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.