A Calling & Faith

Tonight I sit here, nearly ready for bed myself, with the two most wonderfully beautiful little souls snoozing next to me. Both so peaceful (at least right now, later the snoring, teeth grinding and sleeping chattering will ensue I am quite sure.) I blog while listening to the worship CD that my bestie Kimberly Bass made for me prior to leaving for Bogota. The Lord is truly so amazing, so amazing! Who would have ever, in their wildest imagination, thought that I, a girl from small town Colorado, where the most diversity we ever experienced was 2 Hispanic families in all of our High School, would travel first to Kazakhstan for her oldest girl and then to Colombia for the littlest?? Honestly, I can't even fathom the greatness of it all, even now, now that I am living it, have been living it for 5 years. As far back as I can remember, back into my High School years, I have wanted to adopt but seriously never thought it was a reality. I never knew anybody that was adopted or that had even adopted. Why was this in my heart? Was it just a dream? Was it only because my family always teased that I was concieved by the milk man because I looked just a tad different from my family? I can tell you that I did always wonder if someday my parents would say, 'Christy, you were adopted.' I feared that actually. And now, now that I get to experience this most unique love, this amazing gift of adoption, that I will always and forever remember my fear in hearing those words. I want our girls to know that they were created on purpose, that they, just like all children, were created out of love and for a very special purpose. There are NO mistakes in this life! He has a great plan and purpose for us all, and our girls will know this, with every being in me, and in their Daddy, we will be sure they know the plans for their lives are great and amazing and purposeful. Their birth parents may not have planned for them, or been able to care for them as, I am quite sure they wished they had been able to do, but HE created them, on purpose and for a purpose! And He, put adoption in my heart, and then into my husband's heart, for a very important purpose too. He knew that this was His plan for my life! Can I have biological children? Probably, I mean I have never been pregnant, but I have no reason to think that I couldn't concieve. Can my husband have biological children? Yes, he has 4 amazing boys, all of which are biological! So, why adoption for us? Why? Because we prayed about it. Talked about it together. And both came to our own understandings that adoption was calling us! Neither of us felt called to biological. I know this seems odd given I have no biological children. Wouldn't you think that a women, once married, might yearn for this? Wouldn't you think I might yearn for a child that looks like me? A child that shares both Chris and my DNA? Most people wonder this. Some even boldly ask me why not. And all that I can say is that He put adoption in my heart for a great purpose, and I am living that purpose through the miracles of our 2 little girls! I do not yearn for biological, never have, and honestly, I love that our girls don't look like me. I love that they have brown silky hair and big brown eyes. I love their tan skin and their gentle, but fiesty spirits(Julieth is already showing that she is brave and may test us.) I also do not feel called to adoption for the mere reason that the Lord commands us to care for the orphans and widows. This is not a spiritual command that I feel I must fulfill, but it is a gift from the Lord, a gift that was birthed in my heart, by Him, not in my tummy. Listening to His plan is the most wonderfully liberating thing I have ever experienced and it all came because of my journey to Zahria. Her adoption changed my entire world, the person that I am, at the core, is the same but my feelings about my life, what is most important, are all changed, forever. I found the Lord in her adoption and I am forever grateful that I was brave enough to follow His lead, even when I didn't know it was His plan. Faith. So thankful for Faith. So thankful for the gift of my husband and our children, all of them, and how they came to be part of my life!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Sad day today, Daddy left for home at 6:00 this morning....he had to go home and take care of our Dukers and bring home the bacon. ;) The girls are officially on their own, that is until Grandma and Auntie Becky, and maybe Grandma Fellerman too, arrive! All in all, we still had a great day! Did our usual big walk, Mommy grabbed a Latte & the girls got a cup of fruit at Juan Valdez, shopped for groceries on our own at Exito, went to our hidden park, ate our Yogurt suckers, had lunch at El Refugio, hung out at the house while our new friends arrived..... So, here starts our small world, totally God story. Ended the night with some good Face Time with Daddy, thanks Apple! It was great to see him, all snug as a bug in a rug in his pillow top bed, with a hot shower and a cold beer in a hotel in Atlanta. :) Amazing how time away in another country makes you so appreciated of the comforts we have grown so accustomed to having back home. Julieth 5432the phone about 20 times, such wonderful growth, and Z had so much to tell her Daddy. Zahria is now taking over Daddy's job of giving the 5/4/3/2/1s at night. This is something Daddy is so good at, and that Zahria loves! Daddy, Z and Julieth all love soft touch, Mommy..........not so much, so tickling arms is soothing to them, thus the 5/4/3/2/1 game. On with our 'Small World God Story:' Yesterday, while Daddy was here, we went to one of our favorite city parks, it is a huge green space that used to be a Polo Grounds. There is a small park there that we like, but what we like most is the green space within in the city with wonderful views of the mountains. Anyhow, it was quiet as it was a weekday during work hours. Two other families were there, one being a white couple. Odd to see here. We immediately noticed that he was wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Extra odd as the locals here are all bundled up in long pants, sweaters and coats.....while we sweat mind you. The heat here is so different from back home. Here it is 65 and we get burned. Weird. Anyhow, we spied them from a mile away and I guess they did too. Immediately the wife, Kree, said, 'Are you Americans?' Okay, we stand out like a sore thumb. We laughed and said yep. Come to find out they are from Bismarck, ND.... this is where my brother lives. Crazy small world! After much chatting we found out that they were in their 3rd week of their adoption journey for their 2 year old son Salvador and Troy, the husband, was leaving for ND that night. They were staying in an apartment in a pretty residential area, so they hadn't gotten out much or been able to really meet anyone in Bogota. Needless to say, they both felt pretty isolated. After awhile of talking we told them about our Hotel and they were excited to hear that maybe, just maybe, Kree and Salvodor could switch where they were living and come to our Hotel. We walked them back to our hotel, showed them around and that night they text us that they were moving Kree & Salvador to our hotel on Thursday, which is today. :) So glad they are here. Having 3 American families here is going to be a lot of fun!

