Day 40: Our First Month Together & Making a Difference

We’ve been a forever family for one month and it feels great.

Everyone knows time doesn’t stand still. But sometimes it feels to move slower; and other times faster. Our wait for Daniel felt very slow, but time has moved quickly after Gotcha Day on May 30.

You often hear new mothers talk about how their child does something new or different every day. The pace of their physical and mental development is so quick for babies. Daniel is no different.

Daniel has formed an emotional attachment to each of us in different ways. Mami consoles him when he is tired or hurt. Papi plays and either carry or push him everywhere. Mami feeds him and Papi bathes him. We are finding our strengths and weaknesses with parenthood and the outline of our responsibilities is slowly forming.

So, what changes have we noticed in Daniel beyond attachment?

1.      He tries to say agua, casa, momma, and papa.

2.      He had six teeth on Gotcha Day and now has two new ones coming out now.

3.      Daniel has learned a few cool tricks like blowing on Papi’s arm to make poot noises.

4.      Papi taught Daniel how to blow kisses.

5.      Mami taught Daniel how to play peek-a-boo (he still only uses one very small hand to cover his entire face)

6.      He used to just drop objects on the floor, but now it’s a game. If you have kids, then you know the “Oh Oh,” game. He plays it constantly. In fact, he actually says “Oh Oh,” before he drops things, or if he hears a stranger drop something in the grocery store.

7.      Since Gotcha Day, Daniel has been learning how to walk. He still has a lot of development to go, but he’s going to get there.

8.      He has gained weight, which is HUGE.

9.      When he is full, now he spits his food out.

10.  He has learned to make lots of new noises with his mouth.

Today we went to Carrefour, located in Santa Fe Mall, to purchase a variety of items for our visit to one of the local orphanages.

This was particularly meaningful for us. It is so important to be able to provide even a little bit for children who need so much. We filled our shopping cart with a couple hundred diapers, sleeping clothes, chocolate milk powder, milk and toys.

Despite what appeared to be so much, “I doubt some of this will last a day,” Claudia said.

We took a short cab ride to the orphanage. It’s located in a nondescript building. We rang the door and within a couple of minutes were allowed to enter. We entered into the garage and laid out our donations.

The receptionist greeted us and was very appreciative of what we brought. The orphanage has 53 children; many of whom are teenagers and disabled. Some of the children are categorized as disabled because they needed a one-time surgery but are otherwise healthy.

The receptionist said we couldn’t take a tour because ICBF was visiting the orphanage today. But we may be able to see the facility tomorrow if we returned. We were very happy to hear that news and are excited about returning.

Day 37: Forrester Lose Track of Days and Realize Today is Really Day 39

How it happened probably isn’t as important as the fact that it happened.

We are actually on day forty. We have no clue what happened to the missing two days. I can assure you they weren’t the Gotcha Day or Sentencia. Other than that, who knows, right?

Well, I’ll start on Day 40 for the next blog for those who are keeping up.

As for today’s events, we continued trying to keep Daniel on a more normal schedule. We visited with Bisabuela Joca and her housemaid Francia (who went with us to Jaime Duke Park with her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter).

The original plan was to have breakfast, or desayuno, at 10 a.m. We arrived at noon. So breakfast had turned into lunch de facto.

Daniel and I took a two hour siesta. He was tired and I was still sick with a sore throat and lingering body aches. While we slept, Claudia, Bisabuela and Francia took a walk outside. The weather was great; clear skies and sunshine.

Daniel and I awoke at 2:30 p.m. We all took a short walk to Unicentro Mall. There we said our good-byes. It was bitter sweet. We’re leaving Sunday, so this is the last time for us to see Bisabuela.

Daniel gave her a wet kiss and hug. Claudia and Bisabuela hugged and wiped a few tears from their eyes.

It’s hard to say good-bye.

Day 36: U.S Government Grants Daniel Visa and Residence Status

Tuesday Daniel completed his adoption process and was granted permanent resident status in the United States.

At approximately 2:30 p.m. Claudia, accompanied by her grandfather Hernando, hailed a taxi in front of Mirandela Shopping Center across from the condominium. Inside the taxi, she gave the driver instructions to go to the United States Embassy.

The driver wasn’t quite as good as the one who took us to the Embassy last Thursday because he didn’t know exactly how to get to the front gate of the Embassy. As a result, he dropped Claudia and Abuelo a few blocks from the Embassy.

Despite the unexpected walking, Claudia had no issues picking up Daniel’s U.S. Visa and a sealed package of documents we assume to be related to his immigration process. The package has special instructions to remain sealed until we arrive at the U.S. Customs and Immigration office in Houston.

It’s hard to believe the process is now over. Daniel is our son and will become a U.S. citizen within the next few days. His life, and ours, is forever changed.

Of course, the day’s events and significance didn’t exactly impact Daniel’s day. He was in a pleasant mood. In fact, he had slept most of the night despite our concern to the contrary. He is teething and has a couple of new front teeth appearing. It took us a couple of days to realize the new teeth were the reason he was being cranky. After we gave him some teething oral-jell to relieve the pain, he was in much better spirits.

I stayed at the apartment with Daniel during the day. We really wanted to get him back on his routine. After a weekend trip, his routine was a wreck. Also, I wasn’t feeling very well and may be getting a little bit of a sore throat and low fever.

We are so thankful our process is almost over! We’re emotionally ready to be back in our home and see everyone.

Day 34 & 35: Forresters take Weekend Trip to Villa de Leyva & Raquira

Sunday & Monday: Taking advantage of the long weekend, we traveled for an overnight stay in one of Colombia’s most famous pueblos.

Villa de Leyva is one of Brian’s favorite towns in Colombia. The town is one of the oldest in Colombia and a step back in time to the Spanish colonial period. Known for its white-washed walled buildings and portons, Villa de Levya has changed very little since Spain ruled the countryside nearly 200 years ago.

Another benefit of Villa de Leyva is it is located only three hours from Bogota. The route takes you through Tunja in Boyacá and past El Puente de Boyacá, the site of one of Simon Bolivar’s most significant military victories en route to overthrow the Spaniards in Bogota.

Claudia’s uncle Alberto offered to take us on the overnight trip. We piled into his car around mid-morning Sunday. While Tio Alberto and Bisabuelo had basically a backpack for the overnight trip, we had a suitcase, pack & play, baby bag, camera, tripod, etc.

“All of this is for just one night,” I said. We’re getting used to being parents, a responsibility that requires we pack for an army even though it is really just for one child.

Puente de Boyacá translates to Bridge of Boyacá. There is a small white-washed bridge that crosses a small creek. Four soldiers dressed in period military uniforms stood guard on both sides of the bridge. A small crowd of people were touring the historic site.

The sky was overcast and within a few minutes of being there it began to rain. The good thing was the rain scattered the people, who were searching for cover. This allowed for me to snap a few quick photos without so many people in the photo.

Afterward, we hopped back into the car and continued our trip. In Tunja, a city nearly 500 years old, we stopped for lunch. Daniel did great during the car ride and even took a nap every now and then.

Once we arrived in Villa de Leyva, we checked into our hotel and quickly unpacked our bags so we could go to the town’s main plaza. Several guests were cyclists. There was a small bike race around the city that day. Cycling is a very popular hobby for many Colombians.

We walked around the main plaza of Villa de Leyva, which was full of tourists from Colombia and other countries. People were drinking and eating and after the sun set they were listening to storytellers weave fables on the cobblestone in front of the church steps.

We woke up around 8:30 a.m. Daniel woke up during the night a couple of times. He was completely disoriented, but I’m sure the fact there was no electricity and the room was pitch black; only my iphone broke the darkness.

We had a healthy breakfast and headed toward Raquira (pronounced Rack-e-da), a small town about an hour from Villa de Leyva and famous for manufacturing thousands of handcrafts sold throughout the country.

Where Villa de Leyva is white-washed walls and portons, Raquira is an explosion of colors. Buildings are painted bright reds, greens, pinks and blues. One building is even painted red, blue and yellow, the three colors of the Colombian flag. The main road that enters the city is bordered on both sides by locally-owned shops until the road arrives at the city’s main square and plaza.

The road is a swarm of activity. Shop owners stand at their doorways calling out to passersby, “Bienvenidos. Siguen.”

