Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Maren Turns 5!
I can't believe that my spunky little pioneer baby is 5 years old. Maren is such a sweet and loving little girl. She loves to walk up and kiss me and tell me she loves me. She definitely makes life sweeter. She had her first friend party, it was a My Little Pony themed. She had a great time!
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Adjusting
Diego has now been home for just over a week. I would have to say that he is adjusting better than I thought he would, but it has still been quite hard. Our biggest struggles have been because of the language barrier. I have a hard time understanding what he wants and he doesn't understand me. This leads to several tantrums and timeouts every day. Some days are harder than others which is to be expected, but things get a little better every day. Diego is a sweet boy and he loves being smothered with attention, especially by his sisters. They dote on him and rarely leave him alone. Addy and Sydnee love to help take care of him, they treat him like a doll. They love to dress him and they will even change his diapers. We've had a few visitors and we have taken a few outings together. Diego likes to get out of the house, but that's when we have the most tantrums. He wants to run free and he just doesn't understand that he can't. Most days if we keep him fed and well rested, i.e. snack's and naps, he does really well. Which is how it is with any kid. Most days, we hang out at home to keep things calm, but I'm struggling with the feeling that this has been a bad summer for my kids. They have had their lives so disrupted and changed lately. I want to keep up with the way things were with day trips and fun outings, but it's hard with Diego. I feel like this is our last week of summer. Addy will have her tonsils and adenoids out on Friday and then she will be down for a few weeks. We haven't even adjusted into a routine yet. By the time Addy will be feeling good, it will just about be time for dance and school to start up again. I'm feeling overwhelmed and some guilt too. I feel like it has been a rough summer for everyone and that I have failed at being a "good" mom. Hopefully we can pack a few fun things into this week and hopefully my kids will forgive me for their bad summer.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
7/10/14
Our flight was
scheduled to take off at 9:30 am on the 10th. That sounds reasonable until you
consider that we needed to be there 3 hours early. So we were out the door at
6:15. That meant I was up at 4 wondering what I forgot in my 3 hour packing
marathon the previous day that I had to buy a third suitcase for. I packed
everything pretty tight ( including Arequipa and hot chocolate) so squeezing in the last little things in
took some muscle. Rene was just a bit
early but that was OK with me, we were ready. The drive to the airport was
normal. Rene parked and walked in with us to show us the ropes. First we went
to the tax exemption window where we showed that I had a stamp in my
passport so that could get another stamp
in my passport so that I would not need to pay a penalty tax for not having the
first stamp. Wow. Then to the Delta line to check-in and drop off bags. We were
able to cut to the head of the line because of Diego. I had to show our
passports to several people and the cover of the US immigration packet to one
person. Then it was on to the Colombian immigration line. Rene could go no
further with us so I payed him 60,000 pesos and said good bye. Thanks to
Diego's youth we moved to the fast lane and very shortly we arrived at a desk
where a man took our Colombian immigration folder and read a good bit. He also
compared the passport numbers and names on the documents to verify that I
was me. It took 10 min of wrestling Diego for the man to send us on to
security. Security was a breeze compared to the US. Shoes on, liquids are OK
and no X-ray, just a metal detector. The duty free area is always strange. This
one had the hotties standing in front of fancy perfume shops. That stuff has
never made any sense to me. We were destined for the very end of the concourse
so we had a long way to go but lots of time, about an hour until take off. We
had good seats in row 11 next to a young American lady who had been teaching in
Colombia. She was very nice and let Diego climb across her to look out the
window many times. Tantrums were substantial but not excessive. Take off was scary for Diego but we made it
without a huge deal. We ate lots of snacks (read treats) and I tried to get
Diego to watch TV, that did not work. So we wrestled and played until our 6
hours ended in Atlanta. After landing in Atlanta we had about 1 1/2 hours to
get to our connection. The long walk to customs was OK because Diego needed to
move his legs. At customs we tried to use the computers to go through but it
did not work. So we waited in line to talk to the customs agent. The conversation with the first customs guy
was brief, he checked my papers then sent us to another desk for Diego's
immigration packet. The agent was VERY slow. We waited in line for what seemed
like 2 hours, there were only 2 people in front of us. Why is it that we can't
take photos of immigration and government functioning? Once we made it to the
agent he took his time (moved in slow motion) explained some things and sent us
on our way. Wow I just love government. I don't want you to think that Diego
sat quietly waiting for me without any complaints. The entire time was nuts.
