We are leaving for home on Friday morning!! Tomorrow we pick up the visas from the US Embassy and we are clear for takeoff. I will put the flight info at the bottom of this post.
We invite all family and friends to come to the airport to greet us! We would love to see you and have you meet the new additions to the family! Vanesa is getting really excited to meet everyone and see her new home! Manuela and Angee aren’t quite old enough to really understand so they will figure it out as it happens!
Today we went to the US Embassy to turn in all the Visa application paperwork. On the way there, poor little Manu got car sick all over her shirt. We also felt bad because we were in David’s (Lucia’s son) car. He has a nice SUV, now a little bit more used! This afternoon we went to the mall to but the girls a few more outfits. We didn’t have enough long sleeve stuff for this climate. After we got back from the mall we let the girls play on the playground here at the hotel. It was good for them to run around and stretch their legs a bit.
I will get some more pictures on the flickr site tomorrow!! I know it’s been a while.
Here is the flight info:
Flight Itinerary
Flight #1 Bogota to Atlanta
Delta Flight # 310
Depart: 10:30 am EST
Arrive: 3:36pm EST
Flight #2 Atlanta to Kansas City
Delta Flight #1587
Depart: 6:46pm EST
Arrive: KCI 8:00pm CST
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
We Made it to Bogota!
We flew into Bogota last night. It was a lot of fun to fly with the girls. Paul and Vanesa sat together and I sat with Angee and Manu. Paul said Vani did really well. Angee would have little spurts of being really excited. She would cover her mouth and squeal and smile really big – it was sooooo cute! Manu did really well too. She loved playing with the buttons on the entertainment thing. She kept hitting the button for the stewardess. After a couple times, they told me there was a button on the remote – I kept a close eye for it after that.
We are staying at a place called “Hotel Paris.” It seems to be pretty nice. It is much more kid-friendly than the B&B – not better, just more kid-friendly. The girls each have their own bed and they helped me make them up this morning. This is good practice for when we get home.
We like that the food is served family style here; now we are able to fill the girls’ plates with food we want them to eat. In the past, the plates of food were served to each individual so it was hard to get the girls to eat meat if there was something else they liked better. Today Angee actually ate meat! We told her she had to eat the chicken before she could have fries and the chicken was gone pretty quickly. Manu has been the brave one when it comes to meal times. She is good about at least trying something. Usually she finds that she likes it and sometimes, okay rarely, this encourages the others to try it too.
There are several American families staying here. They all seem to have had a bit of hard time with something or another in the process. One family has been here over 5 weeks and their adoption isn’t even final yet. And their new daughter has been so sick that she has had to be on oxygen. I’m so thankful that we used Children’s Hope and that they have not dropped the ball on anything. I’m also thankful that we had to opportunity to be immersed in Spanish and the Colombian culture. In Pereira there were only a couple people that we could talk to because we knew just enough Spanish and they knew just enough English. Most of the time it was Spanglish, but we were able to communicate well with a German family on their limited English (they have 2 wonderful, adorable children).
Today we got photos for the girls’ visas. They turned out way better than the ones on their passports and we didn’t have to bribe Angee with a sucker :-) The girls were not allowed to wear earrings for the pictures. They were very nervous about me taking them out, but they did fine with it. We were hoping to find a way to take them out since they are so young and this situation provided the perfect opportunity. They have not asked for them back and I doubt they will after how squeamish they were to have them out.
We also had our doctor’s visit with the embassy doctor today. It went very smoothly and fast. He said the girls appear normal. He and his wife have also adopted too. We walked out and while we were waiting for our ride, someone came down and said we needed to go back in to the office. When we got up there they told us we forgot to pay. Three weeks ago I knew we were supposed to pay, but I forgot today (we have paid for a lot of services up front).
We also went to a huge store that has stuff made solely in Colombia. We were able to pick up some great souvenirs for the girls and people at home. I think the girls got tired of us asking them to stop touching stuff, but they did a good job of minding when they were asked.
Tonight Vanesa and I had a very good time talking (the other girls were already asleep and Paul was talking to one of the other families here). We talked about our next trip on the airplane and coming to the U.S. She is excited to meet all of her new family and friends. We went through the list of names and their relation to her. She told me that a baby from the orphanage, Stephanie, is here in the U.S. She is excited about the snow too.
Tomorrow we will go to the embassy to apply for the girls’ visas. We are hoping to fly home on Friday.
Other stuff:
Jose’s son, Juan, has been very sick. He went into the hospital on Saturday and as of yesterday he was still there with a high temperature and still throwing up. He could really use some prayers. He just turned 1 on January 9th.
This trip to Bogota has made a much better impression on us than the first night we were here (3 weeks ago we stayed one night on our way to Pereira). Today was a beautiful day. The weather was a lot like it is in KC in the autumn. The girls will have experienced all 4 seasons in a matter of about 8 weeks – Summer in Pereira, Autumn in Bogota, Winter in KC and shortly after that it will be Spring in KC.