Love these 2

Seriously feeling so blessed that these two ladies are our girls! Who would have ever guessed that two girls, from the opposite sides of the globe (Kazakhstan and Colombia) could not only look so similar but have so many of the same little ideosyncrasies! Zahria is truly the best BIG sister ever, so caring and attentive! She gets the best laughs out of just hanging with her little sister and she is right there when I need a toy, diaper change, hand held, sliding partner, etc. And Julieth is the most caring sweet hearted soul, just like her sister. SO fortunate and blessed! Not to mention that they are both pretty stinkin' cute!

Dog Walker

Dog Walker? Yes, it is a very real job here in Colombia! Check this guy out, he is a Master Dog Walker I think, 11 dogs and they are all big dogs! A true Art! Seriously, the dogs all get along with their dog walkers, many are even let lose in the parks and don't run away. They come when they are called and walk in a well mannered fashion all picking their pecking order in the pack. So interesting! Julieth loves them too. She is fascinated by 'El Babes,' which in this case are puppies. Any animal or baby is called an 'el babe' but she especially loves dogs. So thankful for that as Duke is hoping she loves him back home too!

Psychologist Visit & Bienestar Meeting

Last week the psychologist that works at FANA, and has worked with Julieth since she was a baby, came to visit us at El Refugio, her name is Jenny. Jenny was the person that would be with Julieth when we Skyped with her too, so we knew of her already. Jenny was also the person that helped get Julieth all pretty for her presentation to us and she led (or actually Julieth led her) down the hall to meet us, so Jenny knows Julieth quite well. We were so impressed by her last week and during Julieth's presentation. Backtrack just a bit, when I went for Z in Kazakhstan, one of the major things that I liked about that program was that I was able to slowly bond with her. I visited her for 2 hours each morning and 2 hours each afternoon in her orphanage, we did this for 1.5 months. When I was able to take custody of her, she had some knowledge then of me and somewhat trusted me. She would look forward to my visits each day. This is something that is different in the Colombian adoption program, when you travel here, you meet your child right away, sometimes within hours of landing, and you take custody of your child. In speaking to attachment & stranger danger, I fretted this process. So, back to our presentation day. When they brought Julieth in, Jenny helped her transition from clenching to Jenny's hands, to interacting with us to slowly leaving the room. We noticed this all. So, last week when Jenny visited us, we spoke with her about this, and she was so spot on! She talked about attachment, bonding, a child's brain, child development, instutional living, stranger danger, failure to thrive, transitional object from the orphanage to the child's new home (which they sent Julieth to us with her favorite Baby Doll from the Orphanage / FANA because of this very reason!) After talking with Jenny, we felt even better about the care at FANA. Jenny knows of Julieth and her history. She has worked with her on many levels, one of the ways was through music, so Julieth lights up now when she hears music and likes to boogie. :) Love that! The best part of all, when J saw Jenny, and throughout our entire interview with her, Julieth didn't want to even look at her. She clung to me! She knew! You could tell she was worried that Jenny may take her with back to FANA. You could just sense her worry and anxiety, and although we didn't like that, it was great to see that she had already, after just 1 week, started to really attach to us! This week we also had our meeting with Bienestar, they are the organization to protect the rights of children here in Colombia. We met at FANA and our Defender of Minors was there as well as our Attorney. The interview went very well. They asked about our history, intentions, how we learned of Julieth, how bonding was going, what our plans for her future were, etc. We were so worried for Julieth in this as we wondered how she would do going back to FANA. All in all, she did ok. She stayed near to Mommy, Daddy and Z, but she wasn't freaking out. She snuggled mommy and said Hola to some of the ladies at FANA. Everytime we go there, or meet a new person, we are more and more encouraged and impressed. The ladies really do care! It is an amazing orphanage. That said, it is still an orphanage, where kids will never know the love, security and stabililty of a family, but at least, while they are there, they are being taken care of by loving souls. We see this in Julieth on so many levels and are so thankful to the women of FANA!

