Bienestar-"Well-being"

We had such a lovely day! Eli slept until 7am when I woke him for his bottle and medicines. He remained so amiable, even with the discomfort of the nasal spray and ear drops, throughout the morning as we prepared for our Bienestar interview with the Defender of Minors. We all had to dress up for this appointment, so we bought Eli a sweet little outfit Jamie found at Unicentro: navy velour pants, a white dress shirt and a white sweater vest with sailboats on it. Although it is rather

preppy compared to our usual picks for the tyke, we couldn't resist the cuteness of Eli looking all "young republican!"

Dressed to impress!

Maria Teresa drove us to the appointment and served as our translator for the interview. Eli slept the whole way there in the care while I nervously asked Maria Teresa about the whole interview process. She said that the interview was nothing to be afraid of and that, especially with an infant, the questions were usually pretty simple to answer. They just would want to know how Eli was adjusting, how we were handling parenthood, and if there had been any problems yet. I asked her if they would be concerned about his ear infection and she said, "No. Especially since you've seen a doctor and he's being treated." 

Traffic was terrible and it took us forty minutes to reach FANA which on a normal day is a 15-20 minute trip. So, by the time we arrived, the Defender of Minors, a man in his early forties with warm eyes and a quiet air of intelligence, along with our assigned lawyer, a friendly faced sixty-something named Dr. Polo, were already there. They invited us, right away, to join them in a meeting room. Introductions were made, in Spanish, and then Maria Teresa began translating the questions for us and the answers for the Defender. Eli had fallen asleep in the car so he was snuggly and drowsy in my arms. 

The first question was, "How is Eli doing with you?" I replied, "He is so good. He has an ear infection right now, and even though he is ill, he is so loving and pleasant. He is just a wonderful little boy." The defender listened to Maria Teresa, but studied Eli and I, carefully. The next question he asked was, "How are you handling your new role as parents?" Jamie jumped in to answer this one, but his voice broke and his eyes filled with tears as he responded, "We are loving this! We waited so long to be parents..." My eyes brimmed as well, as I completed the thought, "We feel so fortunate to be Eli's parents. He is such a beautiful little boy. We thank God everyday for this gift." At this point, both Jamie and I were wiping tears, Eli was reaching for my face, trying to decipher the tears, and the Defender was nodding his head with a subtle smile. Then, he asked us if we had been outside of Bogotá since we arrived. I explained that we were staying put until Eli was feeling better, but we definitely wanted to do some sight-seeing during the next few weeks. 

He spoke to the lawyer, at this point, and they pulled out some paperwork. Maria Teresa asked me to look it over with Jamie and to make sure all of our names were spelled correctly. Jamie took Eli in his arms while I signed three copies. Eli began to smile and laugh at Daddy's silly sounds, and the Defender of Minors asked me if we had any plans to travel outside of Bogotá. We told him that we wanted to see all of the city and some of the smaller towns around Bogotá, but since Eli was so young we were going to wait to take any longer trips. I told him that we would like to bring Eli back when he is older to see some of the other beautiful sights in Colombia. He smiled and seemed contented with this answer and stated that there are many beautiful places to visit, right around Bogotá. 

As Jamie signed the papers and I played with Eli, the lawyer explained that this paperwork concluded our files for the adoption and that all of our documents would be submitted to the court system now. The Defender of Minors added that he hoped that things would move along quickly for us and Dr. Polo laughed and said that if he had any say, we would get a fast court. But, unfortunately, it is a lottery system and he does not really have any influence in the matter. 

The Defender asked if we had been watching the World Cup games and Jamie was able to respond in Spanish, making the Defender's eyes open wider, in surprise and a big smile spread across his face. He said he wished us many years of happiness, as a family, and then he stood up and came around to our side of the table to shake both of our hands. Then he bent over and put a hand on Eli's head, took his tiny hands in his other palm spoke quietly to Eli. I did not understand what it was he said, but it was spoken very sweetly and with great compassion. He stood up and gave us one last beaming smile and made his exit.

The lawyer congratulated us and stepped outside the room to talk with Maria Teresa while Jamie and I embraced with Elias between us. We hadn't realized, walking in, that this appointment would be so emotional. But, this was the last major hoop we had to jump through to claim Eli as our own son. Now that it was over, we both felt this huge weight off of our shoulders and we were ready to celebrate!

