Final Pictures

Kariana

Kaleb showing Kariana how its done.

Her pouty lip.



Karian and Grandpa Melcher hanging out.

Grandma Melcher's turn in this one.

4 generations of Drabek women.

She loved this ball. She could even palm it!

Great Grandma Edith meeting Kariana.

Final Post

With a heavy heart I am starting my final post. Have I really been writing this for more than 5 months already?? I have enjoyed recording our journey through this process and from all the comments I have heard, it sounds like many people enjoyed following it. We are fully settling into our new life as a family of 5 and the everyday living is more time consuming that I would have imagined. Its amazing how you adjust and take it all in stride. I was thinking that the other night as I fed Kariana some baby food in the high chair and was helping Kaleb do homework at the kitchen table while overseeing Cohen practise writing his name.

Tomorrow I go back to work for 1/2 days for the next 2 weeks so my maternity leave is officially over today. I cannot believe how my time at home has just flown by. I suppose that is to be expected given how much of my leave was spent in Colombia.

We are back into the mode of diaper bags and baby gear again. When the kids get older, you forget how much stuff you have to take with you to take out a baby! There is baby equipment in every room of the house now and I finally got all the girl clothes donated to us organized and boxed up. Everyone has been so generous once they found out she was coming. I don't think I will have to buy a stitch of clothing for her until she is a teenager!

The boys are still doing great and still lovin' their little sister. We keep waiting for the jealousy to show but so far nothing (knock on wood). I think they are so happy just to have us home again after being apart for so long that they are just to happy to be jealous. Plus, they waited for her to join our family as long as we did so they have been primed for a long time for a little sister. They love seeing her do new things and really like making her smile. They are really proud of her too. They are always telling someone about their new sister from Colombia. Its so cute!

We took Kariana to her doctor's appointment last Friday. Everything went really well although its never fun to see a baby get shots. She got caught up on her 6 month shots that we hadn't gotten in Colombia but the rest of them were all fine (we brought back her immunization chart that showed she had received all the same shots she would have in the states). Since we got her at just over 5 months and didn't get any more shots while we were down there, she hadn't gotten her 6 month shots yet so she got them a few weeks late. They also made a appointment for next week to take a blood draw and get a stool sample to run a series of test to verify that she is truly healthy. They are going to run the newborn screening tests and some other tests just to make sure. I'm going to hate to see my baby in pain from the blood drawn but I know its for the best. She weighed in at 15 lbs, 6 oz (16th percentile), just over 26 inches long (32nd percentile) and she is in the 72nd percentile for head circumference! So I guess she really is a Melcher and she fits right into the rest of the family with her big head! The doctor wasn't worried about any of those stats and is happy with her progress. We discussed her acid reflux and she confirmed it is very common for babies to grow out of that so we are keeping our fingers crossed that is the case and it doesn't rear its head again. We haven't given her medicine in weeks and she is doing great although we do have her on sensitive formula just in case. She finally poked through 2 teeth this week. Of course, I have been thinking they were coming for the last 2 months so I am happy they finally showed up. She may have been a little more fussy than normal but nothing we couldn't handle or even really noticed much so she handled it like a champ. This past week she has really gotten the sitting up thing down really good. She isn't showing any interest in crawling yet but the doctor isn't worried about that so we are enjoying a little more time of immobility. She really seems to be settling in nicely and adjusting well. We are so relieved about that!

Once again, Kerry and I want to thank everyone for their support. We really felt the thoughts and prayers directed towards us and we look forward towards the coming years now that the adoption process is complete.

Thank you!

Signing off,
The Melcher's

Kariana in the Johnny Jump Up-Video

Check out Kariana doing a jig!

Home update - Monday

My first watermelon!

My Aunt Kristine loves me!

Hey! I was here first!

Check out my new hat. Aren't I cute??

Hanging out with Aunt Lynnette this weekend.

Dad is very excited. Kariana is already loving the (plastic) tools!

I am finding it really hard to find time to blog since we got home. I wonder why?? Kariana is meeting new people almost everyday and doing pretty well about it. She isn’t as smiley lately as she was so I think she is becoming a little more cautious about new people. I think my friends thing I was lying about how smiley she was since she is more serious here with them. She is still pretty smiley with us though! She had a good time meeting Grandma and Grandpa Melcher this weekend though. Lots of smiles for her aunts too.

The good news is that she is allowing me to put her down on the floor or in the high chair for up to 15 minutes at a time so that is much improved over that first day. My theory is that we had just gotten home from a long day of traveling and then all the new surroundings were just too much for her that first day. She is doing much better now.