Claudia and I disappeared into many of the stores while Tio Alberto and Bisabuelo watched after Daniel. We believed it would be expensive to take Daniel into stores filled with fragile art crafts.

When buying in Raquira, never pay asking price. Claudia is an expert, as some may already know, at negotiation. She can hammer those poor people into giving her things for free. You almost feel bad for the vendors!

The stores were packed with hundreds of Portons (they are miniature replicas of the famous balconies from Villa de Leyva and often have flowers, machetes, dogs or cats, etc. Also, we have several in our kitchen if you’ve been to our house before), hand-made wrist bands, ceramics, t-shirts, typical Colombian hats, toys, hammocks, and a variety of sizes of chivas (brightly colored vehicles typical of Colombia)

We racked up in Raquira! We purchased a lot of things for friends, family and us. But despite the great deals, after three hours we were beginning to get a little hungry. We hadn’t even reached the town plaza because we were doing so much shopping.

After lunch we headed toward Chiquinquira to see one of the most famous churches in the country. Pope John Paul and Simon Bolivar, the liberator of Colombia and four other countries from Spain, have each paid visits to the Basilica for the Virgin of Chiquinquira.

The Basilica is located in front of a large plaza that features a statue and is a hub of the city’s activity. Inside a mass was in progress. Several locals were seated respectfully as the priest spoke. His voice echoed in the cavernous space.

Local and Catholic lore know the Basilica as being the source of numerous miracles, which was one of the reasons driving Pope John Paul’s visit, explained Claudia.

“The church is similar to those we saw while in Italy and Spain,” Claudia said. It was her first time to visit also.

The sun was setting behind one of the large, white-washed buildings in front of the Basilica which meant we needed to get back on the road. We were still a couple of hours from Bogota.

Road trips are great, but in Colombia you can’t take them for granted for numerous reasons. One of the main reasons is people drive crazy in this country. It’s common place for cars, buses and commercial 18-wheelers to pass on blind curves or pass multiple vehicles at a time. Each time they do so, they risk head-on-collisions, their lives and those of the people around them.

So we took advantage of the little daylight left of the day and headed home. About thirty miles from Bogota, Tio Alberto’s clutch gave out and he wasn’t able to go from second to third gear. We were in traffic with other people returning to Bogota from their weekend trips.

We stopped a few times and debated about being able to continue. We decided to keep the car in second gear and drive the last 20 miles as slow as necessary despite the blaring horns from frustrated drivers behind us. Fortunately, the remainder of the drive was on two lane roads and cars and trucks could pass us easily.

Once home, we unpacked and had dinner. Daniel, who had slept the entire way home from Chiquinquira, ate a quick dinner and went to bed. His parents were worn out too, but not sure if he would wake up during the night since he had slept so much already.

Only time would tell.

Day 33: Visit with Friends

Given we are officially on a countdown to return home, we took advantage of our last Saturday in Colombia to visit with Lilliana and her boyfriend Juan.

The day was not particularly eventful beyond our meeting with Claudia’s college friend but an enjoyable distraction from being in the condominium all day. The weather cooperated with us also as it was sunny with a slight chill in the air.

We enjoyed lunch in a restaurant just outside Bogota. The establishment is relatively new and is the second location for one of Bogota’s most famous local dives known for bar-b-que ribs, although they don’t resemble anything like what we call ribs in the South.

The restaurant was very spacious and empty of patrons by mid-afternoon when we arrived. We selected a table inside rather than on the patio because of the chill in the air. Our service was prompt and the food was great.

It was good to visit with old friends. Lilliana was one of the first of Claudia’s friends I met. She came to the United States the year Claudia and I were married and was the envoy for our wedding rings.

After lunch we drove a little farther north to the town of Sopo. There we visited Alpina’s factory and restaurant again. The first time we visited was with Claudia’s uncle our first weekend in Colombia.

It was a great way to begin closing out our visit in Bogota. The first time we were at Alpina was without Daniel, which made the second visit more special. Our lives have forever changed for the better with Daniel in our lives.

While we enjoyed our deserts, we were not alone. There was a huge crowd of people doing the same as us. This weekend is a holiday for Colombia. Businesses are closed on Monday. So, once again, Colombians take advantage of the break and do little things to make it special; like enjoying desert at Alpina.

During the evening, we tried to get well rested because Sunday we were heading for a little adventure to Villa de Leyva.

Day 32: U.S. Grants Daniel Visa to Enter States

A day after Colombia-based ICBF officially closed its file on Daniel Forrrester, the United States granted him a sought-after visa to enter the states with his parents.

We woke up at 5:45 a.m. and began our morning routine preparing to leave for our 8:30 a.m. meeting at the United States Embassy. Daniel skipped his morning bath, dressed wearing his USA jacket and had a quick breakfast. Claudia grabbed all of our documents necessary for our meeting and we were off.

We hailed a taxi to take us to the U.S. Embassy that is located near the El Dorado International Airport. En route, we struck up a conversation with the driver. There are 400,000 taxis serving Bogota's 7.4 million population. No wonder its so easy to get a taxi!

Even though we arrived at the Embassy at 7:45 a.m. there was already a line of a few hundred people hoping to receive a U.S. visa. Each person pays just to have an opportunity for an interview at the Embassy with no guarantee of receiving a visa.

A U.S. visa is very difficult to obtain in Colombia. It's something most U.S. citizens don't understand because there are very few countries that require U.S. citizens to obtain a tourist visa. Nearly every person waiting this morning had a packet of documents for their interview.

Inside the packets there was more than likely either letters from a family member in the United States petitioning for the applicant to recieve a tourist visa and vouching they will be responsible for the applicant, financial documents supporting a sufficient amount of money to incentivize the applicant's return to Colombia, and/or letters from work, etc.

The interviewer has a lot of leeway during the interview, based on information provided from a U.S representative. The interviewer has the right to ask whatever questions they want. They can request to review every document the applicant brings, or on a good day they won't even ask for it. If the applicant is nervous, then odds are against them receiving a visa. For these reasons and more, no one in Colombia takes the process for granted.

As we watched people leave from their interview, they had one of two reactions. Either they were smiling and hugging their family members, or they had a sad or frustrated expression. Many had dressed formally for the interview and some were probably wearing new clothes specifically for this morning.

All of that said, Daniel's situation is different. Because of his adoption, his visa is almost guaranteed. His visa will only be good for the 5-hour flight to Houston, but once he arrives there he will become a U.S. citizen.

After nearly two hours waiting, we were told his visa was approved and we can pick it up on Tuesday. Personally, I think his USA jacket had a lot of sway during the interview process. The little guy is eager to be home just like his parents!

This is the last step in our nearly 18 month process to bring our son home.

That afternoon, we went to Santa Fe to celebrate with Daniel. He ate Bandeja Paisa with mommy and  I ate a burger to satisfy a week-long craving. After lunch, we went to both of the children's play areas. Daniel was in heaven with all of the children running and jumping around him.

We headed back to the condo after a couple of hours. Daniel was obviously worn out based on his crying. It was time to start our night-time routine. Eat. Play. Change into pajamas. Bottle. Bed.

Day 31: ICBF Closes Case for Daniel Forrester

By all accounts Daniel appeared the same as we rode in the taxi back to our condo this afternoon, but something unseen was very different.

At 2:30 p.m. we met with Lucia's assistant Andres at the Colombian passport office. The weather was overcast and scattered showers. We stepped out quickly after paying our fare. Another couple was waiting to get into the taxi. When it's raining in Bogota, taxis are a valuable commodity.

We didn't need to wait very long to pick up Daniel's Colombian passport. The passport office had moved to a newer, larger location since we were last there to pick up Claudia's Colombian passport nearly a month ago. Maybe being in a new location makes things more efficient!

The wait was only about 20 minutes to get his passport. While waiting, Daniel was getting pretty tired and fighting sleep. I walked around the aisles with him in my arms. Claudia and Andres took care of the passport. When we finished, we grabbed another taxi and headed to the ICBF headquarters located near the airport.

At ICBF, we finalized Daniel's adoption paperwork, known as the "Resolution," and ICBF closed his case. Daniel is our son by all accounts. The only thing we need now is his U.S. Visa to return home. We're so close to being finished!

Outside ICBF, we said our good-bye's to Andres. He won't be joining us at the U.S. Embassy tomorrow, so this was likely our last opportunity to see him.

