Merry Christmas!

This week marked 3 months since we've been home form Colombia. We learned recently that of the group of kids who traveled with Kidsave in the summer of 2008 Johan was the first to come home to the US. Diana & Mauricio who arrived home 2 weeks ago were the second. With the exception of one little girl the others are in process and should be home soon.

Mauricio is Johan's new best buddy. They live about 30 minutes away. They joined us for dinner last Saturday and we went to their house for dinner on Wednesday. Prior to leaving for their house Johan announced that he was sick and needed to spend 5 hours with Mauricio to feel better! He didn't quite get 5 hours but he did have a great time!

For Thanksgiving we went to California to visit with Tom's side of the family. It was a wonderful trip! Johan got a chance to meet Grandma & Grandpa Trotter as well as his many Aunts, Uncles and cousins. We had a nice dinner and celebration on Thanksgiving Day. We celebrated Grandma & Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary as well as the addition of Johan to the family. Johan played the washer toss game with his uncles and cousins. He wasn't able to beat his Dad or cousin Ryan but I think he was successful in beating a few of the other cousins.

This trip marked Johan's first visit to the ocean and beach. He was ready to dive right into the 58 degree water. Later in the day back at Grandma & Grandpa's he announced that Dad & I could go back to Ohio - he was staying at the beach in CA.

We enjoyed the visit tremendously. Johan especially liked staying with Auntie Deb! She has a pool table and a slot machine - what's not to like for a 12 year old boy?! (not to mention how cool Auntie Deb is :-) He of course hit the jackpot on the slot machine which lead to one crazy victory dance. He's still talking about that one. Auntie Deb also gave him a camera which he just loves.

Last weekend we got our first real snow. Only an inch or two but enough to impress a kid who has never seen snow! We had a snow ball fight, made angels and made two snowmen - one about 7' tall. It was a blast. Johan spent the remainder of the day making an igloo house. We finally had to call him in - he was soaking wet, freezing and exhasuted!

Johan is doing well at school and his English continues to improve. The ESL teacher was very happy with his journal entry after his trip to CA. Johan wrote and wrote about everything he did and saw in CA. He was so excited.

We went to our favorite Mexican restaurant the other night where Johan made up a new song - called "I love Guacamole". You too can sing along - just sing "I love Guacamole" over & over again and every now and then end with drawing out guacamoleeeeee. Then start all over again. It's lovely.

Yes, he was excited about Christmas - we couldn't get him off the ceiling for days. We played up Santa even though we're pretty sure he doesn't believe in the guy in the red suit. Actually he decided a few weeks ago that the Santa's we see around town are all imposters. They are Santa's cousin 'Buddy'. It was quite the elaborate story.

We also had a long conversation last week about which came first - Santa or Baby Jesus. This led to a discussion on what came first in the Bible - Moses or Noah. Johan proceeded to tell us the major stories of the Bible in the correct order. Obviously he has had some religious instruction along the way!

I wrote most of this on Christmas Eve - today is the 26th. We had a wonderful time on Christmas. Johan received a good variety of gifts. He's been playing his games and building legos (actually he disappeared for about 3 hours yesterday afternoon building legos! - he loves those things!).

I hope you all had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas.
Carrie

A Mind Like a Steel Trap

We're approaching the 6 week mark of our homecoming. I thought I would share some of our adventures to date.

We've spent a lot of time visiting with friends and family - catching up and introducing Johan to everyone. Tia Lee Anna is the event planner these days! Several weeks ago she planned a pumpkin carving party. My friend Michele and her two boys joined us as well as a few family members. Lots of food and fantastic pumpkins!
Johan chose a very intricate pattern and he had the patience to complete it! (I know I would have given up half way through!) It was definitely his first pumpkin carving. Afterwards he, Connor and Luke played wiffle ball and soccer.

Tia Lee Anna also planned an outing for us to see the Columbus Crew - Soccer! We had a great time and can't wait to go back next season.



After much deliberation Johan finally decided on a scary mask for Halloween. Trick-or-Treat night he wasn't too keen on going door to door. He was leery of the language barrier (afraid people would talk to him). We lit a fire in our portable fire pit in the driveway and hung out for awhile - then Tom coaxed him to go to our neighbors house. We live on a culdesac so there weren't very many other children around (I think we had a total of 9 trick-or-treaters). Johan wasn't crazy about going door to door but he sure was happy with all of the candy he received! (the neighbors were VERY generous). Typical kid - he came home and promptly dumped all of the candy on the floor and counted it - 72 pieces. He also took great joy in scaring a few little kids that came down the street...

School is going well. He occasionally has homework. Luckily Tom can help him with the math and I assist with the science and social studies (we'd be in trouble if I had to help with the math!). We also have reinforcements across the street - our neighbor Mrs. Luken used to teach math!

Johan's English improves every day. We continue to work with him and try to find new ways for him to experience the language. He's definitely still shy in speaking to others but he tries with us and his comprehension is increasing.

He seems to have a mind like a steel trap. He remembers just about everywhere we went last summer when he was with us for 6 weeks. He is constantly pointing out places or remembering situations that occurred during that short period of time. Stuff that I had forgotten...

Today in the car the song 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' by Bonnie Tyler came on. I started to change the station and he asked me to stop. He told me it was a song they played in Colombia - I groaned. Of all the American songs to make it to another country! Johan, in the meantime, sang his heart out...(to my brothers: we're going to have to work on his music preferences...)

One more story...
Last Sunday it frosted. When Johan looked out the window he said 'what's that' and pointed at the ground. I think he thought it was snow at first. So I did my best to explain 'frost'. He was amazed. When we left to go to church he ran out to the front yard and scraped his hands across the grass to feel the frost. Of course, he immediately ran back and put his cold hand on me to get a rise out of me!

I share this story because while we missed out on many firsts - first words, first time he walked, first foods, etc. - we still have our own version of 'firsts' and we're doing our best to cherish them all. It's interesting seeing your world through the eyes of a 12 year old who has yet to experience many of these things. The challenge - as in all of life - is to make sure we take the time to soak it in.

To the California family - Johan is very much looking forward to our visit over Thanksgiving. He has no idea what Thanksgiving is but he is very excited about the travel adventure! Yesterday we were looking up everyone's address on Google Maps so he could see where we are going. Can't wait to see you all!

Carrie

Home 2 Weeks!

October 7, 2009
Today marks 2 weeks since we have been home! I can't believe it! Time is definitely flying by. I will try to catch everyone up (especially those not living nearby).

The day after we got home I took Johan to school and got him registered. He was very nervous. The counselor (Mrs. Bozick) knows our family (she actually worked in my elementary school way back when!) - she is a wonderful person. She took us on a tour of the school, introduced Johan to the teachers and showed him where he would be. His only comment was 'it's big' after stopping in the gymnasium. The highlight of the day was that we found out there is a bi-lingual student in his class, Gabe. Mrs. Bozick pulled Gabe from class and asked him to translate for us on the tour. Since that time they have paired Johan and Gabe in class so Gabe can assist Johan when necessary.

Johan works with an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher each morning then goes to class with the kids throughout the day. For the last hour of the day he is with a Spanish-speaking teacher who helps him with translation needs. He is adjusting very well and seems to like school. Getting out of bed at 5:45 and on the school bus at 6:30 is another story! We bought him an alarm clock and put it across the room - but he doesn't even hear it! I have to send the hounds in to pounce on him and get him out of bed. It's so early!

