Thankful Hearts

Thursday-
Cecilia arrived after breakfast and we were headed to the private casa for a tour.  We have been very excited to see where A has been living.  We have many friends with children from here and we know that our girl has been receiving the best care possible.  We brought bags of donations for the kids including medications, band aids, tooth brushes and paste, stickers, markers, pajamas, paper, soccer balls, blankets, bottles, hair ties, socks, color books and books.  We also brought 2 cakes so that we could have a little fiesta while we were there with the children. 

When we arrived the social worker greeted us and took us upstairs for a tour.  We were greeted at the top of the stairs by the 24-36 month group of kids.  They were hugging my leg and wanting me to take their picture.  It was very sweet but also very emotional as you could feel the love they had to give and the love they wanted to feel.  They would giggle when we would show them the picture we took. 

We were very impressed with how clean everything was and organized.  We were able to see the baby room, toddler rooms, and were very impressed with the large windows and natural light in the rooms.  There are 3 floors and the top floor is a large open area that they use for a play room.  The little kids were there from ages 18 months-24 months playing and crawling around.  There is also a laundry area upstairs where there are a few machines and many many little clothes hanging out to dry and piles of clothes neatly folded everywhere.   

We then went to the little room off the outdoor play area where the kids have little activity tables where they play games and put puzzles.  We also toured the kitchen and eating areas.  We were able to see the room where A was and also the crib that she slept in.  Her name was still on it and I got a bit choked up.  We were also able to see some of the other children that she shared a room with. 

Once our tour was over we went to the eating area where all the kids were sitting and they served them the cake that we brought along with juice.  It was so cute to see them just loving it and having huge smiles on their face!!  Who wouldn't love chocolate cake at 10 am! :-)  We took a few pieces upstairs to the children that were smaller and were able to help them eat it.  They loved every second of it.  We left another cake there as for the children who were at school.  There are about 50 kids in this private casa ranging in age from 1 month-8 years old. 

We were able to get a picture with A’s primary caregiver.  I hugged her and thanked her for the care she has given our precious girl.  She got a bit teary and so did I.  We are forever grateful for the care that these women give to these kiddos.  They are very well cared for given the situation.  You can tell their love for each child in their interactions and the kids seem very happy.  It is an amazing place and we are forever grateful to all of the people working here.   We have found out that our meeting has not been moved up so will remain next Thursday.  While it is a bit dispappointing we are trusting God that all will go well and this is time that we are meant to be here. 

Once back at our hotel we ventured out to el corral gourmet for lunch.  They have amazing burgers that are gourmet served with eggs on top or chipotle veggies or whatever combination you can imagine.  It was amazing food once again.  We brought our hotel staff malts to go.  Juanita was giving kisses to all of us when we got back! :-)

On our walk back I took some pictures of the flowers that we passed.  We will definitely miss the flowers here.  They are everywhere and so beautiful.  It is one of the many things I will miss about this place.  I believe this country is one of the largest exporters of flowers in the world.  

We ventured to a park and then back for nap as it rains almost every day around 3pm.  We were kind of bummed about this at first but it allows us time to get back for nap and do some school work and Jeff to do some work. 

Friday-

Today is Sara’s family last day here.  We are really going to miss having them around.  We are going to be the only family at the hotel for awhile.  We have been really spoiled by the staff and will continue to be I am sure! 

We went out for our daily morning walk and stopped at a store that Cecilia recommended and bought a puzzle.  We then stopped off at Juan Valdez which is a very popular coffee shop here, kind of like starbucks of the US.  Amazing coffee!!  Mornings are beautiful and we love to go for walks. 

We had lunch at the hotel and said goodbye to Sara and her family. I am so happy for them and I pray that Sara does well adjusting to her new home.  She is so outgoing and so sweet.  We grew to love her in just the few days we have been around her.  