Diego spent most of the time running
screaming and showing off. Many of the people were very kind. One US
immigration worker held Diego for a bit so I could fill out some papers. Anyway the experience took way too long and
was all of what one would expect in every way. Finally I thought, we can get to
the next plane. Wrong. Customs was next. I had to go collect the luggage. I
tried to move 3 roller bags one backpack and a 3 year old down the hall but it
did not work. I was wondering what to do when an airline worker suggested I get
a luggage cart. Great idea! I did that
and we were through customs quickly. We dropped our bags back to the airline
then went through security again. We emerged into the airport with 24 min to
get to our gate and feed Diego. So we ran until we could see the gate then
stopped to get food. The only thing we could get quickly was frozen yogurt. We
arrived with 15 min before takeoff time. Wow. The flight was essentially the
same as the first with the exception that we had a window seat so we opened and
closed the windows 3 times per mile while trying to look out. The flight landed
and we were at the pickup roundabout with family in 15 min. The drive home was
uneventful. Wow it is nice to be home!!!
7/8/14
Soraya picked us up
at 9 am to go to the doctor's office for the medical paperwork needed for the
visa. For some reason one must have the passport to get the medical paperwork
for the visa. Then we went to the ICBF office to get some more paperwork for the
visa. As usual we walked through the metal detector then had our bags glanced
at. It is strange that the metal detectors always go off but nobody cares. At
the ICBF office we met the ICBF director. She was enchanted with Diego, then
Diego turned on the charm and was rewarded with candy. She was very nice and
thanked us just as much I thanked her. I filled out a survey about the ICBF
adoption process. Then Soraya took us to meet the ICBF representative that
worked on Diego's case. She had never meet Diego before; she was rewarded with
his great charm. The U.S. embassy was next but we were early so we went to
"Crepes and Waffles" for lunch, yum.
We walked to the embassy from lunch, cut to the front of the line then
entered the visa area of the embassy. It was a strange place. A large open
outdoor area mostly covered by sorts of pavilions there were lots of people in
mazes and lots of chairs. We walked to the far side of the area from the
entrance to window 1. There Soraya picked up a phone that no one answered so we
waited then waited some more. After 15 min or so a gentleman came and talked to
Soraya over the phone. She gave him lots of papers then we were told to wait. 20 min later the
"interview" started. I picked up the phone at window 2. I was asked
where I live, if I knew the child had some medical issues and some other stuff.
It took 3 min. It was about 1:30 I was told that the visa printout takes about
2 hours so it should be done before the embassy closes at 4. After another 20
minutes they called us back up to ask us what one of the papers looked like. We
showed them; they found it and we went back to waiting. All of the waiting was
filled with playing and running and chasing. Diego's favorite activity was
chasing the pigeons. There were lots of fat pigeons and upon seeing them take
off he would say WOOooW stop dead in his tracks and marvel. His eyes were as
big as dinner plates. He made friends with the cleaning ladiess and security
ladies who began to help him chase the pigeons. They and he had a ton of fun!!!
It was very fun to watch! Another 20 min
and we were holding the visa! I called Crystal as soon I as we got to the car.
That night I found a flight home on the 10th.
 |
| Diego Playing at the US embassy. |
Monday, July 7, 2014
Passport
7/7/14
We picked up the
passport @ 11 pm from the passport office. As usual I had Diego with me so I
cut to the front of the line. It took 15 min. Then when to get my Colombian ID
from the immigration office. While I was in the immigration office Soraya took
a photo of the passport and sent it to the us embassy we could get an
appointment to get Diego's VISA. We were blessed to get an appointment for the
next day.