Some things we have noticed about her include her fascination with both the dog and ceiling fans. She just stares at Buster whenever he comes near and follows him around the room with her eyes whenever he is visible. Since she hasn’t been around dogs before, I didn’t think about how she would react to him. Buster has been doing really good around her and I haven’t seen him lick her yet but he has to inspect her and sniff her out whenever she is put on the floor. She of course thinks this is very funny.

She is also fascinated with ceiling fans. Both my boys were taken with them too but she has never seen one before since they don’t have them in Colombia (to cold most of the time). She stares at them even if they aren’t moving! She is totally mesmerized if they are going so we are able to get some stuff done by putting her under one with it on low. The way she holds perfectly still to watch it is just hilarious.

The boys have been awesome big brothers since we got home. In Colombia, they were often right in her face trying to make her smile even though we told them repeatedly they had to back up. Since we got home they are much better about staying back some but they are always talking to her. If I ask one of them to go talk to her so I can make supper, they always agree and they are having a great time ‘teaching’ her how to jump in the Johnny jump up. I think she does more swinging than jumping when they are around but she squeals and giggles so she must love that too. She is really starting to get the hang of it now that she had been in a few days. I had forgotten had they have to kind of learn how to jump in it.

We have her first doctor’s appointment on Friday so we are anxious to see how that goes. She has rarely spit up since we got home and put her on sensitive formula. I have been giving her medicine to her less and less and it isn’t bothering her at all so I am thinking she may have grown out of it some.

I think that is about it for now. She is adjusting as well as we had hoped and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives. Kerry and I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this process. Although it could have gone a little smoother, she was totally worth the wait and I know every little bit helped bring her home. Thank you!!

The Melcher’s

Finally home!

Papa and Kariana enjoying some down time in Kansas.

The Melcher and the Hutching kids showing off thier Colombia soccer jerserys.

Proud cousin Austin holding Kariana.

Another shot of the Melchers and the Hutchings.

We got to Kansas about 8:30 pm on Friday and Kariana instantly cuddelled right up to great grandpa Leo. She really knows how to wrap them around her little finger!

Our first time in the Johnny-Jump-Up!

The family reunion at the MSP airport.

Sorry this post is late in coming but it was a whirlwind couple of days after we landed on Wednesday evening and then we left for the Priebe Labor Day events in Kansas so I haven’t had much time to do anything.

Kariana travelled like a champ on Wednesday. We got through all the lines at the Bogota airport in record time since I had a baby. One of the things that Colombia does really well is give priority to people with children. There are separate lines for those people at the airport and other places they are given priority. We flew through everything and Kariana was great. My only problem all day was trying to make her bottles while in the middle seat (both flights), with one hand, and very little room. I guess the other problem I had was Kariana filling her diaper and the guy beside me sawing logs so I couldn’t get out. I finally had to wake the poor guy since she was smelling up the area only to discover that the plane didn’t have a diaper changing station. Although the flight attendants tried to help, I ended up having to change her on the floor in the back of the plane. At least Kariana thought it was funny because she kept squealing the whole time.

After we arrived in Atlanta, we got sent to ‘the room’ for immigrants where all the workers proceeded to fuss over her, smiling and cooing. We were in and out of there in no time with no problems. I confirmed she was a U.S. citizen when we touched down in the states and her citizenship card would be sent to us in a few weeks. Yeah!!!

We finally touched down in Minneapolis and hurried to the baggage claim area where we finally got to see our guys for the first time in over 4 weeks. The reunion was awesome. It was so great. The boys were just over the moon at seeing me and wanting to hold Kariana immediately and seeing Kerry was worth the wait. None of us could stop smiling, Kariana included.

Thursday the boys begged to stay home with me so I caved and let them even though I had a ton of stuff to do before the weekend. However, Kariana was having a little problem adjusting to her new surroundings and refused to let me set her down for more than 3 minutes or she started screaming. Hopefully that doesn’t last long! So Thursday didn’t go quite as I had planned but we still took off on Friday for Kansas where we had a great time showing off our new addition and watching her charm everyone just like she did in Colombia. Even though she was passed around for 3 days straight, she hardly fussed and smiled through it all.

We are so blessed!!!!
The Melcher’s

Final post from Colombia!

OK, so maybe packing wasn't the ONLY thing I did on the last day. The manicurist also came to the hotel. It was 10,000 pesos ($5) for a manicure or 22,000 pesos ($11) for a manicure and a pedicure. You can see I treated myself to both!