We spent some time in the afternoon talking about all that we are thankful for on this journey thus far.  Here is just a few things we had on our list:

*A great place were we are staying and NO issues adjusting to the altitude other than a little breathlessness the first few days

*Baby A-she is absolutely beautiful, healthy and content most of the time

*Being together as a family

*Jeff being able to check in with work yet spend a lot of time with us doing things each day

*A-mazing food!! We were not sure what to expect but everything we try we LOVE!!

*Fresh fruit juice (literally fruit and water blended) so delicious and made to order breakfast every morning

*Parks and beautiful weather!!

I am going to try my best to take pictures without baby A in to post for now!  Here are a few from the last couple days!! 

The steps leading up to our girls room at the private casa

El Corral Gourmet

Playing a little catch at the park!

Sara and Isaac.  She is headed home today.  We will miss you sweet girl!!

This is a common site on our morning walks.  Cecilia says it is very "fashionable" to have a dog in the last couple years.  We see people walking from a dog walking service walking as many as 10 at a time.  I think Isaac needs a job like this!! :-)   He says he would not want to clean up after them! Ha!

Juan Valdez coffee shop!!

One of the new apartment buildings on the same street as our hotel!! 

John 14:1  "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

Mid week update

Tuesday-

We ventured out after breakfast to the Unicentro mall.  It is a typical mall much like that in the states.   I laughed as there is an Esprit store, which brought me back to my middle school days.   We had heard there was an arcade there so we went looking for some adventure.  We found the arcade and Isaac had a blast.  There was a family there who spoke English so the mother had all sorts of recommendations of things to see and places to go and visit while we are here.  Once again so amazing how friendly the people are here.  
We told Juanita that we would not be there for lunch but she said she was making her ajaco soup so we decided we better not miss that.  It is a traditional soup with chicken, corn, potatoes, avacado etc.  It was amazing!!  A tried some avacado today and it was a huge hit!!
Isaac and Jeff spent most of the afternoon working on homework and Jeff checking in with work.  I was able to read a bit while A took a nap in the afternoon.  We spent time after dinner playing yahtzee.  We love family game night at home so are looking forward to playing many games while here also. :-) 

Wednesday-

Today we had a very low key morning and took an after breakfast siesta while A slept and Isaac watched a movie.  It was very relaxing.  We feel a bit spoiled not waking up to an alarm, no commute, and no snow here!!  We checked in with our house sitter who has been telling us about all the snow that is happening at home.  Around 11 we headed out for a walk and then to Wok for lunch.  It was amazing pad thai!  Every place we visit we say we have to go back!! While we were at lunch it began to rain so we stopped off at Mimos for ice cream on the way back to our hotel.  They have an indoor play land that kept Isaac busy for an hour or so.  There is literally an ice cream shop on every corner I think.  We shared some ice cream and toasted to our friends who have been such a help to us along the way!

Once back at the hotel Isaac and Sara just disappear playing all afternoon and jabbering to each other in Spanish!  We brought a nerf hoop along and it is so fun to watch her play basketball.  A took an afternoon nap so Juanita said she would keep an eye on her while Jeff and I ran out to get 2 cakes to bring to our tour of the private casa tomorrow.    We plan to have a little party with the children there.  We are looking forward to meeting the kiddos there and seeing where our baby girl has grown up thus far.  I know it will be very emotional for me. 

We spent some time this afternoon visiting with Sara’s parents.  They are going home to France in 2 days so we will miss them and Isaac will really miss Sara.  They have been here about 6 weeks.  While we are sad to see them go we are happy that they are able to go home!! We were laughing as we were using google translate to be able to talk to each other.   One thing Jeff and I say to each other often is we wish there was not a language barrier.   There are so many things you want to say but it is so hard when you don’t know how. 

Every afternoon I wander in to the kitchen to get some coffee and Juanita is always telling me about what she is making.   Today she had music playing and took me by the hand for some dance lessons right in the middle of the kitchen!!  She is so fun!  Just love her!!

