Saturday

Today has been a rough day for me. Kerry and the boys left the hotel this morning at 6:30 and at 8:30 am I discovered that both boys left their blankies in their beds. By then it was too late to do anything about it so now I have two souvenirs that I can smell and hug when I get lonely for them. I do feel for Kerry though having to deal with both boys without blankets. Kaleb should be fine as he has another favorite one at home but Cohen really only has the one he left here so I hope the next few days aren’t to hard on Kerry dealing with the fall out.

The good news is that I got our camera back from the driver this morning so I will post pictures of the coffee plantation, the falls, the zoo, and Kaleb’s birthday party soon.

Yesterday we took it easy in anticipation of them flying home today. We took the boys to one of their favorite parks here for one last play time and we went to a local artisan shop called Maku again to stock up on some gifts for everyone at home. We have some more gifts to buy at the markets but they only occur on Sundays so I will be bringing a few back with me. Kerry got a lot of packing done throughout the day and otherwise just tried to soak in the last few hours of Bogota. Dad and the boys tried to spend a lot of time with Kariana knowing they wouldn’t see her for awhile and I took close ups of each of them so Kariana and I can look at their pictures on the computer while we are separated. We don’t know how long that will be and we don’t want her to forget them so we will look at them a lot. The boys had the Kopka boys over one last time for a movie after supper and then they said their good-byes as they were getting up early to leave.

We found out we are in court 14. Court 14 isn’t on the ‘fast’ list but it isn’t on the ‘slow’ list either so my stay will probably be the average of 6 to 7 weeks. That would put me here another 3 to 4 weeks but if there is anything you learn quickly about this process, its not to assume anything so my stay could be longer. After our Defenders of the Minors meeting, it’s really just a waiting game for us. From then on, it’s the lawyer that deals with the judge and the courts kind of behind the scenes from our end because we really won’t know what is happening pretty much until the judge signs the papers. It’s a different judicial process than we are used to as we don’t have to ever appear in court. Our lawyer represents us in everything so we just sit back and get to know Colombia so we can tell our daughter all about her beautiful birth country.

It poured rain here this afternoon. And for the first time since we have been here, it even had lightening and thunder. We went to the mall and grocery store this morning and its lucky we did as the weather was nice but now its cold and miserable. Hopefully it clears off tonight before the Sunday markets tomorrow.

I think that is about it for today. I hope no one minds reading about some of the mundane aspects of our days but this blog will be kept for Kariana to read when she is older so she understands everything that occurred while we were here for her without relying solely on our memories of our time in Colombia. I want her to have as many details about her birth country as she wants and we are using this blog as the journal of our time here.

Missing my boys in Colombia,
Cresta

The Big Day for Kaleb! He turned 7 today and has been telling everyone that for a week. We had arranged a day of siteseeing with Herman (our driver) a couple days ago. He picked us up at 8:00 am. That was early since we haven’t been getting up until about that time. We headed south out of Bogota to a coffee plantation call Coloma. About half way there Kaleb got car sick and literally got sick all over the car. Herman took it really well. We had to stop and get the boys, mom and the backseat all cleaned up as best we could before we got going again.

The coffee plantation was pretty neat. It was about 8.5 acres large and sells an average of over 10,000 lbs of coffee/month. Not all of that is grown at the plantation we saw but it is all processed there. We had a private tour because we were the only visitors. There are only 6 employees on the whole plantation. We learned a lot of neat facts about coffee. For instance, they plant citrus and fruit trees amount the coffee plants because it helps the flavor of the beans. So as we walked among all of the bushes there were many orange, lemon and banana trees.

After the plantation we headed to a zoo that was also south of Bogota. On the way there we took some winding roads through the mountains and valleys and at one point there is a huge water fall. We are not sure how tall it was but it had to be over 500 ft. It was really cool to see but we were informed it is the most polluted river in the world and it did smell like it too.

After the falls we tried to find lunch. We were in a rather unpopulated area so we got to try the local cuisine. It ended up being different but pretty good. The boys (including Kerry) all had what looked like brats and Cresta had grilled chicken. And luckily French fries are popular in Columbia as well so Kaleb and Cohen got some of those too.

Will our tummies full we headed the zoo. It is an older zoo but it was pretty interesting. It was basically right on the side of the mountain and amongst the jungle. The paths were laid native stone and very steep and rough at times. They had some amazing animals including, jaguars (spotted and black), lions, parrots, monkeys, ostrich, cappiberras, tapirs, snakes, etc. Since it is an older zoo the cages tend to be smaller but you could get pretty close to them. We had to watch the boys pretty close so a parrot or monkey wouldn’t get them. The male lion liked to roar when we were there and he did it when we were only about 10 ft from him.

