All about our first week together, and some other important events

After Sebastian´s very own and personal intro,  I wanted to spend some time talking about our first week together and some important events from this week.

Just as planned, after we got Sebastian,  we went to "La Mesa de los Santos".  For those of you unfamiliar with the region,  this place is basically a country setting close to the city, where people have their cabins. We decided to spend some time there just the three of us, so that we could meet little Sebastian and start the attachment process, before joining my family back in Bucaramanga.  For those of you in the process, or interested in  adoption, I have to say that spending some time by yourselves is a great idea.  You really need that time to be a family before letting anyone else be part of the baby´s life. We used the time to get to know our little baby, what he likes, what he doesn´t like.. at what time does he nap etc.

You would think you have enough information provided by the ICBF at the integration meeting to figure out your baby´s schedule, and to be honest, you do get a lot of information, but still... it´s like you need to really live it with the baby to understand it.  Besides, there are so many changes in that little person´s life, that their schedule also gets messed up.

Anyway... we were really lucky because the cabin was really confortable and it had 11 dogs, 1 cat and multiple rescued birds.  The owner hires some people to take care of the animals which was also great because we got to enjoy them without having to worry about feeding them.  It was like having our very own zoo!

This is the cabin where we stayed at:

And this is everybody (see all the puppies?) napping after lunch.

Some very important facts we learned about Sebastian during our week in the cabin:

1. He really likes dogs (definite plus!) and he´s very curious about cats (also a plus).  The birds he finds interesting but nowhere close to the dogs.  :) 

2. He has two teeth already (middle down) and two that seem to be coming out ( middle top). Therefore, there is drooling all over, all the time.  :)

3. He likes to be taken out for walks. A friend lend us a stroller and it´s been really helpful! Wait until he sees the ride he has waiting for him in Calgary! (Remember? the one it took daddy 3 hours to put together?)

4. He likes it when I read to him the books I bough.  I read one in english and another one in spanish. He seems equally interested and helps turning each page up. 

5. He looooovvvveees baths.  I think is his favorite activity of the day. Oh! this is his rock the house due.

6.  He has the cutest little smile ever.

Cute uh? I think we are both totally in love.  :)

Anyway... process ways, we have our follow up appointment with the ICBF tomorrow.  Without that appointment our lawyer can´t place the adoption demand to the Colombian governement.  We thought the appointment would be exactly a week after the integration meeting, but they actually delayed it 4 more days.  In other words, we just lost a week. 

This means that Tavo might need to go back to Canada without us because he needs to get back to work.  That also means that I´ll have to have Sebastian in an 8 hour flight to Toronto all by myself (Oh dear!).
Worst case scenario, Tavo will flight to Toronto and meet us there so at least Toronto -Calgary I´ll have some company (& much needed help). 

This week Sebastian also had his first haircut... which he wasn´t very happy about (he lost his rock & roll due), and he also had his first appointment with the pediatrician.  She said he´s doing great and that he´ll be walking fast due to the strenght on his legs.  I´m not sure if I´m to be happy or worried about having a fully mobile 9 months kid.  :)  Good thing we baby proofed before coming to Colombia.

Well, hoped you enjoyed the pictures...  I really had a hard time choosing some because there are so many! we´re like picture crazy over here!

I better get to sleep now because I´ll have a crying baby by 3:30 am.  Oh yes! did I forget to mention he usually wakes up then only to fall back to sleep about 30 min later? But mommy still goes bananas each day (even with the lack of sleep) when he wakes up with a smile on his face.

Until next post.

LuzM.

Introducing : Sebastian !!!

My mommy tells me she´s writing a blog about me... so I decided I was going to take over and write one of the posts all by myself. I thought it was more appropriate to tell all of mommy´s & daddy´s friends and family, first hand, who I am.

You guessed right,  the handsome young man in the picture with the big brown eyes... it´s me.  Mommy says I am the most beautiful baby she´s ever seen, and I of course, I  think she´s right.

But let´s start by the beginning.  I was supposed to be introduced to my brand new parents last  Friday.  The appointment was set for noon, however, the night before there was a lot of rain in this part of the country and the road from my little town to the city where I was supposed to meet my parents had a mud slide and it was closed.  Mommy and daddy heard about the road conditions and got really worried that I wasn´t going to make it to the city that day, maybe not even next day!.  But mommy knew to believe this time and didn´t get desperate... actually, daddy told me later that grandma and grandpa were more worried this time!

