The Heart of Hope: Sunday in Usaquen and Monday Musings

We had a sleepy Sunday morning here, laying low and catching up with my family. It was my grandpa's 88th birthday, so I called Sweden Valley Manor, his new home, and Jamie and I sang "Happy Birthday" to him. He and my grandma are in a room together, right next door to my Uncle John, grandma's brother! I feel so relieved knowing they are settled in to the new space, they are together, and they have a close friend next door! I had a nice chat with my grandma, too, who is scheduled for an upper GI tract surgery on Thursday. She seemed to be in decent spirits, despite her continued discomfort. Later in the morning, I skyped with my mom. She got to see Eli for a bit, and then after we put him down for a nap, mom and I had a long talk and she caught me up on all that's been going on with my grandparents. It was so nice to just talk with her and feel like I'm up to date on all the recent happenings in my family.

Around 2pm, we decided to venture out to Usaquen for a little souvenir shopping and exercise. Usaquen is a quaint little section of Bogotá that is home to a large artisan flea market on Sundays and holidays. Everyone who has been here talks about it and we've been looking forward to experiencing Usaquen, ourselves. We had decided to make the 1.5 mile trip by foot, so we donned our sneakers, made Eli comfy in the stroller and headed out.

The sun was shining as we packed up, but soon after we began the journey it began to drizzle and then lightly rain. This is how it goes in Bogotá, on a daily basis. The weather can change in just minutes and then change back again, in even less time! We ducked into another Pan Pa Ya, about half way there, to sit out the rain. Eli and I shared some fresh bread dunked in hot chocolate and Jamie had a coffee. By the time we were finished, the sun was shining brilliantly and we actually had to take off our coats for the walk, it was so warm!

We arrived in Usaquen around 2:30pm and spent two hours walking through the vendor's tents, looking at goods of all kinds and carefully choosing some gifts and souvenirs to take home. It was such fun to chat with the artisans in our best "Span-glish" and learn about their crafts. We even found a few more of Eli's "18 Gifts" and were able to communicate the intention of our purchases to the vendors who happily allowed us to take their pictures for preservation!

Claudia Ramirez of Baby Clau, hand-made leather baby shoes designed and stitched in her home!

Carlos Morales of Global Music- This guy turned us on to some fantastic Colombian music, old and new!

Sergio Aldemar of Gollem creations. This tiny wooden amphibian is native to the Colombian jungles. It's also a puzzle!

In addition to Eli's gifts, we also purchased a black leather messenger bag for me and a new wallet for Jamie. Two items we will use daily and were able to procure for a fraction of the cost we would pay for this kind of quality in the states. We had a wonderful time and Eli was pleasant and happy in his stroller as we walked about the crowded streets, stopping to listen to live music, check out merchandise and appreciate the street artists.

He started to get fussy around 4:30pm, so we popped in a Burger King, right on the corner of the market area and ordered some french fries for ourselves and fed our little boy. The place was very modern, open and spotless, plus we had it to ourselves! So, we sat there for awhile after Eli had been fed and looked through our guide book for a dinner recommendation. We decided on Wok, a Colombian chain restaurant with an extensive Asian menu and a lovely but casual atmosphere.

Wok!

As we waited in line for our table, we made eye contact with a couple standing behind us. The man was American and the woman Colombian, though she spoke English quite well. She had been watching us juggle our stroller, the backpack, Eli, his blanket, and my purse, in the small foyer of the restaurant and said to us, chuckling, "babies come with lots of stuff, don't they?!!" I laughed and replied, "Yes, but he's worth all the hassle! We waited a long time for this little guy!" She watched us, smiling, and chatting with her companion as we played with Eli and tried to stay out of everyone's way. The couple and some friends that met them there ended up being seated right behind us in the restaurant, and that same sweet woman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Let me know if you need any help with the menu or ordering." I took her up on that offer as the menu was in Spanish and the cuisine was Asian- a double whammy of new and unfamiliar for me!

Jamie and I both ended up ordering the same dish, Pad Thai with chicken and calamari, with a side dish of fried rice. Eli enjoyed a few of the soft peas mixed in with my rice and played with his plastic spoon, my empty water bottle, a wet wipe and a variety of other distractions we found for him amongst our belongings!

Daddy entertaining Eli at the table

After dinner, the waitress came back and explained to us that the couple behind us had purchased dessert for us. I turned around to thank them and the woman exclaimed, "Congratulations!" We both expressed our gratitude for their kindness and I explained that were in Bogotá for Eli's adoption. She replied that they had figured that out and that our "happiness can be seen." The American man added, "We are very happy for your family. We ordered you our favorite dessert here; we hope you enjoy it!"

Soon, a large plate loaded with deep fried bananas, vanilla ice cream and two different toppings (something similar to caramel and a chocolate sauce) arrived at our table. It was absolutely delicious and made even more enjoyable by the sentiment of the gift.

By the time we had finished, it was dark outside. That's one thing I cannot get used to- It is always dark by 6pm! Jamie spoke with the host who had seated us and he called a cab for our return trip. We were home by 7:30 and able to Skype with my sister, Kelley, and her family before putting Elias to bed. Once again, we found ourselves tired and happy after another fantastic day...Happy that our son was sleeping soundly in the next room, happy that we've had such wonderful experiences of the places and people here in Bogotá, and happy that we were free to crawl in bed early and watch an episode of our new guilty pleasure on Net Flix: House of Cards. We've got it pretty good here and we are appreciating every moment.

Kisses for Daddy at dinner

Today, Monday, we have little to report. A quiet, low-key day for our family. Eli and mama did a little yoga in the morning...

Child's Pose- Yes! It's really called that!

Then the three of us headed out to Parque Country Club again to get another 3 mile run in.

Looking sassy for the park...Blame the hat on Daddy!

Eli fell asleep on the way there and napped quietly at the park while Jamie ran and I did some exercises in the grass.

Morning nap

He woke up just as Jamie was finishing and I was taking off for my run. Jamie played with him while I finished up and then we walked home for lunch and some downtime at home.

Happy Boy!

The afternoon was spent playing, napping and catching up with the blog. I tried to snap a few pictures here and there, but not much interesting was happening! When we are here in the apartment, we fall into a familiar rhythm now, our daily routines in place: eat, sleep, change a diaper, play, repeat! It sounds mundane, but we love it. Simple joys with our beautiful boy.

So, next up is dinner; Jamie is cooking Tilapia, rice and asparagus (one of my favorite meals we've made here). Then, we will get in a little more play time with Eli before bedtime. Tomorrow we have plans to meet up with Jorge in the morning and go on another touring adventure. I'll try to take good "notes!"

I'll leave you with these images...Goodnight, dear friends.