Busy Day

Today was a very busy day for us.  Our taxi arrived just before 7 this morning.  Our driver was very nice.  He speaks very good English and was a great tour guide.  He gave us the history of the city and explained how the addresses work here. It was fun to look around and see all of the sights.  We were fairly close to the LDS temple and could see the spire and the angel Moroni.  It was really cool.  Hopefully we will be able to go see the temple soon. At our first stop we met with a woman at a small medical clinic, we had to have our blood type to get our Colombian ID cards.  She was great, she was able to get our blood with one stick.  We only had to wait about 5 minutes to get the results and then it was on to the next stop.  We met Soraya at the visa office.  We went upstairs and she spoke to the security guard.  She gave me instructions and then I had to go in by myself.  I was a little nervous, but they had a big TV that had the instructions in English and Spanish.  The security guard was really nice and checked on me too.  He would ask if I was okay and give me the thumbs up sign.  The man that helped me with my visa was very nice too.  He started speaking to me in Spanish and then asked if I spoke Spanish. I said "no" and so he said "well how about English?"  He was very nice and I was able to get through the process fairly quickly.  When I exited the building, I called Soraya to let her know I was done.  She and Ben had gone to the ATM while I was inside.  Next we walked to a little tiny shop and pushed our way to the back.  There was a woman at a really small table with a lap top and an ancient digital camera.  I sat on a tiny stool and looked at the camera.  She took my picture and then we pushed our way back out of the store.  We waited for a while until our photos were ready.  Once they were ready, we headed back to the car.  We made our way a little further into town and parked at one of the small pay lots.  We walked to the immigration office and showed our passports and documents.  We then were given an application to fill out, then we gave the man at the desk our passports, documents, application and pictures.  He put them together and then sent us upstairs.  Once upstairs, we waited and tried to keep Diego happy.  He was tired and hungry and starting to melt down.  We kept giving him snack's and drinks and toys to play with.  Ben and I took turns distracting him and chasing him around.  A man called us back one at a time.  We sat on a row of chairs and they took our picture and then we were fingerprinted.  After signing our name on an electronic pad, we were told to go sit down and wait again.  Ben was called up to pay for our ID cards and then we waited some more.  They finally gave us our passports back with stamps in them and then we were told to check their website in 3 working days to see if our cards are ready, and then we can go back to pick them up.  Next we were off to find a notary.  Notaries are a big deal here, we didn't have to walk too far to find one.  We showed our passports and documents again and then signed our paper work.  We waited for a while and chased Diego some more.  A few tantrums later and we were finally done with everything.  We waited for our taxi to come and pick us up.  Diego grabbed my hand and snuggled up to me on the way back.  He fell asleep almost immediately and slept all the way home.  When we arrived back home, Diego went right to bed and took a really long nap.  Ben and I were too tired to bother with lunch so we shared the rest of the potato chips and ate a piece of candy and then we both crashed out too.  It was a very long, busy, stressful morning.  Thankfully all of our problems and issues with the visa and our blood typing are all taken care of.  The rest of the day was spent playing outside.  We Skyped with the kids and had a quick dinner.  Then it was shower time and bed time for Diego.  Tomorrow will be our free day where we will try and see some of the sights.  I am grateful that everyone that helped us today were so nice.  They are very kind and tolerant of our Spanglish.  Now it is time for some TV and a snack. 

Futbol...Gooooooooooool

party at the Catholic school

new friends

adventures in funky fruits

rocking my soccer shirt 

Colombian spirit  

Macuya, granadilla and guanaban

Diego in his soccer jersey

our new friends

uno, dos, tres, goooooo!

