gorgeous! The "big kids" enjoyed Cohen and wanted to hold him. He's always on the move so it was hard for them to hold him, but we did manage to get a few cute pictures of all of them together.

Cohen has lots of new tricks these days. He says Mama (at last -- seems like he's been saying Dada forever!) and signs more and all done. You can ask him where his tongue is and he sticks it out -- hilarious! Of course when I tried to get him to show everyone his latest tricks he didn't feel like putting on a show.

Dog Show

2007-10-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

My brother-in-law Ray was asked to play the Call to Post for a dog show this weekend. My sister and I had never been to a dog show so we took the kids just long enough to cheer for Ray and take some pictures. Poor Ray spent most of his day there in his costume just roasting!

Let's Make Some Noise

2007-10-03T20:35:00.000-04:00

OK, I know this is a long post, but we've just got to make sure the political leaders hear our voice on this issue. There are currently 5000 children in Guatemala that will be affected one way or the other. Let's make sure that these children have the best life that they could possibly have.

I am posting information from Adoptive Families Magazine:

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 five simple phone calls and send 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 Headquarters
>>Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director
>>Telephone: 212-326-7000
>>Fax: 212-326-7758

5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala
>>Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique
>>Telephone: 011-502-2327-6373
>>Fax: 011-502-2327.6366
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls.

6. Send an 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 effect, 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,

[your name and contact information]

What should you say or write to UNICEF? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.
>>Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000
>>Ask them to support the right's of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.
>>Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all 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 them again for their support of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.

>>SAMPLE STATEMENT<<

Hello,

We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. As financial supporters of UNICEF (through our tax dollars), we are asking that UNICEF lends its support and considerable influence to the Guatemala 5000 initiative.

As you may be know, 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. UNICEF must get involved and help ensure that all intercountry adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sincerely,

[your name and contact information]

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
>> The Berger plan is a crisis waiting to happen

What else can you do? In addition to your primary calls to U.S. Congress and UNICEF, you can call the following.

SOSEP (Guatemala)
>>Director Teresa Echeverría de Bastarrechea
Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400
>>Assistant Director- Edin Palma- Same office phone
Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400
>>Jaime Tecu
Office Phone - 011-502-2239-0000 ext 2766
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Guatemala Ministry of Foreign Affairs
>>Minister Gerth Rosenthal
Office Phone 011-502-2410-0000, 2410-0010
>>Vice Minister- Marta Altoaguirre
Office Phone 011-502-2410-0020
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

PGN (Guatemala)
>>Carlos Victor Hugo Barrios Barahona
Office Phone 011-502-2248-3200 Ext. 207/208
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Procuraduria of Human Rights
>>Dr. Sergio Morales
Office Phone 011-502-2424-1717
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

Embassy of Guatemala in the U.S.
2220 R Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
Office Phone 1-202-745-4952
Office Fax 1-202-745-1908
Website: http://guatemalaembassy.com/

I Love You Through & Through

2007-10-01T14:00:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend! We were able to meet Jackie and her daughter Jenna at the airport Friday night. Jenna was just as cute and smiley as I remembered her. Cohen and I can't wait for them to get settled in so we can have playdates.

Saturday Cohen and I had lunch with some friends and found a new favorite restaurant, The Cheddar Box. Their tomato-artichoke soup was absolutely delicious and I am going to see if I can make it at home.

Saturday night we got together with our friends Emily and Kenneth. Even though they live in our neighborhood we had not seen them since we came back from Guatemala, so we were long overdue for a night out with them. Kenneth is not the world's biggest fan of babies so we had a long talk with Cohen before dinner. :) Cohen was great though so I think Kenneth will agree to have dinner with us again soon.

Sunday was Cohen's Baby Dedication at church. It was so nice having our family there with us as we committed to raising Cohen in a Christian home. Cohen did a great job on stage -- Robby's beard seemed to keep him happy and quiet. I don't have any pictures to post now, but our friend Tom did get some great shots of the three of us together.

My friend Amanda gave Cohen the sweetest book and it has become one of his favorites.

I Love You Through & Through
By Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

I love you through and through.

I love your top side.

I love your bottom side.

I love your inside

and outside.

I love your happy side,

your sad side,

your silly side,

your mad side.

I love your fingers

and toes,

your ears and nose.

I love your hair and eyes,

your giggles and cries.

I love you running and walking,

silent and talking.

I love you through and through...

yesterday, today, and tomorrow, too.

Edited to add: I just saw on the Love Without Boundaries site that Joey (see his picture on a previous entry) has been matched with family! This makes my heart so happy!

Cohen's Prom Date is Here!!!

2007-09-28T18:14:00.000-04:00

I am so excited you would think sweet little Jenna was my own daughter! Let me explain: While Robby and I were in the paperchase phase of Cohen's adoption we met Jackie at the court house one day. She was just as frazzled as we were and I probably didn't even smile at her when we first met because we just found out that the clerk signed all of our documents incorrectly and we were going to have to redo them all and have them all notarized again. A big hassle!

But as we were waiting in the court house we started talking to Jackie and found out that we were using the same agency and both adopting from Guatemala. We swapped names and numbers and I put the post-it on my bulletin board at home with the dozen other names I had collected (seems like everyone knows someone with a child from Guatemala in our town) and didn't think much about it.

We called each other when we received those first precious pictures from our agency and it turns out that our children are only days apart. (I jokingly refer to baby Jenna as Cohen's prom date because they would be so cute stinkin' cute together!)Jackie has been such a great support for me on those days when I just needed to vent. She totally understood because she was in the same situation at the exact same time. We've oohed and aahed at baby pictures together, complained about the process on the phone, and prayed for our babies every step of the way.

Well, today baby Jenna is finally coming home! I just checked their flight status and they have arrived at their point of entry in the U.S. They have a three-hour layover and will finally be home at 11:00 tonight. When I asked Jackie if she wanted visitors at the airport she of course said for us not to worry about getting Cohen out that late. But I just can't wait! A friend of ours came to the airport and took so many pictures of that special time and I want to do the same for Jackie. So we are heading to the airport tonight and I am just ecstatic!

