Tuesday, September 25, 2007
New Link to Collin's First Photos
There is a link on the top left for the photos we had taken of Collin at Flash. You enter Wilson and the pics are under Heather on 9/18. The password is Collin. Take a look!!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Collin Update part 3
It just dawned on me that this may become a 20 part update and no matter how descriptive I am there is no way to actually describe the trip if you didn't actually live it. So I will try to give the condensed version so maybe I can finish it and I can move on to the present, it is so much more fun!!
Collin ended up taking a huge dive (to put it mildly)on his 3rd day. It was so bad that I was actually doubting that he was going to ever make it home. He became completely unresponsive and listless. There was a huge lack of communication and it was obvious that this was not the place that Collin would get better. I got on the phone with the US Embassy to find a hospital somewhere that could provide modern medical care rather than banana tea or to get him home somehow so we could get him to Children's Hospital. They gave me the name of a hospital in Guatemala City. An ambulance took us back to the city and THANK YOU BABY JESUS we made it to a REAL hospital. They had latex gloves and machines and little baby sized needles. Many of them even spoke English. I had no idea that they had a hospital like this or we would have gone there first. I assumed that the first place was the reality of medical care in Guatemala but I soon found out it was only a reality for the kids that are under the guardianship of the attorneys. I also found out that the doctor that had been treating all of the kids with our agency is not even a pediatrician! No wonder he OD'd the poor baby on antibiotics and drugs. Needless to say I was not happy!
The doctors at this hospital were great and luckily the doctor treating Collin was the same doctor that would evaluate him for his Embassy appointment. He was a very nice man and adamant that we would not leave the hospital until Collin was back to normal. After 4 of the longest days of my life all I wanted to see was the smiling happy baby I knew before this mess. I was beginning to think we may never see that baby again. I didn't know if his organs or brain had been damaged permanently-we still didn't even know what was wrong with him. On day 7 he still wasn't back to normal. His hands and feet swelled up and turned bright red. This obviously set off some bells. Later that day they ran some additional tests and found out that he had Denge Fever which is a virus you get from a mosquito bite in tropical regions. All of the antibiotics had killed his ability to fight the virus and destroyed the flora in his stomach an intestines.
The doctor joked and said that Collin was just waiting for his diagnosis before he would get better. By the next day he was definitely improving and we only had 1 day until his final Embassy medical evaluation. The doctor was kind enough to release us from the hospital just in time for Wyatt to arrive. He told us he wanted to see a smiling baby at his appointment the next day. He did smile for the doctor the next day and received his clean bill of health-ha ha-to leave the country!! Collin had improved so much that Wyatt joked that if I wanted him to come down sooner I could have just asked!??!!
Collin was truly was back to the baby that I remembered and I can't even describe my elation! It made me think of some people that we know with sick kids and I have an even greater respect for them now than I did before. It is the worst, most helpless feeling to see this little human being suffering and they can't tell you what is wrong or you can't tell him that these people are trying to help and it will only hurt for a second. It is unfathomable how difficult it is to not know if that little baby is going to get through this and to stay awake all day and all night just to make sure he still breathing. It really makes all the other "stuff" seem so petty and unimportant. But, the good thing is that he is home and he is better!!
He was a champ on the airplane-no crying or screaming. He was greeted at the airport by his Pops, cousins Brylie and Kahlen and Uncle Bryan and Aunt Jessie. Everyone was so happy to finally meet him. The house was decked out with balloons to welcome him home.
I was really lucky to have my mom with me the whole time. It was a great experience for us to have together and I don't know what I would have done without her. I was not sure if we would drive each other crazy but we were both so focused on Collin there wasn't time for anything else. She was quite the trooper, sleeping on the floor and eating Guatemalan hospital food. I am sorry for both of us that our experience in Guatemala was such a negative one and so different than my first trip. It really is a beautiful country and there is so much to see. Unfortunately, she only saw the worst of the worst. I have never wanted to be back in the US so badly and I have no desire to go back to Guatemala any time in the near future-maybe when Collin is 18!