Attachment & Bonding

So thankful to have read and re-read (and brought with me) Toddler Adoption - The Weaver's Craft. It should be required reading for all families adopting a child up to 5 years old, even older perhaps! It is basically my Bible! I have found myself going back to many parts of that book over and over this past week, and I am able to wrap my head, and heart, around what Julieth is most likely experiencing inwardly & outwardly in her behaviors. Makes my heart so sad for her. I have told her many times that I am sorry that she wasn't in my tummy and that she had to be in an orphanage for the first (almost) 3 years of her little life. Thankfully, in all honesty, without holding anything back in the hopes of trying to keep this blog, and the adoption experience, as jolly and blind as possible, the orphanage that she called home since birth, FANA, really did do an amazing job with her! We can tell, in many of her interactions, that she was really well cared for and loved! She kisses and nurtures her dollies, and us! She gives so many genuinely sweet kisses and hugs, yet she isn't overly giving of her love to others. Quite healthy! She is bonding quickly with mommy and Zahria, Daddy is a slower attachment, which is quite normal. In orphanages, most all of the caregivers & nurses & directors, are women, so men tend to freak the kids out for a bit. She is quite interested in Daddy, and often interacts with him on her own terms, but if she is looking for soothing or loves, it is mommy that she is coming to. 2 days ago, while in the shared Living Space at our Hotel, El Refugio, Julieth kept coming to me on the couch, and then with her sweet little fast foot shuffle, she would scurry over to Daddy on the chair, maybe 3 feet away, go to the side of the chair, stick out her cheek, and let him kiss her. Then she would scurry back to me for a hug and off she went again for sweet suttle kisses from her Daddy. It was the best moment to watch. Here are some sweet Julieth moments: And then, there have been times, only 2 thus far, where we reach total breakdown. Yesterday was the worst so far. We were out shopping in the Leather District and we had an all out arch our back, screaming, hit mommy in the face episode that lasted a good 15 minutes. Mind you we were being watched by a ton of the locals....I am sure it didn't look that good. Luckily, Daddy and I stayed consistent, loving and patient. That was a tough one. Looking back we are quite certain it was due to a very short nap. There has also been a lot for her little world to take in this past week. Leaving all that she has ever known. All of the smells are different. Different routine. Different people and different language. How scary it must all be. It is all a delicate balance. Zahria needs for us to get out and go to a park or indoor play place, and we want to experience Julieth's culture and the city that she was created in and comes from; however, what would be best for Julieth is probably for us to lay very low so she isn't over stimulated. A delicate balance that we are trying to meet as much as we can. Our daily routine consists of waking up around 6:30, getting ready for the day. Eating breakfast in the common dining area (eggs, toast, french toast, fruit) and then heading out on the town from about 9-12:00 (to a park, shopping for groceries, etc). Lunch is served at 1:00 (tough for our little ones) then comes nap time from 2-4:00ish. We then might go back out in Bogota for a walk and another play time and back home for supper at 7:00 (again tough for the little ones.) We have kept our routine consistent and safe but nonetheless, our littlest is having to take in quite a bit. In the spirit of attachment, I am wearing Julieth in my Kozy Carrier, which has worked perfectly! I am wearing her in the front (hopefully I will lose a little weight by our trip's end:) so we can look at each other, kiss, and she can nap on my chest as we venture out. Each morning this is what happens, J takes a little snoozer on our adventures. So great for attachment! She loves the carrier! As for Zahria, she is LOVING having a little sister, she feels so big and responsible! We actually made her a 'big girl box', that she got just before our presentation of Julieth, and she feels very big having that box with her special things! The box even locks which she thinks is just the best! We have had a couple deep conversations about her feelings in all of this and that our love for her will never change! We acknowledge that we know this is not only amazing and great but tough on her too. She has been my only for 5+ years, so she has never had to share attention or affection. Sharing is tough! Seeing us love on another child is tough for her too. I feel mommy guilt in it, but I also know the great blessing of a sister, so I can have great peace in the gift of Julieth!

