Queremos Pastel!

Yesterday when we went to the grocery store, we found a box of brownie mix. Another American lady walked up at the same time and wanted the brownie mix too. Of course, only one box. We have some banana bread and so I told her to go ahead and take the mix and we would get it the next time. She was grateful because some friends had asked her to make brownies. Today, we returned to the grocery and checked for the mix. None BUT the girls asked to make a cake. They selected a "Party Confetti" cake with "matching" icing. Yum! Now, we don't have a mixer in our kitchen and we don't have a plate to turn the cake out onto, but we made it work. HV and HM were the chefs and were quite proud of their cake after dinner tonight. No, it isn't the prettiest thing. It was probably still a bit warm when we tried to frost it, but who cares. It still tastes good and the girls were happy with it.
Here they are icing it.

And the finished masterpiece! Yes, that's a bit of frosting on HV's lips. They HAD to taste it, you know.

I did make the kids wait until after dinner to have cake. Tonight we had BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, and black beans.

I'm happy to report that we have no leftovers tonight. HG even asked for more pollo/chicken which is quite surprising because she isn't crazy about meat. She LOVED the black beans, however, and had 3 helpings of those. She even wanted to drink the black bean "juice" that was leftover. (No, I didn't let her). She wasn't sure what to do with the "elote"/corn, but she did try it at least. HV and HM said that this was the best meal yet because it reminded them of home. I think we are all missing home a bit when BBQ chicken prepared in the oven reminds you of home, don't you think? I did have to call J several times for cooking assistance. She would have been proud with the end result, I think.

I hope today wrapped up a good week for you all.

Sound of Music

I know that these are mainly of HG, but after all of the serious faces you have seen from her, I thought you would appreciate this "music." She has been like this all afternoon and is running around the house right now, carrying a ziplock of q-tips. Go figure!

Oh, today on our outing, she wore her "bloomers" as they call them. No diaper/pull up. She's still wearing the same panties now! Yippee!

Picture of Mr. Red

Here's the mosaic we bought at the convent ruins. I can't tell exactly what she used for the colored pieces--it almost looks like tape, but I'm not sure.

Colibri and Mr. Red

I've told many of you this story before, but I will share it with you all now. If you've heard the story, read this anyway because I will tell you how the Colibri continues to show up for us. Colibri is a hummingbird in spanish, by the way.

J's mom was a gem. She loved us so and was delighted when HV, her first grandchild, came home when J's mom, Grammy, was almost 80 years old. Grammy LOVED hummingbirds and red birds. She would make her sugar water mixture and put it out for God's delicate creature, the hummingbird. She would dice up (yes, I mean literally cut) her stale bread into cubes and put out for the redbirds. She said they liked it better that way. Grammy passed away in May 2001, having been able to spend a little over 1 year with HV. When we moved into Grammy's house in the summer of 2003, we would often have bird visitors come see us. In the kitchen area, there was a high window that had no blinds or curtains--it was too high for anyone except birds and squirrels to see in. Many mornings, we would hear a tapping on that window. There would sit "Mr. Red" as we called him, tapping on the window, trying to get our attention. He would then make eye contact with you, just sitting on the window sill, looking in. We would also see a random hummingbird in our backyard, coming to have a taste of the lantana or other flowers we had. We have always felt that this was Grammy, coming to check on us. Back home, Mr. Red always had a way of "appearing" whenever I needed a little reassurance. He would land on the window sill in the kitchen as we were having breakfast. He would land in the backyard as I looked out the bathroom door. Always in perfect timing, of course--just when I needed to see God's reminder of His constant presence and care.

Well, I haven't ever seen Mr. Red here in Guatemala, but the Colibri is a different story. I've been to Guatemala many, many times and I don't ever see many birds except for the good ol' black bird. Last August when I made a trip to Guatemala and was lucky enough to have HG with me in my hotel, I was so sad because our time together was coming to an end. The orphanage folks were coming to pick her up that afternoon. I was holding her, looking out the window together (yes, I was crying, Chick-A-Dee) and lo and behold, the colibri appeared. At first I thought, look at that big dragonfly. Then, she stopped and actually sat on a branch so that I could see her splendor. So delicate. I knew it was Grammy, letting me know that she was there, watching over me and HG, and that it would be ok.

Fast forward to the day I listed all of the prayer requests on the blog (Saturday, I think). I was sitting in the little office area of my bedroom, looking out the window at the girls playing below. I saw something flying around the top of a tree. Yep. The hummingbird. Now, I feel quite certain that she was checking on me or at least reminding me of the presence of Grammy/angels because that tree has no flowers and there would be no reason for a hummingbird to be exploring the top of that particular tree.

Fast forward again to yesterday. The girls and I were exploring an old Catholic convent which is now mainly ruins, built in the 1500s. We had climbed to the top and I said to HM and HV, "Look at that interested plant. I wonder what that is." Well, HV shouted "Mom! Look! A hummingbird! Grammy is here!" We called J, leaving her a message about our "visitor." We were all so excited. At the entrance/exit of the convent, there was a woman selling/making things. She had many angels (we collect those in our family room at home) and some mosaic pieces. HV said, "Oh Mom. Look. We NEED that one." I had glanced at her work when we arrived and told her we would look more when we left so that I didn't have to carry the items we purchased around (I did, after all, have HG on my back). I didn't, however, see this piece before. A mosaic of two birds, one being Mr. Red. Of course, we had to buy it. The girls have all gone to bed now and I'm typing by the light of a small light, but I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post. It will be lovely in our family room.

Today, we went swimming with our new neighbors at the pool. We also were able to meet some friends I email with that are also visiting Guatemala. I had shared the hummingbird story previously with one of the ladies (maybe both, but I don't remember for sure). These friends are staying at the hotel where we swim and so had a chance to visit briefly this afternoon. HV says, "Mom! Look! A hummingbird!" The one lady, M, said, "Oh, where? Show me!" So, we pointed it out to her. She then said, "Oh my! I have never seen one with my own eyes before AND that's YOUR BIRD, K!" Yep, it's my angel bird, Grammy, checking in on me.