Angee seems to really like dogs until she comes across one. Every time she sees one, she points and says, “bow wow!” The girls also point them out for her and she gets excited. There are 2 golden retrievers here that are so calm, but she is afraid to get too close. We have to pick her up when we go past them.
This hotel has play equipment outside and a playroom. The girls actually got to run around and scream. I was excited for them.
We are staying at a place called “Hotel Paris.” It seems to be pretty nice. It is much more kid-friendly than the B&B – not better, just more kid-friendly. The girls each have their own bed and they helped me make them up this morning. This is good practice for when we get home.
We like that the food is served family style here; now we are able to fill the girls’ plates with food we want them to eat. In the past, the plates of food were served to each individual so it was hard to get the girls to eat meat if there was something else they liked better. Today Angee actually ate meat! We told her she had to eat the chicken before she could have fries and the chicken was gone pretty quickly. Manu has been the brave one when it comes to meal times. She is good about at least trying something. Usually she finds that she likes it and sometimes, okay rarely, this encourages the others to try it too.
There are several American families staying here. They all seem to have had a bit of hard time with something or another in the process. One family has been here over 5 weeks and their adoption isn’t even final yet. And their new daughter has been so sick that she has had to be on oxygen. I’m so thankful that we used Children’s Hope and that they have not dropped the ball on anything. I’m also thankful that we had to opportunity to be immersed in Spanish and the Colombian culture. In Pereira there were only a couple people that we could talk to because we knew just enough Spanish and they knew just enough English. Most of the time it was Spanglish, but we were able to communicate well with a German family on their limited English (they have 2 wonderful, adorable children).
Today we got photos for the girls’ visas. They turned out way better than the ones on their passports and we didn’t have to bribe Angee with a sucker :-) The girls were not allowed to wear earrings for the pictures. They were very nervous about me taking them out, but they did fine with it. We were hoping to find a way to take them out since they are so young and this situation provided the perfect opportunity. They have not asked for them back and I doubt they will after how squeamish they were to have them out.
We also had our doctor’s visit with the embassy doctor today. It went very smoothly and fast. He said the girls appear normal. He and his wife have also adopted too. We walked out and while we were waiting for our ride, someone came down and said we needed to go back in to the office. When we got up there they told us we forgot to pay. Three weeks ago I knew we were supposed to pay, but I forgot today (we have paid for a lot of services up front).
We also went to a huge store that has stuff made solely in Colombia. We were able to pick up some great souvenirs for the girls and people at home. I think the girls got tired of us asking them to stop touching stuff, but they did a good job of minding when they were asked.
Tonight Vanesa and I had a very good time talking (the other girls were already asleep and Paul was talking to one of the other families here). We talked about our next trip on the airplane and coming to the U.S. She is excited to meet all of her new family and friends. We went through the list of names and their relation to her. She told me that a baby from the orphanage, Stephanie, is here in the U.S. She is excited about the snow too.
Tomorrow we will go to the embassy to apply for the girls’ visas. We are hoping to fly home on Friday.
Other stuff:
Jose’s son, Juan, has been very sick. He went into the hospital on Saturday and as of yesterday he was still there with a high temperature and still throwing up. He could really use some prayers. He just turned 1 on January 9th.
This trip to Bogota has made a much better impression on us than the first night we were here (3 weeks ago we stayed one night on our way to Pereira). Today was a beautiful day. The weather was a lot like it is in KC in the autumn. The girls will have experienced all 4 seasons in a matter of about 8 weeks – Summer in Pereira, Autumn in Bogota, Winter in KC and shortly after that it will be Spring in KC.
Angee seems to really like dogs until she comes across one. Every time she sees one, she points and says, “bow wow!” The girls also point them out for her and she gets excited. There are 2 golden retrievers here that are so calm, but she is afraid to get too close. We have to pick her up when we go past them.
This hotel has play equipment outside and a playroom. The girls actually got to run around and scream. I was excited for them.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bogota Bound!
Just thought I would give a small update. We are flying to Bogota this afternoon! Our flight leaves at 6:35pm. We got the girls passports this morning. It was incredibly fast! We got there at 8am and had their passports in hand by 10am! So the next post will be at our new hotel.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Fiesta and more swimming
Yesterday Rosario threw a party for us since we are all officially Sinclairs. It was a really nice party. I wish there would have been one sooner so that all of the kids could have gotten to know each other from the start of the trip instead of the end. In the B&B there is one family from Germany adopting a boy and girl, a German mom adopting a boy, a family from Denmark adopting a girl, a family from Spain adopting a boy and girl. It’s a full house J
Yesterday Paul also got the corrected birth certificates for the girls. He was gone from 7 -5pm. The girls and I went to the mall for a little, then to Exito to get a belt for Vani (she is so skinny that most of her pants don’t stay up). In the afternoon we made brownies for the party.
