I feel like our days are just repeating the same thing over and over this week! I feel so thankful for how well things are going this week. I am just in awe that so early in this process we are having such success!
After breakfast, Brent walked to the grocery store with Grant, Jake and Jonathan. It was Jonathan's first time in a grocery store (as we know it)- EVER. Brent said he did pretty well, considering he had to be told no to a lot of things he asked for. I know Brent was glad he had all his helpers because it was a bunch of bags to carry back- UPHILL! You know, at home when I think of uphill, it is nothing like what uphill is here! It is so steep! The city is literally built into the side of the mountain so there is not one single level road in the whole place. I can't imagine how often people need to replace their brakes here!
They brought home some mangos to try and Luisa was super excited. We had never had one, so she showed us how she just slices it like a tomato and eats it. I think she almost ate the whole thing herself! Can't believe she didn't get a stomachache afterward! It turns out it is her all time favorite fruit.
While Brent was at the store, the little girls dressed up in their pretty dresses complete with tights, dress shoes, and hair bows. They were so cute even though they didn't fully match! I had brought some cloth play food, so I got that out along with some kitchen dishes I had bought for the pool. They had a blast playing with the food and dishes and lots of water at the coffee table.
After lunch, we headed to the pool. It was on the cool side so Quinn and Jonathan decided to go bug catching in the bushes behind the pool. They found some big bugs/beetles in the leaves (not leaves like at home! Big waxy Amazonish-type leaves!) and made them their pets! They fed them bits of chips and made a little home for them in the play dishes! I love watching little boys play with bugs! I can't explain it, but it just makes me happy- like all is right with the world! Boys enjoying the creation God made, not needing to be entertained by worldly distractions....so precious!
After an hour or so it started thundering so we packed up and headed back to the apartment. I decided that the US kids needed to do some schoolwork. The chicos were sorely disappointed that I had not brought them school books, though the older kids would have gladly given them theirs! I tried to pass off coloring books as sufficient but they saw through my lame attempt. LOL! So they decided to play school on their own back in the bedroom. They packed up books and paper in their backpacks and pretended to go to sleep in the beds and then wake up and do school! They were really using their imagination! So often, children who watch a lot of tv lose the ability to do imaginary play for long periods of time. We had been told that they watched hours and hours of tv each day. So when their play lasted almost 2 hours, I was amazed! No one asked for a movie or food or anything. They were completely engrossed! At one point, they asked Quinn to play too and even though he didn't understand what they were playing, he got along fine. I found him and Luisa doing math problems together! Though, Luisa is more advanced than Quinn! It is funny to watch her do addition. She writes the plus sign on the opposite side and forms her letters and numbers different than we do. I'm enjoying watching her! As a teacher I find it interesting to see and interpret how she has learned.
We played a few games- checkers and Blink. By that time, it was dinnertime- tacos! After dinner the kids played more games and cut and colored! Every day the coffee table and carpet look like a paper factory exploded! They are getting pretty creative, though! Luisa had made probably hundreds of paper coins and bills! Jonathan copies anything Quinn does. Today Quinn made himself a paper policeman costume and Jonathan had to have an exact replica too! Oh, when Brent explained to Cindy that he was a policman, she didn't like that idea! She said, "NO!" HA! I guess she doesn't have a good association with police!
Somehow all our older kids ended up on our bed to watch a Dora movie and Luisa and Jonathan ended up in the living room to watch Princess Bride again. It is their favorite movie!
After dinner, Brent and Luisa made brownies. In Colombia there is this thick liquid cream that they put on desserts or ice cream. Brent had bought some to put on top of the brownies and you'd have thought the kids had died and gone to heaven! I didn't think it had much flavor but they loved it!
The rest of the evening was very quiet, even though we had a short issue with Jonathan getting upset. The tantrums aren't even what I would consider a tantrum anymore. Honestly, I probably had to scold our bio kids more today than the Colombian kids! Brent and I keep saying how we are totally amazed at how well this week is going. We are so thankful to the Lord for allowing the kids to progress so quickly. Last week we were not so hopeful, so this week we are just in awe.
Yesterday we did get some difficult news from our agency. We learned that our program manager, his wife who is also employed by Gladney, our attorneys Nora and Blanca have all lost their jobs. Gladney is cutting expenses and as of yesterday, their jobs are terminated. We are so, so sad for them. It was a total shock for them so they are hurt and still reeling from the news. We have been reassured by both Gladney and each of them personally that they will finish our case to the end, for which we are extremely thankful. I don't know what we would do if we were suddenly left on our own at this point! We are praying that they find work quickly and can continue to do what they do best- find families for children! In our experience they have each been phenomenal to work with and we are sad to know that we are their last family. Our hearts go out to them, especially for Raul because I am sure this affects his visa situation since he is a Colombian living in the US because of his job.
Ok, heading off to bed now. The bird in the apartment balcony above us starts screaming early in the morning and I don't want to miss it! (said with much sarcasm!)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Day 14
What an interesting day!
We went straight to the pool after breakfast since we had plans for the rest of the day and we knew the kids would be disappointed if we couldn't go!
We have been needing to get organized with all our upcoming expenses for rent, document copies, birth certificates, passports, visas, etc. But, we can only make 4 withdrawls per day from the atm, and only a certain amount. This calls for lots of preplanning! So, while the kids swam, Brent and I sat at a table at the pool and counted and organized all our cash in to baggies for each expense! It is so funny because it looked like we were organizing a drug deal with all the stacks of money, right by the pool! LOL! Thank goodness we are in a gated community with tall bushes all around. Otherwise it might not have been the smartest thing to do in public! LOL!
After the pool, Gloria #2 picked us up and took us to Barefoot Park. This is a small park area that is set up to be peaceful and tranquil. It has 2 small wading pools to soak your feet, an area with crushed pebbles to walk on for therapy, a few interesting posts for kids to climb on, and a bamboo garden for sitting in the shade- or sleeping, as some were doing. The kids enjoyed it for a few minutes and then they just wanted lunch! So we ordered traditional Colombian meals for Brent and I and mega-huge hot dogs for the kids. During the meal, Jonathan had a short tantrum because he wanted to drink something other than water. This was our first "in public" tantrum, and it went pretty well! It didn't last too long. He ended up not being allowed to have juice the rest of the day because of it, though.
After the park, we drove about 20 minutes outside of Medellin to a small store with authentic Colombian artisan items. Each child was able to pick out one thing that would help them to remember Colombia and we also picked up a few presents to bring home and a few to save for gifts for the chicos to have on special occasions as they get older. It was a bit chaotic to take the chicos into the store because they had never been in a store before. Amazing to me! The things I take for granted! They used to pass this store on the way to their foster home in the country, so they were super excited to be allowed to go in.
Luisa was totally stressed trying to figure out what to get. There were WAY too many choices. She was frantically running from one end of the store to the other for about a half hour not knowing what to do with herself. The poor shop worker followed us around the whole time probably scared to death she'd break something!She ended up with a wooden box that you can store paper in. If you know her personality, you would understand that it is perfect for her! Any little container or bag that she can shove her treasures into is perfect! And the fact that it stores paper is the icing on the cake! This girl loves papers! It is a cute painted pink box that we are told was made in the country region- although to me, the quality looks like something from the dollar store. I'm just praying it will last the rest of our time here!
Jonathan took about 2 minutes to decide on a wooden spinning top. I had hoped he would find a figurine of a cow since he loves them so much, but nope, a top it had to be. At least it was an easy decision! As soon as Cindy saw a baby doll, she was hooked and didn't want anything else. Although, on the ride home she through a humdinger of a tantrum because she decided she didn't like her doll and she wanted Luisa's box. When we said No, she said the doll was fea- ugly! LOL!
The rest of the kids easily found some little treasures to take home. I am sure we were quite the sight with all our bunches of items piled up on the counter with each person coming from the car to the store one by one. No way I was taking all 7 kids in there at one time!
It started downpouring so we headed home for quiet-time with a movie and crafts at the coffee table. Seems like that is our standard quiet hour activity. The kids have had such a great time creating all kinds of things out of paper and tape! Earlier in the week it was knight costumes, lately it is paper sling bags complete with cell phone cases and paper money!
Later we walked down to the end of the road for some dinner. I think I am addicted to the empanadas, bunuelos and palito de quesos. But I know I'm going to end up with clogged arteries because of so much fried food.
The girls discovered the shower tonight. We have no way of plugging up the tub, so up until now they have been just sitting under the faucet to do their hair. It is mass chaos the whole time. But somehow they figured out that if you pull the lever, the shower comes on. I haven't heard so much screaming and squealing in my life! I can't figure out if they have never seen a shower before or if they knew what it was and were happy to be able to use it!
Today, through our translator, we learned a lot more information about the kids' past from Luisa. Some of it is funny- like Jonathan is in love with his foster sister. But a lot of it is so sad. My heart breaks when I hear some of the things she says. She is matter-of-fact about it, but inside I feel sick to know how my babies spent their early years. I am so thankful that God saw fit to remove them from those circumstances. And, although their foster families weren't perfect, I am thankful that at least their basic needs were met and they were loved.
We went straight to the pool after breakfast since we had plans for the rest of the day and we knew the kids would be disappointed if we couldn't go!
