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 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 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!

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 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 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.

Day Nine: Our Miracle

"For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition..."

1 Samuel 1:27

First and foremost, we thank God for Daniel Forrester! What an amazing day! God has truly blessed us with an amazing son and answered many other prayers.

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have prayed for us. We can tell you that God has listened.

Our Gotcha Day, or Encuentro as it is called in Colombia, was at 2:30 p.m. on May 30, 2011 at the ICBF office located near the El Dorado Airport.

We took our luggage to La Lanthana bed and breakfast and unpacked earlier in the morning and met Lucia, our escort to assist us through the adoption. After a quick lunch at the bed and breakfast, we headed to ICBF.

We were escorted to a room that was decorated with baby blue balloons and a colorful sign saying "Bienvenidos." We sat down on one of the sofas and chatted with Lucia while waiting.

Within a few minutes, a representative from ICBF and Daniel's nutritionist entered. His nutritionist said she had known Daniel since the beginning. We spent about twenty minutes talking with them about Daniel's routine, background, health and had an opportunity to ask various questions. One answered prayer was we received all of Daniel's records,which most of the time they do not provide. We also received photos from every month since his birth.

"He is very social, has a lot of energy and when you hold him he won't stand still," explained the nutritionist. "He'll try climbing up your chest and loves jumping up and down. He is a sweet boy. He loves hugs and kisses. He plays and crawls a lot."

After we asked all of our questions, they asked for my camera and left the room and disappeared into the adjacent office. We waited nervously.

A couple of minutes later, the nutritionist appeared holding Daniel. What an awesome moment! With tears in our eyes we were ready to hold our baby. He is our miracle.

Daniel was alert but obviously nervous. He was bundled up in a hooded jacket, tan pants, boots and holding a small blue ball. His dark brown eyes were wide open and taking in every detail.

Claudia and I held him with huge smiles on our faces. Honestly, I think we were all three a little nervous. I sat down on the sofa and let him stand up on my lap. That's when the ice was broken.

Daniel began to jump up and down on my lap. He stomped one of his feet and then the other. Then bounced up and down, showed a huge grin and began to laugh.

The rest of the day we spent at Lanthana, mostly in our room. Daniel continued jumping. laughing and totally washing away our concerns about his ability to transition.

He can crawl, clap his hands, babbles and completely breaks down when you tickle him. Claudia has played traditional Colombian games for children with him that his foster mother obviusly did too because Daniel already seems familiar with them. Our attachment process seems to be going very well and is another HUGE answered prayer.

I'm sure we'll make mistakes. We already fed him a bottle for 10 minutes, looking at each other approvingly of the method, only to realize that the bottle was closed and Daniel wasn't actually drinking any milk.

Our Family Adventure is just beginning.

Day Eight: Culture and Questions

We promise to share Colombia's culture with our son, but the question is how?

On the day before our Gotcah Day, we spent the majority of the day catching up with Claudia's college friend Lliana and her family. We went to a Construction and Home Design Fair, which was at Corferia Exposition Center.

Claudia spent a lot of time talking with Lliana's mother Miriam about our big day. Lliana's brother Ricardo let us borrow a small camera, since mine is a little too large and showy to be flaunting around the streets of Bogota.

After the fair we stopped by La Campina, a local ice cream shop. While we enjoyed ice cream and cake, Claudia spotted a 7-year-old selling trash bags on the street.

It's common to see desperately poor or disabled people either selling random items like telephone chargers, candies, flowers, etc. or walking between cars at intersections asking for charity. Life in Bogota is separated by two worlds: the haves and the have-nots.

Before settling down at the apartment there was still enough daylight for a walk around the neighborhood. While walking, we asked ourselves if we were prepared for Gotcha day. We passed by a man riding a bicycle & cart who was returning home from a day selling his food on the street. On top of his cart were two children about five and seven years old. Several taxi cabs zipped past the man and his children.

Before we knew it, we were walking in Santa Fe Mall.

We went to the third floor where the food court is located. We went outside on a patio and looked at the Autopista (a busy road that connects most of Bogota from north to sout). Five or six taxis, buses and motorcycles passed by. A taxi peeled off the road and stopped to pick up a passenger before jumping back into the trafifc. People walked along the sidewalk. Numerous vendors were selling their merchandise on the street.

"I love the activity of the big city. There is so much going on at any given location. It's similar to walking around the streets of Chicago," I said. "What do you miss about living here?"