Today we went to the country club again with Rosario and the family from Spain. It was nice for the girls to get one more good swim in before we leave. We had a good day together.
After the country club we got passport photos. Manu and Vani did good, but Angie was so tired so didn’t want to hold her head up for the photo. Paul told her she could have a sucker (boom boom) if she let them take her picture. You just have to say the majic word and all of a sudden she is more than willing to get her picture taken!!
……okay Chris is in bed asleep so I will finish the post for her.
Vanesa and Manuela were a little squirmy tonight, maybe because to the suckers. It took them a little longer to fall asleep than normal. After the passport pictures were done, we let them have their suckers. The suckers Chris bought were blue. So for the rest of the night the girls got a kick out of their blue tongues, lips, cheeks, hands, hair,…….you get the picture.
Bedtime has been such a pleasure lately. Angee pretty much asks to be put in her bed once she is done with her bath. Once Angee is in bed, we read a story to Vani and Manu and lights out. The last three nights Vanesa has asked me to hold her for a while after the light has gone out. I’ve been taking advantage of the opportunity!! She had crawled in my lap and I rock her to sleep. I know these days are numbered, so I am taking advantage of it while I can. She has opened up a lot more lately. She give us hugs more often and she likes saying in English “ I love you…good night”. We love hearing it. Slowly but surely she is starting to open up, and it is wonderful to watch happen!
We really don’t have much planned for tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be our last full day in Pereira. The lawyer told me yesterday that we should be flying to Bogota Monday night sometime. That was music to my ears!! That means it is very possible for us to be home maybe by next Friday!! Once we get the girl’s passports on Monday afternoon we will fly to Bogota. Once in Bogota it takes about three days to do all the required documents for the visa’s for the girls. So hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday I will be making flight arrangements to come home!! We will post the flight info as soon as we get it. Again let me say everyone is invited, family and friends, to meet us at the airport. We can’t wait for you to meet them!
Chris and I are going to start packing tomorrow night. Yikes!! I’m already looking around for stuff we can leave behind. We will probably do most of the packing tomorrow night, after the girls go to bed. It will definitely get done faster without little hands trying to help!
I will put more pictures on tomorrow. Good night!!
Yesterday Paul also got the corrected birth certificates for the girls. He was gone from 7 -5pm. The girls and I went to the mall for a little, then to Exito to get a belt for Vani (she is so skinny that most of her pants don’t stay up). In the afternoon we made brownies for the party.
Today we went to the country club again with Rosario and the family from Spain. It was nice for the girls to get one more good swim in before we leave. We had a good day together.
After the country club we got passport photos. Manu and Vani did good, but Angie was so tired so didn’t want to hold her head up for the photo. Paul told her she could have a sucker (boom boom) if she let them take her picture. You just have to say the majic word and all of a sudden she is more than willing to get her picture taken!!
……okay Chris is in bed asleep so I will finish the post for her.
Vanesa and Manuela were a little squirmy tonight, maybe because to the suckers. It took them a little longer to fall asleep than normal. After the passport pictures were done, we let them have their suckers. The suckers Chris bought were blue. So for the rest of the night the girls got a kick out of their blue tongues, lips, cheeks, hands, hair,…….you get the picture.
Bedtime has been such a pleasure lately. Angee pretty much asks to be put in her bed once she is done with her bath. Once Angee is in bed, we read a story to Vani and Manu and lights out. The last three nights Vanesa has asked me to hold her for a while after the light has gone out. I’ve been taking advantage of the opportunity!! She had crawled in my lap and I rock her to sleep. I know these days are numbered, so I am taking advantage of it while I can. She has opened up a lot more lately. She give us hugs more often and she likes saying in English “ I love you…good night”. We love hearing it. Slowly but surely she is starting to open up, and it is wonderful to watch happen!
We really don’t have much planned for tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be our last full day in Pereira. The lawyer told me yesterday that we should be flying to Bogota Monday night sometime. That was music to my ears!! That means it is very possible for us to be home maybe by next Friday!! Once we get the girl’s passports on Monday afternoon we will fly to Bogota. Once in Bogota it takes about three days to do all the required documents for the visa’s for the girls. So hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday I will be making flight arrangements to come home!! We will post the flight info as soon as we get it. Again let me say everyone is invited, family and friends, to meet us at the airport. We can’t wait for you to meet them!
Chris and I are going to start packing tomorrow night. Yikes!! I’m already looking around for stuff we can leave behind. We will probably do most of the packing tomorrow night, after the girls go to bed. It will definitely get done faster without little hands trying to help!
I will put more pictures on tomorrow. Good night!!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Other Stuff
The orphanage: Vanesa was the lady of the hour yesterday at the orphanage. She soaked up all of the attention and took the opportunity to show off her new Papi. She had him carry her around, she held his hand and talked about him to all of the girls. Paul said that while they were eating cake, Vani would say something and all the girls would look at him and giggle - I'm sure it was all good :)
Manu is a giggle-box! She giggles at everything!