After the zoo we headed back to Bogota and got back to the hotel about 4:30. It got to be a long day but well worth it. Of course Kariana was great the whole day. The only time we heard a peep out of her was when she was getting hungry. As long as the car is moving she loves to travel. In stop and go traffic she can get a little frustrated but luckily she was sleeping when we hit the heavy traffic on the way back.

When we got back to the hotel, they had some streamers and balloons put up to celebrate Kaleb’s b-day. He was pretty excited. After supper they sang him Happy Birthday in Spanish (all four verses) and gave him a Toy Story 3 watch. The head cook here is very fun loving and she took Kaleb and smeared his cake all over his face. He thought that was the greatest thing that happened all day. I think he had a pretty good birthday. Even during the party he stated “I never expected it to be like this!”

Sorry for not posting any pictures but we left the camera in the back of the car when we got dropped off so we aren’t getting it back until Saturday morning when the driver is picking up Kerry and the boys to take them to the airport. Luckily we also brought our old camera so we could take pictures of Kaleb’s b-day party but then found out we forgot the cable to down load the pictures to the computer.

Well that about it for today.

The Melchers

Today we started out with a late breakfast and lounged around the hotel until about 11:00. The new couple from MN left about 10:45 to go pick up their new son. So we waited around until after they left and then went for a walk to a park we visited last week. It has a couple of different climbing structures in it so the boys have been asking to go back there. We got back around 12:30, just a little before lunch.

During lunch the new family (Joe and Leah) brought in there new son Cole. He is a very cute and happy baby. They were very happy parents walking into the dinning room to show off their new boy. It was interesting to watch because it reminds us of when we got Kariana and how we must have looked.

This afternoon we decided to head to the Bogota Children’s Museum. We arrived at 3:20. We found out there is a guided tour and the last one was at 3:30. The tour last until 4:55 and the place closes at 5. There was a full size airplane and old steam locomotive outside that we did not get to look at very much but the rest of the tour was pretty good for not understanding what they were saying. We pretty much just followed along and got the jist of what the guide was saying. It was a very animated guide and she got the kids involved a lot.

After that we came back to the hotel, Kerry made a run to the ATM and we ate supper. The boys went over the Kopka’s room for a movie and we got in a couple of video calls. Kariana decided she didn’t need her cat nap after supper so she stayed up until about 8:30 and then fell asleep instantly after her bottle. After supper Kerry walked around with her and she fell asleep in his arms for about 5 mins. And when he went to put her in the carrier she woke up bright eyed and smiley like she had slept for an hour. She has done this a couple of times already. As soon as we think we have her all figured out, then she does something like that.

Well we better get to bed since we are heading to the zoo and plantation fairly early tomorrow.

The Melcher’s.

Tuesday`

The Melcher and Kopka boys enjoying a DVD on the computer.



The adults enjoying Bogota Beer Company.



We cannot get over how cute she is. Strangers in the stores and on the street comment on how beautiful she is too.


Mom and Kariana having some fun.

Today we had a pretty laid back day after our fairly long day yesterday. After our long meeting with the Defenders of Minors (long for the boys anyway), we got a driver and went to Crapes and Waffles which is an excellent chain of restaurants down here with awesome ice cream. It was the first time we had been there but we had been told to go there by everyone we talked to and we are glad we did. It was really good. After that, the driver took us to the leather district. I’m not sure how big the leather district is because we stayed on one street but shop after shop after shop was all leather goods. Everyone was very anxious to sell the American’s leather coats too! Kerry was looking for a motorcycle jacket but he knew what he wanted and was not afraid to be picky. I swear we went into about 12 shops before he found one is really, really liked. Some shops just didn’t have large enough jackets for the big American. I think the one he ended up with is an XXL and normally he would wear a LG or XL. It was a little wide around the waist and he doesn’t like the wind blowing up but that was no problem. The lady said she would alter it and have it done in ½ an hour! Actually, it was done in less than 20 minutes but that was enough time for me to find a white leather jacket that I liked and bought. I’m going to wear mine as a suit jacket for work though. They both look really nice. The boys were not impressed with the leather district and couldn’t believe all these stores and none of them carried any toys. They were pretty much terrible during our shopping but we are having a hard time blaming them so we decided to take it easy today and mainly just hung around the hotel until this afternoon when we walked to a park and then to the mall where we got some ice cream, got a few snacks for the room, and ended up having appetizers and drinks with 2 other families at Bogota Beer Company. The BBC is another chain around Bogota that you see everywhere. They had awesome nachos and the beer was tasting pretty good going down. Our friends the Kopka’s had problems with their paperwork today so it looks like they will be here a few more days than they thought. Tough day for them since they are so close to going home. Otherwise, the boys had the Kopka boys over for a movie after supper and now everyone is in bed.