We have been needing to get organized with all our upcoming expenses for rent, document copies, birth certificates, passports, visas, etc. But, we can only make 4 withdrawls per day from the atm, and only a certain amount. This calls for lots of preplanning! So, while the kids swam, Brent and I sat at a table at the pool and counted and organized all our cash in to baggies for each expense! It is so funny because it looked like we were organizing a drug deal with all the stacks of money, right by the pool! LOL! Thank goodness we are in a gated community with tall bushes all around. Otherwise it might not have been the smartest thing to do in public! LOL!
After the pool, Gloria #2 picked us up and took us to Barefoot Park. This is a small park area that is set up to be peaceful and tranquil. It has 2 small wading pools to soak your feet, an area with crushed pebbles to walk on for therapy, a few interesting posts for kids to climb on, and a bamboo garden for sitting in the shade- or sleeping, as some were doing. The kids enjoyed it for a few minutes and then they just wanted lunch! So we ordered traditional Colombian meals for Brent and I and mega-huge hot dogs for the kids. During the meal, Jonathan had a short tantrum because he wanted to drink something other than water. This was our first "in public" tantrum, and it went pretty well! It didn't last too long. He ended up not being allowed to have juice the rest of the day because of it, though.
After the park, we drove about 20 minutes outside of Medellin to a small store with authentic Colombian artisan items. Each child was able to pick out one thing that would help them to remember Colombia and we also picked up a few presents to bring home and a few to save for gifts for the chicos to have on special occasions as they get older. It was a bit chaotic to take the chicos into the store because they had never been in a store before. Amazing to me! The things I take for granted! They used to pass this store on the way to their foster home in the country, so they were super excited to be allowed to go in.
Luisa was totally stressed trying to figure out what to get. There were WAY too many choices. She was frantically running from one end of the store to the other for about a half hour not knowing what to do with herself. The poor shop worker followed us around the whole time probably scared to death she'd break something!She ended up with a wooden box that you can store paper in. If you know her personality, you would understand that it is perfect for her! Any little container or bag that she can shove her treasures into is perfect! And the fact that it stores paper is the icing on the cake! This girl loves papers! It is a cute painted pink box that we are told was made in the country region- although to me, the quality looks like something from the dollar store. I'm just praying it will last the rest of our time here!
Jonathan took about 2 minutes to decide on a wooden spinning top. I had hoped he would find a figurine of a cow since he loves them so much, but nope, a top it had to be. At least it was an easy decision! As soon as Cindy saw a baby doll, she was hooked and didn't want anything else. Although, on the ride home she through a humdinger of a tantrum because she decided she didn't like her doll and she wanted Luisa's box. When we said No, she said the doll was fea- ugly! LOL!
The rest of the kids easily found some little treasures to take home. I am sure we were quite the sight with all our bunches of items piled up on the counter with each person coming from the car to the store one by one. No way I was taking all 7 kids in there at one time!
It started downpouring so we headed home for quiet-time with a movie and crafts at the coffee table. Seems like that is our standard quiet hour activity. The kids have had such a great time creating all kinds of things out of paper and tape! Earlier in the week it was knight costumes, lately it is paper sling bags complete with cell phone cases and paper money!
Later we walked down to the end of the road for some dinner. I think I am addicted to the empanadas, bunuelos and palito de quesos. But I know I'm going to end up with clogged arteries because of so much fried food.
The girls discovered the shower tonight. We have no way of plugging up the tub, so up until now they have been just sitting under the faucet to do their hair. It is mass chaos the whole time. But somehow they figured out that if you pull the lever, the shower comes on. I haven't heard so much screaming and squealing in my life! I can't figure out if they have never seen a shower before or if they knew what it was and were happy to be able to use it!
Today, through our translator, we learned a lot more information about the kids' past from Luisa. Some of it is funny- like Jonathan is in love with his foster sister. But a lot of it is so sad. My heart breaks when I hear some of the things she says. She is matter-of-fact about it, but inside I feel sick to know how my babies spent their early years. I am so thankful that God saw fit to remove them from those circumstances. And, although their foster families weren't perfect, I am thankful that at least their basic needs were met and they were loved.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Day 13
Another good day! This just keeps getting more fun!
We seem to be falling into a "slow moving morning" routine. I love slow mornings, but it might be hard to break the habit once we get home! Oh, well. I'll deal with that then. There will be so many changes that will just be one of many.
Since this morning it was kind of cool, Brent took the kids to play soccer. They love it. I especially enjoy seeing Cait get in the game and play too. She is starting to really bond with Jonathan in a cute way. He loves sitting near her and will often slip his hand in hers as they walk. I didn't expect this, so it is very special!
Luisa, I'm noticing, is more of a homebody. She will most always prefer to stay at the apartment- unless we are going to the pool or for bunelos! Today she didn't want to play soccer so I stayed in the apartment with her. She enjoyed listening to Spanish kids songs while she colored. I was hanging up laundry, but when I came back to check on her, she was in the boys' bedroom cleaning the room! She is super organized (poor child- she doesn't yet know how messy her mom is) and was disgusted by the sloppiness of her brothers. She folded all the blankets and clothes that were on the floor. I'm so impressed by her skills! Earlier she asked if she could make something in the kitchen. I couldn't understand what she was saying so I told her to show me. She starts cutting up a bunch of different kinds of fruit in a bowl! Ensalada fruta! Fruit salad!
We spent many hours at the pool, even skipping lunch because they didn't want to stop swimming. I got the chance to sit and talk with the other adoptive family for a while. This past week we hadn't seen them too much due to our different schedules. It is so nice to sit and connect with other people going through the process. They are an awesome family!
When we came back, we heard from Nora, our attorney. She said that our case was admitted to the judge! That means that all the administrative paperwork/review was done and now the judge can sign! He has between 1 and 10 days to sign for sentencia. This is wonderful news! If the court was going to ask for any additional clarifications or paperwork it would have happened during this time, so it is wonderful that they didn't ask for any additional info and slow down the time!
We are hoping for a quick Sentencia so we can get home faster! I'm ready! I am looking forward to starting real life together with our kids in the US! I am LOVING Colombia, but it is just not home. Though, as much as I am ready to go, I think about the chicos and how each day closer we get to the US, the closer they get to losing their homeland and culture. That makes me sad, too. Everything in adoption has its bittersweetness. Gaining a family can only come through loss. Healing only comes through grief. Joy in a family replaces untold pain in early childhood. So it is only fitting that my anticipation of going home is mixed with sadness in ripping them away from theirs.
We decided to take a walk UP the hill (we'd only been downhill before) and around the big loop. It is an interesting mix of super fancy apartment complexes like ours and run down buildings across the street. Still this area is the wealthiest of the city. I learned today that we are in a small pocket of wealthy citizens. Most of Medellin is slums of the worst kind. I hope to get a chance to see some of that area because that is where our kids were born.
We had ice cream at the end of the walk. Jonathan ended up with some gross kind of mango-y type icecream. Some of the flavors here are really weird! Cait and I also walked down to the Panderia. It is a bread bakery that is popular here. Oh, my goodness! The bread was amazing! I could get addicted! I got it to have with Baked Ziti that I fixed later. It is our first "American" meal that I have made that they have never had. At first Luisa practically spit it out of her mouth at the first bite! Cindy didn't want it, but I told her to Pruebua- try it! So she did! And she liked it! She didn't want me to put any on her plate, but if I put little pieces on mine, she would eat off my plate! When Luisa saw Cindy eating it, she couldn't be outdone. So she ate some too! I don't think she liked it very much, but she still ate it! Jonathan ended up spending most of the dinner time in his room- can't even remember now why, but it was low key and he ended well.
Grant, Jake and Luisa have this WILD silliness going on. They get completely out of control when the three of them sit together. At dinner, Luisa started imitating Jonathan's crying and she was hysterical! She loved the audience so it kept getting more and more dramatic. I think Brent got some of it on video so if you want to see it, let me know and I'll send you our picassa picture link.
The rest of the night was quiet and wonderful! Everyone was happy and went to bed wonderfully! Thank you Lord!
We seem to be falling into a "slow moving morning" routine. I love slow mornings, but it might be hard to break the habit once we get home! Oh, well. I'll deal with that then. There will be so many changes that will just be one of many.
Since this morning it was kind of cool, Brent took the kids to play soccer. They love it. I especially enjoy seeing Cait get in the game and play too. She is starting to really bond with Jonathan in a cute way. He loves sitting near her and will often slip his hand in hers as they walk. I didn't expect this, so it is very special!
Luisa, I'm noticing, is more of a homebody. She will most always prefer to stay at the apartment- unless we are going to the pool or for bunelos! Today she didn't want to play soccer so I stayed in the apartment with her. She enjoyed listening to Spanish kids songs while she colored. I was hanging up laundry, but when I came back to check on her, she was in the boys' bedroom cleaning the room! She is super organized (poor child- she doesn't yet know how messy her mom is) and was disgusted by the sloppiness of her brothers. She folded all the blankets and clothes that were on the floor. I'm so impressed by her skills! Earlier she asked if she could make something in the kitchen. I couldn't understand what she was saying so I told her to show me. She starts cutting up a bunch of different kinds of fruit in a bowl! Ensalada fruta! Fruit salad!
