MJV being cute

Thanks to my Mom for this dress. The warm weather has arrived in NYC, sweet! I'm not used to seeing her in such a girly outfit. It was pretty awesome to see. We spent chunks of the weekend sitting on the stoop enjoying the sun and catching up with friends. All our buddies from the block stopped by to meet Mariana and offer their well wishes. She has a tendency to draw a lot of attention. She just seems to make people happy (starting of course with us).

Also thanks for the Tigger jumpy swing Mom. You can see that she doesn't quite get it yet but is trying.  We've been trying to prop her up on her legs to get those thunder thighs working. She also displays her newfound clapping skills. 

My sister in law posted the following videos on youtube that are much longer, enjoy:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX1CE9qMdx8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbFkGbs9RwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwpaajq2zvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88JYTiCv1wA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYvUTHvz8ys

Family

I need to take a moment to thank everyone in my family, especially my 

brother Carlo and his family. They made THE MOST fantastic set of blocks for Mariana that all of her cousins contributed to. For those who are unfamiliar with this story, Hilary and I made a set of blocks for each of of my siblings families over the years. If anyone can relate to how much work and love goes into them it's us. When they put that box in front of us I thought it was a toy chest- in and of itself awesome. But when I

 opened it and realized what it was I had all could do not to lose it. As we inspected each block they explained how each of Mariana's 17 cousins painted their own number block for her. How cool is that? What better statement of acceptance into our family than that? I think that when Mariana's birth parents thought about how her life would be better with us they hoped for a moment like this. We did too. Any subconscious worries about how she'll fit into the family were permanently put to rest I hope. So again to all of my si

blings and nieces and nephews, I love you, and thank you.

There are 100 things I want to write about Mariana. I wish there were more hours in the day so I could try to capture all the things I want to share with everyone like: how she's learned to schooch forward on her elbows like a commando going under barbed wire, how she's discovered her wrist and how she can rotate objects back and forth like a window display, how well our house plan is working that we hatched years ago when adoption seemed like a remote possibility, and about how Mariana's new favorite toy is the lid to a baby food jar (coined a "ghetto toy" by our friend Diana). Each one of these things is cause for reflection and more in-depth narration but unfortunately time will not allow it at this point. Will I remember all these details without recording them? Will I remember enough of them? All the little things from the first 2 weeks home... Will I remember what it felt like to put my old journal through the shredder in the midst of a clean-up? As I flipped through it, I saw how it was filled with anger and angst and thoughts of "how will I ever come to accept the thought of adoption"? That thought seems almost comical now that I know Mariana but it was very real then. How my family could come to accept it was even more remote at the time. Ha! Ya nevah know, ya nevah evah know...

Settling in

Here are some pictures from Newark Airport. We were met at the airport by Hilary's family. (*note the joy)

How thrilling is this latest post? I tell you, we've got one HOT day lined up. I'm going to venture out to the grocery store today for Mariana's first Fairway excursion. Then maybe hit the bank on the way home. If we're 

feeling kooky maybe we'll stop by Caputo's to pick up a ciabatta. The excitement never stops here in Brooklyn.

We have been settling in ok. Hilary is still feeling cruddy but Mariana is doing much better today. The river of snot has crested and she is acting like her old self again. The adjustment for us is more difficult than for her at this point. We have certain routines that we do in this house but she doesn't really care about those. "You do those things on your own time" she tells us. 

We've had a few visitors already but are looking forward to more. This weekend is Easter and Mariana can meet a chunk of the Verni horde. Hope she's ready for the chaos! 

Home =)

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we got home safe and sound yesterday. Mariana woke up all night long the night before last with a snotty nose. Of course we didn't realize what that would look like because in 4+ weeks of knowing her she hadn't yet had a cold. When we finally turned on the lights at 3 am after hearing her gurgle but fall back to sleep all night, we found our beautiful daughter's face slick and shiny. She'd rubbed and buffed snot into her entire face all night as it ran out of her nose, forming a nice thick layer of crust. The poor thing didn't know what to do with all that stuff. Hilary has the cold too but the plane was mercifully uneventful. Although only 8 months old she's already been on 2 continents and obtained 2 citizenship's. She's a prodigy I'm telling you.

Her first night in Brooklyn was more of the same with her waking up gurgling. Her mother though had crafted the brilliant solution of letting sleep in the car seat, propped up and therefore much more able to breathe. So there we were back in our own bed- Hilary on one side, me on the other and a friggin' car seat in bed between us just like pictured all those nights before. Ok, not really but at least Mariana was able to sleep a little better. 