And on a completely different subject, I just found this cartoon on another blog I check and just couldn't resist posting it. Crack me up!

A Family for Joey

2007-09-27T09:52:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine passed this message to me and I just had to post it in hopes that someone reading this might feel that they could be Joey's family. You can also visit Love Without Boundaries for more information.

"There is a beautiful seven year old boy in Guangdong province who is in need of his own mom and dad to love him. His medical need is that he was burned as a child, but he has not let that stop him from going to kindergarten, making lots of friends, and charming the socks off of everyone who meets him. Right in his adoption file it says that he can make a friend out of anyone in 30 minutes flat. This little boy only has a few days left before his file is due to go back to China.....unchosen. Isn't that a horrible word? Unchosen. It is hard to believe that any child would have to carry that label.

This particular little boy weighs heavy on my heart tonight for a reason I want to explain. You see....his orphanage first contacted us to see if we could help him medically with his burns. But as soon as we heard about how smart he was and how personable, we convinced the orphanage that his real hope was in being adopted. The orphanage wasn't sure. They didn't think anyone would want to adopt an older boy, and one with burns on his body. But we assured them that somewhere there was a family waiting for a little boy just like him. And so the orphanage agreed. But then the province was also unsure, and so we once again said, "we know there will be a family". Finally his file was sent up to Beijing and then on to a US adoption agency. And no family has yet been found.

I think it is important for me to interject a story here, and my apologies to my friend Lisa for not getting her permission first to tell it. I hope she will forgive me. When I was first getting started with my work in China, one of the orphanages we helped did not do many special needs adoptions. They didn't think that the kids would be chosen, and so many of the children were getting older and watching only the healthy babies leave for their new homes. They would hear the aunties say to the babies, "oh today is a lucky day....you will have a family to love you." And the preschoolers and older kids would think to themselves....'it must be wonderful to have a family pick you.'

Well, we were going to do a heart surgery for one little girl in this orphanage, and so I asked for a photo of her so that we could raise funds. This orphanage didn't have a lot of nice clothing, so for this special photograph they wanted the little girl to look nice. Another little girl in the orphanage, named Yan, who was just three years old, had been given a beautiful red coat by a volunteer, and she loved that red coat and wore it all the time. The aunties went and took off her red coat to put on the child with heart disease for her photo, and Yan burst into tears crying. The aunties scolded her and said, "Yan, you must share your red coat...don't be selfish", but Yan kept crying and crying and kept trying to climb over the gate to get out in the hallway where the photo was being taken. Finally one aunty had heard enough, and so she walked over to Yan to take her back into the room. As she got closer, she realized that Yan was NOT crying because the other little girl was wearing her coat. No, not at all. Yan was crying while saying over and over, "take MY picture...please take MY picture. I want a family....take my picture so I can have a family, too. "

You see, at the ripe old age of three, Yan had already learned that the only way a baby got a family was by having her picture taken first. And she wanted a family of her own so badly, that she was crying to her aunties to please take her photo, too.

I wanted to share this story because the reason I am so sad that Joey hasn't found a home yet doesn't have anything to do with the fact that we told his orphanage a family would be found, or that we told provincial that certainly there was a family for him. I am sad thinking about Joey because I know exactly what happened when they prepared his adoption file earlier this year. I have been in orphanages when they do the files, and each and every time the aunties try to make the kids look at cute as possible. They say things like, 'smile pretty so a family will pick you." I am sad when I think about Joey's file, because I know he had probably gotten used to the idea that there would not be a family coming for him because of his burns....and then we went and placed hope back into his heart. I am sure he knew exactly why the orphanage was taking his photos that day, and I am sure the staff told him to look as handsome and clever as possible so that a family would choose him. Tonight I am thinking about this handsome little boy who is probably wondering each day now if his photo was good enough for a family to choose him.

So far.....no one has.

If you know anyone who might be open to adding a little boy to their family, please let them know about Joey. More information about him can be found here: http://www.swa.net/children.php

I still want to believe that there is someone out there who is wanting a little boy to love and read stories to. Surely there is someone out there who would want to teach him to fish, show him how to hit a baseball, and who would let him ride on their shoulders feeling like he was the king of the world. Surely somewhere there is a family who can give Joey the unbelievable gift of knowing he is CHOSEN, so that he can finally be home where he belongs."

Mark your calendars...

2007-09-20T12:19:00.000-04:00

for the 2nd Annual Dash for Adoption! (Can I just point out that last year's post about the race being a success was the same day that Cohen was born!) Last year Robby and I planned our first 5k race to raise money for Cohen's adoption. We wanted to hold the race at a nearby state park and the park only had one free weekend so we planned the whole thing in just three weeks. We were even on vacation one of those weeks! It seemed like such a crazy thing to do, but it turned out to be a huge success and showed us God's hand in Cohen's adoption.

Several people have asked us if we were going to have the Dash for Adoption this year... I assumed because we are busy enjoying Cohen we might not try to pull it off this fall, but Robby was ready to start planning. We originally said that this year we would put all the proceeds in our church's adoption fund to help another family who is adopting a child, but then we started looking into adopting from El Salvador...

Here's the letter we wrote to friends and family:

Looking back to this time one year ago, Robby and I were finishing the necessary adoption paperwork and planning a 5K race to help with the adoption fees. Little did we know that our son would be born just two days after the race! This past year has been an unforgettable journey that has taught us so many lessons. Most importantly we have learned to trust in God’s perfect plan.

While we would love to adopt another child from Guatemala in the future, adoption is uncertain at this point because of the Hague Convention. Guatemala must make some changes in the way they handle adoptions and this is likely to take a while. Because of this we are looking into adopting a child from El Salvador, another beautiful country in Central America with children in need of loving homes. The children in El Salvador without families live in orphanages and are usually eight months or older when they are adopted. The process to adopt a child from El Salvador is a much longer process averaging from 16-24 months so we plan on beginning soon!

