Days 45-47...

Day 45 – Saturday, May 26^th – Today I am thankful for my mom. She has been here with me for the last 6 weeks and I am so thankful for her presence. She has helped me through some tough times of missing Evan & Perry, and is there for me when she knows I need to take a mental break from what I now call “The Process”. Today was no exception.

Just before lunchtime, my mom, Sofia and I hailed a taxi to take us to my aunt Beatriz’s house for another lunch. We were there with my aunt Maria Teresa and my cousin Maria Claudia. After another delicious lunch, my other cousin Dayana came by to pick us up to go out on the town. My mom and her sisters babysat Sofia while the cousins went out. We went to Usaquen to walk around. We were too full after lunch to have anything to eat or drink, so we walked around a mall, went to an art gallery, Maria Claudia and I went into a beautiful church to say a quick prayer, and we finished our “cousin date” at a cool, little theater where they show artsy movies and you can eat or drink while watching the show. We each asked for tea and watched a really good movie – the only thing was that it was a French movie with Spanish subtitles. Although the subtitles flashed faster than I could read most of them, I understood the movie and thought it was great. After the movie, we headed back to pick up my mom and Sofia and head home.

Another great day in Colombia as I wait through the weekend and hope to get the call next week.

Day 46 – Sunday, May 27^th – I’m not expecting a call today since it is Sunday, so I’m just enjoying the day. Today my mom’s cousin, Edgar (Efrain’s son) picked us up to bring us to lunch at a mall that is close to their house. We ate at Crepes & Waffles with Edgar, Patricia and the 3 boys. After lunch, we went to Edgar’s house to relax, converse and catch up. We had a nice day!

Day 47 – Monday, May 28^th – 

Memorial Day – Special thoughts & prayers go out to the men and women that serve and have served our country. God bless the U.S.

I had a hunch that I would get the much awaited call today, but rather than sit around and wait for it, I decided to have a”ME” day (with the help of my mom, of course).  In the morning I went for a long walk and ended up at a huge bookstore called Panamerican.  It was a huge store, but unfortunately only had one small shelf full of books in English. I looked through the options, and unfortunately there were only a few fiction novels that I wasn’t too interested in, and the other options were all “how to succeed in business” books. Those books once inspired me, but not at this point… So I thought about reading a book in Spanish, but was quickly reminded of the past few nights, not being able to sleep because every thought I had, I was subconsciously translating into Spanish.  I’ve been waking up very tired, and reading a Spanish book probably wouldn’t help that cause.  So I left bookless and decided to make my way back home.  When I got home I found Sofia sitting up and smiling at me as I walked through the door.  Today is the first day since we got here that we actually made our lunch and ate it at home. We made spaghetti – to keep it simple J.  After lunch my mom and Sofia and I walked over to a local Peluqueria/hair salon and I decided to get my hair colored, highlights, cut and styled. My mom took Sofia back to the house while I enjoyed my SPA day. The guys that work there are very nice. I ended up being there for over 3 hours, but the conversations, people watching, and TV made the time fly. (I remembered what I have been missing without having a TV for the past month.) It was truly a delight!

...And We Wait...

Day 44 – Friday, May 25^th – There’s nothing I can do to speed up the process of our adoption, and even though I am ready to go home, I have decided that I have to let go and just “desfrutar”/enjoy the rest of my time in Colombia. I have accepted the fact that we will not be able to come home on the 31^st.  Early next week I will contact our travel agent to cancel our tickets for the 31^st, and we can re-book once we know when we can fly home.

Today, Sofia was an angel for most of the day. She has been crying a little more the past few days, but with reason. Not only are her two bottom teeth showing under her gums, but she has 3 points of a tooth that have pierced through her gums on the bottom left side of her mouth. It’s incredible how the back tooth pierced through the gums before the front teeth. Poor baby! Now that’s a reason to cry! Even a baby that doesn’t cry much would cry at that pain.