So we are home now and life will never be the same-LOL!! In a matter of 1 week I have broken just about every rule I had in my head of things I would NOT do when I was a parent. The most recent being buying a DVD player for the car. I know...we didn't have DVD players or car seats or any of this stuff but Collin seems to have a major issue with the car. I don't know if it is the car seat or the fact that he can't see me or maybe it is just my driving. Either way-I cannot take listening to him scream bloody murder every time I drive somewhere. I did not hear screams like this when he was being tortured with giant needles and gagged with things stuffed down his throat. Do anything to the poor kid but don't put him in my car!!!! I can't tell you how many times I have pulled off the side of the road to see if I accidentally shut his fingers in the door or something because I don't know how that sound comes out of that quiet, happy little boy. Something terrible must have happened, but no, he's just mad. And I mean MAD!!
I debated if I should throw all of my Accident Investigation paranoia out the window and turn his car seat around to face the front. I decided to try a DVD player instead but only on one condition...only Baby Einstein DVDs played in Spanish or the family video DVD we have from our first visit. He has a DVD player but he WILL learn something if it kills me!!! I don't want to jinx myself but I hooked it up today and it seems that I am on to something!!SCORE!!! I can drive in peace and give my ulcer a break.
We have gotten rid of all of the furniture in our upstairs living room and made it into a play room. We now have a play area on every level of the house-yes, all 4 levels. Some may recall I stated I would not be one of those people that runs out and buys every toy and loads up the house with a bunch of junk. BUT-it's not junk, they are educational toys that will make him more coordinated and intelligent. I hope he's not "over-coordinated" like his dad was when he was a child!! I am sure that 3 jumpers is not overboard...right? He loves to jump!! I am simply providing him with the resources to improve his skills and abilities. Who knows, maybe he will be a basketball player or a track and field star. I'm not sure how to rationalize the McDonald's cash register that says "chicken nuggets' and "french fries"-maybe I'll get rid of that!!
Otherwise, things are going great. Wyatt never ceases to amaze me. He is truly a fantastic father. I love watching him with Collin. It is interesting seeing how Collin interacts with us differently. He definitely knows his daddy! The best part is he laughs at everything Wyatt does. We will definitely have different philosophies on parenting but who doesn't. I am a mom and he is a dad and that is the way it should be. Hopefully we will balance each other out.
I never thought that life would really change that much with a baby in the house but I was WRONG,WRONG, WRONG!. I am no longer the HBIC-he runs the house and he runs my life. The shocking thing is that I don't mind one bit. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen and a joy to have around. I can say with a great degree of certainty though, that I could not be a stay at home mom. Wow, what a job. I will need to go to work just to escape the impossible job of constantly entertaining a baby!
Well, I guess I am pretty much up to date. Announcements should be going out soon. I have to say they are really cute, but I may be a little biased!! I think we won the baby lottery!
Off to bed-hopefully!!!
Collin ended up taking a huge dive (to put it mildly)on his 3rd day. It was so bad that I was actually doubting that he was going to ever make it home. He became completely unresponsive and listless. There was a huge lack of communication and it was obvious that this was not the place that Collin would get better. I got on the phone with the US Embassy to find a hospital somewhere that could provide modern medical care rather than banana tea or to get him home somehow so we could get him to Children's Hospital. They gave me the name of a hospital in Guatemala City. An ambulance took us back to the city and THANK YOU BABY JESUS we made it to a REAL hospital. They had latex gloves and machines and little baby sized needles. Many of them even spoke English. I had no idea that they had a hospital like this or we would have gone there first. I assumed that the first place was the reality of medical care in Guatemala but I soon found out it was only a reality for the kids that are under the guardianship of the attorneys. I also found out that the doctor that had been treating all of the kids with our agency is not even a pediatrician! No wonder he OD'd the poor baby on antibiotics and drugs. Needless to say I was not happy!
The doctors at this hospital were great and luckily the doctor treating Collin was the same doctor that would evaluate him for his Embassy appointment. He was a very nice man and adamant that we would not leave the hospital until Collin was back to normal. After 4 of the longest days of my life all I wanted to see was the smiling happy baby I knew before this mess. I was beginning to think we may never see that baby again. I didn't know if his organs or brain had been damaged permanently-we still didn't even know what was wrong with him. On day 7 he still wasn't back to normal. His hands and feet swelled up and turned bright red. This obviously set off some bells. Later that day they ran some additional tests and found out that he had Denge Fever which is a virus you get from a mosquito bite in tropical regions. All of the antibiotics had killed his ability to fight the virus and destroyed the flora in his stomach an intestines.
