Another post-placement done!

Can you believe we have just completed post-placement number 2! I don't know where the last 3 months has gone. Tiffany was gone for 6 weeks this summer so we had a lot of one on one time with Brian. He has grown so much more comfortable with our family. I think him having all the attention for a few weeks really helped. He did miss Tiffany though. He would often ask when she was coming back. We actually went to pick her up in West Virginia. Brian did great with meeting the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He wasn't shy one bit. He talked to them on the phone often so he recognized who they were by their voices and of course the pictures we had been showing him. Brian did great traveling in a car for 2 days up to West Virginia and then another day up to Pennsylvania. Coming back was a little different. Tiffany was with us and he didn't have the back seat all to himself. He also got carsick several times but luckily was able to tell us so we could pull over. We now carry plastic bags in the car for traveling over 30 minutes!

We believe Brian still has not yet gotten comfortable knowing that he will have food the next day. He tends to eat alot still. We will finish up a meal and about 30 minutes later, he wants to eat again. He also always wants to have something to drink. We just took him for his 6 month check up. The peditrician tested him for juvenile diabetes but thankfully that came back negative. She said he is just a growing boy. He is healthy and seems to be progessing normally. Brian is still wetting the bed though. He goes through spurts where he will be dry for a week and then all of a sudden wet the bed again for several days. The doc gave us some info on bedwetting alarms and they also gave us some medicine. We are only going to give him the medicine if he sleeps somewhere other than at home. I would rather wake up every morning at 2 a.m. and take him to the bathroom than put him on medicine. We will see what works best.

Brian has started to talk about his life in Colombia. His first outing was at home in West Virginia. We were all sitting around the fireplace with the lights out just enjoying each others company. All of a sudden, Brian starts talking about a scary time in Colombia in the dark with a man and a knife. We were shocked. We didn't get any information on Brian except that his mother neglected him. We were also told that the father wasn't in the picture. I am happy that he feels comfortable enough to share his thoughts with us. Not everything he tells us is bad. He did say his room had only a bed and no toys and a little bit of clothes but that he missed his room. He also has asked if his mother would be coming to Texas to see him. He also will occassionally mention his brother but has not talked about his sisters. We take each situation as they come. He isn't showing any signs of anger, resentment or withdrawl so for right now, we just listen. There may be a point in time that he may need a psychologist to talk to and we will certainly get him any help he may need. As for everything else, we are doing great.

Tiffany started 7th grade and Brian started 1st grade. Tiff is having a hard time adjusting to 7th grade though. Everything is not spoon fed like it has been and she actually has to take her own notes and be responsible for knowing when tests are and homework is due. It is a bit of a change from 6th grade. Brian is doing great. He has learning many words in English. Sometimes it is still hard to understand what he is saying but we work through it. I am very proud of both my kids.


Here is Brian on his first day of 1st grade. He was ready 30 minutes before we had to leave and kept telling me to come on that I was too slow. He was really excited to get to see his friends again.
Brian is playing soccer. He is on the Earthquakes. Learning to play as a team has turned out to be the hardest thing for him. Actually, all the kids are having this issue. They all want to kick it in the goal. Their coach is doing great with teaching them how to pass though.
Can you tell who the family clown is? We always have to take several pictures before getting one that is "good." Brian thinks it's funny to make faces or pick on his sister when taking pictures. We were trying to get this pic for our last post-placement and he was making sure it wasn't going to happen.

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. Time sure is flying by. We have had several things happen since my last blog. Things are going great! Here are some pictures of things that have happened since the adoption was finalized in Texas.
Brian graduated from kindergarden. He is going to first grade. YEAH! He will be one year behind but they said if he catches up, they will move him ahead.

My mom and niece came to visit from Pennsylvania. Brian hugged my mom right away. He has talked to her on the phone several times so he was really excited for her to come. He would cross off the days on the calendar. They were here for 12 days. Tiffany when back with them for 2 weeks and then she is going to West Virginia for 11 days before we head up to get her. We are going to be driving 17 hrs to get there. Hope Brian does okay. He has gotten car sick a couple of times since we have been in the states. I guess we will take lots of garbage bags!

For Father's Day, John wanted to go to the waterpark. Brian loves the water. Now he doesn't want to stay in the kiddie area anymore because as he said "THat is for babies!" We did manage to get him to play a little while in the kiddie area so we could take a break.

