What a beautiful day today. Absolutely corgeous in Cuenca. Annalise woke up happy, peppy and ready for a day at school. They are practicing today for Carnival. Annie's teacher told the kids to bring in noise-makers, so she decided she wanted to take in two pot tops to use as symbols. Whoa! Today is also the day they will celebrate "Frienship Day" in lieu of Valentine's Day and she was eager to share the valentine's she had made for her new friends.
Jim was off to work at his favorite cafe and little guy dove into breakfast...scrambbled eggs, cheddar cheese (crazy sharp here), bread and his vanilla colada. Spent some time potty training, he started showing interest and I bought him a mini-throne yesterday. That's going remarkably well. Remarkable kid! Bribery with M&Ms works too.
Alejandro took a leisurely stroll down the Avenida 12 de Abril, our street. It runs parallel to Rio Riobamba. About two blocks away, the street is fairly well paved and wide. It made for a wonderful stroll because I could walk about 1 1/2 mile along the riverside. There are places to sit alongside the river all the way, with small foot and traffic bridges.
The walk takes you by the local military hospital, museum of medicine (going to check that one out soon), Parque de las Madres and Millenium Mall. I walked as far as I could before I would have to run for dear life around a traffic circle and turned back towards the mall for lunch. KFC has rice, beans, plantains with the, oh, yea, chicken. A meal he will always eat. And oh-by-the-way, he dived into my chicken drum stick. Turns out he just needs the chicken in whole pieces to recognize it. I've been cooking chicken breasts and chicken tenders which he doesn't recognize and spits out. What a relief. Finally a protein other than eggs and cheese he'll eat. Fish is hit or miss.
I took along his favorite oatmeal cookie balls the Tias taught me to make for him. They're easy to make. Milk, butter, brown sugar cocoa and oatmeal on the stove top into a cookie dough consistency. Scoop up the oatmeal balls, refrigerate and I have one really happy boy with huge dimples.
In addition, we received a call from our attorney/rep. We will go to have a "verification of signatures" next Wednesday at the courthouse and possibly have our "audencia" with the judge by next Friday. The audencia date is not final yet. That's our court appearance for finalization of the adoption.
We found out today that Annie doesn't have school next Mon, Tue, Wed due to the Carnival holiday. At least she's not missing as much as she would have back home due to snow storms. OMG...it's crazy over there. We're hoping to do some traveling and or sight-seeing. It will be difficult to do that last-minute due to the holiday. At the very least, we'll go back to Hosteria Duran to the thermal pools.
Anyway, gorgeous day. Sunny. I actually got a sunburn, inadvertedly. Alejandro was under the stroller canopy so he was ok. We came across a small festival the culinary school had outdoors. I got to taste their coconut carmel cream. Yum! They had live music. Very nice.
Just a great day!
Love, Lisandra
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Annalise and Alejandro have been bonding well. She looks well after her little brother and he follows her around wanting to mimick what she's doing.
Saturday we went to a park about 10 minutes away called Parque de las Madres, Mother's Park. It has a beautiful statue of a mother with her two kids. Annie and Alex enjoyed the slides, swings and monkey bars. Jim and I almost had a heart attack because the ground is rocky underneath the play sets.
Yesterday we went to the town of Banos, Baths. It is known for it's hot springs that hotels and spas pipe in to their clients. We ventured on to the city bus that stops right outside our apartments. Twenty five cents per adult and kids are free. The Cholas on the bus found Annalise very amusing, with her red streaks in her curly hair. Neither of which you see here. We went to a day resort called Duran. It has two large identical pools, each with a shallow end for kids. The water was bath-water warm! It's changed out twice a week. We bought a few pool toys at a store we call, "Target", named Coral. Most things there are pretty inexpensive, as compared to the mall stores.
People stared at us a lot because Annie has become such a good swimmer, and jumps off the side into the pool. Kids there didn't seem to know how to swim. Annie felt so proud. She can't wait to go back. Also, we were the only ones with pool toys. We saw families tie balloons onto the kids bathing suits to help them float. Kids hugged on to them also. I kept waiting for one to pop!
Alex had a blast in the pool too. He was a little nervous at first, but then got into the water play quickly. Loves to splash and float (with us holding him) and eventaully signalled his little finger that he too wanted to jump off the side like big sister. After all, he can't let a girl show him up.
The weather was about mid 70's. Pretty chilly when you step out of the water into the wind, but enjoyable none-the-less. We ate there because we were told by several apartment residents that the food was good. They were right. Jim and I had a dish that had stewed beef, saffron rice, french fries, sweet plantains and salad. All yummy! Annie had a hot dog and fries. Alex had a cheeze empanada and anything off of our plates.
Once home, we had dinner. Finally something he really liked...noodles with fish. Had to hide the fish because he doesn't like to eat chuncks of meat or fish. Immediately after dinner, he fell asleep in daddy's arms. I changed him and he was asleep in bed by 6pm! He was pooped out! Annie went to bed an hour early too. That place needs to be closer!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 14
To say that it's been a challenge to keep up online would be the understatement of the century. We write this blog as much for ourselves, as for our friends and families. It helps us to keep a journal of our time here and our early days with Alejandro, as well as keeps us in contact with everyone else we hold dear and important.