I've been discouraged today. HG is doing SO GREAT! She is coming to me for her needs, she is affectionate with me (and with the girls at times). She is learning so much. She had such a fun time at the pool, even going under the water and laughing, asking to do it again--trusting me to be there to protect and keep her safe. And then I become afraid that I will have to return to TX without her because I will run out of time from work or I will run out of money. I've been talking to God about it, of course, and I know that He knows the limitations I see. The hummingbird visitor today was just yet another reminder for me that God is here. He's here in Guatemala with us. He's at home with J. He's with you too. I'm a planner, a do-er. I want to know how it will all work out. My dad always used to tell me that I needed to own my own company so that I could tell people what to do, since I need to be in control. I have felt through this all that God is saying, "K. Let me. Be still and let me." This has been such a learning experience for me. I want to plan "it" and He says "no." It's difficult for me to be obedient, but I am trying. And then, the hummingbird appears, letting me know that He is here. So, I have a little more spring in my step this afternoon after seeing my friend, the colibri. God sure knows when I need to see Him, doesn't he? I know that many of you are praying for us. Thank you. I know that God hears all of our prayers and perhaps it is your prayers for peace for us and reminders of His constant care and love that have sent the hummingbird my way in the last 2 days. I've needed it.

Back when I shared the hummingbird and red bird stories with my friend, M, that I saw her first hummingbird today, we were discussing (via email--she's not from the US), about looking for God around us. Looking for Him in the little things, like the hummingbird. God isn't about religion. He's about a relationship with us. When we start looking for Him, we can see He's everywhere. He's in the birds. He's in the beautiful flowers. He's in the lush green landscape like my sister reminded me a few days ago in a comment. When I step back and look at God like that, I am reminded of His goodness and His grace. It makes me want to be closer to Him.

I'll leave you with a photo of HG. Today while having her pachita that she asked me to give her, I had a praise CD playing on the portable DVD player. She sat and listened to the whole thing after she finished the bottle of milk. I guess she was spending some time with the Lord too. She was just laying on the bed, listening to the music, but when she saw the camera, she sat up and said, "Hi, Monny" just as I took the picture.

Sientate y Pachita

HG babbles--A LOT! We can't normally understand her--at all. Today, I understood two words and I was exactly right. She asked me to Sientate--sit down--because she wanted to brush my hair again. A little later, she asked me for a pachita--a bottle. Yeah! We're "learning" each other! No, the language wasn't that clear, but when I ask her to sientate, she repeats it and so I have learned that's what she is saying. Same with the pachita. Again, it's communication and that's all that matters at this point.

Carousel

I forgot to include this part of our day on Monday. Across the street from my attorney's office is a big FANCY mall. The side of the mall that faces his office is all glass and so the kids could see the carousel from the street. PLEASE, Mommy. Let us ride. Of course after enduring the morning at the Embassy, how could I say no? I was really afraid that HG would not like it. She had the best time and I think you can tell from the pics that all 3 girls thought it was great fun.

I'm telling!

Here's HG's pouty face when she's tattling on one of the girls. Poor Baby!

Crystal Ball Anyone?

Or maybe I need a Magic 8 Ball, a Fortune Teller, or a Mind Reader. I don't know which one would do the most good, but.... One of my friends commented in an email to me that even though the 3 things on my list that I wanted to get done in the last few days didn't get done, I did get some other good things done. She's right. I should be thankful and grateful that I was able to get those done, especially they involved making appointments which were not made until just hours before the actual appointment. So, here's where I need some sort of psychic help:

The girls and I spent a total of 8 hours on Monday and Tuesday waiting at the US Embassy to submit some paperwork. On Monday, I got in the line marked "adoptions" and the guard ushered us into the building. This was a little before 7 a.m. Around 8 a.m., I inquired at one of the numbered Windows to see how I would be able to submit my papers. She told me that I should wait until 9 a.m. and then I could be seen and papers taken. At 9:30 a.m., no one had yet come to the window. I asked another person what to do and he said I should go to yet another Window and ask. I did and the girl told me that while she know about adoption paperwork, she wasn't doing that today and couldn't accept it. She told me that I should come on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and then wait until 9 a.m. to be seen. I told her that was exactly what I did on that day and so why should I do it again when I have already done it. Now, they talk to you through a piece of plexi-glass (or maybe it's real glass, I don't know) and if the volume is turned up, you can hear everything the worker says in the room full of about 40 people. I wasn't backing down and so she finally called "upstairs" and said that someone would meet me at the "magic" Window. Once I got in there, the girl appeared and she told me that since I wasn't outside at 7 a.m. to get a number, I could not be seen today. Seeing her paper in front of her, however, I could see that only the #1 had been given out and they have 40 slots available. I explained to her that I was there at 7 a.m. and had been told to come inside. She said that the guard knows his job and she was certain that I was not telling the truth. So, she called him. He said that he didn't know what she was talking about. Oh well. I asked if I could wait until after #1 had been seen since there was no person in line after him/her. No. I didn't get the #2 earlier and so it was not possible for me to be seen at all. Come back tomorrow. I was able to pick up 2 forms from her that I did need (it took her 30 minutes to go find the forms, however) and so it wasn't a total loss but it wasn't that great. So, we head over to the office of the attorney to complete the new forms. Oh, I should say that one of the things she/Embassy gave me was a check list of what I needed to bring. We went through the list, making sure that we had everything. Done. The attorney tells me that he visited with the social worker from the Court earlier that day and she needed four pieces of information before she could write her report. I said that I would get 2 of them (they pertained to HG's health) and he said he could get the other two. I called HA to help me make the arrangements to get one of these things done and then I called the doctor's office to help with the other one. The social worker wanted a "medical certification" from the doctor that compared HG's height vs. her weight. She is 100% proportional! She's only in the 50% according to US charts, but she weighs exactly what she should for her height. Now, what this has to do with anything I have no idea but Q355 later, I have the letter done. I promised the girls that we would have dinner at McDonald's and so, being a woman of word, we ate there for dinner. HG LOVES papitas (french fries) and so I have learned that we do not even get them out until she has eaten her hamburger (she eats 1/2 of it which is fine). I even had HV and HM hide their papitas until she had the burger done. Off to bed and getting up EARLY again on Tuesday. I forgot to say earlier that I wasn't supposed to get in the line at the Embassy that is marked adoptions. I'm supposed to know that I was to stand by the trash can, against the wall of the adjacent restaurant, to wait for a number. :) So, Tuesday morning, we are in the unmarked area by the trashcan. See, this would have been an instance where the Crystal Ball would have helped, right? We get #1 and then girl says that it's ok if we want to go and "take" breakfast because we won't be seen until 9 a.m. We head over to a little coffee shop and have some breakfast (note to self--HG really prefers scrambled eggs and black beans to pancakes so you know who had to eat the pancakes while she ate my eggs). We go back to the Embassy and around 9:30 a.m., the same girl appears. She takes my paperwork and says she will be right back. Now, this particular window is actually in a closet, not like the others that are just open to the lobby. This is the special window--Window 10. It's big enough to hold two chairs and a small trashcan. Now remember, I have myself and the 3 girls in this closet. ONE HOUR LATER, the lady comes back and tells me that she cannot accept my paperwork because it has errors. She has written, in red ink of course, on the checklist the things wrong with the documents. One of the major things wrong was that the documents in spanish must be translated into English. I asked her to show me WHERE on the checklist that this is spelled out. It isn't BUT I should know this somehow. Where's that darned Magic 8 ball? Then, on one form, we/I printed the information in my very best capital letters. That form must be typed. Please, ma'am, show me where it says on this form that it must be typed? Again, it doesn't BUT I should know this somehow too. Needless to say, I was ONE HOT MAMA when we left the Embassy. We made arrangements to meet up with the attorney to go over the problems, discuss who was going to do what, and then we left. Yuck! We're now working to get all of this straightened out and I believe I will try again on Monday to submit the paperwork. Again, yuck!