Diego woke up at 6:00 this morning saying "apagado" which means off.  He is funny, he uses that word for lots of things.  Today was the world cup game where Colombia played the Ivory Coast.  The partying started at about 6:45 this morning.  There were people screaming and blowing horns and cars were honking all morning.  Diego and I wore our soccer shirts to cheer on the Colombian soccer team.  After yesterdays excitement we decided to have a low key day.  We played outside for a while and then Diego was ready for a nap.  Diego was too tired to even eat his lunch.  Ben put him down for a nap and we watched the soccer game.  It was fun to watch the game here and to see and hear how excited everyone would get.  Every time Colombia scored a goal the honking and screaming would start up again.  We watched the game on the local channel and the announcer spoke so fast that he sounded like an auctioneer.  When the game ended and Colombia won, you could hear the partying in the streets.  Directly across from our hotel there is a Catholic school.  When the game ended the children poured out of the classrooms and were screaming and cheering.  They all had Colombia jerseys on.  They kept the screaming up for a long time.  We stayed in to avoid the madness in the streets.  Later in the day we went for our daily walk to the market.  Thankfully the streets were calm by the time we went out.  When we came back to our hotel, we played outside for a long time.  It was fun because all four families from our house were out playing.  It's fun to visit with the other families and watch the kids interact with each other.  Colombian children are just absolutely beautiful.  Diego got his energy back and I helped him go down the slide at least 100 times.  He really enjoyed playing with the bubbles that our friend Sarah had.  We had a quick dinner of arepa sandwiches with milanesa (steak) and some Colombian potato chips.  Diego loves potato chips.  I guess we are doing a good job of Americanizing him.  One of my goals for our trip was to try as many unusual fruits as possible.  Today I tried granadilla which is related to passion fruit, it was okay, but I couldn't eat much.  We also tried fig, and a fruit called guanabana.  It is a huge green, spiky fruit.  In the United States it is called sour sop.  It kind of has a sweet and sour taste to it.  It's really strange, but it was tasty.  After dinner I folded laundry while Ben put Diego in bed.  He has a hard time getting to sleep by himself.  At our meeting with the psychologist she said that there were 12 children in his room and they would talk to each other until they would fall asleep.  We just visited with our kids via Skype.  I am so glad we get to see them and talk to them every night.  They are doing well and so is my mom.  There are blessings through this every day.  Tomorrow is a big day.  We will be heading out early to take care of a lot of business.  Friday we should be able to play tourists and do some sight seeing.  Buenos noches.

A better day

Today was much better, a new day full of hope.  Diego woke up at 6, I got him dressed and Ben got him some breakfast.  He doesn't like oatmeal, but he loves club crackers and bread.  Soraya called at 8 and said she would be over to get us soon so that we could go get my visa.  We played outside while waiting.  Diego was extra snuggly this morning which I enjoyed.  Soraya called back and said that the consulate was reviewing my paperwork and that it would take about 24 hours to process.  We now had our day free.  Diego and his friend Majo played together outside for awhile.  He loves to go down the slide and close the door and shutters on the little play house.  We talked to our neighbor Sarah and decided to go together to get some lunch.  We loaded up the strollers and headed out.  We walked for a while and then headed back the other direction.  Ben convinced us to stop at this little hole in the wall restaurant.  Sarah and I both agreed that we would never have gone in there alone.  For being a total hole in the wall, they had really good food.  I had arroz con pollo with plantains and french fries, it was really good.  After lunch we decided to head to Exito. While walking, we found a street vendor with Colombia soccer jerseys.  We bought one for Diego, especially because Colombia plays their second game in the world cup tomorrow.   It was a really long walk to Exito, but it was a beautiful day and the walk felt good.  Exito is kind of like Walmart, it has a little of everything. We got a few groceries and found Diego a soccer ball.  He was playing with a soccer ball yesterday and loved it.  The kid is a natural at soccer, it must be in his blood.  I bought myself a Colombia soccer shirt to wear tomorrow.  After wandering through the store, we headed back home.  We decided to take a different way home.  The sidewalks were a lot better than the other route.  We wandered through some really nice neighborhoods and made it back to the main road.  Our next task was to find Ben a new hat, he lost his on the airplane.  He bought one from a street vendor and even haggled with him a little.  We made our way back home and had a little play time outside.  Afterward we came upstairs for dinner and then some down time.  Ben gave Diego a shower which he enjoyed.  Next it was pajama time and toothbrush time.  I put Diego down to bed and then talked to the kids over Skype.  I am so grateful for Skype.  I could not handle being away from my kiddos without it.  I love and miss my kids so much, but I can make it through the next 12 days as long as I get to talk to them every day.  I got to visit with them and my sister for a long time.  It was nice to visit.  Now I am sitting here writing while Ben is asleep.  He crashed out about an hour ago.  I'm enjoying some TV in English and will be heading to bed soon.  I think after our walk today we will all sleep good.