I finally gave in to John. He wanted to get a pool for the backyard. I wanted one but they are not allowed in our housing area. The housing area has a pool but it is not opened yet. THey are hoping to have it open by 4th of July. Several other families have gotten one and the kids would just stare at them swimming. At least if the tell us we have to take it down, by now, we have definitely gotten our monies worth. The kids were in it almost everyday for the past month.

The only other thing that has really gone on lately is that we have finished our 1st post placement. I just have to get the pictures together and wait for a copy to get back from the Sec of State and that will done for another 3 months. It was a pretty short visit. Brian was great and answered her questions. Tiffany told her how she loved having a brother but that he does annoy her sometimes. It was a bit funny the way she said it. Well, I guess that is all for now. Brian is wanting to go to the park so I guess I should get going. He is a bit lonely without Tiffany here so John and I are trying to keep him busy.

Brian is Officially BRIAN ARLEY MIDDAUGH!

Introducing Brian Arley Middaugh! It is official. As of 0800 on May 21st, 2008, Brian is now officially adopted in the United States.

Here we are waiting for the certified copies of the final adoption decree. We left Wichita Falls at 0500 yesterday morning to head to Fort Worth so we could meet our lawyer at 0745. We made it in an hour and 45 minutes so we had a few minutes to spare. We met with the lawyer and she went over what to expect in the court room. We were the first case! The judge called us up to the bench and had Brian sit up on the front ledge so he could see him. We were all sworn in and then asked a few questions. Brian just smiled. You could tell he had no idea what was going on. He just answered yes when asked if having us as parents was in his best interest. The judge was so nice. I couldn't help but cry when they were asking us questions. I was so happy. We were back on the road by 0830. We stopped for some breakfast and were home by 1100. I wrote up a note to get Tiffany back in school.

We were originally planning on doing something in Dallas after the hearing but something better came up. Tiffany was going to be receiving an award at school. We had to have her back to school by 1:25. I am so proud of my little girl. She received an award for Student of the Month, Honor Roll for the first 3 marking periods and a Math award. I cried when I heard the math award. You see, last year, Tiffany had a lot of difficulty with math. SHe had to go to summer school for extra help. She is much more confident with her school work this year and I couldn't be prouder!!!!! She should get one more award when school is done and that is honor roll for the 4th marking period. They had to wait for school to end before saying who received that. School doesn't end until June 5th. Here is one of the pics of Tiffany getting her award!

I have to tell this story. Throughout the years, we have given Tiffany different nicknames. SHe has been called pumpkin, tiffbug, peanut, princess and boo. Our latest name for her has been Boo Bear. We have probably been calling her that for 3 years now. Well, Brian had his own take on it. At first, he was calling Tiffany, "Tiffa" but now, he has decided to call her Boo Berries. It is so cute especially with his spanish accent. Tiffany says she is embarrassed and doesn't want him to call her that but when you look at her, she just has this big smile across her face. It is like she doesn't want to admit that she likes the fact that her brother has a nickname for her. We told her to come up with a nickname for him and she wanted to call him "Melon Head" because his head is big. We told her she had to be nice so she is working on his nickname.

Another 2 weeks gone by!

For Mother's Day, we went to the Dallas Zoo!Brian loves getting his picture taken.
Here is my beautiful Tiffany. She is doing better at being a big sister!
Brian had cowboy day at school. We almost bought him the holster with the guns but then realized that probably wouldn't be a good idea to take them to school.
He insisted on having his picture taken this way. Toooo cute!

You know, I made a promise to myself that I would update on here at least once a week and I didn't think it would be that hard. Well, it is. WIth going back to work and taking care of 2 kids now, having spare time is a rarity. As for what has gone on in those 2 weeks, let me see... On Mother's Day, the kids and John took me to Dallas to go to the zoo and eat at one of my favorit restaurants (Macaroni Grill). We had an awesome time. I had told John what I wanted for Mother's Day and for once, he actually heard me. I really wanted to get away and do something special with just the 4 of us. A lot of other mothers must have had the same idea because the zoo was packed. It was a beautiful day and I couldn't have asked for better.



Brian is doing great in school. He came home with green on his calendar all this week! He has started learning the days of the week and will ask if he has school on that day. His teacher suggested he go to summer school but unfortunately, they don't start that until July 24th and we will be gone for at least 2 of those weeks. We promised we would work hard with him this summer. We did talk to the Sylvia Learning Center but they said they couldn't really help him. THey said it doesn't sound like he has a learning disablility. I was happy to hear them say he didn't have a learning disablility but I was also hoping they could still help him. That is when they told me they don't have a Spanish teacher. Brian doens't need to learn SPanish! John and I I will continue working with him like we are and several people have said they would tutor him so we make take someone up on their offer.



