WOW! Time flies when you are having fun.
(My blogging was just temporarily interrupted as the entire building shook followed by the sound of an explosion right outside of our balcony! Rushing to open the curtains and peek outside, we saw a crowd gathered below and a taxi cab that had crashed into the front of our building. Oh my! Thank goodness, no one appears to be hurt. The police have just arrived. NEVER a dull moment.)
Day 9 was the day that ended our bonding period with the boys. We had an 8:30AM meeting at ICBF with the officials to discuss "how things were going". This is a mandatory meeting that must take place and be met with approval before our adoption case can be sent to court and presented to a judge for an official signing of the Sentencia which declares the children part of our family.
In other words, this meeting is a big deal.
We walked there from the apartment fighting morning rush hour traffic and a lot of commotion on the streets.
We were all in our Sunday best as advised by our agency (in other words, we drew a lot of attention to ourselves!)
I don't know if the boys understood exactly what was happening that day or not, but I do know that when we finally reached the third floor of the ICBF building and entered into a tiny office where the meeting would commence, Thunder ran into the arms of the woman waiting for us. It was an ICBF official, a Defender, THE defender whom had been advocating for Thunder and Lightning for the many years that they have been in the system. She wept sincere tears of joy and repeated to our facilitator again and again what an emotional this was for her because these boys have such a special place in her heart. She had fought long and hard for them and their rights. She kept saying that the joy on their faces was proof enough that they had indeed found a home.
The meeting lasted a total of fifteen minutes, most of which was spent signing official paperwork. In an effort to ensure that every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed, the Defender read the legal paperwork containing Thunder and Lightning's given names out loud in order for us to confirm that the info contained therein was real and true. When Thunder heard his name given name read out loud, he instantly jumped to his feet and vehemently said to the Defender, "NO! WORLEY! I AM A WORLEY!"
Things wrapped up there very quickly and we were on our way to the Notary. After finishing our business there (another fifteen minutes later), we spoke to our attorney who assured us that she would take the papers to court by the end of the day and we would be assigned a court that afternoon. Late in the evening we received a phone call...Court #5. Our court was #5 and we were told that this was VERY good for our family and VERY good for the boys.
"It must have been God."
Following our bonding meeting at ICBF we went on a tour of the mountains surrounding Cali. We drove to the highest peak in the area where a statue of the Christ stands.
It is beautiful.
Along the way, we saw artists carving in the clay along the roadside banks. They create incredible murals that they later paint.
Day 10 struck a fancy with all of us. It was a day when we were truly immersed in the culture of this colorful and lively city. We went to the local market where they sell fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meat, flowers, and local fare of all kinds. Our tour guide took us to vendor after vendor where we were treated to delicacy after delicacy and it was incredible. Everything was fresh and delicious including a lunch of beef sausage, yucca, ground corn cooked in the husk, and a delicious soda-like drink.
The boys enjoyed themselves so much.
"It must have been God."
This would be the last day that we would be together as a family. Knight in Shining Armor would be leaving with True Princess and Kind Hearted Warrior in the middle of the night to catch an early morning flight to the United States.
Day 11 started with some sadness as the reality of Papa and brother and sister being gone really hit home. By mid-morning everyone was doing well. We went to the supermarket, played some basketball, and spent the afternoon at the pool. Without Papa, big brother, and little sister to monkey around with, the responsibility fell on Mama's shoulders. So we played water horse and raced from side to side, then I became a big, bad monster who inhabited "the cold pool" while the littles enjoyed themselves in the little hot pool. I do not like to swim in cold water...I actually prefer pool water at bath water temperature, but today, the cold did not phase me.
"It must have been God."
Once back in the apartment, I LOVE that I have a helper every night! Lightning wants to be a part of everything I do, so he scrubs potatoes and sets the table and places the condiments, meal after meal. The boys know that dinner isn't eaten until a prayer is said and that dinner is followed by baths and baths are followed by tooth brushing and tooth brushing is followed by bed and bed is followed by back rubs and songs. Tonight, Lightning played in the tub for twenty minutes...splashing and singing and playing with the bubbles. He did not protest bed time at all. He did not ask to be rocked. He climbed up into bed after giving and getting bedtime hugs and kisses. I rubbed his back. I sang the songs. He fell fast asleep. The same was true for Thunder.
"It must have been God."
One of the many things that I appreciate from Chiquitines is their discipline of the children and the expectation that the discipline is to continue when the children join a family. Our boys are accustomed to TIME OUT, therefore it has been our choice method of discipline when extra emphasis is needed to reinforce that a certain behavior is not tolerated in our family. One of the most important things for us to establish early on is that Mama and Papa mean what they say and they say what they mean...in other words, the expectation is that the boys will do as they are told, the FIRST time and NO means NO, YES means YES. We are kind to each other. No hitting is allowed. We are a team. We work together. We are here for each other.
The glimpses of understanding that the boys are gaining of these principles is priceless. They have such a desire to love and be loved...to fit in...to be a part of the family and they are continuously showing that desire. They are already using our expressions and picking up on the English words. They love to be out in the mall and saying "Excuse me.", "Thank you", "Please", "I'm sorry", "Okie Dokie", "Ut-oh spaghetti-o", etc...
I find it heart warming that already when one or the other is facing a dilemma or a problem or a troubling situation, they call for "Mama!". Already they have a sense that I am here for them...they view me as a protector and one who can help them solve their problems.
"It must have been God!"