Vani's seems quiet, but only if you don't speak Spanish. If you get her in the car with Jose, she will talk to him non-stop. Sometimes we have to ask her to leave him alone. Today she was really talking it up with the chef showing them how to make pizza.
Manu is a giggle-box! She giggles at everything!
Vani's seems quiet, but only if you don't speak Spanish. If you get her in the car with Jose, she will talk to him non-stop. Sometimes we have to ask her to leave him alone. Today she was really talking it up with the chef showing them how to make pizza.
Sentencia and Archie's Pizza
Today was our sentencia - the official adoption of the girls on the Colombian side (we will have to re-adopt them in the states).
Paul called our translator this morning to see if he could find out if we were having our sentencia and what time it would take place. He said that it is today, but he would have to call back with a time. When he called we were all in the pool and he said "Are you ready now?" I told him no, but give us 15 minutes. We ran upstairs and I began giving out orders to get your dresses on, get your sandals on, brush your hair,... I can't believe it, but all 5 of us were dressed and the girls had their shoes and hair brushed in 15 minutes. I fixed their hair in the crazy cab ride to the judicial building.
The process was very simple. You walk into a room with a counter, they ask to help you. You double check the girls' names, sign your name and your done. We were able to get all of the girls middle names added. At first we were not sure they would allow us to it here. It's nice to have it done.
As of today the girls names are (my maiden name is required to be part of their name down here):
Vanesa Jane Huseby Sinclair
Manuela Isabelle Huseby Sinclair
Angee Abigail Huseby Sinclair
Tomorrow morning Paul and the attorney are going to pick up the girls new birth certificates. It will be Monday before we can get passports for the girls. I don't think we will be home next week :( Hopefully we will be able to get to Bogota the following Monday.
After the sentencia, we took the girls to Archie's Pizza (the place where the kids make their own pizza). The girls loved it and we loved it because we got sit at a table all by ourselves. The girls didn't eat much of their pizza, but they really enjoyed their milkshakes.
Tomorrow Rosario is having a party for our family since we will be leaving soon. We are going to make brownies for it. We need to get to the store today to buy the stuff.
Paul, Manu and Angee are all taking a nap right now and Vanesa is working on a new puzzle. The 30 minute quiet time has been a blessing.
We're posting a few pics today of the pizza place.
Paul called our translator this morning to see if he could find out if we were having our sentencia and what time it would take place. He said that it is today, but he would have to call back with a time. When he called we were all in the pool and he said "Are you ready now?" I told him no, but give us 15 minutes. We ran upstairs and I began giving out orders to get your dresses on, get your sandals on, brush your hair,... I can't believe it, but all 5 of us were dressed and the girls had their shoes and hair brushed in 15 minutes. I fixed their hair in the crazy cab ride to the judicial building.
The process was very simple. You walk into a room with a counter, they ask to help you. You double check the girls' names, sign your name and your done. We were able to get all of the girls middle names added. At first we were not sure they would allow us to it here. It's nice to have it done.
As of today the girls names are (my maiden name is required to be part of their name down here):
Vanesa Jane Huseby Sinclair
Manuela Isabelle Huseby Sinclair
Angee Abigail Huseby Sinclair
Tomorrow morning Paul and the attorney are going to pick up the girls new birth certificates. It will be Monday before we can get passports for the girls. I don't think we will be home next week :( Hopefully we will be able to get to Bogota the following Monday.
After the sentencia, we took the girls to Archie's Pizza (the place where the kids make their own pizza). The girls loved it and we loved it because we got sit at a table all by ourselves. The girls didn't eat much of their pizza, but they really enjoyed their milkshakes.
Tomorrow Rosario is having a party for our family since we will be leaving soon. We are going to make brownies for it. We need to get to the store today to buy the stuff.
Paul, Manu and Angee are all taking a nap right now and Vanesa is working on a new puzzle. The 30 minute quiet time has been a blessing.
We're posting a few pics today of the pizza place.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Orphanage
Today was a very emotional day for all of us. We learned yesterday that we would be able to visit orphanage where the girls lived. They were all very excited about it. We talked about it a lot last night and today. We talked to them about wearing dressing and how important it is to let mommy fix their hair for this event. (The day we met the girls, the directors of the orphanage told us that it was important for the girls to visit with their new parents. What an honor to be invited.)
I (Chris) was very nervous about it. I wondered what the people there would think of us and if they would think we are good parents. The girls and Paul didn’t seem nervous at all. The whole day was leading up to this and the girls were VERY excited that they would be able to see their friends and tell them goodbye for the last time.
We picked up a cake to share with all the girls there. Rosario came with us and Jose drove and walked around a little with us.
