So today was our little ones 16 month birthday. We are so happy to have her with us finally! When we originally learned about Amaya Fernanda she was only 11 months old. In some ways Fernanda is a 16 month old, but in other ways she is a little bit behind her peers. We have seen her develop in areas in the short time we have been together (like climbing up on everything) so we can only imagine her growth once we get home. We did not do anything special today to celebrate her day, but we will make it up to her next month ;)
One BIG gift she (and us) received today was her amended birth certificate. Our attorney went out to Soacha this afternoon and picked up the copies for us. It was too late to make it to the passport office today so we are heading out to Calle 100 tomorrow to complete this process. Colombia recently converted to the digital style passport like the U.S. so it now takes 2 days for processing (as opposed to same day with the old style). It still beats the wait time for the U.S. passport!
We took Fernanda to the pediatrician today to solve the diarrhea mystery and it still remains unsolved. They checked her for intestinal parasites and that came back negative. The pediatrician mentioned that it could be a response to the antibiotic they gave her for her ear infection. They prescribed probiotics for her stomach and then we will talk again with the pediatrician tomorrow to see what else she thinks it might be. Fernanda has not lost weight at all since we took her in a couple of weeks ago, so that was a good sign. She is well hydrated and her appetite has not decreased any. She also hasn't been throwing up so the doctor ruled out food allergies. We'll have to wait until tomorrow, if not it will be something we will have to see our pediatrician about as soon as we get to the U.S. We're just trying to get it under control for the flight, because when it's bad it is TERRIBLE and it requires a complete outfit change and a bath...I know TMI right!
We did have one major breakthrough today with Amaya Fernanda and her dad. We were at McDonald's today and I was ordering lunch. I had Amaya Fernanda in the carrier and she raised her hands for Mark to pick her up and take her to sit down at the table my mom was sitting at. This is a huge first for her and her dad. She initiated the action which makes it even bigger.
Little Alejandra is feeling a little homesick these days. She doesn't say she is homesick but her actions tell us how she is feeling. She usually loves to be outside but today and yesterday she has wanted to just stay inside. We, of course, make her go with us to the park and for special big sister trips. I think she is going through a lot of changes right now with where we are and her new baby sister. It is all completely understandable. She is out of her routine and she misses school and gymnastics class. Tonight she wanted to sleep with her nana. We keep telling her soon we will be back home in San Marcos and perhaps this is causing her more stress than what we thought it would. This parenting thing is tough stuff :D.
Hasta Manana!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Day 22: Sentencia!
Of course the big news of the day is SENTENCIA! We spent the morning indoors and just as we were getting ready to go to the fruit and vegetable store we heard the phone ringing. Mark and I were already out the front door but we paused and waited. My aunt called us back in and it was Lucia! We knew this could only be GREAT news! Our amazing attorney Oscar got us through in record speed and our Sentencia was issued late Friday.
We were picked up at 1:00 and took the drive down to Soacha. Thankfully the nana's are here and they stayed back with the girls. We arrived at the family court and after reviewing the information we noticed that Mark's passport number was incorrect. 1 hour later it was corrected and we were able to race over the registrar's office to get the amended birth certificate. When we arrived at the registrar's office there was a sign that said "No services today!" Apparently there was an election this passed weekend and the registrar's staff had worked over the weekend so they took today off from assisting the public. Well, our superhero attorney Oscar wasn't having it. He knocked and knocked on the door until the security came and opened the door. The guard said there was no one available. But, that still wasn't enough for Oscar so we drove to another office building and we waited in the car while Oscar worked some kind of magic. We got a call 5 minutes later to drive back to the registrar's office because someone would be helping us today. So off we went and we were called into the registrar where we were able to sign the amended birth certificate showing our daughter's name "A.F.A.A." and showing US as her parents! Oscar always throws in a little something special and he gave us her original birth certificate complete with footprints on the back. We weren't able to take the new birth certificate with us because the person authorized to notarize the documents was not in today. But, we were assured that tomorrow it would be taken care and delivered to Bogota.
We drove back home in the height of Bogota traffic. We had not been out this late so we were taken by surprise by the massive amounts of traffic on the highway and streets. It was definitely something to take in and part of the experience ;D. It took us close to 2 hours to get back home, but we were greeted by two smiley girls happy to have been with the nana's and see their parents. Our friend Myriam (the lady who makes the dresses) was here delivering some of the items that were done and they are SO gorgeous! So that was a little bonus on top of an already amazing day!
So up next....we wait for the birth certificate so that we can go to the passport office and get Amaya Fernanda's colombian passport. Then we have to take her to the embassy doctor and go to the U.S. Embassy to get the visa issued. The Colombian passport takes 2 days to issue and the visa is usually next day. Monday is a holiday here in Colombia so it looks like we may be travelling back home on June 8 or 9. We are all paid up here at our apartment until then so that works out for us!
Hasta Manana!
'
We were picked up at 1:00 and took the drive down to Soacha. Thankfully the nana's are here and they stayed back with the girls. We arrived at the family court and after reviewing the information we noticed that Mark's passport number was incorrect. 1 hour later it was corrected and we were able to race over the registrar's office to get the amended birth certificate. When we arrived at the registrar's office there was a sign that said "No services today!" Apparently there was an election this passed weekend and the registrar's staff had worked over the weekend so they took today off from assisting the public. Well, our superhero attorney Oscar wasn't having it. He knocked and knocked on the door until the security came and opened the door. The guard said there was no one available. But, that still wasn't enough for Oscar so we drove to another office building and we waited in the car while Oscar worked some kind of magic. We got a call 5 minutes later to drive back to the registrar's office because someone would be helping us today. So off we went and we were called into the registrar where we were able to sign the amended birth certificate showing our daughter's name "A.F.A.A." and showing US as her parents! Oscar always throws in a little something special and he gave us her original birth certificate complete with footprints on the back. We weren't able to take the new birth certificate with us because the person authorized to notarize the documents was not in today. But, we were assured that tomorrow it would be taken care and delivered to Bogota.
We drove back home in the height of Bogota traffic. We had not been out this late so we were taken by surprise by the massive amounts of traffic on the highway and streets. It was definitely something to take in and part of the experience ;D. It took us close to 2 hours to get back home, but we were greeted by two smiley girls happy to have been with the nana's and see their parents. Our friend Myriam (the lady who makes the dresses) was here delivering some of the items that were done and they are SO gorgeous! So that was a little bonus on top of an already amazing day!
So up next....we wait for the birth certificate so that we can go to the passport office and get Amaya Fernanda's colombian passport. Then we have to take her to the embassy doctor and go to the U.S. Embassy to get the visa issued. The Colombian passport takes 2 days to issue and the visa is usually next day. Monday is a holiday here in Colombia so it looks like we may be travelling back home on June 8 or 9. We are all paid up here at our apartment until then so that works out for us!
Hasta Manana!
'
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Day 21: El Corral
Amaya Fernanda slept again last night. She woke up a couple of times crying but she quickly put herself back to sleep. We all woke up around 8:00 a.m. and the nana's greeted us with a nice breakfast. We got ourselves all ready for the day to head out to Santa Fe. The nana's left first because they were going to try to go to the cemetary again. They were not successful in locating their father or brother and it was pouring rain on them. They donated their flowers to another family that was there visiting their loved one.
We met the nana's at around 11:30 at Santa Fe. Mark, the girls, and I tried (unsuccessfully) to charge a cell phone for next week so that we can go out and sightsee and not miss any important calls. But, the cell phone we are borrowing has an outdated SIM card and in order to reactivate it we need to pay. Of course, we didn't realize this until after we had already paid to add minutes to the phone....GRRRR! We tried to get our money back but our plea fell on deaf ears. We ended up getting a new SIM card and we should be in business tomorrow. Just a little FYI you can only call cell phone from another cell phone unless you have some special service installed on your home phone. The phone we have here in the apartment does not allow us to make calls to a cell phone. So, sometimes we can't get a hold of our agency representative, which is why we decided to get a cell phone.
After the cell phone crisis ;) we decided to treat ourselves to an El Corral burger. This burger is NO joke! It is SO good! Mark had been craving one since we got here and his wish finally came true. He finally had a smile on his face after eating his burger. After lunch Amaya Fernanda fell asleep in the baby carrier while we shopped for our groceries at Carrefur. We took a taxi back home and we were able to hit the park with the girls in the afternoon/evening. It was a teeny bit muddy but the girls needed to get rid of some energy, so we braved the mud ;). Fernanda had a great time learning how to blow bubbles and Alejandra had a blast on the swings.
The nana's got dinner all ready for us tonight. We found a favorite little chicken place called "La Chispita Roja" that delivers so we've been eating that quite often! We played in the living room for a bit with the girls and then they both were pretty tired. Fernanda fell asleep pretty quickly after her bath time. Alejandra stayed up a little while longer watching Gnomeo and Juliet and snacking on a yogurt. Tia Nana was snacking on a fruit nicknamed "mocos de carbonero" and Alejandra kept looking at her and saying "ewww....yuck." She really thought Tia Nana was eating mocos...LOL!
Tomorrow we don't have much scheduled for the day. We're hoping to connect with another family that is passing through Bogota on their way back home to USA. They are here just finishing up the last process of the adoption.
Hasta pronto....
We met the nana's at around 11:30 at Santa Fe. Mark, the girls, and I tried (unsuccessfully) to charge a cell phone for next week so that we can go out and sightsee and not miss any important calls. But, the cell phone we are borrowing has an outdated SIM card and in order to reactivate it we need to pay. Of course, we didn't realize this until after we had already paid to add minutes to the phone....GRRRR! We tried to get our money back but our plea fell on deaf ears. We ended up getting a new SIM card and we should be in business tomorrow. Just a little FYI you can only call cell phone from another cell phone unless you have some special service installed on your home phone. The phone we have here in the apartment does not allow us to make calls to a cell phone. So, sometimes we can't get a hold of our agency representative, which is why we decided to get a cell phone.
After the cell phone crisis ;) we decided to treat ourselves to an El Corral burger. This burger is NO joke! It is SO good! Mark had been craving one since we got here and his wish finally came true. He finally had a smile on his face after eating his burger. After lunch Amaya Fernanda fell asleep in the baby carrier while we shopped for our groceries at Carrefur. We took a taxi back home and we were able to hit the park with the girls in the afternoon/evening. It was a teeny bit muddy but the girls needed to get rid of some energy, so we braved the mud ;). Fernanda had a great time learning how to blow bubbles and Alejandra had a blast on the swings.
The nana's got dinner all ready for us tonight. We found a favorite little chicken place called "La Chispita Roja" that delivers so we've been eating that quite often! We played in the living room for a bit with the girls and then they both were pretty tired. Fernanda fell asleep pretty quickly after her bath time. Alejandra stayed up a little while longer watching Gnomeo and Juliet and snacking on a yogurt. Tia Nana was snacking on a fruit nicknamed "mocos de carbonero" and Alejandra kept looking at her and saying "ewww....yuck." She really thought Tia Nana was eating mocos...LOL!
Tomorrow we don't have much scheduled for the day. We're hoping to connect with another family that is passing through Bogota on their way back home to USA. They are here just finishing up the last process of the adoption.
Hasta pronto....
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Day 20: Jewelry and Futbol
Amaya Fernanda slept the entire night...YEAH! There is definitely a trend here! She cried a little when we walked into her room but after a little "peek-a-boo" she was smiling. We got ourselves all dressed up and ready to go out despite the heavy rainfall outside. By the time we were ready to go Amaya Fernanda had cried at least 4 times for no apparent reason AND the rainfall had slowed to a drizzle. Our taxis came and off we went to downtown Bogota to pick up our girls emerald stud earrings and find Colombian soccer jerseys.