The awesome staff at Hotel Paris.



The yummy dessert I ordered for supper tonight. Can you see the cream???

Wow. I can’t believe that in 8 hours I will on my way to the airport. Now that the day is finally here, I do feel a tiny bit of sadness at leaving this beautiful country. Having all this one-on-one time with Kariana has been fantastic and I know that from now on that time will be limited. That thought does make me feel guilty as I know Kerry and the boys have been missing her like crazy but its been nice just us girls too. I have been thinking about Kariana and what tomorrow is going to be like for her. I hope for her sake (and the rest of the passengers on the plane) that she takes to flying. Tomorrow she will finally get to see her Dad and brothers in person for the first time in over 4 weeks. Although we Skype often, I am not sure how much she absorbs from the computer screen.

I picked up her visa from the U.S. Embassy today without any problems and have spent most of the day packing. Yesterday I realized that I was going to be SIGNIFICANTLY short on luggage space so my options were to either leave a lot here or go buy another bag so this morning I went shopping! I actually found a very decent bag for about $15 so I was happy. You never know with prices here. Some things are extremely cheap compared to U.S. prices (like pineapple) and some things are extremely expensive (like baby strollers). The regular luggage was very expensive but I found a large backpack bag that was very reasonable.

For supper tonight I had the owner of the hotel order a special desert to celebrate our departure. I can’t remember what it is called in Spanish but it translates to “1,000 layers” and has all these flakey layers with cream oozing out and powdered sugar on top. It was delicious and a number of the Americans at the hotel right now had never had it so it was fun to introduce them to it. After supper was over, I had the staff take a picture with Kariana and there were lots of hugs and kisses since we will be leaving here at 6 am tomorrow. All of the staff are taken with Kariana and she laughs and coos at them all. On the day we got Sentencia, the owner of the hotel, Katyia, hugged me and said “I am so happy for you. I will really miss your daughter!” It was pretty funny as I am positive she had no idea what she had said. The staff here at Hotel Paris are absolutely outstanding and they really help make the hotel have a family atmosphere. The service has been awesome and I will be forever thankful to them for taking care of me those times when I was by myself. Many of them would even take Kariana so I could eat a meal or take her while I had a cup of coffee and relaxed a little bit.

I think that is about it. I still can’t believe it but this is my last post from Colombia. Talk to you in the states!

Signing off from Colombia,
Cresta

Monday

In less than 48 hours, Kariana and I will be halfway home to Minnesota. Yeah!!! We spent the morning going to ICBF to get the final paperwork we needed and then off to the U.S. Embassy to get her visa. Since she is flying on a Colombian passport, she needs a visa to get into the U.S. (Similar to the visa Kerry and I needed to get into Colombia for the adoption). They sure needed a lot of paperwork to process her visa though. The folder I gave her was a couple inches thick! The lady said everything looked good though and she was approved so now I go back tomorrow afternoon to pick it up and we are out of here!

While we were at ICBF picking up the last document, I did find an error on the paper. They had her name as Kariana Lea Melcher II Priebe. I am assuming they got that from Kerry’s name being Kerry Jon Melcher II. After we showed him her birth certificate and he called Los Pisingos, he quickly fixed it and we were out of there pretty quickly. All her Colombian papers have her new name as Kariana Lea Melcher Priebe since using the father’s last name and then the mother’s maiden name is the Colombian way even though her name will be Kariana Lea Melcher when we hit the United States.

We fly out of here around 9:30 am on Wednesday. Although I love Colombia, I am more than ready to go home and have our family together again. This living apart stuff is for the birds!

I have a couple of last minute gifts to pick up this afternoon and then its hard core packing time. Dad took home a lot of stuff for me on Sunday though so it should be pretty easy packing. I’m just happy to be doing it!

Dad got home last night. It was great to have him here keeping me busy and I'm really glad he got to be here for her Sentencia. It was really nice to share that experience with someone since Kerry couldn't be here. I think he had a good time in Colombia and he sure loved getting to know his granddaughter. They got a lot of one-on-one time that I am sure made my mom really jealous......

Getting close now,
Cresta

Saturday

Dad and Kariana on his last night in Bogota.



Enjoying the Emerald Museam.



At the Miltary Museum.

