Good Times

In the spring of 2007, we were in the process of adopting Emma from Guatemala.  We were in the thick of it.  We had already visited Emma twice in Guatemala and we were assuming that we would not see Emma again until our pick up trip. 

Matt and Liz were also in the process of adopting a sweet baby girl from Guatemala.  Actually, we were using the same agency that they were using.  Liz contacted me and asked if I would be interested in taking a trip to Guatemala with her to visit our girls.  I felt so humbled and of course, excited!!  We had a wonderful visit with our girls in March of 2007! I will never forget it!

Izzy and Emma

Emma…so precious!

Those EYES!

Eating…sort of!

 

Awwwwww… 

We met so many sweet people on that trip including…

Miss Sofia and her Mommy Tricia!

That was then…

This is now!!  We met Liz, Matt and their family for lunch today and we snapped these photos of Izzy, Emma, Lily and Dasha!  Emma does not always like to have her picture taken and she was not excited about this photo shoot but Liz and Matt’s girls were great sports! My, the girls have certainly grown!  Izzy and Emma are just a couple of months apart in age and they will be FOUR this year!!  I can’t believe it!

Good times!  : D  A delicious lunch with a special family!       

I love adoption!

God bless,

Tera

A New Year

Yes, long time, no post!!  Goodness…sorry!  We are fine here…just keeping busy with this and that.  : ) 

This month, Jason and I celebrated 14 years of marriage.  I can’t believe that next year will mark 15 years of marriage…woah!

Look at us!  Crazy. 

This photo was taken the summer of our engagement.  It has always been a favorite.  I think that Jason’s hair was almost as long as mine.  ; P  ; )

Happy New Year (belated) to you all.

God bless, Tera

Three Years Ago Tonight

Three years ago tonight, our placement agency called us to talk to us about a baby girl that was born in Amatitlan, Guatemala less than two weeks before. 

A few hours later, we received several emails that contained  photos of the most beautiful baby that we had ever seen.  I was absolutely astounded by her beauty…the rosy cheeks…and the lips!  It was love at first sight! 

So, today we celebrate that special day…our referral-versary aka the-first-time-i-ever-saw-your-face day…one of the most amazing days of my entire life. 

It was so much fun to see this photo!  I love that she is “peeking” here…hee hee. 

We made the journey to Guatemala in about another week or so and we brought plenty of preemie outfits (Emma was barely five pounds).  And, we gave the foster mother the preemie outfits in exchange for this special pink sleeper.  I still have this sleeper (of course…hee hee) and it still smells like the fabric softener that Emma’s foster mother used when she washed it before she gave it to me (crazy, I know).  : )

I love you, Emma…  It seems like yesterday that we gathered around our laptop and saw your beautiful face for the first time.  Your face is what I look forward to seeing each and every morning.  I am SO BLESSED that you are my child.  As I always say to you…  You are a treasure and my dream come true…  and… I’ll love you forever and ever…no matter what!

God bless,

Tera

THREE???

Surely, my BABY girl does NOT look like this…

And, there is just NO WAY that she could possibly look grown up  like this…

*SIGH*

Just ONE year ago she looked like this…

And this…

*SIGH*

The tutu that Emma wore for her 2nd birthday went down to her FEET…that same tutu now comes down to her KNEES!!  : O

Where oh where did my baby go???

And, just three SHORT years ago, my teeny tiny baby looked like this…

And this…

And this…

The photos immediately above were taken when Emma was around three weeks old. We were able to visit her for the first time in Guatemala while we were signing a bit of preliminary paperwork to get the Guatemalan side of the adoption process going. Emma was barely five pounds at that time. Look at how TINY she was compared to Jason’s hand! Can you believe it?  She was swimming in the preemie clothes that we had purchased for her. 

We were SMITTEN.

I ache to reach into these photographs to hold my sweet and oh so tiny baby girl.

Emma, you are a true GIFT.  You are a treasure and Mommy’s dream come true.  Feliz cumpleaños.  Te amo mi amor.

 

Don’t worry…

More party pics to come.  : D

God bless,

Tera

My Grandpa

My Grandpa passed away last night.  He will be missed.  He is missed.

He was…

*  Always in my life.  My Grandparents  lived just a few blocks away from my childhood home.  They were always a constant presence in my life.  It was rare for a week to go by without hearing from them or seeing them.

*  A carpenter.  He was amazing with wood.  He could build intricate toys, games and furniture pieces, clocks, etc.  He custom built a desk for me when I was young that fit perfectly in a little cubby hole in my bedroom.  He built countless items for me and for family members and friends through the years.  The last piece that he built for me was a custom size sofa table that sits in our living room.  I love it.  Whenever we were working on a home project, he would always offer to come over to help or we would just see his Buick pull up in front of the house and he often offered to help to pay for materials.

*  A generous Grandpa.  He never spoiled me or his other Grandchildren but he was very willing to give his time and finances to help us when we were in need.  When I was in my 20s, my little car had nearly rusted out.  Grandpa helped to buy me a reliable set of wheels.  There were countless times that I would leave his house after a visit and find money in my purse on the way home…sneaky, sneaky…hee hee…it was so appreciated and never taken for granted.  When we adopted Emma, Grandpa generously helped us here and there whenever he could…it was so sweet and I will never forget it. 