The doctor joked and said that Collin was just waiting for his diagnosis before he would get better. By the next day he was definitely improving and we only had 1 day until his final Embassy medical evaluation. The doctor was kind enough to release us from the hospital just in time for Wyatt to arrive. He told us he wanted to see a smiling baby at his appointment the next day. He did smile for the doctor the next day and received his clean bill of health-ha ha-to leave the country!! Collin had improved so much that Wyatt joked that if I wanted him to come down sooner I could have just asked!??!!
Collin was truly was back to the baby that I remembered and I can't even describe my elation! It made me think of some people that we know with sick kids and I have an even greater respect for them now than I did before. It is the worst, most helpless feeling to see this little human being suffering and they can't tell you what is wrong or you can't tell him that these people are trying to help and it will only hurt for a second. It is unfathomable how difficult it is to not know if that little baby is going to get through this and to stay awake all day and all night just to make sure he still breathing. It really makes all the other "stuff" seem so petty and unimportant. But, the good thing is that he is home and he is better!!
He was a champ on the airplane-no crying or screaming. He was greeted at the airport by his Pops, cousins Brylie and Kahlen and Uncle Bryan and Aunt Jessie. Everyone was so happy to finally meet him. The house was decked out with balloons to welcome him home.
I was really lucky to have my mom with me the whole time. It was a great experience for us to have together and I don't know what I would have done without her. I was not sure if we would drive each other crazy but we were both so focused on Collin there wasn't time for anything else. She was quite the trooper, sleeping on the floor and eating Guatemalan hospital food. I am sorry for both of us that our experience in Guatemala was such a negative one and so different than my first trip. It really is a beautiful country and there is so much to see. Unfortunately, she only saw the worst of the worst. I have never wanted to be back in the US so badly and I have no desire to go back to Guatemala any time in the near future-maybe when Collin is 18!
So we are home now and life will never be the same-LOL!! In a matter of 1 week I have broken just about every rule I had in my head of things I would NOT do when I was a parent. The most recent being buying a DVD player for the car. I know...we didn't have DVD players or car seats or any of this stuff but Collin seems to have a major issue with the car. I don't know if it is the car seat or the fact that he can't see me or maybe it is just my driving. Either way-I cannot take listening to him scream bloody murder every time I drive somewhere. I did not hear screams like this when he was being tortured with giant needles and gagged with things stuffed down his throat. Do anything to the poor kid but don't put him in my car!!!! I can't tell you how many times I have pulled off the side of the road to see if I accidentally shut his fingers in the door or something because I don't know how that sound comes out of that quiet, happy little boy. Something terrible must have happened, but no, he's just mad. And I mean MAD!!
I debated if I should throw all of my Accident Investigation paranoia out the window and turn his car seat around to face the front. I decided to try a DVD player instead but only on one condition...only Baby Einstein DVDs played in Spanish or the family video DVD we have from our first visit. He has a DVD player but he WILL learn something if it kills me!!! I don't want to jinx myself but I hooked it up today and it seems that I am on to something!!SCORE!!! I can drive in peace and give my ulcer a break.
We have gotten rid of all of the furniture in our upstairs living room and made it into a play room. We now have a play area on every level of the house-yes, all 4 levels. Some may recall I stated I would not be one of those people that runs out and buys every toy and loads up the house with a bunch of junk. BUT-it's not junk, they are educational toys that will make him more coordinated and intelligent. I hope he's not "over-coordinated" like his dad was when he was a child!! I am sure that 3 jumpers is not overboard...right? He loves to jump!! I am simply providing him with the resources to improve his skills and abilities. Who knows, maybe he will be a basketball player or a track and field star. I'm not sure how to rationalize the McDonald's cash register that says "chicken nuggets' and "french fries"-maybe I'll get rid of that!!