Anyway,  the lady who was driving me to Bucaramanga had to take another road to get there, a much longer one,  and instead of a 2 hour drive it took us 5 hours to get to the ICBF building. Mommy and daddy weren´t there because they were told to wait home until I got there.  But finally we all got a chance to get together at 4:00 pm that afternoon!  I was a little cranky because of the long drive but I was so excited to meet mommy and daddy that I behaved just fine, and so did mommy who had promised daddy that she would "hold it together".

This is us... getting to know each other for the very first time.

And this is me... looking at daddy and trying to decide if I really liked this guy... (just between you and me, I knew mommy was a keeper right away... and after a couple minutes, daddy was ok too).

See? she even brought food... and I don´t care what daddy says...I really like her cooking!

And she has a great smile!! - I do too of course...

 And finally, this is the new us... I think I´m really liking this new arrangement...

Ok people... mommy says I got to get some sleep now.  Next week,  mommy will tell you all about our first week together.  We went to a cabin. There were dogs,  cats and birds.   I had a great time and got to meet mommy and daddy even more!

  ZZZzzzzzzz

Sebastian. 

News from the North & more from the South

North (Canada).
Date:  Wednesday - February 9.

Believe it or not,  the is mid-week already (but who´s day- counting?).  I´ve already finished most of my stuff at work and my suitcase and Sebastian´s are packed and ready to be put on an airplane.  After thinking for two weeks about what "mommy" was going to be wearing on "meeting day" I decided I would go for confortable instead of stylish (read: scratch the high heels and skirt - after all, the occasion might involve some poop).  I did however go to the hair dresser on the weekend and got myself a new haircut and nice redish highlights.  Call me superficial but I am meeting my new man.  :)

Gustavo on the other hand initially decided on Tuesday that he was going to pack everything friday evening.   Just imagine my face... yeahhh right! So tonight I think I mentioned that I was going to "help" and choose what he would wear for a month.  Read again: Pack his suitcase myself.  He suddenly decided he did have some time to pack.  Am I a good negotiator or what?!

North (Still)
Date:  Thursday February 10. 

Ok! my last day at work.  I feel so so so lucky today!.  I work with incredible people who not only have been super suportive of all this process, but have join us to celebrate Sebastian today. 

First, some of my friends took me out for lunch. The menu: Dim Sum.  Soooo good! I love Dim Sum, not only because it tastes great and it is healthy,  but because being at a round table sharing food is so "family like". We had a great time and I thanked my friend Rebecca about 200 times for organizing.

Then,  when we came back from lunch my whole floor got together to celebrate baby Sebastian with a piece of cake.  I had to share a picture because is was so cute... it was actually hard to cut it into pieces.

But of course... I had to cut it after all... there was some pressure from my  25 or so colleages waiting for their afternoon sugar rush. 

North (Still)
Date:  Friday.  February 11.

Nothing to report.  A lot of activity... a lot of cleaning and running around.  Nothing interesting besides the fact that I have no idea how I will manage to sleep tonight.  Just way to excited.

South (Bogota - Colombia)
Date: Saturday.  February 12


Yay! We`re finally here!!
BTW... for those of you wondering if I did sleep and just to calm any remaining doubts:  No I didn´t.  I kept waking up totally scared every 30 minutes thinking that the plane was going to leave without us.  Not so fun stuff. However, adrenalin is a great thing because I wasn´t even tired this morning. 

The day started at 4 am when we had to "weak up" (again) and get dressed. Then, our friend picked us up to drive us to the airport.  Yes, she actually woke up as early as us.  Did I mention I have great friends?. Anyway, after passports were properly checked and I had my morning starbucks we boarded the plane.

About the flights:  
Calgary - Toronto : Big blur.  I think the coffee didn´t work and the lack of sleep catched up with me.  My brain knew that we were already on the plane... therefore there was no need to keep waking me up.  I must have slept the entire 4 hours flight.  So did Tavo. 