*  Attentive and fun.  He helped my sister and I to learn to fish with a cane pole.  He played countless board games with us, shared his chocolate stash and we had many lunches at Bridgemans and Happy Chef.  He always genuinely wanted to spend time with us.  If he didn’t hear from us for a week or so, he always made sure to call.

*  Always thinking.  Most of the time, this was a good thing and sometimes, it could get him into a bit of trouble…hee hee.  : )  If he found out that you were having a challenge, he would spend a good part of the day mulling it over and over and then you could almost count on the fact that he would call you sometime that evening to offer up solutions…hee hee hee…that was Grandpa!  ; )

*  Someone you could never forget!

I love you, Grandpa.  Thank you so much for loving me, for loving us. 

We will miss you at Emma’s birthday party.  She has been asking if you will be there.  She loves you and she will miss you and Grandma very much.  Thank you for loving her and for welcoming her with open arms into your heart.

It is a very a strange and sad feeling to know that my Grandma and my Grandpa  are no longer here.  Their constant presence in my life will be missed in countless ways.

God bless,

Tera

Catching Up

I have soooo much catching up to do here at my blog it’s not even funny!  Emma’s Grandma who lives in North Carolina came to visit, we went to the State Fair, to the zoo, etc.  Here are a few “catching up” pics…  (there will be at least one more catching up post to come soon)

Roasted corn at the Minnesota State Fair!  We didn’t think that we would end up going to the fair this year, so we really did relish our time there!  (Pam…these photos are for YOU, friend!!!!)  : D

The carousel…Emma’s FAVORITE.

If you have ever been to the MN State Fair, then you are familiar with the GIANT SLIDE!!  Can you spot Jason and Emma?  Hee hee.  : )  Emma walked up ALL of the steps by herself up to the tippy top of the slide and she was not scared at all about going down.

A tradition…we enjoy our guacamole and Beer-garitas from Tejas as we watch karaoke.  Hee hee…  : )  GOOD TIMES!!

A few photos from this week…

I have to throw in a pic of Gumpus…’cause he’s just so CUTE.  : )

This time of the year, the high temps are usually in the low 70s.  However, today we reached the mid 80s and Emma ENJOYED an afternoon in her pool! I think she went down her slide about 344584754857487584 times.  ; D

And, I took about 344584754857487584 photos of her that look just like this.  : )

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…the summer has been sweet!

God bless,

Tera

Two Years Ago

Two years ago today, I traveled to Guatemala to take full custody of Emma and to live there with her for several weeks before we were able to travel to the U.S. together.  Oh, how excited and nervous I was! 

My gigantic rolling duffels, well worn from three previous visit trips to Guatemala, were packed to the MAX with supplies.  I remember the butterflies in my stomach when the plane touched down in Guatemala.

The next few hours were a whirlwind…  Shopping for Emma at Hiper Paiz (sort of like Walmart)  “How many packs of diapers should I buy?  What types of jar fruits and veggies should I purchase?  Hmmm…would she prefer pears or applesauce?  How many cans of formula should I purchase?” 

  

After a quick stop at a pharmacy, my sweet driver took me to the Westin Camino Real in Guatemala City.  I was a little frazzled so I went to freshen up quickly in the bathroom.  It wasn’t long before Emma’s beloved foster family arrived with Emma.  As I walked down the hall towards them, my eyes brimming with tears, I could see that Emma’s foster father had already been crying…tears were streaming down his face.  I just could not keep it in…I let the tears flow...I was (and still am) immensely grateful for the love and care that Emma’s foster family gave to Emma for the first seven months of her life.  The next several minutes went by so quickly…many exchanges were made…  Hugs, kisses, tears, instructions, thank yous, promises of love…  And, finally, sweet Emma Grace Esperanza was put in my arms…forever.  We then traveled to Antigua to get settled in.  (I purposely have never posted the photos that I took of Emma at the Westin that day…Emma was so confused…I have chosen to keep those photos private.  The photo above was taken a few days after she had warmed up to me). 

Our first night together was HEARTBREAKING.  Emma screamed and screamed and screamed…she was completely inconsolable. 

She missed her foster family so much…they were WONDERFUL to her…they loved her so dearly and she missed them so much. 

The next few weeks were difficult in that regard but she did warm up to me. 

The photo to the right was taken the very next day.  Emma and I traveled from Antigua to Guatemala City together for Emma’s passport appointment.

The next few weeks in Guatemala were nuts!  The stove exploded where we were staying and Emma became very sick with rotavirus and she was hospitalized for a few days.  After we left the hospital in Antigua, we moved away from Antigua before we had originally planned to so that we could be closer to Emma’s doctor in Guatemala City.  And, I could NOT understand why Emma was spitting up SO MUCH, not eating well and vomiting and not tolerant of bumpy/long stroller rides and carriers (later we discovered the true extent of her struggles with reflux).  Jason arrived a few days after we left the hospital and I was SO grateful to have extra help.  However, he became sick and was vomiting and passing out!  What a crazy trip!!  We are excited to go back to Guatemala some day so that we can enjoy the country more and see what we were not able to see because of all of the craziness. 

Hanging out by the pool at the Westin in Guatemala City.

 

Emma seeing Papa for the first time in months.

Hanging out at the pool with Mommy.  I miss the blue and white lounge chairs.

 

Left:  Emma with Papa on the plane.  Right:  The 3 of us on Embassy appointment day.

We are SO BLESSED to have Emma in our lives!  We love her so much!!

God bless,

Tera