Our internet connection, via WiFi is barely faster than dial-up. It's this way throughout the city, anywhere we go. There are internet cafes everywhere. Small hole in the wall places with computers set up, and phone booths for calls. I can't exactly go trecking in there with two kids. I'd never get anything accomplished. Jim can't exactly hold his work conference calls there, he would have no privacy. In addition, in speaking English out loud would certainly peg him as American, and possibly invite trouble. Instead he has been going to a popular cafe/hostal about a mile's walk away that has mostly foreigners, to do his work. The connection there is not much better, and his work calls are frequently dropped. We Skype as much as we can, to keep international phone call costs down.
As for me, I mostly get online at night after Jim is done with his work. That's if we can get a connection. Today, Saturday, I tried to buy something online that I really need and can't find locally. After an hour, I finally gave up. Who has time for that??? I don't know how Jim does it. I would have gone batshit by now.
So, I left off where we were at Ossitos last Wednesday to sign custody papers. Alejandro develops a fever while we are there. Just what we needed. They gave him to us well, and now we return a week later with him sick. They gave me some children's anti-pyretic that I don't recognize, but they use regularly. We came back home. Little guy took a nap and the fever was back after 4 hours. A URI, courtesy of his sister. By the next day, he wasn't better, so we called our trusty little house-call doctor again. He just has an ear infection. We all decided to go ahead and treat it, since the doctor understands the position we are in in keeping him well. One dose of amoxicillin later, a new little guy.
Friday was the first day I have been able to venture out to explore the city a little. Once Annie was off to school, Jim, Alejandro and I went to Jim's favorite little hangout, El Cafecito, and had a marvelous breakfast. It's a good thing it's about a mile walk through heavy car traffic, narrow cobblestone streets, or I would have breakfast there every morning. Not good for the waistline! Alejandro ate more than I did. He's obviously feeling better. My favorite part of the breakfast was fresh watermellon-papaya juice. Mmmmm. The coffee was crazy strong. I love strong coffee, but this was too much, even for me. No amount of milk changed the color of the coffee. Next time I'll ask for about an inch-worth of coffee, and then add the milk.
Jim stayed behind and Alejandro and I left to find the post office. Not an easy thing to do. There is only one post office in the entire city of 467,000 people! I needed to mail something back to work. They have no idea what I had to go through to mail that back. Geeze. I know how to find it next time, though!
I then had a leasurely rest of the morning, pushing Alejandro in his stroller. He loves it! I guess he's so enthralled at all the new sites and smells, that he hasn't protested yet. We found markets, bakeries, parks and a parade. I wonder if he'd ever seen a parade before? We made it back home in time for his nap. I was pooped out. Annie would be home in 45 minutes from school. I dare say my face got sunburned for the mid-70's weather. Sorry northeast-coasters!
We've been worried that Alejandro would fall off the bed at night, even though his bed is against the wall. He in fact, has already fallen off twice during the day. It scared him more than anything. He wasn't hurt, but we finally figured out to put the kids mattresses on the floor. Much shorter way to fall off. Now, we can all get some sleep because both Jim and I were sleeping poorly so we could keep checking on him. Annalise doesn't fall off the bed, but she wants to sleep right next to her brother. The apartment staff doesn't seem to mind. They are great about looking after the children in the complex. One day, while Dragon Lady was here, Annalise was outside and started screaming. She apparently saw a bug that was ten feet tall and was about to eat her...no not really, but you'd think so with all her screaming. All the staff and a grandmother that lives downstairs came out to see if she was OK. The owner, Lola, told Annalise to call her Auntie and to go to her for anything she needs. Very sweet. Just what you need when you are away from home.
Today, Saturday, we woke up early due to our two little alarm clocks. We went back to El Cafecito for breakfast and a walk in their garden. We found mint, oregano and lavender. Annalise was unfortunately not on her best behavior. Another thing to work on while we're out here. She's taken to back-talking me all the time. This isn't new. It started when we were back home. She's having a hard lesson to learn, because I'm not having it. Let's see...no cartoons, no outside play...torturous for her. Works like a charm.
Aftrer breakfast we went to a park called Parque de la Madre, Mother's Park. It has a running path around it, and playground equipment. I cringe everytime Annalise gets on the swings, slide or see-saw. The ground below is full of large rocks. My gray hairs have definitely multiplied. We discoverred the local mall, Millenium Mall. It's small but as up-to-date as a mall can be. Nothing that fits our needs except a food court, and well, we Knotts' love food.
We're home now. Baby boy is napping. Big boy is napping. Annalise had some quiet time with a video, then we did homework. I'm so glad her USA teacher sent along some work for her. She doesn't get much homework here. She wrote in her school journal. She drew a picture and wrote about a "cholita", a tradtional Cuenca girl that wears very colorful clothing,.
Tomorrow we might try to find the outdoor produce market that opens Sunday mornings in Parque del Paraiso, Paradise Park. Or, we might just go to the nearby town of Banos, Baths. It has thermal water sites, and hotels channel the waters into the pools. I think the kids would love that.
Bye for now!
Lisandra.
