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
Monday, June 13, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Day 20: Daniel Meets Lots of New Animals at Panaca
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,
Friday, June 10, 2011
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!
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!
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