Lucia, Andres and our attorney Oscar are an amazing team. Lucia has been in the business for 40 years. Andres has worked with Lucia for 10 years and Oscar for 14 years. They operate like a well oiled machine. We would likely still be waiting for Sentencia if it weren't for them. (We've met one couple who have been in Colombia for two months trying to finalize the adoption!)

Daniel finally fell asleep in Claudia's arms as we rode through busy Bogota traffic en route to the condo. We both looked at him with love.

"He has no idea what has just happened," I said.

By the end of the day, something about us had changed. Daniel's first chapter in life, as hard as it may have been, finally ended today. Now he is writing a new chapter in life with a forever family and we are blessed by God to be that family.

Day 30: Forresters Begin Jumping Through Final Hoops

Now the fun begins as we take our final steps toward leaving Colombia and Daniel receiving his U.S. citizenship.

The day began early since our first meeting was at 8:30 a.m. at the Passport office. We dressed Daniel in some of his best clothes and brushed his hair for his photos. He looked great.

We hailed a taxi and met with Lucia's assistant Andres who helped us navigate the Passport office. Daniel did a great job posing for his Colombian passport photo. We had the option of either getting an emergency passport which would be ready within a day but be good for seven months, or wait an extra day and get a passport that is good for 10 years. We know we'll be coming back to visit so it made sense to go ahead and get the 10-year passport.

Once we finished with the Colombian passport, we dove into a small store a couple doors down from the passport office and took Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa.

During this time, Lucia and Andres were contacting the U.S. Embassy doctor to see if we could meet with him today instead of waiting until we received the Colombian passport. Luckily we were able to schedule a meeting for 3:00 p.m.

The process continues to move quickly.

After taking Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa we had a few hours free before our next meeting. We took a short taxi ride to La Hacienda Mall, a high-end mall that was built to look like a small farm. We did mostly window shopping, but found some great boots for Claudia.

After lunch, we took a walk around Usaquen town. It's similar to Belle Meade in Nashville in the sense that its part of Bogota but has its own mayor and other city operations. The town is high-end with elegant restaurants, clothing stores and artifacts wrapping around the town square and church.

We arrived at Casa Lanthana at 1:40. It was great to re-introduce Daniel to the staff who had taken such great care of him during our first week. The staff were so happy to see him. Another great sign of Daniel's attachment to us was when he preferred for me rather than the staff hold him.

Andres showed up at 2:30 and we headed off to the doctor's office. The doctor was tall and had a low gravely voice that reminded me of Herman Munster from the Adam's Family. He was very friendly and would throw out hints about parenthood with a twinkle in his eye.

We were very comfortable talking with the doctor. To our surprise, he lived in the United States for about five years working at a hospital in Louisana and at St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis.

Daniel was a little nervous when the doctor took a look at him. The doctor let Daniel hold a few of his instruments and play with toys.

Most importantly, the doctor signed off on the documents necessary for the U.S. Embassy to provide us with Daniel's visa. We're confirmed to visit the U.S. Embassy on Friday at 8:30 a.m. Everything is falling into place quickly. It's hard to believe we are almost finished!

During the evening, we had a brief meeting with Claudia's uncle Alberto. We're taking advantage of the Colombian holiday this weekend and planning a trip to Villa de Leyva, located about three hours from Bogota. It's one of my favorite places to go.

God Bless,
Brian, Claudia and Daniel

Day 29: Colombia Recognizes Daniel as a Forrester

Tuesday, June 21st was the BEST Day for the Forrester Family. Afer a month in Colombia we finally got the sentencia from a judge saying Daniel is our official baby boy. It was an emocional day.

We got up early because we were waiting for Lucia's call at any time. Around noon we got the good news. Our court appoinment was for 2:30 pm. Also, she recommended for Brian and Daniel to stay at the condo because it was going to be a long afternoon of paperwork. We went out to eat a quick lunch and right after that I headed to Casa Lanthana with my grandfather to meet Lucia's partner Andres, who was going to take us to the court in downtown Bogota. Around 2:15 we arrived at the building and met our lawyer Oscar.

We went trough all the paperwork to make sure all the information was correct. It melted my heart to see my son's name for the first time on paper with our last name. I don't have words to describe the moment. It was awesome. I signed the papers and we waited for about 30 minutes for the judge to sign it. Andres and the lawyer shook my hand and told me congratulations, "It is official. Daniel is your son."

 At that point I was ready to cry. My son, my fist son, was finally offcially my baby boy.

Right after that we headed out to the Notary to change Daniel's last name to Forrester on his birth certificate. In Colombia, you need to go to the Notary where you were first registered to obtain original birth certificates or make any changes. This means we were going to the Notary where Daniel was first registered. It was a special connection to part of Daniel's past. It was really far away and the traffic in Bogota can be a mess sometimes.

As soon as we walked into the Notary building, I saw all the couples registering the little babies. I became a really proud mom also. I was going to register our baby boy under our names as his parents. What a great feeling! What a great Day!!!

While we were waiting to get copies of the documents, I finally had time to call Brian and give him an update. He was really excited also and couldn't wait to celebrate. He also had great news for me. He was having a great afternoon with Daniel; a great bonding time for both of them.

I got home around 7 pm. It was a long day for everybody. As soon as Daniel saw me at the front door he was so excited that he was jumping and screaming like crazy. It was like he knew what a great and significant day we had as a family of three. All my exhaustion melted and I was ready for some play time with my son. I love my two boys with all my heart.

Good nigh everybody. We have another busy day tomorrow!!!

Claudia

Sentencia Scheduled for Tuesday!

Our liaison Lucia confirmed this evening our Sentencia is confirmed for Tuesday and now the fun begins!

This is fantastic news and means our time in Colombia is coming to an end within about a week. We'll definitely be able to spend Daniel's 1st birthday in Nashville.

We're supposed to meet Lucia downtown tomorrow morning and meet with the judge overseeing our case. Depending on the time we finish, we'll be able to immediately go get Daniel's birth certificate.

The rest of the week we'll have a lot to do. We need to obtain Daniel's Colombian passport, take him to the U.S. Embassy doctor and receive his U.S. Visa.

We need to change our flights, but will be heading to Nashville next week!

Stayed tuned.

Day 28: With End Approaching It's Time to Shop

With hopefully only a couple of weeks left in Bogota, it was time to start hunting for gift ideas for friends and family.

We believe Sentencia will be Tuesday based on our last conversation with Lucia. It will be only a matter of time before we can return to the States once Sentencia is behind us. So time is becoming a valuable commodity for us.

We had an early breakfast and headed outside The day was gorgeous. Blue skies and sunshine with a few white clouds here and there.

We visited a flea market near the condo. Basically, it's a vacant lot between buildings on a main road. Someone bought the lot and then sold or rented 10' x 10' spaces to local vendors. Walking through the flea market makes me feel as though I'm going to meet that guy from Gremlins who sold the Magwai to the dad. It's an interesting spectrum of merchandise, but includes several typical Colombian-made items too.

Daniel was a trooper during the entire day. He wasn't fussy and relaxed most of the time while in his stroller. He also ate a great lunch. It's been difficult to get him to eat solid foods for the past few days, but fortunately today he decided he'd give chewing another attempt.

During the afternoon we went to Santa Fe to avoid an afternoon shower. We visited a children's play area and let Daniel burn off the calories from lunch. Watching him interact with the older children is fun to watch. He so wants to be a big kid and do big kid things.

Daniel loved playing with the other children, but would look for either Claudia or I. This is a great thing because it indicates our attachment is going well. He also looks to us to comfort him when he bumps his head, falls down or other such event. We make a big deal out of ever knock or fall. Doing so helps him attach with us.

By the time we returned to the condo, Daniel was worn out and ready for dinner and bed. He has acted wonderful the past few days and we feel as though he is really starting to view us as his parents.

Day 27: Our First Father's Day

Being a father is still a new role for me.

There will only be one first father's day as a father. It's still hard to believe that the child who climbs up my leg and sleeps in the crib in our room is our son.

Claudia and I enjoyed the first several years together after our wedding. We traveled. We bought our first house. We enjoyed lazy weekends. But as time passed, we felt the desire to start our family. I don't remember a specific date we decided to start a family, but I know it was a few years ago. It's been a long time coming to finally have a child in our lives.

