We're Home!!

Sorry for the delay- I started a post this morning and Little Bug deleted it with one push of the button when he woke up from his nap. he is napping now, so I might get this one finished.

General thoughts on the Marriott-
Service: EXCELLENT
Baby lounge: carpet was wet, smelled of mildew- I was only there the one night to post the last message. At one point, the carpet was pulled up in the corner, as if there was a leak.
Pool: Oh my goodness- LOVED IT
HOT TUB: LOVED IT

On to the details:
Little Bug's foster family came to dinner Wednesday night and we all cried at various times. It was very hard for the family and for Little Bug. On Thursday, Little Bug's foster mom and her oldest daughter came and hung out with us at the hotel. It was very hard. Both my mom and I talked to them about how important it was for him to see them leave and for them to say good bye. When the time finally came, he screamed for 45 minutes and kept going to the door to go after them. It was hard and I held him and told him over and over that I loved him. He cried himself to sleep which allowed my mom and I to pack everything. He did fine at dinner and went to sleep at 9 pm. Thank you all for your prayers- the foster family, Little Bug and me all needed them on the last day and I am grateful for all of your support.

Friday morning, we got the wake up call at 3 am. I left the Little Bug in his PJs because I was uncertain how he would react to the airport and the all. The line at the airport was unbelievable- we were pre-checked in so we were told to go to the first class line, but the line never moved for over 20 minutes. We were finally told to go into the general boarding line.
After paying airport tax- we made it through security and into the terminal. By this time it is 5:30 and I asked my mom to buy 3 waters before we entered the enclosed waiting area- bad move- we could only take one bottle of water in for Little Bug's Pacha (bottle).
By this time he was awake and doing fine, so I changed his clothes in the bathroom, another passenger took our picture in the lounge and it was time to board the plane. Little Bug wanted his Pacha and he drank it down and was asleep before the plane took off. He slept for about 2 hours- until we were about 40 minutes outside of Houston. He woke up, ate some of the breakfast we saved for him, wanted another pacha. So he had another pacha for the landing. NOTE: he was the only one of the 5 children on the plane not screaming and crying during the landing. I was so proud of him.

Immigration was the emptiest I have ever seen- there was no line at the first immigration officer, then in the waiting room, he was the first processed through, so off to the next terminal for lunch and the plane home. Lunch consisted of McDonald's. Yes, Little Bug loves his french fries and with all he had been through over the last few days, I though something familiar would be good. Unfortunately the McDonald's in the US do not have his other favorite thing- Grilled Cheese. So he only ate french fries. Yes, McDonald's in Guatemala has grilled cheese, they also have chicken drumsticks and thighs on the menu. The McDonald's here in the US could start selling some of these things.

We headed down to the terminal for our flight home and Little Bug waved at everyone. In the terminal, he and I played ball and he was smiling and laughing and was very relaxed. Right before our plane was due to board, Little Bug wanted another pacha and he was asleep before the doors to the plane closed. He slept the entire flight home and did not wake up until we parked at the gate.

We were nearly the last ones off the plane and we stopped to change his clothes for the reception that I thought would be at the baggage claim area. Then we headed for the baggage claim area. I wanted him to walk the last part, around the corner, so his Pap (my dad) would see him and he did walk it, but my dad was sitting down and did not see him and my sister and her family could not see him cause he so little. We got to them and my dad finally saw his new grandson. Then my sister pointed out the folks waiting at the top of the stairs- friends from church and other families with Guatemalan children were waiting to greet us. I was very overwhelmed- it probably did not look like it at the time, but I am crying over it now as I type this. Many hugs and lots of pictures later, we left to finally go home.
Little Bug had no reaction to the car seat, he sat in it and never cried or reacted negatively to it. I sat in the back with him just so he would have me to hold on to. By the end of the drive home, he was ready to be out of the car- not crying, just uncomfortable.
My parents, sister and her family came to the house. I am so thankful for my sister and her family for the decorations, the food and the love that they shared with Little Bug and I. They stayed until about 8 pm and then it was just Little Bug and me in the house. His whole personality changed once every one was gone. he lit up and was talking up a storm, laughing and playing. I had bought 2 CDs (Little People songs in Spanish), I had sent the tapes down to the foster family and they clearly played them for him because when I put the CDs on, he was so excited- he was bouncing for joy and dancing around. His foster family loved him and did all they could to prepare him for this transition. I am so grateful for all they did and all the love they gave to him.
We went to bed at 9 pm- momma was exhausted and he fell asleep. He slept until 7:30 this morning. Yes, it was alot of sleep, but he is grieving and I recognize that sleeping is a way for him to cope.
After waking up this morning, he played, we did laundry, he napped, we played, he snacked, he had a bunch of pachas, we ate lunch and then my parents came over to return my car to me. They stayed for a few hours and Little Bug actually let my dad pick him up. He wanted nothing to do with my mom, but Pap was OK. We ended up going out for dinner as I needed to drop the disposable cameras that the foster family gave me, off to be developed. So I broke my own rule and I left the house on the very first day, but Little Bug was doing OK with Mam and Pap, so we chanced it. Little Bug fell asleep on the way home and is still napping. I am going to end this post with a huge thank you to everyone who has helped, supported, prayed and cared for us over the last year, especially Little Bug's foster family. I can tell as I watch him, just how much he was loved by them (C., M., S., K., A., and the rest of the extended family)- THANK YOU SO MUCH.


I will post in another post some pictures of the trip.