We bought Chinese food on the way home and found our house and kitty in fine order. Our friend Talia from the neighborhood had come over and put a few things in our refrigerator to get us started: a carton of milk, a few mangoes and a bar of chocolate.What a sweetheart huh? Mariana will now begin receiving visitors who don't care to about being sneezed on or have their faces and glasses grabbed at with snotty fingers. 

Vamos!

Tomorrow, tomorrow, we come home tomorrow morning. We had breakfast with Helena and Agapito at their house. Awesome tamales, fresh bread and arepas, hot chocolate with cheese and mango juice. Very tasty. They are so great. Agapito regaled us with a few stories of Bogota's dangerous past including the time a bomb went off in the middle of the night in the empty yard behind their house. It blew out ALL of the windows in their house - front and back and they were all home including the 2 kids. Yikes. We looked at photo albums and met their son and daughter in law. It felt like visiting family. Hilary made a beautiful drawing of their grandaughter Miranda as a small present of thanks for all their help and hospitality.
The rest of the day was spent hanging around the Halifax and tying up loose ends. Hilary wasn't feeling well so I entertained the wee one. We made some cards with money as thanks yous for the staff and had a few drinks with the Sweedish and Dutch families. I ran to the grocery to stock up on the formula that Mariana is used to to ease her adjustment a bit. Food issues notwithstanding, we have enjoyed our time at the Halifax. To be surrounded by sympathetic and helpful, friendly people made everything so much easier. Last night Blanca came to our room to say goodbye. Hilary was sitting on the bed in her underwear but Blanca didn't care, just pushed me aside and came to give her a hug and Marianita a kiss. I'll miss the community situation here. We have lots of friends, in Brooklyn even, but none in the neighborhood so far. We'll have to take the steps to get out there and meet new parents because Mariana is quite the social butterfly.
I wanted to send a quick and long overdue thanks to my awesome brother-in-law Adam for "pimping my laptop". If I had to sit it the lobby to write this blog there would have been much fewer updates. So thanks again Adrock.
I'll try to keep writing when we get home. I enjoy it and I hope you've enjoyed following Marianas story with us. See you soon!

watch this video of my careless parenting. I thought she just wanted to lick the grass, not consume it, jeez.

Last Day For Now

Tomorrow is our last day in Colombia for now. We will surely be returning as Mariana grows up so that she can see where she comes from and maintain a direct connection with her native country. My Spanish has gotten a bit better but not much. I still sound like a caveman but I can fake my way through a conversation better. We stayed in our insulated bubble most of the time. Keeping Mariana happy was the main goal of this trip, not sightseeing, not learning Spanish, not meeting new people. To that end I think we did ok. She seems happy and we are getting comfortable with the whole parenting thing. There is so much to see in this city and this country. Normally when we travel for 5 weeks we have done and seen a lot more than the inside of our hotel room and Crepes and Waffles. next time, next time...

This morning Helena and her husband Agapito took us to the big flower, fruit and vegetable market in Downtown Bogota. It was great. After not getting to see many sights or museums when there are many to see here it was a real treat to see something so Colombian. Colombia is the top exporter of roses in the world and the sheer number of different species of flowers and fruits was amazing. We try to see markets like this when we go away and I've never seen so many new varieties in all our travels. I guess being this close to the equator makes it a good place to grow lots of things. It was good to have Agapito and Helena there to tell what we were looking at and explain how they were best eaten. We bought some baby mangos and some green oranges. Tasted like our oranges but the skin doesn't turn orange down here for some reason. There was also a meat and fish market too. We stopped and had some lechon. They start by roasting an enormous pig, take the meat out but and leave the crispy outer skin intact. Then mix the shredded pork with rice, yellow peas and spices and stuff it back in the pig skin. The result was the tastiest thing we've had in Colombia. Mmmm, porkilicious. They've invited us to their house tomorrow for breakfast. What goodness awaits?

It is a bittersweet feeling going home. In one sense we'll have our own bed, a dishwasher, our own laundry, etc. -the creature comforts of our own home and the beginning of our new phase in life. I'm so excited to have Mariana in her new home and have her meet all the friends and family. On the other hand I have to go back to work. For those of you less aquainted, read this article from this weeks Newsweek to see the "crazy man" I work for: http://www.newsweek.com/id/191396. For the most part the job is still working for me even if I'm saddened by the continual departure of coworkers who have become friends. It's the time with Mariana and Hilary that I'll miss most. As bored as we've been on occasion it has been really great to have this time to watch her grow together. I don't want to miss her first steps or her first real words. I'll miss seeing those big dark eyes and sweet smile all day long and the afternoon naps all together. What will I have, an hour in the morning and 2 hours at night to see her if I'm lucky? Going back to work and earning money is my roll for the moment and that's what I'll do but it's not without conflicted feelings.