Dad and I have been staying busy exploring Bogota the last couple of days. Yesterday, we were hoping to go to Mosserate but the weather didn’t look great in the morning so we went for a long walk while we hoped the weather cleared up enough to make the trip but it never did so we decided to grab a taxi and go to the Military Museum (with passports this time). They even had an English speaking military guide for us. The museum was fairly interesting with lots of guns, ammo, and uniforms so it was all right up Dad’s alley. After that, we wondered around Old Town looking for some lunch, grabbing food from some street vendors, and searching for the Emerald Museum. Emeralds are big in Colombia and you see them everywhere. After searching around for awhile, we finally realized it was on the 23rd floor of a much larger building so it wasn’t advertised on the outside. No wonder we had problems finding it! The museum was interesting and Mom would have loved it with her passion for jewels. They had some really cool things there but some of it we had trouble seeing because the staff was surrounding Kariana. We can’t figure out where they all came from! Kariana was in fine form once again flirting with everyone and squealing. She is such a flirt. We were the only ones in the museum so we must have been the entertainment of the afternoon.

Today the weather looked more promising so once again we grabbed a cab and went to Mosserate. The weather turned out to be just fine and the view was fabulous as usual. This was the third time I have been there and it was still amazing to me. I just love it up there. Its so peaceful. We took our time and spent quite a bit of time on the mountain. Dad was fascinated with the view as is everyone who visits there. Pictures just do not do it justice. It is truly breathtaking how large the city is. We spent a lot of time wondering around the vendors that are near the church and Dad even found a leather-wrapped glass bottle for his wine. We were also feeling adventurous regarding food so we tried a number of different things from the vendors. We timed it perfectly because right when we got to the bottom of the mountain, it started raining.

When we got back, we packed up some suitcases as Dad is going to take one of my suitcases back so I have less to deal with when I travel back with Kariana. Dad leaves early tomorrow morning so we called for a driver and he is all set now.

Count down: 4 days until home

Cresta

SENTENCIA!!!!

After the signing, Dad, the judge, Kariana and I.


The judge having fun with Kariana.

Martha (replacing Cecilia while she is on vacation) and Kariana.

Papa and Kariana waiting for the judge to come.

Yesterday we finally got "the" call that we have been waiting for for weeks. Sentencia!!! Our agency worker called around noon to let me know that the judge was ready to sign and our appointment was for today (Thursday) at 11 am. You cannot believe the emotions after that phone call. I just wanted to scream and jump and down! Finally!!! Because of the court we were now in, I was told that I needed to bring a cake, Coke, glasses, plates, and forks besides the usual passport and other paperwork. Of course, I had to let Kerry know right away by email. Then, since it was lunch time anyway, Dad and I took off for the grocery store for some lunch and the required party gear. We picked out a yummy chocolate tort cake, a large bottle of Coke, and the rest of the stuff and headed back to the hotel to wait for today! It poured rain all afternoon anyway so we just hung around the hotel. I wanted to post the really good news but I was so afraid I would jinx it that I decided to wait until today when the deed was done.

This morning we were at breakfast when I got a phone call from our agency worker who told me our appointment was moved up to 10 and the driver would be there in 45 minutes. Good thing we were almost ready anyway and getting this show on the road was fine by me! After we got to the courthouse, we were led into the judge’s office. Everyone in the office was coming in to talk to and admire Kariana while we waited for the judge.

The whole “ceremony” was very nice. The judge obviously believed in making the day important. We have heard stories where in other courts, the parents go and sign the papers standing at a counter and don’t even meet the judge. Talk about an anti-climatic moment that is one of the most important in that family’s life. The judge made a little speech about thanking us for adopting her and how today is the day she found her real mom and her real dad. He wrote Kerry and I a letter that is suppose to be from Kariana saying many of those same things. I had to sign his book and promise to send family pictures and updates. Then the whole office had cake and Coke with us and we took pictures. It was very special. Kariana was totally awesome. She slept in the car on the way there and was totally smiling and cooing at everyone in the office. She was really animated when the judge was telling us how lucky we all were. So now she is legally ours! Although I have considered her ours since we first saw her picture, now its legal!

From there, we went to the notary to get the new birth certificate. Usually you apply for the new certificate and pick it up the next day but we were able to get the new birth certificate immediately. Because it was only 12:30 when we were done, Martha decided we should go get the passport right away since they didn’t close until 2 pm. We went there, got her pictures taken, pushed to the front of the line because we had a baby, and had a passport 30 minutes later. Since we now had the passport, Martha went ahead and made the appointment for the U.S. doctor for 4 pm today. After grabbing a quick lunch and hitting the bank, we went to the doctor who said what we already know: she’s perfect! She gained 2 pounds since we got her and is a whopping 15 lbs now. She is a little on the small size, 25th percentile, but otherwise is very healthy. When the doctor was examine her, he stood her up and she somehow managed to both pee and spit up on him AT THE SAME TIME. We all kind of stood there in shock. It was so funny. She hadn’t spit up the entire day and chose that moment to do it.

