What Dateline doesn’t show you, is how much their involvement benefited many families not shown on the program. Long before Thanassis and/or the awful kidnapping took shape, it was calls and questions by Benita and Dateline that helped solidify investigations into Reaching Arms International (and a few “bluffs” along the way 8)) and a couple other agencies, and actually sped-up the induction of a second DNA test. If memory serves me correctly (and Benita will correct me if not), the State Department was very interested in their air date several months ago, due to the fact that a second DNA test was being inquired about, yet had been pushed by FOA and others as a way to close the window on those committing DNA fraud several years ago. Part of my interview dealt with this, and the “powers to be” didn’t want the obvious to be broadcast on television.

I know Benita tired of my constant preaching of “fairness,” although she didn’t express it, and I think her end product respected the concerns we all had. And, truth be known, she was touched by her experience with everyone she met in her research. Maybe Kevin and I “wore” her down!! Haha

I’m still trying to take it all in, and I’m not sure how long that will take. I appreciate the additional “clips” on the web at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/
as it allows me to “haunt” Blanca Martinez for a little longer. I know this is short and brief, and I will be happy to entertain any questions anyone may have. There is no need to keep things quiet now. In the meantime, I’m going to tuck my oldest daughter in her bed and have a beer! 8)

Thanks for the "kick in the rear." haha

I have been trying my best to keep some distance from all the current turmoil surrounding the current status in Guatemala; it is simply too frustrating to wade through all the "mud" that is being thrown from the different entities involved. Rather than worry about it, I decided to just "do the family thing" and avoid letting all this "stuff" interfere with life in general. So far, so good! 8)

Alia is nearing 10 months and is probably the most pleasant child we have known. That is saying a lot, as Amaya was what we considered an "easy" baby to care for. Alia went from not sitting on her own when we picked her up in July to pulling herself up to everything, and in the past couple of weeks she has learned to let go and keep her balance for a couple seconds at a time. She then grins with that big smile of hers and does it over and over again. I'm guessing she will be walking sometime before her first birthday. It will be quite odd looking, as she is barely on any growth charts here in the states. It will be hard to tell her apart from some of the stand-up Dora figurines that Amaya adores so much! 8). Amaya recently turned four and had a Scooby Do themed party to celebrate. We play this game she calls "Scooby Do." I am Freddy, she is Dafne and Alia is Scooby - Amaya says that she gets to "make the rules" (of which there seems to be none). We chat about nonsense stuff, and the most important "rule" is that we address one another by our proper "Scooby names." Funny!

The Dateline script is being written as I type. There seems to be no set date, just that it needs to be ready ASAP. I have a couple things to send in to them as of a couple days ago, so I am guessing they are looking for an October readiness. Through communicating with the producer for nearly a year now, I've learned that nothing is "set in stone," and it can change on a whim. There originally was a date of Sept. 10 set, but that fell through - not sure why. I will be sure and post something more definitive as soon as I hear. Hopefully it will get its airtime prior to any sort of shutdown in Guatemala.

Alexia's case is somewhat frustrating and confusing. The communication between ourselves and Feliciano has brokendown substantially. With the current "threat" toward hogars or private homes, I'm sure the situation is quite difficult within the Guatemalan system. PGN and the government in general is making it quite difficult for some to operate in Guatemala. Our last update consisted of us being told that our file was complete and inside PGN as of August 19th. It was expected to be in another 8 weeks which would put us getting out sometime in November. To be honest, we are nor very clear on the status of her case at this point.

best wishes,
Troy

The attached photo is at Lambert Airport in St. Louis. After waking at 3 am for a 4 am trip to the Guat. Airport and then flying into Houston, sitting for nearly an hour in immigration and then on to St. Louis, this is the "best" we could do to put on two excited smiles haha. Immigration was interesting because there were nine babies in all. A couple of us experiencing it for the second time, but most were "first-timers." The nice thing was we were able to meet some very nice families and children along the way, from the Ross family to the Heatherly to the Hillan to the Shields to the Cartwrights and others I cannot recall. Very nice and caring people.

After all the "drama" of adoption, Alia has become an instant fit into this family. Much like when Amaya arrived, we cannot imagine our life as it "used to be." We have quickly transformed her sleeping and feeding habits to be more in-line with "OUR SLEEP SCHEDULE!" 8) We fill those bottles up and stuff the cereal in her as best we can. So far so good, because she has slept completely through the night the past two nights. Nothing like a baby that loves to sleep! She is very ticklish about everywhere one touches her and she loves to laugh. She pushes up on her hands and sticks her head up as far as she can reach - sort of like a turtle popping out of its shell. Not crawling yet, but only a matter of time and we'll be chasing her around the house.