We spend the afternoon and evenings playing outside a bit (frisbee with the dogs and basketball seem to be the favorites right now) then working on any homework and sometimes watching a little TV. Johan saw America's Funniest Home Video's last night - which he found absolutely hilarious. He was doubled over laughing - which cracked us up. We usually end the day reading (he's into Harry Potter {in Spanish} right now). We also have some 'I Can Read' books in English that we have been reading together. His English gets better every day.

That's all for now. I hope you are having a great day.
Carrie

Home Sweet Home!

We made it! Things went fairly smooth. I was a little concerned at the points our documents were reviewed but we passed with flying colors. We had a document signed by Tom and notarized giving me permission to take our son out of the country. I had to show this three different times to various individuals. Each time made me nervous. We also had a fairly tight connection in Atlanta - an hour and a half - normally this would be plenty of time but we had to spend some time with Immigration to get Johan's paperwork approved and passport stamped. So as soon as we hit the ground I told Johan to kick it in gear. We hustled and made it through rather quickly.

Last night we stopped for dinner in Tipp with Nana and Tom then headed home to a big welcome home sign courtesy of Tia Lee Anna. Johan was very excited.

So Johan is officially a US Citizen! We will go through a re-adoption process here in the States in order to get him a US birth certificate (makes life easier in the future) and we'll file for a SSN and get him a new passport to put everything in line. That will all come in the next few months after we receive some paperwork from the Gov't. Right now we're focused on getting settled and getting him enrolled in school.

Have a great day,
Carrie

On our way!

My heart skipped a few beats this afternoon when we arrived at the Embassy at 3:30 (as told) and the gates were closed and blinds were drawn. Luckily someone peered out and Helena flagged them down and told them we were there for our adoption Visas. They let us in thankfully. It only took a few minutes to collect our paperwork and journey on our way. The Embassy was extremely busy yesterday morning, but fairly quiet this afternoon. Helena said it is the busiest and largest US Embassy in the world. A week ago this time the State Department was sending notices about a demonstration at the Embassy and warned US citizens to stay away. I'm thankful our timing did not fall in line with the demonstrations. The demonstrations were against the US putting military bases in Colombia. From what I have heard most Colombians are pleased about the military bases and the relationship with the US. (most are very against Chevez & Venezuela - as I'm sure you have heard).

Anyway - barring any flight delays we will be home tomorrow (Wednesday) evening. Johan is so excited. He's acting like he just drank 8 bottles of Mountain Dew. Energy is spewing from the kid. I doubt he'll sleep. Right now he is running around the house playing chase/hide-and-go-seek with Camila, the 5 year old daughter of one of the workers here.

As they say in Colombia...Chao,
Carrie

BTW - check out the Raising Colombian Kids Blog: http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/
Melinda, the owner of the blog, posted the info I sent her on Ibague this week. As I've mentioned her blog is fantastic for learning more about Johan's homeland.

US Embassy

We just returned from the US Embassy. The letter we needed was ready and waiting for us at the ICBF at 8:30a.m. We went direct to the Embassy after picking it up. At the Embassy we filed the paperwork, paid the fee and answered a few questions. The guy said 'your Visa is approved - come back tomorrow at 3:30p.m. to pick it up'. So we are good to go! Working on finalizing flights now for our trip back home Wednesday!!!

Backing up a little to fill you in on our days since I haven't blogged in a few...
Saturday morning we went to an Artisan store nearby. 3 floors full of Colombian made crafts, etc. Just about anything you would ever want. It's a good thing space is limited in my suitcase! We bought a few things to help us remember our time here and keep Colombia close in our hearts.

Saturday afternoon I took Johan to the movies at Unicentro. I don't think he's ever been to the cinema. It was a kid-flick Pequeno something. I could understand enough of the plot to enjoy it. As in the US - the popcorn and soda cost almost as much as the movie (some things are just universal!).

Sunday we hung out in the morning then took a long walk in the afternoon. We hiked over to Santa Barbara where there is a Sunday afternoon market. We strolled around there then headed over to Unicentro for some of the best ice cream I have had.

We met a family from South Carolina at the Embassy today. It looks like we will be on the same flight Wednesday. The Swiss family arrived at Hotel Paris last night. They pick up their baby this afternoon. So that should stir this place up a bit.

Hotel Paris is similar to Patricia's place in Ibague - it's just larger (and the beer and sodas are included in the rate). Hotel Paris also has a lively bunch of workers. It sounds like there is always a party in the kitchen. It's a great sound. I guess occasionally when they've had a family here for a long period of time they throw a big party in preparation for their departure. They bring in a band and everything.

The neighborhood we are in is very nice - several parks, plenty of shops and restaurants (even KFC & McDonalds around the corner - if you call those restaurants). Johan told me today he's never been to a McDonalds. I think we'll leave it that way. Luckily he doesn't even like chicken nuggets.

That's all for now.
Have a great day,
Carrie

Pictures

Johan and Jhon playing in the yard at Hotel Paris.

Making Friends

Johan and Jhon became fast friends over the last few days. Jhon's Dad and I agreed it was good for both of them. Thursday afternoon we all went to the park and the boys threw the baseball around. I think it was the first time Johan had ever worn a baseball glove. He was very proud that he had his Dayton Dragon's baseball - it's one of the few possessions they let him keep. After tossing the ball a bit we went in search of ice cream (evidently Jhon was in the habit of going to the park and getting ice cream every day!). Friday morning Jhon's dad had to go to the Embassy to pick up the Visa so Jhon and Johan played all morning. In the afternoon we took a walk to UniCentro which is a huge shopping mall - American style. They have everything. We wandered around there for awhile then stopped by the park on the way back. It was good to get out and about.

Jhon and his Dad headed home to Minnesota today. We hope they have an uneventful ride home. Jhon has some challenges and he was not too happy about the idea of traveling today.

We were hoping to hear from Helena Friday morning that she received the paperwork we need in order to file for Johan's Visa. She called at 2p.m. and said the paper arrived but the appropriate person still had not signed. They promised to have it waiting for us at 8:30a.m. Monday. So Monday we will go to ICBF to pick up the paper then direct to the Embassy to file for the Visa. If all goes well we pick up the Visa Tuesday morning and fly Wednesday.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
Carrie

More Waiting

Doctor's visit went fine yesterday - clean bill of health with a few vaccinations thrown in (that tetnus is going to hurt for a few days!). He's officially 4'9" and 79lbs.

Unfortunately the paperwork didn't arrive from Ibague that we need to apply for the Visa. If it had we would have been flying this weekend. Now we wait until Monday to apply for the Visa. We will likely receive the Visa Tuesday and fly on Wednesday. (God willing and the creek don't rise). Checking into flights now - it's not pretty.

There is another family staying here from Minnesota. Chris is the Dad's name and the son is Jhon - 8 yrs old. His wife and other 3 children left 5 weeks ago - he's been here a total of 7 weeks. Makes our 2 1/2 weeks (so far) not so bad!

I hope you are having a good day.
Carrie

Hola from Bogota

Well it's been a bit of a whirlwind. I think I left off with you yesterday that we just officially received our 4 foot something 70 pound (approx) bundle of boy! Our kind lawyer scooted off to Melgar and was back by 7p.m. last night with new birth certificates in hand. She told us to meet her at the passport office at 8a.m. this morning. I emailed our contact, Helena, in Bogota and filled her in - telling her we would likely arrive in Bogota Thursday afternoon (per Patricia's timeline). I received an email from Helena this morning that said it would be nice if we could get to Bogota today (Wednesday).