We spent many hours at the pool, even skipping lunch because they didn't want to stop swimming. I got the chance to sit and talk with the other adoptive family for a while. This past week we hadn't seen them too much due to our different schedules. It is so nice to sit and connect with other people going through the process. They are an awesome family!
When we came back, we heard from Nora, our attorney. She said that our case was admitted to the judge! That means that all the administrative paperwork/review was done and now the judge can sign! He has between 1 and 10 days to sign for sentencia. This is wonderful news! If the court was going to ask for any additional clarifications or paperwork it would have happened during this time, so it is wonderful that they didn't ask for any additional info and slow down the time!
We are hoping for a quick Sentencia so we can get home faster! I'm ready! I am looking forward to starting real life together with our kids in the US! I am LOVING Colombia, but it is just not home. Though, as much as I am ready to go, I think about the chicos and how each day closer we get to the US, the closer they get to losing their homeland and culture. That makes me sad, too. Everything in adoption has its bittersweetness. Gaining a family can only come through loss. Healing only comes through grief. Joy in a family replaces untold pain in early childhood. So it is only fitting that my anticipation of going home is mixed with sadness in ripping them away from theirs.
We decided to take a walk UP the hill (we'd only been downhill before) and around the big loop. It is an interesting mix of super fancy apartment complexes like ours and run down buildings across the street. Still this area is the wealthiest of the city. I learned today that we are in a small pocket of wealthy citizens. Most of Medellin is slums of the worst kind. I hope to get a chance to see some of that area because that is where our kids were born.
We had ice cream at the end of the walk. Jonathan ended up with some gross kind of mango-y type icecream. Some of the flavors here are really weird! Cait and I also walked down to the Panderia. It is a bread bakery that is popular here. Oh, my goodness! The bread was amazing! I could get addicted! I got it to have with Baked Ziti that I fixed later. It is our first "American" meal that I have made that they have never had. At first Luisa practically spit it out of her mouth at the first bite! Cindy didn't want it, but I told her to Pruebua- try it! So she did! And she liked it! She didn't want me to put any on her plate, but if I put little pieces on mine, she would eat off my plate! When Luisa saw Cindy eating it, she couldn't be outdone. So she ate some too! I don't think she liked it very much, but she still ate it! Jonathan ended up spending most of the dinner time in his room- can't even remember now why, but it was low key and he ended well.
Grant, Jake and Luisa have this WILD silliness going on. They get completely out of control when the three of them sit together. At dinner, Luisa started imitating Jonathan's crying and she was hysterical! She loved the audience so it kept getting more and more dramatic. I think Brent got some of it on video so if you want to see it, let me know and I'll send you our picassa picture link.
The rest of the night was quiet and wonderful! Everyone was happy and went to bed wonderfully! Thank you Lord!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Day 12
Today we had a slow start with a big breakfast and lots of coloring. The kids finally hit the bottom of the ream of paper I brought- or so they think! Luckily when I saw how fast we were going through paper, I reserved half the ream in the closet. I'm putting the call out now for anyone reading this, that we would appreciate ANY donations of scrap paper!!! We are going to be using a lot, for sure!
At 10am Gloria#1 picked up me and the chicos to go for their last vaccination they needed before their embassy doctor visit. We didn't tell them about it until just before she got there, and right away we heard the whining about not wanting a "vacuna"! Luisa whimpered in the back seat the whole way to the clinic, but Cindy chatted cheerfully the whole time. Once we arrived, Luisa tried to not enter the office, so I had to half drag her in. She started crying and I started wondering how in the world I was going to manage getting her to sit still for a shot. She is tall and strong. No way for me to hold her still by myself!
Since Luisa was upset the nurse decided to take Cindy first. Well, look out! Miss Cheerful turned into Little Monster as soon as I picked her up. I had to sit on the table with her on my lap and hold her tight. But the worst part was after it was over! She had a royal tantrum on the floor, kicking, screaming, taking her shoes and socks off and trying to run out the door! She must have been saying "Get me outta here" because one nurse (God bless the woman!) told her "Ok, lets go!" and she took her hand and let her walk around the building (no shoes and one sock!) until she calmed down!
All this time, the other nurse was trying to get Jonathan to sit up at the table and I was trying to pull him from between the chairs on the floor unsuccessfully! Thankfully, the nurse and Gloria were able to talk to Luisa and took her in the room first. I think they said something about acting like a strong Colombiana (Colombian woman!)! LOL! They told her to just hold her breath. She did it and NOT A WHIMPER! I was so proud of her! She had been so scared and acted so brave! I think she was proud of herself too. She had a great smile on her face.
She told Jonathan that it was easy and didn't hurt. That made him let his guard down so I could pick him up and sit with him on the table. It took me, two nurses, Luisa and Gloria (in her late 70's!) to hold him still! LOL! I had brought Double Bubble Gum as a treat for afterwards so he was anxious to get that.
Thankfully, it is all over and next time they need shots, Brent is going to come too! I was sweating by the time we finished!
While I had the kids at the appointment, Brent and the bio kids had Daddy time! They walked around the area, bought soda and had a fun time talking. It was very timely and I think they really needed the decompression time.
Once everyone was together again, we all headed to the pool, of course! It was kind of cool, so it didn't last too long. Back to the apartment for snacks and craft time and a movie. This seems to be our afternoon schedule! We decided to fix an early dinner of carne (thin beef steak), potatoes and fresas (strawberries) that I bought off a street vendor. After dinner we headed back to the pool because the sun came out and the kids weren't worn out enough!
Luisa is definitely our fish! She could swim all day! She has progressed so much in 12 days! Actually all of them have! I am so impressed!
We were all set to walk down the road to get an evening snack of bunelos, when the heavens opened and it started POURING! Out of the blue- no clouds at all! Crazy! But, Brent, Jake, Grant, and Luisa still decided to walk down in the rain to get some bunelos and bring them back to the rest of us.
The past two times, Brent has gotten a few extra for our apartment manager. He is always stationed at the gate and is so sweet. He speaks a little English and goes out of his way to help us out or chat with the kids. The other day when we had to leave the soccer field with Jonathan crying, the manager just smiled. Today he asked Jonathan if he was ready to be a good listener to mami and papi and if he was calm now! LOL! Often times we have wondered what the other people in this complex think about this crazy group of gringos. But there have been many other adoptive families in these apartments so I am sure it isn't too strange. Though I am sure we are still quite the spectacle! The other moms with their kids just smile and stare! LOL!
So far, we have had no other issues or tantrums, so I shall declare today a success! (Can't count the vaccination issues. That's different!)
I must say that I am so excited for the Bynions to bring home Maddie Lidong Bynion! I'm sad we won't get to welcome them home, but glad that they can start their new lives together in the US this weekend! I miss them all so much! Emails and the occasional skype to China are good, but face to face is best! Can't wait to meet the little sweetie! I am praying that Cindy and Maddie will be friends! It is mind boggling to think we have been on this adoption journey together for so long and now it is coming to a close. Well really, it is just the beginning! God is so good.
I am so grateful for all the emails and facebook messages that all of you have been sending. They are such a wonderful encouragement for us. To know that other people care and are loving us from afar is one of the greatest blessings to us. So thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
I have also appreciated the emails from several adoptive families that are in the trenches right now (Hi Lori!) or have walked this road of older sibling group adoption. It is such a relief to know that the things we are living through are normal and WILL GET BETTER! It is a huge encouragement to see their blogs or hear their testimonies of how their families have grown and blossomed into something beautiful even if they had rough beginnings. This gives me such great hope. God really does redeem the time that they lost when they didn't have their family. Already we have seen tremendous progress and change in just 12 days. When we keep our eyes looking to the future it keeps us from being dragged down in discouragement in the middle of a crisis. I pray I can always keep the biblical eternal view instead of wallowing in a temporal mindset.
At 10am Gloria#1 picked up me and the chicos to go for their last vaccination they needed before their embassy doctor visit. We didn't tell them about it until just before she got there, and right away we heard the whining about not wanting a "vacuna"! Luisa whimpered in the back seat the whole way to the clinic, but Cindy chatted cheerfully the whole time. Once we arrived, Luisa tried to not enter the office, so I had to half drag her in. She started crying and I started wondering how in the world I was going to manage getting her to sit still for a shot. She is tall and strong. No way for me to hold her still by myself!
Since Luisa was upset the nurse decided to take Cindy first. Well, look out! Miss Cheerful turned into Little Monster as soon as I picked her up. I had to sit on the table with her on my lap and hold her tight. But the worst part was after it was over! She had a royal tantrum on the floor, kicking, screaming, taking her shoes and socks off and trying to run out the door! She must have been saying "Get me outta here" because one nurse (God bless the woman!) told her "Ok, lets go!" and she took her hand and let her walk around the building (no shoes and one sock!) until she calmed down!
All this time, the other nurse was trying to get Jonathan to sit up at the table and I was trying to pull him from between the chairs on the floor unsuccessfully! Thankfully, the nurse and Gloria were able to talk to Luisa and took her in the room first. I think they said something about acting like a strong Colombiana (Colombian woman!)! LOL! They told her to just hold her breath. She did it and NOT A WHIMPER! I was so proud of her! She had been so scared and acted so brave! I think she was proud of herself too. She had a great smile on her face.
