Rylan’s Journey Home

I have to say, I am so proud of Cameron!  He will turn 5 years old in just a couple weeks and he has handled the transition to big brother so well.  Having a toddler plopped in your house is not an easy thing for anyone!  Being a 5 year old with a new baby that doesn’t move is hard enough…. but our new baby RUNS!  Our new baby bites (yup he got Cameron’s toe the other day)!  Our new baby sucks on the toys!  Our new baby eats Cameron’s snacks!  Our new baby rips his diaper off in the playpen and pees on his pillow (true story)!  Our new baby pull hair!  Our little guy is VERY active!  Lots of energy in this house and we’ve done a pretty good job at handling it.  I think all of us are doing well considering!

Yes, we’ve had a few hairy moments here and there…. but really, I am so proud of the big boy Cameron is becoming and the strong little boy Rylan is!  Both have done so well that I could not be prouder of them!

I thought it would be funny to share a few Cameron comments with you all.  Sometimes he just surprises me with what comes out of his mouth!  I always get a good laugh at him!

#1 After coming back and talking with Cameron about Lucy (our dog), he says to me…. you know what Grandma Truck is going to name her next dog?  I said, what?  He says - DAMN DOG!  Thanks mom…  Could this have something to do with the fact that you had to watch our dog for a week while we were gone?

#2  Yesterday Cameron asked to sleep overnight at his Grandma Farm’s (John’s moms).  I said why do you want to sleep over there…. he said, Mom I’m really tired and there I can sleep like a log!

#3  Rylan is running through the house with his finger down the back of his diaper (a little habbit we noticed he has)…. and Cameron screams “Mom, Rylan’s digging in his butt crap again”!  Don’t ask me why, but Cameron has always called a butt crack, a butt crap!  Its SO funny!

#4  Driving down the highway to pick up our taxes yesterday Cameron starts whimpering in the back seat and leaning way to one side of the car saying GROSS, YUCK, OHHHHH MOM!  I tipped my mirror and said, whats wrong?  He said Rylan just picked his nose and ate it!  My reply…. now you know why I tell you not to do the same thing he just did! 

Again, another ride in the car and Rylan started getting fussy.  John and I asked Cameron to do something funny to make him laugh (like he did the night we brought Rylan home).  Cameron (in a not so great mood) says why should I, he was your idea!   Geez, I guess he was right ; )

