WE ARE HOME!!!!

Dear All:

Things have been really busy lately. Thanks God we made it home safe and sound!!! Maya is extremely happy in her new home. She is adjusting to her new room and her new family. So far, she is doing wonderfully. She is eating very well. We are making progress with putting her to nap and sleep. We are a work in progress when it comes to giving her a bath. So far, that is one of the most challenging for her because she does not enjoyed being washed. We know that it is a period of adjustment for her, so we are trying to make it a fun experience for her.

We tried to get her a new social security number today, but we were told that we need to wait 21 days before we can apply for one. We were really bothered by that, because to us that does not make sense, but there is nothing we can do, but wait. In the meantime, we turned in all the paperwork to add her to my health insurance. We have an appointment for Friday, April 17 with a need pediatrician, we will see how it goes. At the same time, tomorrow, we are taking her to be seen by someone at the Early Steps Coalition Program (thanks to my sister Ana Maria). This is an organization that will evaluate how she is doing according to her age. We are aware that she is developmentally delayed, but we don't know how much. At the same time, we are very happy that she is showing so much improvement. We have seen that she picks up extremely fast, but we still have to help her and teach her how to walk and how to speak. We are very confident that with love and dedication she will succeed. I will keep you posted. As soon as I have a chance, I post some pictures. In the meantime, take care everyone.... Until my next post.....

FIRST DAYS WITH MAYA ANTONINA

Dear All:

Sorry I have not posted new pictures since "Gotcha Day" last Friday, April 3rd. Things have been really hectic... We are getting to know Maya and she is getting to know us... My post will be brief. We are in the process of getting her new Russian passport, birth certificate and other paperwork necessary before we can leave to Moscow, God willing on Wednesday. To be honest with you we are really home sick and since we already have what we came here to get which was to get our little angel, we feel like.... let's get out of here already!!! Also, we want Maya to start getting used to her new home, her room and her new family. I will try to post some new pictures before we head off to Moscow. Please continue to pray for us, we still need to go through the US Embassy in order to get Maya's visa to be able to enter the US. Take care everyone!!!

GOTCHA DAY!!!!

Dear Family and Friends:

It is with the outmost happiness that we present to you the new addition to the Guillen-Codina Family. As you all are aware our daughter's new name is Maya Antonina Guillen Codina. We are so happy that words cannot express how thankful we are to God be be able to have are most dearest dream come through to be the parents of our little Angel. As of today, we are no longer a party of two, from now on we have become a party of three. We Love you and Miss you all. Thank you for all your love and support throughout our journey. Our little angel now sleeps restfully in her crib along her parents who love her with all our hearts. Can't wait to see you all so we can share our great happiness.

Love, Mauri, Yadi & Maya

ONE MORE DAY BEFORE ITS OFFICIAL

Dear Family and Friends:

We have one more day before our adoption becomes "official" We can't wait for Friday to come soon enough! We are really happy, excited and nervous at the same time. Maya has been bonding really well with us. Some days are really good and some are not so good, but she is a small child and that it’s to be expected! She still sick, her cough has gotten a lot worst; we are really concerned about that. I told our translator that we might have to take her to the doctor when we get her on Friday, we will see. We brought several types of kids OTC meds, but don't want to start giving her stuff without even knowing if they are going to help her. At the same time, Mauri its doing better from his cold, but I can't say the same about me :o( I have also caught what Maya and Mauri got, and its hitting me hard!!! I am taking medication, but don't seem to be helping too much! I have been with high fever and I can't really talk because my throat hurts so much! I am praying to be better by Friday, Maya needs us and we need to be there for her (preferably healthy :o).

On a happy note, when we pick her up on Friday, I will be able to post pictures of her and us, before that time, unfortunately it is not allowed (as I have mentioned before). So make sure to check Friday, so you can meet the "official" family of three!!!


Mauri and I are really home sick, we can't wait to go home with Maya. We miss everything, our family, our house, our bed, and how can I forget, the food!!! We can't wait to have Cuban bread with fried eggs (huevo pullado), refried beans (made by Mom), Nicaraguan cheese and mantequilla (it’s like sour cream, but better) and turkey bacon!!! Doesn't that sound really good! Mauri and I are really looking forward to a home cooked meal. Don't take me wrong, there is food for purchase around Tver, but it is completely different than what we are used to. Also there only so much chicken we can eat from the Chicken House (that's the name of the place) or from Milano pizza!!!!

At the same time, we have enjoyed our adoption journey tremendously, not only we get our little angel to come home with us, but at the same time, at least for me, it has reminded me and made me realize (once again) how lucky I am to have a great husband, a loving family (best Mom ever, and 2 wonderful sisters) and great friends who I love and cherish!! To have been able to accomplish our greatest dream of becoming parents, among other things! I thank God and everyone involved for all you have done during our Adoption Journey!

Well, that's all for now, until our next post on Friday. Take care everyone!!!!