Alexander is from Guatemala and was adopted when he was eighteen months old. We chose to adopt an older child so that David would have someone to play with immediately, instead of waiting for an infant to grow up. From the start David has had an active role in teaching his brother everything he knows. Helping Alex learn to talk, showing him where everything is, introducing him to all his friends and making sure he doesn't get into trouble, are all part of being a big brother. It's a lot of work! We chose Guatemala as the adoptive country because of the short stay which was 3 to 4 days to complete the adoption. We also wanted our son David to have a sibling with a similar ethnic background.

Our first day in Guatemala was the most eventful. That was the day Alexander came into our lives. His foster mother, whom he lived with since birth, was a very kind and gentle woman. Even though she spoke no English and we very little Spanish, we were able to communicate through gestures and pointing to objects. Alexander was at first hesitant to let me hold him. Eventually he was brave enough to let me hold him, and we seemed to bond instantly. His foster mother was surprised at how quickly he became attached to us. Later that evening we found out that our stay in Guatemala had been extended to one week. There was a mix up at the U.S. Embassy about our appointment and the day was changed from Tuesday to Friday. We immediately had to change our plane tickets and call home. David was staying with his grandparents and they gladly agreed to watch him a few days longer.

With that settled, instead of stressing about our extended stay, we decided to take advantage of the situation. We made arrangements to take a tour of Guatemala City and other historic sites. We took lots of pictures and have many happy memories of our visit to Guatemala. We even went out to eat at several local restaurants. There were other couples from the United States who were also adopting and staying at our hotel, and we did lots of souvenir shopping together. In the evenings we would all gather on the front porch and swap adoption tales, talk about our children and try to relax. Because of our extended stay I have a beautiful photo album full of pictures of Alexander's homeland that will hopefully give him a glimpse of what life was like in his native country.

On June 9th, we arrived back in the U.S. totally exhausted from the long trip. When we arrived in Shrewsbury there were some neighborhood kids playing outside. Alex went over and just started playing with them. It just shows how adaptable kids are! Alex is growing like a weed! He is a very happy 2 year old boy who loves to cuddle with Mom and Dad and play with his big brother David. They are inseparable. Where one goes, the other follows. Alex does have a speech delay due to the language differences. He is going to speech therapy through early intervention and is progressing rapidly.

Our two adoptions had their stressful and hectic moments, but once you have that child in your arms and you look into those big beautiful eyes, you can only say yes, it was worth it! Raising two boys and working full time gets very busy and is very demanding. Juggling work and family makes you crazy at times but we wouldn't have it any other way. We both know we are making a difference in the lives of two beautiful boys. Who knows, maybe we'll do it one more time. I think the boys need a little sister, don't you?