Our Trip to Monseratte

>> Holy Man, where to start. Such good intentions on blogging each day but then naptime and bedtime get in the way. Not complaining or anything, but I spend a good 4-5 hours each day laying in bed with either Zahria or Julieth just snuggling them to bed. Hopefully we can cut that time down as the months progress. ;0) Yesterday we had Henry, and his driver, take us outside of town to ride the tram up to the top of the Mountain, Monseratte. Talk about AMAZING! The trip up was freaky to say the least, I wish we could have grasped the shear magnitude of the grade at which we went up the mountain. Who on earth made that railway up the mountain? Seriously, how they did it is beyond us! And then to think that not only did they make a railway up that mountain, but they also created a gondola ride, ran electric and created a little village at the top too, complete with a magnificent Catholic church. < When we unloaded at what was near the top of the mountain, we hiked up a stone path that was lined with just AMAZING statues of the 15 stations of the cross. Just amazing! Zahria, of course, in all of her Catholic School glory, told us what each station was before even reaching the next station. :) Station VI was our fave, it was 'Veronica wipes the face of Jesus,' and you could see Jesus' imprint on the stone rag of the statue. Absolutely awesome! The views of the city of Bogota were amazing from here. It is a HUGE city! At the very top, just after the church, there was a stone path that led to a couple additional structures and then on to a outdoor market and local food vendors. We picked Z up a small wallet for her Colombian $$ and a little wooden guitar. Trinkets, but fun to get. And then we headed to the food area. Oh my, the local foods were both yummy and seriously disgusting looking. We played it safe and got a grilled ear of corn, sausage, boiled potatoes and then, Julieth's fave, a Tamale! Yep, she LOVED it! She kept going to Daddy for more! There are lots of stray dogs here too, in the less metro populated parts. We stay away from them, but Julieth is very intrigued by them and wants to love on them. Good sign for Duke back home! She calls them 'El Babe's. Everything is a Bebe from a true baby to a dog, horse, mule, etc. It is so cute!

Juan Valdez

We scored! Found us our favorite coffee shop here in Bogota, Juan Valdez. Their Lattes and Chai Tea are similar to a Caribou / Dunn Bros / Starbucks, but the two best parts: they offer to add Baileys (yes the real alcohol) in your coffee and they do art in your coffee. Check this out: AMAZING

