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To say I was sick would be almost as much of an understatement as saying Johnny Carson appeared on TV a time or two. I was wrenched unbelievably and no medicines were helping me. I had to keep on going though as we had a lot to do and I was leaving in 2 days.
The morning after we returned from Quetzaltenango, we went into Guatemala City to the US Embassy to see what we needed to do next. Our lawyer was telling us one thing but we had long given up the notion of trusting anybody. After waiting in line to go to the window, we were told it would be a somewhat lengthy process and to go see our lawyer. We were then somewhat brushed off and the next person was called.
Upset at our reception at the embassy, we drove toward Antigua with a bag of mixed emotions. There was no doubt that I was leaving Kristina and Mia the next morning. Now we truly had no clue how long we would be a part. Still yet, we were quickly approaching the moment when we would walk out of the orphanage with Mia in our arms. It was almost too much to take.
Arriving at the orphanage, we were met by the director who brought us into her office, she looked over the paperwork and filled out some of her own. A smile never left her face as she was so excited for us to be taking Mia with us finally. In broken English she expressed gratitude for the love and commitment we had shown throughout the months since we first arrived at Mi Hogar Manchen. She detailed some of the routines Mia was used to and what she was eating. She offered the services of the orphanage physician should we have any questions. To be honest, I started drifting in attention as I could only wonder when we would be escorted back to her crib.
Suddenly, I looked up at the door into the face one of Mia’s caretakers. In her harms Mia lay dressed so pretty, freshly bathed, and hair brushed to perfection. She too, had a broad smile as she brought Mia to me and placed her in my arms. As I look back at the director, I heard the words “That is all!” Quickly I placed Mia in Kristina’s arms and asked the ladies for a picture. We exchanged hugs and then left the orphanage. The first moment or two outside the orphanage was almost surreal. 
Once the door closed, there was the sound of cars, the distant market, and a warm breeze blowing down Rue Manchen. It was amazing how life just marched on and now Mia was with US! Once inside the car, Kristina took a picture of me feeding Mia her first bottle before we left Antigua. That moment lives on in my mind as though it were minutes ago.
That afternoon, I had complete freedom from the sickness that controlled me the past few days. I played with Mia hour after hour as her giggles filled the home of our friend in San Cristobal. We took pictures and small videos. Slowly night time crept up and my sickness inched its way back. By late evening I was in bed faced with a 4am wake up call and a quick drive to the airport leaving my girls behind.
The next morning was very hard as I left Mia and Kristina standing at the curb watching. I saw the look of the unknown in Kristina’s eyes. Alone in a foreign country with a new baby with no idea of when we would see each other again. It couldn’t get more heart wrenching as the doors of La Aurora closed and the waiting began.
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The order for Mia’s 2nd physical exam did not come the next day or even the day after that. In fact it was almost a week in arriving. Nothing feels more hollow and empty than waiting and doing nothing. When it finally did arrive, the order from the judge was for Mia to appear at a forensics clinic in Guatemala City. This was definitely a relief as the 4 hours to Quetzaltenango and 4 hours back was getting old.
Our friend Marcelo went with Kristina to the clinic to interpret for her. When they arrived, they were told to wait, which they did for quite a while. When they were finally called, the nurse told them that only one could go back with Mia. Though Marcelo explained that Kristina was the mother and he was there to interpret, it made no difference. Marcelo went back with Mia. Kristina was left to sit alone in the waiting room and wait.
Shortly after they left, Marcelo returned with a storm brewing on his face that indicated something was very wrong. Apparently the doctor was annoyed that the judge had sent them to his clinic. He refused to perform the test saying it should have been done in Quetzaltenango. Though Marcelo explained the faulty examination in Quetzaltenango it made no difference. The doctor was still refusing to do anything. The officials from the court told Marcelo to ask if it could be done at a private clinic. When he did, the doctor erupted in a tirade, as this apparently is an illegal practice. The nurse said the only option was for her to write an order for the test to be done at the National Hospital right there in Guatemala City. She wrote the order and sent them on their way.
Oh it goes further…
Upon arriving at the National Hospital in Guatemala City, Marcelo and Kristina had to wait quite a while before they were seen. When they were called, the physician looked at the order that was written and refused to do the test. When asked why, he said that he would need an order directly from the judge requiring the x-rays to be done at the National Hospital. Marcelo and Kristina left the hospital with Mia. They were frustrated and angry at the lack of cooperation on the part of anyone they had met today. They returned to the forensics clinic and explained that they were refused at the hospital. Literally, the doctor told them “tough luck.”
Think it ends there???
So we contact our lawyer after hearing nothing from the judge’s office. He decided to travel out to the court in Quetzaltenango to see what was happening. He called us later that day. The frustration in his voice couldn’t prepare us for the news that he was going to give. He said that the judge did not believe that the forensics clinic refused them and that the National Hospital wouldn’t see them either. Instead of calling to find out, she said that the only way she would proceed is with a notarized statement from the clinic and the hospital saying they refused to perform the test.
So here we were, I had left Guatemala on May 20th and it was now July 6th. To say Kristina was homesick was somewhat of an understatement. Would she be home any time soon? We were seriously beginning to doubt it.
The Mummau Series
1. Choosing To Adopt
2. Why International? Why Guatemala?
3. The Call From Guatemala
4. The Process Begins
5. A Prelude To Mia
6. How Can You “Choose” A Child – Leaving Others Behind?
7. Peer Into The Heart – Journal Entries
8. Meeting Maria – Finding Mia
9. Leaving Our Daughter…is that…no way!
10. Rivers of Waiting
11. Mistakes, Intentions, and Naivety – How Hope Began To Die
12. Alone in Guatemala and Waiting
13. Time Marches On – Goodbye Mia for Now
14. Joyful Gringos in Quetzaltenango
15. Mia Mia
16. Abuela Comes To The Rescue
17. Doctors, Couriers, and Delays
18. Even So, You Won’t Believe This
19. The Summer of Frustration Ends
20. Fall Approaches with Broken Hearts…Teeth
21. 1600 Miles from Tecpan (pt.1)
22. 1600 Miles from Tecpan (pt.2)
23. Kristina Comes Home
24. Mia’s First Steps
25. December’s Momentum
26. An Angel In The Embassy? I
27. An Angel in the Embassy? II
28. A Christmas to Remember…and Forget
29. Daddy’s 2nd Visit
30. Clash at The Embassy
31. We’re In The PGN! OK Let Us Out!
32. Accomodations
33. The Pencil – Never Give Up
34. Exiting the PGN…sort of
35. Exiting the PGN…yet again
36. Daddy Has Enough
37. The Countdown Begins
38. Easter Brings Hope
39. Sit With Me in San Cristobal
40. T-Minus a few things and counting
41. My New Favorite Color
42. Hope Becomes Reality-The Embassy Interview
43. Mia Mummau Goes Home
More blogs about Guatemala Adoption.