Thursday, we got a wonderful letter from Tiffany's school. SHe is getting an award! They haven't said what it is for. We have to wait until the ceremony. I am so proud of her. Hopefully, we will make it back from Dallas in time. The ceremony is May 21st! The same day we do Brian's readoption so Tiffany wasn't going to be in school that day. We have to be at court at 0745 and the ceremony is at 1:30. Our problem is the hearing and her school are 2 hours apart. Please pray that we make it to her ceremony on time!

One month down, many more to come!

Here we are, one month since bringing Brian home and things couldn't be going better. Brian has made great progress with adjusting to life with us as we have with him. I can't even remember what it was like without him. I am so proud of him. He really wants to learn English. Everyday, he asks to do his ABC's and we work on his numbers. He can almost count to forty with only a few mistakes. His teacher said he is doing better in school although he came home with yellow on his calandar for the day on Friday. He was talking. If that is all that he gets in trouble for then I will be happy. We did take his bike away from him for the day though so that he can learn that he has to follow the rules in school.

We have some wonderful friends here in Texas. First, let me start with my (Patty's) friends at work. They are awesome. I went back to work on Monday and they had planned a lunch. It was international foods and it was great. Of course, I over ate but I couldn't help it. Well, as I was sitting down eating my lunch, they whole staff came in and gave me a card and a big truck for Brian. As if that wasn't enough, the back of the truck was full of money! Brian had a great time with the money and the truck. They also gave Tiffany a gift so she wouldn't be left out. I work with a great group of people!

John works with a great bunch of people too! They had a welcome home Brian get together. We had cake and icecream. Brian ate 2 pieces of cake and I think he had a third helping of icecream. He loves sweets!!!!!!! No that is not all that we feed him but I think if it was his choice, he would eat icecream and chocolate for every meal. Here is the cake they had for us.

Along with the cake, they gave us a card from the whole staff. In it were some gift cards for Brian. Well, we decided we would take him to ToysR'Us and he could get what ever he wanted (to an extent). He had a blast. I think he was a bit over whelmed but he had a blast. Here is a picture of what he bought. Thanks to all of you at the Chapel!

Just a warning! Don't buy the markers that are made for kids and the bathtub. Brian had an awesome time making this artwork. Mommy and daddy had a terrible time getting it off the wall. We even used bleach to get it off and there are still signs that someone had fun in the tub. I guess we will just have to keep scrubbing it and maybe it will eventually come off!

3 weeks home!

The buffalo were only about 20 feet away running by like we weren't even there.

I actually climbed to the top of the rocks! It was beautiful!

This was Brian's favorite part. He loved walking in the water once we convinced him it was okay to wear his sneakers in the water.

I can't believe 3 weeks has gone by already. It feels like we just got home a few days ago. Things are going good. Brian is on his 5th day of school. He has a hard time getting up in the morning but if you wake him up by playing with him, he is fine. His favorite thing to eat for breakfast is rice with butter, sugar and milk. We let him pick what he wants for lunch as long as it has a main meal and fruit or vegetable. He loves jelly sandwiches but no peanut butter. Tiffany eats only peanut butter sandwiches with no jelly. Every day, Brian asks to have pizza for dinner. Of course, we have to tell him no but he tries.

This past weekend, we went hiking in the Wichita Mountains. We had a picnic. It was beautiful. The buffalo roam freely there and while we were eating, a bunch of buffalo came running by. There were only about 20 feet away from us. It was amazing. They definitely are used to humans being around because they just ran on by like we weren't even there. On our way back down the mountains, Tiff jumped off some rocks and twisted her ankle. Daddy had to carry her about 3/4 of a mile on his shoulders down the mountain because she couldn't walk on it. We had to take her to the ER the next day to get x-rays and they said she sprained it. She was on crutches for 3 days and is doing okay now.

Well, I am not convinced putting Brian with a teacher just because she speaks spanish was the best thing to do. For the past 4 days, when I picked Brian up, I asked how he did. Well, yesterday, she said since he is so far behind, she had him do something else well the other kids worked on phonics. She said she didn't think he could spell words with the sh sound and then walked away from me. I felt like it was too much of a bother for her. It looks like we are going to have to have a meeting with the school. We were also told the ESL teacher would call us to discuss what we need to do and that was 2 weeks ago and nothing yet. We get the feeling that they feel since it is so close to school ending why bother to teach him anything now. We are working with him in the evenings with sight words and the alphabet but after being in school for 8 hours, he really doesn't want to do it again at night. I honestly wouldn't want to either but we have explained to him that he has to learn his alphabet. I think I am going to get the Hooked on Phonics computer program to help him. He loves using the computer and that might get him more motivated. We will have all summer to work with him so he will be ready for 1st grade in the fall.