We are so proud of Amaya for the way she handled herself at Grandma/Grandpa's house while we were away, and for the way she has dealt with having a sibling. While in Guatemala, we checked regularly via email on how she was handling her first "overnight" away from Mom and Dad. We kept waiting for the word that she was being a holy terror or just missing us. We refrained from calling out of fear of disrupting a "good thing." We "prepped" her as best we could for nearly a month, but one never knows for sure how it will turnout. Of course we have had to slowly remove the pedestal she stood on all week with the grandparents, but overall everything went perfectly.

Other than one little "sharing of Dad's lap" incident, we haven't noticed any serious jealousy at all. We keep waiting for it and are prepared, but once again, we are very impressed with Amaya's maturity in all of this.

We've been extremely busy, and I haven't had a chance to respond to individual emails as I normally do, so If I have missed responding to someone please contact me again.

tw

At window #6, we were taken through the Embassy process step-by-step by a wonderful lady named Melody Santa Maria. I informed her that we were doing this on our own, so she may have to repeat instructions from time to time. She was absolutely cordial and helpful from the very beginning to the end. We thanked her profusely for her patience and kindness. Sometimes the Embassy staff doesn't always get a "fair shake,' but in her case she was exceptional. We received our "bill" for $380 and slid over to window #4 to press the little buzzer for assistance. We paid our bill and returned to our seat for the infamous call the to the "closet" for our interview, which by the way, did not amount to a whole lot - took all of about 3 minutes and we were back to our seats.

Called to window #9 for our final document check (health report of child, etc.) and we were out of there in about two hours! 8) I didn't get the fellows number who handled this part of the process, but he too was exceptional (reddish hair and beard, with glasses). He did tell us he didn't see many families come through that did not use an agency. I gave him a brief statement regarding my feeling about most agencies. He gave us the "most important" document in the entire process, the receipt for the visa the following day, and we were on our way back to the Marriott.

I wanted to mention a couple things that didn't have a lot to do with this adoption, but did with our first child's. I didn't mention any names in my introduction because of some legal issues I didn't want to get anyone else involved with. But, as we entered the Embassy, we ran into an old friend from Amaya's adoption. Colleen Fluery, prior to partnering with Traci Orr and starting the agency For This Child, was instrumental in our first adoption. She helped get us established in Antigua to foster and played a crucial role in getting Amaya home. We were together nearly everyday for the first few weeks of my stay in Guatemala. She translated for me, made phone calls, asked tough questions, and drove me to Guatemala City day in and day out. She was with me in nearly every stage of trying to identify Amaya when her identity was unknown. It was her contacting Rudy Rivera that ultimately helped us verify that we did NOT have the child we were referred. She is the consumate professional in everything she does, and we could not thank her enough for all she did for our family.

Troy

After settling in at the Marriott, we scheduled a 2 pm pickup of Alia and Alexia. We called our friend Edwin Rodriguez to take us to Feliciano’s hogar, unfortunately he was busy with other clients, but he was able to send a very kind and respectful driver named Jose Lemus. Jose speaks great English and ranks right up there with Edwin in regards to his sincerity in taking care of adoptive families.

We had called Feliciano to arrange a time to get the girls, and he asked what we were doing afterwards. Now, this always scares me somewhat, because Feliciano never gives us any advance notice that he is planning on taking us somewhere for dinner or entertainment. And, to have him tell you “I’ll explain when you get here” is even more frightening. We are thinking about all the things that we “need” or don’t “need” for our daughters. Now, we have to “guess” what we “need” for an evening with Feliciano!!

Once at the hogar, it was like we had never left from our April visit. Cristel and Sandra were there to greet us, and all the children looked great! Alia hadn’t changed much other than her hair is a bit longer and curlier (have no idea how we ended with two girls with curly hair), and we quickly realized she had sprouted one lone tooth on bottom once she pulled our hand to her mouth and started chewing. She is a tiny thing, but already up on all-fours and “bucking” every chance she gets. We had forgotten about the “Michael Jordan” stage when it seems NOTHING is out of reach. She had my glasses and Lisa’s necklace before we knew what hit us. In April, we could “out quick her,” but her hand-eye coordination is much better now. We’re going to have to get up to speed quickly.