Now, on a brighter note, we're all doing well. I think we've all almost gotten rid of whatever ailments we have had. HG is still doing well with her potty training. She does best, of course, when we are home and she can go to sit on the potty every 10 minutes if she wants, which at times, she does want to do. She actually likes the toilet paper best. I keep telling her "No pee pee, no papel." She still is so proud of herself when she does go. We got some new neighbors--Americans and their children speak English! The girls could not be more happy to have some "new friends" to play with.

Oh, we do have one problem. I made tacos for dinner tonight--seasoning brought from home--along with some Spanish rice also from home/TX. HG does NOT like tacos. That's a problem in our house. :) I honestly don't know if she has ever eaten ground meat and I think the texture of it grossed her out. Ground meat is actually hard to find here and so I don't think it's common at all to have it. She ate the rice and the taco shell, but not the meat. I supplemented her supper with some strawberry Yoplait yogurt and she was happy with that. She didn't go to bed hungry so I guess that's all that matters. No, we won't be short order cooks for the kids, BUT when trying something new and still adjusting to her family and life, I'm not going to cram a taco down her. :)

HG has been into brushing my hair for me. She gets her little brush (well, it's actually the brush for HM's dollies), points for me to sit down, and brushes away. She even holds my chin when she brushes my bangs, just like I do for her. Cute! I asked HM to snap a photo of her doing it today, so enjoy! I know the picture is a bit dark, but you get the idea of the newest "beauty operator" in the family!

Not Much Better Today

Well, today didn't go as planned either. We got neither one of our things accomplished. Boo! I'll write more later, that's all I have for now.

Mal Monday

Mal means bad. If you remember, I had said we had 3 things that we needed to get done today. We only got 1 done. :( We are going to try for the other two tomorrow. Yuck! Please continue to pray for us. It was rather disheartening that we did not get the other two completed. The better description for how I feel is ANGRY! I hope that we fair better tomorrow. Please pray that God will soften the hearts of those involved and that we will be successful tomorrow in getting the other two things completed.

HG, by the way, had no accidents yesterday on the potty. Yeah! She has had 2 today, but she did tell me that she needed to go. I was simply just unable to take her at that very moment. You remember how it is when you first teach them? When they say "go," you must go NOW. So, it wasn't her fault.
Sorry for being so vague here and I'll give more details later. Just please continue to pray.

Quiet

We're fine but will be out of pocket until tomorrow/Monday night or Tuesday. Please remember the prayer requests I posted a few days ago concerning tomorrow. I'll update you all as soon as I can.
HG seems to be doing better today. She is asking the girls for hugs and even kissed me on the lips today. She's back on track with the potty training today too--no accidents as of yet. She's standing here talking to me right now as I type.
We didn't go to church today but as soon as I finish this post, we are going to have our own church here in our apartment. We'll sing each person's favorite song and read a bit from the Bible. I have asked another American that lives here about an English speaking church. He said he would hunt it down for me, but no word back as of yet. Maybe next week.
Thank you, friends, for your support and prayers. My whole family appreciates it!
Peace and Blessings to you all today!

Plop

WARNING: If bodily functions gross you out, then don't read on. :)

We played outside this afternoon and then when the rain began, we all came in. HM and HV hit the showers and HG took her clothes and pull up (she had been napping) off too. Well, remember that yarn thing that HV and HM got in their hair? HV's got tangled in her little pony tail holder and so I had to take hers out. It took a while and so HG was simply walking around the house stark naked, waiting to get in the shower with me. I was also warming dinner--leftover pizza. I see HG walking towards me and she then stops walking, making a face. Before "No!" could come fully out of my mouth, she had pooped on the floor! Yuck! Her potty chair was only about 5 feet away and I truly think it was done somewhat out of protest or anger at me, not fully resolving her confusion and/or anger from this morning. She stopped going and I put her on the potty chair where she finished. Whew! HV and HM, of course, were grossed out. HG didn't eat dinner either. Pizza is one of her favorite foods but not today. I tried oatmeal which she has eaten with me before on previous trips but not today. So, after her pachita, she was off to sleep. I think she needed that the most after her emotionally exhausting day.
Yes, I knew we would have days like this. When you have not lived in a family unit ever and don't fully understand a family unit, it creates confusion. She has what I call "pack mentality" vs. being a domesticated pet animal. She has to learn how to operate within a family and we have to teach her that. She has learned SO much in the last 9 days that I knew we would (and will continue to have) days of digression. She still allows me to comfort her--she hit her mouth on the swing and cried for me--on days like this. She still holds her little arms up for me to pick her up and give her the pachita. She still strokes my arm and I think still knows I am the protector. She just needs to test that a little bit. So, my HG girlie. You're stuck with me. I'm not running from you. I told her that in English tonight before her pachita. I know she didn't understand, but she will learn.

