Run, run as fast as you can!

Today started off with some sunshine which got my hopes up.  Ben went for a run while Diego and I played in the yard.  Then the rain started and it got a little cold.  Welcome to Bogota, all seasons of weather in one day.  Our neighbor Sarah received Sentencia today!  Sentencia means that the judge signed her adoption decree and her adoption is complete.  We are so happy for her.  Now she has to wait for Majo's passport and visa and a few other documents, but it looks like she will be able to go home in about a week.  It's amazing how fast her adoption has gone, she has only been here for three weeks.  We're praying that our adoption goes that fast too.  Sarah went with Soraya to sign paperwork this morning.  Ben and I got our laundry done and had lunch and then Soraya and Sarah came back to get us for our doctor appointments.  We stopped at a notary office on our way, I have to sign a document giving Ben power of attorney and permission to leave the country alone with Diego.  The notary was someone that Soraya was unfamiliar with and he wouldn't notarize our paperwork because we don't have Diego's passport number.  She gave up and we headed to the Doctors office.  Diego had his T.B. test read and he passed!  Then we waited in the big waiting room for a long time.  Have you ever waited in a waiting room with a 3 year old who is tired and hungry and bored?  It's not very fun.  Diego mooched some food from Majo and we did our best to try and keep him entertained.  Sarah had been running non-stop all day and hadn't had a chance to change Majo's diaper.  She had Majo on her lap and picked her up and her diaper had leaked.  I told Sarah "Welcome to motherhood"  she has now been initiated into the mommy club.  I told her to wear it as a badge of honor.  Diego finally had his turn to see the doctor and by this time it was getting really late.  The problem is that we still needed to make it to a notary.  We met the doctor and he was very nice.  He talked to us about Diego's health history and went over his immunization records.  He checked Diego out and weighed and measured him.  He told us that Diego is very healthy and that he doesn't think that Diego has achondroplasia.  We've thought the same thing ourselves, but he suggested that Diego is small because he was premature and that he probably needs growth hormones.  It's a good thing we have good specialists at home that can help us figure all of this out.  The doctor finished up with us and when we came out of his office Soraya was waiting for us.  It was now a little after 5 and the notary office closes at 5:30.  We ran to the car and payed for parking.  Soraya ran and brought the car to us and we piled in her little squishy Fiat.  She drove like a mad woman to get us to the notary on time.  I won't share all of the details of our ride, but it was hilarious and scary all at the same time.  Soraya was a woman on a mission.  We made it to the notary with a few minutes to spare before closing time.  The woman looked over our documents and started stamping them.  Ben and I gave her our passports and then we had to have our finger scanned and then signed a sticker with our fingerprint on it.  Then we signed the sticker and had to put our fingerprint in ink on another paper.  Colombians take their notarized documents very seriously.  Phew!  We made it just in time and got all of our documents completed so that I can now come home and Ben can bring Diego home.  Soraya dropped us off at UniCentro which is a huge mall with lots of high end American brand stores.  Soraya and I realized that today was the last time we would be together.  I think it's kind of sad, I have grown to absolutely love Soraya.  She is an incredible woman.  She pulled over to drop us off and she jumped out so we could take a picture together.  She pulled away and we went into the mall to find some dinner.  We had dinner at the food court and it was yummy.  We had some very traditional Colombian food.  I had their traditional ajiaco soup, it's a potato and chicken soup.  I will definitely be making that at home.  After dinner we wandered around and tried to find some souvenir shops.  We found one and they were too expensive.  By that time the kids were ready to be done for the day.  We found our way outside to the street and tried to get a taxi.  Some lady helped us get a taxi for a small fee.  Our taxi was tiny and so I sat in the front seat.  You have not lived until you have ridden in the front seat of a taxi in Bogota.  It was crazy!  I found myself holding my breath and closing my eyes because I knew we were going to side swipe someone or something.  We finally made it home and I breathed a sigh of relief.  We got Diego ready for bed and had prayers.  He was one tired boy.  Ben got him to sleep and then we were able to Skype with the kids and my parents.  Only four more days until I fly home.  Soraya helped line up my ride to the airport today and she scheduled our driver for tomorrow's adventure.  Tomorrow we will be going to the Salt Cathedral.  We're trying to cram as much sight seeing into the next few days.