We returned to the car to get some thank you gifts that we had purchased for the administration of FANA, a small token of our gratitude for the excellent care Elias had received while living there. We were able to chat a little more with Lorena, Maria Teresa Maldonado, and Adrianna, another psychologist at FANA who we had met at last year's golf tournament in Buffalo. On the way out, we stopped by the beautiful stain glass window in FANA's atrium to snap some photos. The light isn't great, but the day was important to us and we wanted to capture it.

On the way "home," we decided that we should go out for a celebratory meal at the famed Crepes and Waffles. Eli slept most of the car ride back and Maria Teresa explained the court process to us. 

Tomorrow our documents would be filed with the courts and our case would be entered into a computer lottery system by which we would be assigned a specific court. Once the court is selected, the documents will be sent over to the judge of that court. The judge has ten working business days to review all of our documents and make sure everything is complete and correct. The Bogotános label their courts "good," "bad" or "medium," depending on the speed with which the judge completes this process. So, if we get a "good court," this means that our judge will most likely complete this first step of the process in much less than ten days. After the judge accepts the documents, they are sent over to another Defender of Minors (not the one we met with today) and he has five working days to review and approve our case. He sends it back to the court and it goes through one last process called "setencia." Ten more business days are allowed for setencia (we are up to a possible 35 days now), a time in which our signatures and several others are collected to finalize the documents. The 35 days are counted from the day your documents are received at your assigned court. Maria Teresa said that this week is probably a wash for us, but that our countdown should begin by Monday. Of course, things could move along much more quickly, and in rare cases (such as a worker's strike, an extended holiday, etc.) even more slowly. 

So, we still do not really have a time line, but I do have a better understanding of the process. Jamie, Eli and I spent a quiet afternoon at the apartment (we all got a nice hour long nap in after lunch) and then we headed over to Unicentro to check out Crepes and Waffles. All of the FANA families who have come to Bogotá before us rave about the gastronomical delights of this Colombian chain restaurant that specializes in an extensive array of ice cream treats and crepes and waffles designed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

We parked our stroller at the front of the restaurant and put Eli in a high chair at the table. I had fed him three containers of fresh pureed food before we left (carrots, apple and cereal) and he was in good spirits. He played happily, slapping the table, waving a wet wipe around wildly, and grabbing anything he could get his hands on, while we reviewed the English version of the menu. 

Grabbing Jamie's placemat

I ordered pumpkin soup with pesto and goat cheese and a chicken, cheese and spinach crepe while Jamie opted for onion soup and a bread bowl of beef stew. My soup was delicious (my mouth is watering just thinking about it!) and I must have been making good food noises as I ate because I realized Eli's eyes were intently focused on me and my food. I decided to offer him a little bite and he lapped it right up, opening his mouth for more. This became a very entertaining scenario for not only Jamie and I, but also the table behind us who were watching Eli demand more and more soup from an oversized spoon.

When I tried to feed myself he would start to whimper and reach his hand out to pat my arm, as if I had forgotten he was next to me! That little open mouth reminded me of a hungry baby bird in the nest; he was going to squawk at his mama until I dropped another bite of my gourmet pumpkin soup into his little beak! What can I say? My kid has good taste! He also ate a several bites of Jamie's onion soup and even attempted a little spinach from my crepe. I guess we don't need to worry about him eating anymore! Once he was satiated, he played quietly with a napkin and Jamie and I finished our dinner with a shared chocolate crepe topped with ice-cream. What a treat! It was really such a happy time for all of us.

My son and I at Crepes and Waffles

We rushed home to catch a 7:00 Skype appointment with my mom and dad, grandma, Aunt Deanna and cousin Amy, who were all gathered at my parents' house. My grandma came and sat right in front of the computer screen so we could see her well and she could see Eli. She told him she loved him and exclaimed her wonder at his dimples, his chatter, his attempts at kisses and his scooting/crawling movements- all of which he demonstrated with a true performer's commitment to entertain! He loves to see the faces on my phone screen and hear the voices of our friends and family. I think he knows that it is all about him and he loves the attention! 

Around 8pm we got him changed and ready for bed. He was so good about taking his medicines and he went down in the crib quite easily. His ear infection appears to be improving and his temperament was excellent today. We feel so fortunate to have such an easy going little boy. He makes us smile and laugh all day long; his fussiness is short lived and his enthusiasm is abundant. Tonight we go to bed feeling peaceful, happy and blessed. I imagine this is exactly what Bienestar is looking for in families- well-being. 

What a gift it is to love a child. It is a love that affects every aspect of your being and living. To all my mama and papa friends and readers out there, I wish you a quiet moment to reflect on and appreciate your own good fortune- the spectacular miracle of an ordinary family.