Grief and Laughter

This morning began like most of the other mornings. HG wakes up and begins to say "hmmm. Hmmmm.." She's ready to eat. After breakfast, HV and I sat down with HG to work the Legos and the tools. She gets frustrated when she can't make things do what she wants them to do or what she knows they can do. We push gently for her to do it herself and she is then successful. Well, after that, HG got angry. She turned into a "baby dinosaur" roaring and screeching at me. Now, the whole time she is doing this, she is laying on me, not wanting to get off but yet if you did not see that, you would have thought I was killing her. The wailing continued for about 45 minutes. Intense and deep sadness. While I know she is happy for the attention and her current life situation, I also know that she misses the life that she had. She misses the people. She's confused. You read about this sort of thing in a book but I had not ever experienced it to this level. With HV and HM coming to us as babies, they did experience some grief, but it was not displayed like this. So, I simply sat and held her while she screamed, cried, snotted on me, and continued to lay on me. Suddenly, she stopped but continued to lay there. She was quite tired but wasn't ready to give up for a nap. She stayed pretty close to my side for the remainder of the morning. She got in the backpack without any fussing (she's been wanting to walk herself, not wanting to hold hands or anything). She played with my hair as we walked to Pollo Campero to play on the playground. At Pollo Campero, she wanted to hug the "waitress." Up to this point, she hasn't wanted anyone to pick her up except for me. She'll allow HV to do it to a certain degree, but usually we get the cry for "Monny" (my name today) to do it. The waitress sort of looked and me and patted HG. I'm sure she is still sorting it all out. After Pollo Campero, we picked up some eggs and bread at the grocery and then grabbed a tuk-tuk home. A tuk-tuk is like a 3-wheeled motorcycle and people can ride in the back seat. It's like a short term taxi of sorts. Anyway, from the sound of the laughs coming from HG, you would have thought we were at Six Flags on the best roller coaster. She loved it! Her laugh is quite loud and when she laughs like that, you can tell that she is so excited. Now, she is trying to nap. I don't know if she will do it today or not. I think she has a lot going on in her little mind. Please pray for peace and understanding for her. It's hard enough to be 4 years old but changing families, cultures, and languages makes it even harder.

Testing 1, 2, 3

I know I did a few posts yesterday and then went silent on you. Sorry! We lost our internet connection last night and regained it today. Let's see. Where did we end? Oh yes, with the potty training. Well, for 2 days now, HG has worn just panties around the house--no other clothes. The girl doesn't even know her own body (not necessarily the parts, but you can tell that she isn't used to seeing or feeling her own arms, legs, stomach, etc.). In two days, she has had only 1 accident and it was my fault. She told me "pee pee" but I wasn't fast enough getting her back to the potty as we were outside playing on the backside of our house. She pooped in the regular/big potty this morning and then did it again in her little potty this afternoon. I have continued to put a diaper or pull up on her for naps and night time and she does wet then, but, knock on wood, it has been great. She is just so darned proud of herself. We're proud of her too.

The title of this post, however, reflects the last 2 days as well. Testing me. Not in a bad behavior way but in a way to see if I am going to respond and comfort her. I'll have to see if I can capture this poor pathetic look on film because it's something else. She sticks that bottom lip out, jibber jabbers about "it", and points to the offender--HM and HV. There usually is not any real tears, just this crying sound. Drama Queen. I, of course, come to her aid as we all try not to laugh. I have explained to HV and HM that HG has never been "babied" or been allowed to be SOMEONE's baby. Yes, she was a baby, but she wasn't someone's baby and so she is trying to learn and see if we're going to stick it out and meet her needs. They understand but don't necessarily like being at the end of her pointing finger. I can't say that I blame them. She hasn't been quite as dramatic today as yesterday so perhaps she is already realizing that I am the protector and I will be there. She calls for me when something happens--"Nonny! Nonny!" Nonny is closer to Mommy than Nina, which if you remember is what she called me initially, and so I'll take it. :) She still doesn't leave my side much or doesn't want me out of her sight, but that's ok. Like I said, at least she is already seeing me as the protector and the role of the parent.

CASE UPDATE

Without going into too many specifics, we were hoping for a baby step yesterday and WE GOT IT! Yeah! We have three BIG STEPS coming up on Monday. This won't allow us to come home immediately, but it will make us so much closer to the finish line. I ask you to pray this weekend for:

1. HG's mom, M--she is involved in 2 out of the 3 steps on Monday. Please pray that she will indeed be where she needs to be on Monday to carry out those steps.

2. My contact with M is through a person named N. N is a money hungry woman, always wanting me to reimburse for off the wall expenses related to bringing M to the designated appointments. I am in agreement to pay for the necessary expenses or the agreed upon expenses but please pray that N's heart will be softened, even if just for a day, and that she will do the right thing for the sake of HG's adoption. M has not appeared for two scheduled appointments previously and N always has an excuse for it. We will make an attempt to contact N on Sunday, reminding her about the appointments on Monday.

3. Pray that there will be a peace surrounding everyone involved on Monday. There's nothing "scary" going on but it's nerve-wracking and time consuming and peace would make the day be so much better/easier.

4. Pray that I will continue to be reminded that God's in charge of the timing here. He knows the limitations I have here due to my work and the girls for school. I have continued to be reminded through song and study to BE STILL. When you live like we are currently, I find it is easier to BE STILL but then my mind can begin to wander and the devil can creep in on me, creating doubts and fears. Please pray that I will remain grounded with God.

I will, of course, update you all as soon as the Monday happenings occur. It's possible that it will spill over into Tuesday but we pray that EVERYTHING can happen on Monday as we have planned.