Alexia was a different story. We have known for a long-time that she would be the most difficult due to her age and her life-long stay in the hogar. She has been there since day four of her one-year existence, and she is very attached to her caregivers – as they are to her. We didn’t take her with us on our visit trip due to the uncertainty of her abandonment, so we wanted to be sure and spend some time with her this trip. As before, picking her up causes a fairly traumatic experience for her. We can get close and sort of “tease” with her, but each time either of us hoisted her from her seated arrangement, it was the “cry that melts your heart.” It sort of makes one feel like the “bad guy.” I don’t think anyone, us included, “wants” a child to be frightened like that. Knowing full well that stuff like this happens everyday in adoptions, it was still “difficult to swallow.”

Fortunately for Alexia, her family court appointment was for the following morning the same time our Embassy appointment was. So, it was decided we would get her after we completed the Embassy on Monday and returned to the Marriott.

Our “explain when you get there” worry got put on hold due to Amaya not being with us. Feliciano had planned on taking us horseback riding – mainly for Amaya and Angel David (Feliciano and Sandra’s adopted son). We owe Angel, because he was definitely disappointed when we opted for a nice dinner out. He told Cristel, “this isn’t the way to kabayo sp?) We had a nice dinner “somewhere” in Guatemala City and were entertained with a karaoke song (Guatemalan style) by Feliciano. I have to admit, I didn’t recognize one word, but he did a fine job. And, I have photos to prove it!

After returning to the Marriott and enjoying a peaceful and relaxing evening, we started getting prepared for the Embassy the following day.

Our pick-up trip has finally arrived and, as expected, we are “scrambling.” Last minute shopping, last minute securing the house, and last minute packing! I’m hoping this is how everyone functions at this point of the adoption process. I’m sitting in a Master’s class thinking about other things, things such as my two-hour drive home, then our two-hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to drop off Amaya. From there it is on to St. Louis for the night (short night), and our early morning wake-up for a 5:45 am flight. There is no doubt we will forget something!!

I can say there is much more “calmness” with this trip. I don’t consider it the “second-child” syndrome where one isn’t as excited as the first, but more a confidence that everything has been done correctly and everything will run smoothly for our trip. The second time through is definitely less stressful due to understanding the entire process somewhat better. Many have told us that one cannot prepare for a second addition to the family, and I have to admit we are not prepared. Yes, we have the crib ready to go, bottles sitting to be filled, and plenty of wet-ones!! But, I don’t believe reality has set in at this point. We are bringing a seven-month old baby into our lives and Amaya’s. It is back to the “waking up in the middle of the night,” “diapers galore”, and “the teething experience!” Yikes!!

I find my mind “flickering” from one idea to another without coming to any solid conclusion or plan for anything. I guess I’m more comfortable just “winging-it.” Not a great trait to rely on in every situation, however.

One of those “flickering” thoughts is in regards to whether we have come to any conclusion on our daughter’s name! Strange thought, I know – but something we have tossed around for months. We have definitely decided on “Alia” as a first name, and we’re pretty sure “Gabrielle” will become her middle name. Now, this poses a future dilemma with Alexia. Since Amaya Grace and Alia Gabrielle are “A.G.” initials, it is only fair to do the same for Alexia!! So, we are trying to come up with a third “G” name for Alexia’s middle name. With everything going on at this moment, it is humorous that thoughts such as “what the heck G-name can we find for Alexia” even enters my thoughts.

Speaking of Alexia, we will be spending time with her as well as finishing up Alia’s process. We opted out of taking her with us on our visit in April, due to uncertainty about the outcome of her abandonment. So, we are looking forward to the opportunity to have her with us. Her case is “in process,” but to be honest, we are not sure where it is at this point. We knew we were in family court a couple weeks back, so assuming her case is following a similar timeline, she should be in PGN, or nearing PGN, without pre-approval. Since DNA is not a factor in determining pre-approval in an abandonment case, we are somewhat removed from that stage. With pre-approval taking an eternity, there hasn’t been any reason for us to get too excited.

it is so nice that the adoptive community shares information like we do!! It is invaluable in navigating the complicated adoption process - especially in its ever-changing nature.

tw

more later

The picture I attached is of Alia, the little girl who just received PGN approval. Her hair shows significant growth in each new photo we receive, and we do thank all of you who have sent photos after visiting Feliciano's hogar. We sincerely appreciate it.