Diego has a passport. All we need now is the visa from the US embassy and we can come home!!!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Birth Certificate and Passport
7/4/14
Sarah
Myer agreed to watch Diego while Soraya and I took the transmeleno bus system to
the office where Diego's birth was registered. It took an hour and a half to
get to the our stop way in the south of Bogota. Then we got onto another bus
then to a taxi. The registrar office had a crowd in front of it and I was
envisioning hours of waiting. After purchasing a treat for the person helping
us we walked to the guard told him what we needed and we walk in immediately
and found the person we needed waiting at her desk for us. WOW that was
amazing. The very nice lady processed the papers quickly then I signed and
finger printed the new birth certificate. I find it a bit odd that a new birth
certificate was created. Almost like changing the past… The facts of his birth
did not change but we changed the docs as if they did… Odd but I guess that is
how it is done. We had to wait for a while as the "Registrar" was not
in the office at that moment. So we went to a café and got AVENA COLOMBIANA and
role then went back to the registrar office received the paperwork. We took a
20 min to the bus station and I happy to say I walk to fast for Soraya
(Colombians walk very fast I saw it as a challenge) We then took the bus
immediately to the passport office. On the bus we called Sarah and Asked her to
bring Diego to the passport office. Once we all arrived and cut to the front of
the line because of the children and very quickly arrived on a cubical were the
paper work was verified and we found that we did not have a copy of Crystal's
passport. So I emailed it Soraya she ran to an internet café and printed it
out. The copies of the birth certificate had a vertical stripe where the
printer failed to print as dark as the rest. This was a problem that was resolved
by showing that the original had the same issue. It took 3 tries to get Diego's
Passport photo useable. He was eating candy and the 1st 2 photos were distorted
by chewing and sucking. It was very funny. Then we went back to the hotel and
had a great time at the Colombian 4th of July party. See the PICs. I think I
will be going home before the end of next week!!! Wow less than a month in
Colombia. Huge blessing. I thank thee Lord!!!
Link: http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/avena-drink-avena-colombiana
Just one week after
our integration. 7/2/14 the same day we visited Hogares Liz y vida. In fact
around an hour after I got home I
received a barely intelligible call from Soraya. There was lots of background
noise and she was excited. She repeated the message 2 or 3 times before
changing to tomorrow we are going to sign the adoption papers! She said she
would pick Diego and I up at 8:15 am the
following day. She also said many other
things that I did not understand. I was just so happy I did not care about
anything else.
I was unable to get
Crystal on the phone to give her the news until hours later she was out running
errands.
The next morning I
was up and showered before Diego was aware of the new day. He had eggs, banana He
would not eat. I made him sit at the table but I don't think he ate more than 3
bites. The drive to the center of town was long but I have done it several
times before. On the way we stopped on the side of the highway for a bit to
pick up Lucy our Lawyer. Traffic was the normal horrific mess but we were good
on time so we stopped so that Lucy could do a
quick errand. We parked 3 or 4 blocks from the courthouse and walked
past the gold museum by about a block to get to the court house. We went up in
a stinky elevator to an odd little hallway. One end was the elevator the other
was a service window the gray was kind depressing. Is gray paint cheaper? On
the walls were some clip boards with notices of judgments and such. At the
service window Lucy asked for the Judge. In short order the judge came out and
beckoned us through the service door then into her office. It is very odd for a
judge to meet with the adopters or adoptees. We were so blessed to have the
paperwork move so quickly and also to be able to say thank you in person for
that great blessing. The judge enjoyed talking to Diego and giving him little
toys (including Colombian stacking dolls and Plush Flowers) to play with. She
was very sweet. Somehow Diego found a rag and began to very carefully clean the
book shelf behind the judge's desk. He did a great job! Soraya used my camera
to snap pics of most of the fun in the judge's office. Then Soraya snapped a
photo of Diego the judge and I. Next was
the big thing. One quick signature and it was done. We celebrated and I thanked
everyone as many time as I could. They also thanked me for adopting Diego and
expressed gratitude for having the opportunity
to assist in the adoption! What a great day.
Visit to Hogares Luz Y Vida
We arrived at 10:30
ish in the am after a long drive through some scary neighborhoods. We went in
through the back door. I am not sure why.
It took just a moment for a nice man to open the door then a bit longer
for the assistant Director of the orphanage to come to the door. She is one of
the people at the encontro date in fact she told us most of that we knew about
Diego from the orphanage. She was present but not in the room for the
integration. She is very nice and truly loves the children. Since we came in
through the back we walked directly into the cafeteria. It is a large room with
lots of room for tables but when we entered there were none. On the wall was a
large painting of Jesus with a group of children all of the children in the
painting are or were residence of the home. There are many paintings throughout
the facility and also outside on the walls nearby. All of the paintings were
done by residence at the home. We walked up a ramp and into the main facility
to what I will call the "play room". There we were informed not to
take photos of any of the resident children.
