What a crazy week!

Back to blogging! After a crazy week, I will try to remember everything that has happened over the past 5 days. It has been a whirlwind!

On Monday the 21st, we did the usual - lounged around the room, took our afternoon stroll. We heard from Maria Elena that the copies of the adoption decree and Michael's new birth certificate were ready and that she would pick us up on Tuesday morning to head to the passport office at 8:30 a.m. Once we got there, it only took about 45 minutes to get it. While we were waiting, this nice man standing beside us told us congratulations and that he was very happy for Michael getting his forever home. ;) Here is a picture of Michael and our attorney Fabiola, as well as Michael and Maria Elena, at the passport office.

We got back to the hotel around 10:30 that morning, booked our flight to Bogota, packed up the rest of our stuff, left our "Cali home" (our Radisson room) and went downstairs to say goodbye to all the wonderful hotel staff members that took such good care of us. Here is a picture of Michael and Isabel, and Michael and Juan Pablo.

We will always have a special place in our hearts for Isa and Juan Pablo and hope to see them again!

Then, it was off to Bogota! Here is a pic of Michael and Ford in the Cali airport.

We got to the hotel on Tuesday evening and settled in (our hotel room was somewhat smaller but we figured we could handle it for a couple of days). ;) The Gladney representative in Bogota, Lucy and her assistants Juliet and Patricia took us to Michael's appointment with the U.S. Embassy doctor at 6:30 that evening. Turns out, he and his wife (who is also a doctor) did their residencies at Tulane in New Orleans! I am constantly amazed at how connected the world and its people are. ;) By the time we left the doctor's appointment, it was pouring rain. Bogota (like Cali) had been experiencing a lot of heavy rain lately which was closing roads and wreaking some havoc around the city. So, a busy Tuesday was in the books!

On Wednesday morning, Lucy and Patricia picked us up for our appointment at the U.S. Embassy to apply for Michael's visa. Lucy told us over and over not to expect to get the visa back until Friday (because the embassy was closed Thursday for Thanksgiving). We accepted that we wouldn't be getting home until Saturday, but I still had a spark of hope that our luck would hold out. ;) The embassy official was a very nice lady (from the U.S.) who, after reviewing all the paperwork, asked me "When is your flight home?" I told her we hadn't booked it yet because we weren't sure when we'd be getting the visa back. She said "I can't promise you anything but we can try to have it ready for you to pick up this afternoon." I nearly yelled with joy! Lucy said this NEVER happens, and she thinks they were trying to get everything closed out for the holiday. ;) Whatever the reason, we embraced it! So, after lunch Lucy called us at the hotel and said "Good news! You can pick up Michael's visa at 2:30 p.m.!" So I went back to the embassy with Patricia and picked up the visa, while Ford and Michael did a little grocery shopping for the rest of the day and trip home. We were on slim pickings. ;) Quick funny story - while reviewing Michael's visa at the embassy, I noticed they had marked his marital status as "Married." Ha. So we had to get it fixed before we left. That was the only hiccup! Here is a pic of the embassy from the street. We weren't allowed to take pics inside. If you look closely you can see the American flag flying.

After we all got back to the hotel, Ford got on the phone with the airline to schedule our flight home. The only flight out of Bogota to Miami was at 1:10 a.m. - hmmmmmmm........ We decided to take it. So we packed up again, made arrangements to get us to the airport and hunkered down for a few hours. We had to be at the Bogota airport a couple of hours before the flight, so we left the hotel at 10:30 that night.