She told Jonathan that it was easy and didn't hurt. That made him let his guard down so I could pick him up and sit with him on the table. It took me, two nurses, Luisa and Gloria (in her late 70's!) to hold him still! LOL! I had brought Double Bubble Gum as a treat for afterwards so he was anxious to get that.
Thankfully, it is all over and next time they need shots, Brent is going to come too! I was sweating by the time we finished!
While I had the kids at the appointment, Brent and the bio kids had Daddy time! They walked around the area, bought soda and had a fun time talking. It was very timely and I think they really needed the decompression time.
Once everyone was together again, we all headed to the pool, of course! It was kind of cool, so it didn't last too long. Back to the apartment for snacks and craft time and a movie. This seems to be our afternoon schedule! We decided to fix an early dinner of carne (thin beef steak), potatoes and fresas (strawberries) that I bought off a street vendor. After dinner we headed back to the pool because the sun came out and the kids weren't worn out enough!
Luisa is definitely our fish! She could swim all day! She has progressed so much in 12 days! Actually all of them have! I am so impressed!
We were all set to walk down the road to get an evening snack of bunelos, when the heavens opened and it started POURING! Out of the blue- no clouds at all! Crazy! But, Brent, Jake, Grant, and Luisa still decided to walk down in the rain to get some bunelos and bring them back to the rest of us.
The past two times, Brent has gotten a few extra for our apartment manager. He is always stationed at the gate and is so sweet. He speaks a little English and goes out of his way to help us out or chat with the kids. The other day when we had to leave the soccer field with Jonathan crying, the manager just smiled. Today he asked Jonathan if he was ready to be a good listener to mami and papi and if he was calm now! LOL! Often times we have wondered what the other people in this complex think about this crazy group of gringos. But there have been many other adoptive families in these apartments so I am sure it isn't too strange. Though I am sure we are still quite the spectacle! The other moms with their kids just smile and stare! LOL!
So far, we have had no other issues or tantrums, so I shall declare today a success! (Can't count the vaccination issues. That's different!)
I must say that I am so excited for the Bynions to bring home Maddie Lidong Bynion! I'm sad we won't get to welcome them home, but glad that they can start their new lives together in the US this weekend! I miss them all so much! Emails and the occasional skype to China are good, but face to face is best! Can't wait to meet the little sweetie! I am praying that Cindy and Maddie will be friends! It is mind boggling to think we have been on this adoption journey together for so long and now it is coming to a close. Well really, it is just the beginning! God is so good.
I am so grateful for all the emails and facebook messages that all of you have been sending. They are such a wonderful encouragement for us. To know that other people care and are loving us from afar is one of the greatest blessings to us. So thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.
I have also appreciated the emails from several adoptive families that are in the trenches right now (Hi Lori!) or have walked this road of older sibling group adoption. It is such a relief to know that the things we are living through are normal and WILL GET BETTER! It is a huge encouragement to see their blogs or hear their testimonies of how their families have grown and blossomed into something beautiful even if they had rough beginnings. This gives me such great hope. God really does redeem the time that they lost when they didn't have their family. Already we have seen tremendous progress and change in just 12 days. When we keep our eyes looking to the future it keeps us from being dragged down in discouragement in the middle of a crisis. I pray I can always keep the biblical eternal view instead of wallowing in a temporal mindset.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 11
Today started with three back to back tantrums. Poor Brent! I was in the shower and came out to three screaming kids! We must be terrible parents to not allow potato chips for breakfast! LOL!
But I think it was wonderful that we got them out of the way first thing! Once the tantrum is over we give the kids several different instructions- sit here, stand there, pick up this toy and put it here... This helps to reinforce their obedience and our authority. It shows us if it is truly "over" and also gives them an opportunity to be praised for obeying successfully.
The kids were so cute this morning. They all built a tent over the dining room table with tons of blankets and sheets! We let them leave it up all day and they were in and out frequently!
The rest of the day went fairly well! I went grocery shopping and Brent took the kids to the pool. They ended up spending over 4 hours there. I even brought home lunch and we ate at the pool! That worked well because usually they are hungry so we head back to the apartment, but they aren't fully exhausted yet. I think we'll do that more frequently!
Around 2:30, Nora and Blanca (attorneys) came to meet with us to review the new stage of the process now that our documents are in Court. I love them! They both are so super sweet and Nora is extremely organized and thorough.
Later in the afternoon we went up to the futbol field and the kids had a blast playing again. Unfortunately, it ended on a bad note when Jonathan didn't like being told we were leaving in 5 minutes. So it ended up being that we left in 0 minutes. But the tantrum was short lived. He is catching on!
We had a yummy dinner of chicken pieces and rice (with lots of salsa de tomate!) and strawberries that I bought from a street vendor. They were the sweetest I've ever had.. It was probably 4 pounds of them and they ate them ALL at dinner! Oh, well! At least they are eating something healthy and not potato chips!
The kids are all getting into the habit of taking their plate into the kitchen and washing it themselves. Tonight we started working on asking to be excused from the table instead of just leaving! Baby steps, y'all!
Oh, and it is so cute because they are all starting to remember what "I love you" means! I don't have to repeat it in Spanish anymore! And they know Chicken, and "do you like?" in English too! I love their accents! "I love you" comes out as "Eyeeee lub jew!" Awww!
After dinner, Brent, Cait and Luisa went down to the bank to get out cash and picked up Bunelos for a treat. Yum!
I think our bio kids are feeling a little homesick and tired of the drama. They each needed some extra lovin' tonight so I snuggled with each of them individually after everyone else was in bed. There were some tears and feeling like this is too hard, but we talked a lot about learning to love people that are hard to love. And how we can show forgiveness since we have been forgiven so much by the Lord. We all need truth spoken to us when we get discouraged so I hope I was able to give that to them tonight. This stage of adoption is stretching each of us beyond what we are able, so we are each learning to cling to the Lord for strength to endure and show grace instead of judgementalism. I think it is so hard for our bio kids who have been raised in a Christian home and in a fairly sheltered environment to deal with a lot of the behavior they are seeing. It is shocking them. But it is good because it reveals the hidden sin in their own hearts to them that wouldn't be seen unless tested. Who am I kidding? It is TOTALLY revealing MY ugly sin to me! I have much to confess to Him. I am so thankful for grace!
But I think it was wonderful that we got them out of the way first thing! Once the tantrum is over we give the kids several different instructions- sit here, stand there, pick up this toy and put it here... This helps to reinforce their obedience and our authority. It shows us if it is truly "over" and also gives them an opportunity to be praised for obeying successfully.
The kids were so cute this morning. They all built a tent over the dining room table with tons of blankets and sheets! We let them leave it up all day and they were in and out frequently!
The rest of the day went fairly well! I went grocery shopping and Brent took the kids to the pool. They ended up spending over 4 hours there. I even brought home lunch and we ate at the pool! That worked well because usually they are hungry so we head back to the apartment, but they aren't fully exhausted yet. I think we'll do that more frequently!
Around 2:30, Nora and Blanca (attorneys) came to meet with us to review the new stage of the process now that our documents are in Court. I love them! They both are so super sweet and Nora is extremely organized and thorough.
Later in the afternoon we went up to the futbol field and the kids had a blast playing again. Unfortunately, it ended on a bad note when Jonathan didn't like being told we were leaving in 5 minutes. So it ended up being that we left in 0 minutes. But the tantrum was short lived. He is catching on!
We had a yummy dinner of chicken pieces and rice (with lots of salsa de tomate!) and strawberries that I bought from a street vendor. They were the sweetest I've ever had.. It was probably 4 pounds of them and they ate them ALL at dinner! Oh, well! At least they are eating something healthy and not potato chips!
The kids are all getting into the habit of taking their plate into the kitchen and washing it themselves. Tonight we started working on asking to be excused from the table instead of just leaving! Baby steps, y'all!
Oh, and it is so cute because they are all starting to remember what "I love you" means! I don't have to repeat it in Spanish anymore! And they know Chicken, and "do you like?" in English too! I love their accents! "I love you" comes out as "Eyeeee lub jew!" Awww!
After dinner, Brent, Cait and Luisa went down to the bank to get out cash and picked up Bunelos for a treat. Yum!
I think our bio kids are feeling a little homesick and tired of the drama. They each needed some extra lovin' tonight so I snuggled with each of them individually after everyone else was in bed. There were some tears and feeling like this is too hard, but we talked a lot about learning to love people that are hard to love. And how we can show forgiveness since we have been forgiven so much by the Lord. We all need truth spoken to us when we get discouraged so I hope I was able to give that to them tonight. This stage of adoption is stretching each of us beyond what we are able, so we are each learning to cling to the Lord for strength to endure and show grace instead of judgementalism. I think it is so hard for our bio kids who have been raised in a Christian home and in a fairly sheltered environment to deal with a lot of the behavior they are seeing. It is shocking them. But it is good because it reveals the hidden sin in their own hearts to them that wouldn't be seen unless tested. Who am I kidding? It is TOTALLY revealing MY ugly sin to me! I have much to confess to Him. I am so thankful for grace!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day 10
We started the day by going to a photo place to get the kids' passport and visa photos. They will need them after Sentencia when we get new birth certificates and then new passports with our last name on them. The Colombian government is super strict on how you must look in the photos. They had to wear a black shirt and have their hair totally pulled back out of their faces so the ears are fully visible in the photo. For Luisa it wasn't too hard with a few bobby pins, but poor Cindy, her hair is layered and very fine so we ended up with half a pack of bobby pins in her hair! Then they even put little squares of foam behind her ears so they would stick out more! Too funny! She looked very uncomfortable in the photo!
