Ahhhh...Sweet Freedom

For the first time in days, I saw the outside of El Cortijo! It also happens to be the "20 de Julio" which is Colombia's independence day - coincidence, I think not!

The 20th of July is a historic day which celebrates Colombia's independence from Spain in 1810 and The Eisenberger's independence from El Cortijo in 2008.

We went to La Finca again to let the boys splash in "la piscina" and let Mama rest and soak up the sun a bit. It was fantastic to be out and let them work off as much energy as they possibly can. I really wanted to be able to swim, the pool was beautiful, the sun was very hot, but my lungs still aren't 100% healthy so I mostly sat on the veranda with my book (Annie Lamott's Traveling Mercies) and just read. Again, it was great to be out and about. The boys had a blast.

Some of the highlights of the day included:
*Luis picking a flower for me (Andrea)
*Daniel ate it really hard on the tile (yes he falls down a lot) and first hit his bottom then his head. Needless to say, he was a mess. Luis kept picking up rocks and bringing them to him to cheer him up.
*ALL of the boys were beyond brave in the water and each pushed/explored beyond what they have done before in the pool.
*Grilled plantain is one of the best foods in the world.

The real highlight of the day though was just hanging out and actually feeling like a family. We are starting to find our rhythm a little bit, the communication is getting a little bit easier, the boys are definitely opening up to us more. I know that it probably won't ever be truly easy, but for now it is at least a little bit easier.

Please continue to pray for my health and that none of the boys (Troy included) will get sick. Also, pray that the boys will be obedient (as much as possible), that Sentencia will come quickly, and that we will continue to bond. And, please pray for friends in our "adoptive community", Brian and Penny, who meet their daughters at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning in Bogotá. Praise God for their safe arrival yesterday!


There were flags all over the city today in honor of the holiday. This is a view of the apartment building across from El Cortijo. On our way to the farm, we saw tons of people wearing white and walking with flags to various celebrations. It was very exciting. The boys kept shouting "colombia" (or something that sounded sort of like that) every time they saw a flag. We must have heard this over 100 times or more...


The hacienda at the finca. This house is so beautiful.


Daniel would not let me take a photo of him all day. He kept saying "no!" and giggling and turning away. He is such a goofball.


Luis was so brave in the water and did not cry at all. He has become so comfortable with us both and his trust of Troy in the water is really fun to watch. He has also started to ham it up for the camera more!


Samuel is just so much fun at the pool. He especially loved the water spout today.


Papa y Samuel playing in the water spout.


All the boys.


I usually have to wait for the boys to stand close enough together to catch all three of them in one photo, but...


...today I actually got them to cooperate just long enough for them to let me take this picture. Aren't they so adorable?! I just love this picture!!!


This is just a bonus pic. Samuel said that he made it in school and it is supposed to be us. Cute!

Home Sweet (Away From) Home

This seems like a fitting time to give you a tour of our temporary digs considering we have been pretty much confined to the house (me especially) since I got sick. My health is improving, however, I have now developed laryngitis which by no means helps with the language barrier between me and the kids. I am also still coughing pretty much constantly though my head is starting to clear up a bit. At any rate, here are a ton of photos to take you through where we are staying and tide you over until we can get back out in the world. Tomorrow is 20 de Julio which is Colombia's Independence Day. We are supposed to go back to "La Finca" for the day. We are also hoping to do some more sightseeing on Monday and Tuesday. Hopefully, and please pray big for this, Wednesday will be Sentencia, but there is no guarantee, our lawyer is just trying to get all of the paperwork pushed through for us. Though we love Pereira, and think it is incredibly beautiful here, we are more than ready to go back to Bogota to start the process to come home. Troy and I are desperately homesick. In the meantime though, El Cortijo is home and all of the staff here (Alaba, Betty, Jackie, Liliana, and Magnolia) and the owner (Rosario) have been amazing and beyond accommodating to our rowdy and messier than ever family.




The courtyard where we kick the ball around. Not much grass, but it works.






Where we eat all of our meals. Meal times are probably the three longest hours of every day.




