Should we stay or should we go now?

Friday, 12/6 continued

 

In the pictures below you will see what kind of supervision the children had from Brant while I was posting the last blog post.  We are never getting our deposit back from this apartment! Gavin tore the curtains in their upstairs loft area.  Dakota sewed them back up, thankfully.  Reese has peed on two couches (one time right in front of the property manager).  Don't judge, we are potty-training.  Considering blaming everything on the flood ;)

 

Friday we were invited to Jaime and Stella's house for an asado.  This is what we would call a barbeque. There were many more friends and family there which added to the festivity of the night.  I am not sure but I think they may do this every Friday evening.  This is the 3rd time we were invited for the Friday event but the first one we were able to attend.  The food was served family style and was a variety of meats, bunuelos, plantains, arepas and a cake which Brant picked up at a local bakery on his walk with Jude to their house.  Jaime picked the other kids and I up in his car.  Although our Spanish is terrible and Jaime and Stella do not speak much English, we managed to communicate.  Their son, Jaime, Jr., does speak English as well as another friend who was there.  So when we got stuck, we had help! 

 

 Stella and Jaime's 2 year old grandson, Sergio, was there as a playmate.  Our children had a great time.  Little One was very timid to begin with but throughout the evening warmed up, especially with Stella who gave her Coca-Cola, galletas and let her play on the cell phone :)  They treated our children just like their grandchildren.  Indulgences and all!!  The Bigs had an ipad at their disposal and the Littles had a porch full of toys, unlimited food of their choice and a bed to lay on to watch television.  They were in Heaven!  Jude became tired and cried a bit but I was able to lull him to sleep and put him down in a bedroom for a nap.  We stayed for several hours enjoying our evening with our new friends before splitting up for car rides back to the apartment.  I am so grateful for the hospitality we have been shown.  My New Year's resolution will be to extend more hospitality in my life.  This country and this family have been amazing examples to me. 

 

On the ledge between the first floor and their loft area. 

The result of the "fall"

Remember who was supervising these moments.

Porch fun a the asado

 

 

Saturday, 12/7

 

The first Saturday of every month in Medellin, there is a market held in Parque Bolivar called Mercado de San Alejo. It is full of vendors with mostly handmade crafts, food etc.  We decided to head out via taxi, metro and foot to visit the market.  We explored for several hours.  Dakota and I found some earrings we liked.  Gavin found a pendant with a stone of some sort.   Brant and I scored a neat handmade set of espresso cups with a wooden "tree" for them to hang on.  It was a definite change in culture from the more affluent area of town we are living in to this area.  The vendors were mostly made up of what many of you at home as well as the locals here would call hippies :)  The smell of marijuana was strong.  So the Bigs got a bit of an education on what that smell meant.  Homeschool on the rode!!!  There was enough nudity that I wanted to hide Gavin's eyes in particular several times and Dakota witnessed some pickpocketing. Overall though we really enjoyed experiencing another part of life here in Medellin.  Worth noting, there were port-a-potties at the market for public use.  And they had a PAID city worker there who would go in the bathroom and clean it between each occupant. Cleanest toilets ever.   We hit up a little pastry shop on our way back to the metro and waited out a rain storm there. 

 

Everyone was pretty exhausted.  I did a quick grocery trip while the babies napped.  Today is Dia de las Velitas (Day of the Little Candles).  This is celebrated on December 7th which is the eve of the Immaculate Conception.  It is the day that unofficially begins the Christmas season.  On this evening, candles are lit everywhere: window sills, porches, sidewalks, parks!  They take over the city!  Trying to do our part, I scrounged up 3 candles that previous occupants left in the apartment.  We headed out to our driveway with a lighter.  We weren't sure what to do.  So we lit the candles, said a prayer, blew them out and had a photo op :)  Of course, the evening would not be complete without a little drama.  Reese decides to play with his candle after he blows it out.  While the hot wax was still in the candle.  He burns his arm.  While we are helping him, Jude does the SAME THING!!  Once again we enter the apartment with screaming children.  I am certain our neighbors hate us.

 

 

Morning exhaustion from the late night asado

Catedral Metropolitana de Medellin

San Elejo Market

Earring shopping

The stolen, discarded wallet

She is sitting on nothing.  How in the world?

Drink Brant tried on our way to the Metro.  No like.

Me and my sweet girl

Our candle lighting

Watching the candles and festivities below.  I went to sleep at 2 am and the kids of the neighborhood were still playing outside in the street and the music was still loud and festive :)

 

Sunday, 12/8

 

Ciclovia day again!  Here is a link to an article if you are interested in reading more about the city's 6-hour shutdown of the street on Sunday to promote exercise http://gocolombiago.com/home/whats-hot/ciclovia-gets-medellin-moving For us, it is just a chance to easily push the children in strollers through town without worrying about sidewalks and traffic!  We walked from around 9:30 am until 1:30 pm.  We went by a store called Panamericano.  It was a bookstore/office supply store/electronics store all in one.  The kids enjoyed browsing through the books in the children's section for a little while.  Then we headed to the Santa Fe mall and made a stop at Juan Valdez (like our Starbucks).  Brant and I ordered grande lattes for us and desserts for all seven of us for $14.  Unheard of.  We ate outside the mall enjoying the city views.  A security officer with limited English finally communicated to us there is a play area in the mall that we could access for free by presenting a receipt showing we had spent at least $10 in the mall that day.  Yes.  Wear them down for the nap!