Otherwise, things are going great. Wyatt never ceases to amaze me. He is truly a fantastic father. I love watching him with Collin. It is interesting seeing how Collin interacts with us differently. He definitely knows his daddy! The best part is he laughs at everything Wyatt does. We will definitely have different philosophies on parenting but who doesn't. I am a mom and he is a dad and that is the way it should be. Hopefully we will balance each other out.
I never thought that life would really change that much with a baby in the house but I was WRONG,WRONG, WRONG!. I am no longer the HBIC-he runs the house and he runs my life. The shocking thing is that I don't mind one bit. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen and a joy to have around. I can say with a great degree of certainty though, that I could not be a stay at home mom. Wow, what a job. I will need to go to work just to escape the impossible job of constantly entertaining a baby!
Well, I guess I am pretty much up to date. Announcements should be going out soon. I have to say they are really cute, but I may be a little biased!! I think we won the baby lottery!
Off to bed-hopefully!!!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Collin Update part 2
Okay, he's asleep in the swing-thanks Bryan and Jessie-we will see how long this lasts.
The doctor eventually decided at about 9:30 pm that he wanted us to take Collin to the hospital in Guatemala City. We quickly packed a bag and arranged a ride with the b&b owner's husband, Israel. He drove us to the city at about 100 mph-very scary!! I could tell we were not in a desirable part of town to say the least. We pulled up to an unmarked building and knocked on the door. They let us in and opened the garage door for Israel to pull his car in. We walked in and they directed us to a room off of the garage. I should have followed my instincts and left but we were in a third world country and I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea if this was what hospitals were like so I tried to keep an open mind. There was no identifiable medical equipment and the doctor kept assuring us that the people torturing, I mean, examining Collin were doctors and he just wanted to get a second (and third) opinion. The brain surgeons made a collective decision that he had an ear infection and they would prescribe more antibiotics and we needed to spend the night!!! Poor Israel looked torn between not wanting to leave us there alone and running for his life. He said he would pick us up at 9am and left us to fin for ourselves in this garage they called a hospital.
They led us up some stairs to our room. It was very dark and all you heard were babies crying inconsolably. The room had 3 old hospital beds crammed in but the bonus was we did have a bathroom. The bonus ended up being the booby prize because when I looked in I saw blood on the toilet and all over the floor. Needless to say we were not using the bathroom. We did not turn off the lights for fear that bugs (or worse) might attack. They left us in the room and didn't come back until the morning. There was no water, no formula, no diapers, no nurses checking on my sick baby, no NOTHING! Thank goodness we packed a bag but we only had one bottle of water. We took "survival sips" so that we would have enough for a bottle and so we wouldn't have to pee!!
The doctor finally showed up and told us we needed to stay until 1pm since there was no improvement. AAGGHH!!! We were literally counting the minutes until 9am and now we had to stay until 1pm!! All they did was give him a shot of antibiotics and tell us he should be eating baby food and not just formula. We decided we were out of there at 1pm no matter what they said. The ironic thing was that at 12:55pm they brought in a hot bath for the baby with a 104 degree temperature and a tray of (slop) food. We were not hanging around for the bath or the food. As we left, people literally ran to our room and tore into the food. Luckily, Israel came back for us and drove us back top Antigua at about 90 mph this time. We wanted to kiss the ground when we arrived back at the bed and breakfast but instead we de-funked by immediately showering and throwing away the clothes and shoes we had been wearing. I quarantined all other items for the rest of the trip. Collin even perked up when we got back but unfortunately that didn't last long.
I had been pumping the poor child full of drugs for 3 days now and he was just getting worse. The owner of the B&B came by and was very concerned so she called her friend who runs a hospital in Antigua. She told us to bring him there right away. Off we went again. We packed a lot of water this time just in case. This hospital appeared much better and he was seen right away. Luckily Consuelo was with us to translate. They told us we would have to stay and we were given a room-clean, no blood, no bugs, one bed and a TV(but it didn't work). We started giving him Pedialyte a few ounces an hour. Thanks goodness he drank it.
Baby is up-have to take a break. Stay tuned for part 3.