Here are some pics from the last few days.

This fountain and "park" are just outside our back gate. I've been telling the girls I should take their picture by it but the water has been off for the last few days. The first photo is my favorite.

Can you tell what we did this morning? Yep, that's the potty chair on the front porch, ready for usage. I'm quite certain that this was HG's first time with sidewalk chalk. I took a wet rag outside with us because I knew she wouldn't like that chalk on her hands. She didn't at first and kept coming to me to wipe it off. She got used it, as you can see from the second picture below. Oh, the housekeeper told me today that HG was fat. I thought that was funny. Being fat here is a bit different than in the US. It's a bit more flattery because it shows you live well enough to eat well (read over indulge here). She does look chunky in the belly, but she weighs just 34 pounds.

We hope you all have wrapped up a good week. We're slowly feeling better here. HM's cough is almost gone. HG's still taking her antibiotics, but you can tell she feels much better. I've been a bit slow to bounce back, but hopefully the antibiotics I picked up yesterday will do the trick. Unfortunately, I only got 3 pills of Zithromax in one box for a whopping Q350 (which is over $40). I have only one more to go, so I will probably have to go buy more. HA told me today of another farmacia to try that might have a generic form that doesn't cost as much.

Panties and Shiny

Well, since we are just hanging out this morning, I decided to put some panties on HG and see what happens.

We have a little portable/training toilet and I have just carried it from room to room with us today. She is catching on! I have taught her the Sign Language sign for "toilet" and so she does it says she needs to "tee tee." So, over to the potty she goes. She pulls down her own panties and sits to go. If she doesn't do anything, she'll stand up, shake finger at the toilet and say "no." If she goes, she starts clapping for herself. She has gone 4 times in the last hour. She is so proud of herself. I will see if I can capture her look of success. Priceless!

When I think about the "dull" child we picked up a week ago, she is gone. I like this new girl best! As HA said yesterday. I was talking about the change in her facial expressions and how much she changed in the last week. He said yes, she looks so shiny now. I like that. Shiny.

My New Best Friend

Oh how I love thee! We all had a good night's sleep last night. Ahh!!!

Wednesday's Fun

We didn't have much on the schedule for yesterday and so we rode along with HA and his fiance', C, into the City. We did some shopping at Paiz, buying some more "American" type foods, including HV's favorite Eggo waffles. :) I just cannot bring myself to purchase meat in the grocery in my town and so I bought lots of meat at Paiz.

Before shopping, we went to a futbol game. I found it funny that there were hundreds of people in the stands and it was in the middle of the day. I guess technically it was during people's lunch time, but still. This was a professional game but there are no entrance fees. Here are some pics from the game and stadium.

We were sort of like regular ol' Guatemalans and it was a nice change of pace. I was afraid that it would be too loud for HG, but she clapped right along with everyone and cheered! She actually has very good rhythm and can repeat patterns. It's quite funny. After the game, we went down on the field and the girls ran around. It was funny.

HA was teaching HG how to do "toe touch" after the game. I got it on video but I don't know if I can get it on the blog. I'll try.

We also finally went shopping for HM's Sea World Barbie. Well, I was not paying Q249 for this Barbie. I have no idea how much it costs in the US, but I can't see paying that much for a Barbie. So, she selected another one. HV picked some Littlest Pet Shop frogs which she named after HA and C. Cute! We selected a little bag of patitos (baby ducks) for HG. They squeak and she likes them.

We did the toy shopping after going to Paiz. As they normally do at the check out counter, they had gum, etc. HV and HM picked out what I thought was a gumball and so I didn't buy one for HG. Well, it was like a Blow Pop. HM let HG have some of the lollipop part, but when it got to the gum, she ate it. HG started crying. She came to me, pointing at HM, and babbling about it. She was rather mad at HM for eating HER lollipop. I guess she is acting like a normal 4 year old, tattling on her sister. She did this with HV this morning too. We all have a hard time not laughing about it. I know her feelings are hurt, but it is so dramatic. I am grateful, however, that she feels that I am the protector and the one to tell if something is wrong. So much has changed for her in a week's time.

We're a bit tired today. We'll go to the farmacia to try and get some different medicine for me today. I'm still not feeling much better but the girls are and that's the main thing.

A Fluke?

I'm sure it was a complete fluke, but HG pee peed on the potty today! We were getting in the shower and we were talking about going potty. A bit graphic, I know, but she was watching me. I've been teaching her the sign for "toilet" and she does that whenever I sit on the toilet. So, I put her on and she went. We all cheered and sort of scared her but then she realized it was good. I'm keeping the diaper on her, of course, but it's a start. Yeah!

Shoes

Our girls hate shoes. At home, they take their shoes off in the garage, not even wearing them into the house. Mainly this is because they are typically full of rocks and/or dirt, but taking them off when arriving home is still a habit. HG is picking up on the habit even though she really doesn't care for the different textures on her feet. At first, she will walk on the sides of her feet and then she will put the whole foot down. Well, today after returning home from a little shopping (more on that later, maybe tomorrow), the girls all shed the shoes upon entering the house. I was unable to buy a new phone card because my normal tienda was closed today. I was asking the groundskeeper of my apartment about where to buy one that was close by (HV and HM were NOT going out again) and he offered to go get one for me. Nice! So, I walked back to my apartment for the money for him and then back up the walkway to give him the money (not leaving the complex, of course, without the kids). When I came in the door, HG politely handed me the socks for all 3 girls. I asked HV where the shoes were and she said she wasn't sure but joked that perhaps HG had put them in the trash (remember the swim bottoms from a few days ago?). I turned and looked at the dining table and laughed.

J would be proud! Most of you know that J runs our home beautifully. The three of us (me, HV and HM) aren't very good about putting up our shoes when we take them off (unless we do so in the garage but even then, we can get a pile going in there). J might have a little helper with the shoes after all.

Yes, that's a phone book in the chair. HG can't really reach the table well with just the chair alone and so this phone book gives her just enough extra height to reach. She also won't get down from the table by herself since the book is wiggly. :)

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HM took this picture tongiht and wanted me to share it with you all. She was watching TV with HG as I cleaned up the kitchen from supper and decided that a picture was needed. So, enjoy the "talents" of HM, photographing her new little sister!