We did make plans with a driver for Thursday to go to a zoo on the south side of Bogota and then tour a coffee plantation. I’m really looking forward to that. How many times do you get a chance to tour a coffee plantation?? Thursday is also Kaleb’s birthday so I ordered a cake today and talked to the owner of the hotel. She is going to have balloons and a Birthday sign up. We also bough noise makers for the kids so I think it will go well and he will be pleased. He is already excited that we are going to go to the zoo for his birthday.

We didn’t hear what court we are in yet so keep us in your thoughts and prayers for a fast one.

Cresta

Meeting went well!

I was helping Cori with some business stuff tonight and it got late so this is going to be short but I promised an update so here it is. Everything with the Defender of Minors went great. I believe we flew through the interview with flying colors. The baby was an angel the whole time sleeping for most of it and then waking up smiling at everyone the rest of the time. The boys got extremely antsy but they did OK. We believe we were the new Defender of Minor’s first case EVER. He seemed to ask Cecilia and our lawyer a lot of questions about what he should be doing! He was much younger than we expected and seemed very nice but he was obviously having problems with the paperwork and had to call someone in to help him get through it. So now there is the 5 of us, Cecilia and our lawyer, plus him and his helper all crammed into this little cubical for over an hour. No wonder the boys were getting anxious. The good news is that we walked out of there with a paper that proclaimed that the Defender of Minors had approved of the adoption and was sending our file to the courts for final approval. YEAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! We will hopefully hear tomorrow what court we are in. It matters because some courts are faster than others, some approve more of international adoption than others, etc. so if we are in a ‘fast’ court, it gives us hope we will be coming home sooner rather than later. Our good friends the Kopka’s got Sentencia today and sign their paperwork tomorrow so they will be leaving very soon. That will put them here about 5 weeks so cross your fingers ours will go that fast too. They got a ‘fast’ court so I am hoping we get their same court!

I will try to write tomorrow morning about going to the leather district after our meeting……

Another great Sunday

The Sunday markets near the Santa Barbara hotel. There were rows and rows of these vendors.



Kerry couldn't resist taking a picture of this modified motercycle one of the vendors was using to haul his stuff around.

Kariana recently discovered her tounge so now we see it all the time.

Our cutie!!

The Melcher's with Cecilia.

Today was a great Sunday in Bogota. I love Sunday’s here. They just feel so laid back. That is probably because half the roads are closed so traffic is minimal as is the noise. Today we saw a TON of bikers and runners out enjoying the car-free roads. Kerry and I left the boys with the staff at the hotel and walked about a mile to the larger of the Sunday markets. We put Kariana in the baby bjorn and set off. I love the markets but the things start to look the same after you see a few dozen vendors. We have our sites set on a couple of handmade wooden boxes as a keep sake for Kariana but we couldn’t decide on one and I will be here for quite awhile yet so we are going to keep looking for now. We tried an awesome dessert, got a lizard keychain for my sisters, a cool candle inside a large bamboo section with a design on the front, a red beaded necklace for me (jewelry is very big down here, all styles, colors, sizes, etc.), a hair clip for me, and some honey caramels that turned out to not be nearly as good as they sounded. It misted on us part of the way there but nothing major and then got fairly warm as we finished with that market and walked back to the nearest mall called Unicentro to look for a birthday gift for Kaleb. By the time we got to the mall, Kariana though we had done enough walking and not enough eating and was letting us know it so we had a break while she ate. After we were done with the mall, we headed back to the hotel where the boys said they got treated to bananas while we were gone and got to watch cartoons (all in Spanish but they don’t seem to care in the least).