The doctor eventually decided at about 9:30 pm that he wanted us to take Collin to the hospital in Guatemala City. We quickly packed a bag and arranged a ride with the b&b owner's husband, Israel. He drove us to the city at about 100 mph-very scary!! I could tell we were not in a desirable part of town to say the least. We pulled up to an unmarked building and knocked on the door. They let us in and opened the garage door for Israel to pull his car in. We walked in and they directed us to a room off of the garage. I should have followed my instincts and left but we were in a third world country and I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea if this was what hospitals were like so I tried to keep an open mind. There was no identifiable medical equipment and the doctor kept assuring us that the people torturing, I mean, examining Collin were doctors and he just wanted to get a second (and third) opinion. The brain surgeons made a collective decision that he had an ear infection and they would prescribe more antibiotics and we needed to spend the night!!! Poor Israel looked torn between not wanting to leave us there alone and running for his life. He said he would pick us up at 9am and left us to fin for ourselves in this garage they called a hospital.
They led us up some stairs to our room. It was very dark and all you heard were babies crying inconsolably. The room had 3 old hospital beds crammed in but the bonus was we did have a bathroom. The bonus ended up being the booby prize because when I looked in I saw blood on the toilet and all over the floor. Needless to say we were not using the bathroom. We did not turn off the lights for fear that bugs (or worse) might attack. They left us in the room and didn't come back until the morning. There was no water, no formula, no diapers, no nurses checking on my sick baby, no NOTHING! Thank goodness we packed a bag but we only had one bottle of water. We took "survival sips" so that we would have enough for a bottle and so we wouldn't have to pee!!
The doctor finally showed up and told us we needed to stay until 1pm since there was no improvement. AAGGHH!!! We were literally counting the minutes until 9am and now we had to stay until 1pm!! All they did was give him a shot of antibiotics and tell us he should be eating baby food and not just formula. We decided we were out of there at 1pm no matter what they said. The ironic thing was that at 12:55pm they brought in a hot bath for the baby with a 104 degree temperature and a tray of (slop) food. We were not hanging around for the bath or the food. As we left, people literally ran to our room and tore into the food. Luckily, Israel came back for us and drove us back top Antigua at about 90 mph this time. We wanted to kiss the ground when we arrived back at the bed and breakfast but instead we de-funked by immediately showering and throwing away the clothes and shoes we had been wearing. I quarantined all other items for the rest of the trip. Collin even perked up when we got back but unfortunately that didn't last long.
I had been pumping the poor child full of drugs for 3 days now and he was just getting worse. The owner of the B&B came by and was very concerned so she called her friend who runs a hospital in Antigua. She told us to bring him there right away. Off we went again. We packed a lot of water this time just in case. This hospital appeared much better and he was seen right away. Luckily Consuelo was with us to translate. They told us we would have to stay and we were given a room-clean, no blood, no bugs, one bed and a TV(but it didn't work). We started giving him Pedialyte a few ounces an hour. Thanks goodness he drank it.
Baby is up-have to take a break. Stay tuned for part 3.
Collin Update part one
It is hard to believe that Collin is finally here. It has been a week since we came home and life sure has changed and so has the house-I don't even recognize it. As I type he is breaking his record for length of time sleeping in his crib. He has been sleeping in bed with us. I was beginning to think that maybe he didn't like his room. I should probably be in bed enjoying the extra space but I can't seem to find any other time to get on the computer.
I'll start with our nightmare visit to Guatemala. My mom and I went down for a visit trip. The plan was to stay for a week. The phone rang at 4am and American Airlines wanted to advise me that our flight had been delayed and we would miss our connection. We were supposed to arrive at noon but we would now arrive at 8pm. This caused an array of issues for us but the main issue was that we would arrive too late to get the baby and would have to spend the night in the city and wait until the next day to get Collin. Once I woke up I realized American was not doing us any favors by getting us there 8 hours later so I called back and had them schedule us on another airline-crisis #1 averted.
We flew to Charlotte and then to Guatemala City. We were even able to upgrade to first class for the long portion. Now that is the way to start a trip. We arrived an hour later than we were supposed to, but our driver was still there-SCORE. Things were definitely looking up for us. He took us to the hotel in the city to pick up the baby and then to buy a cheap cell phone to use while we were there. The in country coordinator didn't show up so we had to have a hotel employee translate for us, just the beginning of my issues with the agency. But, we got Collin and we were on our way to Antigua.