We’re on our 2nd day at home and everything is going great!  Mom and Dad are feeling a little exhausted.  Not because the kids are being bad, but because I think we are still lacking sleep from our week out of the country.  Rylan went to bed last night arouind 8:15am with a bottle in the playpen next to our bed.  Cameron was in between us in bed watching cartoons.  Once Rylan was out, I let Cameron finish the program that was on, then lights were out.  Both boys slept just fine through the night!  Only problem is we have another Rooster for a child!  Rylan has a habbit of getting up around 4-5am.  Good news is that he does take a bottle and goes right back to sleep.  The past two nights at home I’ve been taking him out on the recliner so he doesn’t wake John and Cameron….  Tonight we’re going to try something a little different.  I’ve been missing Cameron so he’s stayed in bed with us.  Tonight after he falls asleep we’ll take him to his own bed as we had been doing before to get Rylan.  Then when Rylan wakes early we’ll just slip him a bottle in his bed and see if he can quiet himself.  We’ll let you know how that goes ; )  I have to say, I am still pleasantly surprised at how things are going.  Rylan is showing no signs of grieving or sadness, or being scared.  Cameron has been amazing at sharing everything, even us.  Small tiffs are expected but have been rare.  I’m really proud of both kids!
I wish I had a better blog so that I could show you some daily pictures right under the post itself!  For that reason, I’m considering a different website.  If I do change it, I’ll keep this one going with the new address listed for awhile.  This blog has never had all the options I wish it did!  I took about 500 pictures while in Guatemala and since we’ve been back…. wish I could share more of them!  I’ll figure something out.
Yesterday we had some visitors over.  John’s parents were here first, then John’s brother came, then Patty, then John’s brothers fiance.  It was nice to see family again!  We thought about venturing out to the grocery store today and going to my parents as we have only milk and bread in the house (courtesy of Amanda)!  We need to get some real FOOD!  I think with the weather being so cold here I’ll go alone this afternoon and John can stay here with the boys.  Rylan has a bit of a cough.  I know the climate change is the culprit.  We have the heat on in the house with this “Wisconsin” winter we still have and in Guatemala they probably very rarely ever use heat in a home!  Rylan doesn’t seem phased by the cold or snow itself though.  John opened the front door today and he stooped down and grabbed a handful and shoved it in his mouth!  He did an entire body shiver and went back for more!  It was funny!
Corelli has called Joyce several times already this week wondering how we are doing.  We promised to webcam with her after things settle down.  Easter this weekend, then we have Mike’s brothers wedding next weekend, then the weekend after that is Cameron’s birthday as he turns 5yrs old!  Never a dull moment in this house!
For now I have some much needed time off work.  I plan to go in Monday evenings to do payroll/billings for about 2-3 hrs each week.  This should last for the next 6 weeks or so.  The 6 weeks after that I will go back part-time working after I drop Cameron off at school and then leaving so I can pick him up.  I am really, really looking forward to just spending time with the boys.  By the time I get back to work full-time, Cameron will have finished his last week of school!  I’ve been saving vacation since 2005 for this (thanks to my employer for the flexibility)!
I still sit here sort of dazed by everything that has happened.  Rylan went from a 2 month old baby to a 20 month old toddler in what now seems like morph speed!  There were so many days when I thought I would never make it through without losing my mind.  And here it is, it’s really over.  The adoption is done.  He’s here and no one can take him back.  We’re home….forever!  
To those families waiting for their children, it does happen.  Hang in there.  Stay strong and have faith!  If I can ever be of support or offer assistence, please email me!
Happy Easter everyone!  Thanks for hanging in here with us… and we’ll let you know when the celebration party is scheduled!
 

We made it!  We arrived home late last night!  Our flight came into La Crosse around 9pm or shortly thereafter.  We were greeted by my mom, my sister, my niece, John’s mom, and of course Cameron!  Sonja’s sister was also there to pick them up.
Cameron was standing at the terminal with a balloon waiting for us to come out.  I heard “Mommy” and turned to see him running at me with a balloon!  He gave me a hug and practically knocked me out of the way saying “let me see my baby brother!”  Classic moment!  Not too long after we gathered our bags and got in the car to start heading home.  Our drive was about 45 min and somewhere in the middle Rylan started a melt down.  He wanted a bottle and was just very tired.  Who can blame him, so were we!  We got up at 4:45am so it was an extremely long day for an adult.  We were on three planes between two countries!
After getting home both kids were just wired!  Running through the house screaming and laughing.  We let them burn some energy.  Cameron was excited to show Rylan everything.  Every single toy, every single room, even the food in the cabinets!
We finally got to bed going on midnight.  I put Rylan in the playpen by our bed with a bottle, and Cameron was in between John and I in bed.  Within minutes Rylan was out, so Cameron finished his cartoon and lights were out.  Each of us were passed out until Rylan made the first noise at 5am.  He stirred a bit and started to get loud so I picked him up and took him in the livingroom with a bottle.  He fell right back to sleep and didn’t wake until 8am.  Cameron and John were moving around in the bedroom around 7:30am.  So we had a really good night!!!
Rylan is down for a nap now.  This morning was great.  Cameron showed the same great “big brother” love to Rylan.  The only bit of jealousy I saw was when John’s mom and dad came over.  He then wanted grandma and grandpa to himself!  It still wasn’t bad though. 
So here we are….State side together as a family of 4!  It still seems unbelievable in a way…. and in another like it was always meant to be!  I’ll keep you posted on the progress!

