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.

We have our son!

We have added a handsome young man to our family. Just wanted to write a quick note to let everyone know that German is with us!!!!!!!! I will write more later and hopefully have some pictures loaded.

We'll have to wait another day to get to Bogota!

Well, we didn't get to Bogota today! We were diverted on our way to Atlanta and missed the plane to Bogota by 20 minutes! I was so bummed. The plan was already delayed but they couldn't have waited 20 minutes for us to get off the plane. We were on the runway waiting for a gate to open when the plan to Bogota took off. We weren't the only ones who missed the flight. There was a group of 17 going on a mission to Bogota that also were on our flight from Dallas. We did get rebooked for tomorrow at 5:00 pm. This means we will have spent 22 hours in the Atlanta airport. Yipee!!!!

You know what is ironic. We live in tornado alley in Wichita Falls, Texas. We have been there for over a year and never had a tornado. We fly to Atlanta and what do they have! A tornado! Good thing we booked our original flight to give us an extra day just in case of bad weather. Thankfully, we are still on schedule to meet our son on Monday!

We are coming German!

Well, this will be my last post until we get to Colombia. We are leaving first thing in the morning to drive to Dallas. I wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words. They have really meant alot to us. I am still not feeling well but nothing is going to stop me from getting on that plane and getting my son. I will continue to pray for all those families still waiting to hear about their children. Take care!

Pictures of our baby girl!

Well, I know I said baby girl but in my heart and mind she will always be my baby no matter how old she is.
Tiff is showing off her new hair do. We bought some curlers and fixed her hair. SHe looks so beautiful.
Tiffany likes posing for pictures.

5 More Days until we leave!

Boy, can the days go any slower. I think I need to take off my watch so maybe I will stop looking at the time. Today was unbelievably slow. I probably won't be saying that Friday when we finish packing but I will be happy. We are going to the airport early so that maybe they can send our luggage ahead. We only have a 45 minute layover in Atlanta and the gentleman issuing us the tickets said that was plenty of time. I hope so.

On another note, there have been a few families who had their paperwork referred to a region so we are praying for them to get an assignment soon.

WE HAVE OUR VISAS!

We finally received our visas today. Now, we just have to copy a few things and we are ready to go. Well, almost, we are only partially packed. I pulled out the suitcases last Sunday and packed German's suitcase. Good thing we are staying in Bogota because otherwise we would be paying for extra luggage. I don't know how people were able to pack for themselves and a child let only 2 or more children.

Time is going so slow at work but when I get home and have to start doing something, time flies! I think I am the only one at work who is happy that we spring forward on Sunday. It is one less hour I have to think about passing. The excitement has over taken me. I can't sleep straight through the night without waking up thinking what can I get ready.

I am sure everyone has either had the "bug" themselves or had a family member with it. Well, this morning I woke up not feeling well at all. It is not like when I was sick a few weeks ago. This time it is in my chest and I ache from head to toe. I am hoping I can get over it this week so I am better for the trip. Tiff is also having a hard time with her allergies. This crazy weather here in Texas has people with allergies going nuts. One day it is 75-80 degrees and then the next, the high is only in the 30's.

Well, guess I should get off here and work on the other million things I want to do.

Trip Briefing

Well, Friday we had our trip briefing with Julie. She went over everything from the beginning of the trip to the end. We found out that Gacheta is only an hour away instead of the 2-3 hour drive we were originally told we would have to take. YEAH! We will be staying at El Refugio our entire time there. Julie gave us some great advice about what to do and not do. She also told us what we really need to take and how much money things will be. THe whole conversation took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. When we were done, I was so excited that I wanted to get on a plane right then and there. Only 2 weeks to go!

We finally had our yard sale. We decided to set up at the local flea market which turned out to better than we originally thought. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we got rid of just about everything. What was left, we dropped off for Good Will.

We still haven't received our visas yet. We just got the necessary paperwork back and sent it out on Thursday. The guy I spoke with at the Colombian Consulate's office said it would only take 3 days so if this is true, we should have them back by the end of next week. I will be relieved when they are back because without them, we can't do anything.