Our taxi driver took us on quite an adventure, we went through some interesting parts of Bogota were we saw many "working" ladies ;). Mark looked at me at one point and said "are you sure you got the address right?" I reassured him and then pointed to the jewelry store once we got there. The earrings were gorgeous and the girls will love them when they get older. For now, we will safely store them away for them. Then we headed down to calle septima so we could take a "septimazo" as my aunt and mom call it. We were on the hunt for authenticate Colombian Jerseys for a few family members. We ended up at the Adistore and found the most beautiful soccer jerseys!
It was lunchtime so we decide to get back into a taxi and head back home. We got into our taxi and gave the taxi driver our address (if you don't know Bogota runs on a carrera and calle grid system) and he asked us how to get there. We gave him specific instructions and he said okay. But, he decided to go his own way and I swear he took every street in Bogota that was under construction. It took us 1 hour to get back home (it only took us 20 minutes to get there originally) and we all decided to cram into a taxi so we were all about ready to boil over by the time we got home. We sucked in so much fumes from idoling that our throats were all raw. Lesson learned....be insistent with the taxi driver!
We finally ate lunch and I tried to get Amaya Fernanda down to take a nap but she just wasn't having it. It was an interesting couple of hours as she threw a tantrum everytime I dared move from the spot I was sitting in. But, at around 5:00 she finally turned it around and started laughing and playing with us. She had a nice dinner and bathtime. Then, she was off to sleep without any crying at all again...WOOHOO!
Tomorrow we are headed to Centro Commercial Santa Fe to do a little shopping for Mark and grocery shopping for the home. In the afternoon, we are hoping our sweater/dress lady can come by and bring us all of our beautiful purchases!
Hasta Manana!
Our taxi driver took us on quite an adventure, we went through some interesting parts of Bogota were we saw many "working" ladies ;). Mark looked at me at one point and said "are you sure you got the address right?" I reassured him and then pointed to the jewelry store once we got there. The earrings were gorgeous and the girls will love them when they get older. For now, we will safely store them away for them. Then we headed down to calle septima so we could take a "septimazo" as my aunt and mom call it. We were on the hunt for authenticate Colombian Jerseys for a few family members. We ended up at the Adistore and found the most beautiful soccer jerseys!
It was lunchtime so we decide to get back into a taxi and head back home. We got into our taxi and gave the taxi driver our address (if you don't know Bogota runs on a carrera and calle grid system) and he asked us how to get there. We gave him specific instructions and he said okay. But, he decided to go his own way and I swear he took every street in Bogota that was under construction. It took us 1 hour to get back home (it only took us 20 minutes to get there originally) and we all decided to cram into a taxi so we were all about ready to boil over by the time we got home. We sucked in so much fumes from idoling that our throats were all raw. Lesson learned....be insistent with the taxi driver!
We finally ate lunch and I tried to get Amaya Fernanda down to take a nap but she just wasn't having it. It was an interesting couple of hours as she threw a tantrum everytime I dared move from the spot I was sitting in. But, at around 5:00 she finally turned it around and started laughing and playing with us. She had a nice dinner and bathtime. Then, she was off to sleep without any crying at all again...WOOHOO!
Tomorrow we are headed to Centro Commercial Santa Fe to do a little shopping for Mark and grocery shopping for the home. In the afternoon, we are hoping our sweater/dress lady can come by and bring us all of our beautiful purchases!
Hasta Manana!
Day 19: Guatavita
Fernanda slept well the whole night last night...YEAH! She even woke up with a smile this morning. We headed out to Guatavita this morning and it was really nice weather all day long. Guatavita was pretty dead. I think we were the only family there when we went. We ate at a really good restaurant in the little town square. Then Fernanda had a massive accident in her diaper. We had to completely strip her down and change her. We are a little concerned because she has only had diarrhea (TMI) since we got her. We thought it was the milk, but we cut it out and still no change. We're thinking she may have intestinal parasites so we're taking her to the pediatrician on Monday.
After the excitement of the morning we went to Jardines Del Recuerdo. We got to Jardines Del Recuerdo and we were able to quickly find were my grandmother's ashes are stored. We have to inquire about how to restore the plaque because a couple of her letters were missing. We tried to find my grandfather and uncle's tombstone but after 30 minutes we gave up. My mom and aunt are going to try and go up next week to try and find it again.
We got home at around 5:00 and both girls were pretty tired. We gave them dinner and then Fernanda went to sleep at around 7:00 without any crying at all. She just asked for her little pink ant stuffed animal, she turned sideways, hugged it, and fell asleep.
Until tomorrow!
After the excitement of the morning we went to Jardines Del Recuerdo. We got to Jardines Del Recuerdo and we were able to quickly find were my grandmother's ashes are stored. We have to inquire about how to restore the plaque because a couple of her letters were missing. We tried to find my grandfather and uncle's tombstone but after 30 minutes we gave up. My mom and aunt are going to try and go up next week to try and find it again.
We got home at around 5:00 and both girls were pretty tired. We gave them dinner and then Fernanda went to sleep at around 7:00 without any crying at all. She just asked for her little pink ant stuffed animal, she turned sideways, hugged it, and fell asleep.
Until tomorrow!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Day 18: DiverCity -Take 2
Yeah! Amaya Fernanda slept through the night again AND woke up with a smile! We woke up around 7:30 a.m. and were getting ready to take a walk down to the mall Bulevar Niza. But, then a pretty bad rainfall started and so that kept us in this morning. Amaya Fernanda is becoming more and more independent she played ball with her sister, nana, and dad in the living room while I got some time to catch up on reading on my Kindle :).
We gave Amaya Fernanda lunch at 11:45 and then we put her down to nap in her crib. She cried a little while (like 3 minutes) and then she slept until 2:30! She woke up again with a huge smile and ready to play! She is definitely become more secure and attached with us. She's realizing that we won't dissapear when she takes a nap. Actually today we celebrate 2 weeks together and we are amazed at the progress we have all made together as a family.
Mark, Alejandra, and I got picked up at 3:00 by Tatiana and her daughter Sofi. We headed to Santa Fe mall to take our two little cuties to DiverCity. The girls had a blast together, they are only about 4 months apart in age. They were newscasters, veterinarians, astronauts, models and firefighters. We got the most adorable video of Alejandra being the fashion reporter for Caracol T.V. News. The girls both decided to spend money on a trip on Avianca Airlines and also at the beauty shop. The two girls ended their day with a "cajita feliz" from McDonalds, not a peep could be heard from the back seat of the car as Tatiana drove us home.
We were hesitant to leave Amaya Fernanda at first, but it was such a great treat for Alejandra. Amaya Fernanda had a GREAT time at home with the Nana's. She cried for about 2 minutes when we initially left but then after that she was all BIG smiles and laughs! When we got home she was happily eating dinner at the table with her Nana's and she gave us big smiles and laughs as well. We are SO grateful to have the nana's here with us!
Tomorrow we are off to visit Guatavita and then stop by the cemetary where my grandmother, grandfather, and uncle were laid to rest. It will be a visit with mixed emotions for our Nana's tomorrow as they think back to all of the wonderful memories they have of being with their mother, father, and brother in Colombia.
Until tomorrow...
We gave Amaya Fernanda lunch at 11:45 and then we put her down to nap in her crib. She cried a little while (like 3 minutes) and then she slept until 2:30! She woke up again with a huge smile and ready to play! She is definitely become more secure and attached with us. She's realizing that we won't dissapear when she takes a nap. Actually today we celebrate 2 weeks together and we are amazed at the progress we have all made together as a family.
Mark, Alejandra, and I got picked up at 3:00 by Tatiana and her daughter Sofi. We headed to Santa Fe mall to take our two little cuties to DiverCity. The girls had a blast together, they are only about 4 months apart in age. They were newscasters, veterinarians, astronauts, models and firefighters. We got the most adorable video of Alejandra being the fashion reporter for Caracol T.V. News. The girls both decided to spend money on a trip on Avianca Airlines and also at the beauty shop. The two girls ended their day with a "cajita feliz" from McDonalds, not a peep could be heard from the back seat of the car as Tatiana drove us home.
We were hesitant to leave Amaya Fernanda at first, but it was such a great treat for Alejandra. Amaya Fernanda had a GREAT time at home with the Nana's. She cried for about 2 minutes when we initially left but then after that she was all BIG smiles and laughs! When we got home she was happily eating dinner at the table with her Nana's and she gave us big smiles and laughs as well. We are SO grateful to have the nana's here with us!
Tomorrow we are off to visit Guatavita and then stop by the cemetary where my grandmother, grandfather, and uncle were laid to rest. It will be a visit with mixed emotions for our Nana's tomorrow as they think back to all of the wonderful memories they have of being with their mother, father, and brother in Colombia.
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Day 17: Scratching our heads ;/
After a very restful night for Amaya Fernanda we woke up around 8:00 a.m. ready to head out to Jaime Duque. We got all packed up and headed out the door for a about a 45 minute ride to the park. It was the most perfect day to be at the amusement park. The weather was perfect and it was practically empty. Every ride was walk up and ride so Alejandra was in heaven! Amaya Fernanda went on a few rides as well. While we were walking the park I looked down at Amaya Fernanda's head and notice four little scabs on the top of her head. I wondered what they were from so I called my mom over and when we started looking we saw a little piojo moving around. My mom grabbed it off of her head and then we started looking around her head.....uh oh LICE!
We finished up our day at the park after lunch and when we got home we went to the pharmacy and got the lice medication for her. We combed it through and found a few more on her hair. I decided to do the same with Alejandra as a preventative, but I didn't see any in her hair. We washed all the linens in her room, the stroller, towels, stuffed animals, jackets, pajamas...you name it! We have no idea where Fernanda picked up lice. It is way too late to think that she got it from her foster family, so we're thinking she got it from the blanket we placed in her crib last night. We think we caught it early and that they are all gone. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we won the battle with lice :)
Tomorrow we are heading off to DiverCity again with a friend of the family and their little daughter. The two nana's have said to leave Fernanda behind and just take Alejandra to spend some special time with us. We're going to try it out and see if it works. Today was definitely a better day in terms of bonding and Fernanda gaining some independence. The fact that our apartment is one story now helps immensely with her exploration because she knows she will always be able to come and find me.
Until tomorrow!
We finished up our day at the park after lunch and when we got home we went to the pharmacy and got the lice medication for her. We combed it through and found a few more on her hair. I decided to do the same with Alejandra as a preventative, but I didn't see any in her hair. We washed all the linens in her room, the stroller, towels, stuffed animals, jackets, pajamas...you name it! We have no idea where Fernanda picked up lice. It is way too late to think that she got it from her foster family, so we're thinking she got it from the blanket we placed in her crib last night. We think we caught it early and that they are all gone. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we won the battle with lice :)
Tomorrow we are heading off to DiverCity again with a friend of the family and their little daughter. The two nana's have said to leave Fernanda behind and just take Alejandra to spend some special time with us. We're going to try it out and see if it works. Today was definitely a better day in terms of bonding and Fernanda gaining some independence. The fact that our apartment is one story now helps immensely with her exploration because she knows she will always be able to come and find me.
Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Day 16: Moving Day!
So after a horrible night of almost no sleeping due to a very whiny and crying Fernanda we got up at around 7:30 and got ourselves ready to for our move later in the afternoon. Alejandra and Amaya Fernanda played together some in the morning and at one point Fernanda decided that my mom was a pretty cool abuelita so she headed downstairs with her and a couple of hours later she was asleep in her arms. This gave Mark, Alejandra, and I a couple of hours together so we headed out to pick up lunch for our crew. We ad the best Colombian tamales, bread, and hot chocolate it was delicious!
