Our first 24hrs in Guatemala

We arrived in Guatemala and at our hotel @ 12:30 (Guatemalan time, which is 2hrs behind OH time). In our room, we called our in-country coordinator and were told to expect Yoselin, her foster mom, foster sister, and our translator @ 3p. We spent the next couple hours unpacking, worrying, and getting ready.
They arrived exactly on time and Yoselin was in a little blue dress that Mana Nilsen bought her the day we received the call for her referral. (Sorry, no pics, only video, but that will have to wait). After they arrived we spent a little over an hour together, talking about Yoselin, interacting with her and exchanging gifts with the foster family. Soon the foster family were on their way and we were left with a shrieking baby in our arms.
She had enjoyed us quite a bit up that point. She really took to David, as he has darker hair, but she stared at me suspiciously for a while until we played a bit, with her sitting on her foster sister's lap. David held her first when they arrived and she was enchanted with him. I held her only a few seconds and she was pretty freaked out. So when they left, she was in David's arms. We took the elevator up to our room. She shrieked and cried for next 6-8hrs. We took turns holding her. She would get especially afraid when she saw my face, so foreign looking. But I finally got her to fall asleep, holding her tight and humming "Brahms Lullaby". (It works when I'm babysitting too. ;P). She was due for a bottle right after they left, but she refused it until late in the evening. She woke up a few times during the night and we fed her every time, and took turns holding her. She was so sweaty from her frenzied crying, that finally I gave her some tylenol and she feel asleep on David's chest, sleeping for almost three hours straight. Needless to say, it was an exhausting night, especially since we'd slept very little the night before, but in the last sleep we all slept soundly and woke up feeling refreshed.
This morning we showered and gave Yosi a bath in the sink, which she liked (mostly). Then we wrapped her and went downstairs for breakfast and to spend a few hrs checking out the amenities- covered outdoor atrium with beautiful plants and fountains, stores, restaurant, jade collections, paintings and swimming pool. She was so much less afraid of us this morning- a whole new baby. We got tons of smiling and jabbering. She ate a little bit of baby food and tried some pan (rolls) at breakfast.
We visited the baby room and enjoyed meeting some other adoptive parents, though it induced waves of guilt as their babies were over a year and they had been waiting since soon after they were born. We feel so fortunate to have had such a timely process. It is with out doubt due to the innumerable prayers lifted heavenward on our behalf and God's immeasurable grace.
David's mom will note that her first day's outfit included the little pink capris she sewed that have brown "john deere" emblems stamped all over them. We only changed her after her first pooey diaper (a lovely greenish concoction). We are having a peaceful afternoon (she is napping right now as I hold her in a sling David fixed up with one of our wraps). We leave the patio door open and the AC off as our translator advised, as Guatemalans are used to fresh air- we might as well get used to it, as we don't have AC @home anyway. We have been lulled to sleep by the noisy traffic, the birds, and not infrequently the lift off of planes, less than half a mile west of our hotel. The foster family said she would not sleep unless it was very quiet, but so far she's slept through tons of noise- we even talk out loud while she sleeps...

Continue to keep us in your prayers. We look forward to seeing you in the weeks to come.

Love and smiles~ Lyndie and David