After lunch and naps, we headed to tea at Cecilia’s house. Cecilia is a Lutheran Social Service’s employee that guides us through every step of the process while we are down here. She is a very funny lady and really knows what she is doing. She invited us, the Kopka’s, and a new MN couple that arrived this morning to her house. Although she asked us for tea, we never actually drank tea but were treated to wine, wonderful hot chocolate, traditional Colombian tamales, and other traditional breads and sweets. Everything was really, really good and her house was gorgeous. Her and her husband are very well travelled and have been to the U.S. a number of times. It was nice to meet the new couple that arrived as well. They are adopting a 14-month old boy who looks adorable from the pictures we saw. Many of the families that were here at the hotel when we first arrived have gone home in the last week so the hotel is fairly empty right now. Its nice knowing this couple will be here the whole time I am here.

Kariana is doing awesome lately. Her runny nose and cough are virtually gone although we have seen more spit up in the last couple of days. We were trying some different things with her formula but otherwise we have her schedule down pat. She is starting to put on a little weight I think although we don’t have a scale here. I think her little thighs are starting to get an extra fat fold in them and her cheeks seem a little bigger now. Although she doesn’t complain when she needs a diaper change, she loves having it changed and the freedom of no pants! I can’t wait to get her home where its warm and let her really enjoy some no-clothes freedom. Its pretty chilly here to let her do that much but she sure loves it. We have discovered that when she believes it is nap time, it is nap time RIGHT NOW. Sometimes you get a little whining but most of the time, you cuddle her close and if she has some cloth near by to suck on, she is out. Kerry says she gets that from him since he falls asleep right away too….. We know her schedule now so nap time is very predictable but at first, we were amazed at how she feel asleep. She is still sleeping elevated in the baby carrier at night which seems to be working really well since she has slept through the night every night but one so far (knock on wood).

Tomorrow is our defender of the minors meeting. We found out from Cecilia tonight that the reason it took so long to get the appointment is because they elected a new government down here that is being implemented now so a new Defender of the Minors had to be appointed and trained in. Our meeting tomorrow is the first time Cecilia will work with the new person so that makes me nervous but Cecilia didn’t seem to worried about it so I am trying not to be either. We will let you know tomorrow how it goes.

The Melcher’s

Saturday

A couple of black swans.


The boys walking down the tunnel of vines. Each column had a different type of vine growing up it.


Cresta in front of a blooming bush in the Tropical room.

The Desert room at the Gardens

Gues who is behind the huge leaves!!

Cohen was especially fascinated by the waterfall.

Today we decided to take a trip to the Botanical Gardens. It was about a 20 min. taxi ride there during which our taxi driver was very interested in us but didn't speak any English. He ended up calling someone on his cell phone and had Cresta talk to him so that we could fully determine our destination and that we were visiting from the US. Everyday is an adventure and very interesting. We definitely wish we would have worked a little harder on our Spanish before we came down but we are catching on and seem to be getting a long OK.

The city is huge but it is like anything else, you become familiar with your little area and the places you like to go and it becomes more comfortable. We are enjoying all the sites and getting a taste of the culture. I know some of you in the U.S. think that it isn't all that safe down here but it is like anywhere else. As long as you stay in the right neighborhoods and are smart about how you travel around it is fine. The times I feel the most unsafe is when we are in the taxis. They drive like they are nuts but you don't see very many accidents on the road. They are all use to it so it is common place.

The Botanical Gardens were beautiful. It was very large and had trees and flowers from all over Colombia. Each area of the gardens had plants from certain areas of the country. All the text on the signs was in Spanish so we didn't get much from that but with two boys leading the way you don't get time to stop and read the signs anyway. They had three green houses connected together and each one represented a different climate. This is mostly determined by the altitude due to the mountains. There was a walk way that took you through all the building and the boys liked it so much we had to go through it twice. They also had a man made waterfall that was very pretty and we got some good pictures. The boys thought this was the best spot in the whole park. It was very cheap to get in too. It was only $5,000 pesos or about $2.50 for the whole family to get in.

After the gardens we flagged down a taxi and headed to an Exito (like a Target) where another Minnesota family here (The Kopkas) told us they had Bubblegummer shoes. These are kids shoes that are reasonably priced, are good quality and the soles smell like bubblegum. Kaleb was in desperate need for new shoes so we got him a pair and we got Cohen a pair of slip on shoes (like Crocs).

The Exito had a balcony area where you could get food and tables to eat. There were 4-5 food places that we thought were fast food but once we ordered it took 15 min. to get our food. That is something that we are having to adjust too. Everything will happen in time, you just have to be patient and wait.