First day of school!

Brian walking to school on his first day of kindergarden.
Brian couldn't wait to go to school. He was waiting outside for me to hurry up so he could get there.

Yesterday was Brian's first day of school and it was a success (at least for Brian, not mommy)! John woke Brian up yesterday morning and the first thing he said was "School today?" I didn't think enough time passed for the chicken pox to heal but John insisted we let him go. On the way to school, I kept telling John that we needed a note from the doctor saying he could go back. John of course said no we didn't. When we got to the school, we took him in the front office to say he was here and to see the nurse. She said he was fine to start. John thinks I was hoping she would say we needed a doctors note and that he couldn't go today. Maybe he was right.

The kindergarden classes eat lunch at 1040 so I told the teacher we would be back then.

Boy, 2 and a half hours sure went by reallllllllllllllllllllly slow. I kept looking at my watch. I was thinking that Brian would be missing us. When we got there for lunch, he acted all embarrassed that we were there. Of course, we were the only parents there so I guess that is why. John told him we would leave and he just said "Bye-bye!" I was heart broken but at the same time happy to see that he was just fine. We stopped by to ask the teacher how he was doing and she said he started to get a little restless but with her help, he did his work. Every morning, they put their stuff up and them get a blank piece of paper. On this paper, they have to write the sentence that is on the board and then color the sheet. We are not sure what he did the rest of the day but it must have been fun because Brian couldn't wait to get to school today.

Before school today, we had his follow up doctor's appt. All his lab work came back okay except for one thing. Something about possible allergies. They want to recheck that blood work in a few months and see if it has cleared or if he will need to be allergy tested. He now can get his last 2 shots and his immunizations will be up to date. Since he has started school, he shots have to be current so we couldn't help to get them already.

On another note, we have started the readoption process already. We filled out the paperwork yesterday. Since Texas doesn't require a 6 month wait since Brian is already legally adopted we have decided to do the readoptin here rather than our home state of West Virginia. John and I are both residents of West Virginia but are in Texas due to a military assignment. We had the choice of either state. John really wanted him to have a WV birth certificate but once we weighed the pros and cons, it would be cheaper and easier just to do it here. Also, by doing it now, Brian's name will be legally changed by the time he starts 1st grade and there won't be any problem with using Brian rather than German. Everybody who sees his name has pronounced it just like it is spelled so he doesn't respond to that since his birth name is actually pronounced Hermahn in Colombia. Oh, by the way, my little boy is now writing his first name by himself!!!!!! He is learning so fast and I am so proud of him.

Tiffany is doing much better too. She is started to feel more relaxed with him and acting more like a sister rather than a mother figure. Tiffany is also doing really great in school and I am so proud of her.

First major melt down!

Daddy and Brian played their first game of catch.
We were convinced this was Brian's first time getting a bath. He was so excited.
Tiffany and Brian at Lucy Park.
Poor Angel doesn't get any rest now.

Well, it has been almost 2 weeks that we have been home and Brian finally had a major melt down yesterday. We knew it would be coming but we didn't know when. It started when John asked him to put on his socks and shoes so they could go in the backyard and play. That is all it took. Brian just like freaked out. He screamed for a long time. We tried everything to calm him down but to no avail. It only lasted for ohhhh about 2 hours. John and I took turns holding him and talking to him but nothing was going to satisfy him. It was almost time for dinner and we thought what a bear this is going to be but suprisingly, he sat down and ate like nothing happened. I guess there will be things we won't understand that he does. We just know that we have to be there for him and let him know that no matter what, we are not leaving him.



Okay, enough about that. Brian is doing much better with the chicken pox. He is not itching anymore and most of them are scabbed over. We took him to a park this afternoon to ride his bike. We figured everyone would be in school and the poor kid needed to get out of the house. We were the only ones there and Brian had a good time. We also played some baseball. Brian is using more English already. We go back and forth with English and Spanish. Everyday, we have him sit down to learn his ABC's, colors and numbers. He is doing much better. He can say over half his ABC's in order and is counting up to 16. He is having a little difficulty with the colors orange and red but is doing much better with the other basic colors. He knows his shapes also but not in English. He is not as far behind as we were told.