The day ended up being long and busy but now everything is done except for applying and getting the visa. Unfortunately, you can’t apply for the visa on a Friday so that has to wait until Monday, pick it up on Tuesday, and home on Wednesday. So tomorrow we have off since we crammed everything in today. I’m glad everything is done and ready to go so I can change my flights. Let the countdown begin to the plane ride home!

Kariana was such a trooper all day. She only got a few naps that were about 20 minutes each but she was still happy and go-lucky the entire day. I can’t believe how good she was. She charms people wherever we go, even our drivers were totally taken with her.

Feeling great in Bogota,
Cresta

Pictures from the last few days

Grandpa and Kariana ready to go for a walk.



Enjoying the view in Guatavita.



Guatavita is such a pretty town!



Grandpa's girl!

Tues

We have had a couple of busy days since Dad arrived. Today we are just hanging around the hotel and relaxing.

Although I prayed hard for the call to come yesterday, the only news we got is that our papers were accepted by the court. Although this is good news and indicates that there is nothing wrong with our papers, it doesn’t really mean much. It was not the news I was hoping to hear. It appears that I won’t be going home in the very near future.

Joe and Leah and Cole leave first thing in the morning. They pick up Cole’s visa this afternoon and then they are out of here. I am so happy for them to be going home but it’s also really hard to watch knowing my timeline is still unknown. Going home is all I think about these days.

Took Dad to the markets on Sunday and stopped at Crapes and Waffles for lunch which is always delicious. Had to have ice cream for dessert of course. It was another nice day for the markets. It’s uncanny how the weather is almost always warm and sunny on market day. Dad found an amber rock complete with enclosed bugs and everything that he couldn’t resist but after being there for 5 weeks in a row, I finally think I have everything I need as I came home empty handed.

Yesterday I called for a driver and Dad, Kariana and I got out of Bogota for the day. First we went to the Salt Cathedral which is located about 45 minutes outside of Bogota. It was very interesting. It’s a cathedral that was built into a salt mine. The salt mine is still an active mine but is also an active tourist site that claims to be the most visited site in Colombia. It was a guided tour but Dad and I got MP3 players that explained everything in English. It was really interesting. There are so many nooks and crannies that they even created spots for the 14 stations of Christ plus a number of other important spots relating to the church like a choir chamber. It even had a 50 foot cross cut into the rock salt with cool lighting and 50 ft tall by 25 ft across columns holding everything up. It’s a true working church with mass every hour on Sunday. (FYI for the Catholics out there, Colombia is a HUGE Catholic country. In fact, I have never seen any other religion even mentioned here. Mass is only 45 minutes.)

After the Salt Cathedral, we drove another hour or so to Guatavita which is a small but beautiful town along a large river. The old town was flooded in 1964 when the river was dammed to create water and power for Bogota. We saw some of the pictures of the town underwater. The town moved up the hill at that point and it’s a rule that all the houses have to be white with clay tile roofs. This makes the town beautiful to look at. Our driver said it was the only town in Colombia like that. We drove down by the lake which was spectacular surrounded by mountains. It was a quant little town. On the way back to Bogota, Dad got to see lots of Colombian countryside. The country continues to amaze me. On one hand, Bogota is a modern, slick city and on the other hand, the countryside looks like something out of National Geographic with cows staked out in the ditches for the grass there.

That is about it for now. We continue to wait for the much anticipated call.

Cresta

Final post from Carrie

Well, I have been home a week now since leaving Bogota. I sure do miss the Bogota weather!! I had a great time visiting Cresta and meeting my niece! It was one of the best experiences I have had so far. I had my doubts in going to a foreign country and such but I figured this would be the only time I would ever be in South America and what better time to go with Cresta already there!? It gave Cresta and I some time for just us for a change! It was nice.
I think what Cresta, Kerry and the boys are doing is absolutely wonderful and I even can’t wait for everyone to meet Kariana! She is just the sweetest baby.
Can’t wait to see you back in the states! Have fun with Dad while he is there, it won’t be long now! Love you and miss you!
Back in the Arkansas…….Carrie

Kariana and Grandpa video

Saturday

Dad arrived safe and sound on Thursday night with no problems. His flight actually came in 30 minutes early so I had to quick call the driver to come early but I ended up waiting for Dad for well over an hour at the airport as Dad said they had to sit for quite awhile on the tarmac because another plane was in their way since they were so early! He seems to be enjoying Bogota and is loving his new granddaughter. At first Kariana did a lot of staring at him but I think she was fascinated with his facial hair. Now she is full of smiles like her usual self. She already has grandpa wrapped around her little finger, smiling and laughing at him. The three of us Skyped with the boys last night and Kaleb and Cohen was astounded that Papa was with mom! How did he get there?? It was really funny to watch their reactions on the screen.