After that we came back to the hotel, ate supper and now the boys are watching a movie with the Kopka boys. They have two boys very similar in age and they all get along pretty well. We take turns hosting the movie so that the opposite parents get a little quite time. It works out pretty well.

That is about it for now. Hope all is going well back home and keep us in your prayers for a quick court process down here so we can return home and show off our new daughter.

The Melchers

Friday

Today we had good intentions of going to the Children’s Museum but by the time we decided to go, Kerry looked it up on the internet and determined it closed from noon to 2 so we decided it was to close to closing time to go in the morning. We decided to go after naps to the afternoon session instead so we called a taxi and went shopping instead. We went to a store called Alkosto which turned out to be just like Sam’s Club. It is always an adventure to go shopping here. Shopping for the usual staples like snacks and juice really allows you to be exposed to normal people and to experience the culture here. You learn what is expensive (like milk), what is given a lot of shelf space compared to home (like dry milk), and what they do differently (like displaying their eggs in a regular isle and not in the refrigerated section). Shopping also allows you to deal with their money. The exchange rate is about $1 to 2,000 pesos so the bills here are all in 1,000’s. Therefore, we carry around 50,000 peso bills (about $25), 20,000 peso bills (about $10), etc. Plus, when you withdraw money from an ATM, it tells you your balance in pesos so we are pesos millionaires! Kerry and I determined we should frame that ATM receipt since it will probably be the only time our balance has more than one comma separator in it.

After we got back, we had some lunch at the hotel and laid down for naps. However, naps were a lot longer than we expected and we had to wake sleeping kids so by the time they got up, we determined we wouldn’t have enough time at the museum before it closed at 5. So instead we walked to yet another new park and let the kids run. The nice thing about staying here for so long is that we don’t feel pressured to do all the site seeing things right away or cram them together which is good since the boys wouldn’t be to willing to let us do that so we have plenty of time to find the parks around and do leisurely shopping.

Now that we have had Kariana for over 10 days, I have been reflecting on the process. I know in the long run that Kariana is definitely better off with us but I really feel for the babies during the transition. Having two biological children that I knew from birth, it has been doubly strange to me that from her perspective, one day, out of the blue, we were thrust into her young life and all other caregivers she has ever known are never to be seen again. From our perspective, we were given her feeding and sleeping schedule and the meds she was on. That was it. No where were we told what size of bottle nipple she took (luckily, we brought more than one size with us, experimented with them and figured out she liked a #2 the best). No where did it tell us how she soothed herself (finally figured out she sucks on cloth although at first we just thought she put everything in her mouth). No where did it tell us how she likes to sleep (we bundled her tight like they teach you in the hospital but only because that is what our boys liked and we had never put a baby to bed any other way). I guess that is why they say babies are so resilient. It is hard to believe they don’t just totally freak out at all the changes that occur to them literally within a few hours. From our perspective, she has become an integral part of our family just like she has always been there instead of joining it 10 days ago. The boys adore her and love fetching clean diapers or talking to her to make her smile. It is as if our family had been waiting with bated breath (which it had) until she made us complete. Now that she is with us, we can move on as a family of 5, never looking back. I can’t image my life without her in it and I love knowing she needed us as much as we needed her.

Just some thoughts on a Friday night,
The Melcher’s

Thursday

Today we started the morning figuring on hanging around the hotel hoping to hear that our Defenders of the Minors meeting would be today. The good news is that the call came in about 10 this morning but the bad news is that we were told our meeting is going to be on Monday. Unfortunatly that will postpone our stay a few days since none of the court process starts until that meeting. The meeting will be with a government employee who is looking to see if we are bonding properly with Kariana. If he/she thinks we are, then the court process begins and we will get assigned a court. The Defenders of the Minors meeting could take place fairly quickly but usually about a week after presentation. Ours will be almost 2 weeks after presentation. At least we know when it will be now so that we don't have to hang around the hotel and wait for the call to come in.

Today we went with the Kopka's to another park and then walked to El Correl for lunch. El Correl had awesome burgers, onion rings, and shakes. In fact, it served better burgers than I have had in some places in the states. After nap time, we went to Exito in the mall that is a few blocks away. This Exito is smaller than the one we went to previously and was very crowded with everything close together.

Not a lot going on today so that is about it.

The Melcher's

Tuesday and Wednesday

Pretty in pink.


Kaleb, Cohen and their friends Will and Jake playing at the park. These boys love to spend time together.