Our internet connection, via WiFi is barely faster than dial-up. It's this way throughout the city, anywhere we go. There are internet cafes everywhere. Small hole in the wall places with computers set up, and phone booths for calls. I can't exactly go trecking in there with two kids. I'd never get anything accomplished. Jim can't exactly hold his work conference calls there, he would have no privacy. In addition, in speaking English out loud would certainly peg him as American, and possibly invite trouble. Instead he has been going to a popular cafe/hostal about a mile's walk away that has mostly foreigners, to do his work. The connection there is not much better, and his work calls are frequently dropped. We Skype as much as we can, to keep international phone call costs down.
As for me, I mostly get online at night after Jim is done with his work. That's if we can get a connection. Today, Saturday, I tried to buy something online that I really need and can't find locally. After an hour, I finally gave up. Who has time for that??? I don't know how Jim does it. I would have gone batshit by now.
So, I left off where we were at Ossitos last Wednesday to sign custody papers. Alejandro develops a fever while we are there. Just what we needed. They gave him to us well, and now we return a week later with him sick. They gave me some children's anti-pyretic that I don't recognize, but they use regularly. We came back home. Little guy took a nap and the fever was back after 4 hours. A URI, courtesy of his sister. By the next day, he wasn't better, so we called our trusty little house-call doctor again. He just has an ear infection. We all decided to go ahead and treat it, since the doctor understands the position we are in in keeping him well. One dose of amoxicillin later, a new little guy.
Friday was the first day I have been able to venture out to explore the city a little. Once Annie was off to school, Jim, Alejandro and I went to Jim's favorite little hangout, El Cafecito, and had a marvelous breakfast. It's a good thing it's about a mile walk through heavy car traffic, narrow cobblestone streets, or I would have breakfast there every morning. Not good for the waistline! Alejandro ate more than I did. He's obviously feeling better. My favorite part of the breakfast was fresh watermellon-papaya juice. Mmmmm. The coffee was crazy strong. I love strong coffee, but this was too much, even for me. No amount of milk changed the color of the coffee. Next time I'll ask for about an inch-worth of coffee, and then add the milk.
Jim stayed behind and Alejandro and I left to find the post office. Not an easy thing to do. There is only one post office in the entire city of 467,000 people! I needed to mail something back to work. They have no idea what I had to go through to mail that back. Geeze. I know how to find it next time, though!
I then had a leasurely rest of the morning, pushing Alejandro in his stroller. He loves it! I guess he's so enthralled at all the new sites and smells, that he hasn't protested yet. We found markets, bakeries, parks and a parade. I wonder if he'd ever seen a parade before? We made it back home in time for his nap. I was pooped out. Annie would be home in 45 minutes from school. I dare say my face got sunburned for the mid-70's weather. Sorry northeast-coasters!
We've been worried that Alejandro would fall off the bed at night, even though his bed is against the wall. He in fact, has already fallen off twice during the day. It scared him more than anything. He wasn't hurt, but we finally figured out to put the kids mattresses on the floor. Much shorter way to fall off. Now, we can all get some sleep because both Jim and I were sleeping poorly so we could keep checking on him. Annalise doesn't fall off the bed, but she wants to sleep right next to her brother. The apartment staff doesn't seem to mind. They are great about looking after the children in the complex. One day, while Dragon Lady was here, Annalise was outside and started screaming. She apparently saw a bug that was ten feet tall and was about to eat her...no not really, but you'd think so with all her screaming. All the staff and a grandmother that lives downstairs came out to see if she was OK. The owner, Lola, told Annalise to call her Auntie and to go to her for anything she needs. Very sweet. Just what you need when you are away from home.
Today, Saturday, we woke up early due to our two little alarm clocks. We went back to El Cafecito for breakfast and a walk in their garden. We found mint, oregano and lavender. Annalise was unfortunately not on her best behavior. Another thing to work on while we're out here. She's taken to back-talking me all the time. This isn't new. It started when we were back home. She's having a hard lesson to learn, because I'm not having it. Let's see...no cartoons, no outside play...torturous for her. Works like a charm.
Aftrer breakfast we went to a park called Parque de la Madre, Mother's Park. It has a running path around it, and playground equipment. I cringe everytime Annalise gets on the swings, slide or see-saw. The ground below is full of large rocks. My gray hairs have definitely multiplied. We discoverred the local mall, Millenium Mall. It's small but as up-to-date as a mall can be. Nothing that fits our needs except a food court, and well, we Knotts' love food.
We're home now. Baby boy is napping. Big boy is napping. Annalise had some quiet time with a video, then we did homework. I'm so glad her USA teacher sent along some work for her. She doesn't get much homework here. She wrote in her school journal. She drew a picture and wrote about a "cholita", a tradtional Cuenca girl that wears very colorful clothing,.
Tomorrow we might try to find the outdoor produce market that opens Sunday mornings in Parque del Paraiso, Paradise Park. Or, we might just go to the nearby town of Banos, Baths. It has thermal water sites, and hotels channel the waters into the pools. I think the kids would love that.
Bye for now!
Lisandra.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Jim's recap of Week One
How Alejandro Came To Us
When we were ready to have another child, we looked at all options. We could have tried to have a birth child again, but we both felt that God was leading us toward adoption. There are so many little kids who needed a family, and we have such a good one. We knew that an adopted child would be every bit a part of our family as Annalise. And Annalise lobbied for almost two years for a baby brother or baby sister! She was a great big sister even before we came to Ecuador. She helped arrange his room, picked toys she was going to pass on to him, and even helped pick out his name.