"My friends," responds Claudia.

"That's all," I ask.

"Yes," she confirms.

Life in Bogota is hard for the majority of people. The street child selling trash bags and the man riding his bicycle & cart with children are obvious reminders hard to ignore.

We can celebrate holidays and cook food from Colombia, but we can't transplant the smells, noises or people in Bogota to Nashville.

"Our son is going to have a very different life," I commented and Claudia agreed.

We finished the day packing our bags for our week stay at La Lanthana. One of the last things we did was write down a list of questions to ask the social worker about our son's life and medical history. The list was important because we wouldn't have another opportunity to get information about his past.

Day Six & Seven: Family, Faxes and Fun

The calm before Gotcha Day/Encuentro has allowed us to enjoy the past couple of days without needing to run around Bogota for errands.

Friday we were invited for breakfast with Claudia's aunt Martha and cousin Natalia. They live in a condominium that's part of a two-tower residential project about ten minutes from our condo. The majority of the units were still under construction.

We enjoyed Tamalitos for breakfast and had a great time talking and catching up. After breakfast, we went to the top of the building for a fantastic view of the city. Time passed so fast that before we knew it, we were ready for lunch.

We took a short walk to Centro de Commercial Panama and ate at the Restaurante Panama. The Colombian diet includes A LOT of meat. Most restaurants serve Parrilla, which is an asortment of chicken, pork, steak, sausage and vegatables yuca and plantain. Complement the meat with arepa and fresh fruit juice.

Afterward we received a call from Lucia, who needed us to fax a copy of my passport to her office. We said our good-byes and headed toward the nearest Internet Cafe and sent a copy of my passport. We took it as a good sign our Encuentro was still on schedule since it was almost 5 p.m. on Friday.

During the evening, Claudia and I enjoyed a trip to Unicentro Mall, which has historically been Bogota's higher-end mall. The facility has recently been remodeled, we believe, because of increased competition from Santa Fe. We had dinner in a very popular restaurant named Crepes & Waffles. They have several locations around town and more times than not there is a line of people waiting for a table.

Saturday started off with rain. The good thing is we slept late and missed the downpour. That didn't bother us at all. After the rain clouds left, the blue sky and sun felt great.

Claudia's uncle Alberto picked us up and we were off on a day trip to Sopo, Colombia. The town is about 30 minutes outside of Bogota and its name means rock or strong mountain. Its main industry is livestock and Alpina Factory, which is a huge dairy factory.

The town is nestled at the foot of a large mountain. As you drive through the town, there are several men and women flagging passing cars hoping to direct them to their family-owned restaurants. Weekend lunches are a huge business for many families in the small communities outside Bogota.

We toured the town square and stopped by Alpina, which operates a small mercado full of different traditional deserts. Almost all the deserts are made with fresh cheese, yogurt, fruits and arequipe (similar to caramel).

The desert was tasty and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. After being in the city for a week, it was fun to head out to the countryside for fresh air and a change of atmosphere.

Day Five: Gotcha Day Confirmed!

Early Thursday morning our wait for a Gotcha Day to be confirmed ended.

Lucia said Gotcha Day is set for Monday at 2:30 p.m. It has been a long week not knowing when we would actually get to meet our son.

Little Baby Forrester still has bronchitis. It's a common sickness for infants in Bogota because of the cold temperatures, rain, and air pollution.

Time moved about as fast as a child riding a tricycle with square wheels. We were still glad to have come down as originally planned because we were able to accomplish several things we needed done.

Thursday we didn't have anything to do. We relaxed at the condo during the morning and walked across the street to have lunch.

It was a good thing we didn't need to go outside because we've had scattered showers the entire day.

Day Four: Passports, Ajiaco and Delays

Today we had a check list of things to get done in hopes Thursday would be our Gotcha day.

We went to Movistar to complain about their service and try getting either reimbursed or receive a month's service. Fortunately, Movistar said we would have service by noon Thursday.

Afterward, we went to a notario to sign our power of attorney document for the legal representative during the adoption process. The line wasn't very long and we were able to knock it out within about thirty minutes.

The notario was located about a block from Claudia's grandmother's house. Her grandmother was cooking a Colombian specialty soup called Ajiaco. It's a soup filled with peas, chicken, cilantro and a small piece of corn on the cob.