Other than the occasional cry, Sofia was great today. She was watching a soccer game with her Tio Abuelo Oswaldo after we had lunch. I was thinking that her first word might be “GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL”. But in actuality, she got a little scared when Barcelona got a goal. So that was it for watching “futbol”.

As for the adoption process… I did not get the call. So we wait until next week and hope for the best.

The Only News is "Not Yet"

Day 42 – Wednesday, May 23^rd – Sofia is sitting up on her own and playing with her toys. Everything is going into her mouth. She’s such a happy baby. She hasn’t cried much in the first month (if at all), but now she’s cried 2 days in a row. My guess is that her teeth are bothering her. Her cries are very quiet (at least so far). Usually a quick walk around the house, looking at all the pictures and photos brings her smile back. (Get ready Papi, she’s ready to pace with you.)

Today we went to the local Kodak store to get passport and visa photos of Sofia. (No one told us what we need and it’s not listed in any of my paperwork, but one of the other families mentioned that they needed to get these photos, so I want to have them ready when we need them.) We went to the store and the owner said that we need to change her clothes because the photo has to be against a while background so she can’t be wearing white. So my mom and I went across the street to a little baby clothes store and bought a dark pink long sleeve shirt. We went back to the photo store and was told we also have to take her earrings off. I was scared to take them off and didn’t want to, but it’s a new U.S. rule that you can’t have earrings. (But come’on… for a baby???) But to be safe, we took them out and put them back in right away.  The owner was having a hard time getting a good shot because the picture has to be with her mouth closed and Sofia kept smiling when she took the picture. We finally got one.

7^th Week-

Day 43 – Thursday, May 24^th – Today was a tough day for me.  I’m in my seventh week in Colombia, and almost a month since Sofia and I were with Evan and Perry. We miss them so much!

Our contact is officially on vacation so I called our substitute contact to see if I could get a few answers.

1)     She said there is no news about our case. They are still waiting for 1 signature. Our paperwork stated that the judge has up to 10 working days to sign, but in our case it has been MUCH longer than that.  I asked her about the 10 day period that is mentioned in our paperwork, and she said that everything is done by hand and the judge is the only one to decide when to sign. She said it can take more than 10 days if the judge is busy with many cases. I also mentioned that we were right behind the other Minnesota family and they are leaving tomorrow, and she said that that is normal; that the papers can be on the judge’s desk and be signed at totally different times depending on what cases are in between. She said it should be soon.

2)     I asked about the Embassy being closed on Friday and Monday due to our Memorial Day Holiday and she told me not to worry about that because we won't be at that point at that time. I asked if they are also closed on Wednesdays too (someone told me that the US Embassy does not usually take appointments on Wednesdays) and she said that they usually are open on Wednesdays during holiday weeks. She said we probably won’t be at that point by then either. (ARG!!!!)

3)     There was also mention that our orphanage had an expired date on their adoption certificate. Our contact said that was already fixed and it did not affect our case as our papers are still waiting to be signed.

4)     Our paperwork states that our contact will stay in contact to update or just check in every few days… well, that’s never happened. I asked our substitute contact to keep me updated on the progress... she said she will call the lawyer on Friday afternoon or Monday to see if there is any progress and she'll get back to me.

5)     Well, our tickets are for the 31^st. Our contact thinks I will need to change them for a later date because she doesn't think we'll be done by then. :(

The good news is that the other Minnesota family got everything done from Sentencia to travel in 7 days. They will be travelling home tomorrow.

So I'm not optimistic that I will be home by next week, but my aunts are saying prayers for me and there's still a small chance. Hopefully soon...

Still here at 41 days with no news of our return

Day 38 – Saturday, May 19^th – Not much going on today. I’m anxious to come home so I am running errands to get ready. I’m heading to Exito (which is like a Super Target). My mom and Elvira watched Sofia while I walked and ran errands for 3 ½ hours in and out of the rain.