(There’s a lot of history behind the name. When Lisandra and I were pregnant with Annalise, we went through the baby name book. She kept coming up with boy names, and I kept coming up with girl names. We decided if it was a boy, we'd use her pick, and if a girl we'd use mine. Well, when we found out it was a girl, the first person who asked, I said her name would be Isabella. Lisandra said, "Well, we're not really sure yet." I thought, "OK, we've re-opened negotiations!" As much as Lisandra insisted, I never gave in --- until we were on our way to the hospital. Come on -- she was creating a new human, I knew I wasn't going to win that one. So I told her we could name our daughter Annalise, but I had naming rights on a second child. Pretty shrewd on my part, huh?
At first Annalise insisted we call her brother Nick (after St. Nick), but I explained that Nick Knotts would sound strange. After a couple of days, she suggested we could solve the problem by changing our last name! We wanted to preserve his Spanish heritage, and still reflect his being a part of our family. We considered Diego, which is James in Spanish, my middle name.
So I suggested we name him Donald Diego Knotts. All his life he would be known as Don Diego, and I'd call him Zorro! How cool would that be?! He’d always know what costume to have for Halloween. And when he wanted to do sports? Fencing and horseback riding!
In the end, we settled on Alejandro, with agreement that Annie and I could nickname him Scooter. At leat, Annie and I agreed. Mom hates that nickname. We hope he likes it.)
So we started the adoption process and after countless hours of work by Mom, and after about fifteen months, we were eventually matched with Alejandro. What a great day when we received his file with a little picture! It was our ninth wedding anniversary. What a wonderful present! As many people know, I'm pretty obnoxious about making everyone look at pictures of my kids. I carry lots of pictures, and I started carrying Alejandro's around the minute we got it.
When we arrived in Ecuador late on a Saturday, we were expecting to meet him first thing Monday morning. Then we learned we had to wait for a lady from Child Protective Services. When she arrived that afternoon, she brought us a very special gift Рa book of baby pictures. What a treasure! We thought we would only have pictures from when he was two years and older. The book is thanks to the social worker at the orphanage, Laura and the speech therapist, Marta. The love all the staff have for him pours off of every page. Mommy sobbed with tears of joy. As a rule, I never cry ;-) As we learned, all the people at Peque̱itos de OSSO loved him very much and took such great care of him from the minute he arrived. He is so lucky to have gone through their care.
We met Alejandro for the first time that evening, January 25, 2010. He lived in a “casa” with 5 other kids. The casa was a series of connected rooms, including a large living room with a kitchen in the corner, a playroom filled with toys, a changing room, and bedrooms. He shared a room with 2 other kids. His favorite possessions were a small blanket he carried around like Linus from Charlie Brown, and a book of his new family. Just before Christmas, Mom made a picture book of all the family members and neighbors he would see all the time. The Tias who took care of him taught him who all of the people in the pictures were, and he knew Papa, Mama, and Nyanya (Spanish for Sissy) when we arrived. He was so proud of that book, he carried it around all the time and he would not let anyone else touch it. Annie was so happy to learn he had a nickname for her. It was a great surprise.
He was a fairly quiet and calm baby, slightly shy at first. We were told he was the alpha male of his casa, expecting to get attention first, be fed first, and play with toys first. What seemed to break the ice was a cake. His second birthday was that Thursday, and the Tias had planned a big birthday party for him on Tuesday afternoon, knowing he would be gone by Wednesday or Thursday. The cake they made was sitting on the counter. He was pointing to it, so I picked him up to see it. Then he didn’t want me to put him down!
That Wednesday he came to spend the day with us, and never left.
Alejandro's First Week with Us
It is amazing how quickly he took to us. He cried only a little that first night, but he's been a part of the family from that first moment. In the first week, we’ve gotten to know him a lot more. We can tell he is VERY intelligent. He sees things once, and then he can repeat the actions. He was particularly proud when Mom taught him to spit water after brushing his teeth! He’s learning to blow his nose at 2, when Annalise didn’t figure that out until she was almost 5. (That may not seem like a big deal, but when you have kids you know how bad you feel when your kid is stuffed up and just doesn’t know how to blow their nose. It’s a major developmental milestone, mostly for parents.) He constantly put things in order, like stacking books and magazines. He always puts thing back where they go, which makes him unique in our family.
Alejandro don’t talk much, even though he understands everything we tell him and will do what we ask (let’s hope that continues). We’ve heard him say “papa,” “ma (for mas, or more),” “mama,” “nyanya,” “bu (for bus),” and “no.” He growls every time he sees a dog, and he will spend a half hour looking out the window at the river and especially BUSSES! In the first week he has been with us, he has learned and repeats that cats say “Meow,” cows say “Moo,” and sheep say “Baa.”
His first word in English was “butt.” Annalise was doing something and said “on my butt.” We distinctly heard him repeat “butt!” We can blame his sister . . .
I always wrestled with Annalise, and the two of us have been wrestling with Alejandro. Interestingly enough, he wasn't ticklish when we got him, but after a week of wrestling and playing with Dad and Annalise, he has become ticklish above his knees and inside his hips. He has even start attacking back! I had to trim his fingernails because he cut me when he grabbed my face.