Toronto - Bogota:  I made friends with the kid sitting right next to me after we shared a banana I had packed for snack.  I think his name is was Alejandro (like the song) and he was about 7.  Just to be clear: He did say he was hungry after I started eating the banana and I did ask his mom if he could have the rest. 

Anyway... after he watched all the cartoons in the TV I think he got really tired.  "Are we there yet?"...- No -  15 min later... "now?".... - No -... 15 min later... "how about now?"...  you get the idea. 
And believe it or not I wasn´t bother by the kid.  I actually thought it was kind of funny... now you can see how sleep deprived I still was. 

One thing I did learn and this is out of share luck... (Take note, all of you traveling with a baby in Air Canada). The first row after first class in the Boeing 767,  has holes in the wall in front of you, that allow to install a crib in it.  You can ask for the crib if you are traveling with a baby.  So in our way back... we´re definetely making a point of sitting in that row. 

Next thing we know we´re landing in Bogota.
I must say the airport was crazy busy.  There were people everywhere! It took us 1 hour to get to the inmigration officer after lining up for what it seemed to be forever.  It was kind of cool thought.  There were signs everywhere: Welcome to Colombia... Bienvenido a Colombia...  (I got a picture but couldn´t download it from my cell phone) people around us reading "El Tiempo" ( which is kind of like the local Calgary Herald) and talking about familiar places and familiar foods. 
Official temperature:  18 degrees but they felt like 30 something. 

My mother in law was waiting for us at the airport.  Big Hugs. Happy tears. Tonight´s dinner menu:  Caldito de papa.  (potato´s soup). 
And just like that,  we´re home. 

North (er) - Bucaramanga - Colombia.
Date:  Sunday.  February 13.

At 11 am we were back at the airport boarding our flight Bogota - Bucaramanga. It´s a 45 minute flight which ends in a very small airport with a very short run way at the top of a mountain.  Which means the pilot has to hit the breaks as soon as the wheel touches land and of course we all pray that the plane stops before the runway ends because there is a cliff at the end.  I am of course exagerating a bit,  but I have the "moral obligation" to make fun of whoever came up with the idea of building an airport at the top of a mountain. I mean, seriously? There is nothing boring about Colombia! : )  

Anyway... the sky was clear today (which is weird because right now is pouring rain!) and I got to see my beloved mountains.  I was almost surprised by them today, as if I had never seen them before.  So beautiful, so green.  So much green! Official Temperature:  27 C.  But it feels like I´m melting. 
Word of causion:  Traveling from -10 to 27 C on a single week doesn´t leave much time for your body to adapt. 


It is now 10:48 pm and I am as awake as I can be.  We decided we´re leaving tomorrow to a country house in "La Mesa de los Santos" which is close to Bucaramanga.   We´ll be leaving just Tavo the baby and me, for the first week to initiate the bonding and attaching process.  We´ll be back in Bucaramanga next week.  The news hasn´t gone very well with the grand-mas but this is what´s recommended by social workers and psicologists for the first couple of days with our baby and we have to do what´s best for him. 

So tomorrow we meet our beautiful Sebastian at 12:00 am, we introduce him to the closest family and then we leave.  I won´t be writing much in the next couple of days but I´ll make sure to send some pics as soon as I can.  Wish us luck!!

I wanted to end with a list of things I wanted to say about Colombia:

• There is green everywhere!! Does any of you Colombian readers realize how incredibly beautiful nature is here?
• Jugo de Maracuya.  Passion fruit juice , made out of the actual fruit, right there in front of your eyes... is the best juice in the entire world.  And you can buy it at your local supermarket for less than 5 dollars. I think I totally overdose of this juice today.  The lady at the counter was looking funny at me after the 3rd one.  
• Suicidal motorcicles.  Ok... seriously... not only do this people drive around cars and between them but they do so at crazy speeds.  And there are thousands!
• Women.  Women in Colombia are always very well groomed.  Always wearing make up, carefully dressed and mostly with nice polished nails.  Even in the supermarket.  Even the lady who was making the Maracuya juice. 
• Humidity.  A reminder for me: You can fight your curls but they´ll always win.  Yes... I was back to my lion king look as soon as I steped out of the plane in Bogota. Awwhhhh...  so tomorrow I´ll give it another try (tools in hand: read blow dryer) to look decent for my man.  :)

Until next post,

Luz M. 