The Hair String

I don't know what else to call this thing that the girls had done to their hair a few days ago, but here are the pics of it.

We played a game of jacks this afternoon while HG slept. I don't really know how to play jacks, but we had fun nonetheless. It's a difficult balance to try and spend time some one on one time with the kiddos as needed, but I'm trying. I put the two younger ones to be early tonight (their normal time but we haven't made it that early in a while) and did some reading with HV. She still loves for me to read outloud to her and so we began a new book together today.

Dryer Sheets

Before leaving, Purex had recently come out with a new product that is the laundry detergent and dryer sheets all in one. I figured that would be an easy way to travel with detergent and so we bought some to bring along (yes, they sell detergent here but I was trying to bring as much as I could). We often dry the clothes, especially sheets and towels, outside on the clothes line here

but if I do dry the clothes in the dryer, HG always finds the dryer sheets. She loves them. They are a bit softer than normal dryer sheets. And thicker too. She loves to cuddle with one, smelling it often. When we leave the house, I often ask if HG has her dryer sheet. HV and HM sort of laugh, but that little thing provides comfort and happines to HG and so it's good. In fact, she's napping right now with one from me washing the "whites" yesterday!

This, of course, is post nap but still hanging on to her dryer sheet. Doesn't she look good? The change in her facial expressions during the last few days is tremendous. She is spontaneously smiling for these pictures, saying "Cheese!" No, it's not that clear, but you definitely know that's what she is saying. The cleaning lady came today to do the bathrooms. She told me that HG is muy intelligente. Yep, she is.

We are feeling better today. Not 100%, but better. I've had a hard time getting HG's fever to break. We've been alternating Tylenol and Motrin and I think we've got it down now. She doesn't act like she feels bad, just sleepy. I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers for us while we are here, especially since we are sickies. HM hasn't coughed since yesterday, so that's great. Now, if HG and I could just turn the complete corner.

Off to buy more minutes for the cell phone. I was talking to J this morning and I lost her. When I called to check my balance, I have about 70 centavos which would be about 10 cents.

Not Much to Report

The title says it all. We did manage to go to the doctor's office today. $100 and 4 prescriptions later, I hope we are all on the mend. HV is the only one that didn't get a prescription. Now, I guess US$100 is pretty cheap for 3 people seeing the doctor AND our prescriptions. That didn't include our taxi drive which was another US$10. HM got some cough syrup and I haven't heard her cough once since taking it. Yeah! She needs some good sleep. HG was running a fever today (and slept off and on so I knew something was up) and has a "tonsil infection" according to the doctor. She's on some antibiotics and so I hope they kick in soon. She acts like she feels ok for the most part, just sleepy.
We're researching fans. I hope to have more news on one tomorrow. I think we will all sleep much better if we can sleep a bit cooler. The wind did die down a bit today, so that was good.
No pics again today. Sorry. I guess when we're 3/4 under the weather, that's what happens. I hope for a better day tomorrow.
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes. We need them!

Nosotros tenemos hormigas!

Translation: We have ants! They are just the little sugar ants (black in color), at least, but still a pain. I sweep and mop the floor downstairs every day. Today I used bleach. Let's see if that helps. I even wipe the counters with bleach water after every meal.
This post is rather random today. It's Sunday, what can I say?
Well, church was a bust this morning. At 9:30 a.m. when it was to begin, we were of the 10 people there. They had at least 100 chairs, however, set out. The pastor read some scripture, in Spanish, and then the singing, in Spanish, began. 1 hour later, they were still singing. No hand out, no hymnal. Nada. We were sitting in the "English Translation Section" but there was no translator. People did trickle in and when we left (the girls were getting restless), there were probably 30 people there. As we left, there were some Norte Americanos at the playground. I said to them that I thought that this church was in English and they said that they were told that only the sermon is translated and that the sermon typically begins around 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. Needless to say, we didn't stay. I'll see what I can find this week for a church or perhaps we will just have our own service next week.
After leaving church, the girls wanted to go down to the square where a lady "braids" some colored string into your hair. They wanted to do it last night, but it was already approaching sunset and I don't want to be out after dark at all. So, I told them that we would do it today. Well, we headed that direction and noticed the traffic (cars) at a stand still. There was some sort of running race today and so many of the streets were blocked. We had HG in the stroller and so I told the girls that we had to come home for a while before we go out again, hoping that the people would thin out. By the time we got home, I was sweating bullets and had a headache. I told the big girls I needed to rest for a few minutes and they played nicely. They are such good girls. HG sat on the bed with me and she napped too. I think I had a slight fever. I don't feel much better right now, but I'll be going to bed with the girls tonight so this is the only post for today. After resting for a while, we headed back out. This time, we put HG in the backpack. While she is heavy for me to do this, I cannot carry her and she cannot walk fast enough to keep up. HM and HV got their "hair done" as they say--HM selected pink and HV selected purple. I didn't take any pictures at all today, so I'll have to show you tomorrow. They were delighted, of course. Then, off to have an ice cream and to the grocery. Our dinner last night wiped out my money and so we had to walk home while carrying a 3 liter bottle of 7-Up, a liter of milk, a galon of Tampico drink (like Sunny Delight), pancake syrup, strawberry jam, and some noodles. Oh yes, and HM's Barbie that she bought with her own money (and got her own receipt). I wish we would have had enough money to take a taxi home because I was worn out when we got here. HG had peed down my back, of course, and we were all a sweaty mess. We've just been taking it easy since arriving back home around 3:30 p.m. I cleaned the floor, again, and now I'll begin dinner. We brought quite a bit of food from home and so it helps the girls to have familiar things. HG will eat ANYTHING pretty much and so that's not a problem. Now when she senses that we are getting ready to eat, she starts going "Mmm, Mmm, Mmm" raising her eye brows up and down. Anytime she sees food, for that matter, she starts doing this. She is understanding me so well and following my simple directions. We've continued to work on her talking and I ask her to repeat what I say all of the time. She has done so well.
A neighbor in my apartment complex had a party last night. A big party. The musica stopped at 2 a.m. The rooster began at 3 a.m. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well. The wind has picked up today too and so I don't feel very good. My nose is a mess. HM has a slight cough and so we will probably go to the doctor tomorrow, before anyone gets worse.
For some reason, the "bombas" have been going off all day. These are like fireworks but not the kind that shoot and make colors in the sky. They just make a loud sound. HV says they are shooting them off from the church behind us. All I know is that I jumped a few minutes ago, asking who was playing with the matches because you can smell them. They are close. I have no idea what today is, but I guess it's something for the bombas to be used.
I have never seen mosquitos in Guatemala, ever, but we have them here now. HM and HG both have bites. I put jeans on HG this afternoon so that she wouldn't get anymore. All of our windows have screens or if they don't, we don't open them. I guess, however, they are still coming in when we open the door.
Enough rambling from me today. I hope I feel better tomorrow and have a more cohesive post. :) I pray that you all had a blessed Sunday!