Playing with Majo

View of the mountains from our walk

Ups and Downs

Yesterday was a roller coaster day, full of ups and downs.  Diego was a sleepyhead and slept until nearly 10:00 a.m.  In the institution where he lived they woke him up at 5 every day to get him ready for school.  I think we wore him out really good the day before.  Ben and I were showered and ready to go for the day by the time he woke up.  We had breakfast and headed outside for some play time.  Diego loves to be outside and play.  We went for a walk and explored more of the area where we are staying.  We stopped and looked through a few stores.  We were trying to find a store called Exito.  It's very similar to Walmart.  We couldn't quite figure out where we should be going and then we received a phone call from Soraya.  She was in the area and wanted to meet us.  We headed back toward Carulla.  We met her in the park across the street.  That's when the first down hit.  When we had our Encuantro (meeting where we met Diego) Soraya was concerned because I didn't have a visa.  Before traveling we checked with our adoption agency and with the Colombian consular office in San Francisco.  Both said that I did not need a visa because I would not be staying very long.  Ben got his visa just before we traveled.  Soraya made some phone calls and while we were at the park she received a phone call from Lucy, our lawyer here.  Lucy had called the consular office in San Francisco.  We could tell by the tone in Soraya's voice that the news wasn't good.  I have to have a visa to complete the adoption.  It is necessary to get Diego's birth certificate with his new name and to get his passport and other such paperwork.  My heart sank, the solution was for me to leave the country and fly to Miami to get a visa.  I felt sick to my stomach and was feeling terrible.  We came back to our hotel and researched flights to Miami.  The other problem is that I can't leave the country until we have our integration meeting next week.  The plan was to book a flight to Miami which would be about a 4 hour flight, catch a taxi and then go to the Colombian consular office to get a visa.  Then I would take a taxi back to the airport and catch another flight back to Bogota.  Sounds easy right?  That's when I lost it.  I couldn't stop crying.  I felt really stupid and bad about the whole situation.  I tried to pull myself together so that we could Skype with the kids.  I'm really missing my kids at home.  While talking to our kids, my sister was there which I thought was kind of odd because I knew she had a conference at work that day.  Then she said check out grandma.  My mom came in view of the camera and I could see that she was in her house coat and then I noticed she had a sling on and her arm was all bandaged.  My mom has been staying at our house to take care of the kids.  She got up during the night and somehow fell down the stairs.  She broke her wrist and split her knee open.  She doesn't remember what happened which is probably a good thing. I'll spare the details, which I'm sure my mom is grateful for.  I'll just say that she had a bad morning. More tears came as I heard what was going on at home.  I'm grateful for my sister and my SIL Leanne who came to the rescue to help with my kids.  I feel terrible that my mom got hurt, especially while at my house.  I'm grateful she isn't in pain.  After our conversation, I felt even lower.  I knew my kids were being cared for, but I felt so helpless being here and not being able to do anything.  I said a quick prayer for my mom and family and tried to pull myself together.  Ben got on the internet and started reading on the Colombian consulate's website.  From what he found, it said that I could get a visa at the Bogota consulate.  We let Soraya know and within minutes she sent us an e-mail saying that she was on the phone with them that moment.  She called us and said that yes! they could do it for us here.  A huge wave of relief came over me.  I didn't have to leave the country to get a visa. I've always wanted to visit Florida, but now was not the time.  Crisis averted.  Ben filled out the application for me because he had filled it out for himself earlier.  All of my information and documents are in the hands of the consulate office now.  Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to go get my visa.  Diego was a sweet boy all day, he had a few tantrums, but he is fairly easy to redirect and calm down.  We had tamales for dinner and then he went to bed.  Ben and I watched a movie on TV that was in English with Spanish subtitles.  It was nice not to have to strain to try and understand the language.  It was a long, emotional day, but it ended on a good note.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who is looking out for our family.  Diego is truly meant to be a part of our family and we are being blessed through this process.   