So as we were getting ready this morning I told Patricia that Helena was hoping we would arrive yet today. Patricia said 'no way - it can't happen - there is not enough time'. I shook it off and said 'ok - I'm just passing on what Helena told me'.

So we went to the passport office then to the airline to change tickets. The only flight today was at 2p.m. We were supposed to pick up the passport at 12:30 - which really didn't give us much time for error or to get to the airport. So I told the lady to book us for the first flight tomorrow - 6a.m. Well, Patricia is not a morning person - she quickly changed her tune and said 'I think we can get you on the afternoon flight'. She pulled some strings and we got Johan's passport at 10a.m. - packed at 11a.m. - lunch at noon - airport at 12:30p.m. where there was an earlier flight to Bogota that we caught. We landed in Bogota at 1:45p.m.

We are now across town in Hotel Paris. The temperature here is about 15-20 degrees colder than Ibague. Johan keeps asking me if I'm cold - he's acting like he is not but right now he is huddled under a pile of blankets watching Spiderman!

We have the appointment with the Embassy Dr. at 5p.m. Helena is trying to move things along for us. Unfortunately the Embassy doesn't issue Visa's on Friday and I don't think they will have the paperwork they need tomorrow so we will likely file the Visa on Monday. I should know more once we meet with Helena (which I think is yet today).

I'm beat right now. Howling dog and HUGE thunderstorms kept both of us up last night. I don't think we're going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.

Carrie

It's a Boy!

It's official! I signed the paperwork about an hour ago - he's officially our son now. It took all of 10 minutes - and I got teary-eyed again! It's hard to believe it finally happened. We are very happy and can't wait to get home to share with everyone.

Speaking of home...
Our lawyer took off for Melgar right after the signing. This is good news. Her mission in Melgar is to get a new birth certificate with Johan with his new name: Johan Stiven Trotter Conard. Once we receive this we can create his new passport and head to Bogota. In Bogota we visit the US Embassy doctor then we can get Johan's Visa. Once we have his Visa we can head for home. I'm guessing we head to Bogota Thursday - Visa on Monday - travel middle of next week. But it's just a guess. Regardless it is progress!

We didn't do too much yesterday. Johan either got tired of the Nintendo or mastered all the games because he approached ME to play chutes and ladders yesterday. (My guess is he has mastered the games!). After the game and a few rounds of cards he wanted to mess around with PowerPoint again. He put together a presentation of animals - which turned out to be a good learning process since he had to search for the animals in English. It was fun.

Patricia's cousin and his wife are visiting from Bogota. They were supposed to arrive today but showed up unexpectedly last night. They went with us to the sentencia (5 of us crammed into a taxi the size of a roller skate). We did a little shopping downtown afterwards. There are a ton of people downtown during business hours. Bolivar Plaza was packed. It was fun to be amongst all the people (even if I did stand out as a Gringa!).

Carrie

Quiet Weekend

It was a fairly quiet weekend. Saturday morning we went to the market with Patricia then just hung out most of the day. Sunday was much the same. Johan just wanted to play Nintendo all day for his birthday!

We did work on the PC a bit each morning. Saturday I helped Johan send some emails - we started in Spanish but he wanted to do them in English so we did some switching around. It was funny. Sunday morning we messed a bit with PowerPoint. I showed him a few things and he took to it instantly - adding pictures and clip art - messing with slide transition, etc. We also found clip art for the US, Colombia and birthday so he put it all together into a presentation. It was fun.

Last night we went to dinner with Patricia and the German family - back to the pizza place. Patricia and I were a bit concerned that the little girls would have a tough time sitting still (her previous experience with them was that they were little tornadoes). But the girls were very good. It was a very nice evening.

We have our fingers crossed that we'll get the call to see the judge today. I'll let you know later.

Carrie

Static Electricity

Yesterday we said goodbye to Papa. A sad day indeed. We spent the morning getting him packed and playing our last rounds of cards together. In less than two weeks he's turned Johan into a Ford man.

The good news of the day is that the Defender of Minor's approved our case! So the papers are back with the judge. Our lawyer thinks we will receive the call to sign on Monday. Our fingers are crossed! After that happens our lawyer has to go to Melgar, where Johan was born, to get him a new birth certificate. With the new birth certificate we can get him his passport. Patricia thinks we might get all this done and be headed to Bogota on Thursday.

Johan found the joy of balloons and static electricity yesterday. Evidently he never learned about rubbing balloons on your head and getting your hair to stand up. Tom showed him how it was done - but it's not nearly as funny with the short hair he and Johan have - so I was the sacrificial lamb. Johan got the biggest kick out of seeing my hair stand on end. (Just wait until he lives a dry Ohio weather and rubs his feet on the carpet!)

Happy Saturday,
Carrie

PS - Congratulations to my good friend, Cher, who has worked her tail off and busted through the glass ceiling once again! She is now Captain Cher Clark - the first female Captain of the Dayton Fire Department!

Rainbow of Promise

Johan was awake in bed playing his game before I got out of bed yesterday. Typically Tom is up around 5:30, I get up around 6:30 and Johan wakes up around 7:30 and reads until we call him for breakfast at about 8 or 8:30. Yesterday he had that Nintendo in his hands by 6:30! He probably had dreams of playing the games.

Tom worked on Patricia's cane for her yesterday - it was coming apart. As he sat out front working on it he looked up and saw a rainbow - but it wasn't raining. I took it as a sign of luck and promise of good things to come.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the swimming pool at the hotel nearby. Evidently a US Ambassador is staying there for a few days to attend a coffee summit in Ibague. I'm guessing it must be the Ambassador to Colombia, Bill Brownfield - but we're not really sure. (we were looking around for Hillary - but don't think she is here...) :-)

At the pool we met the German family that Patricia is assisting with transportation and translation. They are adopting two girls - 9 and 4 - very cute. They evidently also have siblings that have already been adopted and live in Germany. So it is wonderful that they will be in the same area together. I asked Rolf, the dad, how long their journey has been and he said they started 2 years and 9 months ago. Makes our 1 year look like nothing in comparison.

I just received an email from our friends Tom and Carol who are adopting 2 of the other children that traveled with Johan last year. They received their referral yesterday!!! That is such great news. They will be here in Colombia very soon to finish their adoption. We are so happy for them.

Johan's English is improving every day. He is starting to comprehend some of what we are saying. At dinner the other night Tom and I were talking about something that happened the previous day (I don't remember what) but Johan chimed right in with us on telling the story. I also set him up the other morning with a quiz from a website where it gives you the Spanish word and you have to choose the English translation from 5 choices. He did very well. I think there were about 550 of these and he got close to 400 correct. So his vocabulary is more expansive than I thought. (plus his perseverance of staying with the task of 550 questions!)

Unfortunately Papa leaves us today. We are going to miss him very much, but hopefully we will be following soon.

Carrie

Birthday Pictures

Birthday Celebration!

Johan's birthday is this coming Sunday (Sept 13) - he turns 12. Since Tom is leaving tomorrow we decided to celebrate yesterday. On Tuesday we sat Johan down and through the online translator explained that Papa had to leave Friday to go home and that we wanted to celebrate his birthday early. Typical go-with-the-flow Johan was good with it all (not to mention what 12 year old wouldn't want to celebrate their birthday early). So while we were at the mall the other day we picked up some balloons and paper plates, etc. At the grocery with Patricia yesterday we chose a Tres Leches cake. We decided to go ahead and let Johan open his presents as soon as we got back from the store - otherwise we knew if we waited until after dinner he would be up all night. He was very excited. His 'big gift' was a NintendoDS game thingy. He of course immediately buried his nose in it and played away. When I asked him if he wanted to play SkipBo with Papa, Patricia and I, he looked at me like I'd lost my marbles.