To be honest, Thursday (the 24th, Thanksgiving) was a blur, as you can imagine. We all were going on very little sleep. We left Bogota at 1:10 a.m. and arrived in Miami at 4:50 a.m. Michael slept a little bit, but was kind of fussy. I have never been so happy to be on American soil! We were taken to the immigration office after passing through customs. Luckily, there was only one person in front of us, so it only took us about 45 minutes to go through immigration. After leaving the immigration office and going to our next gate, I spotted a small piece of heaven - STARBUCKS. Haha. That peppermint mocha was the best thing I have ever had. ;) Our flight from Miami to Dallas left at 9:45 a.m. and landed at 12:10 p.m. Michael slept all 3 hours! We had a pretty short layover in Dallas - our flight to Shreveport left around 1:40 p.m. While waiting for our Shreveport flight, we ran into a TNT friend, Jean Dresley and her husband and daughter who were coming home from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. We had a nice visit. ;) The flight to Shreveport was a little emotional for Ford and me. Michael was a little fussy but slept about 30 minutes. Ford and I just kept looking at each other and saying "We did it. We did it."

That was only the beginning of the waterworks. ;) The moment we turned the corner at the Shreveport airport and saw everyone waiting for us, I couldn't help myself. I will never forget the sights and sounds. My momma was right there in the front with her arms open and Michael and I fell right into them. Michael went straight to Gram and Pop and Mamai and pretty much anybody who wanted to hold him. It was a special moment. We had about 30 people there waiting for us - friends, family and even the KTBS news crew! Earlier that day, Mamai had called KTBS and told them if they wanted an inspirational Thanksgiving news story to be at the airport at 2:45. They were, and now we have a video to commemorate our homecoming. How blessed we all are!

My parents and Ford's mom came home with us and helped us get settled. Mamai brought over Thanksgiving leftovers, so we had ham, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and, thanks to the LaPierres, homemade macaroni and cheese. It was the best meal I had ever had. ;)

Here are some pics from that day.

The week ended with a Tiger win on Friday! My brother Blake and his friend Carrie (with sweet Miss Ava) got in town right at kickoff. The LaPierres - Jenn, Chris, Kennedy and Brady - joined us for the game. It was a great time. Michael played and played. Ford and I were so happy to wash our own clothes and dishes and just do medial things around the house! Here are a few pics from Friday, the 25th.

Well that sums up our crazy week! Sorry for the long blog post. ;) We are so happy to be home and are so thankful for all of the love and support that you all have given us during these last few weeks. We needed it! More to come from the Stinson house! Happy Holidays to you all!

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday, the 19th, was pretty lazy. We did the usual - dressed in our purple and gold and did some shopping at Unicentro. After walking the nearby nature trail for a while, we settled back in to listen to the LSU game. I really enjoyed a non-stressful game this weekend. ;)

Sunday, we were treated to a tour of the city by our hotel sales manager, Juan Pablo. He and the rest of the Radisson staff have been so wonderful to us. He took us to various parts of Cali. First, we went to Cristo Rey, a full view of the city up in the Andes (accessible by car) with a statue of the "protector of Cali" (similar to the one in Rio de Janeiro, except smaller). The view was breathtaking!

Then we went to a part of the city called San Antonio. It is known for a beautiful, old, renowned Catholic church. It was next to a park where families were enjoying the good weather, and children were kicking around soccer balls.

Juan Pablo then took us to a nearby artisan market. It was nestled in this very quaint, friendly, little neighborhood. I could have spent the better part of a day there shopping and looking through all the handmade items, but with 3 boys with me, I made short work of it. I picked up a couple of things. ;)

After a bit of shopping, we went to take a quick picture by "El Gato Del Rio" or "The Cat of the River." There is a sculpture of a giant cat in a park near downtown Cali that has become a city symbol. Its image is all over souvenir items. As its name suggests, it is right by the Rio Cali (or Cali River) that runs through the city.

For our last stop, Juan Pablo took us for a traditional Cali treat - cholados. A cholado is an icy drink mixed with all kinds of fruit (pineapple, banana, mango, lulu) and topped off with condensed milk. There is an entire street that has cafe after cafe serving cholados. They were wonderful! Michael thought so too. ;)

During our afternoon, Juan Pablo told us an interesting story about his family. When he was 13, the guerilla forces kidnapped his brother and father from their home. He remembers them trying to take him, but his mother was crying and very upset because he was so young. So he was left with his mother, while his brother and father were taken. In that time, guerillas would kidnap family members to get money for their release. After their release, the Colombian government held them safely in one of their army bases. As we passed this one, Juan Pablo said "This is where we picked up my father and brother."