We are doing well and adjusting to our new home away from home.  Thank you for all your comments and prayers.  Here are some pictures from the last couple days!! :-)

Yummy Ajaco soup!!! So delicious!!

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.  Romans 12:12

Lunes!!

This morning after breakfast we headed out for a walk and to explore another area of town.  We stopped at Jacques a French bakery/restaurant.  They have many French pasteries and Isaac picked out a few to bring back to the hotel.  We will definitely go back as there were many things to choose from and a lot of fresh bread!

We then wandered through a few boutique type stores that was in an area much like Grand Ave and Jeff stopped at the gym to check out how much a membership would be for a month. He was told 80$ per month.  He is not sure if he wants to spend that as he thought that seemed expensive.  Katya told us that is not expensive for our location and it is probably the least expensive gym we will find.  We shall see.    For now we plan to do lots of walking, Jeff will jog once and awhile and we found some P90X type videos on you tube. 

 Baby A was falling asleep, so after walking for about an hour and a half we decided to head back for  lunch being we have an appt at 2pm at the private casa.  She has been taking 2 hour naps in the am and pm and sleeping 12 hours at night.  Isaac and I are planning our activities for this afternoon when we get back.  We need to start working more on his school work. 

We ate lunch and were off to the private casa.  We were told by Cecilia that we do not have a meeting with the defender of the minors until 2/27.  We were a bit disappointed to here this.  That is another 10 days from now.  She said she was going to ask if this could be moved up as our case cannot enter the court until after that meeting.  Again, lots of things have changed so we are trying to roll with it.  Prayers for the meeting to be sooner would be much appreciated as that is when the real wait begins.  We met with the social worker and it was a quick meeting.  They just ask how everything is going.  Baby A’s primary care giver came to say hello, her name is Rosa.  She is a very sweet person and very loving.  We are so thankful for the care they have given our girl. 

On Thursday we are going back for a tour of the casa.  I was told we can take a video so we will be sure to bring the video camera.  We also will bring donations and a cake to share with the kids.  I think it will be a lot of fun.  Isaac brought some of his own money and wants to buy something for the kids to take along.  Melt my heart.

It has been raining today so once back baby A is sleeping again and we are going through Isaac’s school work.  We are planning some outings that he will have to write about also.  He is also writing a journal every day.  We plan to put together a little presentation of his experience in this country for his class once we are back. 

Before dinner we took a walk to the park.  It was so nice out after the rain.  The boys threw the football around and Isaac played on the playset.  We have heard there are many parks in the area so we are looking forward to making it part of our daily routine!

Tonight it was another night of hide and go seek with Isaac, Sara and Camilla.  It is so nice that we can give A a bath and get her ready while Isaac is entertained. 

Here are a few pictures from today:

He thought he was the king sitting in the big chair at Jaques

MMM....hard to chose just one!!

Football Americano!! 

Weekend in Review!

Saturday 2/15-
We are so excited for the weekend!  It has been beautiful weather.  70 and sunny almost every day.  It does rain around 3pm for about an hour or hour and a half.  It is a good time though as we usually come back for A to take a nap and spend some one on one time with Isaac.

Today we went out for a late Valentine's Day lunch at Crepes and Waffles.  It is a local chain here that is delicious and many friends have recommend that we try it.  My sister in law said that they had one in Quito also that they would visit when she was living there for a year.  Isaac had a waffle with nutella for dessert.  It was amazing!

After lunch we went for a walk.  We plan to walk every day if it is nice out.  It is nice to get out and about a bit.  We walked the area to learn where more things are at.  We found exito ( much like target or walmart) and the mall.  It looked like rain so we did not shop much but walked back home just in time for a down pour.  We have heard there is an arcade at the mall so we will be sure to go back and check that out!

We arrived back at the hotel just in time to get a delivery of formula and before the rain started.  A is on a special type of formula as she has reflux so we buy it from a pharmacy that delivers.  A man comes on a motorcycle about once a week and delivers the cans with no delivery fee.  Such a great service!  The formula is expensive so I am debating changing it but I know I will once again have to do this once we are home so we will see.