Samuel's bed. It is a very big deal to him that he has a bed all to himself. We still aren't sure if they had to share.


The balcony just off of our room. The seat on the left is the "boring chair".


This is the closet where Troy and I hang out after the kids go to sleep. It is tiny, but it works and we still get Wi-Fi in there.




El Cortijo residents, Lola the turtle and Steve the bunny (named by Troy last night per the staff's request for a "gringo" name)

E-I-E-I-Oh My This Place Is Nice...Day 10 update and past recaps

Well it's Day #10 with the boys, and we didn't do much but stay around the hotel today. Andrea is doing better, although has been up all night with a terrible cough. We had a follow up appt. with the doctor, and they say everything seems to be working. The total for both appointments was less than $40, and all the medicine was very cheap. Take that Caremark! Two members of the El Cortijo stayed with the boys during the doctor appointment.

On days like today it is hard to not feel like you are counting the minutes go by. We got to play outside some with frisbees and a soccer ball, until the ball mysterious disappeared. Authorities say it may still be rolling down the street. Of course, it then rained all afternoon here in the Seattle of South America so it was an afternoon of t.v. (look for a totally off-topic report on children TV programming) and books.

I'll take the chance of a slow day to report on some past happenings.

INTEGRATION
No snazzy pictures for this one. This is the meeting that is held one week after we meet the kids to see how things are going. We obviously "passed", but it was not without interesting happenings. During our first meeting with the boys, we asked the psychologist several questions about the boys, and the paperwork we received. Some of the answers kinda puzzled us, but we didn't say anything. After reviewing the paperwork more, we noticed discrepancies between what we were told and what was in the paperwork. Most of this was dismissed with "well, that's not was meant", or "no, we didn't say that, this is the truth." It was also hard to follow, with Andrea sick, the kids running around, but there were several moments where things made no sense.

Also, we had prepared a list of questions, and it seemed obvious that the psychologist was tired of answering them, even saying, "oh...you have more". I'm just trying to keep people posted, not just complain about how things went. We are glad it is over, but it wasn't the best experience.

THE DAY AT THE BANK
3 kids. No mom. We were like 20th in line. Ropes were knocked over; chaos was created. I'd rather not relive this memory.

DAY AT THE FARM
This was another place I had seen in pictures (thanks Derr's!), then forgot about, so when the hotel owner Rosario offered to take us to the farm "la finca", I expected cows and such. Oh no. It was gorgeous. The boys played soccer, played with rocks, swam, and then some other stuff. I even got to swim a few laps, just enough to remind me it's been over a month since I've swam laps. Andrea was stuck at home sick this day...but we are hoping to go back on Sunday. Anyways..here are the pics.



Boys and a new friend play with rocks...


Samuel and Daniel lounging on a towel


When Luis Angel's "blanket" wasn't available, the beach towel worked just fine!


Not a bad place to swim at all...



Samuel asleep on the floor of the car on the way home

Quick Health Update...

Hopefully we will have some photo updates soon. Updates from the farm trip, the bank visit, and a detailed Integration report...

Anyways, we just spent the last 3 hours at the hospital where we found out Andrea has bronchitis. She has been extremely weak, and was hooked up to an IV, and was given inhaler treatments for about 1 1/2 hours. She has an arsenal of drugs including an inhaler that came with a giant bottle to breath in to. She goes back for a follow-up appointment at 6 pm tomorrow.

Much thanks to the staff at El Cortijo for all their help, especially the owner Rosario who stayed to watch the boys, and her driver Jose who took us to, and waited the 3 hours with us, the hospital.

We will keep you posted as things continue to move forward. Hopefully once Andrea is feeling better in a few days, we will be able to have a few days of trips out and about.

-Troy and Andrea

Getting To Know...

Health update: I am sorry to report that I don't feel much better. I am now hacking up a lung, but have medicine that is helping with that so hopefully I will be feeling better soon. Troy is still being a real trooper, but poor guy went to bed with a severe tension headache tonight. Continue to pray for healing and good health. I have no idea what kind of medicine I am taking or if it is FDA approved. Also, please pray for sleep...lots of it for all of us.