We’re on schedule for this morning with just a 15 min delay.  We are set to leave Guatemala now at 8:40am and get into Dallas at 1:05pm (losing 1hr with the time change).
So far, so good to be on our way!  Again, please keep Sean and Sonja in your thoughts as they do through the hardest part of the trip - giving Kayla back.
See you soon!  John, Karla, and Rylan

Yes, we’re still here!  We’re trying to think of this as a bonus day for Sean and Sonja!  They are visiting their little girl so who can be upset at the thought of them getting to spend one more day with her?
We were ticked this morning for our flight out tomorrow (Thursday).  We have the exact same itinerary yet getting into La Crosse, WI at 9pm tomorrow night.
The weather is so gorgeous here that I dread thinking icky snow and rain!  We’ve only seen rain once on Monday morning for just a little bit.  Today we got up and lounged around the room for a bit.  We then went down to breakfast and into the American Airlines office to check our flight.  We came up to the room to let the kids play before putting them down for a nap at noon.  Rylan is still sleeping now, and the boy needs his rest!  He started running a fever yesterday afternoon when we were picking up his Visa and paperwork.  I gave him some Tylenol around supper and that seemed to help.  He went to bed at 8pm and woke again around 2am with a fever.  More Tylenol but he didn’t go to sleep until 4am!  Once out though he slept until nearly 7am.  This child talks in his sleep too!  We are having to get used to that!
He is still doing great.  I think he is geting bored with our arrangements here too.  It’s very busy and hard to let a little toddler run around a hotel.  We love being out by the pool, but it is not gated…so you know where he wants to go!  Head first into the water if we let him!
We’ve made a couple trips over to the Mc Donald’s for snacks and play time.  It is just like our Mc Donald’s here!  Thank goodness I can speak a little Spanish as that helps us order.  Some employees though also speak a little English.  We make it work!
Otherwise, we are all doing great!  I dread having to see Sean and Sonja give Kayla back once again.  She is such a sweetie and deserves to be home with her parents soon.  They’ve been doing this almost as long as we have.  They have been great to travel with and we are so glad they are with us!  Next time, it’s their turn to bring their daughter home.  Please keep them in your thoughts!
Let’s hope our next post is back in the USA!  We can’t wait to be HOME!

Good news first, we have Rylan’s Visa!  I was more nervous about today than the appt itself yesterday!  John, Rylan and I took a cab over this afternoon and waited with a couple other families we met this past week.  Just as it should be, our name was called and we were handed Rylan’s Visa and the “secret packet”.  We are protecting that packet with our lives!  So that is it, all legal steps are DONE!  I won’t feel 100% better until we are on the plane in the air headed for US Soil!
So, let’s talk about the plane, shall we?  We were scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning at 8:40am.  Have you seen the massive flooding taking place in Dallas….?  Well, that is where we were scheduled to fly into!  Everything is shut down and most flights canceled - including ours!  We tried to get something - anything - but were unsuccessful.  We can NOT get out of Guatemala tomorrow.
The lady at American Airlines rebooked our tickets for Thursday with the exact same itinerary though.  Thank goodness the hotel was nice enough to let us keep our room, or we would be in real trouble!  So for now we are safe and sound waiting until we can leave.  I’d rather be stuck here than in the airport somewhere or taking risks flying in bad weather.
Of course this also means that Sean and Sonja get one more day with their daughter Kayla…. and who can be upset about that!  She is such a sweetie!  Her and Rylan are so cute together!  They do have love/hate moments though.  It is fun to watch them!
So, one more fun-filled day here tomorrow.  No plans really.  I am missing Cameron SO MUCH I can hardly stand to think of him at times.  I miss my bed, my house, and LUCY our dog too!  I guess we can sum it up by saying I miss everyone!!!
Thank you to our family who is juggling Cameron.  We really appreciate your help.  It is because of that we rest easier knowing he is good hands!