He really surprised Mom when she was doing puzzles with him. He put all the pieces in a pile away from her and then laid on top to hide them, then laughed! He thought that was so funny. So did we. We can tell he's going to be a prankster. But he's also very loving. It made Mom’s year the first time he gave her a besito (kiss) . . .
And Annalise is so thrilled to have a baby brother. She wants to help do everything, from giving him a bath (he LOVES the water) to changing his diaper (even the stinky ones!). She was over the moon when she was sitting beside him at dinner one night and he reached over to hold her hand. She wants to give him kisses every day before she leaves for school. We hope they continued to grow close. We expect the fights, but we also look forward to them taking care of each other as well.
Everyone back home is so anxious to meet him, especially Grandma Knotts. We’ve been doing video calls almost every night, and he comes running every time he hears her voice. He likes to see his picture in the video screen, and even when people take photos he expects to see them on the camera. Grandma and Papa will be his daycare when Mom goes back to work, and being the only Grandson, there is no doubt he will be spoiled!
When we were ready to have another child, we looked at all options. We could have tried to have a birth child again, but we both felt that God was leading us toward adoption. There are so many little kids who needed a family, and we have such a good one. We knew that an adopted child would be every bit a part of our family as Annalise. And Annalise lobbied for almost two years for a baby brother or baby sister! She was a great big sister even before we came to Ecuador. She helped arrange his room, picked toys she was going to pass on to him, and even helped pick out his name.
(There’s a lot of history behind the name. When Lisandra and I were pregnant with Annalise, we went through the baby name book. She kept coming up with boy names, and I kept coming up with girl names. We decided if it was a boy, we'd use her pick, and if a girl we'd use mine. Well, when we found out it was a girl, the first person who asked, I said her name would be Isabella. Lisandra said, "Well, we're not really sure yet." I thought, "OK, we've re-opened negotiations!" As much as Lisandra insisted, I never gave in --- until we were on our way to the hospital. Come on -- she was creating a new human, I knew I wasn't going to win that one. So I told her we could name our daughter Annalise, but I had naming rights on a second child. Pretty shrewd on my part, huh?
At first Annalise insisted we call her brother Nick (after St. Nick), but I explained that Nick Knotts would sound strange. After a couple of days, she suggested we could solve the problem by changing our last name! We wanted to preserve his Spanish heritage, and still reflect his being a part of our family. We considered Diego, which is James in Spanish, my middle name.
So I suggested we name him Donald Diego Knotts. All his life he would be known as Don Diego, and I'd call him Zorro! How cool would that be?! He’d always know what costume to have for Halloween. And when he wanted to do sports? Fencing and horseback riding!
In the end, we settled on Alejandro, with agreement that Annie and I could nickname him Scooter. At leat, Annie and I agreed. Mom hates that nickname. We hope he likes it.)
So we started the adoption process and after countless hours of work by Mom, and after about fifteen months, we were eventually matched with Alejandro. What a great day when we received his file with a little picture! It was our ninth wedding anniversary. What a wonderful present! As many people know, I'm pretty obnoxious about making everyone look at pictures of my kids. I carry lots of pictures, and I started carrying Alejandro's around the minute we got it.
When we arrived in Ecuador late on a Saturday, we were expecting to meet him first thing Monday morning. Then we learned we had to wait for a lady from Child Protective Services. When she arrived that afternoon, she brought us a very special gift Рa book of baby pictures. What a treasure! We thought we would only have pictures from when he was two years and older. The book is thanks to the social worker at the orphanage, Laura and the speech therapist, Marta. The love all the staff have for him pours off of every page. Mommy sobbed with tears of joy. As a rule, I never cry ;-) As we learned, all the people at Peque̱itos de OSSO loved him very much and took such great care of him from the minute he arrived. He is so lucky to have gone through their care.
We met Alejandro for the first time that evening, January 25, 2010. He lived in a “casa” with 5 other kids. The casa was a series of connected rooms, including a large living room with a kitchen in the corner, a playroom filled with toys, a changing room, and bedrooms. He shared a room with 2 other kids. His favorite possessions were a small blanket he carried around like Linus from Charlie Brown, and a book of his new family. Just before Christmas, Mom made a picture book of all the family members and neighbors he would see all the time. The Tias who took care of him taught him who all of the people in the pictures were, and he knew Papa, Mama, and Nyanya (Spanish for Sissy) when we arrived. He was so proud of that book, he carried it around all the time and he would not let anyone else touch it. Annie was so happy to learn he had a nickname for her. It was a great surprise.
He was a fairly quiet and calm baby, slightly shy at first. We were told he was the alpha male of his casa, expecting to get attention first, be fed first, and play with toys first. What seemed to break the ice was a cake. His second birthday was that Thursday, and the Tias had planned a big birthday party for him on Tuesday afternoon, knowing he would be gone by Wednesday or Thursday. The cake they made was sitting on the counter. He was pointing to it, so I picked him up to see it. Then he didn’t want me to put him down!
That Wednesday he came to spend the day with us, and never left.