PS.  Did I mention I am meeting baby Sebastian tomorrow? Is that incredible or what!

I have a date on Valentine's Day

After a very intense squirrel week (read last blog for more specifics),  I can only describe this past one as awesome.  Even thought I was waiting for our appointment to meet Sebastian on Monday, and kept waiting for another two days;  we finally got the call from my mom on Thursday morning.  She let us know that we got the official appointment from ICBF to meet the new man in my life for Monday, February 14th.  Valentine's day!  Wow this guy really likes grand entrances! He's born on Canada Day and he meets his brand new parents on Valentine's day. 

Anyway,  I instantly got into my "get-ready" mode, and Tavo... well... he just observed. I started with a list of things to get done. After all, we only have a week to finish!.  I divided the list in two columns: Tavo's tasks, and Luz's tasks.  By the way,  one of my activities read: Make sure Tavo completes his tasks.  :)
Not that I don't trust my very distracted husband... (wink, wink)

So from the list:

• Air Tickets: Done.  We leave Saturday the 12th.  
• Buy all kinds of last minute things: Done. 
• Fill out & Turn in all the required parental leave documents at work: Done
• Buy enough food for dog & cat: To be completed... etc etc etc.  

And then tonight, we just finished one of the most important activities: Pack Sebastian's suitcase.  Oh yes... he has his very own.  And I think that due to the completion of the above mentioned activity and all the feelings involved, it is 1:30 am and I am unable to sleep. 

I just can't believe we just finished packing our son's suitcase! It is completely surreal. First, we packed the diapers (BTW, very cool cloth diapers... got to be environmentally friendly), and then we started choosing the outfits. First, shorts and t-shirts for Bucaramanga (over 25 celcius) and then pants and gap sweaters for Bogota.  Then the shoes (size..."these are soooo cute!") ending with Tavo's fine selection of  toys.

And then, we were supposed to go to sleep. Tavo: Completed.   Luz: Not so much.

How can I go to sleep when I have  SO much in mind? So many Valentine's questions.

1. First: How can Tavo sleep??- Sorry, digressing. 

Seriously... 

1. What is my date going to think of me?  Would he like me? 
2. Will he like the gift I got for him?  - In this case not flowers or chocolates but a cute little green bunny.
3. Will I win his heart? and if so... will it take long?
4. Will we develop a long term healthy relationship? 
5. Will he be on a good mood, smiling and being funny?
6. Will I like him so much as I do now? After all, I have only seen a picture! - wait... this really sounds like on-line dating...  ha ha... :) 

So if you are a Lavalife or an e-Harmony customer, please ignore question number one and be surprised:  You and I (yes, the adoptive mom) have something in common!.   

All I know is that the ride has just started and that this little guy will definitely change our life for the better.  If "energies" really exist, and they don't need a watch or a passport,  little Sebastian might already feel how loved he is and how much we've waited for him.  He might already be dreaming of white sparkly snow and a  dog with long hair made of gold.  In his dreams, he might actually be talking to a nice guy, who's also deeply asleep.  And the guy might actually be saying:  "We've so waited...but we finally meet.  She has so cried... but finally,  her tears are of happiness". 

Sweet dreams to my men & until next post. 

Luz M.

Me, The Squirrel

We played a small "game" the other day at the office.  It's supposed to help break the ice at the beginning of a meeting.  It goes like this:  You say your name,  what do you do for the company, and then you answer the following question: if I was an animal,  what animal would I be?
Since this isn't the first time I thought about that question it was easy: I would like to be a big feline. They are focused,  determined,  they are elegant and I personally think they are so cool...   :)  ...  anyway...  I think I would be a tiger, a panther or something like that.  Except that I wouldn't be my cat... I love my cat and she fits in the "big" category but she doesn't like my dog... and I love my dog, so that wouldn't work. 

But going back to the animal question.  It never ocurred to me that on the very same week... I would feel like a squirrel.  Tini tiny, not very feroucious, not very elegant and definetely not very scary squirrel. 