 

 

Later Sunday evening, our lawyer stopped by the apartment to update us a little on our process before he leaves to go back to the US on Monday.  Raul has been searching for pretzels for me for weeks.  Once he found out I love them but can't find them here, he has taken it as his personal mission to find me some :)  They do NOT exist here.  So he brought us a consolation prize.  A HUGE container of plantain chips.  Delicious.  They are Costco size and almost gone.  We have enjoyed them very quickly!

 

While Raul was with us, he indicated we may want to go ahead and book tickets to Bogota for the final leg of our trip.  We are still waiting on the completion of the adoption decree but he thinks it will happen by Thursday.  At that point, Brant will have to travel back to Valledupar to pick up the new birth certificate for Little One and our US Embassy part of the journey will begin.  If the signature happens Thursday and we were already in Bogota, Brant could get a flight to Valledupar and back on Friday.  We could also possibly save a couple of days of processing time by getting Little One's TB test on Friday instead of waiting until the following week.  He wants us to discuss tonight. 

 

As I was beginning to bed down for the evening, I received a series of precious messages from my friend Mary.  She has been through many adoptions and is currently in process again.  She encouraged me and made me laugh.  The Lord knew I needed that today.  Thank you, Mary!!

 

My Sunday morning.  What happens when a silicone filled disposable diaper is washed in the washing machine.  Fail.

Panamericano bookstore.  Little One gravitates to pink and sparkles!

Simply looking at the people below is not exciting enough for one of them.

Juan Valdez cookie

And giant muffin!!

Playset in Santa Fe before the worker told Reese the top of the caterpillar is off-limits.

 

 

Monday, 12/9

 

School day again!  Brant and I also discussed our travel options last night.  Our rental agreement in this apartment in Medellin ends on Thursday.  Our lawyer says we should have signatures by then or close to then.  We have decided to move on to Bogota.  Bittersweet.  Today while the babies were sleeping I went to the grocery store alone.  I was nostalgic about my walk and our time here.  In the midst of the chaos, I have truly enjoyed this city and its people.  I have tried to document some of the things I want to remember, but I know I am not getting them all recorded.  I so badly want to lock all the memories in my mind so I do not forget one second.  Well....maybe forget a few of them.  Nostalgia over. 

 

After the grocery store, I set out to book us tickets to Bogota for Thursday.  I booked them through Expedia so we could have the 24-hour no penalty cancellation policy if need be.  The flight we originally booked home from Bogota to Huntsville is scheduled for December 22nd.  We purchased an adoption fare so we have the option to change that return date without any penalty, although we would love to think we could keep that date!  I was reviewing our tickets to come home and realized that Delta did not have Little One included on the reservation.  Surely a mistake!  I spent 1 1/2 hours on the phone with Delta getting the problem resolved.  They told me I would need to pay $558 for Little One's ticket home. (that we were originally told we already paid for)  And they would need to issue it as a paper ticket that would need to be mailed to a US address. This would take 2 weeks.  For a flight on the 22nd.  The final resolution ended up being a $558 ticket with a $200 voucher to apply to it and they will have the ticket waiting at the airport.  Whatever at this point.  Whatever!!!!!

 

This evening, Jaime, Jaime, Jr and his wife, Sara and son, Sergio, came to pick us all up in two cars to see some Christmas lights.  Some amazing Christmas lights!  We parked the cars and spent some time strolling through the displays.  Jaime bought the kids blinking Christmas pins for their shirts and treated us all to helado (ice cream) at Mimo's.  Also as a highlight of the night, Little One and I walked in on a man using the restroom but not the door lock in Mimo's :)  The whole family has been so gracious to accept us in their routines.  So selfless.   We took a drive by the river to see the huge displays which did not disappoint!  Heading back there tomorrow night to walk the river lights. 

 

Late arrival and babies in bed around 10:45.  Overall the behavior was good or maybe that was just because I was in the car with Dakota and Little One.  Brant had the boys in the other car.  A cause to rejoice!

 

Jude's accidental cheeto attachment

And Reese's intentional decoration

One of my favorite views on the way to the grocery store

Did I mention the scuffed up walls?

Christmas lights!

Jaime and his grandson, Sergio who laughs whenever I speak.  English is funny to him :)

Lots of party buses running around town with foam shooter thingies!

Jaime Jr helping push Jude

 

Tuesday, 12/10

 

School.....again.....

 

During school, Brant took a phone call from our lawyer Raul.  He came to bring the news to me shortly after.  The document will NOT be signed this week.  We may be spending a long time here.  We are waiting on the State Attorney's signature (which I thought we already had, btw). I knew we had some trouble getting it last week because he was out of town on vacation.  Then we find out his office is closed all this week for the staff to attend some training in Bogota.  They are not allowed to sign ANY papers under orders of the government during this training week.  The best case scenario we have is the paper being signed on Monday.  Our lawyer in Valledupar insured our lawyer here that this WILL happen.  We had to make another hard decision.  We had until 3:00 pm today to cancel our flights to Bogota on Thursday without any penalty.  We know the earliest Brant can go to Valledupar for the birth certificate will be Monday (if the adoption decree is signed on Monday).  We would also start our US Embassy to-do list on that day. And that is best case.  Any signature after Monday pretty much seals the deal on us not making it home for Christmas.

 

Little One's sickle cell anemia makes the higher elevation of Bogota a potential health disaster for her.  Our lodging expenses will also be much more there.  So we would like to only be in Bogota for the required week to finish the process.  It is a gamble to move on there with the possibility of not finishing the process until mid-January.  But we had to make a choice.  We kept the flights.  We will be leaving Medellin on Thursday.  Please, please pray that we get this signature.  We are enjoying our time here so much but the kids, especially, are missing home.  There is nothing like your own bed, family and friends! 

 

We miss and love you all.  Keep on praying for more mountains to be moved!!!!