We enjoyed spending a couple of hours catching up with Abuela and Claudia's cousin Miguelacho.

At 2 p.m. we headed to pick up Claudia's passport. Luckily we didn't need to wait in a line like Monday (three hours).

The entire day we were waiting for a call to confirm Gotcha Day for Thursday. The call never came.

We finally spoke with our liason Lucia, who said it wouldn't be Thursday. Instead, the Colombian agency wants to wait to allow Little Baby Forrester time to get well.

There was always a chance it wouldn't occur this week, but we were always hopeful.

Day Three: Pasado Judicial Done

Claudia headed out this morning with her grandfather Hernando to get her Passado Judicial, which is equivalent to the United States' F.B.I. background check.

After a forty-five minute cab ride they arrived just in time to avoid the rain. Claudia and her grandfather ducked underneath a canopy. They soon discovered it was raining harder underneath the canopy than outside.

She accomplished her mission after a two hour wait and received her certificate.

Yeah!!! One less thing on the list.

Weather in Bogota

Surprisingly, the weather for the past two days has been very nice in Bogota, a city where chilly, cloudy and rainy days are typical.

We don't take the weather for granted and head out bundled for cold temperatures like many others in the city even though a t-shirt would suffice.

"Enjoy the sun while it lasts, but always take a rain jacket or umbrella," cautions Claudia's friend Lilliana.

The people of Bogota are caught off guard by the fair weather. Many are bundled in heavy jackets and sweaters with a wary eye looking skyward. Still, during the afternoons in the park across the street people enjoy the sun and warm temperatures. Children are playing soccer or fetch with their dogs. Adolecensts huddle underneath a bush wrapped in each other's arms. Others walk with purpose toward their condo crring plastic bags filled with groceries from nearby Santa Fe mall.

People look distrustful upwards. The sky is expected to suddenly become cloudy and rumble with lightening. The heavens should unexpectedly open up with a deluge.

Why shouldn't people trust the weather? There isn't much they do trust. Not their neighbors. Not the people selling things on the street. They rarely wear jewelry that would call attention to themselves for fear of being robbed. Many stores don't accept debit cards, which means people pay more for items in stores because the cashier can't make exact change due to the lack of small currency denominations. They don't trust police or politicians.

So, why not expect the weather to turn on you also?

Day One & Two: Waiting & Progress

One of the hardest things is to be given little pieces of information, such as your son has severe bronchitis and might be sent to the hospital, and not be able to do anything.

Early Sunday morning Claudia called our liason, Lucia, to get information about Little Baby Forrester. The only information we received was he had a serious case of bronchitis and they were probably taking him to a hospital. There was a chance we would need to stay at the hospital with him for the first several days, or possibly need to visit a clinic for daily therapy. Lucia didn't have much more information but was hopeful we would have a gotcha day confirmed for this week.

We remain optimistic and hopeful our Gotcha day will be scheduled soon. We have kept ourselves busy organizing our things in the condominium and getting a few things before we meet Little Baby Forrester.

One lesson you learn quickly is things don't go quickly in Colombia. "Hay filas para filas," I say. "There are lines for lines."

Another lesson is this city moves on its feet and in cabs or buses. People walk all over the place, take a cab or bus, and then walk to their final destination. Hailing a cab doesn't take much talent or good looks. It's pretty easy.

We have spent a lot of time walking to various places. There is a major mall named Santa Fe about two blocks from our condominium that's probably 2 million square feet and filled with major brands, including several more U.S. brands than four years ago.

Monday we spent three hours waiting for Claudia to renew her Colombian passport. When she finally came out of the office, she said we needed to return Wednesday to pick it up. We then went on a search, and a short cab ride and long walk, to purchase Internet service. We spent another hour completing that process. But as is typical in Colombia, we purchased the USB modem from Movistar (similar to Verizon) and then needed to go to Santa Fe to wait in another line and pay for the Internet service. Yes, it takes two businesses to accomplish what one can in the United States. Don't get me started on the process to add someone's name to a bank account. That's another afternoon.

The past two days we've spotted parents with their children and our minds immediately are reminded of why we are here. We have walked into children's clothing and toy stores and silently pray for our son. This is the difficult part of our trip right now.

But there is progress. This evening, Lucia said Little Baby Forrester is feeling better and she is hopeful our Gotcha day will be this Thursday. We will get a confirmation on Wednesday, hopefully.