We started our move at around 2:30 we were quite a sight! We had to lug our luggage and groceries a couple of blocks to our new place. It took about 4 trips back and forth but we are so grateful we moved. This new place is so much roomier! The girls have space to play in the living room and we also have a den and an office. The girls had fun playing with the ball this afternoon/evening and we heard a lot of laughs from both of them. After a busy day it was nice to hear laughter in our house again!
We put Fernanda in her own room tonight to see if it will help with her waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to be picked up. She went to bed after a couple of minutes of crying and so far she is sound asleep. Last night she fell asleep but woke up as soon as Mark and I went into the bedroom. We are hoping for a restful night because tomorrow we are heading out to Jaime Duque for the day.
Until tomorrow!
We started our move at around 2:30 we were quite a sight! We had to lug our luggage and groceries a couple of blocks to our new place. It took about 4 trips back and forth but we are so grateful we moved. This new place is so much roomier! The girls have space to play in the living room and we also have a den and an office. The girls had fun playing with the ball this afternoon/evening and we heard a lot of laughs from both of them. After a busy day it was nice to hear laughter in our house again!
We put Fernanda in her own room tonight to see if it will help with her waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to be picked up. She went to bed after a couple of minutes of crying and so far she is sound asleep. Last night she fell asleep but woke up as soon as Mark and I went into the bedroom. We are hoping for a restful night because tomorrow we are heading out to Jaime Duque for the day.
Until tomorrow!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day 15: XOXO for Daddy!
Amaya Fernanda had a great night last night! She slept the whole night through thankfully! We all got up and dressed and after breakfast we decided that it would be best if we moved apartments. We contacted the owner and he located another apartment for us a couple of blocks away. Mark and I went and toured the place to make sure it would work out for us. It is a beautiful apartment and it is all on one story. It also is a little bit bigger than the one we are currently in so we were sold! Tomorrow afternoon we move into our new place. Of course, we didn't want to have to pack up and move (especially since we just went grocery shopping) but we think we will all be a bit more comfortable in a new place, given our neighbor situation here.
We spent most of the day indoors and headed out for about 1 hour to play at the park. We were able to make some travel arrangements so we could visit a couple of local parks this week and next. I checked my email this afternoon and I had received an email from a local lady here in Colombia that makes the most beautiful handmade dresses and sweaters. I had been trying to get in contact with her since I arrived and thankfully we heard back from her. She came over this evening with a couple of bags full of beautiful dresses and sweaters. I of course wanted to order 1 in every size and color. We did end up ordering a few ;) things from her for our girls and for our good friend Monica's kiddos.
Tonight we gave the girls a bath and got them all ready for bedtime. Amaya Fernanda gave her daddy both a hug and a kiss tonight before bedtime. That was the sweetest thing ever! Then Mark decided that it was time for him to start putting Alejandra back to bed again. My mom had been helping out with Alejandra since she arrived. Alejandra enjoyed having her daddy read her bedtime stories and tucking her in. She requested an abrazo with both arms from her daddy. Mark ended up having a pretty good night with his girls tonight!
Tomorrow we are packing up and moving out into our new apartment so it should be a pretty busy afternoon/evening as we settle into the new place.
Until tomorrow!
We spent most of the day indoors and headed out for about 1 hour to play at the park. We were able to make some travel arrangements so we could visit a couple of local parks this week and next. I checked my email this afternoon and I had received an email from a local lady here in Colombia that makes the most beautiful handmade dresses and sweaters. I had been trying to get in contact with her since I arrived and thankfully we heard back from her. She came over this evening with a couple of bags full of beautiful dresses and sweaters. I of course wanted to order 1 in every size and color. We did end up ordering a few ;) things from her for our girls and for our good friend Monica's kiddos.
Tonight we gave the girls a bath and got them all ready for bedtime. Amaya Fernanda gave her daddy both a hug and a kiss tonight before bedtime. That was the sweetest thing ever! Then Mark decided that it was time for him to start putting Alejandra back to bed again. My mom had been helping out with Alejandra since she arrived. Alejandra enjoyed having her daddy read her bedtime stories and tucking her in. She requested an abrazo with both arms from her daddy. Mark ended up having a pretty good night with his girls tonight!
Tomorrow we are packing up and moving out into our new apartment so it should be a pretty busy afternoon/evening as we settle into the new place.
Until tomorrow!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Day 14: Kermesse
Amaya Fernanda had another GREAT night last night. She slept the whole night and let everyone else in the house sleep as well. We all got up and got ready to head out the door to the kermesse. It was an uneventful walk down to the hotel and once we got there it started raining. We walked around a bit and we ended up buying 2 pieces of art from an artist here in Colombia. I already have one at home, but I had to get these other 2 pieces they are beautiful. The artist uses wood and carves them into a picture. I got one of a little indigeneous child riding on his mother back and another one with two children peeking through a door. I already have the perfect spot in mind of where I want to hang them once we get home.
After the kermesse we headed over to Crepes and Waffles for lunch. It was as good this time as it was last week! Both girls shared a meal and Alejandra got the cutest little desert for dinner. Mark, my aunt, and Fernanda headed back home after lunch while we stayed and did the grocery shopping for the week. The plan was for Fernanda to nap, but of course her plans were different than ours. Fernanda stood strong today and decided she wasn't really into napping at all. So of course she is very whiny, cranky, and crying right now. This should make for a very enjoyable evening for ALL ;)
UPDATE:
Well we got a visit this evening from the Colombia police...nice. Seems as though one of our neighbors complained that there is a little girl that cries and cries and is being mistreated. So after having to explain the whole process to the police, showing them our custody papers, and them looking for signs of abuse on Amaya Fernada they said they understood and left. In the meantime, this makes us all an emotional wreck. It doesn't feel right to have someone question the welfare of your children and how you are caring for them.
Until tomorrow....
After the kermesse we headed over to Crepes and Waffles for lunch. It was as good this time as it was last week! Both girls shared a meal and Alejandra got the cutest little desert for dinner. Mark, my aunt, and Fernanda headed back home after lunch while we stayed and did the grocery shopping for the week. The plan was for Fernanda to nap, but of course her plans were different than ours. Fernanda stood strong today and decided she wasn't really into napping at all. So of course she is very whiny, cranky, and crying right now. This should make for a very enjoyable evening for ALL ;)
UPDATE:
Well we got a visit this evening from the Colombia police...nice. Seems as though one of our neighbors complained that there is a little girl that cries and cries and is being mistreated. So after having to explain the whole process to the police, showing them our custody papers, and them looking for signs of abuse on Amaya Fernada they said they understood and left. In the meantime, this makes us all an emotional wreck. It doesn't feel right to have someone question the welfare of your children and how you are caring for them.
Until tomorrow....
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Day 13: Monserrate
Amaya Fernanda slept the whole time last night...YEAH! Today we woke up to a perfect weather day so we decided to head out to Monserrate. We headed up the funicular and got the most beautiful view of Bogota. There were a couple of drops of rain here and there but nothing too serious. We took a lot of great pictures all day long. We even recreated a picture that Mark took with Alejandra when we were here 3 years ago. We ended up eating at the restaurant up at Monserrate and it was SO good! Amaya Fernanda had the best lunch with her daddy. She played and played with him and just smiled!
On our way down we decided to have Mark carry her in the baby carrier and she put up the tiniest fuss but it was quickly replaced by a smile. Eventually, she fell asleep and got to ride around town on her daddy's chest. We went to a jeweler that our family has ordered from for many years and we ordered the girls emerald stud earrings to give them when they are older. They are going to make them and give us a call once they are ready. I'm so excited to get these for the girls!
We came back home and played indoors for the rest of the afternoon. We had a great afternoon with Amaya Fernanda she smiled, laughed and played up until about 5:30 and then she got just a little bit whiny. Her nana asked her why she was crying and she instantly stopped. The power of abuelita nana! The girls enjoyed a 25 minute bath together where the played and laughed! Today was the first day they actually interacted together and laughed at the same time. They are finally starting to create their bond and it is so amazing to watch!
We also discovered tonight that one of the reasons Amaya Fernanda has been grouchy is because she is cutting 2 molars. The molars finally poked through....poor thing! Talk about parenting mistake #100 (that's for you Lori!). The great thing was that Amaya Fernanda had a pretty seamless bedtime. We've got her off the bedtime bottle, the next thing is too add a bedtime book, and then we will have a great bedtime routine going! Today was the first day that Mark and I felt like we were getting this parenting 2 siblings thing. This is not to say it went perfect (because it never will really) but we could both participate with both girls today and not have either one throw a fit. It fell like a more balanced day in the sense that we could both actively parent the girls. Of course, this was only possible with the help of our 2 nana's here! Thank goodness...they help take care of all of the other details that surround our day.....
Tomorrow we will take a relaxing walk down Calle 127 and head up to the Kermesse so we can show my aunt the hotel. We may take them to eat Crepes & Waffles as well, since we've been telling them how good the food is there. Until tomorrow!
On our way down we decided to have Mark carry her in the baby carrier and she put up the tiniest fuss but it was quickly replaced by a smile. Eventually, she fell asleep and got to ride around town on her daddy's chest. We went to a jeweler that our family has ordered from for many years and we ordered the girls emerald stud earrings to give them when they are older. They are going to make them and give us a call once they are ready. I'm so excited to get these for the girls!
We came back home and played indoors for the rest of the afternoon. We had a great afternoon with Amaya Fernanda she smiled, laughed and played up until about 5:30 and then she got just a little bit whiny. Her nana asked her why she was crying and she instantly stopped. The power of abuelita nana! The girls enjoyed a 25 minute bath together where the played and laughed! Today was the first day they actually interacted together and laughed at the same time. They are finally starting to create their bond and it is so amazing to watch!
We also discovered tonight that one of the reasons Amaya Fernanda has been grouchy is because she is cutting 2 molars. The molars finally poked through....poor thing! Talk about parenting mistake #100 (that's for you Lori!). The great thing was that Amaya Fernanda had a pretty seamless bedtime. We've got her off the bedtime bottle, the next thing is too add a bedtime book, and then we will have a great bedtime routine going! Today was the first day that Mark and I felt like we were getting this parenting 2 siblings thing. This is not to say it went perfect (because it never will really) but we could both participate with both girls today and not have either one throw a fit. It fell like a more balanced day in the sense that we could both actively parent the girls. Of course, this was only possible with the help of our 2 nana's here! Thank goodness...they help take care of all of the other details that surround our day.....
Tomorrow we will take a relaxing walk down Calle 127 and head up to the Kermesse so we can show my aunt the hotel. We may take them to eat Crepes & Waffles as well, since we've been telling them how good the food is there. Until tomorrow!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Day 12: Archie's and Friends
Last night was a rough night for Amaya Fernanda. She cried and kept us up for a better part of the night. We changed her diaper thinking that was what was keeping her up and she still kept crying. Eventually she fell asleep and we were able to piece together a couple of hours of rest. We woke up and got ourselves ready to head out to Unicentro and meet up with friends at Archie's Pizza.
We took our whole crew on our walk and of course Amaya Fernanda fell asleep in the stroller. Our big girl Alejandra was complaining of a tummy ache so she asked to be picked up and carried ;) We told her that if her tummy hurt she surely couldn't have pizza at Archie's pizza and she ended up making a miraculous recovery. We followed the psychologist's advice today and made sure to spend some extra time with Alejandra and have her be a helper with her sister when she could. There was a little improvement in her behavior. But, of course this relationship will improve with time.
