Isabella's latest developments, Esteban as a big brother, park photos, apartment surrounds, Gold and Botero Museums, Esteban's and Grandma's haircuts - check it out here.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Process Update: No Sentencia today
I know many people have been keeping us in their thoughts and prayers for Sentencia today. Our liaison Helena called about 2:00pm to say that the judge has not signed the papers as of this morning. She’s signing lots of papers, and just hasn’t gotten to ours yet. Our lawyer will go to the court again in the morning and see if they were signed this afternoon.
In an effort to comfort myself, I made an appointment at a local spa to get my hair cut tomorrow (for 18,000 pesos - about $10). If it’s not a great cut, at least my hair will be shorter and it will be much less than I pay at home!
Isabella has had a cold and is feeling better. She ate a huge lunch, including 3 strips of maduros (fried sweet plantains) - she loved them. Esteban met some American kids at the park this am and had a great time playing with the 5 yo little girl. My mom is getting Isabella’s cold, so she’s not feeling great.
I’m taking things in stride – no vomit on me (yet) today, both kids napping at the same time, and decent Internet access – so things are relatively good. Food is good here at the hotel (we moved back to the Halifax on Sunday), beds are comfy and warm, and all are in better shape, I think. Upon our return to the hotel, I am reminded that there are really wonderful families here from all over the world, and it's good to have the support of people in similar situations (long court waits, getting to know babies/children new to your family) and a wonderfully helpful staff (who didn't flinch at all when Isabella vomited all over a chair in the playroom yesterday, for example).
I'm working on Week 6 photos, so those should post soon. Will keep you posted on the Sentencia saga.
In an effort to comfort myself, I made an appointment at a local spa to get my hair cut tomorrow (for 18,000 pesos - about $10). If it’s not a great cut, at least my hair will be shorter and it will be much less than I pay at home!
Isabella has had a cold and is feeling better. She ate a huge lunch, including 3 strips of maduros (fried sweet plantains) - she loved them. Esteban met some American kids at the park this am and had a great time playing with the 5 yo little girl. My mom is getting Isabella’s cold, so she’s not feeling great.
I’m taking things in stride – no vomit on me (yet) today, both kids napping at the same time, and decent Internet access – so things are relatively good. Food is good here at the hotel (we moved back to the Halifax on Sunday), beds are comfy and warm, and all are in better shape, I think. Upon our return to the hotel, I am reminded that there are really wonderful families here from all over the world, and it's good to have the support of people in similar situations (long court waits, getting to know babies/children new to your family) and a wonderfully helpful staff (who didn't flinch at all when Isabella vomited all over a chair in the playroom yesterday, for example).
I'm working on Week 6 photos, so those should post soon. Will keep you posted on the Sentencia saga.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Isabella is 8 months old!
Isabella is 8 months old today (11/15), and she is full of new accomplishments all the time. Last week she mastered clapping and waving - and she even kind of says "bye-bye" when she waves. She loves to "dance" to music by somewhat spastically moving her arms and upper body when she hears music she likes - which is anything with a good beat. She is nearly crawling: just a few days ago she managed to get up on hands and knees and start to rock back and forth. She started sleeping on her stomach. She "talks" when she's happy and when she's not - and she is quite clear about when she's not happy. Grandma Dawn says she's seldom seen a child who loves the bath as much as Isabella, laughing and splashing and getting water everywhere and not at all concerned about getting it in her face - and she is really happy after her bath, too. She is starting to get really worried when Mama leaves the room, and this last week she started to be coy and turn her head away and smile when people talk to her. She still loves to be the center of attention, though. We've noticed that she really likes watching all the people here at the hotel. And she still loves to feed herself, though her focus has changed from getting food into her mouth to just chewing on things and feeling the texture of different foods between her fingers. She is also working on cutting her first two teeth (bottom center). I wish I could add how much she weighs, because my back tells me she has gained weight, but we don't have a scale here.
The videos I'm posting include the long-awaited avocado-eating video and one of her clapping and waving (this one was rougher video to begin with).
