9/27/2003

Bogotá - I went to the Botanical gardens with some other parents today, went to the Unicentro mall, played with the children staying at the Paris, and danced with the wonderful friends I have made during my stay there. What a wonderful feeling I have today, for everything we do from now until we leave brings us close to home.

Minneapolis - It was a day to begin preparing for Stacey and Stephanny to come home. We did some cleaning and organizing around the house, and later in the day we started dinner and made a trip to the store. We had Dave P. over for dinner and had a great roast and artichoke for dinner as a mini-celebration of yesterday’s great news. Now that we know when Stacey and Stephanny will be coming home, we will count the days by the minute. I am still in a slight sense of shock that we are so near the end of this year long adventure.

9/26/2003

Bogotá - The best way to sum up today is by the letter I sent home - "Hi Nate and River and Forest!!!!!! I am coming home!!!!!!!!!! I got sentencia and signed all the papers this morning! I have to do a few things next week and will be home for sure by Thursday of next week!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! Love, Stacey.. Mommy" What a wonderful feeling and great relief to end the uncertainty and waiting. We were expecting and braced for a much longer amount of time for me to be in Bogotá.

Minneapolis - The boys and I went to the Renaissance Festival all after noon after River got back from school. What a wonderful message we received when we got home. I sat the boys down next to me on the couch to tell them the news. We are all very excited to know that in less than a week Stacey and Stephanny will be home and we will all be together again.

9/25/2003

Bogotá - Today was a harder day that others. I really miss the boys and Nate and home dearly. It is difficult to accept the uncertainty of how long it may be until we receive Sentencia. There are other parents here with children the same age as River and Forest and it breaks my heart to see them and think about my boys away from me. I spent some time alone with Stephanny. Some days are harder than others, and I guess this was one of those days.

Minneapolis - Today was picture day for River at school. We was very excited about it and we took care to pick out a nice colorful shirt to wear and make sure his hair was straight before heading to the bus stop. While River was at school Forest and I played at the park until it was time for River to get back from school. After lunch, Kristie picked up the boys to take them swimming at her apartment with her, their Nana, and Peggy, their great aunt. I worked on the yard for most of the afternoon and watched a movie. In the evening I went to Rivers school for a meeting about the kindergarten curriculum.

9/24/2003

Bogotá - So many people are leaving tomorrow morning or Friday. We had a party tonight for them all. The people leaving are Katrin, Jarard, Kevin, Marie, Darren, Sheryl, Elana, Iris, Maritza, Vicky, and Daniel. It is so sad to get to know these people so well and to share such an intimate special experience with them all, and then to say good bye. Some we will see again, but others it is quite likely that I will never see or hear from them again. I am already lonely knowing the Paris is going to soon be much more empty, and there is no indication that others are on their way to take the place of the people departing. For the most part it was a day of downtime and a little shopping. Stephanny is such a wonderful and beautiful baby.

Minneapolis - While River was at school this morning, Forest and I went for a walk and had such a nice time in the warm sunshine, talking and playing. I have come to cherish the time we have together alone in the mornings. When River returned from school we went to Chutes and Ladders in Bush Lake Park. They boys had a lot of fun on the enormous playground, and especially enjoyed the tire swings. It was a nice day to enjoy what is sure to be one of the last nice (yet crisp) days of the summer. Unfortunately, I have also come down with Rivers cold. Forest is sure to get it soon.

9/23/2003

Bogotá - Today I went to a celebration at the Los Pisingos orphanage for their 35th anniversary. It was wonderful to meet so many people that had a role in bringing Stephanny to our family and that make it possibly for so many other children to find loving homes. There was a wonderful service, and everyone there seemed to exemplify the meaning of sacrifice and commitment to doing such wonderful yet sometimes heartbreaking and difficult work. I also had the chance to meet Stephanny’s care givers, her nurses, and the president of CHSM. I felt so good to be a part of the celebration and to personally thank everyone for taking such good care of Stephanny. I also made a video for the boys today describing how much I miss them and how excited Stephanny and I are to see them.

