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It’s an experience I’d love to live over but I’d never have the strength to leave. Standing on the red floor in the midst of this yellow room I held my daughter. She lay there in my arms looking back at me cooing and smiling. Her brow wrinkled up and her eyes closed as she sneezed right in my face and then laughed. Just three months old she was so tiny. She weighed maybe about 10 or 11 pounds ay the most. The moments seemed to last forever but were over in the blink of an eye. with a glimpse I saw her in our living room at home playing with me. I saw her high school graduation and even thought of the moment I would give her away in marriage. Kristina saw my thoughts drifting in the future and proceeded to say “Let her be a baby! First things first.”
Our week had been a whirlwind of activity and it was now Friday evening. We would be leaving for home this weekend and had decided to visit the orphanage one last time before we left. The ball had been set in motion to legally declare her status as an abandoned orphan. 
We had visited the Bienstar Social and met with one of the directors who walked us through the process we would need to go through to adopt in Guatemala. While we were there, Marcelo’s friend from the Congress of Guatemala called and said we were expected at a place called the PGN. At this time we knew very little of the significance of this place and how much of a role it plays in the Guatemalan Adoption process. There the assistant to Director Merida met with us for almost half an hour. Actually our friend Marcelo explained who we were and why we were there. Director Merida stopped by to introduce himself. Naive as we were, we politely said hello not knowing that well over a year later we would be one of the last adoption cases he would ever sign. We took all of our papers to be translated and met with our friends attorney who agreed to take the case for literally nickels and dimes comparatively to what we were quoted elsewhere.
Overjoyed, we returned to the orphanage Friday night at the special favor of the orphanage director. We were given five minutes to go see Mia before we returned to the United States. This is where were now standing as I wiped Mia’s sneeze off of my face to the pleasure of this beautiful baby girl. Kristina took her back in her arms and held her tightly. Our friend Marcelo asked the caretaker if he could take a few photos of us together (this is usually strictly prohibited in this orphanage). She said that this time it would be OK considering the situation. Marcelo took a few great photos and it was time to go.
The pain welled up within both of us as we walked over to Mia’s crib to lay her back down. Kristina prayed under her breath for strength to leave. I heard her pray for protection over our baby girl while we could not be there. The caretakers were wonderful but sadly there were so many babies and so few of them. As Kristina went to lay Mia down a familiar color caught the corner of my eye. 
As I gazed into her crib I was in shock at what I saw. Her blankets and sheets were Raggedy Anne and Andy just the same as the crib that waited for her back at her home in the USA. I showed this to Kristina who drew comfort from that as an answer to her prayer. FOr those of you who have followed this story, you’ll remember the suprise that Kristina’s parents did for us in August of 2003 (For those who haven’t read, this only makes sense if you read 4. The Process Begins)
As we walked away we heard Mia cry softly for the first time. A nurse standing nearby astutely picked her up and comforted her. Still elated from the experience we just had, our emotions did not yet take their toll upon us. That would wait until we were home with family. For now we were still running on adrenaline and emotion. We needed some Campero…
The Mummau Family
November 2003
Mi Hogar Manchen, Antigua, Guatemala
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.