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Process Update: Judge out of hospital
Hurray! We found out yesterday that our judge is out of the hospital. Helena, our liaison, has been using all her information channels to find out the status of our paperwork. She found out that the judge made it into the office on Friday to sign some papers. However, the papers cannot be dated on a day she is on sick leave, so they will probably be dated Tuesday (since Monday is a holiday here). So, I'm on notice to be ready to go sign our Sentencia on Tuesday. Keep your fingers and toes crossed!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Process Update: Judge still out
As of yesterday afternoon, our judge was still in the hospital. Our liaison (Helena) says that when judges are sick for more than a few days, they either have papers brought to them to sign (if they are able) or they appoint someone else to sign for them.
As of this afternoon, Helena says, "I think our prayers are being answered," meaning that she thinks some resolution is coming. AND I just found out that Monday is (another!) holiday here, so the courts will be closed Monday.
As of this afternoon, Helena says, "I think our prayers are being answered," meaning that she thinks some resolution is coming. AND I just found out that Monday is (another!) holiday here, so the courts will be closed Monday.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Esteban's past-times
Even though this blog is primarily about Isabella, it's also about our family and our experience here in Colombia. I've been meaning to write this post for a couple of weeks. It has been great to be here in Colombia with Esteban - to spend more time with his curiosity and personality, and to watch him try new things. Really wonderful! The following pictures show some of his many past-times while we've been here, including: exploring museums (the big hand is at the Botero Museum), reading with Mommy, riding carnival rides, playing at the playground, making brownies, playing with sticks, the art of hanging out in cafes, puzzles, masks, play-doh, admiring the flowers, playing solitaire with Grandma on the computer, climbing trees, and reading to his sister. That's only the beginning. It's great!
Catching up from last week
When last I posted, I was recovering from a record diaper day. Thankfully, we have not had a repeat!
Since I just posted our pics from last week, I though I'd catch you up on the rest of the week. On Thursday, we headed out to Monserrate. Located atop a mountain just east of downtown Bogota, Monserrate is an icon of Bogota's religous culture. It's a pilgrimage site and shrine - the original church was built in the 17th century. I posted a few photos we took of the church in our Week 5 album. It was too cloudy to get any good pictures of the city. The website actually has great photos on it. If you don't want to walk the pilgrimage route from the base of the mountain, you can take a funicular (train) and teleferico (cable railway) to get up and down the 500 meters elevation change. We thought Esteban would enjoy the transportation options and the view. Unfortunately, the teleferico was closed for repairs on Thursday. Esteban had a great theological observation as we were looking at some of the Stations of the Cross. He said, repeating some of what we'd just told him, "There's Jesus on the cross, so he wouldn't fall down again." From a 3 year old. If you're going, note that it's not at all stroller-friendly. Also, it was already fully decorated for Christmas - on the 5th of November (no Thanksgiving holiday to wait for here)!
On Friday we headed out to Parque Simon Bolivar, which is located in central Bogota and is about the size of Central Park in NYC. It has a lake (which has watersports and a beach, in warmer times of year) with walking paths and MANY playgrounds around it. That's the part we explored: the playgrounds and the walking path around the lake (~2.5 km). It also has an event arena (hosting a military rally for ~2000 that day), and is home to the Children's Museum and an Olympic quality aquatic center, among other things.
To finish our outing, we headed across the street to see the Virgilio Barco Public Library. The library is relatively new and a beautiful public building. The kids were sleeping in the stroller, so we were limited in where we could go in the building.
Saturday we hung out around the apartment. It was nice enough to set out for a walk in the morning but by the time we got to our favorite bakery (about 4 blocks away) it was starting to rain. We had a leisurely time in the bakery and then headed back home. Good naps for the kids on rainy afternoons!
