Day 18

Hello everyone!
Day 18 and all is well. Sorry I do not get the opportunity to update everyone daily. I am flying solo now and Miss Sofia keeps me very very busy. During her nap time the only computer in the hotel is used by the children. By late evening, when it is free, I usually crash alongside Sofia. Other times, I enjoy talking with the women in the loft. All the kids are asleep, it is quiet, I have my coffee, and breathe.

After a full weekend of outings, we enjoyed a lazy Monday. We slept in, walked to the grocery store (whoo whoo,) and played at McDonalds. The food tastes the same however, their menu is very limited. Saturday, we went to Panaca Sabana where Sofia enjoyed riding a pony, petting the goats, horses, and rabbits. She seems quite fearless. She layed on the ground to come face to face with a goat. They also had pig races which all the children loved. On Sunday, our Colombian Coordinator Lucia, sent a bus for all the families from Children's Hope International to visit a village called Guatavita. It is about an hour from Bogota. We got together with the Adelman's, Hollis', and Boyacheks. They had fabulous food and great shopping. It is my mission to find Sofia 18 items from Colombia that somehow incorporate a butterfly. I thought I could give her something from Colombia on every birthday. She seems to love them. Thus, the nickname "Mariposa." You really have to make sure the items here are Colombian. My husband previously noticed many items which were manufactured in China. Guatavita also had a museum, parks, and a gorgeous lake. I could not have managed the stroller by myself. Big thanks to Emi, Nate and Mark! All of these families have been so supportive of us. It may be a blessing we lost our camera because they have taken some awesome photos of Sofia. She is becoming a real ham.

Last evening the hotel hosted a "Day Spa" for the girls. They brought in a stylist who did their hair and nails. The "pre-teen set" here adore Sofia and included her in the festivities. She cried and pulled out every rubber band within an hour. Well, she looked extra adorable for an hour anyway!

We found out late last week that we are in courtroom #13. At first I flinched, superstitious you know. However, I have been assured that this is an efficient courtroom. Being that Thursday is a holiday here, it is unlikely we will receive sentencia this week. Just know, we are fine. I have just a little touch of homesickness. I really miss my boys! However, I can relax a bit knowing they have been cared for so well. Talk to you all soon, my princess is now awake. We love you.

Finally--the pics are in!

Sofia and her bud Jeimy






Playing the "thank you" game


Looks like I'm trouble, huh? :-)

Just Us Girls

Ed has returned safely back home so it has been just us girls the last two days. It has been cold and rainy so, we have been hanging out inside the hotel. Sofia has been saying "da da". I asked one of the women here to explain his disappearance in spanish. Who knows, she may understand more than we think. I was banking on a girly girl but this does not seem to be the case. She pulls off all hair ribbons and plays with balls and trucks. Ed brought her two baseballs as a gift. One said "Cubs" the other "Sox". He asked her to pick one and she grabbed the "Cubs" ball. She could do no wrong from that point on. The last two days Sofia has slept through the night. She is also eating like a truck driver. I have seen her eat a "Jethro Bodine" size bowl of Fruit Loops and an entire chicken breast. The cooking staff here are very good to Miss Sofia. I have no idea where she puts it.

For all those coming to Bogota, Cerro De Monserrate is a "must see". It is a little frightening heading up the mountain on a small cable line however, the view makes up for it. They have created a beautiful shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe high on the mountain. The shrine could be seen from traffic below. Also, there is a lovely church at the top, the Sanctuary De Monserrate. They have ornate statutes depicting all the stations of the cross. Ed found food and I shopped. The top seller here is chocolate covered coffee beans. I did not think I would like them but, now I am addicted.





Today I went with another woman from the hotel to CFP Emeralds. They are known to have the finest emeralds in Colombia. These emeralds were actually mined in Bogota. I intended just to check them out thinking it may be something I would want to pass on to Sofia when she is older. They send a driver to pick you up. The store has remarkable security and the owner was so nice. He must have spent 30 minutes with us just explaining what to look for in an emerald before making a purchase. Absolutely no pressure. He told me he could not accept a credit card however, he would take my personal check. When I explained I did not bring my checkbook, he told me to take the earrings and send him a check when I return home. Do you know any other jewelers who would do that?

Tomorrow we are going on a hotel outing to Panaca Sabana, it is a farm with a petting zoo for the children. The women who have been here over a month laugh about the outings however, they jump at the chance to go somewhere other than the grocery store. Good news on the photo front. One of my friends here took lots of photographs of Sofia. Hopefully, she will make her debut in blog world later this week. Goodnight to all.

The Integration

Monday morning we had our integration meeting with the officials from the ICBF. They do not really interrogate you. It is really just a meeting with the Defender of Minors. The meeting went well and they seemed pleased with the way Sofia has bonded with the two of us. They have offered their approval and now Sofia's adoption will enter the courts. Yipee! Now we play the waiting game.

Sofia has had a cold since the day she was presented to us. Last night we asked for a physician after a night of coughing. The physician came to the hotel within 30 minutes, checked her out and told us she has developed a flu bug and was teething. The doctor flushed her nose out, and prescribed some medications. This may be another contributor to her restless nights. Get this, the bill for a house call was 40,000 pesos, which is around $20 USC. How about that for a deal? Tonight, I thought I would attend a cooking class at a neighboring Zuetana. They are going to teach us to make a Colombian dish, empanadas. Being that I can not cook in America, I doubt I'll be able to master it. However, it is fun to get out for awhile.