After dinner Isaac played hide and go seek with Sara and Camilla (the daughter of one of the girls who works here at the hotel) for an hour or so.  It is so nice to have some kids here for him to play with.  They both speak Spanish so it is fun to hear him speak Spanish!! :-) Dinner is usually at 6:30 so our evenings involve eating, playing for a bit, showers and baths and usually the kids are in bed around 8:30 or so.


Sunday 2/16-
On Sundays they close many of the roads for something they call Ciclovia.  They close off one side of many of the roads for runners, bikers, and walkers to enjoy exercise and not have to deal with the traffic.  It usually runs from 7 until 2:30 every Sunday.  Many of our friends have said they looked forward to Sunday as there is less traffic, they were able to get out and about, and there is a great flea market not too far from where we are staying.  After breakfast we packed everybody up and headed out with the stroller.  It was so nice to enjoy the sunshine.  We have to be careful however as the sun is fairly intense as we are so close to the equator.  We walked about 1 mile to Usaquen.  There were a lot of tents set up and different vendors selling everything you can imagine.  We spent a few hours wandering the market.  Isaac bought a few little things and we scoped out many things that we will go back for to bring home with us.

There is a church in Usaquen so at noon we attended a Catholic mass for a bit.  Baby A got a bit fussy so we left early but it was so fun to experience this.  There was a lot of singing and greeting one another. There was a large park outside the church with a few swings that Isaac played on for awhile and many people sit in the park and feed the pigeons.  After lunch there were musicians and different people dressed up that you could take pictures with.  It reminded me of when we were on Hollywood boulevard.  :-) We decided to go to lunch at a near by restaurant that was Colombian fusion food.  It was very delicious.  Once again the manager spoke some English so he came and told us all about what he thought we should try.  We told him bring us whatever he thinks is good.  We had a traditional Colombian banana with cheese between it and some shrimp and tomatoes with avocado.  It was amazing!! :-)

People stop us and tell us baby A is "muy linda" ...very cute... often.  People are extremely friendly here.  It is really amazing and so nice.  We are amazed at how many people are able to speak some English and how many of them have family in the states or have lived in the states themselves.  Jeff and I both have commented on how we wish we knew more Spanish.

We stopped at Carulla grocery store and picked up a few snacks and fruit on the way home.  Isaac has been trying many new fruits while here.  I will post more on that later.  We intended to go to the park but it started raining so we headed back.

A has not slept real well today so was a bit fussy.  We tried rice cereal and pears tonight and it was a huge hit!! She loved it!! Almost all baby food here has sugar in it so I did bring some cereal with me as recommended by a friend.  Juanita has been blending a few things for us also for her to try but I am going slow with it.  We visited with the family that is here from France that will be here until Friday.  They shared some chocolate with us that was simply amazing!! :-)

Evenings tend to go fast as we eat around 6:30 pm.  Once done eating it is baths and bed.  Isaac has really enjoyed having some other kids here.  We have not even touched the movies we brought with yet.

We learned tonight that there is more to the market than we even saw so we are looking forward to going back next week!! :-)

Baby A has been practicing her rolling and rolled from stomach to back this weekend.  SO fun to see and so funny the expression on her face.  She is doing new things every day.  :-)
Here are some pictures of the weekend! :-)

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” -Psalm 126:3

Will you be my Valentine??

Happy Valentines Day a day late!!  I find myself writing these posts after everyone is asleep.  This year we have the best Valentines ever!! We started the morning off with lots of snuggling and watching some cartoons in Spanish.  Isaac said it is just like being in school right...he is learning Spanish! Ha!  Jeff got a box of milk duds that I brought from home, and I got a poem written by my dear husband...(yes this is a long standing tradition that Jeff does...some are hilarious as he will just throw in random things to make it rhyme) :-)   This weekend we plan to venture out for a Valentine lunch!