Minneapolis - While River was in school today Forest and I tinkered around in the yard, giving it a final grooming before winter and wrapping up some projects that were started earlier in the summer before we got our referral. After River returned home we all walked to the park and watched some of the sports events going on there, and then went for a long walk to the video store and grocery store before heading home and making and eating an excellent stir fry full of healthy vegetables. After some of the semi-unhealthy food (frozen pizzas and pot pies) that we have been eating, it was really good to have a healthy meal. The boys devoured it all. After dinner we watched a movie and ate ice cream before heading off to bed.

9/22/2003

Bogotá - Stephanny and I spent a lot of time playing today and relaxing in the Paris as well. In the afternoon I sent shopping with some other parents at Maku, the artisan market nearby.

Minneapolis - River stayed home from school today with a cold. We relaxed and played around the house most of the day. Later in the afternoon the boys rode their bikes to the bird sanctuary on the north end of Lake Harriet, and we walked through the entire thing, except not on the bath but THROUGH the swamp. It was dry so we did not get wet feet, but it was fun to trudge through the cattails and reeds that were twice as tall as me. The boys said they felt like they were in the jungle, and also spent a lot of time popping the jewelweed seed clusters.

9/16/2003

Bogotá - Stacey went shopping for donation items for the Los Pisingos birthmothers’ home.

Minneapolis - The boys and I went to a park in Richfield after River returned home from school.

9/15/2003

Bogotá - Stacey went to the mall with a group of other parents today and also marked the departure of some parents from the Paris residence.

Minneapolis - I got to see River off to school this morning. I was very enjoyable to spend the day with the boys and to be part of their weekday routine. Rarely do I have such an opportunity and I am really looking forward to the next two weeks of my time home with them.

9/14/2003

9/13/2003

This was the last day I was in Bogotá. We tried to relax and enjoy the days as much as possible. For lunch we went with other parents to Cafe Oma, and Stacey and I spent a good amount of time after that playing with Stephanny before going to the craft market Maku to finish buying gifts so that I could bring them back to Minneapolis in the morning.

9/12/2003

We went back to the orphanage this morning for a group meeting with the Los Pisingos doctor and other adoptive parents. We watched a short video about the care the babies receive, and then the doctor talked about caring for our babies. It was designed for new parents, but it was nonetheless interesting to hear the doctor’s Colombian approach to parenting. After the meeting we asked the doctor a couple of questions about Stephanny, and then we talked to the director of the sponsorship program and presented the donation that we received from friends and family. We then went back to the hotel for lunch, and after that we spent the afternoon relaxing and playing with Stephanny, and going for a short walk near the hotel. One note to other adoptive parents who may soon be traveling out of the USA to receive their children: Be SURE to purchase prepaid calling cards to last for your entire visit BEFORE you leave the USA. We did not do this and have found out that doing so from outside of the country is almost impossible and VERY expensive. Other people who are staying at the same hotel have purchased phone cards from Sam’s Club for very reasonable rates - about 40 dollars for 120 minutes of international calling time (1250 minutes domestic).

09/11/2003

We visited the Los Pisingos orphanage this morning. When we arrived we were taken on a tour of the facilities and saw where the babies are taken care of. There are separate areas for newborns, infants, toddlers, and older children. The infant area was the most amazing, holding about 20 to 30 children. When we arrived the infants were in the "gym", a semi-outdoor area where the babies take turns doing activities doing activities with the care takers. There were about 4 to 5 caretakers to the 20 or so babies in this area during our visit. All the babies were well cared for and surprisingly only one or two were crying at every given time. After our tour we visited with the director of the orphanage, who took the time talk to us about Stephanny's time in the orphanage and her family history. It was an emotional visit. When we were done with the interview we went back to the hotel for lunch and relaxed for a while. Later in the afternoon we went to a store called Maku, an artisan marketplace, where we found many wonderful gifts for friends and family. It was early evening when we returned, and after dinner we went back to our room to relax, and soon after went to bed.