It is likely this way with everyone else, but our adoptions seem to "time up" with other aspects of our lives that make it difficult to manage. One would think that a June or July homecoming would work perfectly for parents who are both teachers and have summers free, however this is never the case with us. Eight or nine years ago we started a concession business during our "off" months in the summer. Since starting this, our business has grown quite significantly and keeps us running for the biggest part of the summer. We have tried to keep the month of June free and then hit it hard in July and August and then operate on weekends in the fall months when school starts. As fortune will have it, our pick up trip will no doubt schedule itself during our first event of the year!!

I have to admit we have been "slacking" in regards to preparing ourselves for the arrival of an infant. The crib is ready, but we really haven't supplied ourselves with all the necessary "baby stuff" required to raise an infant. I'm sure since we requested an infant that "sleeps through the night," "is potty-trained," and "can make their own bottles" we'll be JUST fine! haha

tw

The questions started with our previous adoption of Amaya and all we went through with that. Yes, we had babies swapped and we were continually lied to about various stages of the adoption and all of these things were touched on briefly. Since this is not part of the focus of the program, their emphasis was on "how we felt." From there, I was asked about RAI, Mary Bonn, and Blanca Martinez. Most questions focused on "who was at fault." We then discussed current investigations and Hague implications. We talked about Guatemalan non-compliance and what would happen to the children if it all comes to an end. Needless to say, I was naturally passionate when it came to the fate of the children caught in this mess. I tried to stress that the Guatemalan government has NO answers to the conflicts between centralizing their program and/or maintaining aspects of the private sector. I referred to FOA and their rebuttal from time to time - after all, they are the "professionals."

The Guatemalan government does NOT wish to process adoptions. Why in the world would they?? They barely have the capacity to function effectively now, let alone adding thousands of adoptions to their agenda. So, who will do this?? No one knows for sure, unless there are private attorneys involved to some degree. We talked about types of "oversight" necessary to clean up the current corruption. As others believe, I do as well that when we (and Guatemala) start putting people in jail for their actions, we will go a long way in "righting the ship." Rather than shut the entire system down, we need to "weed out" the bad players and continue to strive to be pragmatic in our approach. If it works - keep it, if it doesn't work - get rid of it. I urged Dateline to speak with the First Lady and get her to tell us what her plan is for all of these children when there are no longer families waiting for them. Where will they be housed and cared for? What social programs will be in place for the children? What social programs for the biomoms will be provided? The private sector will no longer spend their own money to care for these children when the government should be doing so.

There will be "bloodshed" in Guatemala if the U.S. is no longer able to adopt. What choices will the impoverished have if 5,000 adoptions are removed?? I tried to emphasize the .............

I was asked about biomoms receiving money. I told Dateline, and others who may be skeptical, that WE need to give the biomoms of Guatemala a little more credit than to make "blanket" statements that biomoms are coerced into giving up their child. Are they "payed" to "produce" children - ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I referred them to the FOA rebuttal for more clarity and then we talked about what biomoms in the U.S. are entitled to from adoptive families. I asked them to "decide" if THEY thought biomoms in Guatemala deserved the same respect and fair treatment that biomoms in the states receive.

We then got personal again about "bad press" and "what sells." I told them it was an attack on my family and every other adoptive family to "assume" all Guatemalan adoptions are corrupt. The thousands of perfectly legal and ethical adoptions that occur annually are testament to this. To continually present to the public the "negatives" with adoptions from Guatemala is not fair to my two daughters nor my family as a whole nor the adoption community as a whole. To attempt to stigmatize my adoption "angers" me to no end. My daughters should not have to defend themselves from false accusations because the press inaccurately portrays Guatemalan adoptions. Don't make those same "blanket" assumptions based on the actions of a few!!

I can't remember every detail, but overall I was pleased. What parts will be shown and how they will be presented are a mystery to me...............................................

After the day was over, I anxiously returned to my family at the Marriott. My lovely, legal, ethical, and yet non-typically adopted daughter Amaya and I went for a swim and splashed around for the remainder of the evening. We shared a cheeseburger and fries and talked about "things" three year olds talk about!! To think anyone has a valid motive for casting a shadow over such a loving existence is beyond my realm of understanding.

Troy

Easter Sunday was rather relaxing at the Marriott. We did attempt to take some Easter photos of our two girls, but it didn't work out as we had envisioned. One slept while the other failed to cooperate! Nothing that should not have been expected when WE wanted a couple nice photos for the future.