One week home!

Well, we have made it through the first week without any major incidents. Brian (this is what his new name is going to be) is adjusting quite well. He is doing much better with listening. He doesn't like time out or going to bed so I think that helps. We registered him for school yesterday and he was supposed to start kindergarden today. Notice I said supposed to start today. Well, he woke up this morning with CHICKEN POX! I took him to the doctor right away and he thinks it was from the vaccination. I told him Brian was exposed to chicken pox 2 weeks ago but he said from the way it looks, it was from the shot. So, Brian will not be going to school for another week. We went out last night and bought him a lunch box and a few school supplies and he was so excited this morning. I felt so bad. Although, the selfishness in me said wow, I get another week of him home with me. The bad thing is, we can't go anywhere or really do anything because the doctor doesn't want him exposing other kids.

Even though Brian will be 8 in October, they want him to do kindergarden for the rest of this year just to get him used to being in school and not to overwhelm him. In August he will start 1st grade which is what I was hoping for. He will only be a grade behind according to US standards. He is a quick learner and it is easier to step him up if needed rather than bring him back a grade.

Haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I took German to get his haircut yesterday and the only thing I asked Patty was, "How do you want it cut"? She didn't care so I had Harry skin the sides and back and take a good bit off the top. He did very well while getting his haircut, never movedor squirmed. When we got home, Patty and Tiffany both just about fell over. Needless to say, Patty was not expecting me to get his hair cut like mine. I love it and have been laughing at Patty and Tiffany since yesterday.

Here are a couple of pics of his new haircut!

WE ARE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we have made it home safe and sound. Actually, we have been home for 2 and a half days now but this is the first chance I have gotten to get on here. German was so excited to come to the US until we had to get in line at the airport. He threw a tantrum. I don't know why but I am guessing he got scared. Once that was over, he was fine until we started to descend to Atlanta. His ears hurt really bad. I tried to give him gum and at first, he wouldn't take it but then he did. I tried rubbing his ears and that seemed to help a little. I think we actually had a bonding moment there. THe second flight went much better because he fell asleep before we even left the ground and didn't wake up until we were already in the descent. He did really good with the 2 hour drive home.

I couldn't wait to show him his new house and room. Well, German was more excited about the dog. He loves Angel. The first night, he kept calling Angel to come sleep with him. She did for a little while and then went to her normal sleeping spot with Tiffany. Tiffany was a bit jealous at first because Angel went to German. On Thursday, German and I slept in late. John picked us up after lunch so we could go register him with the military and get his insurance started.

Of course, all the paperwork we had was in Spanish so we had to get his birth certificate translated into English before they would allow us to register him. After that, we went to the hospital to get him enrolled in the healthcare system. We then made an appt with pediatrics. Since German had an infection when we met him, we wanted to make sure it was cleared up. Well, they did his physical, lab work and started his immunizations right away. I was so worried. He had only been here 2 days and had to go through this. German was a real trooper. He laughed during his bloodwork. They had someone there who could speak Spanish and that helped him a lot. The immunizations was a different story. They gave him 5 shots and he still isn't done. Since we didn't have any medical records on him, he has to get everything. We thought we would be really mad at us but they gave him some lollipops and he walked out of there with a huge smile.

Friday night, we went to eat and to the store. He was really excited. We let him pick out 2 toys at the store and he was happy. German does like to touch everything though and then he will say "WOWWWWWWW!" really loud. We know it is just because he hasn't been exposed to the things we have. I hope we are not putting too much on him yet. This weekend, we are just relaxing and playing at home. Tiffany is sick so she has been in bed all day. Tonight we are going to try family night. Our tradition had been that every Friday, we would order pizza and watch a movie. Since we didn't do it last night, we are going to try it tonight. I am hoping to give him one more week home with me before I have to register him for school. He wants to go because he sees Tiffany going and yesterday, we picked her up from the bus stop.

I have so much to do before I go back to work and he has to start school but I can't find the motivation to do it. I just want to spend time with him playing and doing what ever. I want to give him a chance to be a kid and get used to our family. Well, I will write again in a few days to let you all know how it's been going.

WE ARE COMING HOME!

German and I are coming home tomorrow! Monday, we applied for his US visa and I picked it up today. We are completely done!!!!!!!! I can't believe we were only here 17 days. At times the time went fast but then other days, it was very slow. German and I are very excited to be able to see John and Tiffany tomorrow. This may be my last post for a few days until we get settled. I want to thank everyone again for the comments and seeing us through the wonderful process. I can't wait to write about our days at home.