Alejandro's First Week with Us
It is amazing how quickly he took to us. He cried only a little that first night, but he's been a part of the family from that first moment. In the first week, we’ve gotten to know him a lot more. We can tell he is VERY intelligent. He sees things once, and then he can repeat the actions. He was particularly proud when Mom taught him to spit water after brushing his teeth! He’s learning to blow his nose at 2, when Annalise didn’t figure that out until she was almost 5. (That may not seem like a big deal, but when you have kids you know how bad you feel when your kid is stuffed up and just doesn’t know how to blow their nose. It’s a major developmental milestone, mostly for parents.) He constantly put things in order, like stacking books and magazines. He always puts thing back where they go, which makes him unique in our family.
Alejandro don’t talk much, even though he understands everything we tell him and will do what we ask (let’s hope that continues). We’ve heard him say “papa,” “ma (for mas, or more),” “mama,” “nyanya,” “bu (for bus),” and “no.” He growls every time he sees a dog, and he will spend a half hour looking out the window at the river and especially BUSSES! In the first week he has been with us, he has learned and repeats that cats say “Meow,” cows say “Moo,” and sheep say “Baa.”
His first word in English was “butt.” Annalise was doing something and said “on my butt.” We distinctly heard him repeat “butt!” We can blame his sister . . .
I always wrestled with Annalise, and the two of us have been wrestling with Alejandro. Interestingly enough, he wasn't ticklish when we got him, but after a week of wrestling and playing with Dad and Annalise, he has become ticklish above his knees and inside his hips. He has even start attacking back! I had to trim his fingernails because he cut me when he grabbed my face.
He really surprised Mom when she was doing puzzles with him. He put all the pieces in a pile away from her and then laid on top to hide them, then laughed! He thought that was so funny. So did we. We can tell he's going to be a prankster. But he's also very loving. It made Mom’s year the first time he gave her a besito (kiss) . . .
And Annalise is so thrilled to have a baby brother. She wants to help do everything, from giving him a bath (he LOVES the water) to changing his diaper (even the stinky ones!). She was over the moon when she was sitting beside him at dinner one night and he reached over to hold her hand. She wants to give him kisses every day before she leaves for school. We hope they continued to grow close. We expect the fights, but we also look forward to them taking care of each other as well.
Everyone back home is so anxious to meet him, especially Grandma Knotts. We’ve been doing video calls almost every night, and he comes running every time he hears her voice. He likes to see his picture in the video screen, and even when people take photos he expects to see them on the camera. Grandma and Papa will be his daycare when Mom goes back to work, and being the only Grandson, there is no doubt he will be spoiled!
Day 12 and 12A
Yesterday we went to sign documents at Ossitos. We arrived at 10:30 as expected. I was kind of hoping not to bump into the Tias and kids because I wasn't sure how he would respond. As we were enterring the grounds, he looked confused. I caught on, and stopped to tell him that we were only coming for a visit and he was not going to stay. I assured him he was coming home with us. The Tias probably knew we were coming because they were waiting outside with the kids for us. The Tia's faces lit up as soon as they saw him. It's one thing to be told he is well, but another to see for themselves. Even Tia "C" who had not made eye contact with me before, smiled at me, said hello and gave me a hug.
Alejandro seemed ok with everyone around him. He reached his arms out to them with hesitation. They gave him a hug and snuggles, then handed him back. He was ok with that. One little girl, "V" was so excited to see him. She ran up to us with outstretched arms to greet him. He wasn't phased by it. Typical boy.
I was really happy to learn that at least three of the other toddlers have families in waiting. One boy's family will be here by the end of the week from Italy. He's a trip...all boy. Loves to rough-house and roar. Great kid. "V's" family will be here in a couple of weeks too, also from Italy. She is such a cute little doll-baby. Round cheeks, round thighs, snuggly, sweet, playful. Another great kid. One other girl, "A" has a family through final stages in the states. She has Down's syndrome as is cute as a button. Sharp! No getting over on her. She's the little one of the group, but she can fend for herself well. Giggly, playful, smart. Adorable. All great kids. That leaves two more. It's going to be aweful quiet around there pretty soon. Then, they get to start over with new arrivals. No rest for the weary.
The meeting was held with the Social Worker, Coordinator, Speech Therapist and Health and Nutrition Coordinator. They collectively thanked us for being taking Alejandro to what they are confident will be a better life. They thanked us for being a loving family. I just couldn't thank them enough for taking such good care of him while he was with them. How do you thank someone for that? There just aren't enough words and enough gestures in the world for that.
The Social Worker gave us a folder containing a copy of his records, letters from the entire staff involved with him and a CD of pictures that we did not already have in the baby album they made for us. She also went and got his birthday car the Tias had given him, and a bear, "osso" in Spanish. All the children are given a parting bear from Pequenitos de OSSO. OSSO stands for Orphanage Support Services Organization, and Pequenitos de OSSO (Little Ones of OSSO) is a play on words.
The Speech Therapist gave us a fun folder with work she had done with Alejandro. All the children see the Speech Therapist regularly. Inside the folder was a letter she wrote to him, doodles he'd made and learining tools she'd used to teach him everyday words, foods, items of clothing, body parts, colors, animals...you get the picture. Another treasure!