After that, we spent the morning at the Zoo. It is a very old place but it had a decent amount of animals. Unfortunately several of them looked in pretty rough condition- especially the ostriches' wings. But it was neat to see some animals that are specific to the Amazon region in Colombia. The Condor- the world's largest flying bird, toucans, some kind of Colombian bear that looks like it is wearing glasses, and several rodent animals were fun since we'd never seen them before.
The kids were fairly well behaved while we walked around. A few little issues, but nothing major.
Cait was still feeling pretty miserable since her ibuprofen was wearing off so we headed home for lunch and a short rest. The pool is closed for cleaning on Mondays so we had to find other things to wear them out. We spent a while at the futbol field. Instead of trying to play a game, Brent had them line up and do drills trying to kick the ball into the goal. That kept them occupied for a long while! I was bored watching, but they loved it.
Then we strolled over to the playground where the kids played in the sandpit with cars and made a train of people on the slide. Unfortunately Jonathan pushed Cindy off the swing so he could get on and then wouldn't get back off so he ended up in the apartment with Brent for the rest of playtime.
We made quesadillas for dinner, but none of the chicos liked them. Gonna have to work on that since that is a weekly meal in our house! Thankfully I had lots of chicken pieces left over so they ate them with rice- and ketchup, of course!
After dinner and baths, the kids had a blast wrestling on the floor with Brent. I don't know if they'd ever done that, but they were hysterical and WILD! How he has so much energy, I have no idea. He's such an awesome papi!
We really thought the night was going to end nicely, but Luisa decided she needed to test the authority structure when she was told to get in bed. Thankfully it was only a 20 minute ordeal this time. As of this moment, everyone is in bed and at least quiet. Pray it lasts!
Oh, while we were at the pool today, Gloria heard from Nora that she had submitted all our documents to the court. We are assigned court number 7. That meant nothing to us, but apparently it is a good thing. The judge is adoption friendly and tends to do things quickly (although everyone is quick to say that is never something for us to count on). In our case it could take longer because of the sheer amount of paperwork the judge has to read through. And they read ALL OF IT! The stack of paperwork is over a foot high! We should just plan on being here for another 3 months!! LOL!
Everyone was super thankful that we didn't get court #9. That judge is not adoption friendly and often asks for additional paperwork to slow things down. So we are grateful that we didn't get that one!
So, we are finally in the official legal adoption process here in Colombia! Feels kind of anticlimactic after all the past months of paperwork we filed back home! We didn't hardly do anything here, except sign our name to 4 papers!
A few of you were wondering what comes next...
We wait (of course!) for the judge to read all the documents. This could take 1-3 weeks.
After he is finished, our attorney will call us to immediately come to the courthouse to sign the final "Sentencia" (sentencing). This is the final document that will make the chicos our kids!
Then there is a flurry of activity to get new birth certificates for the kids that have our last name on them!
Then we can apply for new passports.
Then we will buy airline tickets, pack up, and fly to Bogota, the Capital.
Then there is more activity, but I'm a little cloudy on the details right now. I have it all written down, but I'd need to find my notebook!
Please continue praying for everyone's health down here. Even though I have been on an antibiotic for 3 days, I still am not feeling better. I still cannot hear out of my right ear at all and each morning I wake up with my eyes swollen shut. I have no idea what is going on. Some weird virus or something...so I am asking for continued prayer.
Also, Cait is coming down with the same thing. I am praying it doesn't land in her ear (that's miserable). So far she is running a fever and has a sore throat and cough.
I am praying that Brent doesn't get it. I don't know what we'd do if he gets sick!
Miss you all and can't wait to get home!
After that, we spent the morning at the Zoo. It is a very old place but it had a decent amount of animals. Unfortunately several of them looked in pretty rough condition- especially the ostriches' wings. But it was neat to see some animals that are specific to the Amazon region in Colombia. The Condor- the world's largest flying bird, toucans, some kind of Colombian bear that looks like it is wearing glasses, and several rodent animals were fun since we'd never seen them before.
The kids were fairly well behaved while we walked around. A few little issues, but nothing major.
Cait was still feeling pretty miserable since her ibuprofen was wearing off so we headed home for lunch and a short rest. The pool is closed for cleaning on Mondays so we had to find other things to wear them out. We spent a while at the futbol field. Instead of trying to play a game, Brent had them line up and do drills trying to kick the ball into the goal. That kept them occupied for a long while! I was bored watching, but they loved it.
Then we strolled over to the playground where the kids played in the sandpit with cars and made a train of people on the slide. Unfortunately Jonathan pushed Cindy off the swing so he could get on and then wouldn't get back off so he ended up in the apartment with Brent for the rest of playtime.
We made quesadillas for dinner, but none of the chicos liked them. Gonna have to work on that since that is a weekly meal in our house! Thankfully I had lots of chicken pieces left over so they ate them with rice- and ketchup, of course!
After dinner and baths, the kids had a blast wrestling on the floor with Brent. I don't know if they'd ever done that, but they were hysterical and WILD! How he has so much energy, I have no idea. He's such an awesome papi!
We really thought the night was going to end nicely, but Luisa decided she needed to test the authority structure when she was told to get in bed. Thankfully it was only a 20 minute ordeal this time. As of this moment, everyone is in bed and at least quiet. Pray it lasts!
Oh, while we were at the pool today, Gloria heard from Nora that she had submitted all our documents to the court. We are assigned court number 7. That meant nothing to us, but apparently it is a good thing. The judge is adoption friendly and tends to do things quickly (although everyone is quick to say that is never something for us to count on). In our case it could take longer because of the sheer amount of paperwork the judge has to read through. And they read ALL OF IT! The stack of paperwork is over a foot high! We should just plan on being here for another 3 months!! LOL!
Everyone was super thankful that we didn't get court #9. That judge is not adoption friendly and often asks for additional paperwork to slow things down. So we are grateful that we didn't get that one!
So, we are finally in the official legal adoption process here in Colombia! Feels kind of anticlimactic after all the past months of paperwork we filed back home! We didn't hardly do anything here, except sign our name to 4 papers!
A few of you were wondering what comes next...
We wait (of course!) for the judge to read all the documents. This could take 1-3 weeks.
After he is finished, our attorney will call us to immediately come to the courthouse to sign the final "Sentencia" (sentencing). This is the final document that will make the chicos our kids!
Then there is a flurry of activity to get new birth certificates for the kids that have our last name on them!
Then we can apply for new passports.
Then we will buy airline tickets, pack up, and fly to Bogota, the Capital.
Then there is more activity, but I'm a little cloudy on the details right now. I have it all written down, but I'd need to find my notebook!
Please continue praying for everyone's health down here. Even though I have been on an antibiotic for 3 days, I still am not feeling better. I still cannot hear out of my right ear at all and each morning I wake up with my eyes swollen shut. I have no idea what is going on. Some weird virus or something...so I am asking for continued prayer.
Also, Cait is coming down with the same thing. I am praying it doesn't land in her ear (that's miserable). So far she is running a fever and has a sore throat and cough.
I am praying that Brent doesn't get it. I don't know what we'd do if he gets sick!
Miss you all and can't wait to get home!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Day 9
Altogether a wonderful day! No tantrums, not even any "almost" tantrums. Granted, we did all fun stuff and rarely had to tell anyone No, but it's all still good in my book!
One neat thing with Jonathan...We have been trying to wean him off his addictive need for sugar, but it has been difficult because if he isn't allowed to have a sugary drink, he just refuses to drink. So yesterday Brent instituted the rule that he has to drink half a glass of water before he is allowed to have any juice, etc. Well, today, Brent didn't even have to remind him. Jonathan came up to Brent and said (in my translated version), "Can I have juice after I drink some water?" We were so proud of him for remembering and asking so sweetly! And another time, at dinner he wanted seconds of his yogurt drink (popular here) and Brent said he could but Jonathan poured himself water before he drank the yogurt! LOL! I am so thankful for the little glimpses of progress!
We spent most of the morning in the pool which wore them out pretty good! Then we walked down the road to the food court area and ordered Patitos con queso (kind of like a mozzerella stick the size of an egg roll), empanadas con carne (empanadas with beef), and bunelos (like a giant doughnut). All of them are very Colombian foods and all are fried! It was all yummy, the chicos ate very well. Jake was the only one who didn't care for any of it. He came home and had peanut butter and jelly. This is definitely a cheap meal. All 9 of us were fed for about $20.
We chilled out at the house with coloring and watching a movie, then headed to the soccer field for a short game of futbol. It was so cute seeing all of the kids playing together. The chicos definitely are Trautmans though. They have no concept of how to play the game! LOL!
The other adoptive family was at the pool (with their new son!) so since everyone was hot and sweaty, we all changed clothes and went back to the pool for a while longer. We thoroughly wore them out! At one point, Jonathan was begging Brent to take him back to the apartment! It has been sooooo wonderful to be here with the other family. All the kids get along wonderfully. It is A LOT of kids in the pool though! Both couples are constantly on the lookout for potentially drowning kids!