In this picture Marianita is fast asleep with her feet sticking out the side of the crib.

'Rents Night

My trip to the American Embassy was quick and easy today. Helena and I were in and out of there in 15 minutes. Mariana is officially cleared for take off. Entirely. We are done with the paperwork. DONE!!!! I can't believe it actually so i have to keep writing it. But there it is in her passport:an American travel visa, a highly coveted thing down here and not something given out easily. We met an American guy at the Embassy yesterday who had been waiting there 8 hrs and still wasn't sure if they would give his Colombian wife a travel visa. They give priority to adopted children so we just breezed up there and left while the hordes waited anxiously to see if they would be rejected. I felt a little guilty and grateful at the same time.

Last night we had an adults only fiesta downstairs in the side lobby. Hilary organized it of course, always the planner. We had wine and chocolate that we brought from home. It was a great time. I think it was the first time since we're here that we stayed up past 11:00. Wackiness I know. Hanging with the other parents was interesting because we're all going through the same stuff. Here we were, people from Holland, Sweden, Norway and the USA and we all the common bond of having Colombian children. It was nice to share some of the stories of where we screwed things up (like for instance, whoops it's been 6 hours and we forgot to feed the baby, yikes!) because each of has had similar offenses and the baby was fine. Resilient little buggers those babies.

I put in some shots of the hotel and staff so y'all can get an idea of what it looks like here. Our room is at the top of the stairs on the right. The picture below is of Mariana with 3 of her Colombian Tia's: (left to right) Blanca, Luz, and Berta.

Hilary "loving" the latest hot doggy invention in this photo.








And another shot of the cuteness that is... Mariana Josephine Verni - it's official now, she's a Verni!

Passport Day

Everything went smooth as butter today and baring any unforseen bureaucratic blips we are flying home on Monday! Sweet! We even used some mileage to upgrade to first class. Mariana will be flying in style for her first flight. Something we learned today is that when we hit the ground in the Newark, POOF, she becomes an American citizen thanks to a new-ish law passed in the 90's.

This picture shows her in her special passport picture duds, sporting her usual poop face for the camera.

Landslide

Today was kind of anti climatic. I went down to the "court" to sign the Sentencia while Hilary stayed at the Halifax to watch Mariana. See the picture above of the woman stamping it all official like. I put my monkey suit back on and was out the door by 7:15am. It was a lot of running around making copies getting stamps -a bunch of procedural bullshit. I was nervous but could barely stay awake at the same time. In the end we're on schedule to be done by friday thanks to Helena's dogged determination. We love her. Tomorrow we go get her Colombian passport and see the US embassy Doctor at 11am. fingers crossed for this section of red tape...

As we start to look towards home we are thinking about how best to ease our little girls entry. We're going to try to make everyone come to us for a while because Mariana doesn't like to eat enough or sleep enough when her schedule gets changed. Not good. Therefore long car rides in a car seat (another first) will be on a case by case basis. The poor thing will go through enough emotionally just coming to the US with us and learning a whole new environment. Also the adoption literature we've read says we should refrain from letting many people hold her for the first 6 weeks so she starts the attachment process with us, her forever parents. Well we've been here for almost 5 weeks and she's been exclusively with us so I think we're in pretty good shape there.

During the craziness today we went for a tour of CRAN, the place where Mariana's birth parents went to place her for adoption. We took a tour of the facilities. They do an amazing job. They don't just do adoptions. There are many children under the age of 6 living there and being cared for. They run a school, and provide day care for kids who are in need nutritionally or emotionally. We sat with the Director Ximena and she asked us if we had any questions - this was the time to do it. They had something for Mariana from her birth parents. I thought we might get a photo and/or a letter. I was so curious to see what they looked like. What they gave us was an entire book filled with photos, letters, writing about their lives, their graduation pictures, pictures of friends, relatives, the works. It was an emotional landslide. I'm kind of numb from it. It's all in Spanish so I can only pick my way through it but someday Mariana will have a fantastic/horrible time reading it. I picture her asking "If they loved me so much as this book clearly shows, why did they give me away?" Do I have an answer for that question? No, but I better have one. We have such an enormous responsibility ahead. Not only can't we let her down but we have an entire second family of people not to let down too?! Obviously it's entirely up to her to seek them out if she wants to some day. We'll send pictures and letters to CRAN over the years but her birth parents won't be able to see anything until she's 18! 18 anxious years of wondering what happened to the daughter who they cared so much about they gave her to someone for the hope of a better life. Our hearts ache for these 2 beautiful people who created our beautiful daughter.

On a lighter note check out Mariana's stomach before and after her morning bottle.