It was such an experience to see Cali through the eyes of someone born and raised here, as well as hear his stories. It was a day we will long remember!

It's official!

Michael is officially our son! After a day of shopping yesterday and taking it easy, we didn't expect the week to end with a bang, but it did! Yesterday, Maria Elena called us and said the judge's secretary was typing up all of the documents and that the judge would sign them when she was done. None of us thought it would be until next week. Maria Elena invited us over to her house for lunch on Friday, so we were looking forward to visiting with her and having a relaxing weekend. Imagine our surprise when she called us at 11:15 this morning and said "I have good news! You have an appointment at the court at 2:00 today!" So we rushed to get everything together and left for her house. She and her housekeeper had made a wonderful meal for us - red beans and rice (identical to Louisiana!), fried banana, and pork chops. It was by far the best meal I have eaten since we arrived. We met her sweet mother and dog Milo. Michael wasn't too sure about being that close to a dog. He just stared, not sure what to think. ;)

We then left to meet our attorney Fabiola at the court. It was a simple process. We checked to make sure our names were spelled correctly and that our passport numbers were correct. Then, we signed! Michael is officially our son, and his birth certificate will read "Michael Bradley Stinson III Orman."

Monday, we will get his new birth certificate and copies of all the documents from Fabiola, then try to get his passport in Cali. If we can get it here on Monday, then we'll fly to Bogota Monday night or Tuesday morning. It will only take a day or so to get his visa in Bogota. Then we will come home! We will keep everyone posted! Love you all.

November 15 and 16

Yesterday (Tuesday), we visited the Zoologico de Cali! The drive there took us through the city and up a part of the mountains. Beautiful views! The zoo was small but definitely worth the trip. We saw an anaconda (ewww), a grizzly bear that I swear was the size of a car, condors (very cool), and a big anteater (which I just loved - haha). There were different birds that would walk right in front of us, and Michael would just watch and watch them. The staff was very nice. We passed a staff member feeding pelicans while summoning them with a whistle. They had several animals that we had never seen or heard of too. Here are a few pics.

(I'm telling you - he was HUGE.)

Unfortunately, I picked up some South American allergy because from the second I entered until the time I left, I sneezed (which has now turned into a cold - ugh). So, today (Wednesday) we just rested and did our normal routine. For lunch, we headed over to Unicentro and ate at a place called Checker's (NOT the hamburger chain). We had passed it several times and today decided to try it. We picked the right day. After we ordered, an older man approached us to say hello. We figured out he was the owner. He spoke English and Spanish and teased us that we didn't know that much Spanish (although it's improving). He said his name was Isaac, "it's in the Bible. My father's name is Abraham." I pointed to Michael and said "This is Michael." He said "Hello Michael. You are very lucky." Turning to us, he said "And what you are doing, it is a mission. It is a mission. There are so many children, and this is a start. May God help you." We thanked him and he continued on, greeting all the patrons of his restaurant. A little while later, he came over to our table, sat down with us, had his lunch delivered to our table and said "I will be your company for lunch" after saying it in Spanish first and making us try to figure it out, all with a grin on his face. So we had lunch with the restaurant owner. He asked where we were from and we told him Louisiana, United States. He told us he was from Israel, and that he and his wife moved here 23 years ago to teach in the Hebrew school. After 11 years of teaching, he said "God told me I didn't need to teach them anymore. He [God] said 'they are hungry' so I opened a restaurant." I couldn't help but detect a bit of dry humor in his stories. He was very aloof at times but always joking. He said his restaurant was named one of Cali's top ten best restaurants. He commented on its reasonable prices and big portion sizes. He then asked what we did for a living. He also told us he had a daughter who lived in Cali and a son who lived in Dallas with his grandchildren. Small world again! He said "I will not be buried here though. I will be buried in Israel. It's a good place to be buried. You know, 2000 years ago, someone was buried there and after 3 days, he rose" (making the hand movements and all). We all chuckled and nodded our heads. I just sat there thinking what a cool, ole man this was and how lucky we were to have shared a conversation and meal with him.