The Health and Nutrition Coordinator weighed him for us, at my request, so I can know how to dose medications. She gave me some pointers on how to manage his foods. He hasn't eaten much the last two days, at least, nowhere near his usual.
We say a good-bye to the Tias, and one notices him a little feverish. Great.
Jim needs the computer, so more later!
Alejandro seemed ok with everyone around him. He reached his arms out to them with hesitation. They gave him a hug and snuggles, then handed him back. He was ok with that. One little girl, "V" was so excited to see him. She ran up to us with outstretched arms to greet him. He wasn't phased by it. Typical boy.
I was really happy to learn that at least three of the other toddlers have families in waiting. One boy's family will be here by the end of the week from Italy. He's a trip...all boy. Loves to rough-house and roar. Great kid. "V's" family will be here in a couple of weeks too, also from Italy. She is such a cute little doll-baby. Round cheeks, round thighs, snuggly, sweet, playful. Another great kid. One other girl, "A" has a family through final stages in the states. She has Down's syndrome as is cute as a button. Sharp! No getting over on her. She's the little one of the group, but she can fend for herself well. Giggly, playful, smart. Adorable. All great kids. That leaves two more. It's going to be aweful quiet around there pretty soon. Then, they get to start over with new arrivals. No rest for the weary.
The meeting was held with the Social Worker, Coordinator, Speech Therapist and Health and Nutrition Coordinator. They collectively thanked us for being taking Alejandro to what they are confident will be a better life. They thanked us for being a loving family. I just couldn't thank them enough for taking such good care of him while he was with them. How do you thank someone for that? There just aren't enough words and enough gestures in the world for that.
The Social Worker gave us a folder containing a copy of his records, letters from the entire staff involved with him and a CD of pictures that we did not already have in the baby album they made for us. She also went and got his birthday car the Tias had given him, and a bear, "osso" in Spanish. All the children are given a parting bear from Pequenitos de OSSO. OSSO stands for Orphanage Support Services Organization, and Pequenitos de OSSO (Little Ones of OSSO) is a play on words.
The Speech Therapist gave us a fun folder with work she had done with Alejandro. All the children see the Speech Therapist regularly. Inside the folder was a letter she wrote to him, doodles he'd made and learining tools she'd used to teach him everyday words, foods, items of clothing, body parts, colors, animals...you get the picture. Another treasure!
The Health and Nutrition Coordinator weighed him for us, at my request, so I can know how to dose medications. She gave me some pointers on how to manage his foods. He hasn't eaten much the last two days, at least, nowhere near his usual.
We say a good-bye to the Tias, and one notices him a little feverish. Great.
Jim needs the computer, so more later!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 11, Annie's first day on the school bus, and the Return of the Dragon Lady
Annie awoke ready for school today feeling much better. I accompanied on her first school bus ride to kindergarten, ever. I'm glad she has many friends back home that take the school bus to school and s sees them come and go everyday without a problem. I think that gave her the extra courage she needed. However, mommy doesn't have anyone to give HER extra courage, so I accompanied her on her first day, to be sure she would understand the routine. Jim says he's taking a huge leap of faith allowing his baby to take a school bus to school in a foreign country. Sooooo, I'm not the only one. Annie understands Spanish fairly well, but doesn't speak it much, at least not at home. Her teacher at the Burnt Mills Elementary School Spanish Immersion Program may disagree. Annalise probably does better for her than she does for me. At least, I sure hope so.
A yellow minibus ("busetta") pulls up for her at 7:15 and the kids inside are surprised to see me hop on too. The driver jokes and tells them I am their new teacher and they'd better be on their best behavior. They chuckle, a little. I tell them, no, in fact it's my first day of kindergarten and I needed my daughter to accompany me to school so I wouldn't get lost. They cackled hysterically. The driver has his own children on the bus and his wife hops on during one of the stops. This makes me feel very well. Her teacher greets her with a hug and smooch (she greets all the kids like that). There is a boy who is obviously not wanting to go to school, and she brings him inside with a special song than convinces him to be there. He's not too thrilled though. My princess is ecstatic to be back in school. Much as she complains at home (sorry Mrs. daS and Mrs. A, nothing personal I'm sure), she's excited about her new school. Maybe just because it's new. Maybe just because people go out of their way to try to make her comfortable despite the language barrier on both sides. Maybe because it's such a pretty school, or because she gets to wear a uniform and ride a bus. I don't know. Whatever it is, she's happy, which makes both Jim and I very happy.
Have I mentioned that Annalise is in a private school? I don't remember. Who reads these things anyway ;-0 It's a school for what is considered upper middle class here. Whatever. It's called Ausubel School, and my very smart psychology friends will know who the famous Ausubel was. I had no clue. I had to look him up. Her full set of uniforms cost about $60, her books and materials $24 and monthly tuition is $160, which includes a snack and transportation. Yes, $160 a month. I'm sure we pay more than that in gas $$$ driving her back and forth to school in Maryland (it's 40 minutes away) between her grandmother and I. Holy cow, and what a blessing. She not only gets to continue her K education (and not be held back due to absence back home), but she gets to do it in Spanish which is consistent with her immersion program. In addition, there is the added benefit of being immersed in a new culture. Only children can adapt this well. I'm still trying to figure out which way is the center of town! She had a super day.