We met up with another adoptive family and their 3 beautiful kiddos. It was wonderful to get to talk with another adoptive family about ALL things related to adoption (the amazing, the wonderful, the good, the bad, and the ugly). Alejandra was happy to have other older kiddos to take part in the pizza making fun again! Alejandra was a big eater today and she ate her entire pizza in one sitting. She proclaimed that she was a great chef! Amaya ate her weight in chicken ravioli and bread....seriously this kid can eat! She eats more than Alejandra! Amaya did well for the 2 hours we were there, but towards the end she was ready to take another nap.
Off we went back to our apartment and gray clouds kept getting closer over head. Amaya cried herself to sleep because I was not pushing the stroller and her dad was. We ended up getting a Juan Valdez Coffee as we went up over our bridge into El Batan. Thank goodness we got that coffee because we needed it in order to take on the 2.5 hour tantrum that began once we got home. But, before we headed inside we stopped off at the park and let Alejandra play until the light sprinkle turned into showers. We ried to stay outside but the rain wouldn't stop....off we went into the apartment and the longest tantrum to date.
Amaya cried for so many different reasons tonight that we lost track. She was completely tired and exhausted by the time bedtime hit. Mark tried to ease her for a couple of hours and he was successful and getting her to calm down for a little while but then the crying would start again. Mark and I are starting to get stronger with these tantrums and our ability to cope with them. On the other hand, my aunt and mom are newcomers to the tantrums....We are all taking it lightly and we know that once we get home real life and routines will begin. This time in Colombia is just a very small part of the memories our family will make tomorrow...
Until tomorrow!
We took our whole crew on our walk and of course Amaya Fernanda fell asleep in the stroller. Our big girl Alejandra was complaining of a tummy ache so she asked to be picked up and carried ;) We told her that if her tummy hurt she surely couldn't have pizza at Archie's pizza and she ended up making a miraculous recovery. We followed the psychologist's advice today and made sure to spend some extra time with Alejandra and have her be a helper with her sister when she could. There was a little improvement in her behavior. But, of course this relationship will improve with time.
We met up with another adoptive family and their 3 beautiful kiddos. It was wonderful to get to talk with another adoptive family about ALL things related to adoption (the amazing, the wonderful, the good, the bad, and the ugly). Alejandra was happy to have other older kiddos to take part in the pizza making fun again! Alejandra was a big eater today and she ate her entire pizza in one sitting. She proclaimed that she was a great chef! Amaya ate her weight in chicken ravioli and bread....seriously this kid can eat! She eats more than Alejandra! Amaya did well for the 2 hours we were there, but towards the end she was ready to take another nap.
Off we went back to our apartment and gray clouds kept getting closer over head. Amaya cried herself to sleep because I was not pushing the stroller and her dad was. We ended up getting a Juan Valdez Coffee as we went up over our bridge into El Batan. Thank goodness we got that coffee because we needed it in order to take on the 2.5 hour tantrum that began once we got home. But, before we headed inside we stopped off at the park and let Alejandra play until the light sprinkle turned into showers. We ried to stay outside but the rain wouldn't stop....off we went into the apartment and the longest tantrum to date.
Amaya cried for so many different reasons tonight that we lost track. She was completely tired and exhausted by the time bedtime hit. Mark tried to ease her for a couple of hours and he was successful and getting her to calm down for a little while but then the crying would start again. Mark and I are starting to get stronger with these tantrums and our ability to cope with them. On the other hand, my aunt and mom are newcomers to the tantrums....We are all taking it lightly and we know that once we get home real life and routines will begin. This time in Colombia is just a very small part of the memories our family will make tomorrow...
Until tomorrow!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Day 11: Integration...CHECK!
We woke up around 8:00 a.m. and thank goodness little Amaya slept through the night. Alejandra slept with her nana so Mark and I got a better night sleep (not great, but better). We had changua for breakfast...YUM! Then we headed out over the bridge into Santa Barbara to take Amaya Fernanda to the doctor for her follow-up visit. We met with the same doctor that took care of Alejandra 3 years ago, she was absolutely wonderful again. The doctor works at an adoption house so she is very knowledgeable on the needs of adoptive children. She was so gentle and loving with Amaya Fernanda and she took time to discuss other things outside of the ear infection. She suggested that I speak English to Amaya to help ease the transition with Mark. Thankfully her ear infection has cleared up and she is doing very well, we have 3 days of antibiotics left to administer. She is up there in weight and height but it is all proportional. She is actually a very tall girl, just like her big sister.
After our appointment we headed to Carulla to pick up a few groceries and then we decided to have Mark pick up Amaya and carry her home. She didn't cry, but she kept trying to make eye contact with me and I wouldn't look so she gave up and just enjoyed being held by her dad. Once we got home she ended up staying with Mark for a good 30 minutes. They played well together without her crying at all. Finally, it was time for a nap so I ended up taking her upstairs for a nap and she went to sleep for 1 hour and a half.
My mom, aunt, and I went to the Panaderia Boyacense and picked up a cake and some bread for our integration meeting. Of course, my mom and aunt became best buddies with the owner of the panaderia ;). Mark stayed home with the girls and when we were gone Amaya woke up and little Alejandra got a massive tummy ache all at the same time. Poor guy.
We had a quick little lunch and then got ourselves all ready for the integration meeting. We were a little bit nervous because we didn't know what to expect. They finally arrived and the social worker and psychologist were both so sweet and comforting. Amaya put on a show for them with smiles, little funny faces, and playing peek-a-boo with them. Alejandra on the other hand decided to show how she is starting to be jealous of her little sister ;). The two ladies from ICBF were very nice and reassured us that both Amaya and Alejandra's behavior was very common and that with time and careful actions on our part it would all work itself out. They agreed to sign over and recommend the adoption on Friday....she is ours!
After our ICBF meeting we had more guests come over and so we had to go out and buy another cake and bread. This time Mark, my aunt,and mom went to the Panaderia Boyacense together. Since my mom and aunt are now BFF's with the owner she told them to stay awhile and drink tea while the heavy rain passed. Our guests arrived at 5:00 and they had a little girl who was about the same age as Alejandra. They 2 girls got a chance to play together for a bit, it was great for Alejandra to have time to play with another child her age for awhile. We made plans to head out to Multiparque or Divercity within the next couple of weeks.
Alejandra and Amaya were both tired from the activities of the day. Amaya only cried when we went to change her into her pajamas after bathtime and then again when Mark gave her a bottle. He was able to calm her down and then we placed her into the crib. She cried for about 2 minutes and then she was off to bed.....
AMAZING day today....our daughter is now closer to being officially ours (as recognized by the courts)....she of course has been our daughter (in our hearts) since we first saw her in January. Tomorrow we are meeting another adoptive family over at Archie's for lunch and heading over to Unicentro to pick up a few things. We are hoping for a clear day tomorrow so we can take a nice long walk to Unicentro...
Hasta Manana!
After our appointment we headed to Carulla to pick up a few groceries and then we decided to have Mark pick up Amaya and carry her home. She didn't cry, but she kept trying to make eye contact with me and I wouldn't look so she gave up and just enjoyed being held by her dad. Once we got home she ended up staying with Mark for a good 30 minutes. They played well together without her crying at all. Finally, it was time for a nap so I ended up taking her upstairs for a nap and she went to sleep for 1 hour and a half.
My mom, aunt, and I went to the Panaderia Boyacense and picked up a cake and some bread for our integration meeting. Of course, my mom and aunt became best buddies with the owner of the panaderia ;). Mark stayed home with the girls and when we were gone Amaya woke up and little Alejandra got a massive tummy ache all at the same time. Poor guy.
We had a quick little lunch and then got ourselves all ready for the integration meeting. We were a little bit nervous because we didn't know what to expect. They finally arrived and the social worker and psychologist were both so sweet and comforting. Amaya put on a show for them with smiles, little funny faces, and playing peek-a-boo with them. Alejandra on the other hand decided to show how she is starting to be jealous of her little sister ;). The two ladies from ICBF were very nice and reassured us that both Amaya and Alejandra's behavior was very common and that with time and careful actions on our part it would all work itself out. They agreed to sign over and recommend the adoption on Friday....she is ours!
After our ICBF meeting we had more guests come over and so we had to go out and buy another cake and bread. This time Mark, my aunt,and mom went to the Panaderia Boyacense together. Since my mom and aunt are now BFF's with the owner she told them to stay awhile and drink tea while the heavy rain passed. Our guests arrived at 5:00 and they had a little girl who was about the same age as Alejandra. They 2 girls got a chance to play together for a bit, it was great for Alejandra to have time to play with another child her age for awhile. We made plans to head out to Multiparque or Divercity within the next couple of weeks.
Alejandra and Amaya were both tired from the activities of the day. Amaya only cried when we went to change her into her pajamas after bathtime and then again when Mark gave her a bottle. He was able to calm her down and then we placed her into the crib. She cried for about 2 minutes and then she was off to bed.....
AMAZING day today....our daughter is now closer to being officially ours (as recognized by the courts)....she of course has been our daughter (in our hearts) since we first saw her in January. Tomorrow we are meeting another adoptive family over at Archie's for lunch and heading over to Unicentro to pick up a few things. We are hoping for a clear day tomorrow so we can take a nice long walk to Unicentro...
Hasta Manana!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Day 10: Nana's are here!
We rolled out of bed pretty late this morning and we were so excited when we remembered that Alejandra and Amaya's nanas were coming! We walked over to Carulla when we realized that we only had 1 diaper left for Amaya...we are a little out of practice in the diaper world. We got a couple of essentials and then walked backed up over the bridge into El Batan. Amaya ended up falling asleep in the stroller so we stayed out at the park for over an hour while Alejandra played and played at the park. There was a threat of showers all day but in never got past a little bit of a light sprinkle.
My mom and aunt arrived and Alejandra was so excited to see them! Amaya Fernanda was slow to warm up but by the time the night came she was running around laughing with them! Alejandra was showered with gifts from her primas back home. We actually put some away for another day so she has other fun things to look forward in a couple of weeks. Amaya also got a beautiful little story and quilt from her big cousin Sierra (THANK YOU SIERRA THAT WAS SO SWEET!).
Not only did they come with gifts for Amaya and Alejandra but they also brought a big suitcase full of children and baby clothes to donate. Our housekeeper Milena has 4 kids and is a single mom, she just barely makes ends meet. She looked through the clothing with us and took home 5 grocery bags full of clothing for her kids. My mom brought them the Crayola twistable crayons as well because Milena had commented on how cool Alejandra's were. She had the biggest smile on her face and was almost in tears. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT CLOTHES IT MEANT SO MUCH TO MILENA! The baby clothes will be given to either ICBF or an orphanage, they will all go to a child in need.
Amaya Fernanda continues to show us her little personality. She came alive today and was interacting with us and her environment so much more. She was actually running around the apartment tonight and sitting away from me. She wouldn't allow my mom or aunt to touch her unless she initiated it. Mark felt a little relieved that it wasn't just him that she was having this reaction with.
Once dinner time hit she started with her tantrums again. She didn't want Mark to feed her (even though he fed her at breakfast and lunch without any problems) and so she would yank the spoon out of his hand and toss it to me. Then she cried all the way to the panaderia when we went out for our nightly walk because I wasn't holding or touching her.
When we got home she cried until she got into the bathtub and then she played with the water for awhile without crying. But then Alejandra hit her back on the water spigot and she started to cry and that triggered Amaya Fernanda....Mark and I just looked at each other and we started laughing hysterically :)! What else can you do?