My Bad

According to the comments I've received about my rooster neighbor, he isn't supposed to just crow in the morning. So, I guess we'll learn to tune him out after a while. HV still asks on occasion if we could eat him for supper! :) I guess we are just city girls.

HM is 6 years and 3 months old. She potty trained at like 22 months and so it's been a LONG time since I've dealt with diapers. Guatemalan diapers, in my opinion, fit worse than American diapers even though HG is currently wearing Huggies. As the sizes get bigger, they just seem to get longer but nothing else. The XXL which she wears now (the biggest in the store) needs to come up to her chest in order to fit properly between her legs. Anyway, I'm used to the girls telling me when they need to go to the bathroom and I don't always think/remember to change the diaper. This afternoon, we headed out to Parque Central to do some browsing (J gave each of the girls a few dollars to buy something which we exchanged into quetzales the other day). The girls have been looking for THE best thing to buy. Since they have been such good helpers, I bought their necklaces today (Q20 and Q30) and then we had a late lunch/early supper at Mono Loco, a restaurant we pass going to the pool. We have eaten here in the past and I remember it being good and so when they asked me the other day if we could eat out for dinner sometime soon, I told them that we would on Saturday. We had probably been gone from the house for about an hour or so before getting to the restaurant. The food is good but the service is a bit slow--the place was super crowded and I'm sure that had something to do with it. We ended the meal by sharing a brownie sundae and stood up to leave. HG's shorts were completely wet. Completely. So, off to the bathroom which, of course, doesn't have a changing table. Remember, I'm out of practice with the ol' diapers and so I can't put it on very well with HG standing which was my only choice. HV was horrified that I was going to put HG back in the stroller with no pants on but there's no way I could put those things back on her. So, off we went with just a diaper-clad girlie wearing a shirt. My bad. I forgot to change the darned diaper! Oh well. I'm sure I'll remember better next time. In sharing this story with J, she asked me how are we going to begin potty training HG. I told her that I was quite certain that HG doesn't realize that we all aren't wearing diapers. Yesterday when HV took her swim bottoms off, HG put them in the trash, just like I have her do with her diapers. I told J that I am going to start taking HG into the bathroom with me so that she can watch me go. I'll ask the girls to do the same. I have a potty chair here, but she is CLUELESS that people aren't wearing diapers! Pumping her full of liquids to get her to need to go is not a problem. I just need to start with some awareness with her, I think. If you have any other ideas, please share!

My two dressed girlies and my little one with just the shirt and the diaper. Again, HG smiles ALL of the time. When I try to the take her picture, this is the face she gives me. Oh, and no, the stroller doesn't work well on the cobblestone streets. A jogging stroller would be much better but this is the stroller I bought when I thought HG was going to be able to go live with A last year. I'll go back to using the backpack as HG's main transportation source for sure!

On our way home, we ran into HA's sister, AJ, at the Parque Central. Today they are doing some sort of Telethon and so all of the streets around the park are closed for drivers. People were everywhere. AJ's school class was doing a fundraiser, selling some marshmallow flowers for Q5.

HM hiding behind the marshmallow flowers we bought.

I bought the girls each one and they ate it when we had our movie night--all 4 of us piled on my and HG's bed watching a portable DVD player. Tonight's choice? Shrek 2. Last weekend was Monsters Inc.

We did nothing this morning except a load of laundry. HG is worn out and so she took a nap while HM and HV played in their room. She slept on my chest and so I dozed a little too. Good bonding experience for us.

Tomorrow we are going to an English speaking church. I'll let you know how it goes. HM wanted to know if we could have communion there. I told her I wasn't sure how this church works so we will see.

Later, my friends.

Is he blind?

We can't see him, but our neighbors (not in our apartment complex but in the lot next to us) have a rooster. The girls and I have decided that he must be blind. He crows all day long, beginning at about 3 a.m. The sun comes up at 5:30 a.m. here so he's a bit early. Even at this hour (8:30 a.m.), he's still crowing away, about once every 30-45 seconds. He doesn't stop until about mid-afternoon. I don't know much about roosters, but he seems a bit excessive! :) Our other thought is that he is kept in the dark and has no idea what time it is but just starts making noise when the "city sounds" pick back up. His "voice" isn't even very strong (thank goodness) and the end of the "Cock-A-Doodle-Doo" trails off a bit. Thank goodness for that (and for HM's white noise maker that we use when sleeping). We keep hoping that he will lose his voice, but I doubt it. Crazy Gallo!