Please join us for the 2nd Annual Dash for Adoption on November 10th at Briar Hill Park. It will once again be a 5k run/walk with prizes for the first three men and women. We also plan on having lots of door prizes as well! We hope you can support us in some way – through prayer, spreading the word about the race, or participating. Email me at lori_beth27@yahoo.com for registration forms and flyers and feel free to pass these on to anyone who might be interested.

Love,
Robby, Lori, & Cohen

Napping!

2007-09-19T12:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday something amazing happened... Cohen took a three hour nap! During a typical day he might take two 45 minute naps and he hardly ever naps longer than one hour. So you can imagine how excited I was when he slept for three hours yesterday! I must admit I did check on him constantly to make sure he was still breathing because that was so unlike him.

He has also been waking up once or twice in the night since we've been home and has trouble going back to sleep. Well, last night he did wake up once but fell back to sleep on his own! I am just thrilled! He has been napping today for almost two hours now, so I am hoping this is going to last.

Welcome Home Party

2007-09-17T17:04:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful day yesterday spending time with my family (and Lynn who is practically family!) at Cohen's Welcome Home Party. Even though Cohen was running a temperature, he still managed to charm everyone there. My sister was in charge of games and had everyone making sculptures of Cohen out of playdough -- it was hilarious!

One month...

2007-09-15T20:45:00.000-04:00

One month ago today we brought Cohen home. What better way to celebrate than to meet other families with children from Guatemala at the zoo! We had such a great time meeting new people and seeing all the beautiful children. Kim, Jay, and Alex were there as well as Sarah and Sophie Bug. Hopefully they took some pictures because I think I was so busy talking that I didn't get any pictures of the kids together! I did take a few pictures of Cohen's first trip to the zoo...

Bathtime is one of Cohen's favorite parts of the day. He loves everything about it... except when it is time to get out. Robby came up with a way to keep Cohen happy when bathtime is over -- he wraps him up in a towel and swings him. So much fun!

Cohen has also been proudly sporting his new Virginia Tech jersey -- thank you so much Hunter and Terry! I think he looks adorable in it!

I will end with the many faces of Cohen. This boy cracks me up with his latest trick which we call psycho baby. It is so much fun to see his little personality shine through -- he is quite a little ham!

Mr. Independent

2007-09-11T18:57:00.000-04:00

Cohen is a man on the move and is really enjoying his freedom now that he can crawl. Yesterday I followed him around with the camera just to document a few of his new favorite places...

Hiding behind the rocking chair

Playing with the door stop

Patting the rocking chair and making it move

Hanging out with Bailey

Speaking of Boo and Bailey, we have two dogs for sale as of today... After several days of short naps (because of a little cold) Cohen finally settled down for a good nap this morning. What should have been half-way through his nap, Boo (our lovely Maltese) spots something interesting outside and starts barking. Bailey joins in and of course Cohen wakes up and is no longer interested in napping. What am I going to do with those dogs?

Lazy Day at Home

2007-09-06T20:06:00.000-04:00

Cohen and I had a much-needed lazy day at home today. We stayed in our pajamas until after lunch and enjoyed a nice, quiet day together.

I am getting back in the habit of taking pictures since I slacked off after getting home. Here are a few cute ones from the past couple days...

I love this one. I was so proud of myself for making homemade baby food and look at the response I got. He gagged, made faces, and literally pushed my hand away from him when I tried to feed him more. Turns out he likes "real" food. He can eat the green beans off of my plate for days!

Look Who's Crawling...

2007-09-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to think that a little over two months ago this child was not quite sitting alone. Now look at him! For those of you who don't know, I am a developmental interventionist, which means that I work with children from birth to age three who need a little extra help meeting their developmental milestones. Last night I told Robby I was going to formally assess Cohen just out of curiousity. I knew he was making great progress, I was just curious how he would score... I was happy to report to Robby that Cohen does not qualify for services at this time. :)

We are still busy with doctor's appointments. Today we visited a pediatric infectious disease doctor (which went well) and heard from our pediatrician that all of Cohen's bloodwork from the titers and other tests came back just fine. That is great news because it means that Cohen's immunizations he received in Guatemala "worked" and he will not have to be immunized again.

Better run for now -- Cohen is showing me what parts of our house are not child-proof!

Happy 10 Months!

2007-08-30T20:34:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe that Cohen is 10 months old today. He is at such a fun age and learns a new trick every day. He will do something that makes me laugh and then repeat it over and over when he likes the reaction he gets. I just love it when he looks at me, turns his head, and smiles. It is just the sweetest thing in the world!

Cohen has been such a trooper the past two days. Yesterday we took him to the hospital for some bloodwork to make sure he received all the necessary immunizations in Guatemala. Then his pediatrician called this morning wanting him to go to another hospital for a chest x-ray today. I knew that because the TB vaccine in Guatemala is different than the one we use in the US that Cohen would more than likely test positive when given the TB skin test, but I was still a little overwhelmed with the thought of chest x-rays and loads of antibiotics for my baby! Any other Guatemama's have tips for how you handled a positive TB test? I really don't want Cohen to have to take antibiotics for the next 9 months!

And, on a completely different topic, last Friday Robby took a trip he has been dreaming about for years -- he finally made it to Colorado. He and some friends he mountain bikes with had planned this trip months ago and when they set the date we thought Cohen would be home and all settled when he left. Instead, he left a little over a week after we got back from Guatemala. It was a little crazy, but Cohen and I survived. We were just so happy to see Robby... especially when he called from Colorado to tell me that Dave let him fly the plane a little!

Does anyone still check this blog?

2007-08-24T20:16:00.000-04:00

OK, I have totally neglected the blog, but I think we are finally getting settled in at home and I will be able to post once again. Anybody still checking our blog?

With all the excitement of coming home and meeting friends and family, Cohen's schedule has been non-existent. Today was our first day back in somewhat of a routine and Cohen was so happy! He had to be thinking, "Finally, Mom, you remembered that I needed a quiet place to nap!"

We've done so many fun things since we got home -- our friends Bekah and Todd got married, my AOPi girls threw us a surprise baby shower, I took Cohen to his first bunco night...and of course I captured none of this on film! I did manage to break out the camera when Cohen met his cousins for the very first time. He thinks they are just the greatest!