Fried chicken for dinner (at hit with everyone) is another cheap meal here. I only cost us $17 for all of us. We have found that any traditional food places are pretty inexpensive, but if we go to Dominos Pizza we can plan on paying double what we pay in the US.
It is interesting trying to grocery shop and cook here. I am learning that I can't shop for more than 2 days ahead of time. There are no preservatives in the food so everything goes bad by the third day. Makes things a little challenging! Also, so many food items are sold in bags- like milk, ketchup, mayo, jelly, etc. It saves space and is cheaper to package, but it is a pain to get them to stand up straight in the fridge! The kids LOVE any kind of condiments. Just letting everyone know to buy stock in makers of ketchup, because they put it on EVERYTHING! It is gross to watch. The worst was ketchup and strawberry jelly mixed together on a ham sandwich. Ugh.
We are finding some things that we like here better than in the US. One example is the Queso Crema. It is their version of cream cheese, but oh, so much better. I don't know how I'm going to go back to the bland cream cheese at home! They also have a yogurt drink (actually I think they do make it back home, but I'm too cheap to buy it) that is sold in a bag. The kids all love it and it doesn't have much sugar and it is cheap. The apple juice is nothing like the watery stuff at home. It is thick and syrupy. I like it better here, though not everyone agrees with me.
The children are starting to remember to take their plates to the kitchen, scrape them and wash them each meal. I'm hoping this will continue once we get home. The girls keep their bedroom fairly neat. Luisa is an organizer. The other day she pulled all three girls' clothes out of the closet and refolded and organized everyone's stuff. I'm going to take full advantage of this! Hope it lasts! The boys, on the other hand, are total slobs. I don't even like walking into the room! LOL! Who knows what i'll find! So, we need some work in this area.
Everyone went to bed well tonight so I'd say it was a fully good day! Thank you Lord!
One neat thing with Jonathan...We have been trying to wean him off his addictive need for sugar, but it has been difficult because if he isn't allowed to have a sugary drink, he just refuses to drink. So yesterday Brent instituted the rule that he has to drink half a glass of water before he is allowed to have any juice, etc. Well, today, Brent didn't even have to remind him. Jonathan came up to Brent and said (in my translated version), "Can I have juice after I drink some water?" We were so proud of him for remembering and asking so sweetly! And another time, at dinner he wanted seconds of his yogurt drink (popular here) and Brent said he could but Jonathan poured himself water before he drank the yogurt! LOL! I am so thankful for the little glimpses of progress!
We spent most of the morning in the pool which wore them out pretty good! Then we walked down the road to the food court area and ordered Patitos con queso (kind of like a mozzerella stick the size of an egg roll), empanadas con carne (empanadas with beef), and bunelos (like a giant doughnut). All of them are very Colombian foods and all are fried! It was all yummy, the chicos ate very well. Jake was the only one who didn't care for any of it. He came home and had peanut butter and jelly. This is definitely a cheap meal. All 9 of us were fed for about $20.
We chilled out at the house with coloring and watching a movie, then headed to the soccer field for a short game of futbol. It was so cute seeing all of the kids playing together. The chicos definitely are Trautmans though. They have no concept of how to play the game! LOL!
The other adoptive family was at the pool (with their new son!) so since everyone was hot and sweaty, we all changed clothes and went back to the pool for a while longer. We thoroughly wore them out! At one point, Jonathan was begging Brent to take him back to the apartment! It has been sooooo wonderful to be here with the other family. All the kids get along wonderfully. It is A LOT of kids in the pool though! Both couples are constantly on the lookout for potentially drowning kids!
Fried chicken for dinner (at hit with everyone) is another cheap meal here. I only cost us $17 for all of us. We have found that any traditional food places are pretty inexpensive, but if we go to Dominos Pizza we can plan on paying double what we pay in the US.
It is interesting trying to grocery shop and cook here. I am learning that I can't shop for more than 2 days ahead of time. There are no preservatives in the food so everything goes bad by the third day. Makes things a little challenging! Also, so many food items are sold in bags- like milk, ketchup, mayo, jelly, etc. It saves space and is cheaper to package, but it is a pain to get them to stand up straight in the fridge! The kids LOVE any kind of condiments. Just letting everyone know to buy stock in makers of ketchup, because they put it on EVERYTHING! It is gross to watch. The worst was ketchup and strawberry jelly mixed together on a ham sandwich. Ugh.
We are finding some things that we like here better than in the US. One example is the Queso Crema. It is their version of cream cheese, but oh, so much better. I don't know how I'm going to go back to the bland cream cheese at home! They also have a yogurt drink (actually I think they do make it back home, but I'm too cheap to buy it) that is sold in a bag. The kids all love it and it doesn't have much sugar and it is cheap. The apple juice is nothing like the watery stuff at home. It is thick and syrupy. I like it better here, though not everyone agrees with me.
The children are starting to remember to take their plates to the kitchen, scrape them and wash them each meal. I'm hoping this will continue once we get home. The girls keep their bedroom fairly neat. Luisa is an organizer. The other day she pulled all three girls' clothes out of the closet and refolded and organized everyone's stuff. I'm going to take full advantage of this! Hope it lasts! The boys, on the other hand, are total slobs. I don't even like walking into the room! LOL! Who knows what i'll find! So, we need some work in this area.
Everyone went to bed well tonight so I'd say it was a fully good day! Thank you Lord!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Day 8
Two steps forward, one step back. That's our saying for the day.
It was a doozy. Luisa woke up on the wrong side of the bed to start with and we could see the day going downhill from there. First, she refused to go to the park with everyone else, which I didn't mind too much since I still don't feel good. Then, late in the morning she had a three hour tantrum. Brent took the first two hour shift. I had taken some benadryl because my eyes were swelling shut so I had actually fallen asleep when it started and surprisingly slept through the bulk of the drama. When I finally woke up, the other natives were restless waiting for their time at the pool. So I stayed in the bedroom with Luisa and Brent took the other kids to the pool.
Each time she has tantrumed before, once she submits and obeys us, it is over and there is no further discipline. But today, she brightened up as soon as she saw the other kids getting ready to go to the pool. Total manipulation. So I told her that even though she was happy, she still wasn't going to the pool today. Oh, boy. Then the last hour of the tantrum occurred. But, hopefully she learned that we mean what we say and tantruming is never going to result in blessing.
It rained through the afternoon so we spent the afternoon watching movies and crafting. Thank the Lord for crayons, paper, tape and Dora movies!
Tonight is not done yet. Luisa is having difficulty going to bed and Cindy is laying on our bedroom floor screaming because she doesn't want to go to bed. Thankfully Jonathan isn't giving us trouble. Poor boys, they keep asking for the door to be shut so they can go to sleep and not listen to the screaming.
Cait started running a fever today so I have a feeling whatever this virus is is going to run its course through everyone. At least we have Benadryl and that will knock them out!
Oh, one nice thing I found: everyone likes Baked Oatmeal! I bought all the ingredients to make since it is a staple in our house in the US. It is filling and healthy and easy. It was a little tricky since there are no measuring cups or teaspoons in the house. I just had to eyeball it. It turned out fine.
Ok, Brent went in to check Cindy because it was quiet suddenly. She had fallen asleep under our bed. He was able to pull her out with only a few whimpers and she went back to sleep in bed. Hopefully we are finished for the night. I'm pooped.
It was a doozy. Luisa woke up on the wrong side of the bed to start with and we could see the day going downhill from there. First, she refused to go to the park with everyone else, which I didn't mind too much since I still don't feel good. Then, late in the morning she had a three hour tantrum. Brent took the first two hour shift. I had taken some benadryl because my eyes were swelling shut so I had actually fallen asleep when it started and surprisingly slept through the bulk of the drama. When I finally woke up, the other natives were restless waiting for their time at the pool. So I stayed in the bedroom with Luisa and Brent took the other kids to the pool.
Each time she has tantrumed before, once she submits and obeys us, it is over and there is no further discipline. But today, she brightened up as soon as she saw the other kids getting ready to go to the pool. Total manipulation. So I told her that even though she was happy, she still wasn't going to the pool today. Oh, boy. Then the last hour of the tantrum occurred. But, hopefully she learned that we mean what we say and tantruming is never going to result in blessing.
It rained through the afternoon so we spent the afternoon watching movies and crafting. Thank the Lord for crayons, paper, tape and Dora movies!
Tonight is not done yet. Luisa is having difficulty going to bed and Cindy is laying on our bedroom floor screaming because she doesn't want to go to bed. Thankfully Jonathan isn't giving us trouble. Poor boys, they keep asking for the door to be shut so they can go to sleep and not listen to the screaming.
Cait started running a fever today so I have a feeling whatever this virus is is going to run its course through everyone. At least we have Benadryl and that will knock them out!
Oh, one nice thing I found: everyone likes Baked Oatmeal! I bought all the ingredients to make since it is a staple in our house in the US. It is filling and healthy and easy. It was a little tricky since there are no measuring cups or teaspoons in the house. I just had to eyeball it. It turned out fine.
Ok, Brent went in to check Cindy because it was quiet suddenly. She had fallen asleep under our bed. He was able to pull her out with only a few whimpers and she went back to sleep in bed. Hopefully we are finished for the night. I'm pooped.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Day 7 Integration Day!!!
Remember yesterday where I said yesterday was our best day? Well, I was wrong. Today was!!!!