Until then, we'll continue to pray, wait and hail cabs.

Unexpected Call

Every now and then no matter how much planning a person can do, ultimately God reminds us who is in control.

We spent the week buying last minute items and packing our suitcases and coordinating with our respective co-workers regarding our various projects so they can help out during our trip.

On Friday May 20 we sat in the nursery and filmed a short message for Little Baby Forrester saying we can’t wait to meet him on our May 23 Gotcha Day.  

Everything was ready finally and we were en route to Claudia’s parents’ house for the night because they were going to take us to the airport early Saturday morning. Then we received the call.

I’ll say up front that it could have been much worse. But Nichole, our social worker from Children’s Hope International, called at 6:27 p.m.

“Is Brian with you? I need to speak with both of you,” she asked.

“We’re almost home. We can call you back,” Claudia responded.

“Well I’ll go ahead and tell you that I have bad news,” Nichole said.

She went on to say our contact in Bogota, Lucia, had called her late in the afternoon. Little Baby Forrester has bronchitis and was being taken to the doctor. As a result, ICBF (the Colombian institute that oversees adoptions) was recommending we reschedule our flight for a week to allow our son time to get better. In effect, our Gotcha Day for the 23^rd was going to be pushed back and Nichole didn’t have a definite idea when we would meet him.

Our hearts sank. We took a deep breath. God is in control and operates on his own schedule.

The good news is Little Baby Forrester is being taken care of by his wonderful foster mother and doctors. We pray he has a speedy recovery.

It’s difficult to know your child is sick and there is nothing you can do to help him. We would love to visit him, but unfortunately that’s not an option. It hurts that our meeting is being delayed.

Still, we told Nichole that we were going to go to Bogota as scheduled and hope for the best. With us already in the city, hopefully that will help the Gotcha Day be sooner rather than later.

We’re writing this at the Houston Airport waiting for our Bogota flight. We were supposed to be filled with excitement about meeting our son in two days. Now, we console each other and give each other hugs and kisses hoping to see Little Baby Forrester as soon as possible. The date and time is in God’s hands.

Packing, Planning and Praying

With all of the running around buying last minute items, checking documents and packing, its easy to forget that in seven days we will meet our son for the first time.

Our lives have been hectic during the past several weeks as you might imagine. But many of the days have been filled with happy moments.

The nursery is almost complete. Claudia spent this past weekend painting the monogram on the wall. We had a wonderful, humbling turnout during our Chick-Fil-A Help Bring Little Baby Forrester Home fund raising event. It was so amazing to see all of our friends, family, coworkers and clients all come out to support us. It was also heart warming to have complete strangers make donations to our adoption. We had an hour long conference call with our social worker to discuss final trip preparations and review what will happen during the trip.

We are so excited and can't wait to meet Little Baby Forrester.

But while we are caught up in the moment of excitement and planning, its easy to forget that right now there is a wonderful foster mother lovingly providing all of our child's daily needs.

What is going through her mind, knowing our gotcha day is a week away? How is she preparing for the transition? Is she savoring the moments more knowing that soon they will end?

For most of our son's life, she has been his caretaker.Bathing him. Feeding him. She knows him better than anyone else at this point. She made note that he enjoys laying in the sun and his favorite color is red.

For her, our gotcha day is a letting go day. As suddenly and permanently as our lives will change with him in our lives, her life will change without him and we will likely not have a chance to ever know her or thank her personally.

For this reason, we ask that you pray for us as we make our final preparations but also please pray for the foster mother and Little Baby Forrester and their "letting go day." May this transition be easy for everyone.

Our Last Road Trip Before Parenthood

We are packing our suitcase and about to travel to Atlanta for a Monday meeting with the Colombian Consulate.

The reason we're heading down is to obtain my Visa, which will allow me to participate in the legal system in Colombia when we are finalizing our adoption of Little Baby Forrester. Claudia doesn't need a visa since she is from Colombia.

Please say a prayer Monday for us. The Consulate experience can be hit or miss. There are examples of employees being very gracious and other times enjoying power trips; and that's being nice.

We are rapidly approaching our Gotcha Day, May 23. While grabbing a quick lunch this afternoon, it dawned on us that this trip, as rushed as it is, will be our last "road trip" before parenthood.

There are numerous moments each day that it occurs to us parenthood is imminent. I had lunch with a friend Friday and described it as a "freight train of blessings!"