Cohen also got to see where his daddy works. Robby's boss (who is hilarious by the way) sang Cohen a welcome home song and they even brought in a cake and presents. Who knew a bunch of engineers could be so much fun! :)

We even made it to Spanish class this week... We didn't really practice any Spanish, but were glad to see everyone and show Cohen off. Here's Cohen with Cecilia who also happens to be the smartest girl in class.

And, last but not least, our friends Hunter and Terry found out that Taylor is out of PGN and will be coming home soon! We are so happy for you guys!

We're Home!!!

2007-08-16T12:10:00.001-04:00

After a long day of traveling, we finally made it home last night. Cohen did better than we even expected on the planes. We sat next to a little girl and a baby boy and Cohen smiled and flirted most of the flight. I thought he was going to go to sleep as he took his bottle during take-off, but the minute the flight attendant made an announcement, his head popped up and he started searching for where the strange voice was coming from.

A big thank-you to my cousin Mary Beth... She took over 80 pictures for us at the airport and sent them to me this morning.

How excited were we when we landed in Louisville! Even though our flight was delayed and it was so late, we had the best homecoming! Our neices Katelyn and Taylor made a huge banner for Cohen and were there even though they had to get up early today for school. Little Jordan, who is three, made it to the airport, but after waiting and waiting finally fell asleep on the floor! (I am going to have to post a picture of her!)

When we pulled in our driveway, we were greeted by balloons and a huge sign on our porch made by our neighbor Dawn. She has been wonderful to keep an eye on our house while we were gone. Cohen went to sleep about 2:30 and slept perfectly in his new crib... Let's hope it's that easy every night, huh?

Good-bye, Guatemala...

2007-08-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

We are so ready to bring Cohen home to meet our family and friends... Everyone has been waiting for him for so long! While we are anxious to go home, there are many things we will miss about Guatemala -- the laid back atmosphere, the perfect temperatures, the amazing views, and the adorable children! On Sunday we went for one last walk in the park in Antigua and were able to take a few pictures of these little girls washing up in one of the fountains.

Yesterday we survived the Embassy appointment. You know, nothing in this process has been easy, so I don't know what I expected at the Embassy. But our interpeter was with us and she made sure everything went smoothly. She is going to pick up Cohen's visa this afternoon and bring it to our hotel. The hardest part of Embassy Day was waking up so early, so Robby and Cohen took a nice, long nap when we got back to the hotel.

I don't know how, but we have managed to accumulate so much STUFF these past two months. Today we are going to see if we can make it all fit in our suitcases... Wish us luck! I can't believe we are finally coming home tomorrow! This time tomorrow we will be in the plane on our way to Atlanta. When Cohen's feet touch the ground there he will be a US citizen!

Loving on some kids...

2007-08-10T22:14:00.001-04:00

Today Dick Rutgers was nice enough to let us follow him around. We met at Hermano Pedro this morning and took another small group of kids to Pollo Campero. The kids we took today were all on special diets, but they did enjoy some ice cream and strawberry milkshakes! The picture below is Hermano Pedro -- beautiful on the outside, but just awful on the inside. We arrived around 11:00 and the kids were already back in their beds where they stayed the rest of the day.

We took a few of the kids out of their beds and played with them for a while. I wish I had a picture of Moises -- he has the best sense of humor! We were playing with a ball and he would kick it right at me and then crack up laughing. I tried to get him to kick it toward Robby and kept saying "No, you!" I also taught him how to raise just one eyebrow at a time, which he would do wearing my sunglasses. Just precious!

The kids we took out were completely different children outside -- they loved going through the park and looking at the fountains. I had a little trouble pushing the wheelchair across the cobblestone streets, but luckily got some help from the locals.

After lunch, Dick took us to an orphanage for children with HIV. I thought this was going to be the saddest place we have visited, but I was so surprised. The nannies here are just wonderful with the children and it was such a happy place! I wanted to take several of the toddlers home with me...

Cohen was so patient the entire day -- even when Mommy and Daddy were giving ice cream to other children and not him! When we got home this evening, he just crashed. Let's hope that means he will sleep all night long...

Amazing day!

2007-08-08T23:29:00.000-04:00

Today has been such a great day here in Antigua. Cohen and I went to Hotel Antigua with Megan and Isa this morning for brunch and a playdate. There are not too many grassy areas here, so we enjoyed stretching out on blankets in the grass and taking it easy this morning.

We ran into Laura Beth and Cory at the park this afternoon and spent some time with them. We have quickly become good friends and have so much in common -- Cory is from Southern Indiana very close to us. They are are missionaries in the Dominican Republic and are here in Antigua for Language School.

This evening we were up on the roof and noticed that one of the volcanoes, Fuego, was smoking. We took some pictures and then headed to church. As it got darker, we could see more and more lava coming from the top of the volcano. Our pictures don't even begin to do this justice. We are still in awe that we watched an erupting volcano from our rooftop! It was AMAZING!!!!

Two doctors and two shots!

2007-08-07T21:47:00.001-04:00

Poor Cohen... He had quite a day today. We went to the city for his appointment with the Embassy doctor this morning. While we were there we found out that he also needed to visit his regular pediatrician and get two shots. Despite his busy day and combined naps that totaled 25 minutes, he still had smiles for us when we got back to the apartment.

His cold seems to be much better and I am hoping he stays healthy. Our neighbor Isa is just getting over the rotovirus and now little Jake downstairs has it! We are just keeping his hands and toys clean and I guess that is all we can do. But with trips to two different doctor's offices today, I know we will be so lucky if he doesn't catch something!

Here's Cohen in the waiting room for his first appointment... He loved this elephant and we didn't even have to put any coins in.

Robby vs. the Volcano

2007-08-06T18:44:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday Robby and another dad here decided to climb Pacaya. (I heard it was a pretty strenuous climb and didn't think I would make it packing Gordito, so we headed to the pool instead.) They were hoping to see flowing lava, but only saw hardened lava this time. They said the views were gorgeous and it was an amazing experience. Next adventure for Robby... Kayaking at Lake Atitlan! Cohen and I will go to the lake too, but plan on hanging out with the other moms and babies.