Sunday we got all dressed up and went to church! We went to the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Paul for their usual 11:00am service. When I was here in 2008, we attended there twice, and the service was much as I remembered. They have a music group who leads the music, and Bishop Francisco Jose Duque-Gomez officiated, assisted by the Dean of the Cathedral. The Episcopal Diocese of Colombia is part of The Episcopal Church (which includes the US, the Virgin Islands, Taiwan, parts of Latin America and churches in Europe). Both kids were reasonably well behaved through church, and they both got blessings from the bishop. We visited briefly with the bishop before we headed out to walk some on the Cyclovia. We hadn't really planned to walk, but the kids needed to nap. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we ended up walking 40 blocks to Park 93. At the park we all had lunch and then Esteban played some before we hailed a cab home. My mom and I had a fabulous lunch (while the kids slept) at a restaurant called Gato Negro - we agreed that it would be a great place for live music in the evening (maybe the next time we're in Bogota with no kids - hah!) and the mixed drinks are sufficient for one to satisfy! Forgot to take a photo of us all in our Sunday best - bummer.
Monday - that was just yesterday - was another day close to home: park, bakery, walk, naps, etc. We got the news about our court (see my earlier post) in the late afternoon. And today is following closely on yesterday's pattern: I got up not feeling great and Isabella has been cranky for some reason (teething?) so we've spent the day around home.
Since I just posted our pics from last week, I though I'd catch you up on the rest of the week. On Thursday, we headed out to Monserrate. Located atop a mountain just east of downtown Bogota, Monserrate is an icon of Bogota's religous culture. It's a pilgrimage site and shrine - the original church was built in the 17th century. I posted a few photos we took of the church in our Week 5 album. It was too cloudy to get any good pictures of the city. The website actually has great photos on it. If you don't want to walk the pilgrimage route from the base of the mountain, you can take a funicular (train) and teleferico (cable railway) to get up and down the 500 meters elevation change. We thought Esteban would enjoy the transportation options and the view. Unfortunately, the teleferico was closed for repairs on Thursday. Esteban had a great theological observation as we were looking at some of the Stations of the Cross. He said, repeating some of what we'd just told him, "There's Jesus on the cross, so he wouldn't fall down again." From a 3 year old. If you're going, note that it's not at all stroller-friendly. Also, it was already fully decorated for Christmas - on the 5th of November (no Thanksgiving holiday to wait for here)!
On Friday we headed out to Parque Simon Bolivar, which is located in central Bogota and is about the size of Central Park in NYC. It has a lake (which has watersports and a beach, in warmer times of year) with walking paths and MANY playgrounds around it. That's the part we explored: the playgrounds and the walking path around the lake (~2.5 km). It also has an event arena (hosting a military rally for ~2000 that day), and is home to the Children's Museum and an Olympic quality aquatic center, among other things.
To finish our outing, we headed across the street to see the Virgilio Barco Public Library. The library is relatively new and a beautiful public building. The kids were sleeping in the stroller, so we were limited in where we could go in the building.
Saturday we hung out around the apartment. It was nice enough to set out for a walk in the morning but by the time we got to our favorite bakery (about 4 blocks away) it was starting to rain. We had a leisurely time in the bakery and then headed back home. Good naps for the kids on rainy afternoons!
Sunday we got all dressed up and went to church! We went to the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint Paul for their usual 11:00am service. When I was here in 2008, we attended there twice, and the service was much as I remembered. They have a music group who leads the music, and Bishop Francisco Jose Duque-Gomez officiated, assisted by the Dean of the Cathedral. The Episcopal Diocese of Colombia is part of The Episcopal Church (which includes the US, the Virgin Islands, Taiwan, parts of Latin America and churches in Europe). Both kids were reasonably well behaved through church, and they both got blessings from the bishop. We visited briefly with the bishop before we headed out to walk some on the Cyclovia. We hadn't really planned to walk, but the kids needed to nap. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we ended up walking 40 blocks to Park 93. At the park we all had lunch and then Esteban played some before we hailed a cab home. My mom and I had a fabulous lunch (while the kids slept) at a restaurant called Gato Negro - we agreed that it would be a great place for live music in the evening (maybe the next time we're in Bogota with no kids - hah!) and the mixed drinks are sufficient for one to satisfy! Forgot to take a photo of us all in our Sunday best - bummer.
Monday - that was just yesterday - was another day close to home: park, bakery, walk, naps, etc. We got the news about our court (see my earlier post) in the late afternoon. And today is following closely on yesterday's pattern: I got up not feeling great and Isabella has been cranky for some reason (teething?) so we've spent the day around home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)