Today we got up extra early to be ready for our Embassy Appointment!  Around 5am I hit the shower and by then John and Rylan were up too!  We were down in the lobby at 6:30am where an assistent from our attorney’s office met us.  Her and her son went through our paperwork before finding another family that was joining us!  They too had their appt the same time.  We got in a couple cabs and headed to another hotel where yet a third family was coming.  We got to the Embassy and there were two lines forming.  One for American Families and the other for Guatemalan Families.  It was just a few minutes before we were being led inside.  They went through our bags and sent us out another door that led into the United States Embassy.  We filed into a small waiting room, much like the DMV!  The son of the assistent who came with us stayed by our side the entire time!  As we found chairs to sit on, he took all our paperwork to the window.  He then came to us for our $400 for the Visa and went to another window to pay that.  Then we waited, and waited, and waited some more.  An announcement came over the loud speaker that the first 10 families should get in line and they called them by last name - we were in that 1st group!  Family by family we were led into a closet area - and I really mean a closet!  It was tiny and the guys joked if John had a license to operate the stroller he had so much trouble getting us in there!  So that was an ice breaker.  We went over the I-600 form with is a petition to classify and orphan as your child.  Needless to say, he approved us!  We then left the room and sat back down.  We were waiting to be called to another window for our final interview.  So we waited, and waited, and waited some more.  Then finally we heard our names!  We were #7 so we were lucky as our wait wasn’t all that long - but it still felt like it was!  The nice lady behind window #9 just asked a few questions, had us raise our hand to swear all the information was correct, and approved us!  I had to choke back tears!  APPROVED!   APPROVED!  I still can’t believe it.  We were told to come back tomorrow at 3:30pm to pick up Rylan’s Visa and the “secret” sealed envelope that we are under strict instructions NOT to open.  It must remain sealed as immigration in Dallas will take it from us when we arrive on US soil.
After our appt we caught a cab back to the hotel, and made it in time to catch the breakfast!  We were back by 9:30am with a huge weight off our shoulders!  To tell you the truth, I wasn’t nervous at all about the appt.  I was excited to get it done.  This had been 18 months of waiting for that moment, as Rylan is now 20 months old.   Top that with the
1 1/2 years we waited in the domestic program with no luck, and that is a LONG wait.
Not that I wanted Rylan to miss any moment of his becoming our son legally, but after we got to the appt he was sleeping in the stroller within 10 min.  He didn’t wake up until we were getting sworn in and about to leave the building!  Someone was watching over us today!  Had he not slept, we would have been in serious trouble.  This little guy does not sit long at all, and he was crabby from being up so early.
After our breakfast we hit the gift shop for some last minute items.  We got Cameron a beautiful Mahogony Train!  I saw it back in December when I was visiting and I knew that I wanted it for him.  Rylan got a Mahogony Truck!  Throw in a couple t-shirts, and were set!  We came back to the room where we all relaxed for a bit.  Rylan and daddy got a little snooze in, while I watched a movie.  I’m SO tired but can’t nap during the day.  Hopefully we’ll get a good nights sleep…. as we’re gearing down for that now.  We ate dinner out by the pool (yes, it is that nice here)!  Then came back and watched the kids chase bubbles around the room.  Not sure they have ever seen them before!
I have to add this in the post.  The people here are so nice and so friendly!  They are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen in my life (besides my immediate family of course)!  When we visited the Coffee Plantation we were told that they employee about 300 people.  Most work 10-12hr shifs and only make $3 per day.  They have to hand pick EACH coffee bean, and then there is an extensive process to prepare it for shipping.  The people who live here really love their country, and I can see why!  But you are either very, very poor or very rich… finding a happy medium is rare.  Fostering children provided a huge income for families, but with adoption ending, that is going to change a lot.  If only Guatemala could get its economic system on track.  The poverty level here is heart breaking outside the city and to be honest, I can not bear to see it.  When you lay your head on your pillow tonight, thank your lucky stars that you were born into a country that is full of opportunity.  What we dream of, we can achieve.  What they dream of here, may never come true…. and it isn’t because they don’t work for it.
As visitors to another country, we could not have been more welcomed.  People here speaking English to make us more comfortable and doing everything to make us feel at home.  We laugh and poke fun at people coming into our area not speaking our language…. thinking its funny to call all people not like us “illegal immigrants”… but you know what - almost all of them are legal, especially in our area.  They just want the opportunity to earn better money to help better their lives and the lives of their family members.  The truth of the matter is they will do the jobs that people in our own area won’t do.  Maybe we should take a lesson from that!  Make them feel welcome!  Give them a smile as they pass by instead of unwelcome stares!  I’ll end this post with this trip just being an eye opener.  I LOVE Guatemala.  I love the people, the weather, the culture, the history….. everything, but I also love the USA and can’t wait to come HOME!  This a great place to visit, but there is nothing like home.  I can’t wait to get there!!!