So to finally see Daniel's smiling face and hear his laughter is such a sweet blessing for both of us. I pray to be as good a father as possible for him.

I can't help but see things from a slightly new perspective. I reflect on Abraham and Isaac. I think of God's willingness to sacrifice his son for our salvation. I have a new, growing appreciation for Christ and God's love for us.

We spent the day at Claudia's Uncle Miguel's home to celebrate El Dia De Padre, or Father's Day. Daniel met several second cousins and other family members. He was a little bit nervous and never completely relaxed.

That evening I laid Daniel down in his crib. He was sound asleep and looked so innocent. I really am blessed to be a father. I don't take for granted the ability to have a child. All children are blessings from God.

Happy Father's Day.

Day 26: Small Idea Turns into Big Fun

When Claudia suggested taking her grandmother's housekeeper and daughter to an amusement park, she had no idea how plans would evolve into something bigger.

We had lunch at Claudia's grandmother's house earlier in the week. During our conversation, Claudia invited her grandmother's housekeeper Francia and her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter to Jaime Duke amusement park on Saturday. Neither had been there before.

The next day when Lucia called to give us an update on Sentencia, she also mentioned there were two American families in Bogota. Claudia asked if they would be interested in visiting the park also. Of course Lucia thought the idea was great and offered to coordinate getting a large bus to take everyone.

And so Claudia's small idea evolved into something bigger than us.

In fact, by the time the bus had arrived Saturday to pick us up, there were 20 people including parents and children on the bus. The group included two families from the United States and one from France. One of the American families was adopting five siblings and the other family was adopting three siblings. The French family had an 8-month-old girl.

Jaime Duke Park is near Panaca, which we visited a couple of weeks ago. Jaime Duke is a huge amusement park that also features a zoo with exotic animals like lions, various types of monkeys and panthers to name a few.

The children had a blast on the various rides and the zoo. Daniel even had his first amusement rides with Daddy. Mommy rarely rides anything. Daniel's face almost split open with his huge smile! You could tell he had a great time. He is an active baby and enjoys thrills. I'd put money on him giving us a heart attack at some point for doing something outrageous!

The American families were very friendly and it was awesome to hear their stories. It's great to recognize the similarities and differences between our experiences.

The family adopting five sibling girls already has another six or seven children at home (sorry guys, I lost count but think you're amazing!). Their hearts and love is an amazing gift from God. They were finishing their first week together and needed a break. Jaime Duke was the perfect answer.

The couple adopting three children (two girls and one boy) was from Arizona and had been in Bogota for two months. They are ready to be home! The kids have seen videos and pictures of their new house and also are ready to be in the states!

Claudia played a special role during the day as the group leader of sorts. She and I both acted as interpreter for the parents and children at various times. After seeing the gratitude from the parents, we realized how huge a blessing it is for us to be bilingual. I've rarely been more proud of Claudia than I was when watching her connecting with the children and helping them understand the opportunities they'll have in the United States.

Claudia couldn’t compete with Daniel or his cuteness though. He was the main attraction at Jaime Duke. Many of the girls held his hand. Rarely did time go by when he wasn't escorted by a girl in each hand. Needless to say, he was in heaven.

After reflecting on the day's events, Claudia and I both agreed it was one of our favorite days in Colombia. Claudia was able to teach the parents a few key Spanish phrases and explain to the children what they're trip in a plane going home would be like among other things. It's amazing how God works through us sometimes!

Day 25: Visiting Old-time Friends

On Friday we visited two of Claudia's college friends and did a little shopping at Gran Estacion, or Grand Station Mal.

It was good to visit with Javier, Carolina and their two boys. We were able to catch up with them and later had lunch at Crepes and Waffles.

After lunch, we walked around Gran Estacion Mall. It was built about three years ago and features a small ice rink. There is a large outdoor area at one of the main entrances that features a fountain around a giant chess board.

By the time we returned home, it was time to give Daniel dinner and start our bedtime routine. Daniel is feeling much better. His congestion is almost gone. Yea!

Day 24: The End In Sight and Father's Day with Bisabuelo

Thursday morning our liaison, Lucia, called with potential good news regarding our return home.

Our airline tickets to go home are for the 23rd of June, i.e. next Thursday. It appears as if we will need to change those flights. Wednesday we asked for a suggestion regarding when we should plan on returning home; which prompted Lucia's call Thursday morning.

Lucia believes we will be able to have our Sentencia sometime next week. Sentencia is one of the most significant events during the adoption process. It's when Colombia recognizes Daniel is officially our son. Once the country does that we can begin the process of obtaining his Colombian passport and American visa.

This is great news for us because we would love to be in Nashville for Daniel's first birthday on July 1.

Hopefully we'll know something Monday, but as of now we don't have much more news than our Sentencia is imminent.

Daneil Celebrates Father's Day with Bisabuelo

For lunch we invited Abuelo Hernando to lunch at Santa Fe to celebrate Father’s Day. The mall is a short walk from the apartment. Abuelo couldn’t walk too far outside because he is still battling the funk, although he feels much better than a few days ago.

We decided to eat in the mall food court because it has a variety of options to choose from for lunch. Claudia, Abuelo and Daniel enjoyed Bandeja Paisa and I had a hamburger from El Corral.

Bandeja Paisa (click here to learn more: Bandeja Paisa) is a fusion dish typical in Colombia and a favorite among its people. The dish includes rice, beans, chorizo, ground meat, arepa, plantain, avocado slice, fried egg and a few other meats. The dish is a combination of influences from Colombia’s past; including Spanish, African and indigenous Colombians. There was even a campaign in 2005 to make Bandeja Paisa a national dish recognized by the Colombian government.

It was great to see Daniel enjoying the beans and rice from Claudia’s plate. Well, actually he was eating the sauce from the beans rather than the beans themselves. He also ate some of the ground beef.

After lunch we invited Abuelo to go shopping for his Father’s Day present. Daniel enjoyed looking at the people while we shopped. He is very social and loves to be around activity!

We headed home afterwards and called it a day. The great thing is we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sentencia is approaching; but as has been the case during the entire process, we don’t know exactly when and probably will get short notice when the date is set.

Day 23: Forresters Make Trek to Monserrate

View photos from Monserrate Trip by clicking here: Photos from Monserrate Trip.



Seconds after hailing a taxi we were en route to Monserrate and witnessing the inner-workings of Colombia's capital city through the side windows of our cab.

The skies were clear and the sun was out. Our reservations about taking Daniel on a day trip were finally gone.

Bogota's population is 7.4 million; with many more people coming into the city daily for basic needs, work and other activities. The city has the critical mass so people appear as an ant colony; multiple ants popping out of different holes and traveling down pathways on various missions. It's a city of activity. One of the best places to get the scope of the city is from the peak of Monserrate, a mountain that dominates central and southern Bogota and peaks at 10,314 feet above sea level.

Monserrate is a special attraction for the capital city. At its peak sits a 17th century church devoted to "El Senor Caido" or The Fallen Lord. The church is a pilgrim destination for people from around the world. The church is surrounded by restaurants, local artisans selling souvenirs and gardens.

Locals say if you bring your boyfriend or girlfriend to Monserrate, then either you will break up soon after or the person is the one you're meant to marry.

As we drove toward the mountain, Shakira sang Rabiosa from the taxi radio. Various tiendas were a blur. Auto mechanic shops. Plastic surgery clinics. Offices. Numerous locally-owned restaurants and small grocery stores. On the sidewalk, individuals selling empanadas, arepas and fresh squeezed juices sat waiting for their next customers.

We passed several pedestrian bridges overhead. The bridges zig-zag from one side of the road to the middle where pick-up and drop-off points for the city's mass transit system, Transmilenio, wait for them. The bright red buses have a dedicated lane to move thousands of people a day efficiently. There is a constant file of people coming and going from Transmilenio like ants filing to and from the colony.

When we got to La Circunvalar street we began our ascent to Monserrate. La Circunvalar snakes around the foot of the mountain from north to south. The small hodge-podge of local shops slowly transforms into residential towers. Small avenues going back to the city's heart are narrow and steep.

It becomes clear the residential area is high-end. In fact, it’s one of the more exclusive sections of the city with great views of Bogota below. Families who live here are wealthy enough to afford owning original paintings from Colombian artist Fernando Botero. We pass by Colegio Nueva Granada, a private school for Bogota's elite.

