Thursday, January 31, 2013
News
We have been told by our agency that since Tuesday, our paperwork has been on the judges desk. This means that he has until February 11th to sign the papers and declare us Claudia's parents. He could sign it any day! Please pray that it is sooner than the 11th. Once we get the word that the judge has signed the paperwork, Jason and Claudia will go back to Pasto to pick it up and to get copies of her old and new birth certificate. With that paperwork they can come back to Bogota and get Claudia's passport and visa and come home! They are expected to be home the week of the 18th but it could be sooner. The end is in sight, and it is a good thing because I miss them soooo much!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Brutal Assault
I'm still recovering from another full day of being an object to be climbed by my child, but at least I'm keeping her nails short and dull now.
One Week Ago
One week ago today I said good bye to my precious little girl and my husband. I miss them so much and wish that I were still in Colombia. I wish I could be with them and love on them. I wish I could help Jason take care of Claudia and be able to give him breaks. I wish I was still there, bonding with my daughter. We are so blessed that he is able to take the time off from work to complete the adoption proceedings. I feel bad that he is there by himself and that he has to do a lot of the adoption stuff on his own from here on out. Unfortunately, I am unable to be with them right now as I am finishing up my last semester of school. I pray that we get good news soon and that they will both be on a plane home quickly and safely.
I have been able to Skype with Jason and Claudia almost every night since I have been home. It is such a nice tool to be able to utilize while we are thousands of miles away. Claudia is not always up for sitting still but we make faces and noises at each other, I can hear her contagious laugh and I hope she remembers me. It is wonderful to be able to talk to Jason, it is my favorite part of the day. I can't wait until they get home and we can be a family together again.
Please pray that things move swiftly from here on out :)
I have been able to Skype with Jason and Claudia almost every night since I have been home. It is such a nice tool to be able to utilize while we are thousands of miles away. Claudia is not always up for sitting still but we make faces and noises at each other, I can hear her contagious laugh and I hope she remembers me. It is wonderful to be able to talk to Jason, it is my favorite part of the day. I can't wait until they get home and we can be a family together again.
Please pray that things move swiftly from here on out :)
An actual new video!
Bear with me boys and girls, I'm having all sorts of trouble lately when it comes to posting videos, whether it be here or on Facebook. I've got a lot to catch up on, but as far as the actual adoption process goes, we're just waiting to hear back from the courts in Claudia's district. Assuming nothing goes horribly wrong, we'll be flying back out (Joy! More airports!) and then back again the next day. Hopefully within a week following that (if not sooner), we'll be on a plane back home.
Claudia and I are getting by as cheaply as possible, thanks to an awesome guy who is covering this suite with his hotel points (thanks Shawn!) and the grocery store not too far from here. But it is a royal pain to go to the store because the stroller does not have any storage, nor does it like to be steered with only one hand. Hence, I'm continually bumping into things, and have to try to stuff my backpack full of groceries so I don't have to carry all the bags back to the hotel.
And as an aside: Peanut butter and Jelly are expensive down here! I got the cheap peanut butter, and a little container was 10.900 COP (almost 6 USD) and the jelly was just as bad. Unfortunately, we only have a little microwave, and an even smaller fridge, so non-perishable food items are the menu of choice. On the plus side, we get a good breakfast for free every morning, so I milk that for all the nutritional value it's worth. And don't worry about Claudia starving to death either - the gremlin eats more than I do!
Hopefully I'll have better luck posting more pictures and videos in the coming days, but it's hard now that it's just the two of us; I can't really grab the camera when she's holding me down and beating me up.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
A couple of new (old) videos
These were taken while Angie was still here - it's hard to take video when it's just Claudia and I.
Hopefully I'll be able to post some more pictures and videos soon.
Bargain Shopping
Yesterday Jason and Claudia switched hotels. They are now staying at a really nice hotel that is less kid friendly and there are no other adoptive families there. It is unfortunate that they could not stay at the previous hotel but we could not afford it. The new hotel is the one that they get to stay at for free (minus meals and such). So as it is a huge blessing to have a free hotel for a few weeks, it will not be as fun for Claudia and Jason. They were given permission by Hotel Paris to stop by any time and even to eat there, so I think they will be spending a bit of time there still whenever they can make the 3-4 mile walk. The good thing about the new hotel is that it has a pool. I can't wait to hear how much Claudia loves that!
Yesterday I went out to get a couple of things. I ended up next to the local shoe store and decided to go in as it appeared that they were having a big sale and Claudia needed some more shoes to match her outfits. I ended up getting a screaming deal on 5 pairs of shoes, some that should fit now and a couple that will fit later. I got all 5 pairs (including the boots) for $23.50. The original price would have been $84!!! I love a great deal! Here they are:
Not a great picture as Jason has all of my cameras and I don't have a fancy phone, but you get the idea! 5 pairs of brand new shoes averaging at $4.70 a piece! Can you tell I am excited? We are still in need of size 5 winter boots if anyone has some they no longer need. Claudia is not going to know what to think about the snow when she gets home!