Everything started the week before,  with our formal match proposal not geting from Edmonton to Calgary when it should have been.  It normally takes one business day for any courrier package to reach destination,  but somehow the admin assistant at  Alberta Childrens mistakenly send our baby's match proposal through regular mail.  Panther me wanted to attack admin assistant over the phone.  But I guess that's not very polite...

Anyway... it took close to a week for the documents to get to Calgary and on Tuesday we were finally able to set up an appointment at our agency and see all of Sebastian's information. May I just add that he's meeting all his "developmental stages"?   -  I know I sound like a proud mom! ha ha...
Same day we officially signed the match proposal which means that,  to the country of Canada - He's ours!!

Squirrel phase happened on Wednesday and it went like this.  Since everything was going so well and I hadn't received my criminal record check yet,  I decided to try to call the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to get a status update.  I was expecting to find the document anyday on the mail  but still I thought I might get to talk to someone there who could tell me if it was already issued.  I called, and one of those very annoying machines answered.  The recorded message said something like:  "our current processing time is in excess of 120 days".  

I went blank. What?!!!!! But we're supposed to close our adoption in less than 2 months!! They don't understand!!! I literally freaked out. I called Tavo, I called my mom, who called our lawyer.  I called the fingerprint service,  I called the RCMP (no answer), I called my friends (moral support)...  I went to the fingerprint service... they tried taking my fingerprints again digitally,  they couldn't,  they said there is nothing else they could do.  I pleaded with the fingerprint guy. 

- But, but,  what do they mean it takes them 3 months to process?
- Sorry ma'm those are their current processing times.
- But you don't understand,  they'll give our Sebastian to someone else if we can't close the adoption!!! 
- There is nothing else I can do.  I can't access your file from here. 
- But, but...  (blank face). 

That was panther me almost crying.   I spend all day thinking,  who could I call, what can I do?
Some of my friends at the office were even calling around to find out if anybody knew an RCMP officer that might be able to help.  Nothing. 

And then a coworker send me this video.  And I felt like the squirrel.  The Mission Imposible Squirrel.  Only that the nuts is Sebastian... and I'm supposed to get to him by going around the obstacles. 
Turn the volume up and enjoy:

So there you go.  That was me... not a panther, just a squirrel. 

Tavo picked me up later that day and I was exausted from the stress.  We got home and I opened the mailbox to pick up the usual staff: bills.  And that's when I found an envelope from the RCMP with my name on it.  Believe it or not I had gotten my criminal record check !!!  I am not kidding!

And the squirrel gets the nuts!!! (or almost!)

Mental note:  Keep believing that everything will be ok and that Sebastian is truly meant to be ours. 

Until next post,

Luz M. 

Sebastian's 1000 Smashing Outfits & some other things

As all of you imagine, the last two weeks have been pretty intense... to say the least.  We celebrated the new year and a few days latter both got back to work.  Or at least I came back to try to work. And seriously... I've done my best to concentrate and be a good, responsible, professional, but it's been tough. My head is in Colombia and without my head... it's kinda of hard to get anything done. However,  I've managed... even when I've had to put in some weekend time. 

So the first week of the year after we "met" our little guy, we landed on a name.  Sebastian.  It didn't really take us long since we've been talking about it for over a year. The main criteria for selecting the name was that it would sound nice in Spanish and English.   Besides... he really does look like a Sebastian.  So cute!  Nickname: Sebas.  - Which is what everybody in the family is calling him already.  

Then,  with grandma Martha's help, we landed a lawyer in Colombia.  I called her to introduce myself and got some bad news.  Our police clearance documents need to be re-done because they're over 6 months old.  We wouldn't mind the re-doing situation if it didn't take four (FOUR!!) weeks to get done.  So right away, we had to get our fingerprints taken.  I kinda of "bribed" the lady at the fingerprint's office with a picture of Sebastian,  so that they would send the fingerprints to Ottawa the very same day.  I think it worked,  so hopefully we'll get the clearances in the mail the last week of January.  We will still need to notarize,  legalize and send to Toronto for stamping.  Arrrggg!!!

In the mean time, our translator finished the formal Match Proposal which was send from the ICBF (Colombian Authorities) to Alberta Children Services.  The Fedex is in Edmonton now and the documents are supposed to be revised, approved and send to our Agency here in Calgary, this upcoming week. That's when they'll call us.  That's when we will have to formally sign the acceptance of the proposal (very corporate uh?). Then, the Alberta Government will create some other letters, all of which will have to send to Colombia, properly translated,  and only THEN... we'll be able to fix the appointment to officially meet Sebastian.  Hopefully we'll get the clearances just in time.

