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Good Morning. It’s Tuesday already and I know it is early but we have to go. Although yesterday seemed to be fairly pointless in our journey, we have a lot to do today. Ride with us as our hosts Rita and Odwar need to go to the hospital for a check-up. Rita is so close to giving birth and they want to make sure everything is OK. They have to wait in line outside the hospital this morning so we have to get a move on! …the time? Oh it’s 5:30am so hurry…hurry, we’ll catch breakfast somewhere around the hospital.
It was so hard to get up that Tuesday morning. Yet there was a great sense that things would not be the same after this day. Our “stuff” was in the embassy and we were just waiting to hear back about when we could get our pink slip. We quietly slipped into the tiny car that would carry us across the city. Mia sat on Kristina’s lap and slowly woke up as we drove.
So what are you hungry for this morning? Around the hospital here it doesn’t look like there is much of a selection. Rita and Odwar think it might be 10:00 before they are through so that gives us about 3 hours to explore the area…I know it isn’t exactly a tourist type area but you never know what you might find.
The hospital was in a busy district of Guatemala City and people were headed every which way. Across from the hospital was a small little restaurant. Understand that when I say small you have to picture someone setting up a restaurant in…um…your living room, ripping out the front wall and serving customers. The lady welcomed us with a warm smile. We ordered 2 servings of eggs, frijoles, bread, and a 2 cokes (Cost us a whole $2.25)
Coke for breakfast? You bet! You’ll love the eggs mixed in with the frijoles. Watch Mia as she eats them like they are going out of style! Did you… wait it’s Kristina’s cell phone.
In the middle of breakfast, my mom called to tell us that our “Angel in the Embassy emailed to say ‘Standby’ and that we might get our pink slip as early as tomorrow (Wed. 3/31). Kristina’s face glimmered with the slightest bit of hope as she thought maybe she could come home with me. As soon as it appeared it left the other way. She would not allow herself to get her hopes up whatsoever.
Our joyful news was quickly toned down as Rita and Odwar returned shortly afterward. Though the baby seems to be OK, she isn’t growing as much as they hoped and their were a few other complications that concerned them. With Rita so close to delivery, they ordered her to rest completely.
We drove across town through a flood of Guatemalan flags, futbol (soccer) jersey’s, and thousands of people shouting the praise of the national team. Wednesday, the Guatemalan national team would face the United States in Birmingham, Alabama. The pride of the nation was swelling at the opportunity to show up the gringos. As we drove through town, we heard so many things as Odwar didn’t fail to point out the Americans in the back seat at every stop light along the way.
While Kristina found humor in the situation, I watched the tension build inside of her as the hours were counting down to my departure Friday morning. The question of whether or not she would be along haunted her non-stop. Our lawyer told us to expect at least three weeks. I told him I would handle it from here as our information from the embassy said we might have Pink as early as Wednesday.
Suddenly Odwar pulled off the main road into what looked like a simple strip mall. In the corner was a storefront with mirrored windows and many people outside. He explained that this was the passport office where Edwin was to meet us. Out of courtesy they asked if we would be all right, and then the went on their way to their home and to work. We remained and waited for our lawyer.
After eating lunch at the nearby Mexican restaurant, our lawyer arrived and we were ushered into the passport office past many others who were waiting. In just minutes, we were in the back waiting for them to call for her picture to be taken.
Suddenly, “Maria Rene Mummau” came a voice from the back. Her name still had not been changed to Mia but she now carried our last name. It was the first time we heard it announced that way. Kristina’s eyes filled with tears as we walked back and sat with her as she got her photo.
Leaving there, our lawyer drove us the last few miles to the embassy and wished us well with a voice of “just wait and see.” Our excitement was foolishness to him as he knew there was no chance for us to leave together in his mind.
As we ran the passport in to the Embassy to join it with our file, I watched as hope began to return to Krissy’s face. She wouldn’t speak it but she began to feel as though she might come home. We walked from the Embassy to the Artisan’s Market and back as we waited for Odwar and Rita’s work day to be completed and to give us a ride home.
This truly was a good day
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.