About German revised!

Sorry about the last post. When I typed it, it went the way I wanted but I didn't realize that when I posted it that it had changed. John told me about it so here it is fixed.

Likes:
Fruit, Soft boiled eggs, electronics, Leap Frog (calls it Atari), transformers, drawing, tracing and coloring, music, brushing his teeth

Dislikes:
Fish, spaghetti (hope he likes it they way we make it), being told "NO", going to bed, being woken up in the morning

Hope this one posts better. Have a good night!

About German

Well, it has been 2 weeks since German has physically come into our lives and in those couple of weeks, we have learned alot. German is very affectionate. He loves to kiss. He is always willing to help someone. Yesterday, Carmen (B&B owner) brought a truck load of supplies to El Refugion and German jumped right in to help bring the stuff in. He is really missing his Papi since him and Tiffany went back to the US yesterday but is doing better today since we talked to John on the telephone. Here are some of his likes and dislikes.

Likes: Dislikes:
Fruit Fish
Soft Boiled Eggs Spaghetti (hopefully he will learn to like)
Brushing teeth Being told "NO!"
Electronics Going to bed
Leap Frog (he calls it an Atari) Being woken up in the morning
Music
Transformers
Drawing & tracing
Coloring

As time goes on, of course we will learn alot more especially when he is exposed to US foods. The Colombian foods are bland. We like spicy food so hopefully, he will learn to like. German is working on his numbers up to 10 and his alphabet. It is a little difficult to work on anything here with all the other kids around. He just wants to play. His manners are getting much better. We have taught him to say please, thank you and excuse me.
I am thankful I will have more time in the states to help him adjust before I have to go back to work. I took 6 weeks off because we were told it would take about 4 weeks in Colombia. Then, I would have 2 weeks with him at home. Since it didn't take that long for the adoption, I will have about 3 and a half weeks with him at home.
We will have to get him to the doctor, his immunizations up to date and registered for school. We have no medical on him so in the US, he will be getting a lot of shots. During the physical here, he weighed 52 lbs and the doctor said he needed to lose weight! He is wearing a size 6-7 pants and small shirts. Well, I am going to get ready for one last adventure out before we leave so I will write more later.

WE ARE OFFICIALLY A FAMILY OF FOUR!

Today, German became a Middaugh officially. Yes, we have the final adoption decree! We broke a record. It only took 2 days to get our adoption done. We are still in shock. On Tuesday, the 25th, we had our integracion and were told about 2 weeks for the courts to process. Well, we got a phone call last night to say the court in Gacheta was done with our paperwork and John needed to go there today to sign the final decree. He also was able to get the corrected birth certificate with Middaugh as the last name. He had to leave at 6:00 am for the 2 hour drive and it only took 1 and a half hours to sign the paperwork and get the birth certificate. They were back in Bogota by 1200 in which German and I had to meet him at the Colombian passport office. We were there less than an hour and left with his passport in hand. At this point, I am still in shock. I was preparing myself to be here at least 2 more weeks. Not that it would be a bad thing but with John not being here to help me, it would have been a little difficult since German listens to John more than me. After the passport office, we went back to El Refugio to get Tiffany so we could go to Archie's for pizza. We had planned on that since Monday since John and Tiff were leaving and we didn't know how long it would be before the four of us would be eating together again. After pizza, we went to the store for batteries and gum (for the plane ride). We had to be back at the hotel for 4:00 so we could go get the physical done. Yes, we had an appointment at 4:30 for the physical on a Friday. Can you believe it? I don't think you could find a doctors office in the States open that late on a Friday. At least none at any place we have lived so far. Needless to say, we are completely done with the Colombian side of the adoption and the only thing left for us is the US Consulates office for the visa. German and I will be leaving either Tuesday or Wednesday. I am ready to start our new life in the US but I am also sad for German to be leaving what he has known for the first 7 years of his life.

My trip to Colombia

My plane ride to Colombia wasn't very great but we meet new friends on the way. The friends that we met where going to the same place as us. They wished us good luck on getting my brother. We got my brother Monday. He was very quiet but the next day, he was talking to us. He does not like to listen because he was never been told no before. He will call me Tiffany sometimes and sometimes, he will call me hermana (sister). German is very ticklish and he likes to play outside. We had a pillow fight the other night and he is strong. It was fun. I love my brother alot. He is fun. We go to parks, play cards and watch movies together.