Day 39 – Sunday, May 20^th – Sofia and I ventured out to our old stomping grounds at the Zuetana hotel to meet up with a friend of mine from Minnesota that is also adopting. They are almost done and should be able to leave by the end of this week.  I am so happy for them. 

There was rumor that we would get our Sentencia right after the other Minnesota family, but I’m still waiting for the call.  There was also word that there might be another delay for us due to agency paperwork, but my contact called me and made no mention of that. She simply stated that it should be soon.

I’m hoping soon means VERY soon…. it gets dark so early here at this time of year…  I read my books, there is only one channel on this TV that works (sometimes)  but there is nothing on, my Xfinity movies on demand only works within the US, I’m caught up on checking emails, I feel like I’m up-to-date on Facebook, I’m getting bored of looking at Pinterest… what else is there? Sleep… but then I can’t sleep at night. I am anxious to come home to be a family with Perry & Evan. I miss them so much it hurts!!!

Day 40 – Monday, May 21^st – Today is my big brother’s birthday! I, of course, posted a message for him on facebook and started the day. Unfortunately, I know I won’t be getting the call for Sentencia today because it is a holiday in Colombia. My mom went to a funeral today with her sister. I invited Efrain to go somewhere for lunch. We ended up putting Sofia in her stroller and went for a 2 hour walk with a stop for lunch in between. The sun is finally out and the weather has been better – less rainy at least. It still gets colder after 3:00ish and is dark by 6:00pm. I feel a little cooped up at night, but I am hopeful it won’t be much longer until I can enjoy the beautiful Minnesota spring weather and the sun.

Sofia started sitting on her own without falling over. She has grown so much in the past 40 days. We are so blessed and can’t for her to officially become a Swanson.

Day 41 – Tuesday, May 22^nd – Had lunch at Tia Rachel & Peretz’s apartment. Sofia hasn’t cried much in the past 40 days, until today. She has been uncomfortable all day. She cries a little and as soon as you pick her up, she smiles but then starts crying again. After feeding her, changing her diaper, and holding her, I realized that it is probably her teeth that are bothering her since she started puckering her lower lip so it looks like an elderly person without their dentures. Ahhh yesss…. The teething has begun. I tried Ambisol and it seemed to have helped a little.  Teething and tired, my little princess fell asleep at 6:45pm and seems like she will be down for the night.  If not, I’m here for her.

Day 37 - Rumor has it...

Day 37 – Friday, May 18^th – Today I had my cell phone with me all day hoping for a call from our adoption contact. We had another great day – as everyday has been! We woke up late, my mom got her hair done, my cousin picked us up at Noon to meet at La Plaza de Andres to celebrate my Aunt’s birthday. (It is the same place we celebrated my other Aunt’s birthday a few weeks back.) It’s a cool place (much worth the visit if you are in Colombia). Today I had a salad for lunch with an Arepa Chocolo on the side (it’s a sweet corn patty with melted cheese on the inside – it almost tastes like a pancake.) After lunch we went to OMA for a tinto/coffee. We sat for a while and believe it or not, Sofia was soooo good even though we were out for over 5 ½ hours. She is truly an angel!!! Everyone adores her here in Colombia and I can’t wait to bring her home to meet everyone there. I am so lucky that this sweet little baby girl has come into my life. As a family, we are so lucky to have this option to adopt. And I know our decision to adopt from Colombia was truly the right decision. We have been blessed many times over!!!!

We finally caught a taxi at 5:45 and didn’t arrive home until almost 7:00pm. We really were only 70 blocks away, but the traffic was TERRIBLE! We got home to find Efrain waiting for us. He held Sofia and gave her a bottle, we Skyped daddy & Evan & Grandpa FarFar, and went to bed.