Pajama time went without any tears and then I had to fix Alejandra's hair and so Amaya was very upset that I was giving Alejandra attention...tears started again. Mark picked Amaya up and started feeding her a bottle and after a couple of minutes she stopped crying and drank the bottle calmly. She sat quietly in Mark's lap as I finished up Alejandra's hair and then I was able to rock Amaya to sleep. I was able to place her in the crib and after about 2 minutes of crying she fell right to sleep. We are so happy she's getting this bedtime routine down and learning how to soothe herself during bedtime.
We are SO happy that my mom and aunt are here. They have already been a huge help around here during dinner time and bed time. Alejandra got to spend some time with her Nana's while Mark and I were able to spend some one-on-one time with Amaya during bed time. We are already making plans for where we will head out to this weekend...we've got lots of possibilities in mind but they all depend on the weather. Whatever we do it will be wonderful and of course a ton of fun!
Tomorrow we have our integration meeting here at the apartment and we need to take Amaya Fernanda to the doctor's office for her follow-up visit regarding her ear infection. We are certain it is gone by now because she hasn't complained of any ear pain. We actually stopped giving her the pain medication a couple of days ago because she seemed to be doing so well. After our integration meeting our case can be submitted to the courts and then the legal process of the adoption begins.
Until tomorrow!
My mom and aunt arrived and Alejandra was so excited to see them! Amaya Fernanda was slow to warm up but by the time the night came she was running around laughing with them! Alejandra was showered with gifts from her primas back home. We actually put some away for another day so she has other fun things to look forward in a couple of weeks. Amaya also got a beautiful little story and quilt from her big cousin Sierra (THANK YOU SIERRA THAT WAS SO SWEET!).
Not only did they come with gifts for Amaya and Alejandra but they also brought a big suitcase full of children and baby clothes to donate. Our housekeeper Milena has 4 kids and is a single mom, she just barely makes ends meet. She looked through the clothing with us and took home 5 grocery bags full of clothing for her kids. My mom brought them the Crayola twistable crayons as well because Milena had commented on how cool Alejandra's were. She had the biggest smile on her face and was almost in tears. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SENT CLOTHES IT MEANT SO MUCH TO MILENA! The baby clothes will be given to either ICBF or an orphanage, they will all go to a child in need.
Amaya Fernanda continues to show us her little personality. She came alive today and was interacting with us and her environment so much more. She was actually running around the apartment tonight and sitting away from me. She wouldn't allow my mom or aunt to touch her unless she initiated it. Mark felt a little relieved that it wasn't just him that she was having this reaction with.
Once dinner time hit she started with her tantrums again. She didn't want Mark to feed her (even though he fed her at breakfast and lunch without any problems) and so she would yank the spoon out of his hand and toss it to me. Then she cried all the way to the panaderia when we went out for our nightly walk because I wasn't holding or touching her.
When we got home she cried until she got into the bathtub and then she played with the water for awhile without crying. But then Alejandra hit her back on the water spigot and she started to cry and that triggered Amaya Fernanda....Mark and I just looked at each other and we started laughing hysterically :)! What else can you do?
Pajama time went without any tears and then I had to fix Alejandra's hair and so Amaya was very upset that I was giving Alejandra attention...tears started again. Mark picked Amaya up and started feeding her a bottle and after a couple of minutes she stopped crying and drank the bottle calmly. She sat quietly in Mark's lap as I finished up Alejandra's hair and then I was able to rock Amaya to sleep. I was able to place her in the crib and after about 2 minutes of crying she fell right to sleep. We are so happy she's getting this bedtime routine down and learning how to soothe herself during bedtime.
We are SO happy that my mom and aunt are here. They have already been a huge help around here during dinner time and bed time. Alejandra got to spend some time with her Nana's while Mark and I were able to spend some one-on-one time with Amaya during bed time. We are already making plans for where we will head out to this weekend...we've got lots of possibilities in mind but they all depend on the weather. Whatever we do it will be wonderful and of course a ton of fun!
Tomorrow we have our integration meeting here at the apartment and we need to take Amaya Fernanda to the doctor's office for her follow-up visit regarding her ear infection. We are certain it is gone by now because she hasn't complained of any ear pain. We actually stopped giving her the pain medication a couple of days ago because she seemed to be doing so well. After our integration meeting our case can be submitted to the courts and then the legal process of the adoption begins.
Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 9: Daddy Survives...AGAIN!
We had a very slow morning and decided to hang out around the apartment in the a.m. since I had to leave at 12:30 to go to DAS in Paloquemao. Amaya slept all night in her crib and woke up at 5:30 am. I picked her up and put her back to sleep in our bed. It was a tight fit with all 4 of us in a full size bed. At least we were warm and snuggly! We got out of bed at around 8:30 and got the girls dressed and ready for breakfast. I was able to squeeze in a shower and only heard Amaya cry for about 3 minutes :S.
Amaya and Mark's relationship continues to have its ups and downs. She will not cry if he picks her up when I am not around. When I am around she has a complete meltdown. Now she does not like Mark to feed her when I am around. She will throw a tantrum and eat between crying fits. She has been venturing off more and more independently and will play games on the living room floor with Mark, Alejandra and I.
On the paperwork front, I was SO excited to get my "pasado judicial." I almost passed out while waiting because I was so nervous that they wouldn't give it to me. But my nervousness was unnecessary as the process was pretty easy once I got into the office. The only thing I didn't have was the phone number for where we are staying so I made one up. I knew I would get the clearance instantly so I wasn't concerned. It took about 1 hour to go through the entire process and I felt like celebrating as I passed the armed guards on the way out of the DAS office!
I got home to find Amaya sleeping in the stroller and a very happy Alejandra. Daddy reported a successful afternoon with a thumbs up sign. He took the girls for a walk in the stroller and Amaya Fernanda fell asleep about 15 minutes into the walk. She cried for about 3 minutes initially but then didn't shed any tears after that. It was a gorgeous day for being outside so we headed back out to the park and played for about 1 hour. Alejandra met a couple of friends and Amaya decided that sitting in between my legs was the best spot in the whole park.
We came back in at around 5:00 p.m. and the dreaded dinner/bedtime routine started. Amaya cried her way through dinner and then proceeded to cry after dinner when I told her we couldn't go out for a walk in the stroller. We tried to make her content by playing with some toys, but it was very temporary. We headed up for a bath and she was happy playing in the tub. But once she got out the whining started again until she got a bottle and rocked to sleep. I placed her in the crib and she woke up crying, but she quickly put herself back to bed. We might have won the battle of no rocking at bedtime....we can only hope!
Tomorrow is a great day because my mom and aunt are coming into town! We are excited to head out to other parts of Bogota with them and explore some more of the city. It feels like a little piece of home will be arriving here tomorrow and we can't wait!
Amaya and Mark's relationship continues to have its ups and downs. She will not cry if he picks her up when I am not around. When I am around she has a complete meltdown. Now she does not like Mark to feed her when I am around. She will throw a tantrum and eat between crying fits. She has been venturing off more and more independently and will play games on the living room floor with Mark, Alejandra and I.
On the paperwork front, I was SO excited to get my "pasado judicial." I almost passed out while waiting because I was so nervous that they wouldn't give it to me. But my nervousness was unnecessary as the process was pretty easy once I got into the office. The only thing I didn't have was the phone number for where we are staying so I made one up. I knew I would get the clearance instantly so I wasn't concerned. It took about 1 hour to go through the entire process and I felt like celebrating as I passed the armed guards on the way out of the DAS office!
I got home to find Amaya sleeping in the stroller and a very happy Alejandra. Daddy reported a successful afternoon with a thumbs up sign. He took the girls for a walk in the stroller and Amaya Fernanda fell asleep about 15 minutes into the walk. She cried for about 3 minutes initially but then didn't shed any tears after that. It was a gorgeous day for being outside so we headed back out to the park and played for about 1 hour. Alejandra met a couple of friends and Amaya decided that sitting in between my legs was the best spot in the whole park.
We came back in at around 5:00 p.m. and the dreaded dinner/bedtime routine started. Amaya cried her way through dinner and then proceeded to cry after dinner when I told her we couldn't go out for a walk in the stroller. We tried to make her content by playing with some toys, but it was very temporary. We headed up for a bath and she was happy playing in the tub. But once she got out the whining started again until she got a bottle and rocked to sleep. I placed her in the crib and she woke up crying, but she quickly put herself back to bed. We might have won the battle of no rocking at bedtime....we can only hope!
Tomorrow is a great day because my mom and aunt are coming into town! We are excited to head out to other parts of Bogota with them and explore some more of the city. It feels like a little piece of home will be arriving here tomorrow and we can't wait!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day 8: Daddy Survives!
I got up at 6:00 and got ready to head out to DAS with our agency representative. Just as I was getting ready to go Amaya Fernanda woke up crying. She held her arms up and Mark picked her up and rocked her back to sleep. She didn't fuss or cry over him holding her. They had an okay morning together. Some crying fits mixed in with some healthy bonding time. I had no luck getting my paperwork taken care of due to my dual citizenship. So tomorrow I will be working on that again....this means Mark is going to be on 2 daughter duty again in the afternoon.
Once I got home we packed up and headed out to Santa Fe mall to take Alejandra to Divercity. It is the most amazing place for kids! It is an entire city with jobs, money, atm's, banks for kids. We got their kind of late and their was a school field trip there so Alejandra only got to visit the bank, the ATM, make chocolate at the Chocolatina Jet factor, be an astronaut, and a dentist. She LOVED it and she so deserved a day dedicated to her after how amazing she has been. We are definitely going back there because we only got to see one floor and there are two more! While at Divercity, Amaya Fernanda was having a blast as well. She was in the carrier and I was holding her. She was laughing, giggling, and observing it all. When Mark pulled out the camera she pointed at it and let out a little whine. At first we didn't understand, we thought she might be scared of the camera. But, the opposite was true. Mark focused the camera in on her and she smiled and posed. Apparently she is used to having her picture taken.We did some shopping at the mall for Mark and the girls. Amaya was finally being like a toddler, getting into stuff, exploring, walking, and interacting with her environment. We did have a little bit of a regression with her and Mark. She didn't want to even hold his hand while walking today...so that was a bit of a dissapointment. But, we have a lifetime to work on their relationship and we are sure it will get stronger as time goes on and she realizes what an amazing dad he is.
We got back to the apartment, had dinner, and the dreaded bedtime came...we had some whining again and that was difficult, but thankfully at 9:30 we can report that both girls are sleeping soundly in their respective beds. Tomorrow we are going for an early morning walk and then I have to leave at lunchtime to take care of my "pasado judicial" at DAS. We are hoping that I can get my paperwork done and that some nice bonding time happens for Daddy and Amaya Fernanda.
We are also SUPER excited to have my mom and aunt flying out tomorrow night to come and be with us in Bogota. I think having them here will make us feel less isolated. We love having this apartment, but we miss the support we got from the other adoptive families going through the same process as us. I also can't wait for Alejandra to see her nana because she has been missing her terribly these last few days.
Until tomorrow....