We have met so many wonderful people here in Guatemala. One of them is Dick Rutgers who has been a missionary here for six years. He works with an organization that brings wheelchairs to children all over Guatemala. While children with special needs are not treated the way we would like in Guatemala, Dick is doing so much to help change that attitude. We met him at church and he gave us a tour of Hermano Pedro, a hospital/orhanage in Antigua.

I was not able to take pictures while in the hospital, but we were able to take four of the children out to Pollo Campero (like our KFC) and celebrate one of the children's birthday. This is Sonja who just turned 13. Before Dick started working at Hermano Pedro, she did not have much to look forward to. The children are out of the beds from breakfast until lunch and then spend the rest of their day in bed. Dick helped find a teacher to work with some of the children and now Sonja is on grade level!

And here's some more cuteness from Cohen. He caught his first cold, but seems to be feeling better today. Just a little sneezy with a runny nose. We are taking him to the city tomorrow for his doctor's appointment with the Embassy doctor. I can't wait to find out how much he weighs... Seems like he has grown so much since I've been here.

100th Post!

2007-08-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

We were waiting for the 100th post to tell you the news, but we'll let Cohen tell you instead...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thank you, God, for this journey that brought us together as a family through the miracle of adoption. We pray that we will be the parents You want us to be.

*Edited to add: Many of you have asked about joining us at the airport...We would LOVE to see you there! I know it will be difficult to meet us since we will be getting in so late, but if you are able, we will be thrilled to see you!

We asked an attachment therapist we know how she thought Cohen would handle meeting a group at the airport and this was her reply:

"...I would allow family and close friends to celebrate this time with you. He is still so very little and won't be as overwhelmed as an older child. Keep him close to you and watch his face for signs of stress or fear. It is a memory that you and your loved ones will treasure...so I say...let them come! You will want to keep your home somewhat stress free for the first few weeks. He will have a lot to assimilate...sensory wise so be mindful of not too many guests or outings at first. I am so glad that you have had this time with him...it will go a long way."

Up on the Roof

2007-07-28T17:45:00.001-04:00

Yesterday the weather was perfect, so Cohen and I spent some time on the roof of our apartment building. (Robby has been working from here, so he came up for some work breaks.) The view from the roof is just gorgeous! We can see three different volcanoes along with La Merced, which is a beautiful church. Cohen enjoyed splashing and kicking in his "swimming pool."

Today Robby went with another fostering dad on an adventure. They drove up a mountain and rode mountain bikes back to Antigua -- about an 18 mile trip. They said the views were amazing, but neither of them had a camera with them. :)

Cohen and I went with another mom to Cuidad Vieja, a nearby village, to help with a feeding program for children. We rode in a van, picking up kids along the way. I am sure we had over 20 kids, 5 adults, and three babies! The family we were working with cook a huge meal every Saturday for kids that would normally not have a meal that day. It was another lesson for me about how fortunate we really are and how much we take for granted.

News on our case... We were submitted to the Embassy for our pink slip last Thursday and hope to hear on Tuesday when our appointment will be. We will be going to the city on Monday to see Hunter, Terry, and Taylor. They are visiting for Taylor's first birthday. Please pray that they will get out of PGN soon along with all the others who are waiting.

When are we coming home?

2007-07-26T23:05:00.000-04:00

So now that we have Cohen's passport and birth certificate, when are we coming home? Here's what needs to happen:

Our attorney will submit us to the US Embassy and our case will be reviewed once again. (The US Embassy has already reviewed our case months ago before we were submitted to PGN.)

We will take Cohen to a doctor designated by the US Embassy, which is necessary in order for him to enter the United States.

We will receive a pink slip from the Embassy -- commonly referred to as getting PINK! That will tell us when our Embassy appointment will be.

We will contact the Embassy (although our agency encourages us not to) requesting that our appointment be moved up to an earlier date.

The day after our Embassy appointment, we will pick up Cohen's visa from the Embassy. The following day we will fly home!

The wait is so much easier with Cohen in our arms!

Passport...Check!

2007-07-25T22:04:00.001-04:00

It was a busy day here, so no new pictures. Below are a few pictures of Cohen playing with our neighbor Isa. She is the sweetest little girl... just look at her dimples! Isa and her mom Megan are the best neighbors. It is so nice having someone else to talk to about the frustrations of Guatemalan adoption and laugh about all the strange things we see in Antigua -- like today we all walked to La Bodegona (the grocery store) together, but there was a huge mob of people holding signs that said "Free Hugs" in Spanish at the entrance of the store, so we kept on walking and went to an ice cream shop instead. :)

Anyway, we took my mom to the airport this morning and she should be getting home late tonight. We are so happy that she was able to come with me to Guatemala. She was such a huge help!

After the airport, we went to get Cohen's passport! Yea! I have to tell you, it is the cutest passport in the world! He sat in the chair by himself and the picture is just priceless. They make the passports while you wait and flash your picture on a large television screen when your passport is ready. How much did I want to cry tears of joy when his sweet little picture flashed on the screen with his full name...Cohen Isaac Wheeler!

The Cutie Pies at Semillas de Amor

2007-07-24T21:00:00.001-04:00

Today we went with my mom to Semillas de Amor for her last quilting class. The kids were sad that this was her last day, but we had a great time with them! I kept the ones who had finished their quilts entertained by letting them take pictures with my camera. They thought that was so much fun and enjoying looking at themselves after taking each picture. They also loved Cohen -- tickling him, holding him, and making him smile. He definitely had the girls wrapped around his finger.

Here's Cohen in the tuk tuk on the way to Semillas. He usually loves the bumpy ride, but today he was a little concerned...

Sweet little ones who came out to tell us hello...

How much do I love Carmen and Sonja!

There's a new Wheeler!!!!

2007-07-23T12:03:00.000-04:00

Just got the call from our attorney's office that we finally have Cohen's new birth certificate...which means he is officially a Wheeler! We will go to the city on Wednesday to take my mom to the airport and get Cohen's picture taken for his passport. Tonight Robby and I are going to take advantage of Nana being here to babysit and celebrate at Santo Domingo for dinner.