Chillin'

HM has always liked to work with tools. A few years ago, she got this wooden tool set for Christmas. At the last minute, I decided to pack it and bring it. HG played with it for about an hour this morning. (HM took the above picture for you to see).
At first, HG thought it was funny because she was permitted to hit the nails with the hammer. (She will try to hit the girls on occasion and so she was delighted that this was something she could hit without being redirected). Then, after a while, you could see that she was really thinking, trying to figure it all out. She would hammer the nails in and then turn the case upside down, trying to get them to fall back out. It has screws, nuts, a screwdriver, and a wrench too.
Today we mainly tried to use the screws and the nuts without the screwdriver and the wrench. HG's fine motor skills are behind and so this was "good work" for her. I have some wooden puzzles here too and so we will probably continue to "work" with both of those things for now. We also worked on making different sounds with our mouths. We're working on "Mommy" which typically either comes out as "Nina" or "Monny." She has a version of both HM and HV's names too. She is starting to try and tell us what she wants and she's no dummy! The girl loves to drink--it doesn't matter what it is, she loves it. At dinner, I told her she had to eat first and then she could have a drink. Well, I didn't say she had to eat ALL OF IT and so she ate one bite, just like I asked, and then asked for a drink again. That girl! Tonight, I tried using "todo pizza" but if one of us had a drink, she would ask for one. There's a part of me that feels bad by not letting her have a drink during her meal because at her orphanage, they were given just a few ounces of watered down juice after the meal, not during. I do allow her to drink during the meal, but if she had it her way, she would drink the whole cup and then try to eat.
After doing some "work" this morning (while HV and HM watched some videos), we headed for the pool. It was much more crowded today but we all had a good time. HG stayed in the water the whole time, a couple of hours. I even got a little sunburned! Being in the pool is such a good bonding tool for us. We must be close, skin to skin, because she is fearful but yet likes the water. There were some other families there that are fostering with little/younger kids and they had a ton of pool toys. HG got a cup toy and poured water on my head for a long time, laughing each time. If you came close to us, she would pour it on your head too! We won't be swimming over the weekend. The price is more on the weekend and they say it's much more crowded. I didn't like it too much this afternoon because it was harder to keep an eye on all 3 girls so I don't want to try for the weekend. Here are some pics from today.

I'm not quite sure why HG always gets this dazed look when you take her picture. She can be laughing and playing and when you bring out the camera, she turns to this look. Well, here she is, enjoying her ice cream cone today (Yes, I let them have ice cream again today but we had it on the way to the pool instead of before dinner!)

HV had seen on the sign for this ice cream shop that they have some sort of uva (grape) float called a Nevada. She has been asking me if she can get it. Well, today was the day. This was grape ice cream (it's not creamy but more like Italian ice--they call it nievas which is snow) with grape soda. She loved it! It was tasty but I don't think I could drink the whole thing! A bit too much grape for me!

HM looks tired in this picture (and this was BEFORE swimming today). She has been wanting to try the chocolate dipped cone with peanuts. Well, the chocolate didn't set up like it should have today but it still tasted good. If HM won't eat real food, you know she will eat ice cream, pizza, or spaghetti!

HV is such a good big sister for both HM and HG. Here she's trying to get HG to smile or laugh instead of the dazed look.

All 3 girlies on the good ol' horse!

We hope you had a good Friday. It's hard to believe that we've only been here for one week. On one hand, it seems like we've been here a LONG time. On the other hand, it seems like we just arrived yesterday.

Oh, I know it's been so hot in TX. I was talking to the housekeeper this morning and she told me that it was very hot here right now. I agree that it has been rather warm. I've done my fair share of sweating, that's for sure, but I know that it's NOTHING like what you guys have been experiencing at home. I hope you are all staying cool!

Peace and blessings!

Testing the Waters

I know, 3 posts in 1 day is a lot! Well, we have a lot going on right now! As my sister pointed out, HG hasn't spent much time in the pool. HM and HV are little fish and have the "tans" that go with it. HG had her first pool experience today after getting her hair cut this morning! Yesterday while chatting with the Judge, I mentioned something about needing to get HG's haircut. My custody papers state where I live and so she knew the exact place. She told me of the place where she goes and suggested I take HG there. I did and they were great. You can't beat a haircut for Q35 (current exchange at the bank today was Q8.10 = US$1)! She looks SO much better and sat like a big girl, holding my hand during her turn. Now, back to the pool. We don't have a pool in our apartment complex, but there is a hotel in town were you can pay to swim for the day, including towel service. It cost Q125 for us to all go today. Here's me and HG in the water

Now, she did a fair amount of screaming but it was all happy sounds. I'm not sure if everyone in the pool felt it was happy but she was indeed happy. She would lean over and put her face in the water and then shrill with delight. After playing in the water for a while, HM had to go to the bathroom (if you know HM, you know that she MUST go everywhere we travel). While in the bathroom, HG put her head down on my chest and didn't move a muscle. She was pooped! I held her once we returned to the pool and she took a decent nap. I finally had to lay her down on a lawn chair as I helped HV and HM pick up the many pool toys that we took today. Here's how HG looks after an afternoon of excitement:

Hey, B, B, and R: It looks like we have another arm sniffer here!

We stopped to get an ice cream on the way home. We selected pina colada for HG since she was riding in the backpack and I was wearing a yellow shirt. :) She liked it but would take only one bite before handing it back to HV to hold while she chewed and swallowed. Rather humorous. We made a quick trip in the grocery for some ground meat for our spaghetti tonight, but we didn't find any. Maybe I'll get A to go with me next time and we'll see if I can find it. I saw it at Paiz yesterday but we had no way to keep it cool before returning home. Supper was enjoyed by all and then off to bed! Yes, that's right. We had dessert before dinner. I don't like to be out after dark and the sun goes down here at 6:30 p.m. So, we have to have dessert before dinner! It's rather still and warm tonight. I'm ready for a breeze.

Here are some pics of HM and HV swimming on Tuesday at this same pool.

The grounds of this hotel are beautiful. I didn't pay to swim on this day because I didn't realize that the pool was heated. Today, however, it was great--until you got out!

They also have this great playground here too. The girls enjoy playing on it but HG didn't play today. She was too tired!

HV on her favorite animal, the horse!

Look in the left side of this picture. Do you see the two macaws on the ground? There are 4 scarlet macaws in the playground/courtyard area. In the late afternoon, the groundskeeper comes with a big stick and puts them in their cages for the night. These two he puts on the ground and they walk over to their cages. It was rather funny to see. They just walk along, like they know exactly where they are going! Once in the cages, the groundskeeper gave HV a piece of watermelon to feed to them. She was in hog heaven, tending to some animals.