A relaxed Sunday

No photos from yesterday... we cleaned the apartment, cooked a little, purchased swimsuits and cover-ups/shorts for the kids. Last night we watched some YouTube videos together of their orphanage and school... and the girls were in a few  of them. We also watched some funny videos, and others showing a Minnesota snowstorm.

The girls made breakfast yesterday. It was corn flour with cheese in the middle, about the size and shape of a hockey puck, fried in a pan. However, the corn flour acts like a sponge and soaks up all the cooking oil. Maybe 50% oil! Kim and I each ate one out of politeness, but yuck! We paid for it later in the day with sore stomachs. No mas!

This morning Maria Teresa will drive us to La Mesa for 5-8 days, about 2 hours drive to the west.  This is for the court process. We meet with a Judge today, and again on Friday (or next Tuesday, depending) for the "sentencia" - the court order making the adoption final. They will officially be our daughters! We still have a few weeks of other paperwork to do - something with their birth certificates, passports, visas, and I don't know what else. Lots of running around between government offices, both the US Embassy and various Colombian entities.

We have been together for 2 weeks now, 24 hours/day. The girls are sweethearts, with the usual 14 year old kid stuff. They desire too much candy and even more junk food than I can stand. They don't want to go to bed at night, and don't want to wake up in the morning - all as expected for their age. I continue to be amazed at how close they are to each other, holding hands while walking, playing together nicely, and sharing their things. Yet the girls have different personalities, and a few differing likes/dislikes. They continue to be very protective of their new parents, a situation that will reverse when we get back to Minnesota!

Most families only want to adopt small children, and I can understand that to a degree (oh the joys of midnight feedings, trying to figure out what's wrong when a baby is crying, and poopy diapers). They believe the older kids are "defective" - a product of the problems that led them to become orphans. Yes, all orphaned kids have experienced trauma which will affect them. This just means that they need a family even more. Although we have not seen unusual feelings or behaviors from our girls yet, we know they need extra understanding, reassurance, care, and love.

I hope that someone reading this will consider adopting an older child. Try volunteering at "Camp of Dreams" coming up later this month in the Twin Cities. You will meet some delightful children and have a great time. And the coldest hearts will melt!