Days 4 & 5 - Adjusting

Such good intentions to post daily but finding the time and energy prove tough. We are all doing very well all things considered, so much adjustment for us all: new country, new smells, new language / money / food / customs, new beds to sleep (or not sleep so well) in, new emotions and new schedules, just plain new just about everything. Yesterday we had a great morning at the park. I must admit, I was expecting a bit more out of a city park, but the kids had a really nice time and the setting was amazing! The views of the mountains and condos was beautiful. The only tricky part was the walk to the park, the driving here is crazy and it is not a pedestrian friendly city, in fact, cars have the right of way so you need to really be on the look-out! 1/2 of the curbs have the wheelchair accessible ramp and the other 1/2 are about 6-18" tall curbs, making using a stroller a massive pain in the butt! Not quite sure what they were thinking! Our days consist of waking up around 6:00 a.m. (yes, I have a room full of early risers), eating breakfast at 7:00, getting ready and heading out on the city for a walk / grocery shopping / get a latte / find a park / go walk the mall / etc. until about 12:30. 1:00 is lunch back at El Refugio, and they are doing a great job of making pretty yummy foods, and not many that are high fat / carbs either, thank goodness. In fact, tonight they made a pasta, but I had requested that I didn't eat much pasta or breads, so instead they made me a lettuce wrap! SO thoughtful! After lunch is nap time / rest time, always needed and then we usually head back on the town for a couple hours before our 7:00 supper (pretty late for kiddos especially given 7:00 has been Julieth's bedtime.) Then off to bed. When we have down time in the room, the girls are doing a great job entertaining themselves with the toys that we brought from home. Art supplies, building cups, dinosaurs, writing pads, linking rings, books, etch a sketch, baby dolls, etc etc etc. We tried to stock up as much as we could given luggage restraints. :) And this brings us to last night... What a tough start to the night it was. Learning the little one and what she needs for sleep. Take not knowing us at all, with a new environment, new bed, new smells, new language, etc. the girl has a lot going against her right now. :( SO brave! Luckily, we were ready for this and have patience for the curve. We are learning that she doesn't like to be set in her crib for night time, she needs very intimate snuggles, in fact, she is SO like Z this way, she wants to be nearly on top of you in order to sleep, the closer the better. :) But, until we figured this out, the night was rough. When Julieth woke up around 9:00 she cried and cried which made Zahria start to cry and cry, something she rarely does. She cannot handle hearing other kids cry. Love that heart of hers, so sensitive yet sometimes you would never know that if you didn't intimately know her. Both girls wanted Mommy, which was rough, rough for both me and Daddy. After many attemps, I curled up next to Z in her toddler bed with Julieth on top of me. Both crying. We were up until midnight trying to soothe them both. Daddy rocking Zahria and me rocking Julieth. In the end, the only way Julieth would give in and sleep was when I lied down next to Chris on the bed and held her next to me. I held off on doing this for so long because Chris, Zahria, Julieth and I cannot all fit on the full size hard bed. I felt so guilty for Zahria. She is adjusting so much too. She has been my only for 5 years and the center of much of Chris' attention for the past 2.5 years, so adjusting to attention and routines is tricky. That on top of the fact that she is SO stinkin' smart makes it all tricky. We had BIG talks about how much we love her, understand how tough this is for her, she will never be replaced, what a baby needs, that Z needed this too, how scary it is to be Julieth right now and how sad, yet happy, Zahria feels about having a sister. That egocentric part in all of us just wants to be the ONLY and the CENTER all to often, especially when that is what we have known. Tonight was better. Daddy decided he would go into the shared Living Room while the girls snuggled on the full size bed. Again, made me feel so guilty, but this is what the girl's needed to feel loved and fall asleep. Julieth curled right up into my arm and fell asleep after about 20 songs. Z and I then snuggled for another 25 minutes and then went into her big girl 'toddler' bed. :) It is now 9:45 and they are both asleep although stirring. The little one talks a lot in her sleep, is restless and like Z, grinds her teeth. She is also a finger sucker, not her thumb, not two fingers, but she sucks her pointer finger. So silly! Dad is out in the Living Area enjoying the BBall game now. :) Learning as we go here. We also had a birthday party for another little girl named Chloe tonight. Chloe is also from FANA and she turned 3 today. :) It was great fun! They brought in snacks, a cake, decorations, a young girl that did games, face painting and silly dancing. They made bunny sandwiches for the kids and gave special drinks. Really a fun time! This is all so crazy to us! We are feeling so blessed! Julieth is such a wonderful fit for us, so full of life and personality already. FANA must have really truly done a wonderful job in caring for these kiddos as she has such life to her, she giggles, loves kisses and snuggles, loves her babies, combs her hair and tends to Zahria. She genuinely was cared for and it shows in her spirit - so thankful for that! I am sure this is partly orphanage related and partly culture, but we are so grateful that, at almost 3, with a special needs label, she is full of life and spirit and love!