We Moved...

2007-07-21T21:42:00.001-04:00

We've had a crazy few days. Things are still up in the air with Robby... Still waiting to hear what his boss says about him working from Guatemala. If I do need to be here by myself for a little while, I want to be near other fostering moms. One of the moms we know told me on Friday that she was moving to an apartment where there were other adoptive families. She said there was an available apartment right across the hall from the one she was moving to and she used the same realtor as us. So I called our realtor and told her we were interested in looking at the apartment. She took us out that evening, we really liked it, and moved the next morning!

I wish I had a picture of moving day... The crib we are using does not fold up, so we were not sure exactly how we were going to get it across town. Our realtor was helping us move using her small car and there was no way it was going to fit. She suggested we just put it on top of her car. They threw a few towels on top of the car, put the crib on top, and off they went. There were no ropes to secure the crib, so Robby just leaned out of the window and held it in place! Just another reason why I love Antigua -- no one thought this was strange at all.

So we are now settled in our new place. It is much smaller than our first apartment, but so nice being near other families. One of our new neighbors has a little boy named Jake who is a few days younger than Cohen. We laugh because they are both very big by Guatemalan standards. This mom said that the locals think her son is two years old! We think Cohen and Jake are going to have lots of fun together. They came over for a little bit this afternoon. Jake jumped and jumped (with his mom helping) and Cohen tried to imitate him. It was precious! I will definitely have to get some pictures of the two of them together.

Playdate in Antigua

2007-07-19T18:11:00.000-04:00

Today we met Holly's friend Lissette who lives here in Antigua. She has a small, in-home daycare and fosters three girls as well. It was so nice meeting her and the children. Cohen loved playing with some new toys (he is getting a little bored with the toys we brought) and watching the kids.

It was quite a journey finding Lissette's house. We planned on asking some of our local friends like Ruth and Clara for directions, but did not run into either of them in the park. So, we asked the tourist police...men with a big dog on their porch...ladies working in a tienda...schoolgirls on the street...group of ladies with a chicken in their yard...husband and wife walking their dog...and finally just called Lissette who told us to wait where we were and she would come and get us! Turns out she lives very close to our apartment, we just didn't know it. The weather was perfect, Cohen was content, and we really did enjoy seeing parts of Antigua we had not seen before.

Thank you for your sweet comments and encouragement about our case. I know that one of these days we will be home with Cohen and enjoy thinking about all of the adventures and new experiences we've had here in Guatemala.

Some good news... and some bad news

2007-07-18T20:31:00.000-04:00

Here's the good news first: Robby and I met with Randy and Harvey from Orphan Resources today and it went so well! They stopped by our apartment and answered all of our questions about a mission trip in the future. It sounds perfect -- there are so many needs that I think everyone who is involved will be able to find a need that they can help with. Orphan Resources is currently helping about 40 orphanages in Guatemala from supplying beans and rice to helping build new buildings. They are going to take us to at least one or two orphanages so that we can see the needs first hand and bring pictures and information back to our church.

Now for the bad news: I called our attorney's office this morning for an update. As of last week we still didn't have Cohen's new birth certificate, so I thought for sure they would have it by now... nope! When we arrived one month ago today, we were told we would be home in one month. It's been one month and we still don't have the birth certificate, so who knows when we will be submitted for our pink slip. I asked how much longer and they said, "One more month."

As you can imagine, we're frustrated. There is nothing we can do. We've paid the attorney, but she didn't do her job and now we are simply at her mercy. Robby is going to contact his boss to see if he can work from here and I hope his boss is flexible.

I feel bad about complaining. I know there are so many people who would love to be in our position -- at least we are waiting with our baby. I am so thankful that at least we are here with Cohen. It just makes me sick that it has taken our attorney over a month to do something that should have taken a week or less.

We will post again when we know a little more...

2007-07-17T23:35:00.000-04:00

Today we toured Finca Filadelphia, which is one of the coffee plantations here in Antigua. Views from the plantation were just gorgeous! It was pretty cloudy today, but on a clear day you can see three different volcanoes from the plantation. I thought the best part of the tour was tasting the coffee, but guess what Robby enjoyed the most...

Cohen is just as sweet as ever. Today, after waiting for over 45 minutes in line at the bank, here's Cohen waking up from his morning nap.

Tomorrow we are meeting with someone from Orphan Resources. I am anxious to hear about their needs and how we can possibly help in the future. Should I mention that they are also looking for a director for one of their orphanages? It sounds like my dream job... just way too far from home!

Semillas de Amor

2007-07-16T16:22:00.000-04:00

The kids at Semillas de Amor are still loving their quilting classes. They applaud when they hear that my mom is coming. Some of the kids have now finished their quilts! While we don't know about all the children at Semillas, we do know that Bryan will be going home to North Carolina soon! (He's the cutie with the sunglasses.)

There are several other orphanages in Guatemala with much greater needs than Semillas de Amor. Robby and I have been in contact with another orphanage just outside of Guatemala City. We hope to meet with them the next time we are in the city (probably when Cohen gets his passport picture taken) to discuss a mission trip for our church in the future. Of course if some of you are reading this blog and do not attend our church, but would like to be involved with the mission trip, just let us know. It is exciting to think about what God may have planned for our next trip to Guatemala!

Sights from Antigua

2007-07-14T23:11:00.000-04:00

Another great day in Antigua! We started our day at the market. There were so many things I wanted to take pictures of (random pigs, a young boy carrying his baby sister in a sling, another little boy with a straw poked in some round fruit) but didn't want to stand out too terribly much. We already get plenty of looks, so I fought the urge to take pictures.

Today was Antigua Day so there was a lot happening in the central park -- live music, clowns on stilts, and lots of booths. There was even a mini-marathon and I was able to get pictures of a few of the kids running.

As much as I try, I just can't capture Antigua in my pictures. As you walk down the street, you see a tuk-tuk (pictured below), a motorcycle, a horse carriage, and a Mercedes. There is such a mixture -- from modern to Mayan.