I know we'll get there... but the process is so freak'n loooooong!! Imagine knowing this little guy is waiting for you and being stuck in the bureaucracy of it all. I know, I know... this needs to be done so that kids get placed in good homes but that  doesn't make it any easier.  Lucky me, my friend Alex got the proposal some days earlier than us and now she's the one teaching us what needs to be done.

Anyway... so with that done, Tavo and I decided it was time for shopping! But before I talk about shopping I must publicly say that people around us have been beyond awesome.  And I don't only mean friends, but colleagues, ex-colleagues and pretty much everybody.  Everybody is so happy for us, so willing to help it's incredible.  We've gotten a bunch of toys, clothes and much needed advise.   It's really overwhelming.  So thank you all!.

But going back to the shopping, I must say I predict our little guy is going to be a total chick magnet.  1. He has the cutest smile ever.  2. He also has the coolest ride in town (which took his daddy about 2 hours to put together... and I'm not laughing.  - ok who am I kidding... I am, I so am!) ha ha...  and 3. He possesses about 1000 smashing outfits.

So here's the deal: If I can't smooch him, and kiss him, and hug him... I've decided at least I get to buy him clothes.  That, plus the fact that my friend Shelby (who has gorgeous twins - boy and girl) gave me a bunch of clothes from Lukas, equals... the best wardrobe in the house.

So here's daddy deciphering the encrypted language of the stroller instructions (7:30 pm):  - tic tac tic tac tic tac...

8:15 pm - Ok... look for the red hook... the red hook... where is the red hook??? !!  - See Duna's face. She's already bored. 

8:40 Tires, check; Transmission, check. And the last little accessory just in case it rains... 

 

9: 15 - Sebastian's Lamborgini  ready for its first ride.  Ahhh daddy's smile.  Mission accomplished.  

And then he said: Don't put this in your blog.   :)  -  You would think he knows me better by now.   
We won't tell him.

And here is Sebastian's room now that the toys took over: 

His closet:

More outfits: 

Even our sea friends got a taste of the fashion...

Until next post, 

Luz M

A Happy New Year with a New Love in my Life

January 3, 2011

Dear Tavo:  

I write today because I feel I need to be honest with you. It's been 7 years since we got married and you've been nothing but a good husband.  However, since late 2010 (December 28 to be exact), everything changed.  You see, there is a new man in my life. 

I know... I know, it's hard to understand how things change so fast, specially because we haven't even met,  but I saw his picture and I know that he has been waiting for me... just as I've been waiting for him. There is nothing I can do about that.  

Since I saw his face the other day, he's been on my mind all the time.  Right before I go to sleep I pray for him and I imagine the day we'll meet.  Just like for any important occasion I think about what I will wear and how I'll do my hair.  I secretly hope our love will grow stronger once we meet and that he won't feel too nervous with my new presence in his life. I also wake up thinking about him every morning and I count the days for us to be together.

Also, you must know that I've been spending our money buying him things.  I know!!! It's terrible!!! My two latest purchases were a very expensive chair so he'll ride comfortably in the car, and a set of extra wheels for when we go to the park together.  This latest one even has a special winter "sac" for cold days.  After all, we do live in Canada. 

All of our friends and family know about this inexplicable love, yes!, even your mom.  And everyone is happy!  This is why I needed to tell you today.  It will never be about you and me again, but about the three of us... the new man will sleep in your bed,  wake you up at nigh, eat your food,  take control of the TV (making you watch Tree House over and over again),  ride in your car, drool on your table and hit your finances.

I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me for sharing my affection with another man.  I actually know you will...  ha ha...  

Love 

Luz

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
 The table was set ....

There was magic in the air...

There was food...

There were friends...

It was just perfect!

Hoping for a 2011 full of new & wonderful surprises.  Next year there will be three of us!!
 (Two more for the party because our  friend's Alex and Carlos baby girl will also be there!)

Geez Alex... you'll need a bigger table!

Until the next post.

Luz M.