Today Cecilia came with a driver and picked us up to go to the immigration offices to register our visas.  We thought this would be a smooth process but Cecilia told us there have been many new changes so she was unsure of how long we would be gone.  When we got to the counter we had everything we needed and then we were asked for our blood type...hmmmm....not 100% sure of either of ours.  The officer tells us that it is absolutely necessary to know it to register us so if we are unsure we will need to go to the laboratory that is 4 blocks away to have our blood drawn.  OK...roll with it.

We walked to the clinic and were able to both get blood drawn and the results with in 15 minutes.  $20 total for both of us and that is without insurance.  So crazy how cheap the medical care is here and it is wonderful care.  The nurse was great and spoke English so it was fun for me to see how things are done.  She says a prayer before she starts that she is able to draw blood with the first poke and sure enough!! :-)  Back to the offices to complete our registration and have fingerprinting done.    Once again we were moved along faster because we had kids with us.  Isaac and A were such troopers.  Cecilia said that it was new that she was not allowed to come in to the office with us.  Usually she is able to come in and help translate.  We managed but once again Isaac was using his Spanish.  It took us longer to get to the appointment and back than it did for the actual appt. The traffic here is crazy.  It is grid lock and literally you feel like you could walk faster than you can drive.  I will try and get some pictures of this next time we are out.

This afternoon was low key again as I wanted to make sure baby A got a good nap.  She is a bit off from the immunizations yesterday.  I spent the afternoon with Juanita the cook as she was teaching me to make empanadas.  I love to cook so it is fun to learn to do this.  We were laughing so hard she had tears running down her eyes as I was trying so hard to communicate.  We were saying what I speak is more like Spanglish...LOL...I am learning!! :-)  We feel like we are playing charades as when we don't know a certain word we start acting things out.  Juanita has worked here for 23 years.  She is so much fun and such a good cook.  Isaac eats everything she makes!! The meal we made was delicious but it is a lot of work!  She had me write down the process so that when I come home I can cook these for my friends.

Isaac and A are going to bed around 8:30 or 8:45 so Jeff and I usually plan out the next day, send emails and watch Homeland a series we brought along with us.  We also have been getting the olympics but everything is in Spanish.

ground beef, peas, green onion, tomato, garlic, and spices for the inside of the empanadas

Juanita mixing water with the corn flour to make the dough

Rolling out the dough and putting in press to make the shape

Juanita taking my picture and making me laugh...they shout whisky instead of "say cheese" here!!

It was a great Valentine's Day.  One we will remember for a long time!! 

1 Corinthians 13: 4–8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ... 

Bonding and Exploring

Wednesday:

Today was a beautiful day in Bogota.  It is about 65-70 degrees almost every day for a high.  It is a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings so dressing in layers is the best way to go. 

Baby A is an amazing sleeper.  She loves her bottles and is trying new foods such as banana, carrots, and pears.  She went to bed around 8:45 and slept until about 3 am and had a bottle and then went back to sleep until around 7:45.  I hope this routine continues!! :-)

We got ready and went down for breakfast.  Isaac is really enjoying being able to order anything he wants for breakfast as waffles are always on the menu!!  The 2 girls who work here are so awesome.  They both speak Spanish and they love to talk with Isaac.  Their names are Valeria and Juanita.  Juanita is an amazing cook and Valeria cleans and helps out with whatever we need.  We told Juanita that we are very excited to try some traditional Colombian food.  She also wants to find a time to teach us to make empanadas.  Valeria also has an 11 year old daughter Camilla that Isaac has been hanging out with a bit. 

We spent time just hanging around the hotel and learning about our girl.  She is very happy when she is fed and has slept.  She is VERY active and is always kicking her legs and moving her arms.    She has been taking an hour nap in the mornings and then 1-2 hours in the afternoon.  She gets really mad when it is time to eat or she sees you preparing her bottle.  After she eats it is more smiles and giggles.   There is a courtyard here that has swings so we spent some time playing outside and swinging.  We got some video of baby A in the swing.  So precious! 