A Three Hour Tour...

2007-07-13T20:16:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed being tourists this afternoon and were able to see some nearby villages. Our favorite parts were the view of San Antonio Aguas Calientes (I'm sure the picture won't do it justice) and learning about the differences in Maya weavings.

This is the Archbishop's Palace in San Juan de Obispo, which is also the home to a small order of nuns.

We also visited the home of one of the most respected weavers in Guatemala. They dressed my mom in traditional Mayan clothing, but I promised her I would not post the pictures. :)

These are wash basins in a small village we visited. Our guide explained that not only do the women come here to do laundry, but also where they can visit and catch up on the latest news.

My friend Amanda asked me what we were eating these days. Today for lunch we had a pretty typical Guatemalan lunch -- beans, rice, tomatoes, and avocados. It was delicious!!! (Cohen LOVES fresh avocados just like we do. He smacks his lips togeher after every bite.) We plan on going back to the market tomorrow for more fresh fruits and vegetables... Wish us luck, Saturday is the busiest day at the market and our first time braving the busy time.

What do you do when Cohen gets fussy?

2007-07-12T20:13:00.000-04:00

Watch Latin American Idol, of course! Cohen's fussy time is usually around five or six in the evening. Usually we just have to wait it out, but last night we found out what really works...just turn on his favorite show. I really think his foster mom must have watched this with him. He was absolutely glued to the t.v. until the commercials came on. He would play until the instant he heard the American Idol music. It was hilarious!

Tomorrow we are going to act like tourists. We are taking a tour of several of the nearby villages. I think it will be a lot of fun! We are also planning on taking a tour of a coffee plantation another day. We were talking to another adoptive family today who just got back from that tour. They said they saw some amazing views. So check back for some touristy pictures soon!!!

The Sweetest Kisses

2007-07-11T19:29:00.001-04:00

Cohen continues to amaze us with how fast he is learning! Now he gives me a big, wet kiss when I say, "Give Mommy a kiss." I just can't get enough of them!!!

In our kitchen there are two sinks. We use one for dishes and one as Cohen's bathtub. We can't walk past "his sink" without him leaning toward it and wanting to get in. He is definitely going to be a little fish!

What's going on at home? We tried to watch the news last night, but with our limited Spanish we didn't have much of a clue. We rarely turn the t.v. on -- the main channel that is in English plays reruns of the Gilmore Girls and the OC pretty much all the time. One morning we caught Go, Diego Go! in Spanish and Cohen really enjoyed that. Still no word from the attorney's office. We pray that we will be able to go home soon!

Baby Carriers...

2007-07-09T19:56:00.000-04:00

As I prepared for this extended stay in Guatemala, I found that many people in the same situation bring several different baby carriers along with them. Before I left, I thought this was just ridiculous. I mean, one baby... one carrier, right? My friend Holly passed on her Baby Bjorn, I threw it in my suitcase, and checked that off my list.

Well, Antigua sidewalks are just an adventure. If you stop to take in the view, you are probably going to either trip on the cobblestones, bump into someone selling tortillas, or fall off one of the 2-foot curbs. While we LOVE having the jogging stroller, sometimes it is just faster and more convenient to use a carrier and breeze through the crowded streets.

Here's where the baby carrier saga begins. Cohen is a big baby (Remember his nickname here has become Gordito!) and to my disappointment he broke the Baby Bjorn! I mean, after only 30 seconds, the snaps come unsnapped! After the first day of this I got out the safety pins. Two on each side should fix that, right? Nope! Snaps and safety pins immediately come undone as soon as I put him in.

After the Baby Bjorn didn't work out, I decided to buy a Mayan sling, which is what most of the locals carry their babies in. These ladies are truly amazing. It is common to see these mothers carrying not only their baby in a sling, but a large basket on their head as well. So I found a beautiful Mayan wrap and even had some vendors on the street help me tie it. (We have made friends with several of the vendors here and we know each other by name -- Ruth and Clara are our favorites and they are not shy about telling me when my wrap is not tied correctly.) The problem with this sling is that I am not a pro at tying knots and even when Robby ties it it loosens up.

On to sling number three... At the mercado I thought I found the answer to my problem. A sling that is made of traditional Mayan fabric that I love, with the convenience of being adjustable. Perfect! I negotiated the price to $17 and was so proud... until we got home, tried it on with Cohen inside and discovered it was way too big. This sling was designed for the baby to lay down and Cohen is just not about to miss seeing the sights as we walk through town.

So this morning Robby and I headed back to the mercado to see if Teresa could help us out. (Thank goodness she gave us her card!) Teresa was happy to exchange it for another carrier (for a few additional quetzales of course!) that is very similar to the Baby Bjorn only with Guatemalan fabric. We tried it with Cohen, he loved it, and we were set!

We shopped for about 30 minutes when I started hearing a familiar popping sound... this carrier was breaking too! I had reached my limit... and I cried at the market! We went back to see Teresa and she felt so sorry for me that she told me to wait at her booth while she sewed the carrier for me. After her repairs, we were able to walk many, many blocks with Cohen in the carrier and no popping sounds!

So that is the end of the baby carrier saga for now. I may be heading back to the mercado each day for Teresa to sew a little more reinforcement on the carrier for our little Gordito...

2007-07-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Another great day in Antigua! Saturday is the busiest day at the market, but it is also the day when you get the freshest fruit. So we headed to the market for a little shopping. Cohen got a Guatemalan soccer jersey with matching shorts for about seven dollars. We also got some strawberries, avocados, bananas, blackberries, and tomatoes. The produce was so inexpensive we didn't even have to bargain for it.

Tomorrow we are going to church for the first time since we've been here. Our friends from North Carolina told us about a little church that meets in the upstairs of a cafe. The pastor speaks English and there is also a Spanish translator. It is very casual and I am hoping that Cohen will enjoy it. We were told they sing for the first thirty minutes, so I know he will like that part at least.

No more news from our attorney, but we are planning on calling their office Monday to check in. Hope to be home soon!