At first I was really excited to meet all of the people who mothered and cared for our children for the last year. But shortly after we got there, Manuela really broke down crying. The head nun said that it was good because she was breaking ties. I thought that she was scared and nervous. (Before we went in, Manu asked Rosario to hold her hand.) This made me want to cry because it brought many emotions to the surface of my heart. It made me sorry that she was scared and happy too because maybe she was wanting to stay with us. Manu found comfort in one of the ladies there which made me thankful for all they have done for our children.
In the next couple of minutes Angee began crying too. She was scared and confused.
When we arrived at the orphanage, we only saw a couple of girls. The rest of the girls were in school.
We toured the building which was very, very clean – nothing seemed to be out of place at all. The building is quite large – about 4 stories. It had bedrooms for all the girls, divided by age, three beds to a room. All of the beds were neatly made and again, nothing was out of place (our room at the B&B is a totally different story).
Vanesa took us to her old room and showed us which bed which had been hers, then Manuela, then Angee. All of the bedrooms were a decent size with 3 beds – no bunkbeds. Then they took us to a room with 3 cribs and they asked Angee which one used to be hers when she was a baby – she went right to it.
They took us to the place where they have P.E. (don’t know what they call it in Spanish, but this is where they danced and exercised and played outside). The lady in charge of these activities put on some music and Vanesa and Manu danced and jumped around with the 2 girls that were there. Angee broke down crying and the head nun beat me to her. I sat next to her and patted her a little, then the nun gave her to me. This was important to me. I wanted to be the one to comfort her and let her know that everything was okay. The nun handed her to me so that I could do my job. This is one of the first times I felt like their mother. I didn’t want anyone else to try to comfort my child. I imagine it may have been hard for the nun to hand her over since she was the one who had cared for, fed, bathed and comforted our children in the past. Angee did settle down, especially after they offered her a snack. (We too have found that waving food in front of her is a very effective tool – she loves to eat.)
After some exercise, they took us upstairs to the room where the girls study. On this level there is also a chapel. They said that every day the girls go there to pray for their parents to come. Today, however, the head nun took them in there to lead them in a prayer of thanksgiving for their new family. I think this is very good for the girls to see that God does answer prayers. I’m forever thankful that she took the opportunity to show the girls how God is working in their life.
When the tour was over, the nun walked us to the school that Angee and Manuela attended. It was very cute. When we got to Angee’s old classroom, her 2 best friends were there. They were so happy to see her. They gave her big hugs and kisses. They have been friends since the day Angee arrived. They chattered for a little bit and we learned that one of them was in the same orphanage and her parents are coming next month to take her home to Holland. Then it was time to meet Manu’s teacher. We did not get see her classroom, but we got to meet her instructor who was very happy to see Manu again. I think school must have been over for this age because we did not get to meet any of Manu’s friends and there were not very many children there. We also met the director of the school. He appeared very clean-cut and professional, and personable and happy – good for little children.
We then walked to Vanesa’s school. I think it was probably for grades 1 – 6. We met her teacher, who was happy see her. She was eager to tell us that Vanesa is a very good student and that she is kind and thoughtful. Shortly after arriving in her classroom, a little girl came up to Vanesa with open arms and said, “Vani!” She gave Vanesa a long hug and couple of kisses. She was so happy to see her. We met a few other girls that are friends with Vanesa as well – they all live in the orphanage. (Not all children in these schools live in the orphanage, but it appears that their best friends are the ones that they lived with.) Two of the girls, sisters, have parents in Italy – they were not sure when they would be coming to get them. We stayed at Vanesa’s school for about 30 minutes. We met the director of this school as well. On the way out, the nun gathered all of her children and we all walked back to the orphanage together. It was sweet to hold hands with other little girls.
We passed by Angee and Manu’s old school again and invited their friends to come for cake. In all, we had about 20 little tiny cake eaters (and 20 little tiny pieces of cake).
It has been a great blessing and pleasure to visit these places. There is no way to thank someone enough for all they have invested in our children and seeing to it that they are loved and nurtured. What a blessing to see how our daughters’ friends and roommates and caregivers.
All of this also makes me sad for the girls. They have to leave ALL of their “family” and friends. We could tell that the girls had very good friends. They are coming to a completely different society and family structure and they have to start all over. They have to make new friends, probably with people who do not have the same type of things in common. I could tell that the girls and their friends were emotionally bonded – not just playmates. One of Vani’s friends said this was hard because Vani was leaving before her. I wish we could bring them all home – I wouldn’t turn any of them away.
All of the girls that we met need parents. They are all adorable. I think that sometimes people fear adoption because they think the children are more prone to be unattractive or that a majority of them are bad kids or that they have problems that are too difficult to overcome. The problems are with the birth families, not the children. I did not know which children lived with the girls until someone told me. Something that I thought was interesting was that one of Vani’s friends is THE best student in the school. Who would have thought? I wouldn’t have even thought it possible (of course judging by looks, not the fact that she does not have parents, I would have chosen her).
