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Flying alone for me is never fun. Then again I had never flown alone until February 2004 when I left Kristina in Guatemala and returned to the United States. It wasn’t even enjoyable this time because flying there I knew meant that I would soon be flying home alone once again. It was January of 2005 and I had finally reached my point of feeling low and almost hopeless. My faith and the eyes of my wife and daughter were all that got me through each and every day by this point. I sat there on the plane looking out the window with a blank stare waiting for Guatemala to appear below. Hopeless I sat reflecting on the last bit of good news we had. Kristina had been interviewed by the Family Court Social Worker. Here is an excerpt from her journal about that day.
Well I got up at 5:30am to get ready to go to Family Court. I got Mia up at 6am and got her ready. She did not want to wake up. We left at 6:30am and was stuck in traffic for two hours because school started back today. We got to the court right at 8:30am and waited on Edwin. He got there about ten minutes later. Our appt. was at 9am but sure as the sun will shine we did not get seen until two and a half hours after 9am. Mia was a very good girl while we waited. She showed off for everyone that would give her attention. Finally the orphanage director came and asked me if she could take Mia into the office. Mia went right to her, she was fine until she saw me through the door then she started crying for me so they moved over to where Mia could not see me. They spent about five minutes with her then they came and got me and Rita. They asked me questions about Mia’s character and what she likes to eat and her general behavior. After I answered the questions they typed up a legal document and said thank you. That was it. We were finished. I thanked all of them and said goodbye. They wished me the best and said they could tell I was a good mother.
Edwin said we should be in PGN in ten days. I pray it is sooner, but ten days is not that long.
After we left there I took Rita and Oswald to TGIFriday’s to eat lunch. What a great day!!!! We are one step closer now.
Finally we were at a point where we could monitor what was going on with some certainty. Our friend had an acquaintance in the Congress of Guatemala who really wanted to help with our case. He arranged the meeting with us and the PGN a year earlier. Now he wanted to help.
After a tremendous week in Antigua, Kristina and I returned to San Cristobal for a final couple days together. Mia and I seemed to bond as though no time had passed since last time. Talking with her on the cell phone definitely helps but I knew leaving this time would be the hardest test yet.
We met with our lawyer who once again rattled off everything that had been completed. We of course nodded as we too were well aware of how far we had come. I had just recently joined the Adoption.com Guatemala Forum and had become even more knowledgeable of the process. Not only that, people were waiting for updates from us as we learned new information. It was tremendous. Our lawyer said that his long target to have Mia home was the end of March.
Looking back it doesn’t seem so long. Hearing those words in January however, it seemed like an eternity. Kristina by this point had lost all faith in anyone’s word. She had to see it to believe it so this news didn’t phase her. It was time for me to return to the USA and all she knew was that she wasn’t on the plane.
Once again our hearts broke as we said farewell outside of La Aurora International Airport. We weren’t sure when we would see each other again. However, I had a fire burning inside of me that I was going to see this thing completed if I had to do it myself. I sat in my airplane seat sad but determined that this adoption would be done by the end of March…
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.
