Big Day

Well today was a very busy day.  After breakfast we walked to the Unicentro Mall to Baby Ganga- a local baby store.  Then after Tano cut his afternoon nap short (therefore causing mommy and daddy to go without a nap) we walked around the El Batan neighborhood and went and sat watching kids play at the local park.

Today was also the first time that Sebastian ate solid food.  It actually went better than expected - he ate a decent amount and didn't resist completely.  Every day is full of firsts and little treasures and we are trying to cherish every moment.

Healthy Little Boy

Sebastian had a doctor visit yesterday and it went very well.  The pediatrician said that he was a very happy and healthy boy.  We got some first- time- parent reassurance that we were doing things correctly.  This week we are going to start trying some rice cereal  and he is eating a little more formula each day.  Tano still is not sleeping through the night but is getting closer and with all the changes that are going on , the doctor said not to worry if he doesn't sleep through until we get home.  He is averaging 5 straight hours a night which is more than he was sleeping at his foster parents.  So little by little.

He loves going on walks and looking at everything around him.  We also discovered he likes to watch cartoons - but only certain ones.  He has already developed an individual aesthetic.
We had our first pee incident this morning- I actually am surprised we lasted this long with a baby boy.  While poor daddy was changing Sebastian's leaky diaper (we are going back to Huggies while we are here in Colombia...the local brand has proven to be less absorbent) he peed a second time all over the changing pad, the bed and himself.  Then as we put him in the bath to clean up - he peed a third time in the bath!  Of course he was all smiles and giggles the entire time.  He makes it impossible not to love him.

Living in Bogota

Nothing new to report.  I wanted to share our family photo:

Also, I was just thinking about some of the interesting things we are discovering while living here in Colombia.
1) Father and son both love watching youtube videos

2) The apartment walls are thin and our neighbor plays the accordian well into the evening
3)Yes the sun does come out and its burns your skin quickly
4) I don't think they believe in bath tubs... only showers
5) I can't wait for our family and friends to see how sweet and adorable Sebastian is first hand

New place new week...

We are in the apartment and it is really quite nice.  Its been a bit of an adjustment for all of us- having to deal with buying food, and dealing with the outside world in general.  We spent the first week  in a little bubble with  just our new family.  We had a lovely Easter morning with the staff and families at the Halifax and then moved in- the day tuckered us all out but we are starting to feel more comfortable here.

There is a nice park, grocery store and bakery all within walking distance and Helena (our agency contact) is possibly the sweetest woman ever.  She checks in with us regularly and takes us to all our appointments and even found the one store in Bogota that sold gluten free anything.
Process Update: Today we met with the Defender of Minors and were approved! We officially have custody of Sebastian and can travel anywhere in Colombia with him.  (Not that we have plans to do so just yet)  What it actually means is we are legally responsible for him and our lawyer can file paperwork to petition the final adoption.  (This is the point at which the wait begins....)  Sometime the beginning of next week we should find out which court and judge we have been assigned to - this makes all the difference.  Some courts have a reputation for moving smoothly while others add extra steps and many more weeks.  So please pray that we get a good assignment.

They are just so cute- I can't help it

Time with the boys

We have been without internet for the last few days so we are starting to feel just how far away we are.... Mostly we have been hanging out at the Halifax- learning to be more comfortable with each other.  The staff here is amazing and having time with other families experiencing the same thing has been very encouraging.  Also there are a few families here for their second adoption and they have been very supportive.  Check out photos from the last few days on Picasa (the link is in the left under contact info)