It seems like I have heard of a lot of people who are looking into adoption. To you I would say that all of these girls seemed to have a happy disposition. Some had chubby cheeks, some had freckles, some were white, some were brown, they have pretty hair, they love the affection they get from the few people who work at the orphanage. They want families, they need a mommy and a daddy. They are not too old – you are not too old.
We have chosen not to post pictures of our day because we feel it is important for the girls to have a clean slate. The pictures taken today will be personal memories for them.
Hopefully tomorrow will be our sentencia. We will let you all know tomorrow.
Good Night!
I (Chris) was very nervous about it. I wondered what the people there would think of us and if they would think we are good parents. The girls and Paul didn’t seem nervous at all. The whole day was leading up to this and the girls were VERY excited that they would be able to see their friends and tell them goodbye for the last time.
We picked up a cake to share with all the girls there. Rosario came with us and Jose drove and walked around a little with us.
At first I was really excited to meet all of the people who mothered and cared for our children for the last year. But shortly after we got there, Manuela really broke down crying. The head nun said that it was good because she was breaking ties. I thought that she was scared and nervous. (Before we went in, Manu asked Rosario to hold her hand.) This made me want to cry because it brought many emotions to the surface of my heart. It made me sorry that she was scared and happy too because maybe she was wanting to stay with us. Manu found comfort in one of the ladies there which made me thankful for all they have done for our children.
In the next couple of minutes Angee began crying too. She was scared and confused.
When we arrived at the orphanage, we only saw a couple of girls. The rest of the girls were in school.
We toured the building which was very, very clean – nothing seemed to be out of place at all. The building is quite large – about 4 stories. It had bedrooms for all the girls, divided by age, three beds to a room. All of the beds were neatly made and again, nothing was out of place (our room at the B&B is a totally different story).
Vanesa took us to her old room and showed us which bed which had been hers, then Manuela, then Angee. All of the bedrooms were a decent size with 3 beds – no bunkbeds. Then they took us to a room with 3 cribs and they asked Angee which one used to be hers when she was a baby – she went right to it.
They took us to the place where they have P.E. (don’t know what they call it in Spanish, but this is where they danced and exercised and played outside). The lady in charge of these activities put on some music and Vanesa and Manu danced and jumped around with the 2 girls that were there. Angee broke down crying and the head nun beat me to her. I sat next to her and patted her a little, then the nun gave her to me. This was important to me. I wanted to be the one to comfort her and let her know that everything was okay. The nun handed her to me so that I could do my job. This is one of the first times I felt like their mother. I didn’t want anyone else to try to comfort my child. I imagine it may have been hard for the nun to hand her over since she was the one who had cared for, fed, bathed and comforted our children in the past. Angee did settle down, especially after they offered her a snack. (We too have found that waving food in front of her is a very effective tool – she loves to eat.)
After some exercise, they took us upstairs to the room where the girls study. On this level there is also a chapel. They said that every day the girls go there to pray for their parents to come. Today, however, the head nun took them in there to lead them in a prayer of thanksgiving for their new family. I think this is very good for the girls to see that God does answer prayers. I’m forever thankful that she took the opportunity to show the girls how God is working in their life.
When the tour was over, the nun walked us to the school that Angee and Manuela attended. It was very cute. When we got to Angee’s old classroom, her 2 best friends were there. They were so happy to see her. They gave her big hugs and kisses. They have been friends since the day Angee arrived. They chattered for a little bit and we learned that one of them was in the same orphanage and her parents are coming next month to take her home to Holland. Then it was time to meet Manu’s teacher. We did not get see her classroom, but we got to meet her instructor who was very happy to see Manu again. I think school must have been over for this age because we did not get to meet any of Manu’s friends and there were not very many children there. We also met the director of the school. He appeared very clean-cut and professional, and personable and happy – good for little children.
We then walked to Vanesa’s school. I think it was probably for grades 1 – 6. We met her teacher, who was happy see her. She was eager to tell us that Vanesa is a very good student and that she is kind and thoughtful. Shortly after arriving in her classroom, a little girl came up to Vanesa with open arms and said, “Vani!” She gave Vanesa a long hug and couple of kisses. She was so happy to see her. We met a few other girls that are friends with Vanesa as well – they all live in the orphanage. (Not all children in these schools live in the orphanage, but it appears that their best friends are the ones that they lived with.) Two of the girls, sisters, have parents in Italy – they were not sure when they would be coming to get them. We stayed at Vanesa’s school for about 30 minutes. We met the director of this school as well. On the way out, the nun gathered all of her children and we all walked back to the orphanage together. It was sweet to hold hands with other little girls.
We passed by Angee and Manu’s old school again and invited their friends to come for cake. In all, we had about 20 little tiny cake eaters (and 20 little tiny pieces of cake).
