Diego loves all the letters and pictures you sent. He also likes the toys. As you can see, he had fun decorating his room with all the love you sent, even upside down. Muchas gracias!
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decorating
Diego has decorated the apartment with the gifts that Monica and Kelly made for him. On his bedroom walls he has taped up the heart shaped cards they made and the picture they colored for him. We also painted some crafts for him that we sent to Colombia and he brought them with him yesterday, so we hung those on the windows in the living room.
He is a very tidy little boy. His foster mom taught him well. He has already organized his room and has a place for the books we brought, the photo albums, his toys, his night light, backpack, and clothes. Everything in it’s proper place. He folded his clothes and put them away last night and this morning. He washed his face and brushed his teeth as soon as he woke up. He is very proud of being able to take care of himself.
Right now he is playing cowboys and Native Americans š in the living room. (sometimes PC just doesn’t work . . .) He is singing, giggling, and shooting I don’t know what, because all the cowboys and Indians are getting along together in the covered wagon, with the TP on top!
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Diego’s Gotcha Day
Our Diego is a little man with big brown eyes and expressive face. We met him at the entrance of the building, not content to wait in our apartment, and he walked up the steps carrying a rose and strawberry flavored bon bon bum. He didn’t talk for the first hour, but did give us big hugs. And smiles, lots and lots of smiles.
We ate cake. That’s what you do in Colombia for the first gotcha day. You sugar up the kids with cake and candy (and the social workers too) and then see what happens! In Diego’s case, it was a very fun game of hide and seek.
Our routine started today (I think). Playing in the apartment for an hour or so. Taking a walk. Visiting the supermarket’s cafeteria for lunch. Swimming. A bit of downtime TV (Diego picked Sponge Bob…I can hear Kelly and Monica laughing at that one). More walking. Dinner. Lots of Skype with family (which, I think, was a bit overwhelming for him by the end of the day).
This is only day one, but it seems like he was exceptionally well prepared by his foster mom. He knows all his siblings – even talks about them – and has daily habits down well (ie washing hands, brushing teeth, usingĀ utensils). With the girls I remember it being very chaotic. Diego was pretty calm and quiet for most of the day. Taking it all in I guess.
He laughs a lot.
Over the next few days we’ll post how we grow together. We’re just so happy that he’s finally with us (we’ve been praying for this day for nearly 3 years). It was a wonderful first day together.
Diego is adorable. We haven’t met him yet, but we went to Bienestar today and they told us all about him. His foster mom made us a photo album/scrapbook that goes all the way back to when Diego was 2 years old. So cute!!! I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow. They told us that Diego has taken special care of the photo album we sent to him and that he has watched the DVD of videos and pics from home every day since they gave it to him, right up until bedtime last night. They said that has really helped him get excited about becoming a part of our family, even though he doesn’t quite understand what adoption means because he’s only 6 after all.
At the end of the meeting, they told us that Diego got each of us a present. He is going to give Zach a bon bon bum and he’s going to give me a red rose. We are going to give him a forever family. It’s a good mix!
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Neiva: First Day
It was a clear day on the flight from Bogota to Nieva and this time I made sure to look out the window to try and get an understanding of the geography of Colombia. Here’s what I saw: mountains, mountains, coffee plantation (I think), muddy rivers, and some deserts. Basically it looked like west Texas with more hills. Nieva snuck up on us on a bend of the Rio Magdelena and then, just like that, we’ve landed in the heat.
Welcome back.
Olga Elana and Sorany met us with hugs. Olga Elena is our lawyer and Sorany is our translator. We catch up. Olga Elena is particularly happy to hear that all the kids are doing well in the United States.
We’re renting an apartment flat. It’s huge, with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a pool on the 6th floor. Right across the street is a huge Carrefour (like having a Target in your front yard). There’s artwork – sculptures – that I’m trying to figure out where to hide because I’m pretty sure they’re going to break, given their current location, when Diego arrives. We’re about 9 blocks from the city center (actually pretty close to the BienEstar). Very cool.
The one downside about the apartment is that, while it does have internet, it’s maxing out at high dial up speeds (capped WiMAX). Won’t be doing Google Hangouts or Skype on those speeds. Oh well. Go with the flow.
We walked around Neiva a bit, visiting old sights. Next week starts the new school year, so the markets were packed with people and knickknacks. Two obvious gringos in a crowd!
This morning we went to the Bienestar to have our meeting. Ren wants to write about that, so I’m posting a few images of travels and will pass the computer to her. Today’s pretty much a hurry up and wait day (like many of them to come).