I've been chatting off-and-on via email with Melinda who writes the 'Raising Colombian Kids' blog (you can find the link to the blog on the home page of this blog). She is planning on turning her blog into a book - which I think is an excellent idea. Her blog is full of wonderful information about Colombia and the different regions as well as suggestions on recipes, books, etc. and info about adopting from Colombia. One area she hasn't written about is Ibague - so she has asked me to gather what I can while I am here. So I'm going to have to dig and pick Patricia's brain on what we can say about Ibague.

It looks like we may go to the pool today since it is Tom's last full day here.

Have a great day,
Carrie

Judge 5!

We just received word that Judge 5 has accepted our documents. This means progress! The papers now go to the Children's Defender who takes three days to review.

Yippee!!!

We're going to the park to celebrate.

Carrie

Baskin Robbins!

Yesterday afternoon we went to the mall! (Tom was excited {not}) It was a typical mall - clothing stores, shoe stores and a movie theater. The best part was the Baskin Robbins! Rainbow Sherbet tastes the same worldwide and is one of my favorites. We wandered around for about an hour, had our ice cream and took the taxi home. Johan was great once again helping us out with our transactions and directions for the taxi driver.

Some funny/interesting little things:
1. Patricia calls her cell phone her 'walking phone'. In Europe many call it a mobile phone - but I had never heard walking phone.
2. There are people who have washing machines strapped on the back of their motorcycle. For 6000 pesos they will come to your house for you to do your laundry. Glad we don't have that in the States - it might put our laundromat, Speedy Spin, out of business.
3. Using a Tom expression - you can't swing a dead cat without hitting an Internet cafe. People can't afford PC's - so they have to use an Internet cafe - they are EVERYWHERE. Same with copy/laminating shops.
4. Roadside purchases. You can buy just about anything from some guy/gal walking up and down the street (and I'm not talking drugs - haven't seen any of that). There are the typical people selling fruit, flowers, cigarettes and newspapers and kids with candy. But there are also people selling pots and pans as well as flashlights and underwear. Then there are these people pushing packs of cookies when you are sitting at a stop light. They come by and drop the cookies on your side mirror and walk away. When the light turns green they scramble to either collect the money if you are keeping the cookies or to retrieve their un-purchased cookies. And believe me weaving in and out of the crazy traffic like that is definitely risking your life.

Have a great day,
Carrie

Pictures

Judge 5!

Your good vibes, thoughts and prayers worked - yesterday we were assigned to Judge 5! Patricia tells us this is a faster one. So from here the judge reviews the docs then gives them to the Children's Defense Person. The judge can review in one day, 8 days, 10 days or more - it all depends upon the schedule. The Children's Defense Person has 3 days and typically takes all 3 days. Once those two steps happen they call us in for Sentencia. So we still have no idea on time frame but have our fingers crossed it will happen soon.

Yesterday we ran errands with Patricia in the morning - the market, her sister's office then the Coca-Cola pick up station for more sodas and water. We decided to splurge and go to the pool at the hotel down the street yesterday afternoon. It was a very nice pool with a couple of hot tubs, nice lounge chairs, etc. We had the pool and hot tubs to ourselves.

Have a great day,
Carrie

Movies & Pizza

The days here are not hurried, rushed or planned - much like a Sunday to us at home. However yesterday felt like a Sunday. We were slow to get going and ended up watching two movies - one before the visit to the park and one after. I couldn't tell you the name of either one of them - but the kid oriented one with the dog was my favorite (surprised?).

One of Patricia's maids takes Sunday's off - so as she put it earlier in the week we were going to be stuck with her cooking for dinner. At about the time she delivered us this new she also pointed out her favorite pizza place in town (the best in Colombia she believes). We took the clue and suggested we treat her to pizza as an alternative to her having to cook. So last night we had our first Colombian pizza. It was very good. Actually, we ended up eating the entire first one and ordering a second so we could have some leftovers. (Tom likes to eat a slice with his eggs in the morning - much to Patricia's dismay).

Johan had two cokes with the pizza. We had to peel him off the ceiling to get him to go to sleep. Going to have to find something caffeine free (or stick to water) if we do that again!

I believe Patricia has taken a liking to us (and especially Tom). She was telling us stories about other families who have stayed and how many of them are picky eaters or not very friendly. She said then there are some, like us, that she will always remember and that stay in her heart. She's very kind.

Patricia found out that Tom likes spicy foods about 2 days into our stay. On the third day she brought out a special sauce that the girls make for her - it was a finely chopped pico de gallo - which we both enjoyed. When she learned that we gobbled that up she offered to show Tom how she makes an even spicier salsa. So that cooking lesson was 2 days ago. I think she thought that the half of jar they made would last him the rest of the stay. We polished it off yesterday. So Tom is in the kitchen now preparing another batch.

A Germany family arrives tomorrow. They are adopting 2 little girls but are staying at the hotel the first week then moving in here. Patricia is their translator so she will be out and about helping them. She reasured us though that she can juggle multiple families and she is here for us.

We should hear today about which court we are assigned to - then it is more waiting until Sentencia.

It's raining here this morning. I know we have more errands to do but other than that who knows what the day will bring? I'll let you know later.

Happy Labor Day,
Carrie

Saturday in Town

Yesterday morning we had a driving tour of the major sites of Colombia. It took all of 10 minutes. We went by Bolivar Plaza and stopped in to see the Cathedral - then on to look at the concert area. Evidently Ibague is the music capital of Colombia.

What we've realized is that there is more to Ibague, we are just limited by what Patricia our tour guide shows us. She likes to keep to her neighborhood where she is comfortable. Not necessarily a bad thing, just the way it is - we are in a bit of a bubble. Very safe, but unable to truly soak in some of Colombia.

My guys played basketball in the park after lunch. I'm struggling a bit with lower back pain so I hung out on the couch for a few hours. Late afternoon we headed into town to look for souveniours. Patricia took us by taxi since it is difficult to find parking downtown. We started at what she called 'the hippy shacks' - a row of stalls with Colombian made gifts. Tom then talked her into walking through the shopping street. It was nice to be out and about amongst the people. We wandered through a few more shops and stopped for Empenadas. The streets were full of people and music - very lively and fun.

Colombia played Ecuador in futbol yesterday. We watched the end of the game while playing cards back at the house. Colombia scored twice at the very end to win it and you could hear the cheers from the students in the bars down the street. We're pretty sure the celebration went late in the evening to early morning as we could hear some of the partiers on their way home.

We hope you all enjoy the long holiday weekend. Hard to believe the 'end of summer' is here.

Carrie

Paperwork Arrived!

The paperwork finally arrived from Bogota today! This means our lawyer filed our papers at the court this afternoon and we should know what judge we are assigned to on Monday. Patricia tells us she likes Judge 5 the best because he/she has a good staff and they are one of the faster ones. We’ll see…

Guess where we went today? Yep – the bank! Patricia is trying to get a credit card so she can rent a scooter when she goes to Disney in November. Unfortunately she pays everything by cash so she has no credit which in turn blocks her from getting a credit card. So Tom helped her out by calling the scooter company in Orlando and talking to them about her situation. He found out for her that they will accept a check in advance as a deposit. She was thrilled.

