A Memorable Week

Sandy and I flew to Guatemala City on Saturday, January 15. Sandy, Adam, and I flew back on Friday, January 21. The fact that more of us flew back than flew there was obviously the most memorable part of the week. The first major event was the fact that our luggage was not on the airplane when it arrived in Guatemala City. I promised myself that I would mention in this post that DELTA AIRLINES LOST OUR LUGGAGE. It arrived the next day. Sandy and I toured Lake Atitlan and Chichicastelnango on Sunday, and toured Guatemala City and Antigua on Monday. We took possession of our new son on Tuesday, after waiting in the lobby for two hours past the time when we expected him. We spent that night without a crib because there were so many babies in the Marriott. When the crib arrived the next night, one of the wheels was held on by rubber bands and it kept falling out if the crib was moved much. The rest of the week was just great, however. Adam was well behaved even during the wait at the U.S. Embassy for his resident visa and for the flight back. However, he had diarrhea, and refused to take any formula until we called his pediatrician in Guatemala on Thursday morning. He suggested a different brand of formula, and Adam started getting nutrition again. Until I saw him drinking the first bottle of the new formula, I was afraid he was going to come to the United States only to starve here. After a week in sunny, warm Guatemala, we arrived at Bradley International Airport, north of Hartford, and the pilot announced that the temperature was 5 degrees Farenheit. I said to Sandy that Adam is going to think that he was kidnapped by Eskimoes. The next morning Blizzard Charles hit. If we had delayed the arrival in Connecticut for one more day, it would have meant being unable to come home until today (Sunday) because Bradley International Airport closed at 6 p.m. Saturday because of the blizzard.

Adam is a beautiful, happy baby and everyone who met him is thoroughly charmed. His foster mother and her daughters cried when they said goodby to him. I can imagine that saying goodbye after living with such a little charmer for 7 months has to be extremely difficult. Having to say goodbye to him for just a few days when I leave for Washington tomorrow morning is also going to be difficult.

One of the chores Sandy will be faced with while I am gone is to try to make sure that Adam's Certificate of Citizenship, which is supposed to arrive within 45 days has his name as Adam Jefferson Enders, rather than Carlos Andres Enders, which is the name on his passport and his visa.