Photos of things, staff and our own children were fine. As the day was a
holiday ALL of the 160 residence were at home. Wow there were a lot of kids and
they immediately recognized Diego and MaJo'! The room was alive with calls and
shouts of Diego and Diegito! All around me, I was holding Diego. Many children
obviously love Diego and wanted to hug and kiss him. I kneeled down and they
did. Diego appeared overwhelmed at the attention but he was smiling and
obviously recognized and loved those who accosted him. Many of the children had
obvious medical problems; others seemed well, all looked happy. The staff all
smiled and watched the children and greeted Diego and MaJo'. The room was large
with a ramp going up to the left that split it in half. On the near side there
were many children. I think most of them were watching TV. On the far side of
the room was a fenced in area where toys were kept. After a lot of happy
yelling and one young man of 8 or 10 years getting my attention and asking
"are you Diego's Dad?" (That young man wants a family so much I could
feel it. The question was more of a plea "Would you be my Dad too"?
Wow that was heart wrenching. I wish I could.) Up the bisecting ramp we went
toward the office.
On the way we saw
Viviana a therapist working with a baby that suffers from hydrocephalus. Seeing
that baby with his large deformity being helped was difficult but wonderful at
the same time. So many of the residence here are in need of extra care and are
not "perfect" in some way. I am sure that many of the stories are
tragic and beyond my comprehension. But to my surprise I was not overcome with
sadness or grief as the visit progressed. In fact I was uplifted. The spirit
was sweet and the faces of the residence were by my observation almost
universally happy. At times my gut wrenched and I felt sad as I saw the
unimaginable difficulties and frustrations. But I also saw the hands of angles
caring for and loving the children. God truly lives and loves these little ones. They need families so much. But
while they are waiting I cannot imagine a better place. This is a place of
healing and love. This is a sacred place
where the work of God is done. The staff who care for the residence and the
residence truly are angles. This place is home for 160 very special people whom
God loves.
Viviana is the
therapist that worked closely with Diego and was "Like his Mom" I was
told. She taught Diego to walk and worked with him on many things. She is why
Diego was able to progress so quickly and come to us so strong and happy. When
Diego was able to get close to Viviana it was obvious that they had a very
special relationship. Diego went to her with enthusiasm and hugged her. They
interacted for perhaps 5 min. It was a happy time for both of them. We are so
thankful to her. We took a bunch of pictures.
Back to the
narrative and up the ramp. The office is a small room with 2 or 3 computers,
desks and chairs. We meet the 2 assistant directors and some other staff. We
shared some gifts that we brought for the staff. There were so very kind and
thankful to us for adopting Diego. I expressed how thankful we are for the care
and love they have for all the children especially Diego.
Next took ramps to
look at the dorms. There were very few stairs in the facility all ramps to
allow accessibility for everyone. All of the dorms were clean, neat organized
and appeared to be comfortable. There were stuffed animals in the beds of each
of the young children. The blankets and sheets had fun colors and seemed just
right. The rest rooms and changing rooms were very clean. I was impressed by
the number of toothbrushes neatly arranged on the walls. When we arrived at
Diego and MaJo's former dorm they were excited. I put Diego into his former bed
(really a white crib) and he ran directly to look out the window. There is a
nice green field just across the street that I am told use to have animals in
it. I was told that Diego was looking for the animals. He remembered. After the dorms we went to the room where
Diego learned to walk. It was undergoing changes so it was empty but it was
nice to see the place where he hit such an important milestone. From the first
moments we brought Diego to our apartment he has been a door shutter. Every
door and any door anywhere anytime, he shuts all doors. At his former home it
was no different. They told me that he has always been a door shutter. In fact
he shut the doors to many of the rooms we visited.
When we left the
institution Diego did not want to stay in fact he was the first one to the
door. This made me very happy! He wanted me more than his home for as long as
he can recall! He even kissed me when we got in the car!
One thing we were
not able to do on this visit was to meet with the nun that directs the
center. I hope someday somehow to meet
her and thank her for all her hard work and sacrifices for the children. I am
reminded of Mosiah chapter 2 my favorite verse is 17
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/2?lang=eng.
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