Johan learned to shuffle cards today (he can even bridge them if there aren’t too many). Tom swears he’s going to be a card shark (watch out Tio Dave & Tio Marcos). I’m quite certain as soon as we teach him enough English to know what a ‘trick’ means he’ll be learning Euchre. I get the feeling he won’t have any trouble catching on either.

Speaking of his English – he’s using a little more each day. We worked with him a little this morning talking to him about his address, school, etc. using an online translator and showing him maps via Google. We also added Go Fish to the repertoire of games which he loves and which enables him to practice more English by asking for the different cards. Patricia showed him a card trick last night that he keeps trying on us – but he has no idea what the trick is – he just keeps cracking himself up – which makes us laugh.

It rained early this morning which seemed to keep the temperature down a little today. The heat wasn’t quite so oppressive.

We checked out the hotel pool that is within walking distance from here – very nice resort-style pool – but about double the cost as the one across town. We might splurge one day and go there just for the convenience.

All for now…
Carrie

Passing Time

Yesterday morning we went to the bank with Patricia which seems to be a daily adventure – due primarily to the fact that it is the beginning of the month. We then went to an Avianca office to change Tom’s plane ticket. He was originally flying from Ibague to Bogota the morning of the 12th then connecting to Delta to fly to the States. Ibague lies between two mountain ranges so you have to fly over one to get to Bogota. If the pilots can’t see the mountains they cannot fly over them – so the flights can easily be cancelled. It was therefore suggested that we change his in-country flight to Friday the 11th in order to give him some cushion time.

After lunch Tom, Johan and I went to the park to shoot a few hoops, and then ventured to the store for sodas and snacks and back to the house for cards. I showed Johan how to build a house of cards – which he took to immediately. I can’t remember the last time I built a house of cards – but boy it sure tried my patience. It’s nerve wracking! Johan loved it.

We introduced Johan to the iPod – he’s definitely a music fan (he likes the thump-thump kind of music – and of course Latin style – his Papa will drive him nuts with the Country music).

Dr. Nohra picked up our documents yesterday but no news on the filing. We hope to hear something today.

We learned that today there are public marches scheduled throughout Colombia and the world in protest of Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela. (see link)
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/09/04/venezuela.marches/
The University of Tolima is just around the corner where we are staying and there is a big banner at the end of the street promoting the march. So this could be interesting.

That’s all for now. We’ll keep you posted on what the day brings.
Carrie

This & That

In Colombia the children are given both their father's name as well as their mother's maiden name. So Johan's name when we leave here will be Johan Stiven Trotter Conard. (the ICBF Director teased us that the women of Colombia are more independent so that is why they keep the mother's name as well). We will go through a re-adoption process in the US where his name will be shortened.

To me 20,000 of just about anything seems like a lot. In Colombia 20,000 pesos is about $10. The currency is a little wild. Thankfully the exchange rate is an easy number (one dollar equals 2,000 pesos) which works well for my non-math brain. When looking at the price of something in Colombian pesos I just drop 3 zeros and divide by 2 and it gets me to the USD price. Of course it is made more confusing since some of the people we are dealing with want to be paid in USD and some in Pesos. Patricia asked that we pay the first week in USD. She said she saves this money for a trip to Disney World (she's been there 3 times already). Next week she would like the money in Pesos. Confusing...

No big plans for today. Our lawyer, Dr. Nohra is scheduled to stop by and pick up the papers we had notarized on Tuesday. We are waiting on one document from Bogota that will hopefully come today. Once that gets here she can file our papers with the court. The court will then assign us a judge. There are 6 judges and evidently some are faster than others - so pray for a fast one for us!

Have a good day.
Carrie

Gringos seen in Ibague!

This morning we did some more errands and once again Patricia had all of the contacts. Our first stop was at a place to get a copy of Tom's passport. Patricia pulled up to the curb and yelled out to a young lady in a shop who came out, took our papers and made the copy. A drive up copy shop! Our next stop was the photo shop to have Johan's picture taken for his passport (and of course she knew the workers by first name {I think she was flirting with one of them}). Patricia then went to exchange some money, etc. while the three of us hung out at the Juan Valdez coffee shop (EXACTLY like Starbucks). We found some great people-watching at the J. Valdez coffee shop.

This afternoon Patricia called a driver to take us to the swimming pool across town. It was great - we were the only ones there for the majority of the time and it was a very nice pool.

On the way back we passed a bus full of school children - that pointed at us and said 'Gringo's!' - which we have been previously told not to take as an insult. It was pretty funny and Johan got a big kick out of it. We were really an oddity. (which we knew - but leave it to the children to be innocent enough to speak it aloud). As an afterthought Tom said he should have said 'hi, I'm Tom Cruise' - which we found funny until we realized the 8 year olds would probably have no idea who Tom Cruise is.

Johan was awesome today - taking care of us with our limited Spanish. He helped us with the translation from the taxi driver as well as ordering and paying for our drinks at the pool. It was great.

Carrie

Kid Walks on Water! (news at 7)

Yep, we spent the afternoon at the pool. We had a good laugh over this picture - thought you might too.

Pictures of Patricia's Place

Ibague and Patricia’s

I thought you might like to hear a little more about where we are staying. Ibague is a town of about 400,000 people. As best we can tell we are tucked in a neighborhood 15 minutes from the city center. If you Google Ibague you find little information and from the conversations with people here they all agree – there is not much here. I don’t know how you get a city of 400,000 people with little to see or do – but evidently it is the case. We are certainly not going to venture out to see for ourselves. We follow Patricia’s guidelines on where and when to go.

The traffic here is horrendous. Tom compares it to Mexico City (for those of you who have traveled there or heard the stories…). Taxis and cars everywhere mixed with buses and the scooters/motorcycles that weave in and out of traffic. It is nuts.

Patricia is an older woman who actually looks a bit like Tom’s mother. She has been taking care of adoptive families since 1996. Her family is originally from Bogota where her father was in real estate. After his death she wanted to get away from the craziness of Bogota so she moved to Ibague near her cousin (who lives just around the corner today). She worked for awhile for Diners Club (and a few others I can’t remember) before getting the idea to start this business. She’s never been married and does not have any biological children. She believes that she leaves a piece of herself in every child that comes through her door and that they are a part of her. Her Children. She has very nice photo albums with pictures of all of the families who have stayed here.

We are the only family staying here right now. She can accommodate up to three families (I can’t imagine that many people here). She has two maids that cook and clean for us each day (can you say spoiled?). With our fee we receive 3 meals a day and laundry service. It appears the girls wash the laundry by hand. Patricia also drives us wherever we need to go and is our translator with our lawyer and the courts.

The food has been very good so far – classic Colombian fare we are told. Breakfast is usually bread and scrambled eggs. Plain white rice is served with both lunch and dinner – typically with some type of meat and a salad followed by a cup of fruit for dessert. All tasty.

Everything is very simple here. There is obviously a lot of poverty. Prices seem a little higher than the US – but not significantly. I think the issue is that the salaries are much, much lower. As a matter of fact when we went to the market Patricia shared with us that the girls bagging groceries did not receive a wage – only the tips we give them. We gave the young lady assisting us 5,000 pesos – about $2.50 – because she takes such good care of Patricia. Patricia said that it was very generous.

The street we are on is fairly busy even though it is residential – but is seems all streets are around here. There are quite a few pedestrians along with a few horses and many cars. There are also guys that cruise around the streets selling fruit. They have bull horns to announce their presence.