"Look at all of those bodyguards waiting outside the gate," says Claudia. "This is a really high-end school. The children have bodyguards. The fathers have bodyguards and the wives have bodyguards."

"This is where the president's kids go to school and they arrive on helicopter," she adds.

Within a few minutes, the residential towers begin to disappear behind us and we are surrounded by an obviously poorer area. Buildings made of worn-out brick have clothes hanging from windows and on clothes lines outside. Portions of the buildings expose the skeletal structure supporting the building.

People can be seen in the open grass areas. It's unclear if they are workers taking a break from the various road projects, or if they are so poor they don't have a house. Both are there, we just can't tell which one is which.

The desperately poor and opulently wealthy live very close to each other. It's hard for the people who have everything to ignore the people who have nothing.

Finally we arrive at the foot of Monserrate after a 40 minute taxi ride. The peak can be accessed by train, cable car or foot. If you take the footpath then you're at risk of one of the poor people robbing you. Despite the risk, many people ascend the mountain on their knees praying for something specific during Easter week.

We took the cable car.

At the top, the view of Bogota is very impressive. The entire city has been developed to support its population density. The buildings are developed so close to each other that it's hard to tell them apart. Cars are barely visible and people have completely melted into the urban landscape.

The Catholic Church perched on top of Monserrate is best known for El Senor Caido, or The Fallen Lord. Where a cross or representation of Christ on the cross would normally be in the sanctuary there is a statue depicted the moment Christ collapsed with the cross en route to Calvary.

We took several photos of Daniel with either Claudia or I and Bogota in the background. We were able to take a few photos together thanks to a couple from Bogota. Daniel enjoyed a bottle while we took in the scenery.

While we were showing Daniel the city below, he put his hands to each side of his head as though he couldn't comprehend how large his city was.


We visited the artisan shops. They were small 100 square feet tiendas with locals inviting us inside as we walked by. One shop caught our attention. Daniel was looking for presents for his friends in the United States.

The owner would quote a price per item. "Thirteen thousand pesos, but for you I'll sell them for $10,000 pesos," the owner said with a smile. "But don't tell anyone."

"Eight thousand pesos," offered Claudia. "I'm going to buy five or six of them."

The owner paused to think about the potential sale.

"Okay," he said, "But don't tell anyone."

"It's a secret between you, us and God," I joked.

After a couple of hours enjoying the mountain top and iglesia, we headed back home. It was special to take Daniel. Even though he didn't understand what he saw, we have pictures and one day we will show them and explain where he came from.

Day 22: Progress Being Made on All Fronts

We have seen great progress with Daniel during the past two days.

He has slept the entire evening for the past two days. This is a significant improvement from the past several days. We are trying to establish a routine and put him to bed at 8:30 p.m. He has woken up at 7 a.m. the past two days in a good mood and not woken up during the night at all. As I write this, I hope I'm not jinxing us for tonight!

Daniel is also feeling better. He still has a cough and a little bit of congestion. It is much better than last week though.

He plays with each of us. Today he sought me out a lot! It was great to look down and see him climbing up my leg several times. Most of his moody outbursts are simply normal for a child his age. On the other hand, he occassionally has a preference still for Claudia. This is normal for a child recently adopted. They are experiencing a lot of changes in their lives and many children only have the ability to "open up" or connect with one person at a time.

After talking with our social worker in Nashville, we have noticed a few behaviours that could be him grieving the loss of his foster mother and best friend. We noticed he moves around a lot while sleeping. Many children don't sleep well and their grief is manifested in light sleeping or tossing and turning.

We still don't have a return date yet but hope to know something next week. Our attorney needs about two weeks after our Integration Meeting (which was held 6/9) to do several legal "things" for our case. We still hope to be home first of July.

We were hoping to visit Monserrate, a huge mountain that dominates the city's landscape. There is a beautiful Catholic church on top of the mountain known for having one of the few, if not only, statues of Christ at the moment he collapsed carrying the cross. In fact, the city lays along the bottom of a few tall mountain tops that are visible from almost anywhere in the city. Click here to learn more about Monserrate: Information about Monserrate.

Unforutnately, the weather didn't cooperate with us because it was raining some during the day. Hopefully we can visit it tomorrow.

Adios!

Day 21: Looking for Positive Signs

Occasionally it is hard to be positive when you don't know exactly what signs to look for.

We are 95 percent positive every day, but there are little things that stick in the back of our minds and occasionally build up. Our attachment with Daniel, or sometimes the lack thereof, and his persistent congestion and cough are sources of frustration.

We've not had very many good night sleeps since Encuentro Day. That has been somewhat expected. Daniel wakes up crying, sometimes a lot, during the night. Ninety percent of the time we believe it is because he is sick. Sometimes we feel as though he may be grieving the loss of his foster mother and best friend, who was adopted the same week as Daniel.

The hard thing is we can't really tell the difference. It's just too early to tell.

Last night was somewhat of a low point. Daniel constantly wanted to be with Claudia. He only wanted to be with me when she was within eyesight. If she wasn't, then he crawled to find her. He also threw up his milk. He cried on and off until four o'clock in the morning.

Each day we give him medicine using an inhaler and mask, and use saline solution and a suction bulb to help his breathing. In order to do both, we have to restrain him. He pretty much melts down every time. I feel like he hates me afterward. He slaps my hands away and wails. Only Claudia can console him.

Depending on what you read or believe, he may or may not be attaching to either one of us. What we see as attachment to Claudia may just be his survival skills. You know, don't bite the hand that feeds you. This is certainly a process. We're 11 months behind most parents regarding attachment. Our bond is still in the beginning stages. We remind ourselves of that daily.

Despite a sleepless night, we woke up Sunday and hung around the house. Claudia and I spoke about some of our concerns. We hugged. We cried. And when Daniel woke up, we put him in the stroller and went to Santa Fe Mall.

While there, Daniel played on the Caterpillar play set again with a bunch of other children. He was in heaven. He crawled in circles around the other children. He also had Chinese Rice for the first time and apparently it's a winner. He wolfed down several spoonfuls. We're trying out new foods with him because we believe he is getting a little tired of soups.

During the evening, he let me feed him almost an entire grilled cheese sandwich; another favorite. He played with me without trying to hunt down Claudia. He has started to "blow kisses" by moving his hand from his mouth to the targeted person; just not consistently. We've been working on that for a couple of days. We think he called me "Papa," also. Claudia fed him one of his favorite fruits. When bedtime arrived, Claudia was able to lay him down in his crib effortlessly.

Overall, it was a great day with Daniel. We continue to be hopeful and pray for a successful transition and attachment with our son. We continue looking for positive signs each day that indicate Daniel thinks of us as parents. This is our prayer. Please keep us in yours.

In Him,
Claudia, Brian and Daniel

Photos from our trip to Panaca

We wanted to share photos taken during our weekend trip to Panaca. We hope you enjoy them.

Just click here: Our Trip to Panaca

God bless,
Claudia, Brian and Daniel

Day 20: Daniel Meets Lots of New Animals at Panaca

One of the best ways to know Colombia is to take a day trip and that is what we did Saturday.

Granted, we didn't take a long excursion to some far away place. But we did go about thirty miles north of Bogota to a small town called Sopo where there is a great Farm-themed park named Panaca. The weather was great. Not too hot. Not too cold. Most importantly, there was no rain.

There are two Panaca parks in Colombia. The one in Sopo is less than 10 years old and very popular. Colombia doesn't have sophisticated theme parks on the same scale and quality as those in the United States. There are no Six Flags, Cedar Point or Walt Disney World.

The popular theme parks are Panaca and Jaime Duke, a more traditional theme park owned by a former airline pilot and also in Sopo. For the majority of Colombians, going to either park is a big deal.

Everyone was feeling various levels of sick; Claudia, Daniel and Bisabuelo had a cold, and I had a sore throat. When Tio Alberto offered to take us to Panaca, we thought some fresh country air would help us kick the Funk.

The park is spread out with buildings separated by green pasture used to feed the animals. There are several pins holding various types of cows, bulls, pigs, sheep, goats and horses. Daniel never was very comfortable with any of the animals, but did pet lambs and goats. A couple of piglets smelled his feet and decided Daniel does in fact have stinky feet.