Integration: I will let Troy fill you in on this in a separate post since it was blur for me due to my medicine head and the fact that I was playing referee, nose-wiper, comforter, toy-returner, sleuth, etc...while the meeting was going on.

What I would like to do though, is really introduce you to our boys since the legal process is now underway and we know them a little bit better. They are each unique in their joys and their challenges. Oh, and I have no intention of sugar-coating this so be prepared! My boss, Sherry, will laugh out loud because she knows I love to tell it like it is when it comes to people - Sherry, my kids are no exception!


Samuel (pronounced Sam-U-ell)

I am not really sure where to begin with Samuel. He is a complex little guy who can be very devious. On one hand is very affectionate, cuddly, always seeking our approval. He is very much a first born! Then the next thing you know, when he thinks we aren't looking, he is taunting his brothers or giving us these weird looks (when he catches our gaze, he breaks out into this broad, beautiful grin). I am sure there is so much more to this and we are only scratching the surface. A lot more will come out when we are back in Charlotte. He is also constantly mimicking his brothers. If they do something that gets them a "bueno", then he jumps up and does the same thing to get the same praise. I am not sure of why this is, but it is continuous. He is also very sensitive. He is very aware of what makes us unhappy. He does not like to get into trouble, but has no problem doing the things that get him put into the "boring" chair (if that makes sense). Once he is being punished, he is extremely remorseful. Also, he has started to repeat words to us in English and we are trying to be more aware of saying things in both languages.

Before I make it sound all bad with Samuel, let me also say that he is a genuinely happy boy. He needs a lot of attention and affection. In his foster home, Luis received the majority of attention and therefore, the other two learned to cope. Samuel did this by copying Luis and acting out in other ways. He sings to himself a lot which is really cute. He loves to color and play with cars, megablocks and the soccer ball. He is also a fish! He can't swim yet, but we think he will be a good candidate for swim lessons (Troy has his instructor at the Y already picked out!) I think the thing that gets me the most with Samuel is that he isn't quite at the maturity level of a six year old and has never been "challenged" (not quite the right word I am looking for but I am battling medicine head) to be the older brother and be an example for his brothers. Maybe I am setting my sights too high for him, I don't know, but I think for what he has been through in life, he is probably right on track.


Daniel (pronounced Don-EE-yell; we will totally Americanize it when we get home, but for now, it is pronounced the Spanish way)

This kid is a total mess! Literally when we eat, he gets food all over himself. He really is as happy as his smile would lead you to believe. He is happy almost all the time, even when we are attempting to punish him, he is smiling and giggling and totally not listening (which is usually what he is in trouble for). He is going to be our "problem child" - for good or for bad. He hits, he kicks, he throws EVERYTHING. He screams if you try to touch him and he doesn't want to be touched (this isn't all the time). He is content to play in the corner by himself, which may have been his response to Luis getting all of the attention at the foster home. You know he is an Eisenberger because he goes straight for the TV when he enters the room. With Daniel, it is actually pretty simple, you know that he is a handful, so you plan accordingly. He will always do the opposite of what you ask. Nearly everything with him is a game, so when he says "No" he does it with a big grin on his face. The key to Daniel's heart is to play with him - ball, tickle him, pick at him, anything to get him laughing. That is how you get him to let you hold him or pick him up or even put his shoes on him. We worry that he is developmentally behind (this is what the paperwork says), but when he watches cartoons, he is the first to answer the questions and is almost always right. He is just a loner and likes it that way. He also loves cars and loves to catch the ball (we have our goalie!) He takes a TON and a half of patience. The word "No" resonates in our ears all day in Daniel's voice. Oh and he does cry when he is trying to do something and he gets frustrated. They all do. We are still trying to figure out that one thing that will really click in his head to make him listen to us and help with the punishing because the "boring" chair only feeds his love of being alone. He will most likely be our challenge for the rest of our lives, but he also seems to be most like a four year old (using Ethan, our nephew, as my measuring stick).