Tomorrow is Ed's last day here with us. We thought we would join another family and go to Monserrate. You can take a tram up the Andes mountains for the best view of Bogota. It sounds like a Kodak moment huh? Well that is our update for now. Keep us in your thoughts.

The First Week

Hi Everyone!
Sorry, still no pictures. Yesterday, we went to an area mall to buy shoes for Sofia and a digital camera. You walk everywhere here, it is a good way to burn off the calories of all of this delicious Colombian food. Ed likes to sample everything we pass by. We were able to speak enough Spanish to make the shoe purchase but, the camera was a "no go." We could not understand the features, or what accessories we needed to buy. All the instructions were in Spanish. There was not enough classes to prepare us for that conversation. We got frustrated, gave up, and bought several disposable cameras. We feel pretty safe exploring. There are police on every corner and throughout the mall. They check your bags with metal detectors. We get a lot of looks but so far, we have not had to show our passports. Traffic here is insane. There is absolutely no traffic enforcement. It seems whoever gets to the intersection first, goes. They DO NOT stop for pedestrians. Crossing the street reminds me of a video game my boys used to play called "frogger." The object is to get your frog across the street without it getting squashed.

On the way back to Zuetana, we ate at a Crepe and Waffle restaurant. Sofia LOVES ice cream. She also loves mangos, papayas, yogurt, chicken nuggets, french fries (patatas fritas), and Fruit Loops. I know it is not so healthy but, we are glad that she is finally eating something. The first couple days, she turned her head to everything. We will experiment with healthier choices when we return home.

The first couple days were a huge adjustment for all of us. Boy, we forgot the demands a toddler places on you. Our boys are self sufficient and we enjoyed a lot of free time. I guess it is like riding a bike, everything came back to us. During the day, Sofia seems to be adjusting famously. She plays with all the other children and runs to us. I even got a kiss! Nightime is another story. This is the time when she seems to display her grief. She is very troubled and restless! We have come to learn that this is quite normal. However, it is very troubling to watch a child experience such grief. Sleep deprivation + home sickeness + grief stricken toddler + culture shock = mother meltdown. Fortunately, the women here have gone through similar experiences and offered some valuable insight. Our attorney came by during my meltdown, he probably thinks I am "loco." Thank you all who helped us through this first week.

Tomorrow we are going on a hotel outing, a trip to Parque Jaime Duque. It has childrens rides, a park and a small zoo. On Sunday, we plan on meeting up with some friends to hit a flea market and look for some souveniers. Sorry Bill, no Cuban cigars. On Monday we will meet with officials at the ICBF. They will question us how things are going. Once Ed signs the Power of Attorney, her adoption will go forward into the courts. I am amazed at how hard the ICBF works to find family members for the children before they are declared abandoned. There are daily commercials on television showing pictures of the children and pleading with family members to come forward. Well I will keep you all posted on Monday's events. Wish us luck.

The Presentation

Sofia is asleep so I am able to catch everyone up to speed. Needless to say, we were not able to sleep last night. So, I'll be brief because we are going to try to sleep while she does. Lucia came to pick us up early this morning and took us to the ICBF office. Sofia's foster mom created a scrapbook for us,including photographs taken since her birth. We were expecting her to cry or be withdrawn. However, she was very friendly, not a tear shed. Lucia's son, David, translated for us and took photos. Unfortunately, no one will see any of those precious photographs because I forgot the camera in our taxi. It has really put a damper on the day. Later, the staff at Zuetana hosted a welcome party for several of the children. We met the Hollis family. During the party Sofia wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a hug. I couldn't believe it. She is also very content to sit with Ed. Hope the next few days go as well.

We've Arrived in Colombia

Hola all from Bogota,Colombia! Yesterday was a long travel day, with just a couple of bumps along the way. Security was tight at O'Hare because the Homeland Security threat is classified as "orange" right now. We were just a BIT apprehensive when the man behind us presented his passport. The security guard looks at it and says WHOA WHOA, stop and follow me. Sir, you have been selected for additional screening." Fortunately, he was not on our plane. We went through Colombian customs with no problems and were relieved to see Andres waiting for us. We later learned we are not staying at El Refugio as originally planned. They had an outbreak of chicken pox. Bummer, we were excited at the fact that we could call home anytime. However, the accomodations at Zuetana are fine and the people are very kind and hospitable. There is another American couple here from Minnesota. Their stay has been over eight weeks. Yikes! Tomorrow is our big day, we are scheduled to meet Sofia at 9:30 AM. We understand Sofia will have just been removed from her foster mother. The woman that has cared for her since she was six days old. Hopefully, the transition will be smooth and we can help her through her grief. Baby steps, I guess. Talk to you all soon.

One More Week But Who's Counting?

What a relief, our Visa's arrived this Wednesday. For those who do not know me, I have "issues" with things that are beyond my control. We still have to copy and notarize a few documents, and well...pack. The boys can not miss a month of school, so they are staying with my dear, dear friend Dorothy. Two teenage boys, I hope she knows what she's getting into. We will be leaving for Bogota from O'Hare early Saturday morning. With a day to rest up, our "Gotcha Day" is scheduled for Monday, April 14th. Here is the game plan. Ed will stay with us for ten days, sign over power of attorney, and then return home to the boys on the 24th. I will stay for the remainder of the court proceedings. They told us to plan on four weeks, give or take a couple of days. I can not tell you how anxious we are to meet this darling child. I will try to post often and let you know how we are doing. My friends know I am not computer savvy. However, I'll TRY MY BEST to send some recent photos. Sofia has probably changed dramatically, she was just ten months old in her referral picture. Please pray that we have a safe trip.