Today was our Integration Day. For the past week we have been in a "probation" period called Integracion. It is a time for us to get to know the kids and vice versa and to decide if we need more time before making our final decision to say "yes" to the kids. So today is kind of special since it is the day when we say we want the kids for sure, they want us, and ICBF is happy with the match. It is also a time for the kids to give their goodbye gift to their foster family and for ICBF to sign off on the paperwork so it can be submitted to the courts.
We knew today might be filled with mixed emotions so we planned a tight schedule with no down time before the meeting at 2pm.
After breakfast, and laying out everyone's clothing for the meeting, we headed to the pool for several hours. We have hardly ever had any problems when we are at the pool, so it is the place we like to be to keep tantrums at a minimum. Around noon, I headed back to the apartment with Cindy, Jonathan Jake and Quinn since they were tired. Fortunately they were doing some construction on the parking lot and had a front end loader on a trailer that mesmerized the kids out on the balcony for about 45 minutes.
Lunch went surprisingly well without any food problems to speak of. We put on a Dora video to avoid wandering children while Brent and I got ready and had the kids dress one by one to avoid mayhem. I had Luisa all dressed in the adorable outfit that I had brought specifically for today when she decided she didn't want to wear that. Instead she wanted to wear a white skirt and pink top. NOT what I preferred but I realized that was my problem with having an expectation. I also had a cute headband with a flower clip that Melanie made to go with the other outfit and she wanted nothing to do with it. She started pulling her hair back in a half pony tail which she never wears her hair like that! Cait walked into the bathroom with us and it was then that I realized she wanted to look like her big sister Cait. Matching white skirts, pink tops and pulled back hair! So precious!
Once we were at the ICBF office things went very well. We were asked to tell what we were feeling after a week with the kids, how the week had gone, how each child was responding and ask any questions we had. Also they asked the bio kids for what they thought of their new siblings. We hadn't prepped them ahead of time but surprisingly they each said the same thing even though they didn't hear each other's answers. (The chicos were playing in another room for a while so the bio kids had been back and forth between them and us.) At the end of the meeting the ICBF worker talked to the chicos about their thoughts. They were super happy and positive about wanting to go to the US and be part of our family. In the course of the conversation, some new information came out about their past that we and the social workers had never heard before so that was interesting and heartbreaking too. Makes me want to hold them closer with knowing the difficulties they have lived through. They also explained to Luisa and Jonathan that they couldn't go back to their old foster family even if they wanted to because they already have new children at their home. Apparently, Luisa had already been told this by her foster mom. ICBF is sure to explain this to the kids as it helps them to stop looking backward and start looking forward. And surprisingly it does seem like their attitudes changed during that conversation. It seems like they needed the finality of the meeting for them to relax and know that their place in our family is permanent and not up for discussion. A sense of relief washed over their faces when the ICBF person commented that everything is final and we are all a family now.
As soon as the cars arrived back at the apartment, Brent and the kids went back to the apartment and I went to the hospital with Gloria to try to get my ear checked out. They ended up giving me an IV of antibiotics with a prescription for another 10 days of pills. The hospital was very modern and the doctor actually spoke a fair amount of English. Getting home was an adventure, though. It had been raining hard all afternoon so several of the main roads had been blocked off due to flooding and, as Gloria says, "because of the mountain coming down"- ie. mudslides. Traffic was insane and Gloria#1's driving was even more insane. She is a precious, darling woman, but I don't think she can see very well in the dark and rain and slams on her breaks every 5 seconds. I know God was protecting us because after about 15 near death experiences, we are here still! We drove around for almost an hour to get to a pharmacy that was well lit and had many people around (since we were out after dark) but when we finally got there, they were closed! Another 20 minutes and she found another pharmacy which happened to be only a block from our apartment! HA! They didn't have the antibiotic I needed so we headed down the strip mall to a second pharmacy and they finally were able to find it! Whew! Only problem is, during the time in the hospital and driving around, my left eye kept getting more and more sore. I am praying it is just from the ear infection and is not Pink Eye!
While Brent was here at the apartment, he said that the kids were wonderful. A few NORMAL kid issues, but no real tantrums. In fact he had a very positive discipline time with Jonathan. He had asked Brent for Jugo (juice- that's the only thing he'll drink other than Coke!) but Brent told him that before he had jugo he had to drink a small amount of water. He whined and complained but Brent put the glass down in front of him. Brent said that if he dumped the water out, Brent would make him drink the whole glass of water. I think there was some gagging and spitting out of the water and a short trip to the bedroom, but he finally obeyed and drank the water and then cheerfully had his juice! Success! Sounds like such a stupid thing to go toe to toe about, but it is a huge issue for him and we are trying to wean him off his sugar addiction slowly.
Brent said that Cindy and Jonathan were in rare form of silliness tonight. I'm sure, since it was a daddy night. Those are always fun and crazy for the kids.
So, if you've made it through this far, you will realize that we had NO TANTRUMS TODAY! NONE! ZILCH! NADA! Everything was all normal kids stuff! Amazing- especially on a day where we were fully expecting some regression. God is good. He gives us peace in the midst of the storm. Even if tomorrow is horrible, I am grateful for the grace that was evident today.
Today marks the start of the beginning of the second part of our process. On Monday, all our paperwork will be submitted to one of the courts in Medellin. We will find out which court and then we just wait until the judge reviews all the information and calls us to sign the final documents! It still could be a few weeks though.
I can't help but get the Steve Green Hide 'em in Your Heart Kids song out of my head...straight from scripture...
Let us not grow weary
In doing good.
In due season we shall reap. (repeat)
If we don't lose heart (If we don't lose heart)
If we don't lose heart (If we don't lose heart)
In due season we shall reap!!
Today was our Integration Day. For the past week we have been in a "probation" period called Integracion. It is a time for us to get to know the kids and vice versa and to decide if we need more time before making our final decision to say "yes" to the kids. So today is kind of special since it is the day when we say we want the kids for sure, they want us, and ICBF is happy with the match. It is also a time for the kids to give their goodbye gift to their foster family and for ICBF to sign off on the paperwork so it can be submitted to the courts.
We knew today might be filled with mixed emotions so we planned a tight schedule with no down time before the meeting at 2pm.
After breakfast, and laying out everyone's clothing for the meeting, we headed to the pool for several hours. We have hardly ever had any problems when we are at the pool, so it is the place we like to be to keep tantrums at a minimum. Around noon, I headed back to the apartment with Cindy, Jonathan Jake and Quinn since they were tired. Fortunately they were doing some construction on the parking lot and had a front end loader on a trailer that mesmerized the kids out on the balcony for about 45 minutes.
Lunch went surprisingly well without any food problems to speak of. We put on a Dora video to avoid wandering children while Brent and I got ready and had the kids dress one by one to avoid mayhem. I had Luisa all dressed in the adorable outfit that I had brought specifically for today when she decided she didn't want to wear that. Instead she wanted to wear a white skirt and pink top. NOT what I preferred but I realized that was my problem with having an expectation. I also had a cute headband with a flower clip that Melanie made to go with the other outfit and she wanted nothing to do with it. She started pulling her hair back in a half pony tail which she never wears her hair like that! Cait walked into the bathroom with us and it was then that I realized she wanted to look like her big sister Cait. Matching white skirts, pink tops and pulled back hair! So precious!
Once we were at the ICBF office things went very well. We were asked to tell what we were feeling after a week with the kids, how the week had gone, how each child was responding and ask any questions we had. Also they asked the bio kids for what they thought of their new siblings. We hadn't prepped them ahead of time but surprisingly they each said the same thing even though they didn't hear each other's answers. (The chicos were playing in another room for a while so the bio kids had been back and forth between them and us.) At the end of the meeting the ICBF worker talked to the chicos about their thoughts. They were super happy and positive about wanting to go to the US and be part of our family. In the course of the conversation, some new information came out about their past that we and the social workers had never heard before so that was interesting and heartbreaking too. Makes me want to hold them closer with knowing the difficulties they have lived through. They also explained to Luisa and Jonathan that they couldn't go back to their old foster family even if they wanted to because they already have new children at their home. Apparently, Luisa had already been told this by her foster mom. ICBF is sure to explain this to the kids as it helps them to stop looking backward and start looking forward. And surprisingly it does seem like their attitudes changed during that conversation. It seems like they needed the finality of the meeting for them to relax and know that their place in our family is permanent and not up for discussion. A sense of relief washed over their faces when the ICBF person commented that everything is final and we are all a family now.
As soon as the cars arrived back at the apartment, Brent and the kids went back to the apartment and I went to the hospital with Gloria to try to get my ear checked out. They ended up giving me an IV of antibiotics with a prescription for another 10 days of pills. The hospital was very modern and the doctor actually spoke a fair amount of English. Getting home was an adventure, though. It had been raining hard all afternoon so several of the main roads had been blocked off due to flooding and, as Gloria says, "because of the mountain coming down"- ie. mudslides. Traffic was insane and Gloria#1's driving was even more insane. She is a precious, darling woman, but I don't think she can see very well in the dark and rain and slams on her breaks every 5 seconds. I know God was protecting us because after about 15 near death experiences, we are here still! We drove around for almost an hour to get to a pharmacy that was well lit and had many people around (since we were out after dark) but when we finally got there, they were closed! Another 20 minutes and she found another pharmacy which happened to be only a block from our apartment! HA! They didn't have the antibiotic I needed so we headed down the strip mall to a second pharmacy and they finally were able to find it! Whew! Only problem is, during the time in the hospital and driving around, my left eye kept getting more and more sore. I am praying it is just from the ear infection and is not Pink Eye!