Day #3 - Presentation Day

What a day today has been! Chris and I are sitting here on our hotel bed, looking at our 2 girls sleep, in total awe! Feeling so blessed! This morning we still didn't know what to expect of today. As of 9:30, we hadn't heard anything at all about if, and when, our presentation of Julieth would be happening. And then, we met Carmen, soon we learned that we needed to get ready because presentation would be at 10:30 and Maria Teresa was on her way to come get us! Yikes! On went the dress clothes, bags packed, paperwork gathered, and then off we went. It was about a 20 minute drive to FANA, which is located in a little city just outside Bogota. The ride was beautiful, minus all of the cars and congestion of the city. Bogota is bordered, on the East side, by Mountains making the drive so scenic. When we arrived at FANA, we were escorted upstairs to the 'Presentation Room,' a room filled with 3 couches a chair and probably 100 photos of families created through adoption at FANA. It was a really nice room, probably 15x20' or so feet with views of the tree tops. FANA itself is a very nice building, very clean, no yucky smells, tons of natural light and stained glass. Art on the walls. Very welcoming! Not what you would expect from an orphanage. We were greeted by another family in the presentation room, they were there meeting with their 10 month old daughter, Isabella. The couple was living in France, he was French and she Colombian, and their daughter was just beautiful! After about 30 minutes of talking with the Director, giving updated paperwork, etc. they sent for Julieth. They took the clothes that we brought for her, which was an old dress of Zahria's :), and got Julieth all prettied up. Just for the record, her hair is done up SO cute, several itty bitty rubberbands create several itty bitty pony tails that come together at the top of her head to form a sweet pony tail crown of sorts. Yep, that is the only time you are going to see this creation in her hair. Love that they care for her so well! So, the ladies prettied her up, dressed her in Z's dress and escorted her into the Presentation Room. I think there were at least 8 women that walked with her to the room and stayed with us for a good 20 minutes. It was amazing! They brought Julieth's favorite toys, her blankie we had made and sent for her, her photo book of our family, stacking cups, and her little dolly complete with her make shift spoon. They even let us take her dolly with!!! So amazing! They do get this attachment / transition stuff! Slowly, they introduced us to her and her to us. Little by little her caregivers stepped back and let us interact with her, giving us cues as to interactions. Zahria did just beautifully with her sister! So gentle! So kind! After about half an hour of floor time, we loaded up and made the transition to leaving FANA. So brave! This is the only home that Julieth has ever known, ever since she was a day old she has been at FANA. Such mixed emotions. On the one hand, so thankful and happy to break her free of a life without a family and on the other hand, so sad to take her from all she has known, the ladies that have honestly so lovingly cared for her, her culture, her smells, her friends..... Fewee, that was stressful. Here is J on our way home from FANA, sacked out in Momma's arms.

Day #2 - Settling in in Bogota

Today was a mix of emotions, a bit of exhaustion followed by a (much needed nap - only by Mom & Dad while Z watched Netflix) and then a wonderful evening. Z continues to be a champ! She is loving having other kiddos here to hang and play with. There are moments of stress, as she is going through enormous amounts of change; however, all in all, she is doing quite well! I think she really LOVES the slumber party atmosphere of sharing a room with us! Okay, so we like it too! She slept well last night and is passed out again tonight! This morning we woke up to fried eggs, toast, coffee and fresh fruit. We chatted with our new friends, played a bit in the backyard of our hotel / hostel (they have a bit of greenspace and a swingset) and then off we went to get a tour of the about 10 block radius of streets that we should frequent. When we first started to get ready for this trip, we went shopping and bought a bunch of new summer clothes for the girls and us, and then, with a bit of back tracking, we looked at the weather....yep, we are south of the equator, so we are going into their Fall season here I guess. That said, we shopped for a second time for more fall like apparel. 60s are normal here now. So today, while walking, we were a bit bundled up, and it got hot. Maybe it was the altitude that started to do us in? Maybe it was the unexpected sun? Maybe it was walking and not knowing where we were going or 'how much further' we had to go? But, we became exhausted. We did get to see lots of great things! This area is a great area in Bogota! Right in the mountains, surrounded by shops and parks and tons of people biking and roller blading! No worries at all. Very cosmopolitian. We found the bank, the grocery store, the baby goods store, local coffee shop, pizza place, indoor play places, etc. Very nice to get to know the area, but very tiring too! We came home, our new home at least, and zonked for a bit! Much needed! Our hotel is a single family home of sorts tucked in amongst tall, very modern and lovely, condo buildings. An odd fit for the area. Our hotel / hostel is named El Refugio, and it has about 10 bedrooms, all with private baths, and a common living / dining and kitchen area. Quite home'y.' The staff is wonderful so far. Out back there is a nice size green space with patio table and swingset, all fenced so the kids can just play play play in safety. We are quite content here. Currently there are several adopting families here, 3 of us that are adopting from FANA, 2 others from a different orphanage. I believe one of the families is from France, one Spain, one Portugal and 2 America.... or something like that. Kind of funny to watch us all try to communicate. :) I am sure we will learn more about each family as we are here longer. One family, who is also adopting a little girl, age 3, from FANA has been here 10 weeks now. Argh! Anyhow, tonight, Erin, the mom of the other American family, had a babysitter coming to hang with her 2 older boys, ages 3 (Ben, adopted from Ethiopia) and Lucas, age 5 (adopted from Bogota / FANA.) The girl is a colege student here in Bogota and she works with Erin's husband Ted on his Medical Mission Trips here in Colombia. Pretty safe relationship. :) Her name is Daniella. Anyhow, Erin offered that Zahria could stay back at the hotel and hang with the boys and Daniella too if she wanted. Honestly, I didn't think this would fly, for us or for Z, but as we learned more, we felt better and so we gave Z the option, she was all in. The kids were staying here, in a secured building with secured staff with a college girl that works with Erin's husband, so all was safe. They had a grand time! The 3 of us, and Sam, Erin & Ted's youngest (that they are currently in the process of adopting through FANA) went out. We only went 3 blocks away to the BBC, Bogota Beer Company. YUMMY! Chris ordered a local beer, Erin a red wine and me, a yummy Asian fruit Martini. The local gentleman next to us recommended it! We also ordered super yummy Nachos! A great little trip, a celebration of our current life! Because tomorrow, we meet our littlest and,,,,well, who knows how much life is about to change for Team Fellerman! :)