Monday started early as I made my way to the Westin to finally meet the Dateline producer in person. Over several cups of coffee, we discussed how the day would unfold. Of course, even the best laid plans require some flexibility. Around 10 am we headed for Susana's temporary home (Primavera). I'm not sure how long it was we planned on being there, but several hours were spent filming every corner of her home. I have to say, the Dateline crew is very thorough.

Susana's temporary home is........

Having an opportunity to talk with Dateline informally at first made my interview later in the day that much easier. Both the producer and assistant producer listened attentively to stories and ideas from both Susana and myself. Whether we get from this story what we want is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure, the Dateline producer "feels" what we feel. Even Susana mentioned that a genuine compassion for these children could be seen in her eyes. It isn't difficult to tell when someone is "touched" by something, and regardless of the outcome of the story, this producer was "touched." I'm praying she can do justice to the thousands of children who have already been adopted and the thousands that are still waiting to be united with a loving family. Even today I have a difficult time understanding how in today's world we still have children in need of someone to love them "forever."

From Susana's home, I traveled back to the Marriott to change and make a quick trip to visit the judge who granted our first daughter's abandonment. Often times, some of the "unsung" heroes in all of this do not get to see the "fruits of their labor." It was Feliciano's idea, and it was a great idea in our mind as well. It is getting late, so I'll talk about this and my interview with Dateline later.

adios

The Guatemala City Airport has tried to make some nice changes, but I'm not sure there has been a significant change in efficiency. It all begins with the 6-7 lanes for immigration - nothing new here, but we were fortunate that a rather large group of church missionaries chose to ALL take lane 3. I remember our first time through, and we wanted to see what everyone in front of us was doing prior to our going up to immigration officers. With all of them being in lane 3, we quietly walked down #2 where there was no waiting and were quickly proctored through. Onto to luggage pick-up, which is indeed much nicer than in years past. I always enjoyed watching the luggage carts roll in and seeing our luggage "gently" catapulted on to the conveyor. So, shielding us from this experience I would consider a good thing. As luck would have it, our three check-ins were first on the conveyor. No clothes hanging out, so "entry" was going smoothly for us. We have on past trips waited for an eternity only to be told that several carts of luggage did not make the trip we were on.

We were met by Feliciano and Cristel, along with the Dateline crew. Cristel was holding a "welcome" sign for the Webbs which was a first for us. I always made it a point to glance at all the signs being held up for different families in the past, so it was nice to see our name. If Dateline wanted the "natural" look, they got it, because we were some weary travelers by that point. And of course we were overdressed as usual. Going from 19 degrees in Peoria to the balmy upper 70s of GC was as uncomfortable as I remember.

Guatemalans are "tougher" than us; I'm sure of it. I don't know if it is age or what, but I really enjoy airconditioning in about any temp above 70, and GC's upper 70s feels like a hundred degrees to me. Since we had ridden in Feliciano's van before, I was well aware of the "no airconditioning" situation we were about to face. One is left with a choice! Ride with the windows down and enjoy the fresh exhaust of the chicken buses and oversized trucks, or leave them up and guess where the sweat running down one's back will really end up. 8) I opted for a combination of the two.

During the van ride, we talked with Feliciano and Cristel in regards to Alexia's abandonment. Although they will fight for a favorable ruling, they were very honest about her chances of being abandoned for adoption by a foreign family, and it isn't that great. It was indicated to us that PGN is being very proactive in finding families in Guatemala for abandoned children. This is being pushed rather aggressively by the First Lady. Now, on the surface I think everyone would agree this is a "good thing." We do. However, PGN cares little in regards to the prospective families motive and/or resources for adopting the child. Yes, they too must have a homestudy of sorts, but it is already apparent that there are problems with this policy. If UNICEF or anti-ICA officials in Guatemala are truly worried about the lack of oversight in foreign adoptions, can you just imagine what we're looking at here in cases like this?? Because of the concern for losing the abandonment, we opted not to take Alexia with us for the week. We had planned to, but we worried that "emotional wall" wouldn't hold up if we get bad news on May 2 (final abandonment hearing). I'll follow-up on this later.

Arriving at the hogar was exciting, I must admit. I think it was at this point that memories of first meeting Amaya started to creep back. When one has done this before and had both negative and positive experiences, I think there is always guarded caution taken with every step of the process. Once the point of actually meeting your child is upon you, that caution tends to crumble instantly. It was neat seeing all the older children seated at the table as you enter the hogar. Aleandra, a daughter of Felciano, was seated and leading them in a coloring activity. With my fluent Spanish ready to roll, I bellowed out my complete vocabulary in one big "HOLA!" to the children. They all smiled and returned the greeting and showed us all their coloring. It was "neat."