Luis Angel (pronounced Lou-EES ON-hell; will be just Luis when we get home)

Luis had a slew of health problems as a baby. He had respiratory and cardiac problems as well as some skin issues that have left him pretty scarred up therefore he was pampered a lot. So...He is a big, big baby. He is affectionate, cuddly, acts younger than his age, gets extremely frustrated at EVERYTHING, and is pretty demanding. "Sensitive" seems to describe him since he cries and whines at the drop of a hat, and there is a new crisis about every 15 to 20 minutes. Truth be told though, he is the easiest of the three. He is hilarious. He makes these faces and does these little walks (one is a penguin and one is like godzilla). He gets really excited about stuff and it is contagious. He is also terrified of EVERYTHING - the bath, the park, the wind blowing in his face in the car. We have really had to just walk away a lot and let him cry a lot of stuff out because sometimes certain things fall over when you try to stack them or some megablocks just don't pop together (it's a tough world kid!) Oh and he loves to be carried around. One thing that drives us up the wall, he is Samuel's side kick and they often team up on Daniel. That is just plain frustrating. We still aren't sure if he is the hyper twin. They both seem to have the same amount of energy at different times. And I have to mention that he, by far, has the best soccer kick of the three. This is important because with three kids, they all need scholarships to college - I am thinking ahead!

I hope this helps you all to feel like you know them just a little bit better. Sorry it was a little more "warts" than I intended. I blame the meds and lack of sleep!!

One last picture...On some nights, Papa winds them down with a movie. Which movie is this? Cars of course!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

Oh where to begin?! We have seriously slacked in the posting department (until dear hubby filled you all in on some details this afternoon), and now there is more to write than can possibly be written before my cold medicine kicks in and I start to nod off. Yes, it is just a cold. Well, one of the worst colds I have had (except that nasty virus I got over our anniversary - maybe my sister has poisoned me against going to the zoo!) I have had a fever, chills, sore throat, and congestion that started coming on yesterday. Thankfully not a stomach virus. Troy has been AMAZING!!! He says that the Lord struck me down to force him to spend time with the kids alone, and let me just say that he has really stepped up the plate - doing meals solo, dressing the kids, taking them to the bank so I could sleep, etc. I could not be more proud of him. And the kids, though they don't totally get it, keep saying "Mama es muy enferma!" (Mama is very sick!) I am on the upswing, but it has zapped my energy and caused my patience to wear very thin.

So what have we been doing over the last few days? On Sunday we went to the Metacaña Zoo, which is one of the largest zoos in South America. It was pretty amazing and nothing like any zoo you will see in the states. [AMANDA please feel free to skip this part - although, Sissy, you would be proud as to the fact that I was questioning some of this zoo's practices!] First off, you can feed the animals - zebras, monkeys, boar, etc... Second, you are only a few meters away from even the wilder animals like the lions. Third, the security seems to consist of some padlocks and that's about it. But the landscaping is to die for, and at several points you can see the Andes beyond the animal displays. It was pretty crazy. This was also our first test of walking for long periods of time with the boys. The twins seemed into it, but they must have been there before because about halfway through Samuel was over it and started doing all of the things that kids do when they are bored like not listening, attempting to wander off, etc... In Charlotte, we are going to borrow the Frey's new dog Ruthie who is part Border Collie to herd them when we go on treks like this.

At the end of the animal displays is this great playground, so we got to experience something truly joyous: watching our kids learn to play on playground equipment. The twins are afraid of everything so we are learning that they have not been exposed to much. I put Luis on the slide and he screamed the whole time and didn't want to go again. I put Daniel on the slide and I couldn't get him to stop wanting to go down the slide. In fact, he got to the point where he would climb the ladder by himself and didn't need me to be at the bottom - which got him in trouble on another slide in a different part of the playground where he landed on his butt and not his feet and proceeded to wail. I am so proud of his bravery though. Samuel was all over the place, trying everything out. I finally got Luis to relax and swing with me a bit, but it takes a lot of patience and "Estas bien"s ("You're OK") with him.