Our first day home

playing with the remote

Diego's welcome sign on our door

playing on the slide

Waving good-bye

Chef Daddy

Soraya dropped us off at Casa Zuetanna, Diego immediately went for the toys.  He played for a little bit and then we took him upstairs for some lunch.  Ben made him a cheese and jam sandwich and a banana.  He ate it right up, he was super hungry.  He explored our rooms and thought it was lots of fun to climb into the cupboard under the TV.  He moved like a little tornado and left a wake of destruction in his path.  Okay, not really, but he has lots and lots of energy.  We played outside some more and then headed off to the mall to buy a stroller and a few other necessities. Ben put Diego on his shoulders while we walked to the mall.  Diego loved it and was all smiles.  We shopped at Los Tres Elephantes, or the three elephants.  It's kind of like a department store.  We bought a cheap umbrella stroller, some diapers and some pants for Diego.  I didn't realize that it was fairly cool here in Bogota and mostly packed shorts for Diego.  Diego threw his first tantrum in the store and he now is the proud owner of a Mickey Mouse cup.  It's really cute when he says Mickey Mouse.  Diego loved riding in the stroller.  We wandered around the mall for a while and then we went to the market for some more groceries.  We went back home and played in the yard while Ben made dinner.  Diego enjoyed playing with our little neighbor who he calls "Majo".  It's nice to have someone here who is familiar to Diego.  After our play time we had dinner as a little family, Ben had fun cooking in our tiny kitchen with only two burners.  After dinner we played some more and then got Diego ready for bed.  Diego helped brush his teeth and then it was time for bed.  I rocked Diego and sang to him and he went right to sleep.  He woke up once a little while later and after some comforting went back to sleep.  He slept through the night until nearly 10:00 a.m.  I think we wore him out.   

Gotcha Day!

I have to start by telling about Soraya.  Soraya is a beautiful, wonderful, kind woman.  She is our representative here in Colombia.  Soraya loves helping adoptive families, she has been helping adoptive families for 15 years.  This isn't her full time job either, she does this out of the goodness of her heart.  She has been working on our adoption here in Colombia the entire time and has done so much for us.  Now on to Gotcha Day!
She picked us up Monday morning and we squished into her car, she told us she was glad we fit because we are both such big people.  She makes me laugh. She weaved through the crazy traffic like a pro and we arrived extra early at the the ICBF regional office. We waited until it was time to meet Lucy our lawyer.  We were asked to wait in a small waiting room with toys until they were ready for us.  Diego was late because he had a doctors appointment, so we waited for a long time.  The psychologist who worked with Diego and the family defender and one other woman met with us and went over Diego's history and his daily routine and Soraya translated for us.  We had the chance to ask any questions we had.  After our questions were answered, Soraya went to get Diego. She took our camera and took pictures for us.  One of the ICBF employees brought Diego in to meet us.  He came in like a tornado.  He didn't really notice us until we broke out the M&M's.  Candy, the universal language of children.  Diego played with a big toy car in the room and tried to move it everywhere.  He played a little with Ben and some of the toys we brought for him.  He is such a darling boy and so full of energy!  He called us Mommy and Papa and seemed happy to be with us.  We had a few minutes alone together and then we signed a paper and took Diego home. 

Diego and Soraya

Gotcha!

Zuetanna our home away from home

Our tiny kitchenette

Our bedroom

dining room, TV room and extra bed

The spoils from our first trip to the market

Front view of Zuetanna

Garden play area

courtyard

another view from the garden

 We are staying at Zuetanna which is a guest house/hotel for families who are adopting.  It is a beautiful place.  There are four other families here right now.  There is a very nice family from France who are adopting their second son from Colombia, a family from Italy who are adopting an 8 year old boy, a couple from North Carolina who are adopting a beautiful nearly one year old girl and a woman named Sarah who is adopting a darling little 3 year old girl with down syndrome.  Sarah's daughter was in the same group as Diego and they know each other. It's been fun getting to know and visit with the other families here.  Today some of them shared their story of why they are adopting.  Adoption is so amazing!