2007-07-06T22:03:00.001-04:00

My mom taught her first quilting class at Semillas de Amor this morning. Robby and I went along, but were not much help since we were busy keeping Cohen happy. I thought for sure we had timed it perfectly so that he would nap while we were there, but he was much more interested in watching the kids than napping.

The kids were so excited about using the sewing machine and making their very own quilt. Two of the girls were bilingual and did an excellent job interpretting! A friend from home also sent some candy for us to give the kids -- that was also a big hit!

Just a few more pictures of Cohen from today... One of his favorite games is peekaboo. He puts the blanket on his face and starts laughting and kicking his feet. We say, "Where's Cohen?" and he just laughs and kicks harder. Like most kids his age, I think he could play this game all day.

He was also the little entertainer tonight. Robby and I got together with a couple from North Carolina adopting a sweet little girl named Bridgette. Cohen did all of his tricks for them. Ask him any question (we like "Do you speak English?" and "Are you spoiled rotten already?") and Cohen smiles and shakes his head no. He is also very sneaky... He really wanted a bite of my dessert, so I passed him to Robby. As I was passing him he grabbed my dessert right off the table!

Some sights from Antigua...

2007-07-05T19:49:00.000-04:00

Thought we would share just a few shots of Antigua. Of course most of our pictures are of Cohen, so we are going to try to take more of the beautiful scenery as well. Today was a beautiful day and no rain! It is the rainy season here right now -- the locals tell us "Es weeenter! Cover up your baby!" Most days start with clear skies and you can pretty much guarantee there will be rain in the afternoon. But no rain yet today, so we enjoyed a short walk and dinner out.

Tomorrow we are going back to Semillas de Amor. My mom is going to be working with the older children on making their very own small quilt. I think they are going to love it. I am going to be lending an extra hand in one of the baby rooms and Robby is going to be taking a tour and keeping Cohen happy. :) The nannies there can't believe how big Cohen is. Poor thing... his nickname seems to be "gordito" (little fat one) around here.

We love orangeade and smoothies from Condessa!!!

So happy to be sleeping in his own crib!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-04T13:45:00.000-04:00

We now have wireless internet in our apartment! I am so excited that we no longer have to make a special trip into town just to check email and post pictures. I am sitting on our couch and Cohen is happily napping in our room. So nice!

Yesterday we were so fortunate to be able to meet Cohen's birthmother. I was very nervous about meeting her and worried about what she would think of us. I wanted Cohen to be so happy and not fuss, which is hard because he is working on getting two more teeth. Everything was perfect! We instantly loved her and we are so thankful that we were able to meet with her.

Today we hope to have a nice, quiet day around the apartment. (We woke up around 6 this morning to what we hope were fire crackers and not gun shots.) We were surprised to see that some places around Antigua are celebrating the 4th. We ate at a fun restaurant last night that advertised, "Party like a gringo on the 4th!" We hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July at home. Still not sure when we will be coming home, but will let you know as soon as we hear.

Edited: My friend Hunter posted an excellent explanation of the final processes in Guatemala. Click here to see what needs to happen before we can come home.

So Excited to See Dad!

2007-07-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

Dad! You´re finally here!

Exhausted from playing with Daddy. (We were able to have a nice meal at Cafe Sky.)

Cohen LOVES being in the exersaucer! The louder he can bang the toys, the better!

2007-07-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know we are doing great! Robby arrived safely on Friday and Cohen had a great check-up at the doctor´s office... no shots either! Robby brought his laptop with him, but our wireless connection at the apartment is not working, so we are still heading to the internet cafes for internet.

Cohen is loving every minute with his daddy. They are so cute together and I will post pictures tomorrow. Cohen has been a little fussy the past few days because he is getting one of his top teeth. Poor little guy! He is still just as sweet as he can be, even when he doesn´t feel good.

He transitioned smoothly from sleeping with me to sleeping in his own crib. A friend of a friend who lives in Guatemala City is letting us borrow a crib and they brought it yesterday. We´ve got the crib right next to our bed so it is almost like a co-sleeper. I love it! Cohen woke up once last night and I was able to just reach over and help him get back to sleep. (Thank you so much, Holly, for contacting Myriam for us. It was great seeing her again.)

Sorry there are no new pictures today. I promise to post some cute, cute pictures tomorrow!!!

So Precious!

2007-06-28T13:10:00.000-04:00

I had to grab my camera first thing this morning to catch a few of Cohen´s new tricks. He is so much stronger already and enjoying being on his tummy now that he learned he can move!

2007-06-27T14:45:00.001-04:00

Let´s see... So much to tell, but I only have about 4 more ounces until Cohen needs me! Today we went to the children´s home (Semillas de Amor) and toured the home. It was very nice and yet heart-breaking at the same time. Most of the children there have been matched with families, but are just waiting for their adoptions to be complete. You know I kept asking, "Does he have a family waiting?" They were all precious!!! We will definitely be going back. I think when Robby comes, he and Cohen can have some bonding time while I go hold some babies. Some were just a few days old and so tiny!!!

Cohen is doing new things every day. He can now roll over several times and thankfully we will be borrowing a crib on Friday -- thank you so much Holly! We will be meeting Myriam (very nice Guatemalan lady who is a friend of a friend)in the city on Friday to pick up the crib and exersaucer. Friday will be a busy day. Doctor´s visit for Cohen, pick Robby up at the airport, meet Myriam, back to Antigua. Because of traffic, our driver is picking us up at 6 in the morning.

OK, I´m sure you want to see more pictures. Cohen is loving playing in the grass. We have a tiny little courtyard area in the middle of our apartment, which is perfect for him to roll and practice sitting independently. Today he did a great job and did not even fall over! So proud!

Sweet little girl we met at the market. She loved Cohen! He played hard-to-get.

That last picture is our view as we step out of our apartment. That volcano is our compass -- as we wander and explore, we always find our way knowing that the volcano is south.

Hope you are all doing well at home. Thank you so much for your comments and email. It is so good to hear from home! As much as we love our time here, daily tasks are so much harder in a foreign country where we barely speak the language. So good hearing from you!