We watched a demonstration of little piggies run around a race track and obstacle course. Daniel had a great time clapping his hands for his favorite piggy to win! We also saw a presentation of various bulls and cows from around the world.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the park before heading home. Daniel had his share of yuca, chicken nuggets and asado meat. As we finished, we noticed the clouds were beginning to darken nearby. You never really want to take a chance with the weather here. While it was warm where there was sunshine, the temperature was chilly in the shade.

Given our various colds and sore throats, we decided to return home before a potential down pour of rain got us soaked. During the ride home, Daniel fell asleep. It was a good day.

Viva Colombia,

Day Nineteen: Daniel Gets His First Needle

Apparently it is not easy watching your child have blood drawn.

At least it wasn't easy for us to restrain Daniel for two nurses to take blood to test for various tests this morning. It was hard to hear our baby crying as a nurse stuck the needle into his arm. Claudia cried with Daniel, and I watched from the rear as his small legs kicked in my hands.

We went to a clinic to run a battery of tests on Daniel and consult with a pediatrician regarding his persistant "gripa" or cough and runny nose/congestion, diet and other questions. Needless to say, Daniel was a trooper during the entire process.

The good news is all results were normal and he doesn't have any parasites. Our doctor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital always recommends testing for intestinal parasites in recently adopted children.

We bought additional medicine to help with his gripa and some different powdered milk packed with every nutrient possible to help him continue growing. The price tag wasn't cheap either; but so it is in Colombia. Prices here are between two to three times higher than in the United States.

Thankfully, Daniel appears to be in a better mood today. We've learned to give him his space rather than smother him with attention. He enjoys playing by himself. From a distance, we hear him babbling and laughing.

We're also learning there are some things I can do with him easily and some things that are better left to Claudia. Day by day, we're dividing the responsibilities to take care of him. The good news, at least for today, is when Claudia and I show affection toward each other Daniel wants to be a part of it rather than bite my arm. I take that as a good sign. We'll see if he has the same attitude tomorrow.

If the weather is good Saturday, we plan to visit an animal theme park named Panaca. We hope we can go since we've really not done very much besides stay in the condo and make short trips outside for the past couple of weeks.

Adios!

Many Colombian Orphans Never Get a Home

There are nearly 60,000 orphans in Colombia and the majority of them will never be blessed with a family to call their own.

It's a sad statistic and stark number that includes orphan infants and people over 18 years of age. Once 18, the children are left without a strong support system to go to school or find a career.

Nearly half of all orphans are disabled or otherwise considered special needs. Many times these children are never adopted and spend their childhood in institutions. The demand from families to adopt these children is far less than for healthy children.

When families outside of Colombia adopt a child they often spend years waiting. From beginning the paperwork to having a child in their arms, one French family waited nearly six years.

Why does the process take so long? Every month Colombia receives about 200 dossiers or applications to adopt a child. There are only three people to review these applications, a necessary step before a family can be assigned a child.

Colombia places approximately 1,500 children with native Colombian families (no. 1 preference) and another 1,500 children with foriegn families. At this pace, it means that if no other child were added to the system then it would take 20 years for all children to be adopted!

Knowing these statistics helps us appreciate even more the blessing Daniel is to us.

Day Eighteen: Integration Meeting Successful and Our Case Moves Forward

Today was a big day for us in the adoption process and the first significant step after Gotcha Day toward heading home.

We had our Integration Meeting today at the Bienestar Familiar office (where we had our Gotcha Day on 5/30/11). The purpose of the meeting is to understand how things have gone during the first week and is typically held eight days after Gotcha Day. Our Integration meeting was scheduled 10 days after Gotcha day because of the national holiday Monday.

We picked up our liaison, Lucia, at Casa Lanthana and headed toward Bienestar Familiar. En route, Daniel fell asleep. Thankfully, he was in better spirits than yesterday! We are taking him to a pediatrician on 6/10.

At Bienestar Familiar's office, we needed to wait in the room where we first met Daniel. The biggest difference was I had Daniel sleeping in my arms when we went in the room. Otherwise, the room was decorated the same. Baby blue balloons; some of which had either popped or otherwise disappeared.

After a short wait, we were directed into a small office where a family advocate attorney for Daniel interviewed us. It was a little intimidating considering we didn't know what to expect.

She asked us a range of questions. How did Daniel react on Gotcha Day? How did our families react? How much is he sleeping? What activities have we done with him? What is he eating? How much and when is he eating? When told three bottles and alpina (a fruit flavored food similar to yogurt), the lady responded with, "He was eating just two bottles with his foster mother and I only gave my child Alpina once a month!"

After we told her he is gaining weight and we are happy about that, she responded, "We're trying to fight childhood obesity."

Really? Daniel is either average or slightly below average in weight for his age. He's 11 months and not 20 lbs.

Otherwise, the interview went well and within 20 minutes we were shaking hands and saying thank you. While leaving, Lucia told us our attorney Oscar was able to change the court our case had been assigned to because the first court had a reputation for being slow. It isn't easy to make a change like this so it helps when your liaison and attorney have connections!

When we were in the parking lot, we invited Lucia to lunch. She recommended Brisas Marina , a seafood restaurant located about 10 blocks from Bienestar Familiar. The prices were reasonable and the food was good. Decor was slightly upscale and many of the customers were dressed business casual. Our blue jeans and golf t-shirts stuck out a little bit.

Lunch was a great opportunity to get to know Lucia better. She plays an extremely important role on our behalf during the adoption. If needed, she is an advocate for the family and knows how to work the overly complicated system.

Short in stature and always very well dressed and formal, she brings four decades of experience to the table. She knows not only the decision makers, but also their secretaries. She buys treats for the office staff to share while garnering influence to pull strings or ask favors when needed. Over the years, she has become proficient at working the system on behalf of families and children alike.

Her heart is in her work. To her, the adopted children are like grandchildren. Every time she sees Daniel, she asks for "un besito" or "un abrazito" (a small kiss or hug). She represents two agencies in the United States and four in France. She periodically travels to each country to reconnect with some of her previous clients.

When we returned to the condo, Claudia, Daniel and I finished the day with a walk around the neighborhood. Bogota is a great place for people watching. There is always so much activity going on at any given time.

When the sun set, Daniel was in a better mood and we were officially starting the adoption process and closer toward returning home.

Adios!

Day Seventeen: Two Forresters Sick

On June 8 the most significant things that happened were Claudia and Daniel were both feeling pretty bad and Claudia needed to dig into a suspicious phone call.

Daniel continues to have either congestion or a runny nose. He was very cranky all day as a result. Claudia needed to be with him the majority of the time because he didn't seem too interested in being with daddy. The face we made another big change from Casa Lanthana to the condo could be another reason why he was so cranky.

The poor guy has been through an aweful lot during the past ten days.

On another note, someone called Casa Lanthana the day after we left asking for Claudia. There was some confusion as to who the person was working for initially but as it turned out the person claimed to be with a collection company.

When Claudia called them to learn how they knew to call a hotel for us, she didn't get a satisfactory answer. They asked her for the equivalent of her social security number a few times before they would tell her much information. They said they were working on behalf of a bank Claudia hadn't done business with in seven years.

The entire thing was very suspicious so Claudia went to the bank to learn what was going on. At the bank, they had no idea why a collection company was calling her and said that if the person called again to contact the police.

We are going to ignore the collection company at this point as we are comfortable the bank isn't trying to collect money from us.

Tomorrow is our Integration Meeting!

Photos from Day 16: Bye Casa Lanthana, Hello Condo!

We wanted to share photos from our move out of Casa Lanthana and back to the Condo for a Welcome Party!

Just click here: Bye Casa Lanthana, Hello Condo!

All the best,
Claudia, Brian and Daniel

Day Seventeen: The Funk Returns

It's never fun to get the funk and especially not for the second time in as many weeks.

When we met Daniel he had a cough and congestion; the vestige of his bronchitis. But after a week of medicine, he was feeling much better at Casa Lanthana. Claudia experienced a night with shivers and congestion, but otherwise felt better during the following days.

Unfortunately, the funk each of them had has returned. Daniel was somewhat cranky because of feeling sick, and Claudia had difficulty hearing because of the congestion. Fortunately, neither one has a fever and I'm still in good health and able to care for them.