Unfortunately with poverty comes the fear of theft. We have a small safe in our room for keeping our passports, money, etc. Patricia warned us to always keep it locked. Even though she trusts her maids there is always a risk. The houses near here all have gated courtyards and the stores have bars and heavy locks on them as well as barbed wire around areas that are at risk for climbing thieves. There is a security guard directly across the street from Patricia’s place that is there 24/7. Evidently the neighbors pool their money to pay for his services.

With all of that said I do feel safe. We are cautious on the street as we would be in any foreign country and we don’t go anywhere without Patricia’s authorization. As I’ve read recently and as Patricia told us when we arrived Colombia is improving every day. The current President is making strides against drugs and the FARC. What we have seen of the countryside it is beautiful and the people have been very kind. I hope they can continue their improvements.

There are two temperatures in Ibague – hot and warm. During the day it is about 89 degrees – at night 76 – year round. The house is not air-conditioned – actually part of the downstairs is open air. At the back of the house is an atrium area that is open to the outside. This is where we eat our meals and play cards. There is a tree growing and beautiful plants on the walls and Patricia feeds the birds that come in. The kitchen and laundry areas are open to the outside as well. Actually the car is pulled in next to the refrigerators in the kitchen. It’s interesting. Tom said a cat meandered through the house this morning. Oh, and Patricia has a dog – Natacha. She’s a cute little mutt. There is also an English Springer Spaniel next door (just like Dakota – only not quite as cute!).

I’m not sure what the day will bring – perhaps a trip to the swimming pool.

Have a good day,
Carrie

Wally World!

We went to Colombia’s version of Walmart today! (Papaw is going to be jealous.) As we were warned, Johan came with the clothes on his back and none other. We brought a few things from home – but didn’t think about socks. We picked up some socks and new sandals for Johan as well as a few snacks, a few Colombian beers (gotta try it) and a bouncy ball. There is not much to do in Ibague so we have to get creative. The bouncy ball is great for the park. There are 3 parks nearby which I’m sure would entertain a 4 or 5 year old for an hour. Johan? 10 minutes. The ball is perfect for shooting hoops and playing a little keep-it-in-the-air type game. Or shall we say keep-it-in-the-air and out of the canal? Guess where ours landed? Yup – the water. Johan tried his best to grab it before it went in but without success. Luckily he and his papa worked together by running upstream with one on one bank and the other on the other side to trap the ball. It was true teamwork.

Our second trip out this afternoon was to have some paperwork notarized. Tom will be leaving before Johan and me so he had to sign a Power of Attorney letting me take Johan out of the country. Our hostess, Patricia, has all the contacts in town (a good friend to have!). Everywhere we go they all know her by name. At the Colombian ‘Walmart’ they brought out a chair just for her while she checked out. At the notary they greeted her by name and the owner/notary came out of his office to hug her and say hello.

We taught Johan to play Kings in the Corner card game today as well as a word search puzzle. He blew right through the word search. I think he enjoyed the new challenge.

We’re working on our Spanish as he is working on his English. I noticed in his report cards from school that he has had some English classes the last few years. He’s also pulling out a few more of his English words than he did last year (telling time, greetings in English, etc.). While we are anxious for him to learn English since it will be such a major part of the transition, we also know it’s probably not the best time to push it. We repeat some words in Spanish/English (or at least the ones we know) and we are encouraging him when he uses his English – but other than that I think we’re going to limit the lessons to name, address and phone – some basics.

I still haven't quite figured out how to put pictures into the text - so I'm posting them separately. I may set up an album at another site and link it here so we can share more pictures.

Carrie

More pictures!

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

Filling in some gaps

A lot of you asked (and we wondered too) when Johan found out about the adoption. We asked yesterday and it appears he has known for about a month. He said when he received our gift (some updated pictures and a Harry Potter book) about a month ago that that is when he knew. Martha told us that when they officially told him he was elated. He jumped up and down with delight. Highly unusual for him since he is not one to show much emotion.

I also asked him yesterday about computer/internet access and where he emailed us from. He was emailing us from Bienestar (ICBF) the social agency office. No surprise here - but they don't have computers at his school.

Tom asked him what he had been doing the last few days. He said he was visiting his previous foster mothers to say goodbye. Carolina, one of the ones he was with the longest, took him swimming. They also had a farewell at school for him where he received the honor of raising the flag and they gave him a medal. So he's had an exciting few days in preparation for this big life change.

We're off shortly to do our errands. We are on the central time zone - but they don't change for daylight savings time here (hopefully we'll be home before the time changes!).

Have a good day,
Carrie

PS - special hello to Terri & Doug - we're thinking of you all.

Reunion

We got him! We met with our lawyer this morning – then headed over to the ICBF. First we had to sit in a waiting area for a room to become available. Both of us were thinking ‘where is he’ and decided it felt like a game show – Where is your son? Door number 1, door number 2 or door number 3? They then moved us into a meeting room where we met briefly with the Director. She explained to us that they are proceeding a little differently. Normally the parents would meet with the parents solo to discuss the child – how he’s been doing, his schooling, etc. With Johan being almost 12 they decided to do the meeting with him included – which I thought was a good idea. So they told us to wait a few more minutes while they went and got Johan. Tom said the anticipation was worse than Christmas!

And in he came – looking as handsome as always. Some of the anxiety melted into relief of seeing him again. It’s been such a long year – the time is finally here. We celebrated with the cake and soda then huddled over some paperwork. We were happy to get a copy of his school grades (he does well in all subjects – but excels in Math).

The biggest surprise of the day was that Martha was there. Martha was the chaperone that came with the Kidsave kids last year. She has been Johan’s social worker since he went into care. It was very special to have her there with us especially since we know how deeply she cares for Johan.

After the Director gave Johan the low down on the process and explained to him that we are now family and that there will be no more foster homes (bringing us all close to tears) I gave him the gift bag we brought for him. This included a new Troy Trojans t-shirt that Nana Sherry B had made for him and a small erector set that Tia Lee Anna bought for him. He just about had the erector set put together by the end of the meeting.

This afternoon we’ve been playing some Uno and Skip-Bo. We just got back from a walk to the store and are hanging out right now.

Tomorrow we have another meeting with the lawyer and we’ll be going to the market.

Hope you had a great day – I know we did.
Carrie

(will figure out how to post some pictures tomorrow)

Gotcha Day!

We just finished a nice breakfast after a meeting with Patricia on the ins-and-outs of the place. The cake should arrive soon - then we are off to get Johan! In the world of adoption this is called 'Gotcha Day' - a day we'll celebrate from here on out.

More later...

Preparations and Travel

August 30, 2009

I am writing this at 35,010 feet over Cuba. We have another 2 hours and 47 minutes until we touch down in Bogota. I feel so unprepared! An entire year of paperwork and preparations and now I feel unprepared! I suppose this is the nervousness setting in.

Today has been an adventure. It started out mellow with a soak in the hot tub, breakfast at Waffle House (much to my chagrin and Tom’s delight) and a quick stop by the Laundromat to make sure all was well. Then all of a sudden it seemed we were running out of time. Lot’s of last minute tasks to complete but we got it all done just in the nick of time (it was tough packing for an undetermined amount of time and two different climates). Off to the airport at 10a.m. for a noon flight. All seemed to be going smoothly until Mother Nature decided to interfere with storms in Atlanta. We sat on the airplane for an hour on the ground until we pulled back in the gate and they let us deplane. We finally reloaded a little after 2 and took off at 2:45p.m. (thank goodness). We arrived in Atlanta with about 35 minutes to spare. As we were riding on the escalator to the trains it dawned on me that they often close international flights 30 minutes in advance. As we were climbing the escalator to our terminal we heard last call for our flight to Bogota. So Tom had to do the famous OJ Simpson through the airport – never a fun thing. But we made it – that’s the important part.