We had a great day yesterday!  We took a tour to Antigua from a private guy named Victor Lopez.  I highly recommend doing this if your ever in Guatemala!
We visited the Coffee Plantation (which sell to Starbucks), the Jade Factory, the Market, some churches (during Holy Week) which was VERY neat, and ate at a wonderful authentic resteraunt.  We had two great families with us as well!  One whose blog I follow, and the other family lives just an hour away from us back home!
I’m making this post short.  Rylan is up and at it this morning.  Just wanted to let you know that I posted pictures.  Look on the right side at the bottom.  It is labeled RYLAN COMING HOME.  I’ll add more pics when I can.  We have some great ones!
Today we plan to hit the pool!  We haven’t had a chance to do that yet.  We haven’t seen Corelli since Thursday but Joyce emailed me to let me know that she may be coming today to visit around 10am.  I’m just hoping this doesn’t set Rylan back.  He is doing great!  He did wake a couple times last night crying but I think he had a belly ache!  This boy eats anything and everything!
We’re missing home a lot.  We can’t wait to get back and start trying to get in a routine!  Hey, Embassy Appt is tomorrow!!!!  Yeah!!!!

Last night went really well for us!  It started with Rylan falling asleep around 6:30pm as he had no nap.  Around 8:30pm he woke and started crying.  I felt SO sorry for him.  It was a deep cry, soft, and just sad.  I tried to keep the lights out so he could go back to sleep easier.  He kept crying mama, mama…. and pointing towards the door or window.  Somewhere out there in Guatemala was the mama he wanted - Corelli, his foster mom. 
This is the hard part.  Transitioning.  He does call me Mama though!  He is starting to call John dada.  After spending about 1/2hr to 45 min trying to calm him I remembered what I did the first trip.  I layed in in bed with a bottle and turned on cartoons.  John and I were on each side of him and it wasn’t but 10min and he was out - ALL night!  He woke up this morning smiling and happy!  John just walked him the stroller and he is napping now.  So we are working on routine!  Today it has been mami all day - and it’s me he’s looking for.  He has stayed at John’s side a lot too!  He loves him!!!  They already share a good bond!
We had poop too finally!  In fact two poops!  He is constipated a bit, but slowly it’s coming out, thank goodness!  This kid just eats and eats!  I can see our grocery bill with two growing boys is going up!
At 3pm we are meeting a driver in the lobby to take us to get Rylan’s Visa/Passport pics done, as we need these for the Embassy Appt Monday.  These are for the US Visa (as he has his Guatemalan already).  After the pics we may stop at the store for supplies.  The lobby shop gets spendy!
We haven’t seen Corelli since she left yesterday.  She was supposed to come back today at 10am with a package but we’ve not seen her.  Not sure if we will see her again?
We have a tour booked to Anigua.  It was supposed to be Sun but when I called Victor to take us for the pictures, it sounds like we are going tomorrow.  I’m excited about that! 
I’m considering the zoo too!  We’ll see though.  I’d like to enjoy the pool also.  We didn’t get there yesterday after Rylan came and so far today we’ve been keeping busy.
An update on our traveling companions!  Sean, Sonja, and Kayla are doing great!  It couldn’t be better in fact!  They had the same experience with Kayla last night.  She cried for mama and pointed to the window.  It didn’t last long and she was out and slept all night too.  It has been quiet next door for the past 2hrs so I think they’re getting in a nap!  Speaking of which, John just passed out next to me and is starting to snore!  Daddy’s not used to 19 month olds anymore!
Really, everything is great!  The weather is gorgeous!  The kids are perfect!  Now, if only I had my Cameron with me, life would be perfect!  Just a little while longer and we’ll be together state side - which is even better!  We just need to get Rylan’s buddy Kayla through the gates of PGN and on her way home!
I’ll get some pics posted soon.  So far the child hasn’t sat long enough to get anything descent!  OH, one last mention… we bought Rylan’s lap ticket home today!  YEAH!  We can’t get our boarding passes until after he gets his Visa Tuesday, but he has been ticketed!  Let me say, kids under 2 can ride free on a lap…. I’m not sure what they call free when it cost us $237.00!  They say you have to pay the tax on the going rate of the full price tickets.  Well, as you all know tickets are going for around $1000 this time of year.  Chalk that up to another unexpected expense!  Again, I shouldn’t complain.  We are lucky to be going home.