Hopefully Jason will have some photos to upload and share with everyone soon.
Yesterday I went out to get a couple of things. I ended up next to the local shoe store and decided to go in as it appeared that they were having a big sale and Claudia needed some more shoes to match her outfits. I ended up getting a screaming deal on 5 pairs of shoes, some that should fit now and a couple that will fit later. I got all 5 pairs (including the boots) for $23.50. The original price would have been $84!!! I love a great deal! Here they are:
Not a great picture as Jason has all of my cameras and I don't have a fancy phone, but you get the idea! 5 pairs of brand new shoes averaging at $4.70 a piece! Can you tell I am excited? We are still in need of size 5 winter boots if anyone has some they no longer need. Claudia is not going to know what to think about the snow when she gets home!
Hopefully Jason will have some photos to upload and share with everyone soon.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Surviving
I am surviving being home without my wonderful husband and daughter. I wanted to show you all proof that I really can cook (just not nearly as well as Jason!) See I AM eating! LOL:
Back in Colombia, Jason and Claudia are doing well. Our case has been accepted by the courts, so that means that things are moving along. Yesterday Claudia had to go back to the doctors to have her PPD read. It was fine. She also had her doctors visit with the doctor appointed by the US Embassy to perform exams for children being adopted by Americans. That went well (meaning she has no communicable diseases). They required her to get a chicken pox vaccination and that was the only extra vaccine she needed. She will need several consults with various doctors and professionals when she gets home but she is healthy.
That is all the updates I have for now. Please continue to pray for a smooth and quick process and safe travels back home.
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| Chicken quesedilla with salsa and a salad! |
Back in Colombia, Jason and Claudia are doing well. Our case has been accepted by the courts, so that means that things are moving along. Yesterday Claudia had to go back to the doctors to have her PPD read. It was fine. She also had her doctors visit with the doctor appointed by the US Embassy to perform exams for children being adopted by Americans. That went well (meaning she has no communicable diseases). They required her to get a chicken pox vaccination and that was the only extra vaccine she needed. She will need several consults with various doctors and professionals when she gets home but she is healthy.
That is all the updates I have for now. Please continue to pray for a smooth and quick process and safe travels back home.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sorry for no updates...
I am sorry that I have not updated in a few days. Since getting to our new hotel we have been busy! We have so many friends there and have also had appointments.
On Monday Claudia went in to have her Tuberculin test (PPD). Our facilitator picked us up and we drove to the doctors office. While we were waiting, we met a family adopting5 Colombian kids at once AND they brought there 4 other kids along with them! That is crazy!!! Claudia did better getting the injection than she did sitting still in the waiting room! She likes to move! After her injection they gave her a lollipop which ended up getting her hands, face, and me sticky!
On Tuesday we went for a nice walk to a park, it was beautiful. We met another person there that was adopting a 12 year old girl. I love meeting all of these adoptive families! Also on Tuesday, the Italian couple got their 6 and 12 year old boys. They are adorable! It was fun watching their dad while the oldest was outside playing with the teen girls, he was very worried that he would get hurt! Tuesday night, a lovely couple from Spain came to the hotel. They have waited 6 years to adopt an infant from Colombia and will be meeting their son in a few days. I cannot imagine having to wait that long, a year was long enough!
On Wednesday I had to leave to go back home. It was such a sad day for me. We got up at 5:30 and I left Jason and Claudia at the airport around 8:30. I cannot wait to see them again soon. I will get to Skype with them tonight at least! Jason claims that Claudia keeps saying "Mamamama.." but I still am not convinced she knows the meaning of that word. Today I went grocery shopping as our house had no food and I got sad when I got to the Goya isle. *Sigh* Please pray that we will all be together again, in the states soon.
I have been asked by many people what we need now that we have met Claudia, so I am going to put some things here for those who are asking:
We need baby gates (we only have 1 right now), toys appropriate for a 18 month old child, a jumper as she loves to bounce, maybe a ride on toy (we have an inflatable she can bounce on and a rocking horse), toys to pull, size 4 diapers, size 5 shoes and she is wearing a size 24month/2T clothes (she is wearing 18 month while in Colombia but will grow out of those quickly). I have read that they make plates with suction cups on the bottom, these would be great as she throws everything. I think Jason is trying to get a stroller today. That is all I can think of off the top of my head, if I think of anything else, I will let you know.
You will now have to bug Jason for updated pictures and videos.
On Monday Claudia went in to have her Tuberculin test (PPD). Our facilitator picked us up and we drove to the doctors office. While we were waiting, we met a family adopting5 Colombian kids at once AND they brought there 4 other kids along with them! That is crazy!!! Claudia did better getting the injection than she did sitting still in the waiting room! She likes to move! After her injection they gave her a lollipop which ended up getting her hands, face, and me sticky!
On Tuesday we went for a nice walk to a park, it was beautiful. We met another person there that was adopting a 12 year old girl. I love meeting all of these adoptive families! Also on Tuesday, the Italian couple got their 6 and 12 year old boys. They are adorable! It was fun watching their dad while the oldest was outside playing with the teen girls, he was very worried that he would get hurt! Tuesday night, a lovely couple from Spain came to the hotel. They have waited 6 years to adopt an infant from Colombia and will be meeting their son in a few days. I cannot imagine having to wait that long, a year was long enough!
On Wednesday I had to leave to go back home. It was such a sad day for me. We got up at 5:30 and I left Jason and Claudia at the airport around 8:30. I cannot wait to see them again soon. I will get to Skype with them tonight at least! Jason claims that Claudia keeps saying "Mamamama.." but I still am not convinced she knows the meaning of that word. Today I went grocery shopping as our house had no food and I got sad when I got to the Goya isle. *Sigh* Please pray that we will all be together again, in the states soon.
I have been asked by many people what we need now that we have met Claudia, so I am going to put some things here for those who are asking:
We need baby gates (we only have 1 right now), toys appropriate for a 18 month old child, a jumper as she loves to bounce, maybe a ride on toy (we have an inflatable she can bounce on and a rocking horse), toys to pull, size 4 diapers, size 5 shoes and she is wearing a size 24month/2T clothes (she is wearing 18 month while in Colombia but will grow out of those quickly). I have read that they make plates with suction cups on the bottom, these would be great as she throws everything. I think Jason is trying to get a stroller today. That is all I can think of off the top of my head, if I think of anything else, I will let you know.
You will now have to bug Jason for updated pictures and videos.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Flight, and... BFF's?
WARNING: Long Post!
Ok, now that we are refreshed, I can write some about the last couple of days.
Yesterday we flew back to Bogota from Pasto. Claudia was ok during the cab ride but fidgety. Once we got to the airport we had to stand in line forever and she was NOT happy with that! When we got up to the desk to check our bags, they told us that our tickets had been cancelled because we did not have a confirmation number... seriously? So we had to go and purchase new tickets which cost us $100 more, ugh! Overall these tickets were double what we had expected since we were unable to purchase them until so close to the trip. We had a long wait to purchase the tickets and Claudia was not having it, she was crying and thrashing herself. I don't blame her. Once we got our tickets and got our bags checked, they sent us over to the police to view our documents. The police wanted to know why Claudia was crying... um because we have been standing around in lines FOREVER and she does not like to be held for that long!
Once all of that was out of the way, the flight went well. I kept Claudia busy with Cheerios and juice and she did well. Claudia loves bumpy rides whether it is in a stroller, in a car, or even in the airplane. Claudia loved the takeoff and was cracking up laughing. She loved any turbulence that we hit!
We made it to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon and tried to get settled in and meet the people here. Claudia was super tired so she took a nap before dinner. She does not wake up from naps well at all. She screamed when we woke her up and was miserable all night. We put her to bed early and she slept until almost 7am! She really needed the sleep after the long day.
Here at our Hotel in Bogota are several other families adopting children. There is a couple from GA who are adopting a 12month old, an Italian couple adopting two older (6 & 12) boys (they have been in the process for 3 years, OUCH!) There is also a family that adopted two teen girls a year and a half ago and are now adopting another 12 year old. Our friend Natalie is here with her daughter Sarita, whom we hope will become good friends with Claudia over time. Natalie found Sarita on Recces Rainbow.
Last night, while in a crabby mood Claudia pulls Sarita's pig tail, so Sarita went over to Jason and started pulling her hair to tell on Claudia! Haha, she is adorable. Saraita is about 11 months older than Claudia and much more advanced. She does not know what to think about Claudia now although while I was holding Claudia's hands walking this morning she came up to her and gave her a hug! As long as Claudia's hands are occupied, she must be safe...
The two girls played on the playground this morning and had quite a bit of fun on the swings. Sarita even tried pushing me in the swing!
After breakfast, Jason, Natalie and I took Claudia and Sarita for a long walk in the double stroller and they did really well. Claudia kept laughing at all of the bumps in the sidewalk and Sarita kept saying "I fell!"
Here are some pics and a video of the girls:
Ok, now that we are refreshed, I can write some about the last couple of days.
Yesterday we flew back to Bogota from Pasto. Claudia was ok during the cab ride but fidgety. Once we got to the airport we had to stand in line forever and she was NOT happy with that! When we got up to the desk to check our bags, they told us that our tickets had been cancelled because we did not have a confirmation number... seriously? So we had to go and purchase new tickets which cost us $100 more, ugh! Overall these tickets were double what we had expected since we were unable to purchase them until so close to the trip. We had a long wait to purchase the tickets and Claudia was not having it, she was crying and thrashing herself. I don't blame her. Once we got our tickets and got our bags checked, they sent us over to the police to view our documents. The police wanted to know why Claudia was crying... um because we have been standing around in lines FOREVER and she does not like to be held for that long!
Once all of that was out of the way, the flight went well. I kept Claudia busy with Cheerios and juice and she did well. Claudia loves bumpy rides whether it is in a stroller, in a car, or even in the airplane. Claudia loved the takeoff and was cracking up laughing. She loved any turbulence that we hit!
We made it to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon and tried to get settled in and meet the people here. Claudia was super tired so she took a nap before dinner. She does not wake up from naps well at all. She screamed when we woke her up and was miserable all night. We put her to bed early and she slept until almost 7am! She really needed the sleep after the long day.
Here at our Hotel in Bogota are several other families adopting children. There is a couple from GA who are adopting a 12month old, an Italian couple adopting two older (6 & 12) boys (they have been in the process for 3 years, OUCH!) There is also a family that adopted two teen girls a year and a half ago and are now adopting another 12 year old. Our friend Natalie is here with her daughter Sarita, whom we hope will become good friends with Claudia over time. Natalie found Sarita on Recces Rainbow.
Last night, while in a crabby mood Claudia pulls Sarita's pig tail, so Sarita went over to Jason and started pulling her hair to tell on Claudia! Haha, she is adorable. Saraita is about 11 months older than Claudia and much more advanced. She does not know what to think about Claudia now although while I was holding Claudia's hands walking this morning she came up to her and gave her a hug! As long as Claudia's hands are occupied, she must be safe...
The two girls played on the playground this morning and had quite a bit of fun on the swings. Sarita even tried pushing me in the swing!
After breakfast, Jason, Natalie and I took Claudia and Sarita for a long walk in the double stroller and they did really well. Claudia kept laughing at all of the bumps in the sidewalk and Sarita kept saying "I fell!"
Here are some pics and a video of the girls:
Sorry for the shaking in the video!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Back in Bogota
We are all safe and sound, though not unscathed in Bogota. It was a long and rough day of traveling. We got to our hotel this afternoon and spent some good time with some other adoptive families while Claudia took a nap. More tomorrow, for now, it is bed time!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Always something new
We have to keep Claudia occupied at all times, otherwise she gets cranky. So, we have to always come up with new things to do. Unfortunately we don't have a lot here to work with so we have to make things up!
Here is a cute video of her with her book... notice she likes he "darker skinned" baby! If you listen closely, you can here her saying "hola, hola!"
Here is a cute video of her with her book... notice she likes he "darker skinned" baby! If you listen closely, you can here her saying "hola, hola!"
Last Day in Pasto... for now
We are enjoying our last day in Pasto, Colombia. This is where Claudia has lived all of her life. Tomorrow we head to Bogota. Please pray that she does well on the flight.
After a fantastic breakfast this morning we took Claudia for a nice long walk down to the "river" which is more like a creek. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the park to play.
Here are some pictures from our walk of Pasto.
On Monday, we have an appointment for Claudia to have her TB test and medical exam done for the US Embassy. This is great news as it may save Jason a day or two at the end of the adoption.
Our paperwork has been sent to the courts and we have been assigned a judge. According to our Lawyer and the ICBF we got a good judge!
Please pray that the process keeps going smoothly.
After a fantastic breakfast this morning we took Claudia for a nice long walk down to the "river" which is more like a creek. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the park to play.
Here are some pictures from our walk of Pasto.
On Monday, we have an appointment for Claudia to have her TB test and medical exam done for the US Embassy. This is great news as it may save Jason a day or two at the end of the adoption.
Our paperwork has been sent to the courts and we have been assigned a judge. According to our Lawyer and the ICBF we got a good judge!
Please pray that the process keeps going smoothly.
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| Feeding baby |
Thursday, January 17, 2013
All done!
No, we can't go home yet but... we got everything done today that we needed to and it is only 10am!
Claudia slept well last night, went right to sleep, no fussing! Of course she was super tired from not taking a nap yesterday. She fell asleep around 9:30 and woke up a bit before 7. She ate a big breakfast of fruit, eggs, yogurt, bread and french toast! Not that she had full servings of each but she is a great eater, until she gets sick of one food and throws it. I suppose we need to teach her to tell us when she does not want any more of something.
After breakfast we had to go back to the notary so that I could give Jason permission to leave the country with Claudia since I will be going home first. Claudia sat on my lap the whole way and let me hold her most of the time this trip.
We had to ask the ICBF for permission to leave Claudia's region to go back to the capitol city with her and it was granted. We will leave on Saturday to go back to the capitol. There will be more to do there and the hotel we will be staying will (hopefully) have more toys that are appropriate for Claudia's developmental level. While she is very smart and picks up on things quickly, she is still developmentally at a 12-18 month age level. We will have to get her more appropriate toys once we get home with her.
Claudia slept well last night, went right to sleep, no fussing! Of course she was super tired from not taking a nap yesterday. She fell asleep around 9:30 and woke up a bit before 7. She ate a big breakfast of fruit, eggs, yogurt, bread and french toast! Not that she had full servings of each but she is a great eater, until she gets sick of one food and throws it. I suppose we need to teach her to tell us when she does not want any more of something.
After breakfast we had to go back to the notary so that I could give Jason permission to leave the country with Claudia since I will be going home first. Claudia sat on my lap the whole way and let me hold her most of the time this trip.
We had to ask the ICBF for permission to leave Claudia's region to go back to the capitol city with her and it was granted. We will leave on Saturday to go back to the capitol. There will be more to do there and the hotel we will be staying will (hopefully) have more toys that are appropriate for Claudia's developmental level. While she is very smart and picks up on things quickly, she is still developmentally at a 12-18 month age level. We will have to get her more appropriate toys once we get home with her.
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| What's under here? |
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| Everything she wants... She has her own stash of items under here. Claudia loves dark places, we need to get her a tent to go over her bed at home. |
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| Mid sneeze! |
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| My princess |
Buenos Dias!
Good morning!
I wanted to show you what Claudia does in the morning. After making her gremlin noises, alerting us she is awake. We take her out of her crib and put her in bed with us. Then she proceeds to snuggle with her Papa.
I wanted to show you what Claudia does in the morning. After making her gremlin noises, alerting us she is awake. We take her out of her crib and put her in bed with us. Then she proceeds to snuggle with her Papa.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Another One of Claudia's Favorite Games
Mama and Claudia have fun with this one! She now knows to sit on the blanket and hold on, letting me know what she wants.
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| Cutie! |
Boring day... for Claudia
Poor girl! Today we had our meeting with our lawyer. We were told what time he would be here at one time and then as we were putting Claudia down for her nap, we were told he was on his way, earlier than he was supposed to get here. Claudia did not get her nap today which was not a good thing! We got ready and went down to wait for him. Unfortunately we waited a LONG TIME as he needed to get lunch first, Claudia got bored and cranky! She did OK on the way to the notary as she likes car rides (the bumpier, the better). Then we had to wait in line a while at the notary, Claudia only likes Jason to hold her a lot so the two of them were getting very warm and both were getting cranky. It was a difficult day for us to have her out and about, made worse by her lack of a nap.
It seems like so far in her short life, Claudia has gotten away with everything and does not take well to correction. We think that any time she got fussy, she was given food to placate her. Her favorite snack that they gave her was potato chips (she will not be getting as many of these). The good thing is that she is not very picky about her food (usually). She can be funny about her food though when it comes to the order she eats it and some days she spits out food she loved just the day before. Toddlers! We all still have a lot of learning to do together.
Don't you just love this cute face?
It seems like so far in her short life, Claudia has gotten away with everything and does not take well to correction. We think that any time she got fussy, she was given food to placate her. Her favorite snack that they gave her was potato chips (she will not be getting as many of these). The good thing is that she is not very picky about her food (usually). She can be funny about her food though when it comes to the order she eats it and some days she spits out food she loved just the day before. Toddlers! We all still have a lot of learning to do together.
Don't you just love this cute face?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A day at the park
We had our meeting with the psychologist and it looks like they think we are a good match for Claudia. Tomorrow we meet with our lawyer to anwser MORE questions and get otur paperwork ready for court.
After our meeting we took Claudia to the park to play, she loves it. There were a couple of other children there and she watched them a lot. She really seems to like other kids. Here are some videos from the park:
After our meeting we took Claudia to the park to play, she loves it. There were a couple of other children there and she watched them a lot. She really seems to like other kids. Here are some videos from the park:
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| This is the view from the park! |
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| Mama and Claudia ready for their meeting |
Daddy's little girl
Claudia is definitely a daddy's girl. She adores Jason. She actually seems to prefer men over women in general. She waves to all of the male workers at the hotel. Here is a cute video of Claudia and her "Pa Pa."
Today we have our meeting to see if we are bonding appropriately. Things are not always easy but I think they are going as well as can be expected. If we pass this bonding period, we have a meeting with our lawyer tomorrow so that he can ask us questions and present our case to the judge. Please pray that the next several days go well and that Claudia will trust us more and more each day.
Today we have our meeting to see if we are bonding appropriately. Things are not always easy but I think they are going as well as can be expected. If we pass this bonding period, we have a meeting with our lawyer tomorrow so that he can ask us questions and present our case to the judge. Please pray that the next several days go well and that Claudia will trust us more and more each day.
Monday, January 14, 2013
A new day
Claudia went to bed better last night, less fussing but she tries so hard to keep herself awake by mumbling, making noises, standing, clapping... This went on for about 45 minutes before she finally fell asleep. We are still working to figure out what works best for her.
Claudia was somewhat cranky this morning before her bath. That really is her favorite thing to do and we have to keep the bathroom door closed otherwise she will climb in the shower wanting a bath.
She ate well for breakfast, more fruit and eggs as well as a few bites of Jason's jamon y queso (ham and cheese) sandwich. After breakfast it is play time!
Enjoy another video:
This in one of Claudia's favorite toys and it keeps her attention longer than the others. Thank you Julie and Keira!
Claudia was somewhat cranky this morning before her bath. That really is her favorite thing to do and we have to keep the bathroom door closed otherwise she will climb in the shower wanting a bath.
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| I found my tub, bathe me please! |
She ate well for breakfast, more fruit and eggs as well as a few bites of Jason's jamon y queso (ham and cheese) sandwich. After breakfast it is play time!
Enjoy another video:
This in one of Claudia's favorite toys and it keeps her attention longer than the others. Thank you Julie and Keira!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Two full days
Tonight ends day two. It went better than yesterday, with fewer tantrums. I think she is getting more comfortable with us and we are quickly learning more about her. Today she smiled and laughed a lot more. It is so heart warming to see her smile and her laugh is contagious!
Today we noticed some improvements in her walking skills, nothing drastic but but she is taking an extra step or two at a time. It is so fun to see her crawl with her butt in the air backwards to get to a wall and use the wall to help her stand up.
Today she took a nap earlier than her normal time and hopefully between that and all of the exercise she got today, she will fall asleep faster.
We are thankful for all of the comments and prayers, keep them coming :)
Today we noticed some improvements in her walking skills, nothing drastic but but she is taking an extra step or two at a time. It is so fun to see her crawl with her butt in the air backwards to get to a wall and use the wall to help her stand up.
Today she took a nap earlier than her normal time and hopefully between that and all of the exercise she got today, she will fall asleep faster.
We are thankful for all of the comments and prayers, keep them coming :)
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| Pretending to talk on the phone |
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| I love my daddy! |
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| Sleepy and warm girl |
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| The monster under the bed |
Long Night
Claudia did not want to go to bed last night. It seemed to take forever lol. Hopefully she gets used to it soon!
Claudia certainly loves her bath time and enjoyed splashing me with water. She also likes to try to drink her bath water.
Breakfast was a little more difficult for her today, she did not want to eat as much and wanted to spit a lot back out. She is not patient at all when it comes to getting food! We had to keep her distracted until food came. The breakfast here is amazing though. I had french toast and Jason had a ham and cheese sandwich. Claudia had fruit and milk.
Jason and Claudia are on the bed playing one of er favorite games of throw and fetch.
I finally uploaded some videos, enjoy!
Claudia certainly loves her bath time and enjoyed splashing me with water. She also likes to try to drink her bath water.
Breakfast was a little more difficult for her today, she did not want to eat as much and wanted to spit a lot back out. She is not patient at all when it comes to getting food! We had to keep her distracted until food came. The breakfast here is amazing though. I had french toast and Jason had a ham and cheese sandwich. Claudia had fruit and milk.
Jason and Claudia are on the bed playing one of er favorite games of throw and fetch.
I finally uploaded some videos, enjoy!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
First full day with Claudia
This morning began our first full day with Claudia.
She woke up well, had some juice, took a bath (she loves her baths) played for a little while and then went down for breakfast. My oh my can she eat! She had all kinds of fruit including some kind of melon, bananas, mango and kiwi. She did not like the apples. Anything she does not like, she just throws on the floor. She also had some bread, eggs, yogurt and milk! I am glad she likes a variety of foods. Last night I was not so sure as she was throwing it all on the floor except for her pasta.
We hung out for a while after breakfast, then she had some Cheerios while she watched Clifford. Shortly after that she laid down with Jason and took a nice nap. Jason and I laid down for a while too. We are still exhausted from everything, not to mention having a toddler!
Claudia is very independent and likes to do things for herself, as we were told before meeting her yesterday. She does not want to be held or hugged much. She is so full of energy, always on the go! She knows how to help put on and take off her clothes and is great (usually) while having her diaper changed. She gets frustrated when she cannot express herself, this is expected and something we will have to work on.
Claudia likes to hide her face under blankets. She also likes it when we copy her motions. Today was a good day, we only had a few breakdowns. We are learning more about Claudia and hopefully she is getting more comfortable with us.
Enjoy a few more pictures:
She woke up well, had some juice, took a bath (she loves her baths) played for a little while and then went down for breakfast. My oh my can she eat! She had all kinds of fruit including some kind of melon, bananas, mango and kiwi. She did not like the apples. Anything she does not like, she just throws on the floor. She also had some bread, eggs, yogurt and milk! I am glad she likes a variety of foods. Last night I was not so sure as she was throwing it all on the floor except for her pasta.
We hung out for a while after breakfast, then she had some Cheerios while she watched Clifford. Shortly after that she laid down with Jason and took a nice nap. Jason and I laid down for a while too. We are still exhausted from everything, not to mention having a toddler!
Claudia is very independent and likes to do things for herself, as we were told before meeting her yesterday. She does not want to be held or hugged much. She is so full of energy, always on the go! She knows how to help put on and take off her clothes and is great (usually) while having her diaper changed. She gets frustrated when she cannot express herself, this is expected and something we will have to work on.
Claudia likes to hide her face under blankets. She also likes it when we copy her motions. Today was a good day, we only had a few breakdowns. We are learning more about Claudia and hopefully she is getting more comfortable with us.
Enjoy a few more pictures:
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| Our first meeting, before she took my glasses off. |
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| After throwing our glasses off... |
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| Getting into bed |
Friday, January 11, 2013
What a day!
Wow!
We had our meeting with the ICBF, Claudia's psychologist and her social worker. My oh my do they love this girl and are SO happy she has a home! We learned more about her past, her likes and dislikes as well as what has happened since she entered her foster home. We got a CD of 200 pictures of her past although we have not had a second to go through it. Over the next several days we have so much to do, to learn, to translate and simply to go through. We will be learning about Claudia the whole time! Of course there is a lot that we cannot discuss about her but I will tell you about her personality.
This girl is ACTIVE! She may not be able to walk much yet but she moves around and loves to throw things, including any food she does not like! The fist thing she did when she met Jason and I was to take off our glasses and throw them :) This girl has quite an arm too! When we got back to our hotel, her favorite game was to walk/run/fall between Jason and I. It is good exercise!
She has a little cold right now and we hope that it clears up quickly. We also hope that she sleeps well, we have not had much luck getting her to go to bed tonight, she is overtired and fighting to stay awake. I think she is upset about us putting her to bed instead of her foster family. Please pray that she makes this transition smoothly and quickly.
I will post more tomorrow but will leave you with a few pictures tonight. We are very tired and need some rest.
We had our meeting with the ICBF, Claudia's psychologist and her social worker. My oh my do they love this girl and are SO happy she has a home! We learned more about her past, her likes and dislikes as well as what has happened since she entered her foster home. We got a CD of 200 pictures of her past although we have not had a second to go through it. Over the next several days we have so much to do, to learn, to translate and simply to go through. We will be learning about Claudia the whole time! Of course there is a lot that we cannot discuss about her but I will tell you about her personality.
This girl is ACTIVE! She may not be able to walk much yet but she moves around and loves to throw things, including any food she does not like! The fist thing she did when she met Jason and I was to take off our glasses and throw them :) This girl has quite an arm too! When we got back to our hotel, her favorite game was to walk/run/fall between Jason and I. It is good exercise!
She has a little cold right now and we hope that it clears up quickly. We also hope that she sleeps well, we have not had much luck getting her to go to bed tonight, she is overtired and fighting to stay awake. I think she is upset about us putting her to bed instead of her foster family. Please pray that she makes this transition smoothly and quickly.
I will post more tomorrow but will leave you with a few pictures tonight. We are very tired and need some rest.
Less than 6 hours!
We get to meet Claudia in less than 6 hours! I don't know what to do wit myself!!
Here are some pics of the hotel we will be staying in for the next week and a half:
I love to see how these old buildings have been retrofitted. This hotel is so open and airy! I will try to get more pictures of the hotel later. But I know you all just want to see Claudia!
Here are some pics of the hotel we will be staying in for the next week and a half:
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| You can kind of see our kitchenette. We can also use the kitchen downstairs when the staff is not using it. |
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| Here is one view from our window, it looks down on the stairs... |
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| Another view from our window. The stairs are inside, the balcony is outside. |
Thursday, January 10, 2013
We meet her tomorrow!
Today has been a good day. We met with our facilitator early in the day, we discussed some of the upcoming adoption process and what to expect. After our meeting, he took us to the mall to purchase a cell phone to be used in country. Then, he drove us around Bogota to see the city. It is absolutely amazing. I am in love with Colombia. I am hoping to get some excellent pictures on this trip! After our mini tour, we were taken to the airport to catch our flight to Pasto.
The flight to Pasto was beautiful. When leaving the ground in Bogota, we were able to see just how big the city is. The landscape on the way to Pasto is incredible, so many mountains. When we landed, it was at a very small airport surrounded by huge mountains.
We had a taxi at the airport waiting to take us to our hotel. The ride in the taxi was breathtaking... for many reasons. First of all, you should understand that I have NOT been in many taxi's in my life. I know they drive crazy, but that does not begin to describe this drive. The roads are narrow, mountainous and winding, yet the drivers here all pass big trucks in no passing zones and speed like crazy! It was unnerving to say the least. The drive took about 30 minutes or so. We saw some incredible things from the beautiful mountains and valleys to the run down shanty's that some locals call home. There were cows tethered to the sides of the road and dogs roaming everywhere. I wish I was able to get some pictures, hopefully I can get some good pictures on our trip here.
Once we made it (safely) to our hotel, we were greeted by the owner, who will also be our interpreter while we are in Pasto. Patrice is a very nice man and has helped several adoptive families over the last several years. We were shown to our room and settled in. After getting settled in, we walked around the area to get a feel for it. We found a couple of nice parks we can take Claudia to. There is also a serene river, we are told that would be a nice place to go. After our walk, we relaxed before dinner at the hotel. For dinner we had pork with mushrooms, a zucchini bake, rice and banana custard for dessert. I had lulo juice with my dinner. The juice comes from the lulo fruit and was good but bitter, unlike any juice I have ever had before. You are given sugar to add to the juice (which is made fresh at the hotel). Dinner was excellent and we met a couple that spoke English. It was nice to have someone we could converse with and we found out that they are missionaries and had spent the last 15 years or so as missionaries in Venezuela and are now missionaries in Pasto. We had some great conversations!
Tomorrow we meet Claudia. Words cannot express how we feel right now, so I will leave you with Claudia's visa picture which was given to us today:
The flight to Pasto was beautiful. When leaving the ground in Bogota, we were able to see just how big the city is. The landscape on the way to Pasto is incredible, so many mountains. When we landed, it was at a very small airport surrounded by huge mountains.
We had a taxi at the airport waiting to take us to our hotel. The ride in the taxi was breathtaking... for many reasons. First of all, you should understand that I have NOT been in many taxi's in my life. I know they drive crazy, but that does not begin to describe this drive. The roads are narrow, mountainous and winding, yet the drivers here all pass big trucks in no passing zones and speed like crazy! It was unnerving to say the least. The drive took about 30 minutes or so. We saw some incredible things from the beautiful mountains and valleys to the run down shanty's that some locals call home. There were cows tethered to the sides of the road and dogs roaming everywhere. I wish I was able to get some pictures, hopefully I can get some good pictures on our trip here.
Once we made it (safely) to our hotel, we were greeted by the owner, who will also be our interpreter while we are in Pasto. Patrice is a very nice man and has helped several adoptive families over the last several years. We were shown to our room and settled in. After getting settled in, we walked around the area to get a feel for it. We found a couple of nice parks we can take Claudia to. There is also a serene river, we are told that would be a nice place to go. After our walk, we relaxed before dinner at the hotel. For dinner we had pork with mushrooms, a zucchini bake, rice and banana custard for dessert. I had lulo juice with my dinner. The juice comes from the lulo fruit and was good but bitter, unlike any juice I have ever had before. You are given sugar to add to the juice (which is made fresh at the hotel). Dinner was excellent and we met a couple that spoke English. It was nice to have someone we could converse with and we found out that they are missionaries and had spent the last 15 years or so as missionaries in Venezuela and are now missionaries in Pasto. We had some great conversations!
Tomorrow we meet Claudia. Words cannot express how we feel right now, so I will leave you with Claudia's visa picture which was given to us today:
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| I want to know how they can get the kids not to smile for visa pictures! Tomorrow, I get to kiss those cute cheeks!!! |
We're here!
We got in last night around 10pm, waited around for our driver to the hotel and finally got settled in around 11:30. We were so tired from the long day of travel. We left at 9am. It felt so good to get into bed last night. Neither of us were feeling great due to the flying and pure fatigue. This morning we are feeling much better, still tired, but overall, much better. We had a light breakfast of coffee, juice and some croissants, they were so good!
The hotel we stayed in last night is a budget hotel near the airport but it is very nice for a budget place. We even have a kitchen with a stove and oven! The building is very old and was retrofitted to be a hotel so it is set up very strange. It is in a decent neighborhood although all of the buildings are gated. We have a nice view of a park and we have seen so many dogs strolling through! There are a lot of people out and about, walking around. We have seen many people cleaning the streets. There was a street sweeper on foot, a garbage truck, a horse drawn cart for recyclables and a man with a cart on foot. I love just watching everything going on around me.
Here are some pictures of our hotel and view:
In about an hour we will meet with our facilitator and then get back on a plane to get to Claudia's region. We will update as we are able! Tomorrow we meet Claudia!
The hotel we stayed in last night is a budget hotel near the airport but it is very nice for a budget place. We even have a kitchen with a stove and oven! The building is very old and was retrofitted to be a hotel so it is set up very strange. It is in a decent neighborhood although all of the buildings are gated. We have a nice view of a park and we have seen so many dogs strolling through! There are a lot of people out and about, walking around. We have seen many people cleaning the streets. There was a street sweeper on foot, a garbage truck, a horse drawn cart for recyclables and a man with a cart on foot. I love just watching everything going on around me.
Here are some pictures of our hotel and view:
In about an hour we will meet with our facilitator and then get back on a plane to get to Claudia's region. We will update as we are able! Tomorrow we meet Claudia!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Today is the day!
We are double and triple checking that we have everything packed that we will need! We fly out this afternoon! We will have a day and a half to settle in before we meet Claudia!
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