DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

David Abel and his pregnant wife took their last child-less vacation in Central America. But everywhere they went they found themselves gravitating toward children.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

Jess, David’s wife (pictured), climbed the Mayan ruins in Cobá, Mexico.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

A Mayan temple in Palenque, Mexico.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

A girl sold trinkets in Palenque.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

One of the volcanoes in Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

A girl took in the sights from a tour boat on Lake Atitlan.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

A British mom showed how to travel with young kids in Antigua, Guatemala.

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A girl waited for her mom in the central square of Antigua.

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A lotus flower bloomed in the languid waters of Rio Dulce, Guatemala.

DAVID ABEL/GLOBE STAFF

A girl played hide-and-seek on Caye Caulker in Belize.