Yesterday I took Dad to Exito Country (similar to a Super Target) since I needed diapers, wipes, and formula. We spent some time looking around the store, checking out all the fruit neither of us have ever heard of, buying some Colombian wine, and comparing prices of things. Dad couldn’t believe that a pineapple is only $.50 here. In the afternoon, we walked to the bank and to Maku so he could check things out. Dad is not impressed with the smog here. The sad thing is that I don’t even notice it any more. He is impressed with the diversity of the people who live here. He is quite shocked that so few look Hispanic. I had to tell him that a couple of people commented on how much Carrie looked Colombian with her tan skin and dark hair.

Today we took a taxi and were going to go to the Military Museum. Unfortunately, we got there only to discover that we had to have our passports. Because of my limited Spanish, the question we don’t know is if they would have let us in on U.S. passports. There were military guards posted around the museum and at the ticket desk so we aren’t sure if they would have let us in. In any regards, neither of us had our passports (not something we usually walk around with here) so we couldn’t get in. Luckily, we had brought a tourist map with us and walked down a couple of blocks to the house of Simon Bolvar’s mistress that now houses textiles and clothing from the past and from all over Colombia. It was fairly interesting although Dad spent a lot more time looking at the house construction than looking at the clothes. We believe the house was probably built in the 1810’s and some of it had original beams and everything. Dad was in heaven. After that we walked around old Bogota, saw the government square (there was a concert being set up though so we couldn’t go into it), and eventually walked down to the Gold Museum. It was the second time I had been there but I got to read a lot more since the boys weren’t there hurrying us along this time. After that, we grabbed a late lunch at a bread store and headed back. Kariana was a trooper the whole day. Now it is Dad’s turn to experience everyone looking at and talking to Kariana.

Tomorrow is Sunday so we will go to the markets of course. I’m hoping for good weather since Dad will only be here this one Sunday since he leaves next Sunday early. We were hoping for the phone call for Sentencia on Friday but it didn’t come. I am praying hard it comes on Monday because if it does, Kariana and I could go home with Dad next weekend. If the call comes after Monday, then I won’t be able to leave until the following week. Tomorrow marks 6 weeks that I have been here, 3 weeks with the guys and 3 weeks without. Although I love Bogota, I really would love to see Minnesota again!

Cresta

A Posting From MN

Hello to all from the Melcher Boys in MN.
I have had a some reoccuring questions from people I have seen around and I figured some of you following the posting may be interested as well.

First off is the blankie situation, iIt ended up not being too big of a deal that we left them down there. Kaleb was getting old enough that he would sometimes sleep without it occasionally plus he had a second favorite one at home that he uses so it didn't really phase him. Cohen really could have used his on the flight home. He was pretty cranky on the beginning of the first flight and he really needed to take a nap. He did eventually fall asleep but it took alot longer than it would have if he had his blankie. After that both boys were really good travelers the rest of the day. After we got home I grabbed two fleece blankets and told Cohen we didn't have "his" blankie but he could pick which one he wanted until Mom got home and he hasn't asked for his other one since. I think it made a big difference since he got to decide.

We are all missing Cresta and Kariana very much but I think Kaleb is the one taking it the hardest. The first week and half was a pretty rough time around here for him. Every little thing would set him off and he would instantly get mad and start yelling and crying. At the peak he did this for about 1/2 hr one night and then I sent him to bed. He continued on for another 20 min. until he called me in and asked me to cuddle with him. Earlier I was the worst dad in the world and he hated me and before he fell asleep he told me he loved me three different times. I think he just didn't know how to deal with his feelings. He has calmed down alot in the last week and we are getting pretty close to being back to a pre-Bogota attitude.

Cohen is taking it all in stride. He is still pretty much happy-go-lucky. We have a few fits now and then but I believe most of that he is picking up from watching his brother. Now that Kaleb has calmed down, Cohen's fits are a little less frequent as well.

I have been able to keep up with most of the house work and stuff around here. Mowing the yard typically takes me two nights because I have to break it up into smaller time slots but still goes pretty well. I have even been able to do some of the other yard and garden work as time allows. I really impressed one of the ladies at church the other day. They called asking for Cresta to bake a cake for a funeral and I agreed we could do it. They didn't realize at the time she was in Columbia but have found out since then and couldn't believe I agreed to do it.

I have had an overwelling response of people offering help in any way they can. We really appricate all the support. Our friends Ann and Elisabeth even stocked our fridge the day I came back. So I didn't have to worry about running out to buy grociries for a couple of days. Thank you girls, that was a huge relief for me.

We are coping without Mom but only out of necessity. We sure wish she was home. We talk to her and Kariana most nights with the webcam but it isn't the same. Here's hoping court #1 is the answer to all our prayers and our girls get home safe and sound very soon.

Kerry, Kaleb and Cohen

Wednesday

It was a good day for the American’s here today. Joe and Leah and Cole had Sentencia today! Yeah!! That means that Cole is legally theirs and the adoption is finalized. They were in Court #1 and the judge was awesome. That court is known to be fast and the judge is very pro adoption. Joe and Leah said he was really great and the ceremony was very nice. They were told to bring a cake, Coke, and some glasses and the whole office helped them celebrate. Once the signing was complete, they applied for Cole’s new birth certificate which can be picked up tomorrow. After that, there are a number of things they have to do so Cole can leave the country like get a passport, a visa, and a U.S. medical exam. I am so happy for them to be on the home stretch. At least one of us is! Looks like they will get to leave next Wednesday which would put them here for 4.5 weeks. That is super fast for being in Bogota.

Now for my good news. We found out today that our new court is also Court #1. Yeah! We believe that is really good news. Now we just hope that the judge hears our case and approves it even faster than he normally does because of our situation. We are saying our prayers and keeping our fingers crossed.

Dad arrives in Bogota tomorrow night around 9 pm. That means that he will likely be here for our Sentencia. I had to call him quick tonight and tell him to pack a nice outfit for the occasion as it’s sort of a dress up affair. That will be really cool if it happens while he is here since it’s such an important day.

There is a new American family from Michigan here that has a 4 yr old they adopted as a baby and are here to get a 5 month old baby girl. Their presentation is tomorrow at Los Pisingos. That means that Kariana and their baby were there at the same time. It’s kind of cool to think they might have ‘known’ each other. Presentation days are so much fun for everyone at the hotel as it reminds you of the day not-so-long-ago when you brought your little one back. Since we all know there are no friends or relatives to show off your new family addition to and won’t be for while, showing them off to the rest of the hotel residents is the second best option. Everyone oohhs and aahhs over the cute new child and generally tries to make up for the fact that there are no other family around.

Cresta

Monday

Carrue and I got customized Colombian soccer jerserys for all 5 kids.





Kariana is still a really good sleeper. 3 naps a day plus sleeps through the night.


Carrie and Kariana enjoying the view of Bogota from Mosserate.

Carrie's last night in Bogota.

Playing around in Mom's bed.

The last few days have been a lot better. I finally came to terms with the fact that I will be here a few more weeks. I think it just hit me hard because I was expecting the call for Sentencia and the countdown to go home instead of the call saying we were starting over. I am missing my boys something fierce although my wonderful husband is handling everything at home more than skillfully. He is so awesome. I am reminded everyday of why I married him. I know this is a short term set back and our family will be back together soon. We Skype almost everyday which helps a lot. There is something about blowing my guys a good night kiss and telling them good night and I love you that makes it seem like I am still participating in their everyday lives in a tiny way. Plus its so cute how they talk to Kariana on the screen.

It was so great to have Carrie here last week. It sure went a lot better and faster with her here. Although we didn’t do a lot of site seeing, she got to know my section of Bogota and she got to spend a ton of time with Kariana. Plus, my parents have taken pity on me and my extended stay and booked a ticket for my dad to come on Thursday. I can’t wait for him to come, only 3 more days! He is staying for 10 days so I get to show him around Bogota next. At least it will give me something to do while we wait some more although I hope he doesn’t get to bored. My mom is super jealous that both Carrie and my dad will get to see and hold Kariana before she will.

Kariana, as usual, is adorable. She has discovered her feet so she likes to kick them and try to put them in her mouth whenever she can. She has really taken to flirting with everyone who smiles at her. She gets all excited and starts moving around and smiling back. Carrie got to experience all the people stopping to admire and talk to her in public while she was here so it’s not just me imaging it. She really is a beautiful, beautiful baby. The hotel staff all adore her. They are constantly talking to her, trying to get her to smile or just plain taking her from me and toting her around. The owner of the hotel seems especially enamored with her. Katya is very sympathetic to my court situation since virtually all of her clients are adopting families or families coming back to Colombia after previously adopting so she is very familiar with the process. She agrees that the best course of action was to pull out of our old court and start again.

Kariana’s acid reflex seems to be under control. Although we have some spit up, it’s really not that bad. Some days are better than others and some days we have no spit up at all but then the next day she will spit up a number of times. I continue to give her the medicine and will do so until we get back to the states and talk to a doctor there to figure out a course of action.

Now that Carrie is gone, I have been watching more TV again. The hotel has cable so we have over 60 stations but on the weekends, usually 10 of those channels are showing soccer so that cuts down your choices. I’m not kidding! They even show indoor soccer that is played on what appears to be an area that is similar to arena football at home. They call it mini soccer. Most of the channels are in Spanish so I usually flip through them rather quickly until I see subtitles at the bottom. That means it’s in English. Yeah! The worst is when you see a movie that you wouldn’t mind seeing again only to discover that they have dubbed the voices over in Spanish. Let me tell you, Dirty Dancing and the Fast and the Furious are not the same when the words are in Spanish. It’s actually quite annoying to watch! It’s nice when you find a movie with the subtitles instead and the original words still spoken in English. I watched Miss Congeniality today. And they really like shows like NCIS and CSI here. Luckily most of those are still in English with added subtitles.

That’s about it for now.
More later,
Cresta

Kariana video!

More video!

Carrie's visit so far

Carrie's luggage threw up toys for the orphanage!



Not to many smiles for us right after we got Kariana's ears pierced.



Aunt Carrie and Kariana enjoying the local mall.


"Look! I found my feet!"

Aunt Carrie and Kariana in a taxi. Look mom! No car seats!

I'm so pretty!

The play yard at the Los Pisingos orphanage.

The older kids' playroom at the orphanage.

All the babies.

Where the older kids sleep.

The staff at Los Pisingos going through all the goodies that Carrie brought for them.

The sign going into the orphanage. Slow, children at play!

Check out my new earings! Aren't I cute??

Look at the new shirt my Aunt Carrie brought for me!

Hello to all! I have seen several things around the city since I have been here for the last few days! There is lots to do here it seems. We talk lots of walks, Kariana likes riding in the carrier a lot. “Kariana Enchilada” is AWESOME! She is such a happy baby! She smiles and giggles a lot, I’m pretty sure she is happy I’m here as well as Cresta! Pictures do not do Kariana justice, that is for sure. She is just precious. Its really fun to see her brothers on Skype talk to her on the webcam as well as daddy. It has been a great experience so far and I’m really glad I decided to come after all!

Leah (one of the other mother’s from MN adopting), Cresta and I were able to go to the orphanage yesterday and present all the donations. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to give the toys to the children because they were worried about a ‘fight’ breaking out of who gets to play with what first! We did, however, get to see the staff go through some of the items and that was pretty fun to watch, since they were very excited as well! We took a tour which was an experience since I have never been to an orphanage before. Your heart just goes out to all the kids there! The staff was very nice and explained the different rooms as we walked through. There are children of all ages running around. They seemed happy and well cared for though. It was sad and happy feelings all at the same time. It felt really good to help these children out and we all needed a boost of happiness considering the news we received Wednesday about the court proceedings.

I was very glad to have been here when Cresta got the news. There were lots of tears and hugs but we’ll get through this and her and Kariana will be home before she knows it! I have been emphasizing that a few more weeks is nothing compared the LIFETIME she will have with her daughter once back in the United States. I can’t imagine how hard it is but again, really glad I decided to come when I did!

Unfortunately, I have had the experience of attitude sickness since being here. NOT FUN! Severe headaches (but thankfully not continuous) and some nausea that comes and goes. Last night was the worse, actually got sick from the nausea. Blah! Cresta said none of the other families have gotten sick that were here from MN. She looked it up online and discovered that MN is about 1500 feet above sea level and AR is only like 200 feet above sea level. With Bogota being 8000 feet above sea level we are guessing its just the 1300 feet difference maybe. Knock on wood not too bad today so far! Keep your fingers crossed.

Having fun in Bogota,
Carrie