One of the many mini taxis. It is amazing how many people you can fit into one of these. They are pretty cheap too. We took a 1/2 hr ride a cross town the other day for less than $6.

Our doll!!

We have had 2 really nice days in Bogota weather-wise. Both were sunny and the warmest we have seen here. Yesterday was the national holiday here but we weren't adventurous enough with all 3 kids to experience any of the festivities. Instead we took a long walk with our friends the Kopka's because we believed the markets would be in swing similar to Sunday's and there were a few vendors but nothing huge. We did get a medium sized Colombian flag and some really good meringue-type treats to fortify us for our walk. Today we went with the Kopka's and finally visited Jacque's which is an awesome pastry shop. Yummmmmmm!! After that, we went to a really large park that we had passed in the car a couple of times. The boys had fun running around and we really enjoyed the sunshine. Our days have started taking a similar pattern as of late. We usually venture out in the morning after breakfast because that is when the weather is usually the best. We usually try to make it back for lunch at the hotel and then nap time. After nap time, we usually venture out again to one of the smaller, closer parks or hit the grocery store or the ATM machines at one of the banks. This afternoon we walked to a nearby artisan’s shop. It had a wide variety of different Colombian crafts so we had fun looking around. Each of the boys got an instrument to add to our band set and we got 3 different kinds of Colombian candy. I have a feeling we may head back there before Kerry and the boys leave to stock up on some other things we want to bring home.

Today we switched rooms to a larger room that was vacated by one of the families returning to Minnesota. The room is quite a bit larger and the boys are infatuated with it. I think it is good for us to have a change of scenery and more space for the boys. Kerry and the boys are half way through their trip here and will be leaving in 10 days. Kaleb is counting the days until his 7th birthday which he will celebrate here in Colombia just a couple of days before they return home.

Today my sister Carrie booked her plane tickets to come see me in Bogota after the guys return home. Although I tried hard not to pressure her to come, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited she is coming. I was not looking forward to the time after Kerry and the boys leave and her coming will really give me something to look forward too. Although I am looking forward to more time with Kariana, adult company will really be valued! I can’t wait to show her around town.

Speaking of Bogota, I realized that we haven’t talked about it all that much. First, our hotel is in a pretty good part of town with very nice buildings all around. We feel extremely safe out and about the area and have walked in about every direction we can. At first we pretty much only used a designated driver when we wanted to go further but we have now taken public taxis quite a bit too. They are much cheaper than a driver but they usually don’t speak English so we carry a hotel business card with us at all times and we just hand them the card to take us back. The cars here are all very small and many of the taxis are these super-mini cars so they look like clown cars when we start all piling out of them. Its pretty funny. Drivers are also extremely aggressive down here which makes having a small car very effective since they weave in and out of traffic lanes. We have not seen any accidents so far although my heart has stopped many times in traffic because of how close we have come. Pedestrians are not given priority here so you have to be careful crossing the road although people are constantly crossing the road where ever they want and just taking the risk. Bogota also has rules about cars on the road. Every car has a number assigned to it and only certain numbers can be on the road on any given day. In other words, each car is allowed to be on the road for 2 days out of the week. Everyone can drive on Saturdays and many of the roads are closed on Sundays so that walkers, bikers, and roller bladders can use the roads. Its really an interesting way to reduce traffic and emissions in the big city.

The Melchers

Monday

Today we had a great day in Bogota. We woke up to beautiful blue skies and no rain in sight so we made a quick a decision to go to Mossarete. Mossarete is a church high up in the mountains above Bogota. We packed a bag, called a taxi and were on our way after breakfast. The kids loved it! We got there and boarded a tram that went right up the side of the mountain. It was like a train car but with huge glass windows in the front and the roof. It was built at a 45 degree angle so as you stood on it you could look straight forward and see through the roof. There were two of these trams on the same track so as one when up the other went down and there track split half way up the mountain and they passed each other. The tram took us up 2,300 ft above Bogota. So we were at an elevation of 10,300 ft. It was an awesome veiw.

Bogota is nestled in a huge valley so it surrounded by mountains on all sides. We watched the some low clouds drift in through the mountains. It was extremely beautiful. Bogota is huge. We knew it took a long time to get through town but we didn't realize its true size. It has a population of 8,000,000 people.

There was a little market by the church so we ended up getting Kaleb a little wooden cross necklace. It only cost $.50 but he loves it and wore it all day. The boys loved Moserate and were already asking when we could go back. They just wanted to stare out over the railing forever and take in the sites.

