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The Mummaus: 16. Abuela Comes To The Rescue

April 22nd, 2006

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The crowd parted slightly as I watched Cody make his way into La Aurora International Airport. As the door closed behind him, it seemed to automatically force the tears from my eyes. I felt as though I was in a daze not certain what was real anymore. From behind me I could hear Mia cooing softly to herself inside the car. The engine purred as if in cold anticipation of leaving unconcerned for the deep sorrow I was feeling.

“A necklace for you?” The words jarred me as I stood almost motionless in hopes that this wasn’t real. “They are real pretty and only one quetzal.” The words faded as I slowly walked back to the car realizing that Cody was on his way back home and I was here now. Silently I drove through the exceptionally warm May morning in Guatemala City back toward the home we would be living in for the duration of the adoption. Mia cried softly as we got close because got closer as it was well after her breakfast time. Reaching back I held her hand to console her as I hid my own tears from her. How could I be so over run with unbelievable joy over the gift holding on to my fingers while so trampled down in grief and loneliness. My mind had yet to figure a way to make sense of it all for me. Fortunately the drive to San Cristobal is relatively short and we were soon in our little room.

Over the weekend, the tears became more frequent and there was no hiding my feelings from my family and especially Cody. There was no fear, it was just the unknown. We were left with so many unanswered questions that there was no certainty that this case would be done in a year much less a few months. By Monday, Cody realized that something needed to be done to provide me some emotional support. He called late Monday to say that early the next week his Mom would be arriving for at least a week to help me adjust to motherhood and provide some companionship.

Eating in Antigua! (c) 2004 Cody L Mummau All I could think of was the many tasks that should be completed and I expected that we would be working on those all week. Fortunately, Cody and his mom had prepared us to stay in Antigua for almost the entire duration of her stay. We arrived at the Posada La Merced where Jorge and the staff treated us like family. Each one would call Mia by name every time they passed us. The atmosphere of the Posada was like a large home and the guests conversed like old friends. To this day, we still have friends from our time there.

The week in Antigua is precisely what “the doctor” ordered. It was restful, fun, and I regained my focus. I still missed Cody but I was able to get a hold of what must be done. Mia, Grammy and I had such a great week exploring the sights, eating at great restaurants, and of course visiting the world famous market. The smell of chicken from the open air grills, the feel of cobblestone, and the warm breezes still hold my heart as I think of those precious moments when I first embraced motherhood. Grammy and Silly Mia (c) 2004 Cody L Mummau

I am so grateful to Cody’s Mom, Mia’s Grammy, for the time and energy she spent to come and be with us. It was a beautiful time for each of us. It was amazing to watch how Mia transformed in just a week. Grammy said it was like watching a butterfly emerge from a cocoon. To this day she refers to Mia as her Mariposa.

When it was time for Grammy to return to the states, I was much better equipped to see her off though it was a tearful goodbye. Without a doubt I was appreciative of her being there but after yet another send-off I knew I didn’t want tons of people coming to visit as this would be too much to say good-bye each time. I needed to focus on what was to be done next with our adoption. So it was back to San Cristobal and preparation for a trip to Quetzaltenango the next week!