It has been a great blessing and pleasure to visit these places. There is no way to thank someone enough for all they have invested in our children and seeing to it that they are loved and nurtured. What a blessing to see how our daughters’ friends and roommates and caregivers.
All of this also makes me sad for the girls. They have to leave ALL of their “family” and friends. We could tell that the girls had very good friends. They are coming to a completely different society and family structure and they have to start all over. They have to make new friends, probably with people who do not have the same type of things in common. I could tell that the girls and their friends were emotionally bonded – not just playmates. One of Vani’s friends said this was hard because Vani was leaving before her. I wish we could bring them all home – I wouldn’t turn any of them away.
All of the girls that we met need parents. They are all adorable. I think that sometimes people fear adoption because they think the children are more prone to be unattractive or that a majority of them are bad kids or that they have problems that are too difficult to overcome. The problems are with the birth families, not the children. I did not know which children lived with the girls until someone told me. Something that I thought was interesting was that one of Vani’s friends is THE best student in the school. Who would have thought? I wouldn’t have even thought it possible (of course judging by looks, not the fact that she does not have parents, I would have chosen her).
It seems like I have heard of a lot of people who are looking into adoption. To you I would say that all of these girls seemed to have a happy disposition. Some had chubby cheeks, some had freckles, some were white, some were brown, they have pretty hair, they love the affection they get from the few people who work at the orphanage. They want families, they need a mommy and a daddy. They are not too old – you are not too old.
We have chosen not to post pictures of our day because we feel it is important for the girls to have a clean slate. The pictures taken today will be personal memories for them.
Hopefully tomorrow will be our sentencia. We will let you all know tomorrow.
Good Night!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Center of the City
(This is Chris)
Today was another good day. We went swimming in the morning to cool off after our walk to the store.
We instituted a "quiet time" after lunch today to see if Angee would take a nap. It took her 2o minutes, but she did go to sleep. We are going to try to stick to this as much as possible. (Children here do not take naps, but she REALLY needs to have one!)
In the afternoon, Jose took us to the center of the city to the main square (or plaza). Each city has a main plaza. The one here is called Bolivar Plaza. It was nice to walk around and look in stores and see the government buildings. We also walked into a huge Catholic church. It was really tall on the inside. While walking down the streets, there was a wonderful smell of fried something. I wanted some of it, but it takes a long time for all of us to buy and eat a snack.
We think our sentencia is Thurs or Fri. After that takes place, we should be able to have a better idea of when we come home.
We posted some pictures of the last few days. Hope you enjoy them! Buenos Noches!
Today was another good day. We went swimming in the morning to cool off after our walk to the store.
We instituted a "quiet time" after lunch today to see if Angee would take a nap. It took her 2o minutes, but she did go to sleep. We are going to try to stick to this as much as possible. (Children here do not take naps, but she REALLY needs to have one!)
In the afternoon, Jose took us to the center of the city to the main square (or plaza). Each city has a main plaza. The one here is called Bolivar Plaza. It was nice to walk around and look in stores and see the government buildings. We also walked into a huge Catholic church. It was really tall on the inside. While walking down the streets, there was a wonderful smell of fried something. I wanted some of it, but it takes a long time for all of us to buy and eat a snack.
We think our sentencia is Thurs or Fri. After that takes place, we should be able to have a better idea of when we come home.
We posted some pictures of the last few days. Hope you enjoy them! Buenos Noches!
Monday, February 2, 2009
There’s no place like home!
Good Evening everyone! This is Paul writing. We had another good day here in Pereira. This morning we went to an orchid farm. How incredible! They were beautiful. I’ve never seen that many orchids before. The orchid farm was at a home. The lady was the one who specialized in the orchids and the man of the house specialized in Bonsai trees. It was very nice of them to let us tour their home for a little while. It seems like Jose knows everyone around here, which is great for us. After that we went up to a restaurant in the mountains that overlooked Pereira. It was a great view of the city. The only problem was it was raining pretty good when we got up there so the pics probably won’t turn out as good as I would have liked.
Well, as you can tell by the subject, we are ready to go home. While it is nice to be in the tropics and enjoy a landscape that is almost a paradise, there is still no place like home! We miss our family and friends, and we are really looking forward to everyone meeting the girls. We are ready for a more stable environment too. It is difficult to have to rely on others around here for so much. I think one of the most frustrating things is the inconsistent meal times, especially at night. Some nights we might eat at 6pm others it’s 7:15. It makes getting a routine down very hard! Please don’t get me wrong, the people here are absolutely wonderful and I appreciate all they do. They work hard to keep us happy, it is just a different way of living down here, and we are ready for some good old Americana! I’m also really looking forward to speaking some English with someone. I actually watched a little bit of CNN yesterday just so I could hear some English.