The boys are starting to miss home and there behavior is not the best at times but they are dealing with all the differences fairly well. The biggest issue has been food. We are tring to get them to at least try whatever food is served but sometimes it just isn't worth the fight. We can almost always find at least one thing they will eat and just incase we have some snacks back in our room to help fight off the hunger pains.

Kariana's routine is starting to become more settled and we are all getting to know each other better each day. Today she really started finding her voice and would "talk" for many minutes just to hear herself. It is pretty fun to watch and listen too. She is developing a cough but nothing too significant, let's hope it stays that way. She also has a slight runny nose but nothing to serious. She sure hates it when Dad goes digging for things in her nose though. She has slept through the night every night since we got her, usually going to bed between 9 and 10 and waking up between 6 and 8.

We had another party tonight at supper. Another Minnesota family is heading home tomorrow. The Vettle's adopted 3 sibling ages 3, 2, and 1. Can you belive that? I think they are saints. We are all so excited for them to head home and get settled into thier new lives although the hotel won't be nearly as interesting without them around. We will miss you Holly!

Talk to you tomorrow!

The Melcher's

Sunday

Kariana working on a little present for Daddy.
This was hilarious to watch. She grimaced like this about 6-7 times before she was done.

Today we experienced our first Sunday markets. Although we went to the closest and smallest one, it was nice. It was in a fancy hotel called Hotel La Fontana in the court yard. There were a lot of flower tables (Colombia is the second largest exporter of flowers behind Holland we were told), there were also other tables with jewelry, toys, and clothing. I got a beautiful silver and onyx necklace and we got 'Ana' in handmade painted letters for her room when we get back. Kerry got a t-shirt but Kaleb couldn't decide what beaded necklace he wanted so we told him we would keep looking. After we left there, we headed to a large McDonald's with a big playland that we promised the boys we would go to. Just an FYI that McD's tastes exactly the same in Colombia as it does in the states although milk didn't seem to be an option for the Happy Meals so the boys had orange juice instead since they don't drink pop. The store even had a staff member playing in the play area with the kids and she painted faces and made ballon animals. Kaleb got his face painted like a tiger and he was super excited about it.

Unfortantly, it rained on us from about the time we left the hotel until we got to McDonalds so we were fairly damp by the time we got there. It has been fairly rainy here although the first couple of days after we got here were beautiful. Since then, it has rained almost every day which makes site seeing interesting. Luckily it doesn't rain all day but it is hit or miss. The clouds come off the mountains which are close to the city. Actually, Bogota is 8,000 ft above sea level and is built on a platau in the moutains so what we can see from here are actually just some higher peaks. The altitude hasn't affected us as all although I get really winded coming up the stairs in the hotel which makes me feel really out of shape. I'm the only one that gets so winded so maybe I really am out of shape! Otherwise, the tempature is about 50 in the morning and gets to about 72 on sunny days. Because the country is so close to the equator, they don't have seasons here and the tempature is extremely consistant throughout the year. Bogota is cooler because it is in the mountains. In fact, it is so consistant that there is no heating or air conditioning here. That means it is cooler in the mornings and in the afternoons, you open the windows. Its not bad at all but long sleeves are required most of the time although we have been known to drop down to t-shirts in the afternoons when it gets warm. Even one of the big malls we went too doesn't have a roof in some places so that the plants/trees in the mall can get rain.

This afternoon we walked to the big park to play and are now hanging out in our room. We are waiting to hear when our Defenders of the Minors meeting is. We found out today that it will not be Monday which means that it will likely be Wednesday since Tuesday is thier national independance day here. Its their bi-centenial so it will be interesting to see how they celebrate.

We are starting to get the hang of Kariana's schedule and becoming more familar with her mannerisms. She is still a pretty content little girl most of the time. Cresta has been calling her our sleeping machine becuase it seems like she is always sleeping. The long point of the day that she stays up is usually from 6-9 pm. Otherwise is seems like she is rarely up for more than two hours at a time.

Well that is about it for now. Will post more tomorrow.

Pictures from Friday and Saturday.

The Melcher trio watching some TV.

Our flirt.

Kaleb dancing with the hotel staff at the party.

Mommy's girl.

Our smiley girl.

A street performer in old town Bogota.

Feeding the pigeon in Bogota's government square.

In front of Bogota's President's house.

Contrary to what you might think of all the pictures we post of her smiling, she's not ALWAYS smiling.....

Cohen being a good big bro.