Later in the conversation he asked us "Can I ask you a question?" We agreed, and he said "How much did it cost you to adopt Michael?" We told him and he just shook his head and told us that this outraged him, that people should only have to pay $3,000 or something nearer, that there were so many children in the world, and that the United Nations should be throwing their money and resources to help all starving children across the world (and right now, in Somalia) especially with all the money it gets from the US and Canada. He also said "America has a lot, but it cannot help everybody." He certainly was opinionated, but I can't tell you how neat it was to hear the opinions of someone from a completely different background and life than ours. He ordered cappuccinos and a dessert for us. He said "the baby needs some." ;) The dessert was a hot fudge brownie and ice cream. He said when Obama was elected President of the US, he renamed the dessert the "Obama." He also said "Texas has had lots of Presidents. Louisiana, no?" His sense of humor was just great. After giving Michael a couple of small bites and as I was about to give him another, he said "Wait. Watch him." and we waited and watched Michael get a little anxious for his next bite. He said "See! He likes it!"

He seemed to know everyone who passed us in the restaurant and was very cordial with his staff. I gave him my business card before I left (a trick I learned from my Daddy). You never know who you will hear from one day. ;)

We have been in Cali two weeks! At some moments, it feels like we have been here forever, and at other moments, it feels as if the time has flown. I think we are over the hump; we WILL be home in two weeks or less! (mantra, mantra, mantra)

Thanks for letting us share our experiences with you and your families. We miss you all!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

We've had a lazy past few days in Cali. It's rained quite a bit, so we haven't gotten to get out as much. This is Cali's rainy season. Since we've been here, it has rained so much that several of the main streets have been flooded and closed. There are 3 main ways to get from the northern part of the city to the southern part. Maria Elena has had to be crafty to get to us since she lives in the northern part of Cali. ;) During rain breaks, we've ventured out for walks on the nearby trail. Friday, we saw what we think was a nutria - it looked like a giant squirrel with no tail just sitting up on the ledge on its back legs. Then it scurried off when we got too close. The birds here are beautiful colors. The flowers are too. Michael likes to watch the flocks of pigeons on the ground while Ford "chases" them with the stroller. ;) Even the pigeons are different colors - they are not just gray; some are spotted-white or mostly white with other splotchy colors. We've seen several people walking dogs, and we've seen a few stray cats - one just strolling through the shopping center. ;)

Saturday was game day, so of course we got back in our purple and gold.

And here's Ford and Michael watching the game before we put him to bed.

Here's Michael enjoying himself at lunch on Friday in a high chair at our favorite eating place, Ventolini.

Today, Sunday, November 13th, Ford decided it was time to pull out the running shoes, so while Michael had his morning nap, Ford went for a morning run. I couldn't let him show me up, so after lunch while Ford pushed Michael in the stroller, I hit the trails. ;) When I got back to Ford and Michael, there was bamboo stalks and grass all over Michael and under his neck, so in Ford's words, the boys must have been busy "being boys" while I was away. ;)

Running here is like running in a rainforest. Sorry, lungs. I'm sure it also doesn't help that we are right along the beginning of the Andes Mountains. Cali is over 3,000 feet above sea level. So, it's definitely a different running experience!

Tomorrow, Monday the 14th, is a holiday here so we'll have another lazy day, but we plan to go to the Cali Zoo on Tuesday and maybe this nearby children's park on Wednesday. The Cali Zoo is the third best in South America (I swear I read that somewhere.) so it should be really neat. Until next time, good night!

