Hola, from Guatemala!!

Well, we arrived in Guatemala around noon yesterday. Both flights were pretty good, although the flight from Houston to Guatemala sat on the runway for around an hour. So, we were a little late getting here. No worries though. We still have enough time to get to our hotel before Gideon (Jose) arrived.

Guatemala is really quite beautiful. I guess I've been so focused on seeing the babies that I hadn't put a lot of thought into seeing the countryside. We are surrounded by mountains and it is just lovely.

Now, for the good stuff.........the babies. They are amazing!! Gideon was brought to our room around 2:15 with Lilly (our facilitator) and his foster mom. He was a little unsure of things at first, but in no time at all he we smiling and happy go lucky. You could tell he really loves his foster mom and I can see why. Jose's foster mom is so incredibly sweet and kind. She is doing a wonderful job with Jose and I am so glad he is so well taken care of.

Shortly after Gideon arrived, Lilly, Jose and I headed over to the hogar to see Annie. When we got there, they showed me to her area and asked if I could figure out which one was her. I recognized her right away (of course :)) and Jose and I sat down beside her. She was pretty unsure of us and she remained that way for pretty much the rest of the day. She is pretty clutchy and until last night I had never seen her smile.

So we went all day yesterday with Gideon pretty much being Mr. happy-go-lucky and Annie clutching and looking on the verge of tears. And Maddie, well, she is doing well, considering. She has her moments were she really just wants mommy and she also has her moments where she is sweetly trying to give one of the babies a toy.

Last night though, we had a break through with Annie, the other two kiddos were sleeping and Annie and I were snuggling in bed together. She just all of a sudden looked up at me and smiled. It was the sweetest thing. It was the first smile I had seen from her, ever. It was followed by many more and I could tell she had crossed over. She got more playful then and even a little giggly. It was so much fun!!

All three of the kids slept well and we are all feeling refreshed. Annie is still a little timid this morning and doesn't want to be put down, but she is definitely better.

Our hotel is super nice and it has a mall attached and everything. The mall has a whole 3rd floor that is pretty much nothing but a food court. There's a lot of local fast foods, but there's also a McDonalds, Taco Bell, Subway and Pizza Hut.

Well, without further ado, here are a few pictures: