Last night, Paul and I were having a case of "let's stay up way past normal and review the past 3 weeks in photos". So at midnight we enjoyed looking back and seeing how much our little treasure has changed. In three weeks, she has gone from a little animal (sorry, it's true) to a GORGEOUS little girl!
I really cannot explain how much she has changed.
Our first 24 hours together were filled with growling, spitting, hitting, etc... I knew she had great potential, even in those first few days of struggle. We quickly let her know that we were not llamas and we don't spit. Hands are used for soft/gentle touch. If we had something to say, we use our 'palabras' or we use a sign - no growling! It only took a few days to tackle those few things and GUESS WHAT... she no longer does ANY of those things. It's pretty much miraculous.
Now we have a beautiful little girl that it picking up English like a champ and is using signs as much as she can! It's really amazing. When I can finally show her face, you will see how much she has changed in a very short time. I believe she has gained 5 pounds and her little face is filled out and her cheeks are nice and round, as is her belly ;)
Her eczema has cleared up well and she only has the occasional spot here and there. We took out her earrings about 2 weeks ago, since her little holes were looking pretty rough and appeared to be torn where the earrings went. We can worry about pierced ears later on in life. Her hair is fuller and shinier. She pretty much giggles 95% of the day. Seriously, she VERY happy.
Her little pouting sessions have dramatically decreased. She never has really pitched a fit, but she does this 'statue' move where she stops in her tracks and refuses to move. She sometimes shouts some little 'profanities' of sorts (her own little language, but we can tell it's not pleasant LOL). We tell her no and redirect with tickles and hugs and kisses and usually it passes within a few moments.
Easy-peasy!
Friday, July 11, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
More on our sweet thing
Ok, so now that I have been here 3 weeks and my homesick days are getting a little less extreme, I'll tell you more about our incredible little person...
This kid is SMART! She really is very eager to learn English. She plays "peekaboo barn" on the iPad and can mimic each animal name fairly well. We have a "Priddy Book" with English and Spanish first words and it's excellent with helping her learn the basics. We still have a lot to learn, but I am so pleased with her effort.
We continue with a little Baby Signing Time and Baby Einstein here and there. She loves it.
She has learned that the pool is nice and it gets less scary each day. She is finally trusting that we won't let her drown and that there aren't big scary monsters in the water. She no longer has to wrap herself around daddy's neck while in the water, even if she really wants to...
She is now ultra afraid of bugs and creepy crawlies. We are working very hard to try and play it off like they won't hurt her and that they are no big deal. She doesn't believe it. She wouldn't go near the room door the other day, due to the 1 inch long baby lizard that crawled down the hallway. It was very difficult to convince her that I had put it outside in the plant. The gnats are ultra frightening. They are everywhere and the might, at any moment, cause extreme distress. Tears, screaming and the works.
Back to water talk. She had her first real bubble bath the other day. I'm glad we moved to bubbles after giving her a few days worth of baths to get used to first. She really enjoyed it. I taught her how to pick them up and blow them. Awesome fun.
Food - man she loves food. ALL types of food. If you can dip it into some sauce, then she REALLY likes it. And yes, we double dip.. and maybe triple dip. If you mix multiple dips together, that makes it taste even better. (Think ketchup, mayo and mustard.) Spicy? Even better! Get ready, Nana, cause this kid loves pasta - EVEN ravioli!
Really enjoying getting to know her! Have a great day! Pray for us!
This kid is SMART! She really is very eager to learn English. She plays "peekaboo barn" on the iPad and can mimic each animal name fairly well. We have a "Priddy Book" with English and Spanish first words and it's excellent with helping her learn the basics. We still have a lot to learn, but I am so pleased with her effort.
We continue with a little Baby Signing Time and Baby Einstein here and there. She loves it.
She has learned that the pool is nice and it gets less scary each day. She is finally trusting that we won't let her drown and that there aren't big scary monsters in the water. She no longer has to wrap herself around daddy's neck while in the water, even if she really wants to...
She is now ultra afraid of bugs and creepy crawlies. We are working very hard to try and play it off like they won't hurt her and that they are no big deal. She doesn't believe it. She wouldn't go near the room door the other day, due to the 1 inch long baby lizard that crawled down the hallway. It was very difficult to convince her that I had put it outside in the plant. The gnats are ultra frightening. They are everywhere and the might, at any moment, cause extreme distress. Tears, screaming and the works.
Back to water talk. She had her first real bubble bath the other day. I'm glad we moved to bubbles after giving her a few days worth of baths to get used to first. She really enjoyed it. I taught her how to pick them up and blow them. Awesome fun.
Food - man she loves food. ALL types of food. If you can dip it into some sauce, then she REALLY likes it. And yes, we double dip.. and maybe triple dip. If you mix multiple dips together, that makes it taste even better. (Think ketchup, mayo and mustard.) Spicy? Even better! Get ready, Nana, cause this kid loves pasta - EVEN ravioli!
Really enjoying getting to know her! Have a great day! Pray for us!
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Dear Judge
Please accept our case ASAP. Tomorrow it will be a week since you received our paperwork.
Love,
Our Family
We are waiting as patiently as possible to hear news that the judge has accepted our case. Until this happens, we are kind of stuck in a holding period. Seems to be our trend, doesn't it?!
As soon as the case is accepted, then things have a "timeline" of sorts. Until then, it's just wait and wait and wait. I feel confident that it will be soon. Hoping by Friday, but at the latest next Thursday. I have heard up to ten days for this step. We are on 5 working days as of today. Many of my friends have been through this step in a matter of 2-3 days, so we definitely have them beat. Ha.