November 10, 2011

Today we, again, woke up bright and early to meet Maria Elena to tour Chiquitines and say goodbye to all their wonderful staff members. Michael got to see all the nurses and doctor that he loved so much one last time. They smothered him with love and kisses and wished us all well with full, warm smiles.

Maria Elena gave us a tour of the orphanage. We met the lady who received Michael into the orphanage the very first night he arrived when he was only 18 days old. She was thrilled to see him so happy. When we met her, she had another little baby in her arms bottle feeding him (or her?). The baby was very young, probably Michael's age when he arrived, and we could tell she was going to take just as good care of him or her, just like she did with our Michael. We visited the room where he slept, and they showed us his crib. It was pretty emotional to see where he spent all his nights. There were several cribs in the room. They gave us the "label" with his name on it that marked it as his crib. They still had it, even though another baby was already sleeping there since he left, and gladly gave it to us. We will keep it forever. We saw the "stimulation room" for babies around Michael's age where they play in between meals, naps and bedtime. There were several of Michael's "friends" there, as the staff ladies called them, and I recognized a child from a picture with Michael that the pediatrician had sent us the other day from her collection of pics over the past year. His face will stay with me, and I hope he finds a forever home soon. We saw the cafeteria and also the bathing areas for the older children. There were lockers and locker-room or dorm-type shower facilities. They were very clean and neat. We passed a library, the doctor's office and the psychologist's office. All these rooms wrap around a very pretty courtyard with a big, beautiful tree in the middle.

Then we went outside to a big lawn with a swimming pool, playground equipment, pavillion where Maria Elena told us they had small entertainment sometimes, and a separate smaller building with older children learning rooms and bunk bed rooms. One room was filled with several children around 3 or 4 years old, some maybe a bit older. The windows were open and when we passed, they all wanted to talk to us; some came up to the window and reached out for us and touched our hands - all with huge smiles. We talked to the two nurses there with them. One little girl across the room started waving and saying "Hola amiga!" over and over. When we were leaving, she waved again and said "Ciao amiga!" I don't think I'll ever forget her face either or her full, black curly hair. ;) Maria Elena pointed out a small boy to us with scars from burns on one side of his face and down his body and arm. She explained that he had been brought to Chiquitines because "he was born in a home with candles." She didn't need to elaborate but said he had healed tremendously from the last time she had seen him. His spirit was healing too. ;) He looked like a happy child.

Before we left, Maria Elena took a picture of us in front of the orphanage. Here it is. We love it.

Leaving Chiquitines, Ford and I took a deep breath and thought how lucky and blessed we are to have each other, our families and Michael. I hope all those kids get the same one day, and very soon.

Maria Elena told us we got assigned court number 11, which is one of the faster ones! As a joke, after we asked her if she had heard from Fabiola, she said "yes, you got court 4." Ford and I froze because we had been told that we didn't want to get court 4. Then, she broke out into a grin and said "No! You got court 11!" We all laughed, and I called her a little diablo. Everyone laughed. ;) When we got back home, I talked to our caseworker Beth at Gladney. She said the next 7-10 days may be slow, but then it should pick up again. It was good talking with her. She knows the right things to say. ;)

This afternoon, we ventured out a little farther from the hotel to a specialty grocery store called Pomona, which Maria Elena said had more American name brands that we would recognize. It did indeed. I snatched up a big jar of Jif peanut butter. :) Tonight, the hotel was having "Brazilian night" in the lobby. We went down for a while and listened to the live music. Michael enjoyed it too. He just listened and watched.

He is eating and sleeping well. He is walking on his own more and more everyday. By the time we get home, he'll be walking all over the place, I imagine. I snapped this pic of him standing by himself today!

So, all in all, the second week is off to a good start. More soon! Love you all.