The good news is Daniel is bonding very well with Claudia. The bad news is that when I showed affection toward Claudia in front of Daniel today, he attacked me with his five baby teeth like a piranha going after fresh meat in the Amazon River. If Claudia wasn't within eyesight, he had a meltdown.

Hopefully most of this behavior can be attributed to his cold, or "gripita" in Spanish.

The morning was fantastic with clear blue sky and warm sunshine. We took a morning walk after breakfast with Daniel. It's something that was part of his routine with his foster mother and we are trying to stay as close to that routine as possible.

Actually, his morning walk was described as a "vueltica" or short trip, in the information we received from the foster mother. Now we understand.

We put him into his stroller, or "coche" in Spanish, (again... Thanks Nana!). Daniel was sound asleep within minutes of leaving the condo. We found a nearby park and sat on a bench and enjoyed the great sun and temperature.

In the afternoon, we spent a couple of hours at Santa Fe Mall. They have a huge play Catepillar children can crawl through. Daniel was hesitant until a couple of children showed up. They ran through the Catepillar tunnel and before you know it, Daniel was all game!

It's really neat to see him light up and get so excited when other children are nearby. He didn't make it all the way through the tunnel, but did make it half way and turned around. I guess that counts!

Please pray "the funk" will disappear soon! There are a lot of things we'd like to do with Daniel while in Bogota but don't feel comfortable doing them because the weather isn't great if you are sick.

Adios!

Day Sixteen: Tio and Bisabuelo Welcome Daniel to Family

Today we said good-bye to Casa Lanthana and returned to the family condo where Bisabuelo Hernando and Tio Alberto welcomed our new addition.

A week after Gotcha Day we were allowed to return to our own condo rather than pay the freight to stay at Casa Lanthana. The bed and breakfast has wonderful amenities and friendly staff but is more expensive than staying in our family condo.

Daniel said his good-bye's and gave hugs to the staff who cooked soups, washed bottles & bibs and gave him lots of love through their actions each day. We also said good-bye to one of the French families and their children.

At 1 o'clock Tio Alberto arrived to take us to lunch and the condo. We took a couple of pictures outside the house and were on our way.

We made a brief stop at the condo and picked up Bisabuelo Hernando and made a quick trip to the northern edge of Bogota to visit a small children's park and restaurants.

Colombia celebrates Corpus Christi on June 7. The holiday honors the Eucharist and since Colombia has a very strong Catholic influence the country's public offices are closed. The children's park was full of Bogota families taking advantage of the holiday and the best weather in a week.

By comparision to the United States standards, the park's quality is like a traveling carnival that sets up in mall parking lots. But in Colombia where children' don't know the difference between Disney World/Six Flags and a traveling carnival, this place is very cool.

There were zip lines and llama rides. Kids were zooming down inflatable slides. Sit down restaurants and desert vendors. There were lots of children running, and one who fell face first into mud with no parent in sight. He was really muddy!

We had a great lunch at one of the restaurants. Timing was good  because while eating the sky turned dark grey and rain began to pour down. The rain was so hard that all of the outdoor activities were abandoned for either shelter at the park or home. Either way, the crowd quickly disappeared.

When we arrived at the condo, Claudia, Daniel and I were surprised with confetti streams, balloons and cake to welcome Daniel home! Tio Alberto and Bisabuelo Hernando had set everything up earlier in the morning.

Daniel loved playing with the balloons on the floor. He laughed and hugged his uncle and great-grandfather. We enjoyed cake and had a great, surprise party for Daniel. What a way to finish our first week as a family!

Forrester's Checklist to Come Home!

While we met Daniel a week ago today, we're still just at the beginning of the Adoption process and being able to come home.

Since many people have asked us when we'll be back in Nashville, we thought it'd be helpful to give you an idea of the important milestones needed to get to Music City. We're already running two weeks behind because of Daniel's bronchitis delaying Gotcha Day and June 6th is a national holiday. Below is a current timeline.

Step 1: Gotcha Day to meet Daniel. Check!
Step 2: Integration Meeting. This is when we start the adoption process. Scheduled for June 9th.
Step 3: Sentencia. This is when Daniel becomes our son officially! Date: Estimated June 24th (about 2 weeks after June 9th).
Step 4: Change Daniel's Birth Certificate
Step 5: Get Daniel's Colombian Passport
Step 6: U.S. Embassy Doctor Appointment & Receive U.S. Visa
Step 8: Fly home to Nashville (estimated to be first week of July!)

God bless,

Claudia, Brian and Daniel

Day Fourteen & Fifteen: Our 1st Weekend

For the first time we disrupted Daniel's daily routine by visiting friends and enjoying a long walk.

Saturday we spent the afternoon with a few of Claudia's college friends. Claudia's close friend Lilliana hosted and prepared a traditional Colombian soup called Ajiaco and served it with white rice and avocado slices. It was great to see and catch up with everyone and see their children.

Getting away from Casa Lanthana for the day was a great break for us. The service there is great. The employees are very nice. But it was nice to be in different surroundings.

After lunch, Daniel played with one of Claudia's friend's children. He was in heaven. For days, we've watched him eyeing the other children at Casa Lanthana wanting to play with them. But they are French families difficult to interact with and some of the children play too rough for Daniel. So we typically play in our room instead.

Daniel did as I expected. He thought he was one of the big kids. He was playing with dinosaurs and cars on the floor. He was making sound effects for the cars and giggling.

The visit also gave me an opportunity to make a quick trip to Claudia's grandfather's condo to pick up additional clothing. We were expecting our stay at Casa Lanthana to be eight days; i.e. our last day would be Tuesday June 7th. The reason we need to stay longer is because we have to have our Integration Meeting (it's a follow up from Gotcha Day) and we can't leave Casa Lanthana beforehand. Monday is a holiday so that delays our Integration meeting. ICBF set the meeting for Thursday June 9th which forced us to stay for a few extra days more than we originally thought. It also delays us moving forward with the adoption for a few days. As of now we are nearly two weeks behind schedule.

Anyway...

When we returned to Casa Lanthana, our liaison Lucia said that we can leave Casa Lanthana on Monday. Yea! We'll definitely miss the amenities and all the fantastic support from the staff. It all comes with a price though; I mean a substantial price! We're looking forward to going back to the condo where we can stay for a lot less money.

On Sunday many of the main streets in Bogota are closed for pedestrians and bicycle riders. Licensed street vendors hawk their food and services. Kids ride their bikes. Adults run, roller skate or walk. Dogs walk beside their masters. It's called "Ciclovia" and it lasts from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. every Sunday. It's a huge success based on the amount of people taking advantage of it today. I wish large cities in the United States would do this.

The weather was nice Sunday for the first time in a week. Nearly every day has been overcast and rainy. Sunday, however, had blue skies and sunshine. We ate breakfast got dressed and put Daniel in his stroller (Thanks Nana!) to enjoy the great outdoors.

We ate grilled corn and a couple of empanadas from one of the vendors. The corn had a great flavor and empanadas always have a special place in my heart. Daniel slept most of the time but woke up long enough to wolf down a graham cracker cookie and a little bit of corn.

We played with Daniel during the afternoon. Each day for a couple of hours between naps and meal times he is in great spirits and enjoys crawling around the floor playing with his toys. We tickle him, hold him in the air, let him crawl over us and a lot of other things. It's the best part of our day. His laughter and smiles are priceless. We are so glad to get him at this age.

He makes noises, but can't speak. He can pull himself up the side of the bed, but can't walk. We are thankful we'll be there for those "First-time" experiences.

God bless,

Photos from Our 1st Week Together

We wanted to share pictures from our first week together. We hope you enjoy!

Just click here: Forrester's 1st Week as Family

Day Thirteen: Now...We're Parents

We had our first gross diaper experience and there are a couple lessons learned from the day.

WARNING: I'll spare the details, but you may get a little grossed out.

On Gotcha Day we were told Daniel goes No. 2 twice a day. He has only gone once per day for us, but we didn't mind because at least he was going and it could be worse. Stress for recently adopted children can really affect them; two options being either constipation or the other alternative. Thankfully, Daniel has been normal, albeit not as frequent.

Friday was one of those days. He only did a little poop during the day. The evening was a different story.