We had a good week getting everything aligned for our departure. My girlfriends threw me a surprise ‘kid’ shower a week ago Friday – complete with blue streamers, tons of gifts for Johan and yummy food. It was a nice surprise. Throughout the week the gifts for Johan kept pouring in from family. Everyone was so generous. The kid is going to be spoiled before he even gets to the States!

Tomorrow (Monday, August 31) is a big day. After our short stay in Bogota tonight we have a flight bright and early to Ibague in the morning. We will stay at Particia’s Place in Ibague – a type of Bed & Breakfast that caters to adoptive families. Patricia will be our guide and translator throughout our stay. She will pick us up in the morning and take us to her place to settle in. We then go to the ICBF at 11a.m. to get Johan. This of course will be a party!

I will close here for the day so I can work a bit on my Spanish. I have to figure out what I’m going to say to my new son!

Carrie

Message from Johan

We just got this email from Johan:

COMO ESTAN? YO ESTOY FELIZ PORQUE LOS VOY A VOLVER A VER PRONTO Y QUIERO QUE ESE DÍA LLEGUE RÁPIDO PARA COMPARTIR CON USTEDES.

Loosely translated:
How are you? I am happy because I'm going to see you again soon and I want this day to come soon to share with you.

:-)

Preparations!

Everything seems to be falling into place. Our tickets are booked - we used the travel agency that our adoption agency recommended. They specialize in adoptions and do not charge a booking fee - which was a good thing. We had some challenges getting a decent fare for the in-country flight but ended up with a $200 flight instead of a $400 after a little prodding. So I was happy with those savings.

We arrive Sunday night into Bogota and stay near the airport. The next morning we have an early flight to Ibague which is where everything will take place. I'm hoping we get Johan that day - but it could be the next day.

We will likely stay at Patricia's Place - a home that caters to adoptive families. I've talked to two different families who have stayed there and both gave glowing recommendations. The price includes 3 meals a day which makes things easy. I just wonder what we're going to do day in and day out to entertain ourselves! We're packing lots of card games, a few movies and some good books (we'll have to find a swimming pool too!). Ibague is not very touristy (like Bogota or some of the other areas) so I don't know that there will be much to see. If we have the opportunity we may try to travel and visit other areas of Colombia - we'll see...

Colombia doesn't have seasons like we do. I've been checking the weather for Ibague - it's steady at 87 during the day and 70 at night with a chance of thunderstorms every day. Bogota is higher in the mountains - so a much cooler high of 64 and low of 42.

That's all for now - hopefully I'm not repeating myself too much.
Take care,
Carrie

Pack the Bags!

It's time! FINALLY!! We received notification yesterday that the Article 5 will be in today - so we can book our flights! It was recommended that we travel on the weekend. So we will depart on August 30. Tom will likely return September 12. Johan and I will be home some day!!!
WOO HOO!

I800: What does it mean?

Blogger wasn't working too well yesterday and some of the info I originally posted got cut off - so trying again...
We received notification from USCIS (immigration) yesterday that our I800 is approved. This is basically the last round of paperwork. This document gives us approval to adopt Johan. It is sent to Colombia where they review and give us a travel date. Our agency says a minimum of 2 weeks - more likely 3 weeks. So hopefully that means we'll be on a plane the last week of August!

We also filed for our Visa's on Friday. Tourists do not need to have Visa's for Colombia but since we are conducting legal business we have to have one.

We went shopping for a few clothes for Johan on Sunday. I've learned that he will likely come with the clothes on his back - and that's it. So we don't want to have to spend all our time shopping for clothes in Colombia! I suppose I should also take a sweatshirt or something for him - poor kid is going to have to get used to the cold!

We are also planning to celebrate his birthday while we are there - he turns 12 on September 13.

We'll keep you posted...
Carrie

Progress!

We received the I800 approval today!

Happy Independence Day!

Today, July 20th, is Colombia's Independence Day! Johan and his fellow Colombians celebrate the first movement for Independence from Spain which began July 20th, 1810. Last year when Johan was here we attended a Colombia Independence Day picnic in Columbus. It was a festive picnic complete with Colombian dancers and the children singing the national anthem. Good fun...

We made a little progress last week. We finally received the detailed referral information that we were waiting on. This enabled us to file the I800 with Immigration Services. It appears the time from I800 submission to travel is about 8 weeks. They first approve the I800 - then the approval goes to the embassy in Colombia where they then file a paper that triggers our invitation to travel. Somewhere in there we will send our passports off to get visas. You have to have a visa to travel to Colombia.

So it is looking like September travel now. It's amazing how it went from March, April, May travel to June, July to August and now September! My hope used to be to get him home in time to start school but we know now that is not going to happen. Now my wish is to be with him for his birthday (September 13) and to get him home by Halloween!!

Have a great week,
Carrie

MORE Waiting!

With the good news on Friday that we had the translation of the referral, I put together our next round of paperwork on Sunday in preparation to send Monday after I talked with our agency. Well I found out on Monday that we didn't quite have everything. The agency has requested more documentation from Colombia that we will need for filing the papers with immigration. So we are in wait mode again!!

Johan is going to love this hot steamy weather we are having! I'm just afraid he won't get here until it gets cold again!

Carrie

MORE Fingerprints!

A week ago Friday our rep from the agency told us that we had to re-do our FBI clearance - which means even more fingerprints! Well we had quite the episode this week trying to get these done. The first time we had them done we went to the Troy Police Department and a friend of ours did them for us. They had the paper card to complete them. This time we went to the Troy PD and they said we had to bring our own card because they are out of them - and no one seemed to know where we could obtain them. Well, after numerous conversations with our agency and our friend Carol (the one from Oakwood who is adopting) we received the news that the FBI no longer accepts paper prints - only electronic. I found this odd since our agency originally told us that they only accepted paper prints! It was quite the run around and ordeal. So yesterday I decided to cut to the chase and call the FBI directly. And contrary to what we learned they do still accept the paper version and we can download the form from the web! I should have started there first!!

The next challenge was finding an agency that would do the prints same day. Troy only does them on Tuesday's and Thursday's. Vandalia will not book same day - you have to book at least a day in advance. Finally I found out the Shelby County Sheriff department and Tipp City Police would do them on a walk-in basis. So challenge solved! (especially since Tom was up in Shelby County and I was close to Tipp City!). Fingerprints done (yet again!).

We received our translated referral yesterday (Friday). Which means we can now submit all of our other paperwork! I'm prepping that this weekend so we are ready to roll first thing Monday.

Have a great father's day everyone,
Carrie

Referral!

Great news! We received word that our referral arrived at our agency yesterday!! This is MAJOR progress. It will take about a week or week and a half for it to be translated. Once it is translated we file it with the next round of paperwork. Those take about 4 weeks for approval - then we will receive our notification to travel. The agency thinks we will travel in August (I, of course, am hoping for a late July departure!).

So things are finally moving!
Carrie

More Waiting! With a little action.