While Brent was here at the apartment, he said that the kids were wonderful. A few NORMAL kid issues, but no real tantrums. In fact he had a very positive discipline time with Jonathan. He had asked Brent for Jugo (juice- that's the only thing he'll drink other than Coke!) but Brent told him that before he had jugo he had to drink a small amount of water. He whined and complained but Brent put the glass down in front of him. Brent said that if he dumped the water out, Brent would make him drink the whole glass of water. I think there was some gagging and spitting out of the water and a short trip to the bedroom, but he finally obeyed and drank the water and then cheerfully had his juice! Success! Sounds like such a stupid thing to go toe to toe about, but it is a huge issue for him and we are trying to wean him off his sugar addiction slowly.
Brent said that Cindy and Jonathan were in rare form of silliness tonight. I'm sure, since it was a daddy night. Those are always fun and crazy for the kids.
So, if you've made it through this far, you will realize that we had NO TANTRUMS TODAY! NONE! ZILCH! NADA! Everything was all normal kids stuff! Amazing- especially on a day where we were fully expecting some regression. God is good. He gives us peace in the midst of the storm. Even if tomorrow is horrible, I am grateful for the grace that was evident today.
Today marks the start of the beginning of the second part of our process. On Monday, all our paperwork will be submitted to one of the courts in Medellin. We will find out which court and then we just wait until the judge reviews all the information and calls us to sign the final documents! It still could be a few weeks though.
I can't help but get the Steve Green Hide 'em in Your Heart Kids song out of my head...straight from scripture...
Let us not grow weary
In doing good.
In due season we shall reap. (repeat)
If we don't lose heart (If we don't lose heart)
If we don't lose heart (If we don't lose heart)
In due season we shall reap!!
Day 6
Day 6
*****Posted a day late because blogger was being tempermental….sorry for the delay!******
I think today has been our best day yet! Not perfect, but so much more pleasant than before.
Our morning started slowly with the kids coloring around the coffee table and eating cereal as they felt like it. Brent and I were trying to get showered and dressed to go to court to sign power of attorney. I felt like I was holding my breath waiting for the first tantrum that would delay us, but nothing happened.
Oh, wait. That’s not true. While I was in the shower, Brent found Luisa trying to call her foster mom on the phone again. He was able to secretively unplug the phone all while he was telling her he understood how sad she was that she couldn’t call. She was a little moody after that, but never had a tantrum.
Gloria #2 came over to babysit while we went to the court. I’m bummed that we couldn’t bring any camera in the building because it would have been neat to get a photo of us signing papers. It was fairly quick- only 4 pages- but we stood and talked to Nora our attorney and ICBF liason about some of our issues and questions. Then we made a short trip with Gloria #1 to Exito for a few fruits (ha! How’d we end up with half a cart full of stuff again?).
When we came back to the apartment Gloria took a photo of all of us to give as a gift to the foster family. The kids had worked on cards for them while we were gone. I just need to write a card to the foster mom and we’ll be done with their gift.
We figured that with all the talk about the foster family that the kids might easily melt down, so we decided to head to the pool as soon as we could get out the door.
Then the most crazy awesome thing happened! A total God-thing! As soon as we arrived at the pool I heard my name being shouted. I looked around and saw Amanda and her girls standing on the balcony on the other side of our apartment complex! So amazing! Amanda and her family are adopting an 11 year old boy, Jonathan, that they met through Kidsave. We have been emailing back and forth for months supporting and encouraging each other. They live in Maryland also and have 4 beautiful girls near our kids ages. We knew we’d be in Medellin the same time, but they had an apartment in a different section of town. Turns out, they needed to find a new apartment… IT ENDED UP BEING IN THE SAME APARTMENT COMPLEX AS US!!!!! What are the odds??? It is only God who could have orchestrated such an amazing “coincidence”!
A few minutes later they all came down to the pool. Their family is wonderful and sweet and already the kids are getting along well. We were able to exchange bits of conversation in between dealings with the children, but it will be wonderful to have other friends nearby. They receive Jonathan first thing tomorrow morning, so please keep them in prayer that all will go well and the transition will be smooth. We can’t wait to meet him. He sounds like such a cool kid!
At one point Luisa was getting a little hyper and I still don’t know if she was angry about something or just unable to control the excitement, but she roughly jumped on top of one of Amanda’s girls. I thought for sure that me making her get out of the pool would be melt down material, but she quickly went back and apologized.
We decided to head back to the apartment for a late lunch just in time for the rain to start. We had hot dogs (a favorite) and then they played quietly with markers and crayons while we watched a movie. I felt miserable- I think I have an ear infection- so I was lying down on the couch most of the time. I am continually amazed by their long attention span when it comes to craft/coloring time. It was so cute because Jake and Quinn were making themselves paper Knight armor to tape to their bodies and Jonathan wanted some too, so Luisa, Jake and Quinn all worked together to make him paper armor. He was happy! Sometimes he will find a towel or sheet and tie it around his neck as a cape. He’s so adorable! I am thinking he is trying to be superman.
After the movie, the rain had stopped so we decided to head down to the playground. They did well playing, but partway through Luisa started to throw a tantrum when I asked her to give back a toy she had stolen. Back to the apartment for the two of us! In the process, a 3 foot sheet of glass covering the desk in the room was broken into three huge pieces. She wasn’t trying to break it, it was accidental. However, when she finished her tantrum, she willingly helped clean up. We had a second tantrum shortly after the first, but it was much shorter and we were able to practice saying “Si, mami” a bunch of times afterwards. After hearts were restored, we headed back to the playground where everyone else was. Amanda’s family was there too and the kids had an awesome time in the sand/dirt pit.
Cindy didn’t want to hold my hand in the street/parking lot and melted down when I insisted. That little girl
has a set of lungs! BUT, it was much shorter than last time AND we went outside to practice walking the sidewalk holding mami’s hand.
Because of the rain, the kids were filthy. They all got baths as soon as we came in. Thankfully, Brent was able to get dinner started while I bathed the kids. Dinner was peaceful and I learned that Luisa and Jonathan like carrots! Score! Another food they like that I’ll be able to find at home!
A little more coloring and then devotions as a family. Cindy fell asleep during devos and Jonathan went to bed without any trouble, as usual. We decided to let Luisa have some special one on one time with us and stay up later. With all the foster family talk this morning and knowing we have a meeting tomorrow, we thought she needed some extra special lovin’. We google translated our conversation and again asked if she liked our family. Thankfully she is still saying yes, (earlier in the afternoon when we asked she wasn’t so thrilled!LOL!) and she wants to go to the US. She fixed herself hot water to drink- gross- so we offered for her to squeeze some lime and add some sugar. Yum! Very good! After snuggles and songs, she went to bed with no problems.
So, even though we had a little bit of drama, overall it was a good day. Tomorrow I expect to not have such a great one since we will all head to the ICBF office for interviews with the psychologist and staff and that might dredge up some of the ugliness of the past week. That’s ok. We are bracing ourselves! LOL!
Random Comments to remember:
-Luisa likes to talk to herself. It is so cute when I am blow drying her hair, she’ll stand and talk to herself in voices to the mirror. I have no clue what she’s talking about but it is adorable. Cait does…er…um…did this (LOL!) too and I love it!
-Cindy is doing great with telling me when she needs the potty. She says she has to go “chi, chi”. So cute!
-I keep finding Jonathan trying to do a kata when he is in his room, but he won’t do it in the living room with all of us. I think he feels insecure since everyone else can do it but he can’t.
-Jake and Cindy are meshing very well together- they are both as silly as you can get!
-On the dot at 6:15am a child in the apartment complex starts crying and yelling for mami. It lasts for a good 45 minutes. Heaven help me!
-I’m done with boiling water to drink. We’re going to drink from the faucet. If it is good enough for the people of Medellin, it is good enough for me.
- I am so extremely thankful for my dryer at home (even though it pooped out on me the 3 days before we were leaving and took 3 cycles to dry one load). Most people in Medellin don’t use dryers and they just hang their clothing. That’s fine, but it takes a full 24 hours to dry them! And I’ve had some jeans take 2-3 days to dry. With the climate and the rain, it never feels fully dry! This can be tricky for us since we have limited clothing. Nine people’s clothing and a small drying line.
*****Note for friends and family…I am sooo sorry that we are not skyping more frequently. We are extremely busy for the whole day. 6:30 am to 11:30pm we are on the go. We are also noticing that skyping puts the kids in a bad mood. I think it is because we are chattering away in English and they feel left out. It is a cool thing to do, but they can’t participate. Also, they don’t understand skype fully and aren’t yet interested in talking to “strangers”. Thank you for understanding. It isn’t that they don’t want to talk to you. They just can only deal with new people in small doses and we are it for now. We miss you all a ton and would love to skype as often as possible, but for now, the kids’ hearts are our main concern. That, and avoiding tantrums! We love you guys so please be patient as we wait until we are at a point where skyping is a healthy thing to do with them.********
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