Museo de Los Ninos

If you ever find yourself in Bogota, you should visit the children's museum. I haven't really done much since I've been here but Jason and I both decided we needed to do something this weekend to make it pass faster.

I found the children's museum on line. It was very reasonably priced so I didn't have high hopes. I figured even if it was lame, we'd get out of the house.

We got there around 10:30 and appeared to be the only ones there. We found out that there are about 20 different stations but you buy an hour and a half slot and get the three stations that are offered in that slot. We bought 4 tickets for the 11:00 slot. It was about $20 for 2 adults and 2 kids.

Our stations were mini-gymnastics, something about teeth and another one I don't remember. Just before we went in, a woman came over and said they wanted to offer us different stations because if the weather. (The museum was all inside so it didn't make sense to me.). They offered us mini-gymnastics, a sensory tunnel and gigantic food. Perfect choices for two preschoolers with Down syndrome! I didn't know that the big food was all about but gymnastics and sensory are the exact thing our girls need and love. I'm not sure why they gave the weather the credit for the change. I loved their willingness to accommodate our girls without even being asked.

We went through the three stations with a guide. She was really sweet and quickly adapted to our girls. (I was a little concerned when she wanted the girls to pick a group name. Neither of them really talk.). The three stations were all perfect. The sensory tunnel involved lights, music, bubbles and mirrors. Mini-gymnastics was mats, balls and tunnels. The giant food turned out to be a couple of slides. One of them ended in a ball out. Sara loves slides and Claudia found her happy place in the ball pit.

After an hour and a half, the parents were ready to go! I now have a snoring 4 year old next to me. Today, she's tired from lots of fun and not from boredom.

More on Bogota

I knew I'd think of some more things after I posted.

•Private security is a huge industry here. Everyone has a private security guard. Even the construction sites. Almost every store in the mall has well armed security. Hunting guns don't bother me but being around so many hand guns and high powered rifles makes me a little nervous.

•The police all seem to be 16. I've been told you have to do 6 months of service after graduation. They all roam the streets with night sticks. I've yet to see a police car but I did see two of them on a dirt bike.

•A lot of places have bomb sniffing dogs at the entrances of their parking lots.

•I could never drive here. You have to back into your parking spot every where you go and the spots are small.

Reflections on Bogota

Or more accurately, this neighborhood in Bogota. (I haven't really seen much else of Bogota.)

I've finally gotten brave enough to take Sara out by myself. Usually we try to walk for about an hour each morning. She's in the stroller and I'm getting all the exercise. I keep thinking I'm adjusting to the altitude but I'm usually huffing and puffing early on in our walk.

We are staying in a rather wealthy part of town. It's the safest place to be and it's where the adoption hotels are. I'm sure my observations would be different in other parts of the city and country.

•You never see a stroller pushed by a mom. Always by a nanny. You can tell because the nannies wear scrubs. I've never seen a nanny out alone with a child. Always a nanny pushing an empty stroller and a mom carrying the baby.

•Anything can get a license plate here. Motorcycles, dirt bikes, four wheelers. Even horses and trailers. They all mix in the traffic with taxis, busses, and cars. It's crazy. (Lima, Peru was worse.)

•People here have no personal space. I think they walk that way because they drive that way. It's not uncommon to have someone's shoes touching the back of yours while you wait in line at a store. They will also shove their shopping basket between your feet while you wait.

•If you go to the grocery store right after breakfast, you will be the only person jn street clothes in there. The maids that are there shopping all wear scrubs. Every job here seems to have a uniform.

•The dogs in this neighborhood are all well bred and trained. (Nothing like the mangy dogs in Baja.). It's not uncommon to see a young man walking 8 to 12 dogs at once. They all walk nicely. It's the weirdest thing.

•All the cars here are small. You almost never see trucks. I've seen people carrying and using wheel barrows down the city streets to transport all kinds of things to construction sites. (There is tons of construction in this neighborhood right now.)

•On Sundays, the major streets close down to cars. There are bikers and roller bladers everywhere. (Most with their dogs.) It's a nice day to take the stroller out. You can walk easily in the smooth road. The sidewalks tend to be a challenge.

•The stores in the mall seem to open whenever they want.

•Just because it says its a Boston donut at Dunkin Donuts does not mean it has Boston cream in it.

I'm sure I will come up with some more things after I post this or tomorrow when we go out.

I think the big difference for me is that I'm not used to being in the nice neighborhoods in foreign countries. (Or in the US for that matter.) When I've traveled, it's almost always been on missions trips. Missions trips don't usually go to this kind of neighborhood. Maybe if I went to the south side of Bogota it would seem more like the Latin America I know from Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica.

The judge has signed

The judge signed the paperwork Wednesday night. Now we just need the family defender to sign and we can get our adoption decree.

After that, we get a new birth certificate, her passport, and her visa. These things will take about three days. So, if we get our decree today, we could be home on Thursday. (I am dreading the trip but so excited to go home and start our life together.)

Even if the decree takes a little longer, we will still be way ahead of schedule. Saturday will mark 3 weeks. An adoption in Bogota in 3 1/2 weeks is unheard of. I was expecting at least 5 weeks and was told that was a conservative estimate.

Please continue to pray. There are still quite a few details that need to fall in to place but the judge's signature is a huge step!

Our days

Our days here are not all that exciting. We sleep in--as much as a 4 year old does--and then go to breakfast.

Meals are all prepared by the hotel and are very much social occasions for the families. We check for updates and news. We all ooh and aah over each others children.

I try to get out in the morning. There are several parks nearby. Someone always needs to go to the ATM or grocery store. Today Jason (Angie's husband) and I put our girls in the hotel's double stroller and went mall walking. Both girls were content to be out. If all else fails, we swing behind the hotel.

Lunch is around 1. Another social event.

After lunch, we head back to the room to rest. Sara sleeps from 3 to 5 everyday but it takes her a while to wind down. It also takes her a while to wake up. She will open her eyes around 5 but doesn't really sit up or speak for a solid hour.

So, by the time she's really awake, it's time for dinner. After dinner, I try to sit and talk with some of the other families. Usually, the older girls will take Sara our back to swing. She thinks she's one if the teens and they are great with her. Other nights we Skype.

I usually try to have her in bed by 8. She falls asleep somewhere between 8:30 and 9.

As you can see, our days aren't very action packed. Sometimes we have appointments thrown in there -- usually during nap time. But, at least it's warm here!