Now let me talk a little bit about the country of Colombia a bit. When most Americans think of Colombia, the first words out of their mouths are …..cocaine….kidnappings…. if you come here you are taking your lives in your hands. Let me tell you this is absolutely false!!! I have never been to a place more beautiful and also the people here are absolutely wonderful. The people here are very hospitable, especially to strangers. Are there bad places in Colombia? Yeah, there are, but how many of us would stroll down the streets of downtown Kansas City, Kansas at night. There is no difference. If I had the opportunity again in the future, I would love to come back. There is a lot to see and do.
The lawyer stopped by tonight and I think he told me that our sentencia is on Thursday. He speaks absolutely no English so I had to figure out what he was saying in my broken Spanish. If that is true, we should be back in Bogota by next week, which means it is possible we could be home by the end of next week. I will hopefully know more here in a couple of days. I am going to have out translator call the lawyer tomorrow and have him repeat what he tried to tell me tonight so we know exactly what is going on. He also gave us a whole bunch more documents on the girls. At our integration meeting last week we asked for any documents that were in their files. We got them today!! That’s good, now we just need to get them translated so we know what’s in it.
Well, enough of my ramblings for one night. God bless you all back in the states, and again thanks for your prayers and kind comments! I’ll post more pics tomorrow.
Chris’s 2 Cents
The orchid house was beautiful. It was on a hill that overlooked the countryside. They had classical music playing in the background and we had a tour by the master herself. The entrance to this place is kind of like a little place to buy flowers and plants. We have driven past it a few times and I always wondered what kind of stuff they had. It was a nice surprise when Jose pulled in there. I saw more beautiful plants than I thought I would. They had a bonsai orange tree, about 3 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter, and it was bearing oranges about the size of tangerines. I was pretty impressed that that tiny tree could actually produce fruit.
I too want to let everyone know how much we really miss you. We talked to my family last night on Skype (video over the internet) and it made me really want to be home. We miss being able to call people or have people over. We really look forward to finding a new normal that involves everyone we hold so dear. I can’t wait for all of you to meet our daughters. They are anxious to meet you too.
Much love to all of you :)
Well, as you can tell by the subject, we are ready to go home. While it is nice to be in the tropics and enjoy a landscape that is almost a paradise, there is still no place like home! We miss our family and friends, and we are really looking forward to everyone meeting the girls. We are ready for a more stable environment too. It is difficult to have to rely on others around here for so much. I think one of the most frustrating things is the inconsistent meal times, especially at night. Some nights we might eat at 6pm others it’s 7:15. It makes getting a routine down very hard! Please don’t get me wrong, the people here are absolutely wonderful and I appreciate all they do. They work hard to keep us happy, it is just a different way of living down here, and we are ready for some good old Americana! I’m also really looking forward to speaking some English with someone. I actually watched a little bit of CNN yesterday just so I could hear some English.
Now let me talk a little bit about the country of Colombia a bit. When most Americans think of Colombia, the first words out of their mouths are …..cocaine….kidnappings…. if you come here you are taking your lives in your hands. Let me tell you this is absolutely false!!! I have never been to a place more beautiful and also the people here are absolutely wonderful. The people here are very hospitable, especially to strangers. Are there bad places in Colombia? Yeah, there are, but how many of us would stroll down the streets of downtown Kansas City, Kansas at night. There is no difference. If I had the opportunity again in the future, I would love to come back. There is a lot to see and do.
The lawyer stopped by tonight and I think he told me that our sentencia is on Thursday. He speaks absolutely no English so I had to figure out what he was saying in my broken Spanish. If that is true, we should be back in Bogota by next week, which means it is possible we could be home by the end of next week. I will hopefully know more here in a couple of days. I am going to have out translator call the lawyer tomorrow and have him repeat what he tried to tell me tonight so we know exactly what is going on. He also gave us a whole bunch more documents on the girls. At our integration meeting last week we asked for any documents that were in their files. We got them today!! That’s good, now we just need to get them translated so we know what’s in it.
Well, enough of my ramblings for one night. God bless you all back in the states, and again thanks for your prayers and kind comments! I’ll post more pics tomorrow.
Chris’s 2 Cents
The orchid house was beautiful. It was on a hill that overlooked the countryside. They had classical music playing in the background and we had a tour by the master herself. The entrance to this place is kind of like a little place to buy flowers and plants. We have driven past it a few times and I always wondered what kind of stuff they had. It was a nice surprise when Jose pulled in there. I saw more beautiful plants than I thought I would. They had a bonsai orange tree, about 3 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter, and it was bearing oranges about the size of tangerines. I was pretty impressed that that tiny tree could actually produce fruit.
I too want to let everyone know how much we really miss you. We talked to my family last night on Skype (video over the internet) and it made me really want to be home. We miss being able to call people or have people over. We really look forward to finding a new normal that involves everyone we hold so dear. I can’t wait for all of you to meet our daughters. They are anxious to meet you too.
Much love to all of you :)
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