Kaleb playing on Daddy's phone in some of the baby gear.

We have been having problems with the internet connection so to make sure we don't loose all the text we are posting that and then adding pictures on a seperate post.

Out on the Town

After breakfast this morning we decided to do a little site seeing today. The hotel ended up calling the driver we have been using and he took us to "old town" which is the old, orginal downtown of Bogota. We first went to the Gold Museum which was pretty interesting and very nice but we kind of rushed through it due to the kids. It had thousands of gold, copper, and other historical artifacts dating back many thousands of years. It also talked about how these metals were mined and refined and how they were significant in the many accient cultures of South America.

After that we walked down approximately 10 blocks down to the main square. This is were the main govermental buildings are. One side of the square is the building for the Mayor of Bogota, another side is the Congress Building, another side is the main Courts building and the fourth side is the Primary Catholic Church.

Columbia's Independance Day is Tuesday, July 20th so they were in the process of setting up a lot of stuff in the square for a big festival. There were also thousands of pigeons. There were venders selling feed for the pigeons and the boys had a great time feeding them.

Our driver (Herman) then took us to one of the 25 malls in the city and we ate a late lunch and returned to the hotel around 4 pm. Herman is great to us. He is friendly and speaks English fairly well and is always asking to help. I think he carried Kariana half the day while we were tending to the boys and taking in the sites. We pretty much layed low until supper and now we are winding down for the night.

Kariana is getting much more vocal when she wants something. We didn't hardly hear a cry the first couple of days but now she is acting more like what we would concider a normal baby. See has a very strong neck and loves to look at everything. She also has discovered her hands and loves to move and stare at them for minutes at a time.

Tomorrow is Sunday and they don't allow cars on the streets on Sunday so the walking around should be much safer due to not having to cross in front of all the crazy drivers down here. The markets are open tomorrow so we are going to walk to one that is about 5 blocks from here. There is a bigger one that is recommended but it is probably a mile or more away and that is too far for the boys to walk there and back with out a lot of complaining.

Well that is about it for now. I'll post some picture in a little while. Chow!

Friday

Yesterday we went for a tour of the orphanage around 11:30. Times are very approximate here. It is hard to get use to waiting for a hour before an appointment gets underway. Cecelia (our LSS contact) gave us a tour of the building and showed us all the little bunk beds and play rooms and the nursery with all the little hospital bassinets. It is a private orphanage so it is pretty nice compared to the government ones. There are about 130 children at this one. Many are want they call "under protection" meaning there is something going on with the parents so the children are kept here until they can go back with there parents or can be adopted.

After our tour we meet with a representative of the orphanage and she answered some of the questions we had. Most of the information we had received when we got the paperwork with the referral. She did have a copy of the hospital birth certificate so we found out Kariana was born at 9:44 am. We also paid for our lawyer and found out she is a "good" one and should help move things along quickly.

We had a long taxi ride back because it was raining and Friday. This meant there were more vehicles on the road. The boys fell a sleep in the taxi. It was getting very hot so we rolled down the windows a little and then the driver would turn up the heat, then we would roll the windows down a little more so he would turn the heat up more. It must of been because he thought the baby was cold because he had his window down the whole time.

In the afternoon we had an appointment at 3:00 to get some paper work notarized. We finally left about 3:45 because our guide was stuck in traffic getting back to the hotel. We walked a few blocks to a little store front where that is all they did. They confirmed our passports and then we had to sign our signatures and put a fingerprint of our index figure by our signature.

Last night at supper one of the families was celebrating that they have received the approval from the courts and are going to go home next week. The staff here got really into it and started dancing and go many of the hotel occupants. It as a good time. One of the staff is really outgoing and she was having a very good time. There were a lot of laughs. Kaleb even got out there with her and was dancing around.

We are getting ready to head out for a tour of old town and the Gold Museum so we will have to post more later today.

Kerry, Cresta, Kaleb, Cohen and Kariana.

Soooo big!!




A little tummy time on Dad.




Pretty in pink.







Our smiley girl.




Kaleb peeking out from behind a vine arch in the park we played at this morning. This was along the canal and there were a numbe of these in full bloom.



Kariana being adorable (as usual) during our walk. She loves to be in the Baby Bjorn and take in all the sights.

Kaleb, Kariana and Dad during our morning walk. Our hotel is right next to a drainage canal, which you can see in the background.

Daddy taking care of the business right after her first bath.

The Melcher Trio!