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!