We arrived at the hotel which was really more of a bed and breakfast. No one spoke English but they led us to our room. We were looking for a place to check in but it didn't exist. We were told the owner would stop by the next day to say hi. Keep in mind we didn't even give a credit card number when we made the reservation! It was like we were staying at a friends house except we had no idea what they were saying. There were 4 guest bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and some outdoor sitting areas. I wasn't sure that I was going to care for this type of place but it ended up being really nice and a real life saver. There was one other woman, Consuelo, staying there with her daughter, Leesie, waiting for her adoption to be finalized. She had been there for 6 weeks and spoke fluent Spanish. THANK YOU CONSUELO!! She saved us many, many, many times during the trip.
When we picked Collin up we were told he was not feeling well. He had 3 kinds of medicine to take. He was acting fine and seemed to remember me from the last trip. He was the same easy going, happy baby I remembered. We got settled in to the hotel and went out to check out the town a little before it got dark. The next day we saw a couple of churches with Consuelo and Leesie and had a nice dinner and bottle of wine. Collin seemed a little fussy and warm but not too bad. He waited to throw up until we were leaving thank goodness.
The next day we had a really nice lunch but Collin was really fussy and feeling hot ,but once again he waited to throw up until after lunch. I headed back to the hotel and mom and Consuelo went to the store to buy some wine. We had decided to stay in that night since Collin was sick so we needed some refreshments. We had met another girl, Francois, who was staying off and on at the hotel for a few nights while we were there. She was going to join us for "girls night"-Sorry Collin!
After the puking incident at the restaurant Collin seemed to just get worse and worse. His temperature rose to 104 degrees which made me very nervous. He also was refusing to take his bottle. I called the doctor and ....time is up...baby is calling LOUDLY!!!
To be continued...
I'll start with our nightmare visit to Guatemala. My mom and I went down for a visit trip. The plan was to stay for a week. The phone rang at 4am and American Airlines wanted to advise me that our flight had been delayed and we would miss our connection. We were supposed to arrive at noon but we would now arrive at 8pm. This caused an array of issues for us but the main issue was that we would arrive too late to get the baby and would have to spend the night in the city and wait until the next day to get Collin. Once I woke up I realized American was not doing us any favors by getting us there 8 hours later so I called back and had them schedule us on another airline-crisis #1 averted.
We flew to Charlotte and then to Guatemala City. We were even able to upgrade to first class for the long portion. Now that is the way to start a trip. We arrived an hour later than we were supposed to, but our driver was still there-SCORE. Things were definitely looking up for us. He took us to the hotel in the city to pick up the baby and then to buy a cheap cell phone to use while we were there. The in country coordinator didn't show up so we had to have a hotel employee translate for us, just the beginning of my issues with the agency. But, we got Collin and we were on our way to Antigua.
We arrived at the hotel which was really more of a bed and breakfast. No one spoke English but they led us to our room. We were looking for a place to check in but it didn't exist. We were told the owner would stop by the next day to say hi. Keep in mind we didn't even give a credit card number when we made the reservation! It was like we were staying at a friends house except we had no idea what they were saying. There were 4 guest bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and some outdoor sitting areas. I wasn't sure that I was going to care for this type of place but it ended up being really nice and a real life saver. There was one other woman, Consuelo, staying there with her daughter, Leesie, waiting for her adoption to be finalized. She had been there for 6 weeks and spoke fluent Spanish. THANK YOU CONSUELO!! She saved us many, many, many times during the trip.
When we picked Collin up we were told he was not feeling well. He had 3 kinds of medicine to take. He was acting fine and seemed to remember me from the last trip. He was the same easy going, happy baby I remembered. We got settled in to the hotel and went out to check out the town a little before it got dark. The next day we saw a couple of churches with Consuelo and Leesie and had a nice dinner and bottle of wine. Collin seemed a little fussy and warm but not too bad. He waited to throw up until we were leaving thank goodness.
