The One With The Hair

My life changed forever on February 29th. See pictures above if you don't want to read why. 'nuf said, right?

My mom and I went to Guatemala City late last week to meet Abby for the first time. My in country agency representative, Claudia, and Abby's foster mother, Gloria, were supposed to drop Abby off with us at 9:30 AM. Anticipation for her visit was at an all-time high. I could not sleep for several days, but I didn't care. Claudia called around 8:30 and said that Abby was going to get her 2nd DNA sample taken that morning which would delay her arrival until 11:30 AM. I was glad about this because upon receipt of the the 2nd DNA sample results, the US Embassy would give me an appointment to finalize Abby's adoption, so it just meant I would be able to bring her home sooner. So, my mom and I tried to bide our time walking around the hotel, doing a litte shopping and conversing with other families who were visiting their children or finalizing their adoptions. About 10:45, I decided to go back to my room in case Claudia called because I didn't want to miss the call under any circumstances. As I walked through the lobby to the elevator bank to go back to my room, I saw a woman sitting on a couch in the lobby that looked familiar but I couldn't immediately place her face. I double backed to look at her again, and I realized it was Gloria, Abby's foster mom! I didn't see anyone with her, but as I approached her, I saw a small pink shape wrapped in a blanket on the couch. I peered over the shape, and it was Abby! She looked at me and gave me the best smile I have ever seen! I was so happy in the moment. I actually couldn't believe it was happening. I was overcome with emotion. I was only able to communicate a little with Gloria since my Spanish is barely adequate, but it was pretty easy for Gloria to figure out who I was by my reaction to seeing Abby. For 45 minutes while we waited for Claudia the translator to show up, my mom and I oohed and aahed over Abby, held her, and played with her. It was flat out incredible. Meeting Abby for the first time exceeded all my expectations. It could not have been more perfect if I had written a script for it.

Once Claudia arrived, we went up to our hotel room so we could have some privacy, and I asked all the pertinent questions about Abby's habits - eating, sleeping, etc. I was quickly able to confirm what I had seen in photos and DVDs, that Gloria is a fantastic foster mother and gives Abby excellent care. Gloria is a very calm, kind hearted and nurturing person, and I didn't need to understand Spanish to see that at all. Abby is fortunate to have such a great foster mother in Guatemala.

Gloria, Abby and I - First Meeting



Abby had a little cold during our visit, but she was in a great mood the entire time. Gloria said she had just started sleeping through the night the night before she was dropped off with us, and she slept through the night for 8-9 hours each of the three nights she was with us! Abby is a very happy baby. She has a great disposition and just smiles and laughs for no apparent reason. She does not like to sit still EVER and absolutely loves jumping up and down on people's laps when they hold her. She was very close to being able to sit up on her own and loved sitting between my ankles so I could support her and give her a feeling of independence.

Abby preparing to take off and jump on Grandma's lap

Abby sitting up between my ankles

The hotel we stayed at, the Marriott, has long catered to families adopting children from Guatemala. They made it much easier to parent on the fly than I expected, and it was nice being amongst other first time parents, first time international adoptive parents, etc. who could relate to the entire process of adopting a child from Guatemala. Abby was known around the hotel as "the one with the hair" meaning she was one of only a handful of Guatemalan children that has this amazing curly hair! After her bath (which she showed a great displeasure for), her hair curled up around her ears and she looked like the cutest little Mouseketeer!



There was a baby lounge at the hotel that had a lot of toys and activities to keep the kids occupied, and as expected, Abby absolutely loved the "Johnny Jump Up" which was a swing that hung from the rafter/ceiling that allowed her to bounce up and down in. Because she is so small, she couldn't reach the floor, but we had a great time helping her bounce, and Abby could have stayed there for hours. This toy is an absolute must for me in my home because it will keep Abby occupied when I need to do things that require two hands!

Abby and the Johnny Jump Up

I learned a lot on my trip. I learned that I have an even better mom than I thought. She was there for me while I adjusted to motherhood, when I was nervous, scared and uptight that Abby wasn't eating enough, wasn't getting an appropriate nap, etc. and let me boss her around without ever losing her cool. She loved showing Abby off to the other families and doing stroller wheelies with Abby on the hotel grounds. I learned that I am even luckier than I thought. I have a beautiful, happy, incredible little baby that I can't wait to have in my life full time. I learned that I have more maternal instincts than I thought. They kicked in right away from the moment I laid eyes on her and never stopped. I learned that I can do most things with one hand that I used to do with two hands. This will come in handy since Abby enjoys being held so much. I learned that I miss someone more than I ever have missed anyone in my entire life that I only met a few days ago. It felt like someone ripped my heart out of my chest when I saw her walking (well not walking really, being carried in the Baby Bjorn by Gloria) out my hotel room on Monday afternoon at 3:30 PM. I sobbed uncontrollably. Gloria started crying and told me not to worry, she would take great care of Abby. I told her (well, the translator told her) that I wasn't worried about Abby's care, I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to deal with this temporary separation. Abby, thankfully, was too young and was nonplussed by my meltdown. The last thing I heard as Abby was bopping out the door was Claudia saying "Vamanos" which means "let's get a move on" in Spanish so that the good-bye would be over. The only way I can get through this is because I know that I will be back to Guatemala in about a month when I am expected to get my embassy appointment to finalize the adoption. It cannot get her soon enough.

Abby in her hoody
Abby in her stroller saying "hug me". Ok, I think I will if you insist.