Our story began in September of 2004 when we attended a seminar at EAC. We have a biological daughter who was 8 years old at the time. We had been seriously considering expanding our family through adoption for the past year and decided to attend the seminar. We had originally decided to look into adopting from China. Then we saw the babies from Guatemala. After speaking with some of the adoptive parents and staff from EAC, we decided that Guatemala is where we would find our daughter.

We began the process in mid-October. The entire Guatemala staff at EAC were incredible during the paperwork portion of the process. They provided clear instructions on what documents were needed and how to complete them. On February 28, 2005 we received the video and referral for Kimberlyn Samantha, who was born on February 16, 2005. It was love at first sight! We submitted the formal acceptance forms on March 3, 2005 and then the waiting game commenced! On August 29th we received the call that we would be leaving on September 5th (Labor Day) to finally meet Kimi and bring her home.

The three of us arrived in Guatemala at approximately 1:00 p.m. and were met by Trisha from EAC at the hotel. We were told that the babies would be brought to the hotel by the foster mothers that afternoon. We saw some of the foster mothers and babies arrive, but knew immediately that Kimi wasn’t one of them. We went to the suite to see the other babies and foster mothers; some were crying even before the parents arrived because they would have to say goodbye to their babies. We left the suite to give the families privacy and went back to our room to wait for our turn. After what seemed like forever, Kimi arrived. Nothing can prepare you for the moment you walk through the door and look at your child for the first time -- there she was, sitting on her foster mother’s lap. She was so beautiful! Our daughter Jessie walked right up to her and said “Hi Kimi, I’m your big Sis Jessie.” Kimi grabbed Jessie’s finger and held on - the bond between the two was immediately formed. The suite was filled with the laughter and tears of five brand new families. What an emotional moment! Meeting the foster mother for the first time leaves you at a loss for words. How do you thank the person who has spent the past 6 months of her life caring for and about your precious child. You immediately feel a special bond because of the love you both have for the child. We spoke with the foster mother through the interpreter and as much as we could on our own. She was a very nice person and obviously loved Kimi and took wonderful care of her. Kimi is a very healthy, happy baby who loves to be held and cuddled. Then the time came for the foster mother to leave. Kimi was her 26th foster child, but it was still difficult for her to say goodbye. Having been foster parents ourselves for a short period of time, we knew how difficult it must be for these wonderful families to take these babies in when they are very young and then have to let them go.

Kimi seemed to enjoy being with us from that point on, especially since her big Sis never wanted to leave her side. She even insisted in sleeping in the bed next to Kimi’s crib. It was very difficult for Jessie to go back to school once we came home. She wanted to spend every waking minute with her new little sister.

The hotel was very nice and having the EAC suite available 24 hours a day was a great convenience. Trisha was awesome! She took care of us from the time we arrived until the time we departed. We never had to worry about anything. They had everything you could possibly need for the baby. It was also a great place to get together with the other parents and babies. The EAC staff in Guatemala were fantastic. They transported us to and from the airport and picked us up and took us to the Embassy where they helped us with the paperwork and processing. They also took us on a shopping excursion.

EAC made what was a truly wonderful time in our lives even better. The whole process is so well organized and executed by EAC that you don’t have to concentrate on anything other than what is most important -- your baby and new family! We spoke with a few other families at the Embassy who went through other agencies and found that it took many of them from a year to 15 months to bring their child home.

Kimi has been home 5 months now and soon will be celebrating her first birthday. Every day with her has been a treasure. We can’t believe how easily she adapted to her new life. She is happy, content, and always smiling. Her big sister is finally starting to return to her usual routines and spending more time with her friends, but she is never away from Kimi for long!

Editor's Note: Comments and opinions made in all stories may not reflect the current climate of adoptions in the foreign countries. While EAC does their best to maintain the highest level of care during your adoption, we cannot guarantee the exact experience.

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