Once I got home we packed up and headed out to Santa Fe mall to take Alejandra to Divercity. It is the most amazing place for kids! It is an entire city with jobs, money, atm's, banks for kids. We got their kind of late and their was a school field trip there so Alejandra only got to visit the bank, the ATM, make chocolate at the Chocolatina Jet factor, be an astronaut, and a dentist. She LOVED it and she so deserved a day dedicated to her after how amazing she has been. We are definitely going back there because we only got to see one floor and there are two more! While at Divercity, Amaya Fernanda was having a blast as well. She was in the carrier and I was holding her. She was laughing, giggling, and observing it all. When Mark pulled out the camera she pointed at it and let out a little whine. At first we didn't understand, we thought she might be scared of the camera. But, the opposite was true. Mark focused the camera in on her and she smiled and posed. Apparently she is used to having her picture taken.We did some shopping at the mall for Mark and the girls. Amaya was finally being like a toddler, getting into stuff, exploring, walking, and interacting with her environment. We did have a little bit of a regression with her and Mark. She didn't want to even hold his hand while walking today...so that was a bit of a dissapointment. But, we have a lifetime to work on their relationship and we are sure it will get stronger as time goes on and she realizes what an amazing dad he is.
We got back to the apartment, had dinner, and the dreaded bedtime came...we had some whining again and that was difficult, but thankfully at 9:30 we can report that both girls are sleeping soundly in their respective beds. Tomorrow we are going for an early morning walk and then I have to leave at lunchtime to take care of my "pasado judicial" at DAS. We are hoping that I can get my paperwork done and that some nice bonding time happens for Daddy and Amaya Fernanda.
We are also SUPER excited to have my mom and aunt flying out tomorrow night to come and be with us in Bogota. I think having them here will make us feel less isolated. We love having this apartment, but we miss the support we got from the other adoptive families going through the same process as us. I also can't wait for Alejandra to see her nana because she has been missing her terribly these last few days.
Until tomorrow....
Day 7: Sunny Day
We woke up to a beautiful sunny sky so we quickly got ourselves ready and headed out the door for a wonderful day of walking! We ran out the door so quickly that Mark and I forgot to eat breakfast so we stopped at Dulcinea for a latte and a pastry. Amaya had fallen asleep in the stroller so Alejandra got to pick out a treat as well.
After breakfast we found the most amazing paved road that took us to the hotel La Fontana Estelar. When you are pushing a stroller with 2 kids a paved sidewalk is a GIFT. It was Ciclovia so the traffic was very light and a few of the roads were closed for traffic and open for pedestrians. Amaya slept most of the way to the hotel and Alejandra walked and rode in the stroller....this sit and stand stroller has been perfect for us.
We arrived at the Kermesse at the Hotel and found some of the same vendors we had seen the last time we were here. We bought Amaya Fernanda a cute little picture frame so we can put in a picture of our Encuentro day in there. We have the same one for Alejandra back at home. Alejandra was being the social butterfly she always is and was grabbing people by the hand to come and meet her baby sister. There was a Zumba fitness class going on as well so Alejandra grabbed her Daddy's hand and off they went to Zumba!
After the Kermesse we headed to Unicentro to buy clothes for Amaya Fernanda. She doesn't fit the 12-18 months clothes we brought for her. We also bought her a pair of walking shoes, which she absolutely adored. We asked her about her "nuevos zapatos" and she got a big smile on her face and pointed at them. They are the sweetest little purple polka dot tennis shoes with a patent leather bow on the back. We were able to take Amaya out of the stroller for awhile and she walked a little bit around the mall. We realized that Amaya isn't used to walking much, it seems as though she was held a lot by her foster family. She isn't very steady on her feet quite yet but she's getting there.
For lunch we stopped and ate at Crepes & Waffles. The food was delicious, Amaya sat in a highchair without complaining, and Alejandra ate most of her food...it was a great meal! We taught Amaya how to sign "mas" and she did it a few times at the dinner table. So far, she doesn't have a lot of vocabulary. This could be just due to her becoming comfortable with us OR she just needs a bit more help with developing her vocabulary. People in the restaurant kept looking over at our table trying to figure out our family. We have two beautiful daughters that look nothing like us and people just don't understand what our dynamic could be. I'm certain this is the first of many public stares.
We packed ourselves up and headed back home. Light sprinkles started to fall as we neared the apartment, but it wasn't too bad. We decided to let Alejandra go on the swings at the park across the strees but just as we got her out a downpour started, so we rushed back to apartment. We played together in the living room and Amaya started to give hugs to me and a couple to her dad. Her little personality was starting to come out some more.
Then came my least favorite time of the day (right now) bedtime. Amaya Fernanda gets very cranky at night and starts to cry over very minimal things. Actually, let me rephrase....she starts to wail and sob over everything. Amaya Fernanda is also used to being rocked to sleep and this absolutely kills my back. As soon as I try to put her down she wakes up wailing. It is very exhausting right now. We are hoping to figure out a way to get her into a better bedtime routine.
Alejandra was a champ again today. She got to pick out a pair of knee high converse tennis shoes with different color hearts all over them today because she has been such a great helper. She is always trying to help with Amaya and her little tantrums by bringing her things to make her happy. At bedtime, she lays in the bed and tries her best to go right to sleep. That little girl has just been amazing!
We were a little worried as we went to bed because we received a call from the agency that I needed to go get my "pasado judicial" (judicial past) from DAS (the equivalent of FBI) in order to complete our adoption paperwork. I was told that I had to go by myself, that meant Mark was on duty with both girls. Given the fact that Amaya will wail when Mark picks her up we were SUPER concerned that this would set back their bonding.....needless to say....we could hardly sleep a wink because we had so much anxiety.....This is why we had no blog post....
Day 8....coming up next.
After breakfast we found the most amazing paved road that took us to the hotel La Fontana Estelar. When you are pushing a stroller with 2 kids a paved sidewalk is a GIFT. It was Ciclovia so the traffic was very light and a few of the roads were closed for traffic and open for pedestrians. Amaya slept most of the way to the hotel and Alejandra walked and rode in the stroller....this sit and stand stroller has been perfect for us.
We arrived at the Kermesse at the Hotel and found some of the same vendors we had seen the last time we were here. We bought Amaya Fernanda a cute little picture frame so we can put in a picture of our Encuentro day in there. We have the same one for Alejandra back at home. Alejandra was being the social butterfly she always is and was grabbing people by the hand to come and meet her baby sister. There was a Zumba fitness class going on as well so Alejandra grabbed her Daddy's hand and off they went to Zumba!
After the Kermesse we headed to Unicentro to buy clothes for Amaya Fernanda. She doesn't fit the 12-18 months clothes we brought for her. We also bought her a pair of walking shoes, which she absolutely adored. We asked her about her "nuevos zapatos" and she got a big smile on her face and pointed at them. They are the sweetest little purple polka dot tennis shoes with a patent leather bow on the back. We were able to take Amaya out of the stroller for awhile and she walked a little bit around the mall. We realized that Amaya isn't used to walking much, it seems as though she was held a lot by her foster family. She isn't very steady on her feet quite yet but she's getting there.
For lunch we stopped and ate at Crepes & Waffles. The food was delicious, Amaya sat in a highchair without complaining, and Alejandra ate most of her food...it was a great meal! We taught Amaya how to sign "mas" and she did it a few times at the dinner table. So far, she doesn't have a lot of vocabulary. This could be just due to her becoming comfortable with us OR she just needs a bit more help with developing her vocabulary. People in the restaurant kept looking over at our table trying to figure out our family. We have two beautiful daughters that look nothing like us and people just don't understand what our dynamic could be. I'm certain this is the first of many public stares.
We packed ourselves up and headed back home. Light sprinkles started to fall as we neared the apartment, but it wasn't too bad. We decided to let Alejandra go on the swings at the park across the strees but just as we got her out a downpour started, so we rushed back to apartment. We played together in the living room and Amaya started to give hugs to me and a couple to her dad. Her little personality was starting to come out some more.
Then came my least favorite time of the day (right now) bedtime. Amaya Fernanda gets very cranky at night and starts to cry over very minimal things. Actually, let me rephrase....she starts to wail and sob over everything. Amaya Fernanda is also used to being rocked to sleep and this absolutely kills my back. As soon as I try to put her down she wakes up wailing. It is very exhausting right now. We are hoping to figure out a way to get her into a better bedtime routine.
Alejandra was a champ again today. She got to pick out a pair of knee high converse tennis shoes with different color hearts all over them today because she has been such a great helper. She is always trying to help with Amaya and her little tantrums by bringing her things to make her happy. At bedtime, she lays in the bed and tries her best to go right to sleep. That little girl has just been amazing!
We were a little worried as we went to bed because we received a call from the agency that I needed to go get my "pasado judicial" (judicial past) from DAS (the equivalent of FBI) in order to complete our adoption paperwork. I was told that I had to go by myself, that meant Mark was on duty with both girls. Given the fact that Amaya will wail when Mark picks her up we were SUPER concerned that this would set back their bonding.....needless to say....we could hardly sleep a wink because we had so much anxiety.....This is why we had no blog post....
Day 8....coming up next.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Day 6: Rainy Day
Today we all slept in until about 8 a.m. Alejandra woke up and said "Look Amaya Fernanda's awake! She is so cute!" So we got up and ate breakfast then we showered the girls. Amaya was definitely more playful in the morning and she actually let go of me today and was playing with Mark and Alejandra on the bed. Mark ended up being able to pick her up and after some crying she eventually fell asleep in his arms. He was afraid to move and so he ended up laying down with her in bed until she woke up.
For me, it was nice to be able to get things done and to take a shower (who would think that it would be a luxury!) without a crying child. I got us all packed up for our adventure outdoors today and then Amaya finally woke up. Of course, as soon as we were ready to head out it started pouring outside. We tried to get a taxi but there weren't any available. We had planned on going to Unicentro (an indoor mall) and walk around, but Ãt was raining too hard. We ended up eating at Kokoriko and then taking a long stroll back to the apartment. Mark was able to hold Amaya in the baby carrier on the way there and back. She cried a little on the way back but she ended up falling asleep.
Our afternoon and evening was spent playing with the toys in the living room together. Amaya was starting to laugh and we heard her babbling more today than ever! She even walked over to Mark and passed the linking letters to him one at a time. Then dinner came around and that was a whole different story! Amaya decided that she doesn't like to sit in a high chair and eat. She wants to sit in my lap and eat. So we had a bit of struggle with that tonight.
We realized that when she is tired she tends to pull towards me and starts to get very needy and clingy. She'll asked to be picked up by me and only wants to be held. We also notice a little bit of anxiety come when bedtime arrives. She is used to being rocked to sleep and that has been hard on my back, thankfully she is okay with me sitting down and rocking her to sleep.
We are trying to piece together what she was accustomed to and it seems as though she was held A LOT! She tires very easily when she is walking and is always looking for a place to sit. We are trying to help her strengthen her little legs by playing games that involve walking.
Tomorrow we plan on heading out to the Kermes at a beautiful hotel called La Fontana and then going to Unicentro. Amaya is much bigger then we thought and the 12-18 months clothes are a little bit too tight so we need to pick up some things for her.
Until tomorrow...
For me, it was nice to be able to get things done and to take a shower (who would think that it would be a luxury!) without a crying child. I got us all packed up for our adventure outdoors today and then Amaya finally woke up. Of course, as soon as we were ready to head out it started pouring outside. We tried to get a taxi but there weren't any available. We had planned on going to Unicentro (an indoor mall) and walk around, but Ãt was raining too hard. We ended up eating at Kokoriko and then taking a long stroll back to the apartment. Mark was able to hold Amaya in the baby carrier on the way there and back. She cried a little on the way back but she ended up falling asleep.
Our afternoon and evening was spent playing with the toys in the living room together. Amaya was starting to laugh and we heard her babbling more today than ever! She even walked over to Mark and passed the linking letters to him one at a time. Then dinner came around and that was a whole different story! Amaya decided that she doesn't like to sit in a high chair and eat. She wants to sit in my lap and eat. So we had a bit of struggle with that tonight.