Sebastian rolled over by himself for the first time and has been getting stronger at tummy time.  His smile is intoxicating and his laugh contagious.  Even when he is fussing he is such a sweet little boy -we are so blessed!  Most of the streets around us have been closed to traffic for the holiday weekend so we got to go on a very nice walk yesterday around the neighborhood - which also put Sebastian to sleep but the fresh air was nice.  All the rain is  making us feel a little cooped up.
Tomorrow we move into the apartment which I am hoping will make us feel a little more at home.
I am wondering what moving all our stuff with Sebastian will work out but thankfully Helena got a driver to pick us up at the hotel.   We will let you know once we are somewhat settled in the apartment.
Process update:  Tuesday morning we have an appointment with the Defender of Minors.  If that goes well than he will file the adoption paperwork and our wait will officially start.  That's right what we have been doing so far is just waiting to wait.  We are hoping that things go smoothly and we are assigned to a good judge/court - so cross your fingers and keep us in your prayers.
(One family here are the Halifax is on their 11th week of waiting...)

So happy together

Day 3: Our time is very full with our munchkin of a son.  Every day is filled with firsts.  Last night we gave Tano a bath for the first time.  He's so relaxed that it went very smoothly with barely a fuss.  Either he's the most chill baby ever or he's still a bit in shock from all the changes.  He's a power kicker and loves to use his legs whenever possible.  One of his favorite activities is standing (with a little help from mom or dad). He has the best smile ever, yet to be captured by camera (he's either very intrigued or a little scared of the camera).  He's definitely teething so we're enjoying all the joys of that first hand.

Today we won some sort of lottery and got one full hour without rain (it's the rainy season in Bogota and has literally rained every day).  Sebastian is a bit smaller than we anticipated so he doesn't yet fit in the stroller we brought, but we had a lovely outing to the grocery store with the Baby Bjorn which left him a bit exhausted.

Tano's sleeping is going pretty well though mom and dad wish they could get as much.  The challenges of new parenthood in addition to the challenges of adjusting to life in another country are leaving us both a little worn but every moment with Tano makes it all worth while.

Check out more photos at Picasa Album

Gotcha Day

Quick update: Luggage arrived 12am this morning...we got barely any sleep but had everything just in time to make our 8 am appointment. (also I hear the lack of sleep was good preparation) Obviously less than ideal but it worked out and today we met Sebastian.  Yesterday's problems seem to disappear.

If you can believe it he is even sweeter and more adorable in person.  We both are completely enamored.  He has a great personality, loves to play and has a heart-warming laugh.  We we so nervous as we signed papers and met with the foster mom (who is such a dear person and you could tell she really loved Sebastian).  Once he was in our arms everything changed.  The day has been full of adventure and precious moments.  Mom and Dad are proving to be a good team enjoying the little, and making it through day one without too much drama.

Standby for more pictures we are creating a picasa album...will be up soon

Safe but not so sound…

Our morning flight was delayed for over four hours in Boston causing a long and harried journey.  We landed in Orlando about an hour after our connecting flight was scheduled to depart.  By some miracle the pilot was also delayed in Newark which meant we boarded the plane 5 minutes before its late departure.  We arrived in Bogota around midnight only to find out that ALL our luggage was lost.  We filled out paperwork, finally found our driver, and arrived at the Hotel Halifax around 1:30 a.m. with nothing but the clothes on our backs and the snacks we took from the plane.

As of now, there has been no word on the location or estimated arrival of our belongings.  So we are attempting to come up with a backup plan that includes somehow purchasing everything we need for the foreseeable future while praying that our luggage arrives before 10pm this evening.  On the plus side, we will still meet Sebastian tomorrow at 8 a.m.  So luggage or no luggage, the Plante family pushes on!

Leaving Saturday...

Our flight leaves Saturday morning and if all goes well we should be in Bogota Saturday night.  We have Sunday to get our bearings and then Monday morning we meet Sebastian!  We have some more packing and about a million last minute things to do (not to mention we both have to work a full day Friday)  I can't sleep the excitement and anticipation has taken over! Just a few days before we can hold him.

We have Visas...

As of this morning we have our Colombian Visas.  Ten days and counting until our family is united.  We are trying to tackle the packing and wrap our brains around the fact that in one week we are getting on a plane!