September 10th, 2003

Again, Stephanny slept very well last night. After breakfast we went on a trip to the birthmother home that is part of the Los Pisingos orphanage from which we adopted Stephanny. During our trip we received a presentation about the practices and intentions of the orphanage and birthmother home, then we had a tour, and finally we had a two way question session with a group of about 20 birthmothers and 12 adoptive parents. It was a very wonderful and emotional experience which confirmed our feelings and respect for the Los Pisingos program. After the visit we walked back to our hotel with some of the other parents with whom we are staying. We had to leave Stephanny with one of the hotel maids during our visit to the birthmother home, and after only three hours were eager to hold her again. When we returned, we had lunch, and then walked with a small group of parents and our babies to a nearby mall. Stephanny has been very content to be in the baby carrier. The walk there was beautiful, but the mall was no different than most malls in the US. After less than an hour, Stacey and I felt that being outside was much better and we went back outside to walk back to the hotel and browse the street side shops along the way. There are also a lot of street vendors that add a unique character to the street atmosphere along the way. When we returned it was dinner time, and part of dinner tonight was a farewell celebration for three people and two babies who are leaving tomorrow. Although there are only 10 families here, this celebration included wine, cakes, lots of group pictures, food, dancing, cigars, and a happy time for everyone. Even the maids were salsa dancing! Stephanny danced a little with Stacey, and spent a nice time walking with Nate around the hotel, looking at all the lights and the pictures on the wall. She particularly likes to be held upright, facing out so that she can see everything that is going on around her.

September 9th, 2003

Stephanny slept very well last night. She only woke up once at about 4 am to eat, then went back to sleep for the rest of the night. We left at 9 this morning to meet with the child welfare department (ICBF). They briefly interviewed us and then signed the documents that initiate our adoption in the Colombian courts. We then went back to the hotel, had lunch, and then went to the supermarket to get outside and to buy a stash of Colombian candies and snacks. We sampled a few back at our room, and then the three of us napped until dinner time. It was very refreshing. After dinner we worked on updating the web site and spent more time marveling over Stephanny. Later in the evening we spent an unpleasant amount of time trying to buy a phone card. It was a huge hassle because international credit card purchases for calling cards have to be confirmed domestically from the billing phone number. After a couple of hours, we were finally able to call home and talk to the boys. They were full of questions about Stephanny and are very excited to see her.

September 8th, 2003

After a very sound sleep, Stacey and I were unusually calm and relaxed considering we were going to receive Stephanny. We had breakfast with most of the people in the residence (hotel) and had our first real chance to meet the people we were going to be staying with. We took our time all day to get unpacked and take a trip to the supermarket, about 4 blocks away. The residence is in a relatively nice neighborhood, but it maintains the same feeling of the rest of the city, which is extremely condensed and fast moving. There is no order to the traffic and simply crossing the street is a matter of taking your life into your own hands. Otherwise, we feel quite safe and have good guidance from the hotel staff and our adoption representative about the places to go or avoid. At about 2 we started getting ready and by three we were waiting for Isabel, our adoption representative, who arrived promptly on time to take us to the orphanage director’s home, where we were to receive Stephanny. We arrived at 3:30, and after a short wait we were presented with our daughter. There were tears and time to enjoy Stephanny, and lots of pictures, but mostly we were both eager to get back to the hotel room and bond with and look at our new daughter. Before we could do that we had to make a stop at the public notary to sigh documents. Soon after we were back in our room enjoying every bit of being new parents again. Besides dinner, that is how we spent the rest of the evening.

September 7th, 2003

We left the home this morning at 5:30 AM. After a layover in Atlanta of four hours, we arrived in Bogotá at about 9 PM, and were at our hotel by about 10. The hotel is a residence for adoptive parents and is more of a large house than a hotel. The roof is made out of corrugated plexiglass, but other than that it is a nice place to stay. What it lacks in modern amenities it by far makes up in its caring and supportive atmosphere.