Last I posted (end of April!) we had just received notification of approval. At that time the adoption agency told us they thought it would be about 3 weeks to referral. I was as patient as I could be and let it go to 5 weeks. At 5 weeks I started emailing our (new) contact at the agency asking for an update. No response...(which added up to great frustration!)

So this week marked 6 weeks and I was tired of hearing nothing. So I called our new rep and left her a message. I gave her 24 hours - and still no response. So I called her boss - who is out for 3 weeks. Then I called her boss. I finally received a call from someone named Argerie who is the Country Manager. Her first respond to my plight was that she would be going to Colombia in July and she would inquire about our case. I said 'JULY! WE'RE EXPECTED TO WAIT UNTIL JULY TO GET A STATUS UPDATE!?'. She quickly retreated (since I'm sure I sounded as if I might cause bodily harm) and said she would call their rep in Colombia and see if she could find out anything.

I received a call back a few hours later (squeaky wheel works sometimes). Argerie said she talked to the in-country rep who said our referral was all done in the region and had been sent to Bogota - who would then be sending it on to us. So good news! (FINALLY) Argerie estimates we'll have the referral in about a week! (I'm trying to manage my expectations and not get my hopes up - but it's TOO LATE!)

Our other hot topic has been our move. We moved into our new house on May 30. When we put our house on the market I knew it was going to be tricky with the adoption. I am (still) hoping it doesn't delay us any. I lined up the fire inspector to come on June 2 and our social worker to visit on June 3. I picked up our ammended home study today - which we now have to file with our dossier and the USCIS. Which means another Apostille (and a trip to Columbus Monday).

So that's our news.
Happy Friday,
Carrie

WOO-HOO!! GOOD NEWS!

We received this email today:

Dear Trotter Family:

Your have been officially approved by ICBF to adopt Johan. The approval notice will be sent to Region to update Johan’s documents for the official referral. We are guessing that the official referral will come in about 3 weeks.

Thanks

Olga Tasso – Colombia and Perú Adoption Programs
Children's Home Society & Family Services

New Friends & Schools

Anyone who knows my mother knows how she LOVES her Winan's coffee. I think a big part of the enjoyment is sitting downtown and chatting with the people that come into the coffee shop. Well last year some time she was chatting with someone and sharing our adoption story. The person gave her the name of a man who is from Colombia who goes to the Presbyterian church in town. She passed the info to me and I stuck it in my notes and in the back of my mind. A few weeks ago we finally decided to strike up a conversation with Mario - the guy from the Presbyterian church. I called him and explained our situation and he was more than willing to chat with us. He's a younger man and he works at the church while attending seminary in Dayton. His calling is to work with kids! He was thrilled to hear about our adoption journey and can't wait to meet Johan when we get back. We're pleased to have found this new friend for us and for Johan. Thanks, Grandma!

The same day we visited with Mario we also went to the school Johan will attend next fall. For those of you locals - this happens to be the old Van Cleve building. They moved all of the 6th graders there a few years ago. We met with Mr. Keller, the Principal who talked to us about the school and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. We also chatted briefly with Mrs. Bozik the counselor and a long time friend of my Aunt Gloria's. It was a good visit. Afterwards we found out that my step mother, Linda, used to teach under Mr. Keller several years ago. She and my Dad know him very well and boasted of his abilities.

Other than those activities the wait continues. It's Holy Week so I don't expect to hear much from Colombia this week. I'm hoping we get the referral next week which would put travel time approximately late May or early June. We'll see!

Happy Easter,
Carrie

Dossier submitted!

It finally happened! The planets aligned (as did our paperwork) and our dossier has been submitted! Of course it wasn't without more challenges. I was glued to the mailbox for days waiting for our certified documents come from various states. Once we received those - they had to be turned around and sent back to the State to be Apostilled. I sent 12 to Ohio one day only to be dismayed when they showed back up in our mailbox about a week later. They didn't have the proper certification. So I had to go to Miami County Court and Montgomery County Court to have the notarized documents certified before they could be Apostilled! Crazy! I ended up taking a half day off work to drive to Columbus to have them Apostilled in person.

I sent them to our agency in Minnesota on March 5th. It was a strange feeling letting the documents go - they were like gold - if anything happened to them and we had to start over I don't know what I'd do. I just don't even like to think about that.

Anyway - the documents are now on their way to Colombia. They will be translated then submitted to the ICBF - Colombia's version of Child Welfare Services. Once they approve the dossier they will send us a referral. At that point we can apply for our visa's - then make travel plans. I'm guessing about another 3 months - but really have no idea.

We had a short email conversation with Martha last week. She said Johan is well. She seems super busy right now. Per one of the many documents from the government we are not allowed to have contact with Johan's foster family so we are unable to call him. We just hope he is happy and healthy and we can't wait to see him.

Carrie

I800A

I can't believe it's been almost 6 weeks since I last posted! Time flies!! I was thinking not much had happened since I last blogged, but after re-reading the Dec. 24 post - a LOT has happened.

First back to the psychological evaluation. We finally found a guy who knew what it was and would do it in one visit - rather than the first person we went to who didn't seem to know what we needed and wanted to charge us for 3 tests and 3 visits (EXPENSIVE). So we did our psych eval on January 21. It was a piece of cake - except for the 534 question personality test. But even that wasn't bad - it was a bit comical afterwards - some of the questions are just ridiculous. We haven't received the copy of the eval yet, but they called today and we should have it in a day or so.

We received approval from the FBI for Tom's fingerprints - but mine were rejected! (UGH) So I had to go back and have them re-done. Turns out the stamp pad we were using was about out - so the officer replaced it and that seemed to do the trick. Thankfully it didn't cost anything. I haven't received FBI clearance yet but hope to have that soon.

So that leaves us at the I800A. This is the approval for adoption by the USCIS (US Customs & Immigration Services). This has to be done before the dossier can be submitted. We were told that it would take at least 90 days. We submitted it the first week of December. I followed up late December and asked for a status - they said it was waiting to be assigned to a clerk. I called again at 30 days - around January 12 and was told the same thing. So I contacted our Senator's office and asked him to intervene on our behalf. He did and said he got the same answer. So I was resigned to waiting the full 90 days or until early March. Well last week I was in Lake Geneva, WI and Tom sent me an email with a scanned copy of our approved I800A!!! Not one question asked - nothing. So we received approval in less than 60 days! This of course sent off all kinds of alarms for me - I felt so unprepared!!! Due to the typical lengthy time for the I800A our agency told us not to request official documents for dossier until end of January. These documents (marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.) cannot be more than 2 months old - so you can't request them too soon. Of course now we need them 'yesterday' to get the dossier submitted.

I sent the requests to the various States the last week in January as told so we are just waiting to get those back. Once we get those back we send them to the Secretary of State where they were created and have them apostilled. Once we get those back, we put them together with fingerprints, psych eval, employer verification, medical statements, right arm, doctors statements, 4 copies of our passports, pictures of us and our family and a partridge in a pear tree and send it all to our agency. They then send to Colombia where all this material is translated into Spanish then given to the Colombian government. Who then reviews and lets us know when we can travel.

So now you know why I was freaked out and panicked to get all this stuff going! It's our next step in getting our son home!!!

Our friends in Dayton who are adopting the siblings from Colombia are shortly behind us in the process. They had to go get their biometrics done in Cincinnati on the worst possible weather day a few weeks ago! I can't believe they made it!

So that's where we are. Still no idea when we'll get to go - but it certainly seems a lot more closer/real now! We're even trying to decide what color to paint his bedroom!!

Carrie