The next day we had a really nice lunch but Collin was really fussy and feeling hot ,but once again he waited to throw up until after lunch. I headed back to the hotel and mom and Consuelo went to the store to buy some wine. We had decided to stay in that night since Collin was sick so we needed some refreshments. We had met another girl, Francois, who was staying off and on at the hotel for a few nights while we were there. She was going to join us for "girls night"-Sorry Collin!
After the puking incident at the restaurant Collin seemed to just get worse and worse. His temperature rose to 104 degrees which made me very nervous. He also was refusing to take his bottle. I called the doctor and ....time is up...baby is calling LOUDLY!!!
To be continued...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
COLLIN IS HOME!!
We all arrived home late Thursday night. I will update soon-very busy adjusting to life with a baby but enjoying every minute.
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Guatoberfest Cruise 2009
My soapbox about the Advent Conspiracy
I came across this video on another blog. I have to admit I only looked at it for entertainment value. I assumed with a title like that, it had to be some wacko conspiracy theory and who doesn't need a good laugh. Suprisingly enough it really touched me and made me think. It didn't grab my interest because of it's religious value, because that's not really my thing. I am not the type of person that flaunts religion or believes in pushing your beliefs onto others. It touched me because of it's human value and because it shows me how quickly I forget.
When we were in Guatemala it was truly a life changing experience for a myriad of reasons, only one of which was bringing home a baby! We saw poverty that we could never imagine in this country. I remember thinking when I was there that despite all of the stress of the situation, I was more at peace than I had ever felt in my life. Among other things, there was no pressure to have more...there was nothing to have. People just lived their lives. Families worked together, lived together in cramped housing-if they had a roof over their heads at all-and they were happy! We were forced to enjoy eachother without our "creature comforts" and I loved it. I now remember hoping that once we got home, I would never lose that idea that we don't really need much at all. I realized our society makes us think we need more but we really don't. And after watching the video it makes me realize that I have failed miserably.
I had made up my mind that in order to honor my new found attitude and our sons heritage, we would sponsor a Guatemalan family every year so that they could have food and heat and their children could go to school-things we take for granted on a daily basis. For some reason I can never seem to find the money to do that- BUT- I can find the money to buy coffee every day, sometimes several times a day, Collin will see a room full of gifts on Christmas morning, I can go out to eat, I can do whatever I want for the most part. My priorities have gone right back to where they were before I experienced Guatemala and it makes me sad. That is the reason that I am posting the video in a permenant spot on the blog, so that I am constantly reminded, not only during Christmas but all year to give PRESENCE to my friends and family not PRESENTS and to give back to something that I feel very strongly about. I don't write this to push Guatemalan charity or any charity but to encourage anyone reading this to slow down and take a look at your life and see what means the most to you and see where it takes you.
When we were in Guatemala it was truly a life changing experience for a myriad of reasons, only one of which was bringing home a baby! We saw poverty that we could never imagine in this country. I remember thinking when I was there that despite all of the stress of the situation, I was more at peace than I had ever felt in my life. Among other things, there was no pressure to have more...there was nothing to have. People just lived their lives. Families worked together, lived together in cramped housing-if they had a roof over their heads at all-and they were happy! We were forced to enjoy eachother without our "creature comforts" and I loved it. I now remember hoping that once we got home, I would never lose that idea that we don't really need much at all. I realized our society makes us think we need more but we really don't. And after watching the video it makes me realize that I have failed miserably.
I had made up my mind that in order to honor my new found attitude and our sons heritage, we would sponsor a Guatemalan family every year so that they could have food and heat and their children could go to school-things we take for granted on a daily basis. For some reason I can never seem to find the money to do that- BUT- I can find the money to buy coffee every day, sometimes several times a day, Collin will see a room full of gifts on Christmas morning, I can go out to eat, I can do whatever I want for the most part. My priorities have gone right back to where they were before I experienced Guatemala and it makes me sad. That is the reason that I am posting the video in a permenant spot on the blog, so that I am constantly reminded, not only during Christmas but all year to give PRESENCE to my friends and family not PRESENTS and to give back to something that I feel very strongly about. I don't write this to push Guatemalan charity or any charity but to encourage anyone reading this to slow down and take a look at your life and see what means the most to you and see where it takes you.