Into the main area of the hogar, we navigated through the children until we came upon Gloria for the first time. Her hair was the first thing we noticed. Deep black and very thick and full. Wish I had some myself!. Since we first visited Amaya when she was 8 mos., we were a little nervous about having and holding a 4 mos. old. I have to admit, I let Lisa do the first holding. I'm always fearful I'll hold her like I'm carrying a football or something and look totally incompetent. I'm sure there are other dads out there that feel the same. I start feeling at ease about the time they can start putting me in a "headlock" or something, of which Amaya has gotten very good about doing. 8)

We spent several hours at the hogar before heading for the Marriott. During that time, we met most of the other children there. I always like seeing all the kids - they just hover for attention and I think they realize that at some point, their mom and dad is coming for them. It really is a dream they hold dear. They love having their photos taken and then shown back to them via the digital camera - and you can tell Feliciano's adopted son Angel loves the camera (what a smile). In and amongst all the "hub-ub" with NBC being there, we didn't take one darn photo of Gloria or Alexia while at the hogar. It is frustrating to live in "my world," because I am more of a "big picture" type thinker and all the necessary steps in between I tend to overlook from time to time. It haunts me most in situations like this when I should have planned better. Oh well, chalk up another lesson!

Although that first meeting is special, I don't think it compares to when you finally get your child up to your room and experience it only with your family. Although we had others in the room, it was still overwhelming at "how" children "just know" something special is taking place. Even the camera crew commented on how Gloria had changed from the time we had her at the hogar to the time we got her to our room. She was lying on the bed as we were at her side doing all the goofy things parents do. Her "cooing," smiling, kicking, and attempted talk were something I'll never forget. It instantly took us back to when Amaya did the very same thing. I don't have words for what it is that takes place, but there is a connection made that can never be undone in parent and child alike. I'm sure social experts would have a fancy term for it, but my best guess is it is simply "love."

Well, one of the three women in my life is waking up from a nap - so I have to run.

As is typical in Guatemala, her residence was fronted by a makeshift gate made from sheets of tin, which even added to the uncertainty of what we would find! As my "trusty" translator and I were mainly focused on the front of her residence, we failed to notice the diminutive figure just down to the right who was sweeping the sidewalk with a broom made of straw. I think we both pointed at the same time and in unison said "That's her!" I can't explain how "twilight zone" the feeling was. It was one of fear, excitement, and disbelief all at the same time.

Not wishing to frighten this lady, I asked my translator and "new" guide to exit the vehicle and humbly tell her why we were there. I told them I would stay in the vehicle until they assured me it was ok with this woman. As she stopped her work and conversed with the two, I saw her gesture "yes" with a nod of her head. As she started for her front door, my translator informed me that she was inviting us in to visit. I was elated!

As we talked, it was evident that "Elisa" was indeed Amaya's true grandmother. She shared with us the early photos we had provided her, and reiterated everything we had previously understood as the truth. She shared with me her anger when first hearing of the adoption as well. She was 63 years old, and had been indoctrined into believing the horrible stories about children being "sold" for body parts. I had not thought much about this "old news" story, until she mentioned it as being a real concern for her. At first, she indicated that she was determined to raise this child no matter how poor she was. After all, she was already raising a half-brother and half-sister from her same daughter. As this world works in very strange ways, it was our first meeting with her that convinced her to "support" this adoption. She expressed to me that it was evident how much we truly loved this little girl, and deep down she knew and understood the true blessing that had been brought to her family and ours.

We talked for nearly two hours before it was time to go. I met Amaya's half-brother, aunt, and baby cousin, and learned much about these people. I learned that Amaya's mother still had not been heard from since leaving her children with Elisa and stating she was going off to work. It was clear that the three years since she last saw her daughter had been difficult. The "not knowing" was the hardest. Fortunately for us, and for Amaya, I was able to take photos and video of her extended family. And, hanging on the wall of her home was a couple photos of Amaya's bio-mother. A photo of a photo may be all we are able to share of Amaya's bio-mother, but I am thankful to Elisa and her family for allowing us this opportunity.

With all the negative that we hear quite often, I have to say that Elisa and her family were the most "unassuming" people I have ever met. They were genuine, hard-working, and true to their word. As I was leaving, I promised I would accomodate them somehow on our next visit. I intend to keep that promise.

tw