(My blogging was just temporarily interrupted as the entire building shook followed by the sound of an explosion right outside of our balcony! Rushing to open the curtains and peek outside, we saw a crowd gathered below and a taxi cab that had crashed into the front of our building. Oh my! Thank goodness, no one appears to be hurt. The police have just arrived. NEVER a dull moment.)
Day 9 was the day that ended our bonding period with the boys. We had an 8:30AM meeting at ICBF with the officials to discuss "how things were going". This is a mandatory meeting that must take place and be met with approval before our adoption case can be sent to court and presented to a judge for an official signing of the Sentencia which declares the children part of our family.
In other words, this meeting is a big deal.
We walked there from the apartment fighting morning rush hour traffic and a lot of commotion on the streets.
We were all in our Sunday best as advised by our agency (in other words, we drew a lot of attention to ourselves!)
I don't know if the boys understood exactly what was happening that day or not, but I do know that when we finally reached the third floor of the ICBF building and entered into a tiny office where the meeting would commence, Thunder ran into the arms of the woman waiting for us. It was an ICBF official, a Defender, THE defender whom had been advocating for Thunder and Lightning for the many years that they have been in the system. She wept sincere tears of joy and repeated to our facilitator again and again what an emotional this was for her because these boys have such a special place in her heart. She had fought long and hard for them and their rights. She kept saying that the joy on their faces was proof enough that they had indeed found a home.
The meeting lasted a total of fifteen minutes, most of which was spent signing official paperwork. In an effort to ensure that every "i" was dotted and every "t" was crossed, the Defender read the legal paperwork containing Thunder and Lightning's given names out loud in order for us to confirm that the info contained therein was real and true. When Thunder heard his name given name read out loud, he instantly jumped to his feet and vehemently said to the Defender, "NO! WORLEY! I AM A WORLEY!"
Things wrapped up there very quickly and we were on our way to the Notary. After finishing our business there (another fifteen minutes later), we spoke to our attorney who assured us that she would take the papers to court by the end of the day and we would be assigned a court that afternoon. Late in the evening we received a phone call...Court #5. Our court was #5 and we were told that this was VERY good for our family and VERY good for the boys.
"It must have been God."
Following our bonding meeting at ICBF we went on a tour of the mountains surrounding Cali. We drove to the highest peak in the area where a statue of the Christ stands.
It is beautiful.
Along the way, we saw artists carving in the clay along the roadside banks. They create incredible murals that they later paint.
Day 10 struck a fancy with all of us. It was a day when we were truly immersed in the culture of this colorful and lively city. We went to the local market where they sell fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meat, flowers, and local fare of all kinds. Our tour guide took us to vendor after vendor where we were treated to delicacy after delicacy and it was incredible. Everything was fresh and delicious including a lunch of beef sausage, yucca, ground corn cooked in the husk, and a delicious soda-like drink.
The boys enjoyed themselves so much.
"It must have been God."
This would be the last day that we would be together as a family. Knight in Shining Armor would be leaving with True Princess and Kind Hearted Warrior in the middle of the night to catch an early morning flight to the United States.
Day 11 started with some sadness as the reality of Papa and brother and sister being gone really hit home. By mid-morning everyone was doing well. We went to the supermarket, played some basketball, and spent the afternoon at the pool. Without Papa, big brother, and little sister to monkey around with, the responsibility fell on Mama's shoulders. So we played water horse and raced from side to side, then I became a big, bad monster who inhabited "the cold pool" while the littles enjoyed themselves in the little hot pool. I do not like to swim in cold water...I actually prefer pool water at bath water temperature, but today, the cold did not phase me.
"It must have been God."
Once back in the apartment, I LOVE that I have a helper every night! Lightning wants to be a part of everything I do, so he scrubs potatoes and sets the table and places the condiments, meal after meal. The boys know that dinner isn't eaten until a prayer is said and that dinner is followed by baths and baths are followed by tooth brushing and tooth brushing is followed by bed and bed is followed by back rubs and songs. Tonight, Lightning played in the tub for twenty minutes...splashing and singing and playing with the bubbles. He did not protest bed time at all. He did not ask to be rocked. He climbed up into bed after giving and getting bedtime hugs and kisses. I rubbed his back. I sang the songs. He fell fast asleep. The same was true for Thunder.
"It must have been God."
One of the many things that I appreciate from Chiquitines is their discipline of the children and the expectation that the discipline is to continue when the children join a family. Our boys are accustomed to TIME OUT, therefore it has been our choice method of discipline when extra emphasis is needed to reinforce that a certain behavior is not tolerated in our family. One of the most important things for us to establish early on is that Mama and Papa mean what they say and they say what they mean...in other words, the expectation is that the boys will do as they are told, the FIRST time and NO means NO, YES means YES. We are kind to each other. No hitting is allowed. We are a team. We work together. We are here for each other.
The glimpses of understanding that the boys are gaining of these principles is priceless. They have such a desire to love and be loved...to fit in...to be a part of the family and they are continuously showing that desire. They are already using our expressions and picking up on the English words. They love to be out in the mall and saying "Excuse me.", "Thank you", "Please", "I'm sorry", "Okie Dokie", "Ut-oh spaghetti-o", etc...
I find it heart warming that already when one or the other is facing a dilemma or a problem or a troubling situation, they call for "Mama!". Already they have a sense that I am here for them...they view me as a protector and one who can help them solve their problems.
"It must have been God!"
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