We ate lunch here at the hotel of fish and fresh pineapple and then went with the owner of our hotel to the notary to have some papers notarized that we have to carry with us at all times that states that it is legal for baby A to be in our custody.   After the notary we went to the grocery store to buy some snacks and some diapers and just walked slowly up and down all the aisles.  It has been so good for Isaac to use his Spanish and also learn about converting US dollars in to pesos.  There are about 2,000 pesos in a US dollar.  Isaac is a numbers guy so it is fun for him to figure out how much things cost.  We bought a few snacks that are made here in Colombia and some interesting fruit.   We are looking forward to trying many new fruits.  

We spent the evening back at the hotel.  It gets dark around 6pm.  We had spaghetti for dinner and then it was time for a bath.  It was suggested to bring a blow up tub as the hotel does not have tubs.  I am so glad I did.  Baby A loves her bath kicking and splashing!! So funny to watch.  We were able to watch some of the Olympics and even found the Timberwolves game on ESPN but in Spanish!  It has been a great day once again.  Isaac has been so sweet wanting to hold baby A, help with her bath, give her a bottle, and play with her.  It has been so fun to watch!!  

Thursday:

This morning Isaac once again had a made to order breakfast!!  Cecilia arranged a driver to come and pick us up to take us back to the private casa as baby A needed vaccinations.  They have healthcare staff that come to the private casa on certain days and today was the day they could do it. We gave her some Tylenol prior and were off at 9:30am.  I forget how long it takes to get ready with a baby how much stuff we need!!  

The nurses were so sweet and it was so reassuring to see the kids getting excellent medical attention.  We were told by other families that the care is excellent but it was so nice to see.  I was able to tell them that I also work as a nurse and they asked all about where I work.  We did not have a translator but we managed with the help of Isaac.  He truly has been amazing!!  We were in and out in 10 minutes and we were able to hug her primary caregiver again.   We will be going for a tour in a week or 2.

Once back at the hotel she took a nap and the boys went to a near by park to throw the football around.   We are told that Bogota has many parks so we are looking forward to exploring them!

After nap we decided to go out for a walk and get a bit familiar with our new surroundings.  We loaded up baby A in the front pack and headed off to lunch.  We ate a pizza place called Archies which was wonderful and comes highly recommended.  Isaac was asked if he wanted to make his own pizza by a sweet girl name Luisa and she brought him upstairs and had him put on a chef’s outfit.  She was so impressed with his Spanish!  I can tell it can be a bit stressful at times when he does not understand the accent or they speak too fast so we have learned to tell people he is learning.  People have been amazing at slowing down and speaking simply to him.  The manager came over and asked if he could practice his English with us.  It was so fun!! After lunch Luisa brought him a gelato chocolate carmel sundae.  People are so friendly with kids here.   We will definitely be going back!!   

After lunch we walked around and familiarized ourselves with where some of the restaurants are and went to a few stores.  I can not believe how expensive baby clothes are here.  It was so nice to get out and enjoy the weather.  We came home as she was getting tired and with having shots I wanted to make sure that she got a good nap in.  She slept for almost 3 hours.  It rained some this afternoon so Isaac and I spent some time looking at old pictures and video and then we all took an afternoon siesta. 

We had a few families arrive at the hotel tonight from France and Italy.  We all had dinner together but they also speak Spanish also so it is hard to get to know them but we are trying!! One family has a little girl who is 7 and was constantly talking to Isaac in Spanish.  She is absolutely adorable. 

We are doing really well and are enjoying our sweet addition to our family.  We have also enjoyed some one on one time with Isaac.  I know this is a big adjustment for him to be in another country, using his Spanish, tasting new foods, and having a baby around.  He is doing absolutely amazing and it brings tears to my eyes to see him wanting to help and be a part.  He is going to be such a good big brother.  

Below are some pictures of where we are staying!  More to come!! :-)