Applesauce... and the Return to FANA .

Ahh the face of contentment... Apples. His favorite real food so far.  With the exception of squash, Matthew has the affinity for all things fruit and the aversion to vegetables.  We are trying to mix things up by alternating spoons of fruits and vegetables but the vegetables always seem to end up on the bib.  Guess we'll have to be smarter about it but little Mateo seems to be a step ahead of us. 

Wednesday, we secured a babysitter for the day and made a return visit to FANA to tour the facility.  It was a day full of emotions for everyone.  We made the trip with Ken and Nicole.  For Ken, it was a tearful reunion to his origins.  For all of us, it was difficult to maintain composure as we all let go of a few tears for many reasons.  During our tour, we saw many great things.  First, how well organized of a facility this is.  The place is so clean, well kept and managed.  We had heard this word of mouth and through reputation but seeing it in person made us feel even that much better knowing that the children are in such good hands.  The facilities and grounds are one thing but as they say, the people make the place what it is... Flor, Elena and staff were so welcoming and hospitable. One of the first stops we made was Mercedes' office.  It was a bittersweet experience.. Seeing all of her commendations and pictures on her wall filled us with joy but at the same time, the thoughts kept coursing through our minds that we were not fortunate enough to be blessed with the opportunity to meet her or have her present us with Matthew like she has done with so many other families before.

During our visit, we ran into the nurse that took such good care of our son while he was there.  She was kind enough to take a quick picture with us during our brief visit through the infant hall.  As many of you have experienced or to those that will experience the tour in the future, we all agree that you will see so many beautiful children of different ages.  The most difficult feelings to overcome are the desires to take them all home with you.

There is something about seeing the big stained glass painting up close that brings feelings of happiness.  We guess it just symbolizes all the great things that go on here.  We got to meet many of the older children in the school having lunch and also doing some activities.  So touching it was to see how happy they all were.  We are saying goodbye for now but we will return to FANA again (with Matthew) before we leave to say farewell.  Our lawyer Dr. Polo tells us we may have a court status update on Friday so we are all keeping our fingers crossed.