The ride to Gacheta was beautiful. THe weather is hot. The food is pretty good. I liked when we went to Archie's Pizza. I made my own pizza and then ate some of my mom and dad's pizza. It was awesome. We eat most of our meals at our hotel. I ate rice with stuff that looked like worms to me. The ladies at El Refugio make good chicken. We had waffles with tuna on it and it was good. I didn't want to eat it at first so I tried a little bite and liked it. There is a fruit that when you open it, it looks like fish eggs. It wasn't very good. My mom didn't want to eat it because she was scared to. I am having fun but I can't wait to go home. Me and daddy are going home on Saturday but mommy and German will stay here until they're done.

Love, Tiffany

Integracion Complete!

Hello everyone! Well, integracion is complete. Yeah! We can now continue with the court process. We were told today that our court is not in Bogota like originally told. It is in Gacheta which is where German is from. Our lawyer is going there tomorrow to start the paperwork. During the intergracion today, we were asked a lot of questions. The interview was done by the psychologist. She asked questions to all four of us. She also said it would take at least 2 weeks to complete that process so it doesn't look like German and I will be coming home by next week after all. John and Tiffany are leaving Saturday so that will give me and German a little more one on one time. He is doing much better today with listening. Last night, he threw a terrible tantrum that lasted almost an hour but we didn't give in. Today is a lazy day. We have just stayed here at the B&B because it has looked like rain all day. Hopefully, we can venture out again tomorrow.

Easter Sunday in Bogota

Not much in the way of pictures today although there are a couple posted below. We went out with 4 other families today to a local Pizza Restaraunt and had a great time. They have an area where the kids can make their own pizzas and then they will cook them. Since we were going to eat, we left the camera behind, big mistake. German had a blast. The chefs were great with interacting with each of the kids and by the time they were finished making the pizzas, they were all covered with flour. Oh, the pizza was actually really good. I was kind of skeptical at first, but would go back in a heart beat.

We have had a hard time with German the last couple of day with listening. He does not like to be told no! We have been told that they are told yes to about everything up to the age of 7 or so and then the parents make the switch to telling them no. Between us telling him no and the language barrier it is pretty tough for all of us right now. He has actually started to throw tantrums when we tell him no, but calms down after a while. It has worn on us a little, but we expected some of what is going on. We all just have to have patience to work through it.

After lunch today, one of the women here in the B&B bought candy for all the kids and hid it out back in the yard. The kids had to search the lawn, bushes and trees for the candy. I think they all had a great time. Of course the amount of chocolate some of them ate will keep them up all night, hahaha!

Tiffany and German after the candy hunt. Both got a Kinderegg and some other chocolates.

German getting ready to dig into his egg.

Tiffany already finishing up her candy.

Some pictures of Bogota!

Here are some pictures of Bogota. I would have been able to get better pictures if we weren't in a moving vehicle. Some of Bogota is very nice but a lot of it that we had seen is very poor looking. I think everytime we have been out, someone has approached us for money. It is sad to see children out begging. You want to give to every child but you know you can't. They say to be careful if you do give money because once you do it, it will always be expected. Bogota is in much better shape than we we had expected. They actually have several places that are familiar to the US, like McDonalds, Burger King, Dominoes, Quiznos and Pizza Hut. We are going to try Pizza Hut tomorrow for lunch because that is the only meal not provided during an entire week.

A Day Out!

We went on a trip today. It was nice to get out for a while. We have been just walking a little ways from the B&B and after doing that for 5 days, we needed a change of scenery. Lucia, our contact while in Colombia, had arranged a trip for the 3 families she has right now. We all received our children on Monday. The other 2 families are from France but we were able to communicate okay. Here are a few pictures from today. Here is the whole group except for me because I am taking the pictures. We are entering an amusement park/zoo.
Tiffany and German up on a huge fountain. I was very nice.
Tiffany, German, Daniela and Julio.
Having fun on a ship!

Another Great Day

Today was another good day. We ventured out a litte and found a small park where we let the kids play a little. We spent alot of time here in the B&B just hanging out, doing laundry, homework, etc... German is working on some books to help him with his English and we think he has come a long way. We had him on the phone talking with Chrissy, (Patty's sister) and Papa, (John's dad). He was able to say a few words they understood. We figure that with all he has been through this week, anything he has been able to learn has been a huge step forward.

Patty, Tiffany and German. You can see Tiffany is trying to be funny.

John, Tiffany and German on the swingset out back of El Refugio

Please note that no one was harmed during the filiming of this video, hahahaha! You'll understand after watching this. By the way, he got up laughing so hard we all just about fell over.

