Since our last post, Noah has gotten a negative result from the TB skin test (which is a whole story in itself - as we arrived on 2 wheels in Ricardo's big truck just moments before we had to have the test read at exactly 2:47 pm or we would have had to redo the test!) and has completed his medical exam, which was required by the US embassy.  La Doctora was a wonderful, kind, and caring lady who was very encouraging to us and excited for us and our new family.  She was very gentle and professional; however, Noah did not like having his weight or height taken nor anything else that she wanted to touch or look at.  He proceeded to exhibit his displeasure by screaming his way through the exam.  As soon as she finished, he was completely fine and enjoyed his sucker and stickers! The exam results are in a sealed envelope, which we will take to our interview at the US embassy on Thursday morning.  After that, we will wait for an undisclosed, but short, period of time to receive Noah's Visa and will then begin to search for flights back home! 

    

Working' out with Daddy

Watching bball with Mama

Basketball or Phone?!

A few fun tidbits about Noah recently.  He is still rapidly learning to speak English and learns new words every day.  He will hardly let us take a picture or video of him doing something cute as he purposefully stops what he is doing or refuses to look at the camera.  He enjoys racing superhero cars like his daddy, learning numbers and shapes like his Mama, and eating and playing ball like Mama and Daddy.  We are telling him that soon we will be flying home in an airplane to Mississippi; and he says "Bippi?!"  He says "Thank you" and "No" and "Good job" appropriately, and usually when telling himself  LOL!  This boy is so much fun and can get us laughing at any moment, even when it is bed time and we are trying to make him go to sleep!  We can not wait to get back and let him meet everyone!!


We wanted to take some time and share about several people we have gotten to meet up with d uring our time in Honduras, some brand new and some we have known for quite a while, but all incredible people, and whose company has helped us pass our 6+ weeks here.  At our hotel, we have seen several mission teams from the US and Canada come through.  One family (from Tennessee we think - can't remember) was here on a family mission trip.  They visited a dump in the city and fed meals to the people who live there..yes, the people who LIVE IN THE DUMP.  One group in particular, from Florida, was here building relationships with a sister church.  One of the leaders really took a big interest in our adoption journey.  Special shout out to Father Brian!  We also met a group who DROVE from California to Nicaragua to do some mission work and was on their way back when we met them.  It's been encouraging to hear about the groups coming to give their time, resources, and love of Jesus to the people in Central America.  

We have also met several individual couples or families who were in Tegucigalpa for other reasons. One of which was completing their adoption of an 8 and 5 year old brother and sister.  They were able to return home last week!  (crossgrove.blogspot.com)  What a blessing to get to share experiences and parts of our stories!  Another was a couple from Canada who lives in Honduras for 5 months out of the year.  They enjoy ministering to the local people and promoting the positive aspects of life in Honduras (holahonduras.net).  We enjoyed catching up with Shane and Kerri Estes and their precious children for lunch one day. They are from our hometown in Mississippi and are missionaries in Nicaragua. They were in Tegucigalpa for a missionary retreat, and we had the joy of visiting with them.  Noah really loved playing with their children!  Also, the friendly people who work at our hotel have really made us feel at home, well as much as possible.  They are so helpful when we need anything and greet Noah every time they see him. They let him feed the fish, turn on the decorative lights, and pretty much run the place haha!   Also, we are so very thankful for our lawyer Marta and her son Ricardo.  Without them, we would have been so lost, in every possible way. Marta is an expert at adoptions in Honduras and has made sure we were prepared every step of the way. Ricardo is an expert driver and tour guide who we hope will come visit us in Mississippi. We have enjoyed spending lots of time with him, and Noah really looks forward to riding in Ricardo's big truck.  Finally, while we have been here, we have had the pleasure of being visited by family -  Aunt Ash and Momee - and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Lin Lin tomorrow!  Noah loves face timing with them and has learned their names already.

Overall, our time here has been wonderful and has allowed us to get a great start on bonding together as a family!