Grammie's Here!

Yesterday was our visit to CRAN and we had great weather for it.   The sun was out, the children were playing and everyone couldn't help but oooh aand ahhh over Sebastian.  Even the children were playing and talking to him.  At one point it got a little overwhelming and dad and mom had to push through a mob of sweet and excited children grabbing at us to get Tano to a quieter place.  The staff there really is amazing and they have such great programs and always need donations of clothes etc.  If you want more info check out their website- http://www.cran.org.co/

Well that was just the daytime.  Last night Grammie finally arrived after two flights, a really long wait at customs, and the typical hectic taxi ride to the apartment.  Sebastian must have heard Dad and Grammie arrive around 11 PM because he woke up to say hi and give his grandmother a tired but sincere smile before returning to bed.  You can already tell Sebastian loves his abuela.  Today we showed Grammie around the neighborhood and got some playtime in....

Made for Each Other

Yesterday Sebastian went to not one but two museums!  We visited Museo de Botero and saw some amazing paintings including one Miro that Sebastian seemed to like.  Then we went to the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum) and he just loved all the shiny things.  The new little Plante family did all that in addition to walking around the historical part of Bogota, La Candeleria.  Tano was amazing he loved looking around at the art and the people, mommy changed her first diaper in a public restroom and our driver Reynel shared interesting factoids about the various buildings etc.

PROCESS UPDATE: We got assigned court #21 - which is good news and bad news.  According to CRAN it is not a court that adds extra steps or is known to cause trouble BUT they move very slowly.  Not the best but at least we didn't get assigned one of the courts they call 'the hole'.   As of April 27 our petition was filed and as of May 4th the paperwork reached the judges' "inbox"  One of many steps so please keep us in your prayers and cross your fingers that things move swiftly and smoothly.

He is just so precious

So in love

Well despite lack of sleep and unfamiliar surroundings we are just so in love with our little family.  Sebastian can bring smiles to your face and heart despite anything else going on in the world.  He has such a lovely personality.  He is not loving the rice cereal and clearly just wants his bottle but each day we make a little progress.

Today Tano took his first ride in the stroller and seemed to have fun playing and looking simultaneously.  It was a short walk to the neighborhood market and back because it started to rain - thankfully mommy remembered to pack the rain shield.  Well it was meant to be a test run anyway because if all goes well tomorrow we are taking Sebastian to his first art museum! We let you know how and if that happens- with a 5 month old all plans are tentative.  Its going to be a full week- Thursday morning we have an appointment at CRAN and will get more information and a process update.  Then Thursday night Grammie arrives!

Week 3 begins...

 

Well . . . now that Sebastian has starting rolling over on his own all the time and now he is attempting to crawl.  He can wiggle himself forward a little but gets frustrated.  Dad really wants to help him but he is doing better all by himself with each passing day.

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