We realized that when she is tired she tends to pull towards me and starts to get very needy and clingy. She'll asked to be picked up by me and only wants to be held. We also notice a little bit of anxiety come when bedtime arrives. She is used to being rocked to sleep and that has been hard on my back, thankfully she is okay with me sitting down and rocking her to sleep.
We are trying to piece together what she was accustomed to and it seems as though she was held A LOT! She tires very easily when she is walking and is always looking for a place to sit. We are trying to help her strengthen her little legs by playing games that involve walking.
Tomorrow we plan on heading out to the Kermes at a beautiful hotel called La Fontana and then going to Unicentro. Amaya is much bigger then we thought and the 12-18 months clothes are a little bit too tight so we need to pick up some things for her.
Until tomorrow...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Day 5: A new day!
Little Amaya and Alejandra both slept the entire night...YEAH! Mark and I had a more difficult time sleeping because we keep thinking Alejandra is going to fall out of the bed AND we were worried that Amaya would wake up crying. So we crawled out of bed at 6:00 a.m. and got showered and dressed before the girls woke up. Alejandra woke up first and then Amaya woke up just as we were done showering and dressing Alejandra. Amaya did not cry when she woke up but she did want to be carried by me immediately. She tolerated her dad in the same room, which was a HUGE improvement from yesterday.
We decided to try a bath with Amaya and she ended up tolerating it. She splashed a little and Alejandra showed her how to play with the rubber duckies. We got her ready to go for the day and then Milena made her changua (which was reported to be her favorite dish) for breakfast. We all sat down together and ate. Amaya sat nicely in her modified high chair (complete with phone book for height support) and ate her entire breakfast. After breakfast we sat down and rolled the ball with her Daddy. She actually started to make eye contact with him which was AMAZING!
Then we headed out for a long walk to nowhere specific. We just knew we wanted to be out and about today. We packed the girls into the sit and stand stroller and off we went for a walk. We crossed over the bridge into Santa Barbara and stopped at a park. We got the girls out of the stroller and Alejandra went and played. Amaya held my finger and walked around the park with me. We tried the slide and that got a kind of smile out of her. Amaya fell asleep in the stroller a couple of times for 30 minutes each time.
Then we heard thunder, so we decided to start walking back. We spotted a McDonalds so we went in and ate. Just as we sat down rain started pouring down. We were happy that we were inside keeping dry! Mark fed Amaya across the table and she ate everything he gave her. We were ecstatic at this HUGE step in their bonding.
Eventually, the rain let up a little so we all headed back home. Amaya fell asleep again and we tried to move her into the crib, but that didn't work at all! So I brought her downstairs and we played indoors for a bit and Amaya kept pointing to the stroller so we decided to head out for an afternoon snack. Amaya let Mark pick her up and put her into the baby carrier that I was wearing....again excited for this HUGE step. We went to a bakery and sat for a bit. Then, we walked over the park and Amaya fell asleep in the carrier for 2 hours.
We got home in time for some great playtime with the girls and Mark on the floor together. We finally started to see little glimpses of her personality. She started to let go of my legs and would walk away a little bit from me. At one point she couldn't see me and she started wailing again....so we now know that I need to be visible at least.
Mark got dinner on the table for the girls and then we sat down to eat. Mark fed Amaya and I was visible to them. They were having a GREAT time together! At one point the phone rang upstairs so I ran to get it and then she lost it again...her ear and teeth were bothering her and she was SO tired. She wanted me to pick her up and I just sat next to her while I hugged her and simultaneously rubbed Mark's back so she could see that he was there to protect her.
After dinner it was time for medication and bedtime. Amaya let Mark change her diaper and put on her pajamas....YES! We gave Amaya a bottle and I had to carry her around until she fell asleep. I tried to transfer her to the crib a few times, but everytime she woke up crying. Finally, I was able to put her into the portable crib. Alejandra was again so excited about her baby sister that she had a hard time getting to bed. But finally we can hear her snoring too! We are hoping both girls sleep through the night again....
Until tomorrow....where our family bond will continue to grow!
We decided to try a bath with Amaya and she ended up tolerating it. She splashed a little and Alejandra showed her how to play with the rubber duckies. We got her ready to go for the day and then Milena made her changua (which was reported to be her favorite dish) for breakfast. We all sat down together and ate. Amaya sat nicely in her modified high chair (complete with phone book for height support) and ate her entire breakfast. After breakfast we sat down and rolled the ball with her Daddy. She actually started to make eye contact with him which was AMAZING!
Then we headed out for a long walk to nowhere specific. We just knew we wanted to be out and about today. We packed the girls into the sit and stand stroller and off we went for a walk. We crossed over the bridge into Santa Barbara and stopped at a park. We got the girls out of the stroller and Alejandra went and played. Amaya held my finger and walked around the park with me. We tried the slide and that got a kind of smile out of her. Amaya fell asleep in the stroller a couple of times for 30 minutes each time.
Then we heard thunder, so we decided to start walking back. We spotted a McDonalds so we went in and ate. Just as we sat down rain started pouring down. We were happy that we were inside keeping dry! Mark fed Amaya across the table and she ate everything he gave her. We were ecstatic at this HUGE step in their bonding.
Eventually, the rain let up a little so we all headed back home. Amaya fell asleep again and we tried to move her into the crib, but that didn't work at all! So I brought her downstairs and we played indoors for a bit and Amaya kept pointing to the stroller so we decided to head out for an afternoon snack. Amaya let Mark pick her up and put her into the baby carrier that I was wearing....again excited for this HUGE step. We went to a bakery and sat for a bit. Then, we walked over the park and Amaya fell asleep in the carrier for 2 hours.
We got home in time for some great playtime with the girls and Mark on the floor together. We finally started to see little glimpses of her personality. She started to let go of my legs and would walk away a little bit from me. At one point she couldn't see me and she started wailing again....so we now know that I need to be visible at least.
Mark got dinner on the table for the girls and then we sat down to eat. Mark fed Amaya and I was visible to them. They were having a GREAT time together! At one point the phone rang upstairs so I ran to get it and then she lost it again...her ear and teeth were bothering her and she was SO tired. She wanted me to pick her up and I just sat next to her while I hugged her and simultaneously rubbed Mark's back so she could see that he was there to protect her.
After dinner it was time for medication and bedtime. Amaya let Mark change her diaper and put on her pajamas....YES! We gave Amaya a bottle and I had to carry her around until she fell asleep. I tried to transfer her to the crib a few times, but everytime she woke up crying. Finally, I was able to put her into the portable crib. Alejandra was again so excited about her baby sister that she had a hard time getting to bed. But finally we can hear her snoring too! We are hoping both girls sleep through the night again....
Until tomorrow....where our family bond will continue to grow!
Day 4: Encuentro
It was both the happiest and saddest day of our life all at one time. In came in our beautiful girl in the most gorgeous dark purple peacoat and amazing purple and pink shoes. There she was wailing! They told us they thought she had an ear infection and to please take her to the doctor. Both Mark and I alternated holding her trying to see if it would help sooth her but we couldn't get her to stop wailing. Finally, I (Debi) held her and rocked her and she ended up falling asleep out of pure exhaustion. In the meantime, Alejandra was trying so hard to make her baby sister laugh. She kept asking "|What's wrong with Amaya Fernanda?" because she wanted to help.
We left our "party" all set-up at the ICBF office and got in a taxi and bolted home. When we got home Amaya was spent, she wouldn't let go of me. She would bury her face into my shoulder and just sob uncontrollably. She finally calmed down enough for us to take her to the pediatrician. We hopped into a taxi and got to Clinisanitas where they confirmed that yes she does have an ear infection. Of course, she wailed when they had to check her throat and then she screamed when they took her from me to weigh her.
By the time we got home it was past 8:00 and we quickly fed the girls dinner and then got ready for bedtime. Alejandra was so excited she had a hard time getting to bed. This being our first night together I was trying to figure out what Amaya Fernanda's bedtime routine was. Thankfully she helped me out by pointing me (literally) in the right direction. But our dear little Amaya was missing her foster family so much that it was very hard to see her grieve right before our eyes. Her head was buried in the pillows and she was sobbing and wailing ....as I type this I can't help but cry again for her. Eventually I was able to get her into the portable crib and she slept the whole night.
Mark and I sat by ourselves after bedtime and shed a few tears of happiness for our family and the incredible loss our little Amaya has suffered. We are sorry that we have not updated much but we are figuring things out over here still and taking care of a teething toddler with an ear infection. Alejandra has been absolutely wonderful and playful. She has made us so proud as parents to see what an incredible helper she has been with us these past two days. Amaya Fernanda is working on trusting her Daddy and this has been a little bit challenging for both mommy and daddy as well. I will update our Friday on another post...
We left our "party" all set-up at the ICBF office and got in a taxi and bolted home. When we got home Amaya was spent, she wouldn't let go of me. She would bury her face into my shoulder and just sob uncontrollably. She finally calmed down enough for us to take her to the pediatrician. We hopped into a taxi and got to Clinisanitas where they confirmed that yes she does have an ear infection. Of course, she wailed when they had to check her throat and then she screamed when they took her from me to weigh her.
By the time we got home it was past 8:00 and we quickly fed the girls dinner and then got ready for bedtime. Alejandra was so excited she had a hard time getting to bed. This being our first night together I was trying to figure out what Amaya Fernanda's bedtime routine was. Thankfully she helped me out by pointing me (literally) in the right direction. But our dear little Amaya was missing her foster family so much that it was very hard to see her grieve right before our eyes. Her head was buried in the pillows and she was sobbing and wailing ....as I type this I can't help but cry again for her. Eventually I was able to get her into the portable crib and she slept the whole night.
Mark and I sat by ourselves after bedtime and shed a few tears of happiness for our family and the incredible loss our little Amaya has suffered. We are sorry that we have not updated much but we are figuring things out over here still and taking care of a teething toddler with an ear infection. Alejandra has been absolutely wonderful and playful. She has made us so proud as parents to see what an incredible helper she has been with us these past two days. Amaya Fernanda is working on trusting her Daddy and this has been a little bit challenging for both mommy and daddy as well. I will update our Friday on another post...
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Day 3: Archie's Pizza and a walk
Today we met up with Andres and went down to the notary over by Unicentro. We decided to stay in that area and head over to Unicentro and walk around awhile. We bought a couple of books and coloring books over at Panamericana, then we went over to Exito to buy the things we needed for tomorrow's encuentro. We then walked over to Baby Ganga (like Babies R Us) and bought plastic covers for the corners of our glass dining room table.
We finally made it to Archie's Pizza which is a blast for kiddos 3 and up! Alejandra got to make her very own pizza and she absolutely LOVED it! We ended our fantastic meal with a Juan Valdez coffee for mom and dad and chocolate ice cream for Alejandra. We had been talking about Archie's Pizza with Alejandra for the longest time so she was ready to make her pizza.
We then decided to take a taxi back to our place so that I (Debi) could head over to the grocery store with Milena to buy our groceries for a couple of weeks. Daddy and Alejandra headed over to the park and played their hearts out! I realized that we are very close to the Gymboree Play and Music gym that I was hoping to enroll the girls in. It also just so happens that there is a Juan Valdez Cafe a couple of doors down from that. I mapped out the perfect afternoon stroll for our little family come Friday!