Yesterday, Troy took them to the bank which from what I understand was a disaster. Then we all went shopping in the afternoon, and that is when I knew that I was sicker than I thought because I was at the end of my rope with patience by the time we woke up from siesta I was burning up with fever and aching all over. And today I spent pretty much in bed while Troy was #1 caretaker. And it was raining AGAIN! It rains A LOT here. I hate to say it, but I am thankful for drought-riddled Charlotte because rain = no going outside = cooped up in the hotel with 3 boys = no fun for anyone, especially mama and papa.

All in all, we are doing well. We measure our days by mealtimes. We still feel very much like we are babysitting someone else's kids. Raul Velez Velez, the Colombia Adoption Program Director for Commonwealth Adoptions (our agency), called today to talk to Troy and said that "one day the kids will adopt you too." We look forward to that day and know that right now it is just plain awkward for all of us.

Like Troy said, tomorrow is our Integration meeting which is where we go back to the Social Services office to talk about how we are doing, how the kids are doing, etc... After that, the legal process begins and we will wait for the judge to issue the adoption decree (Sentencia). All we really have to do is hang out and continue to get to know these boys. Hopefully soon I will be able to post about their personalities to help you all get to know them a little better because they are each so unique and amazing. Until then, here are some zoo and miscellaneous pics from the last few days:


Our first (and only) family portrait.


Troy, Samuel and Daniel feeding the zebras.


Me and Luis watching one of the African elephants. Luis really likes elephants...probably not nearly as much as me.


The boys getting food from José our driver/tour guide for the day. He works for Rosario, but is available to take us anywhere we need which is great. The drawback is that he doesn't speak English, but Troy's Spanish is getting better everyday. Believe it or not so is mine. José asked Troy a question and I understood it before he did.


Our monkeys feeding the monkeys! How fitting!


This is the backside of the ostrich pen, but they are hilarious because they keep poking their heads up over the wall. Too, too funny!


Samuel had no trouble having a ball at the playground. He loves to play.


The twins are addicted to soup. Here is Daniel in his giant, catch-all bib. We still have to tuck a napkin under his chin because more food ends up on him than in him. He is a total mess, but he clears his plate/bowl.


After the zoo, we stopped for some traditional Colombian fare. Before we came here, I was really worried about what I was going to eat. I even emailed my friend Sheila Derr for advice. Let me tell you, as a pure, vegetable-hating carnivore, I am in paradise. I get yummy meat at every meal! This restaurant we ate at served barbeque (not carolina style) and it was so delicious. I asked for cow... I think I had cow.


Troy on the other hand had this unidentified pork... I am still hoping I had cow.


The twins. Luis on the left. Daniel on the right. And I did a crazy, but necessary thing this week - I sent their blankets to be washed (gasp!) Naptime yesterday and today and bedtime last night was a little rough, but we got through it. Fortunately, the blankets are back so they are sleeping peacefully. I apologize to my Mommy for all of the pain I caused her where my Poocoos was concerned!

We're still here....(day 7 pre-update)

Just want to let the faithful know that we are still alive.

Andrea has been very, very sick, and I've been trying to keep up with the boys. We have zoo pictures (sorry Amanda), and plenty of exciting tales to fill everyone in on.

So this post isn't just a placeholder....here are some fun parenting blunders we've had so far (note mostly Troy's...). Live and learn!

- we have both put glasses on the wrong twin
- One night when getting ready for bed I put bath gel on Samuel's toothbrush. He gave me the best, What the hell is this look.
- In the mall parking lot, after Luis his head on a car side mirror, I hurried to get him inside the car, and hit his head of the top of the car.
- I dressed everyone this morning. Luis Angel's shoes were on the wrong feet (hey, I just tie them), and Daniel's shirt is on backwards (after 10 minutes of fighting with him...it was "good enough")

The language gap is still huge. The twins speak baby spanish, and Samuel gets frustrated when we don't know his real Spanish. He has said, "black, Sylvia, Go, Diego, and Go,".

Okay, hopefully a big photo filled post after 9 when the gang goes to sleep.

Tomorrow is Intergration where we all meet with the Colombian psychologist, see how everyone is getting along, and become family more or less in the eyes of the Colombian government. This is @ 10am.

Thanks beyond words for all who read and comment. You are definately helping to keep our spirits up in a sometimes very tough time.

Much Love,
Troy