We made it!  Everything went just great yesterday during our trip over!  The flights were smooth and on time.  All our luggage showed up.  We couldn’t have asked for a better trip.  Sean and Sonja, our frends who are also adopting, are with us.  This morning we met for breakfast, and the stalked the lobby for the kids to come!
Kayla was supposed to be here first at 10am.  We started waiting around 9:30am or so.  By 10:30 Kayla was still not there, but I recognized a familar face!  Adrian’s assistent was getting out of a vehicle…. and not far behind was Corelli and Rylan!  We were so happy to see them… and early too!  We were a bit worried that Kayla wasn’t there yet.  We had a nice time talking with Corelli and the assistents from the attorney’s office.  In fact we had more than enough time because Adrian was supposed to be coming there with our documents and he never showed up!  The first glitch in the trip!  We found out a little about Rylan’s birth mother.  We also found out that he has two birth siblings here in the US!  So guess what my next mission may be!?
Anyway, while waiting for Adrian, Kayla showed up!  What a relief to see her!  She was crying and upset, but went right into Sonja’s arms where she has remained so far!  She definately is doing much better this trip, and has formed an attachment to Sonja.  We both have met some challenges and I expect this first night be one of them!  The kids are always confused about where they are and why there here.  Patience…. we just have to show a lot of patience.
Back to waiting for Adrian.  After about an hour or more we decided to part ways and have Adrian catch up with us later.  We went back to our rooms and just as we suspected, Corelli came back with her daughter and Brenda.  Brenda is the lady Corelli works for at the school in Guatemala.  We got someone to help us talk and went to a private area.  There was a lot of tears.  I especially felt bad for Pamela.  She is such a sweet, energetic, loving, and beautiful girl!  She cried and cried.  They asked us not to forget them.  That God may bless us and keep us well.  Forget them?  NEVER!  I will never forget anything about this experience.  If I can help them down the road in any way… I will.  They are wonderful people.  I wish I could bring them home with me!
Rylan has been the life of the party here.  Dancing, clowning around, and making us all laugh.  Kayla is more serious and the reactions on her face are priceless as she watches our little man!
Rylan did not nap today…. he went non-stop.  As I type he is out!  We made a little bed for him and we are hoping that he stays sleeping all night.  We’ll see!  If not, we have our walking shoes ready to hit the lobby!  It won’t be much longer and we’ll be in bed ourselves.
So, to end the long, exciting, stressful, and wonderful day….. Adrian DID show up with the documents…. right after Corelli left!  We have everything we need for Monday now - thank GOD!
We’ll post more later.  Tomorrow we are leaving the gates of the Marriott to get Rylan’s passport photos taken.  I’m excited to see a little more of Guatemala!  I here there is a store like Walmart here ; )