Bogota Colombia here come the Fellermans

May 18, 2013 Operation Go Get Babiest Fellerman is Underway! 8:00 a.m. Grandma Fellerman arrives at our home in Coon Rapids, MN and picks us up to head to the Minni Airport. Bags packed, all 3 large checked bags (2 of which are over 50lbs, 3 carry-ons, 2 back-packs (packed plum full) and one purse and a stroller. Yes, we packed to the max! 2 months overseas, what do you expect?!!?? We arrive at the airport, unload at curbside check-in, and..........Grandma's car gets bonked by some non-helpful, very ignorant (to put it nicely) man. He says, 'hurry hurry let's go to the ladies he is with without a mention of 'is all ok, I am so sorry, what can I do.....' Not a thing. Instead, when comfronted by Chris, he says, 'Oh that is about 20 cents of damage, I will give you a dollar.' ARGH! And I digress. All is fine. We head into the airport, hop on our plane and wallah, we are off for our great adventure! We make it to NYC just fine and Z is a champ on the plane! We think we have a 2.5 hour layover.......nope, 5 minutes! We get to the new gate and 5 minutes later, we are boarded and off we go to Bogota! All in all, good flights! Z is a champ, she looks out over the clouds and is in awe. She is amazed by the squares of land on the ground and feels quite at home watching hours of Disney. Yep, we didn't control the t.v. consumption at all. Bad parents. :) j/k. We make it to Bogota and there is Henry, as promised, waiting for us at the airport with his sign stating, 'THE FELLERMANS.' No problems, bags are all there, super nice airport. Ahhhh, I have forgotten 2 very important pieces. When we pull up to the Bogota Airport, our Delta gate is occupied so they have to park the plane and bring out the temporary stairs. The bus comes to get us, we hop on, it is packed and ........ a gentleman gets up to offer Z and I his seat. SO nice! We say we are good. Another 2 gentleman then scoooch over and create a small opening for Zahria to sit down, she, surprisingly takes a seat. :) 10:00 at night and this girl, wakes from a slumber on the plane, and is a total CHAMP! So nice that chivalry is not dead, at least not here! We get to customs and once again, the gentleman opens a walk-way for us because we are with child. We scoot right to the front of the line. Man is this nice! Through customs, no problem, into our van with Henry and on to El Refugio we go. Not a problem at all! At El Refugio, our hotel / hostel, we are greeted by one of the keepers and Erin, the mom of another adopting American Family from Missouri. We are immediately welcomed and shown to our room on the main floor where we will stay for 2 nights until a larger room on the 2nd floor opens for us. We talk a bit, get semi-tucked in, put Z to bed and we zonk out. We are safe! We are in Bogota and only 20 minutes from our littlest. How crazy is this life!