We will be extending our time here by the ocean. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but Paul and I both agree that this is a much better location for us. We are looking at 2 more weeks here... then back to Bogota, for the end of the stay. Deep breath, momma.
Please continue to pray.
Love,
Our Family
We are waiting as patiently as possible to hear news that the judge has accepted our case. Until this happens, we are kind of stuck in a holding period. Seems to be our trend, doesn't it?!
As soon as the case is accepted, then things have a "timeline" of sorts. Until then, it's just wait and wait and wait. I feel confident that it will be soon. Hoping by Friday, but at the latest next Thursday. I have heard up to ten days for this step. We are on 5 working days as of today. Many of my friends have been through this step in a matter of 2-3 days, so we definitely have them beat. Ha.
We will be extending our time here by the ocean. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but Paul and I both agree that this is a much better location for us. We are looking at 2 more weeks here... then back to Bogota, for the end of the stay. Deep breath, momma.
Please continue to pray.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Plans? Ha.
We left our hotel yesterday. We arrived without too much trouble at the apartment. However, that wasn't where we needed to be. The neighborhood was rough and we would have needed a taxi to get anywhere. Let's just say we aren't really comfortable with that idea. So... we ended up back at our hotel. And I will just say it's a VERY LONG STORY made short. Ha.
We are fine here, for as long as we need to stay. It's really wild, but it is as if God sent some angels our way yesterday. We were feeling LOW. Out of the blue, we were met by person after person who was compassionate about our situation here. It was a true blessing. I am so grateful for those people who helped us in our struggle.
Thank you God!
We are fine here, for as long as we need to stay. It's really wild, but it is as if God sent some angels our way yesterday. We were feeling LOW. Out of the blue, we were met by person after person who was compassionate about our situation here. It was a true blessing. I am so grateful for those people who helped us in our struggle.
Thank you God!
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Third Sunday
It's my third Sunday away from home and away from my boys.
To think we might be about half way through makes me both happy and sad. I can see that everything will be ok... but it is still very difficult to imagine 3-4 more weeks away from my babies.
I try to keep a running list of happy thoughts. If I can keep giving thanks to God for my gifts, it is hard to also be sad.
Happy Thoughts:
We are in a VERY nice hotel. I feel extremely safe here. The food is good. Too good.
Sweet girl is happy 95% of the time. We all have our moments and she does too, but rarely.
We move from the hotel to an apartment on Monday. It will be nice to have a bit more room to stretch out. I am typing on my computer while Paul sleeps right next to me. It's 10:26 am.
My boys have been at the lake this week. I am glad that they have had plenty of distractions, but I feel VERY guilty for not being there for them. I feel like I abandoned them. My sweet C barely looks at the camera when we facetime. I know it's his personality to be shy... but it kills me to not be able to kiss his sweet face and tell him how much I love him.
Oh my heart.
To think we might be about half way through makes me both happy and sad. I can see that everything will be ok... but it is still very difficult to imagine 3-4 more weeks away from my babies.
I try to keep a running list of happy thoughts. If I can keep giving thanks to God for my gifts, it is hard to also be sad.
Happy Thoughts:
We are in a VERY nice hotel. I feel extremely safe here. The food is good. Too good.
Sweet girl is happy 95% of the time. We all have our moments and she does too, but rarely.
We move from the hotel to an apartment on Monday. It will be nice to have a bit more room to stretch out. I am typing on my computer while Paul sleeps right next to me. It's 10:26 am.
My boys have been at the lake this week. I am glad that they have had plenty of distractions, but I feel VERY guilty for not being there for them. I feel like I abandoned them. My sweet C barely looks at the camera when we facetime. I know it's his personality to be shy... but it kills me to not be able to kiss his sweet face and tell him how much I love him.
Oh my heart.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Court
We got our court yesterday morning! I was so thrilled and knowing that we were no longer in a holding period made me feel a lot better. I was so depressed with the week of no progress - it's hard to be away from the boys and the lack of movement was super upsetting to me.
Hoping that the judge with our case is moved to work quickly and that we can be home in a few weeks.
Please continue to pray!
Thank you.
Hoping that the judge with our case is moved to work quickly and that we can be home in a few weeks.
Please continue to pray!
Thank you.
Simply Beautiful
It's amazing what a change of scenery can do! I had a feeling it would help... boy does it! This actually feels like a vacation. Cartagena is gorgeous. The weather is perfect. We have been enjoying the sights - churches, street vendors, shops and food. It's an entirely different kind of place. If you happen to be following this blog and are planning on adopting in C*lombia... go to Cartagena. Plan two weeks and make sure part of that time is spent in the Old Town, in the walled city. Super awesome. Happen to be Catholic?? Super SUPER awesome.
We have seen two beautiful churches - the Cathedral and the church of St. Peter Claver. Both awesome. Happened to walk in at about the same time mass was starting. Completely random and completely awesome. You can read up on the churches by doing a simple google search.
The hotel we are staying in has a pool on the roof. We have spent the majority of our time there. They serve excellent food, so there really isn't any reason to go anywhere. The views of the ocean and the city are spectacular. It's a pretty hot location and very near the equator, but the breeze off the ocean makes it very pleasant in the shade.
Here are a few fun pics.
We have seen two beautiful churches - the Cathedral and the church of St. Peter Claver. Both awesome. Happened to walk in at about the same time mass was starting. Completely random and completely awesome. You can read up on the churches by doing a simple google search.
The hotel we are staying in has a pool on the roof. We have spent the majority of our time there. They serve excellent food, so there really isn't any reason to go anywhere. The views of the ocean and the city are spectacular. It's a pretty hot location and very near the equator, but the breeze off the ocean makes it very pleasant in the shade.
Here are a few fun pics.
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