Another letter to Edison...

Dear Edison,

While I do not have solid proof, I was told yesterday that there is a birth certificate in Guatemala City with your name listed as Eddy Alejandro Underwood. This is so exciting for us because it means Paul and I have a son!!!

In the midst of all my joy, I thought of what this means for you.

We are thrilled to have you as our son and to give you our last name - Underwood! The sad thing for you is that you have lost your original identity as a Godinez-Sazo. In Latin American culture, people are given two surnames (or last names). The first name is your father’s name followed by your mother’s name. Your last name, however, was a little different because your birthmother did not list your biological father when you were born. Instead, you were given the same surnames of your birthmother. Godinez was your grandfather’s last name and Sazo was your grandmother’s last name.

Also on your birth certificate, your biological mother’s name (Jemmy Sulema Godinez-Sazo) was replaced with my name (Dana Woods Underwood). While Jemmy will always be your birthmother – I will forever be your mommy! I know that your birthmother loved you very much. In Guatemala, most people are very poor and it is hard to make money and care for a family. Since your birthmother was not married, it would have been more difficult for her to raise you and impossible to give you all you needed to grow up healthy, happy and strong. She knew that by allowing you to be adopted by a couple in the United States that you would be given many opportunities that do not exist in your birth country.

You did gain something with this birth certificate – the blank where your father is listed is no longer empty. While we will probably never know who your birthfather is, you now have a Daddy! His name is Paul Kendall Underwood. He is a law enforcement officer who enjoys hunting and riding horses in his spare time. I know he is going to be a wonderful daddy because I have seen him in action. I hope you will enjoy the outdoors as much as he does and that you all will be very close. Of course, if you don’t like to hunt or ride horses, I am sure you will be able to find many things to enjoy doing together.

One other thing you gained is two big sisters! Emily is the oldest. She loves little kids and you and her are going to be best buddies. Emily is almost 14 years older than you. Even with the huge age difference, I still think you all will be very close. Emily’s favorite thing to do is text message her friends, talk on the phone and to surf the internet. If you hang around with her very much, you should be technologically savvy in no time. Kensley is about 10 years older than you. She loves to be outdoors. Her favorite things are soccer, horse riding, biking and hunting. When she is inside, she doesn’t like a lot of commotion. While I think you all will get along pretty good – she is going to need her space. There may be times when she doesn’t want you to bother her things or come into her room – but she won’t be mean about it. She will love you and can teach you a lot of things about soccer, riding horses and how to be quiet in the woods.
Having told you about your new sisters, I cannot leave out the fact that you also have a biological brother. He is one year older than you and you have the same birthmother in Guatemala. It is extremely hard to raise a child alone and knowing the economic conditions in Guatemala, it would have been hard to provide food, shelter and clothing for two children as an unmarried mom. As far as I know, your biological brother lives with your birthmother somewhere in Guatemala, possibly Escuintla. On the relinquishment papers your birthmother signed, she indicated that she had a one year old son at home and could not provide for two children. I know this is sad for you. My prayer is that you will one day be able to locate your brother and get to know him. I am grateful that your mother chose adoption as an option, instead of abortion, so that you could become a part of our family.

The last thing I want to talk about is your name. Your birthmother named you while you were still in the hospital. She chose the name Eddy Alejandro. The name Eddy is a shortened form of Edward or Eduardo (in Spanish). “Eddy” means “protector”. It can also be a shortened version of “Edward” meaning “wealthy guardian”. The name Alejandro is the Spanish form of Alexander, meaning “protector of men or of mankind.” I wanted you to have a strong name. Paul and I finally decided on the name Edison which means “son of Edward” which will have the same meaning as your original name. We decided to keep Alejandro as your middle name so you will always have a connection to your spanish-speaking homeland. By giving you this name, we are honoring the name your birthmother gave you. We have altered it so that you can have a "grown-up name" when you get older, if you so choose. Maybe someday you can find out why your birthmother chose the names she gave you as I am sure you will wonder about this in the future. I hope you will grow up to be a protector of mankind, as your name implies. Being a wealthy guardian wouldn't be so bad either!

After you arrive home in the USA, Paul and I will go to District Court and file a Petition for Name Change. We will indicate that we want your official name to be Edison Alejandro Underwood. “Eddy” is the name you have been called from birth and there are still many people who are going to call you “Eddy” after you move into our home. Your dad calls you Eddy. I always refer to you as Edison. When you get older, the choice will be yours.

Welcome to our family, Mr. Edison Alejandro Underwood!

With much love and many kisses,
Mama (Dana Renee’ Woods Underwood)