Change of Plans

Whew! A lot has changed in the last two days!

Yesterday we started out on a trip to the zoo and ended up moving out of our apartment and into a local hotel. After discussing the pool situation and other concerns at the apartment with several people, we decided to look for another place to stay. We were not able to find another complex with a pool on such short notice so we made the decision to move to a local hotel where many adoptive families stay while they are in Medellín. We had not stayed here originally because we had hoped to save some money at the apartment and also have a little more room for the kids. But when the kids got up EVERY morning and sadly looked down on an empty pool, we decided that the pool was a priority. Silly Leandro would walk around all day with his goggles on. It was pitiful! The weather has been really warm here on most afternoons and there's no better way to wear out 4 active kids. So, in an hour and a half we threw everything in the suitcases and made the move. We are in a nice suite and the hotel gave us an adoption rate that includes a huge buffet breakfast. They also did not charge us any extra for so many people. So, I think we'll come out fine. The kids are SO happy to have a pool. Even though it was dark and sprinkling when we finally got moved in, they insisted on getting in the pool!!

This face says is all!! The move was worth it!!

Today, we regrouped and headed to the zoo . It was a fun outing. Angi Camila and Leandro had never been. There were some unusual animals and lots of pretty flowers. Tori and Leandro were most interested in the monkeys. We only stayed a couple of hours as everyone was excited to go swimming again.

My favorite two MONKEYS!!

Gloria took me to the Exito (the WalMart here) to buy some food for smaller meals we can fix here in the kitchenette while Victor took the kids swimming. The sun was pretty strong today and they are all already tanning. I'm the only Gringa in the bunch.

The other big change is that our interview with the ICBF (child welfare system) has been moved up from next Monday, the 16th to tomorrow, Wednesday, the 11th!! We are thrilled as this means that things are moving along. We are not sure why the interview was changed but we are thankful! Of course as with everything in this process, things can change quickly but everything is looking good. We thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We will have the interview at the orphanage at 9:30 in the morning. Please pray for peace for the children.

After the interview, Gloria is going to take us on a drive up the mountain to a look out point over the city. She says it is a beautiful place to take pictures. There is also an artisan market there. We are looking forward to purchasing a few souvenirs for the children to have as keepsakes. Looks like we'll be going on a little outing every morning for a few days as we want to see all the wonderful sights here. We had wanted to space things out a bit but now we want to make sure and fit things in as it looks like we might be moving on to Bogotá by late next week. I think it will be fine though because most of the outings will only be in the morning and will leave plenty of time at the pool. We are excited that the kids like swimming so much as we spend lots of time at our local pool in the summers. Angi Camila is quite the little swimmer and Leandro is anxious to keep up with Tori, the fish.

On the home front, we want to thank you for your prayers for Victor's mother. She did have the surgical lung biopsy this morning. The doctors decided that the risks of waiting until she was stronger were greater than the risks from the surgery. We talked to Victor's brother late this afternoon and he said that the surgery went as expected and she will be in CCU for several days while her lungs have a chance to heal. Please continue to pray that the doctors can determine what kind of infection she has and decide on a treatment quickly. Also, Victor's dad is very concerned and extremely tired.

Sorry this got too long. Guess I shouldn't skip a day posting. I was just too exhausted after we got moved and everyone was asleep last night to be coherent. Speaking of being coherent, I better head to bed so I'll be able to complete a sentence in the morning at our interview.

¡Hasta mañana!