This was taken this morning. He really is a happy boy. He loves his new pj's.
This morning, German got in bed with Tiffany so they could watch cartoons. He can't see the tv from his bed.
This was taken in the back yard of El Refugio. They have a swing set and a few tables with chairs. The kids have a great time.

Day Two

Well, we have survived another day with only one major problem. German is an amazing little boy and much smarter than what his bio gave. To our surprise, he knows a little English. We were expecting him not to know any. He also repeats the English we use. He doesn't always remember but he tries very hard. Right now, he is working on numbers and colors. He teaches us the Spanish and we teach him the Enlgish. I am using more Spanish today than yesterday. Yesterday, I froze. Thank the Lord, John was with me. He has really done well with the Spanish language.

As soon as we are done eating, German insists on brushing his teeth right away. Don't get me wrong, I think that is wonderful, but even before he is done eating, he is asking to brush his teeth. He will not call Tiffany by her name. He insists on calling her hermana (sister). When he wants to do something and we tell him no, he will hug and kiss you lots. He is really affectionate but you can tell when he is using it try to get his way. Our major incident happened when he and Tiffany were playing. They were tickling and wrestling with each other. Well, he bit Tiffany. He didn't break skin and he didn't do it in a mean way but none the less. We made him sit. It was a little tough for him to understand. The first thing he did after we told him no and that was bad, he started hugging and kissing us. It was hard not to give in but we stood our ground. He didn't want to sit so John had to hold him but after just a few minutes, he sat there until we told him he could get up. We think he understood.

We ventured out to the mall today to get German a pair of sneakers. It turns out, his sneakers were 2 sizes too small. Poor little guy had been wearing these sneakers for who knows how long. It was a little rough at the store trying to ask for help. We had a Spanish translation book that had the expressions we needed to use but they still didn't totally understand.

Oh, I forgot, yesterday when we met him, they gave us a bag of medicine. Apparently, he has an infection and is on an antiobiotic. We have to take him back to a doctor next week to make sure everything is okay. I am so happy that we have him. I know God specifically had him in mind for our family and I couldn't be any prouder to call him my son.

We will post more pictures tomorrow once we get them downloaded. Fortunately, at El Refugio, they have free internet access and we brought our own laptop. They have one for you to use but with 5 other families here, you have to share.

Our first day together as a family

German came to our family yesterday but you would have thought it was years ago. All my fears of him not wanting us are completely gone! He fits in perfectly with our family. John has been so wonderful with the Spanish. Believe it or not, I let him do most of the talking. His spanish pronunciation is much better than mine. German is doing wonderful!

When we got back to El Refugio, we ate lunch and then went for a walk. German would pick up things at the store and when we told him no, he would put them back. I was expecting him to get upset and maybe throw a fit but nothing. Everything he picked up had to do with sweets. He definitely has a sweet tooth. We noticed that when he eats, he will completely clean off his plate. Even if he is full, he will continue eating until everything is gone. We are going to have to do portion control.

Last night, he went to bed with no problem. He slept with a teddy bear that Tiffany gave to him. He also really likes transformers and cars. He is a little small for his age. Thanks to Debbie for all the clothes she gave us. He fits into just about everything. He came with the clothes on his back and that is all. His sneakers are wayyyyyyyyyyyy to small for him. We didn't know that until this morning when we tried to get them on him. I don't know how he even was playing in them yesterday. We are going to go shopping for shoes today. Well, I need to run. They are waiting for me. Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

Here is what we have all been waiting for!

This is the first picture of all 4 of us together. You can see a smile on all our faces.
Tiffany and German playing in the room. He was smiling right before I took the pic.
This was when German first walked in the room.
John, Tiffany and German on the playground.

At about 1130 this morning, we were able to meet German. The trip to Gatcheta was worse than driving the roads of West Virginia, but absolutley beautiful. When we arrived, we were taken upstairs to the ICBF office where they brought German to us. He came in the room and immediately hugged Patty. He had a huge smile on his face and was very friendly. He took his gift, a transformer, and a small snickers bar and he was even happier. The trip back was uneventful as he and Patty took a nap. He was great during the car ride and what time he was awake he seemed excited about the car ride. We didn't have to use the barf bags we brought from the airplane. When we got back to El Refugio, we sat down to our first meal together and he ate everything on his plate. He was very hungry. We spent the rest of the day playing and walking around town. We are getting ready to sit down and eat dinner, so we will post a few pictures and then some more information later on. We hope you all enjoy.