Meal time at Casa Lanthana is hectic. There are three other families with children eating in a small room. One family in particular constantly has issues with their children running around the table, in and out of kitchen and other various things. Feeding Daniel has become difficult because of so many distractions. We decided to take Daniel early to dinner before the crowd.

It was a great plan. While feeding him, we saw and heard him give signals that he was doing his business at the dinner table. As the other families entered the room, we smelled our confirmation. Claudia and I looked at each other and laughed. The entire room smelled of a dirty diaper.

We typically feed Daniel before eating ourselves. So I asked, "When he's done, do you want to take him upstairs to change his diaper and then come down and eat?"

"No. We'll stay down here and eat first," said Claudia.

Okay, so that's lesson No. 1. When the kid does No. 2, there is no waiting. Go change the diaper immediately.

To Daniel's credit, he didn't seem to mind while we ate that he was sitting in his own... well, you know. He clapped. He cooed and giggled. He laughed and smiled. And, he bounced.

Once in the room we immediately grabbed the changing pad, diaper wipes, diaper and laid Daniel on the bed. Like a tactical military team we ripped off his sweater, took his shirt off and tore open both of his onesies around his legs.

The evidence was clear. We should not have waited.

Okay. Plan B. We took off both onesies. You know what streaked across his side. It was on his legs and as he moved his arms it was difficult to make sure they didn't also get any of, well, you know what. The room really smelled and we hadn't even taken the diaper off.

Daniel during this time was crying and moving about like a fish out of water. That boy can move. We thought back to all the people who saw his first picture we showed people in Nashville with his hands blurry and said, "That boy is going to be active."

Then we thought to Gotcha Day, when the nutritionist said, "He is a very active boy. He'll climb up your chest and try crawling over your shoulder."

Yes. He is active.

When we finally peeled away the diaper we saw a lot of, well, you know what. Did I mention it smelled? We realized the magnatitude of our mistake now. We should not have waited. It was everywhere and wipes weren't going to be enough.

Okay. Implement Plan C!

"He needs a bath," I said.

"No. I'll use the wipes to clean him off," Claudia responded. We both felt like we had been tear gassed.

"Um... no. He needs a bath. It's everywhere," I insisted. By this time, it was on the changing pad also. Since we were laying him on the bed, there was nowhere safe to put him and clean him up.

We grabbed Daniel who was yelling, kicking and moving his arms wildly to the bathroom sink. I held Daniel in a standing position on the bathroom counter. Claudia turned the water on and made sure it was warm. Daniel continued crying but now was also focused on the variety of bathroom items on the counter like toothpaste, brushes, toothbrushes, etc.

Next thing you know, the boy has turned into his own little fountain. Pee is going everywhere. I scramble to move the toothpaste, brushes, toothbrushes, etc while holding Daniel. That means, I might as well have been aiming a spray cannon at everything!

By this point, we couldn't help but begin to laugh. We broke down and Daniel stopped crying.

"Now we can say we're officially parents," I said and Claudia agreed between laughs.

We bathed him, dried him and changed his clothes. Within an hour or so he was sound asleep. It wasn't until several hours later we realized we were using "diapers size 3." That was the size everyone had told us he was using. Well, now we know lesson No. 2: sizes are different between Colombia and the United States.

Size 3 in Colombia is big enough for a three-year-old! Now it's off to the drug store to buy some more appropriate diapers for the little guy. And yes, when we're at the cash register we'll be official parents.

Day Twelve: Great Grandparents Meet Daniel

When I first met Claudia's grandmother, one of the first things she asked was when were we going to have a baby.

That was several years ago, but we never forgot. That's one reason today was so special. We hopped into a taxi for our first trip since Gotcha Day and enjoyed lunch with Claudia's grandmother (Dad's side), and grandfather (mom's side).

Daniel enjoyed meeting them, based on his smiles and giggles. Bisabuelo and Bisabuela (Great Grandfather & Great Grandmother) were amazed by how calm Daniel was and how attached he appeared to be with us already.

"He's a blessing from God," said Bisabuela Joca.

"He's a cute little guy and pays attention to everything," said Bisabuelo Hernando.

We enjoyed lunch around the dining room table while Daniel played on the floor with his car. After lunch, we played with Daniel on Bisabuela Joca's bed. Daniel would throw his body on top of Claudia, giggle and pat his hands on top of her. Then he would do it all over again.

It was a great afternoon.

Today Daniel appeared to be okay with both of us. It's not that he had a very strong preference toward one of us at any given point. But on the second and third day he would get fussy when Claudia would be out of sight and go toward her when he wanted to snuggle. So yesterday we made a point to allow me to feed him and prepare him for bedtime and a few other things.

Today he wanted to snuggle with each of us and smile when either of us entered a room. We play games like peek-a-boo and Tope, Tope, Tas (a Colombian kid's game where you softly bump heads when you say Tas).

On other fronts, we figured out that Daniel strongly prefers his bottled milk to be heated. For the first few days he didn't want to drink. Once we heated his bottle, he sucked down at least three bottles today. Now he is eating a lot better. He enjoys soups, kid's cookies, fruit and small snack stars with sweet potato flavor.

Claudia is still feeling sick, but much better than last night thankfully.

God Bless

Photos of Our Gotcha Day 5.31.2011

We know you have been waiting for a few days to see pictures of Daniel. We apologize for the delay but have been a little busy. I'm sure you can imagine.

Click here to see Our Gotcha Day: Gotcha Day Photos
We can't wait to be back home and introduce everyone to him personally!

Day Eleven: Casa Lanthana

With Daniel in our lives, we have a week to enjoy being with him and begin the attachment process.

We are staying the week at Casa Lanthana. It is a large, white home that has been converted into a bed and breakfast of sorts and caters to adoptions. Our main room is all white and shaped like an oval. One side of the wall is floor to ceiling windows, which permit a lot of natural light. We are furnished with a crib, high chair, and a wonderful staff eager to help.

Three French families are staying at the B&B and they all have at least one child. Daniel is fascinated with the other children. It is so fun to watch him observe them. Since, all three meals are provided for we get to see the other parents interact with their children. They all are great kids with a lot of energy.

Unfortunately, Claudia appears to be getting sick. Please pray for her. She may have caught what Daniel has since he is still a litte bit congested. Good news is he is feeling better.

The big event of the day was a quick walk to Baby Ganga, basically a smaller version of Babies/Toys R Us, to celebrate Daniel being 11 months old. Daniel enjoyed his ride in the Baby Bijorn harness. We have noticed, however, he becomes a little nervous when we are walking on the street. We think he may be nervous about another change.

We walked through the store letting Daniel play with stuffed animals and toys that make noise. It was cool watching him. He picked a small red fire truck that he seemed to like. Of course, we had to get it for him. We brought just a few things for him to play with because we didn't know what he would like. Apparently, he likes cars though.

He is eating well and already is gaining weight since we've had him. Like all children, there are some things he likes and some things he doesn't. He let's you know pretty quickly.

We have been so blessed by the many responses from family and friends since Gotcha Day. We can't wait to introduce Daniel to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, know that your thoughts, prayers and support are appreciated deeply.

Day Ten: A New Day & New Life

We remain very thankful for this new chapter in our lives.

Daniel slept the entire night. We were told he typically wakes up at 5:30 for his first bottle.

He needs a few minutes after waking up but after that he is all smiles and giggles.

We gave him his first bath and thought he would enjoy it because we were told he liked to splash and play. Unfortunately, we must do things a little different because he wasn't too thrilled with the experience.

We took him for a walk around the block. I carried him in the Baby Bijorn contraption. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.

In the afternoon, we visited a clinic because he continues to have some respiratory issues following his bronchitis from a week ago. The good news is he is doing a lot better and doesn't need any medication or daily therapies (one of our concerns on Gotcha Day).

Daniel is very social and alert. He knows what is going on in his environment at all times. He is attaching to Claudia too. Several times when she went out of sight, he would get fussy. We take this as a good sign.

We spent several hours playing with Daniel in our room and in the lobby area of Lanthana. There are three couples from France who are finalizing their adoptions. Some couples have waited seven years to reach this point, which makes us feel all the more grateful.

Daniel loves watching the other children. He is so observant. Unfortunately the other children are a few years older. We know he would be in the middle of the cushion fight with the others if possible.

We know our way is different from what he is used to experiencing. Still, he has been such a trooper and very patient with his parents.

That's about all for now.