***Adoption Progress Rumor…  My friends from MN that are also adopting just got their “Sentencia” today. Tomorrow they are going to get the new birth certificate and finish up the rest of the process mid-next week. Unfortunately, Monday is another Holiday here so everything is closed. (Once again, that delays our process.)  But rumor has it that we are right behind them and should get a call by mid-week. Once that is done, the rush is on to get all the paperwork and doctor’s visit done so we can come home. Our tickets are for May 31^st, but if we are done early… by all means… we will come home early!!!!

Heading into week 6

6^th Week-

Day 36 – Thursday, May 17^th-  As I’m heading into my 6^th week in Colombia, I’m anxious to get the call for our Sentencia…  I’m hoping it will come soon. It didn’t come today, so hopefully tomorrow!

I spent most of the day in the house, so by 4:30pm I was itching to go for a nice long walk with Sofia. We walked for about an hour and a half and when I returned I got an earful from Efrain about how cold it gets here after 5:00pm. (It’s definitely not cold by our Minnesota standards, but it is a different kind of humid cold that can get a person sick.) Fortunately, I’ve heard this many times before, so I dressed warm, dressed Sofia appropriately and had a super warm blanket on her. It was a nice walk and good to get out.

(We are currently in Colombia's "wet winter" months. Although it is not anything like our Minnesota winter, it's not the hot and beautiful weather that I remember from all of my previous trips to Colombia. Apparently the "winter" goes From March to May and comes again September to November. The other months are the dry season where the weather is warmer, even in Bogota’s high altitude.) 

Days 34 & 35

Day 34 – Tuesday, May 15^th – Mom, Sofia and I had planned to meet my aunt Elvira in a super cool shopping mall called Hacienda Santa Barbara that is on 116^th & 9^th. We were going to meet at 11:45am, but at 10:30am I got a call from our Representative asking if we could meet at Zuetana (our old hotel)  because she wanted to introduce Maria Teresa to me and another family that has been here for eight weeks already, since Maria Teresa will be filling in for our representative while she is on vacation in New York. I told her I could make it by about 11:30 by myself while my mom took Sofia to meet up with my aunt. I took a taxi to Zuetana and arrived a little late. It was great to see the staff and my friends that are staying there. Our rep told us that our papers are on the Judge’s desk just waiting to be signed. Once that happens, things should move along a lot quicker. 

Once I was done visiting, I walked to the main street and hailed a taxi to meet up at the historic shopping mall. Once I got there, I heard that my aunt was about an hour late because there was a bombing close to where she lives and she wasn’t able to find a taxi. Apparently the bomb was meant for an ex-governor, and unfortunately there were three casualties.  I’m amazed that even though things like this happen, I still feel very safe here.  Maybe part of it is that I haven’t watched TV in about a month (with the exception of a movie dubbed in Spanish), so I’m not constantly reminded of the negative. Another part of it, is that I am always aware of what’s going on around me (on my guard) and I don’t walk around outside after 6pm when it gets dark. As Perry always says: “Safety First!”.

Day 35 – Wednesday, May 16^th -  My cousin, Maria Claudia, picked us up to go to La Calera for lunch. On the way we stopped to pick up my aunt Beatriz. We drove up the rim of the mountain to a place called El Tambor. If you’re in Colombia, you can’t miss this one. The views are phenomenal on the way up and the food is typical Colombiano. We sat outside and when our order came, it was a huge basket of finger sized bites of arepas (like my mom makes), patecones (fried  plantain), yuka (similar to potato), steak. pork, papas criollas (little round yellow potatoes that are crispy on the outside and the inside is steamy and melts-in-your-mouth) and a few other things that I’m not sure what they were or what they are called. But it was good.

Rather than returning to Bogota, we continued on the mountain road to Sopo’. There is a Swiss company located in that town and there is a store that sells everything from that brand, as well as some awesome desserts (postres).  We each got a few things from the store, including desserts and coffee, and we sat on the patio outside. It was refreshing with the sun shining, but at almost 4:00pm we could feel a drastic change in temperature. We decided to head back to Bogota through the traffic.  Once again, another great day in Colombia!