We are looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow as our family grows by 1! We are getting ready to put Alejandra to bed and then it's time for us to make sure all photo equipment has a full charge and our bags are ready to go. We won't be leaving until around 12:30, but we want to make sure everything is ready tonight so we aren't rushing around in the morning. Our meeting is at 2:00, so California family please think of us at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow and send your prayers and good thoughts our way! We hope to post pictures of our encuentro tomorrow, but we need to make sure we have permission to post pictures first.
Buenas noches from Bogota!
We finally made it to Archie's Pizza which is a blast for kiddos 3 and up! Alejandra got to make her very own pizza and she absolutely LOVED it! We ended our fantastic meal with a Juan Valdez coffee for mom and dad and chocolate ice cream for Alejandra. We had been talking about Archie's Pizza with Alejandra for the longest time so she was ready to make her pizza.
We then decided to take a taxi back to our place so that I (Debi) could head over to the grocery store with Milena to buy our groceries for a couple of weeks. Daddy and Alejandra headed over to the park and played their hearts out! I realized that we are very close to the Gymboree Play and Music gym that I was hoping to enroll the girls in. It also just so happens that there is a Juan Valdez Cafe a couple of doors down from that. I mapped out the perfect afternoon stroll for our little family come Friday!
We are looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow as our family grows by 1! We are getting ready to put Alejandra to bed and then it's time for us to make sure all photo equipment has a full charge and our bags are ready to go. We won't be leaving until around 12:30, but we want to make sure everything is ready tonight so we aren't rushing around in the morning. Our meeting is at 2:00, so California family please think of us at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow and send your prayers and good thoughts our way! We hope to post pictures of our encuentro tomorrow, but we need to make sure we have permission to post pictures first.
Buenas noches from Bogota!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Day 2: Pre Encuentro Visit
Today we (Mark and I) woke up at 8:00 and Alejandra slept in until 10:00! She was SO exhausted from the flight yesterday and she needed to catch up on her beauty sleep. We met our housekeeper Milena today and she is so sweet. She made us breakfast and then we all headed over to the small grocery store across the street to buy food for lunch. We then went to a fruit market and stocked up on a lot of the wonderful fruit they have in Colombia. We ate the most delicious little banana, it was super sweet. We've missed all the food here so much!
We got back to our apartment at 1:30 and quickly got ready to head over to ICBF Cundinamarca office. We met up with Lucia in the taxi and saw our attorney Oscar there. It was a beautiful, very modern office building. We were greeted by the psychologist and 2 social workers. One of the social workers has known Amaya Fernanda since she was a newborn so she had a lot to share with us. We know she is meeting all of her developmental milestones and that she has been very well taken care of by her foster family. She has a healthy attachment with her foster family and for that we are SO excited! The ladies wanted to know what we had in mind for the encuentro and we told them we were going to let Amaya Fernanda take the lead and we would go along with what she wanted. They wanted us to treat the day like a celebration so they recommended that we arrive 30 minutes early on Thursday and decorate the room with balloons and decorations. They also wanted us to bring cake to celebrate. The feeling of this office was SO different then the other regional office we went to with Alejandra. We were asked to keep the encuentro very low key when we went there. We are excited for this little party we're throwing for our sweet little girl.....it so closely matches what we feel in our hearts! We also received 2 updated pictures of Amaya Fernanda and two sheets of pink construction paper she had colored for us. It was SO sweet.
We then came home and were welcomed with arroz con pollo and fresh mango juice! We watched Tangled here at home and then headed off to the park and a little exploration walk. Tomorrow we are going to notarize a couple of legal documents and spend some time in Unicentro. We need to order a cake and get some party supplies as well!
We got back to our apartment at 1:30 and quickly got ready to head over to ICBF Cundinamarca office. We met up with Lucia in the taxi and saw our attorney Oscar there. It was a beautiful, very modern office building. We were greeted by the psychologist and 2 social workers. One of the social workers has known Amaya Fernanda since she was a newborn so she had a lot to share with us. We know she is meeting all of her developmental milestones and that she has been very well taken care of by her foster family. She has a healthy attachment with her foster family and for that we are SO excited! The ladies wanted to know what we had in mind for the encuentro and we told them we were going to let Amaya Fernanda take the lead and we would go along with what she wanted. They wanted us to treat the day like a celebration so they recommended that we arrive 30 minutes early on Thursday and decorate the room with balloons and decorations. They also wanted us to bring cake to celebrate. The feeling of this office was SO different then the other regional office we went to with Alejandra. We were asked to keep the encuentro very low key when we went there. We are excited for this little party we're throwing for our sweet little girl.....it so closely matches what we feel in our hearts! We also received 2 updated pictures of Amaya Fernanda and two sheets of pink construction paper she had colored for us. It was SO sweet.
We then came home and were welcomed with arroz con pollo and fresh mango juice! We watched Tangled here at home and then headed off to the park and a little exploration walk. Tomorrow we are going to notarize a couple of legal documents and spend some time in Unicentro. We need to order a cake and get some party supplies as well!
Monday, May 9, 2011
We've arrived!
We woke up bright and early this morning (3:00 am) and headed off to LAX. We had no problems with check-in or flights. Everything was pretty smooth. We actually got into Miami earlier so we decided to walk to our next gate instead of taking the shuttle. This gave us all a little exercise before having to sit on a plane for another 3.5 hours. We had a nice lunch in Miami and then boarded the plane.
We were welcomed into Bogota by lightning, what a beautiful show! But, there was no rain at all. It actually feels a little warm tonight! Alejandra's face lit up when the wheels of the plane touched down. She knew we were FINALLY in Colombia! We went to immigration relatively quickly (they have a priority lane for people with children) and found our luggage quickly. We then proceeded and saw a very familiar face Andres! He welcomed us with open arms and he was so excited to see Alejandra! The last time he saw her she was 9 months old! Alejandra quickly put on her best Spanish conversation and began speaking in Spanish. She even told her daddy to speak in espanol!
We got into a very large taxi (it was a 9 seater van) because that was what was available at the time. Andres said he remembered that we weren't light packers, so he knew a big van would be perfect for us :D! Alejandra sat down in her seat and started looking for a car seat or seat belt. She was very concerned, at first, that there weren't any and that nobody had one on! She quickly got over that and enjoyed her van ride back to the apartment.
We had a tiny problem finding our apartment, but nothing major. We have a park right in front of our place which will be WONDERFUL! We aren't really sure where we are quite yet. We have to get out and explore some more tomorrow. Mark ventured out with John, the apartment owner, to get groceries for breakfast tomorrow morning. Poor guy....I just threw him out there. He brought back the MOST basic things. We've got some grocery shopping to accomplish on Tuesday as well ;)
We know our social worker appointment with ICBF is tomorrow afternoon. Thankfully we get to sleep in and take our time in the morning before we have to get ready to head out to ICBF. A lot of our nerves have calmed down tonight because that big flight and getting to our "home" is done. Now comes the exciting part, meeting our newest member!
We are wiped out! Buenas noches from Bogota....Ciao!
We were welcomed into Bogota by lightning, what a beautiful show! But, there was no rain at all. It actually feels a little warm tonight! Alejandra's face lit up when the wheels of the plane touched down. She knew we were FINALLY in Colombia! We went to immigration relatively quickly (they have a priority lane for people with children) and found our luggage quickly. We then proceeded and saw a very familiar face Andres! He welcomed us with open arms and he was so excited to see Alejandra! The last time he saw her she was 9 months old! Alejandra quickly put on her best Spanish conversation and began speaking in Spanish. She even told her daddy to speak in espanol!
We got into a very large taxi (it was a 9 seater van) because that was what was available at the time. Andres said he remembered that we weren't light packers, so he knew a big van would be perfect for us :D! Alejandra sat down in her seat and started looking for a car seat or seat belt. She was very concerned, at first, that there weren't any and that nobody had one on! She quickly got over that and enjoyed her van ride back to the apartment.
We had a tiny problem finding our apartment, but nothing major. We have a park right in front of our place which will be WONDERFUL! We aren't really sure where we are quite yet. We have to get out and explore some more tomorrow. Mark ventured out with John, the apartment owner, to get groceries for breakfast tomorrow morning. Poor guy....I just threw him out there. He brought back the MOST basic things. We've got some grocery shopping to accomplish on Tuesday as well ;)
We know our social worker appointment with ICBF is tomorrow afternoon. Thankfully we get to sleep in and take our time in the morning before we have to get ready to head out to ICBF. A lot of our nerves have calmed down tonight because that big flight and getting to our "home" is done. Now comes the exciting part, meeting our newest member!
We are wiped out! Buenas noches from Bogota....Ciao!
Friday, May 6, 2011
2 days (and a half)
Final bag count 4 duffel/luggage bags, averaging about 40 lbs. each, 3 carry-on bags, and 1 stroller. Besides packing, here is what else we've been up to:
- The second car seat has been installed.
- Overnight bags have been packed for Sunday night.
- All adoption documents have been copied.
- All travel documents have been copied.
- Checked the luggage to make sure Alejandra didn't put anything crazy inside (like a lock?)
- Mother's day gifts have been purchased.
- Keys and money have been delivered to our good friend who will visit our house while we are away and then stock up our refrigerator before we get home (what a blessing)!
- Checked the luggage to make sure Alejandra didn't put anything crazy inside (like her comforter!)
- Carry-on food has been purchased (still need to prep and pack it).
- Electronic devices have been or are being charged...will pack those up on Sunday morning.
- Checked the luggage to make sure Alejandra didn't put anything crazy inside (like a princess wand!)
- Triple checked my lists and everything is checked off.....why do I still feel like there is still so much more to do!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
3 days...
Today was my second day of maternity leave and I am so happy to be home to take care of all of the last minute details. We had our "what to expect" phone call with our adoption agency today and we feel pretty comfortable knowing to expect the unexpected. Most of the process is the same as the last time. We have to take a total of 9 documents with us to complete the adoption....but honestly we doubt they will even look at them. This happened to us last time as well. Another change is that we cannot do an "immunization waiver" in the off chance that tiny A is missing any vaccinations. She will just have to have the immunization done in Colombia. That isn't anything concerning, just different from last time is all.
I know that there are "paper pregnant" families reading this, so my only piece of advice is to just roll with everything when you are in Colombia. We remember, from our last adoption, that one night they told us that we wouldn't have any paperwork for the next day and then the next day we were eating breakfast and they said "Be ready in 20 minutes to go talk to the judge." So we rushed around and got ready, then we sat for about 1 hour waiting for them to pick us up. You are told very little when it comes to the day to day processing of the paperwork. But, rest assured people are working on your file and you will receive Sentencia when you least expect it. I bet many families that have been on this journey and are reading this are nodding their head "yes!"
We have 3 more days left until we fly out and our packing and preparations are rolling smoothly. Our goal is to be ready to roll Saturday morning so we can then just relax through Sunday. Alejandra can feel it getting closer and she is beside herself with joy!
I know that there are "paper pregnant" families reading this, so my only piece of advice is to just roll with everything when you are in Colombia. We remember, from our last adoption, that one night they told us that we wouldn't have any paperwork for the next day and then the next day we were eating breakfast and they said "Be ready in 20 minutes to go talk to the judge." So we rushed around and got ready, then we sat for about 1 hour waiting for them to pick us up. You are told very little when it comes to the day to day processing of the paperwork. But, rest assured people are working on your file and you will receive Sentencia when you least expect it. I bet many families that have been on this journey and are reading this are nodding their head "yes!"
We have 3 more days left until we fly out and our packing and preparations are rolling smoothly. Our goal is to be ready to roll Saturday morning so we can then just relax through Sunday. Alejandra can feel it getting closer and she is beside herself with joy!
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