Simple and Sweet

We've been pretty quiet the past few days. I've been fighting off a cold and feeling a little low energy. All three of us have been content to hang out in the apartment, going for an occasional walk or stroll through Unicentro just to get out for a bit...

Here are some highlights of the past few days:

Eli sporting his new red coat!

This picture is actually from Wednesday evening. We walked over to Unicentro to eat dinner in the food court and look around. It was cold and rainy, so we decided to try out the coat we had purchased for Eli, here in Bogotá, the day before we received him. It is a bit big, so we had to roll up the sleeves, but I think he looks very handsome in my favorite color!

Thursday morning was devoted to catching up with family on Skype and FaceTime. I managed to squeeze in a chat with my childhood best friend, Erin, as well (but, she's considered family, too!) 

After Eli's nap, we took a nice long walk down to Calle 116, the street we found the laundromat on, and walked around in many of the shops. We stopped for mochas at the Juan Valdez coffee shop and purchased Eli some new toys: a package of brightly colored fabric blocks at Pepe Ganga, the Colombian version of Babies R Us. (Thanks for the great idea, Joy Hardbattle!)

Eli has taken to reaching one little hand out of his stroller as Jamie pushes him, and grasping my finger tightly, as I walk along beside him. I have to say that this is one of my favorite feelings in the whole world- that little hand wrapped around my finger and refusing to let go, even when I'm dodging telephone poles and other pedestrians! It is the feeling of being claimed...I belong to Eli now. I'm his mama. 

Walking down Calle 116

Because of our little excursion, Eli ended up missing his nap yesterday. We all ate dinner together back in our apartment and he went to bed a little early, around 7:30pm, allowing Jamie and I the freedom to crawl into bed around 8pm and watch two episodes of House of Cards on Netflix! I never thought watching television on my laptop would feel like such a luxury. But, in a Spanish speaking world, that little piece of American culture is a comfort. We can just enjoy the entertainment and not have to work so hard at understanding and communicating. 

We all slept quite soundly until 8am. Eli is usually wide awake by 6:30 or 7:00, so this was a treat. Unfortunately, I awoke with a headache and some congestion. We used up the last of our delicious rolls from the Cuesta family and made bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for breakfast! We gave Eli a bath and then we all lazed around the living room, reading, playing, taking care of financial records...just little odds and ends until lunchtime, and then Eli went down for his nap and so did mama and daddy! What an indulgence...It felt incredible to slip back under the covers and drift off for an hour. 

We decided to go out to grab an early dinner and Jamie and I took turns playing with Eli so that we could each get cleaned up before leaving the apartment. We have seen big improvements in his strength and crawling the past few days. He's finally doing a full on crawl and he's traveling all over the apartment! He definitely is keeping us on our toes and we are finding that we now have to start teaching him the word "no!" as he is getting into everything he can get his little hands on! 

No??? I don't think I like that word. 

On the go...

A few days ago, we had made plans for this evening with our new friend, Maria Cristina, who lives here in the apartment complex. We invited her down to our place for some wine, cheese and crackers. So, we decided to do dinner close to home and ended up at Archie's right across the street. Jamie had gone in twice before to pick up pizza, but I had never been there. Our driver and translator, Maria Teresa had told us that they had excellent Italian food, so we thought it was worth a visit. We had a fantastic dinner in a casual but pleasant atmosphere and we were in and out quickly, with time to pick up flowers and chocolates at Éxito before returning to the apartment for our date with Maria Cristina. We took Eli's foods with us and he ate, seated in his stroller, at the table with us. He's such an easy going kid! We feel so luck to have this little guy. 

Out to dinner at Archie's

We finished up our evening with a nice chat with Maria Cristina over wine, cheese and chocolates. She wanted to know all about our adventures here in Bogotá so far. It was nice to have a guest come in to our little place; sharing your space with friends always makes it feel more like a home, I think. 

Elias started to get a little fussy right around his normal bedtime, and Maria Cristina and Jamie went upstairs to her place so she could give us a travel guide she had and I took care of Eli- bottle and bed!

It has been nice to have a few slow days, but it also gives me a little too much time to think! I started to feel homesick today. Being a little under the weather didn't help. Tomorrow, we are treating ourselves to massages here at the apartment! Maria Cristina has a friend who comes right to your place. She says this therapist is fabulous and an hour massage is less than $20.00! We also would like to get out and see a little more of the city, too. Sunday, Maria Teresa and Carmen are taking us on another excursion, this time to a famous restaurant with a horse show! THAT should be a fun story to tell! 

This weekend, back in the US, our Families of FANA friends are gathering for a whole series of events that culminate in our annual Golf Tournament and Dinner- the largest fundraiser we do for FANA here in Bogotá. The money we raise throughout this weekend goes directly to FANA, allowing them to feed, clothe and care for children such as our own Elias, as they wait for their forever families. It is really such an amazing mission and we are so proud to be a part of FANA both here in Colombia and in our own home of Buffalo, NY. As of this moment, Families of FANA in WNY is less than $4,000 away from meeting our donation goal of $25,000! FANA here in Bogotá needs a new roof on their facility, so that money will definitely go to good use. 

If you are feeling generous and moved to do so...You can help us reach our goal by making a donation through BidPal- just click on this link: 

Families of FANA Donation Site

Even $10 makes a difference.

We cannot properly express our gratitude for the care Eli received before we even held him in our arms. Because of this experience, because of the work and love we've witnessed here in Colombia...We will forever support, work to sustain,  and champion this incredible organization. 

FANA made us a family.