---------------------
This morning finally felt like a normal day, as normal as one can be away from home. I awoke to make Annie breakfast and pack her a lunch. Woke her up, dressed and groomed her. Made her all cute and spiffy for her first day back after bronchitis. Took her to school, and took a cab ride back home. Alejandro was happy chomping away at breakfast with Daddy. They were both dressed and ready to start the day.
I pack a diaper and goodie bag. Haven't done that in years. I take off to the mall in a cab, about 20 minutes away. It's a fantastic mall. Beautiful. Obviously upscale. How odd that this is where I would fit in. It just feels like an average mall back home. Alejandro loves being wheeled around in his umbrella stroller. Did I mention that the airlines broke a handle and then forced it back together? We didn't notice it until a week later when we finally used it. They don't sell umbrella strollers here, locally. This is an "el-cheapo" version, but at least it does the job well and is light-weight for me.
Before ditching it, we thought maybe we could find someone to weld the broken parts together. But where to find that? Well, yesterday, when Jim came home to give me a break, I took a walk to where he thought he had seen some metal welding places nearby. I asked them if they could fix it and they were up for the job. After working on it diligently for about half an hour, they returned it to me. Almost new condition. I asked what they wanted me to pay for it. He couldn't come up with a sum, and finally asked for $1, embarassed, as though that was too much to ask. Seriously? He just saved me $40 which is what the nearest version of it would cost. I paid him $4. Happiness all around. Awesome.
Food shopping next. Family dinner a challenge. Alejandro isn't happy with the meat selection. He doesn't fuss. He just hands me back the plate as to say, "what else you got?" We muddle through anyway. But I digress.
Back to today.
He loved the stroller ride through the mall. We stocked up on wooden puzzles, a ride-on car for baby boy, and Barbies and other girlie goodies for baby girl (who's not such a baby anymore).
So after the mall run and naptime, we were headed out the door to Ossitos to sign documents giving us temporary official custody of Alejandro. At that moment we receive a call from Dragon Lady. She's at the front door for a visit. She works for INFA, Instituto de la Ninez y Familia. I think it would come closest to our Child Protective Services back home. She is here on official business, to make an unnanounced site visit and check on Alejandro. Ok.
Have you ever seen the Bugs Bunny episode with "Michigan J. Frog"? It's the one where a man has a frog that he swears sings and dances and should be a star. However, when in public, he just sits there, and does nothing. That describes Alejandro during that visit.
She called him by his name, he wouldn't look. She asked him, "Where is mommy?" and "Where is daddy?" Nothing. He didn't want to interact with her. A true judge of character, I'd say. He kept playing on daddy's lap with his new bucket full of Leggos. She took notes. Then she asked us what we knew of him. I asked, what did she specifically mean? Did she mean what we had read on reports, etc? She just responded, just tell me what you know of him. So, after translating for Jim, I responded, something to the effect of:
"In addition to what we (meaning she and I, because she has copies of the same reports we received) know about him on paper, I can tell you that OUR SON, loves the river out back. He loves to stare at it in tranquility. He loves his bathtime and water play, so much, that it's hard to take him away from it. He says words, some of which he only learned today from us. He's quiet and easy going. He likes dogs, busses and car rides. He is very alert and notices even the most minor things around him. And so on, and so on. I filled a half-hour converstation about what we know about him in just six and a half days. That seemed to satisfy her, although she was not happy that we had been given custody after only two and a half days. What can I say. Things went better than anyone expected. The kid is a sound judge of character ;-)
Didn't get to go sign the custody papers. Will go tomorrow instead.
We instead stayed home and enjoyed some family time. We tickled, giggled, played, did homework, and played some more. During Annie's homework time, we gave Alejandro colored pencils and paper and let him have at it. Never too early to instill good study habits. We played with the wooden puzzles. Alejandro especially took joy in hiding the pieces away from me under his blanket on the bed, and then layed on them. He thought that was hilarious. We did too. I tried to mismatch the animals, but he knew where they should go. He's a fast learner. He learned some animal sounds today. He may have known them all along, but hadn't mimicked them yet.
Annie feels like such a big girl when she gets to do something for him, or teach him something. Yesterday, she gave him his bath, with me close by. Today she helped teach animal sounds. He already knows all his body parts. No teaching needed there. This is the fun part. Basking in family time. Thanks for sharing it with us.
BTW, I discovered why the Tias put the baby's footie pajamas on backwards. I checked on him before going to bed last night, and he had unzipped himself and taken his arms out of it. From now on, it goes on backwards.
Love, Lisandra.
A yellow minibus ("busetta") pulls up for her at 7:15 and the kids inside are surprised to see me hop on too. The driver jokes and tells them I am their new teacher and they'd better be on their best behavior. They chuckle, a little. I tell them, no, in fact it's my first day of kindergarten and I needed my daughter to accompany me to school so I wouldn't get lost. They cackled hysterically. The driver has his own children on the bus and his wife hops on during one of the stops. This makes me feel very well. Her teacher greets her with a hug and smooch (she greets all the kids like that). There is a boy who is obviously not wanting to go to school, and she brings him inside with a special song than convinces him to be there. He's not too thrilled though. My princess is ecstatic to be back in school. Much as she complains at home (sorry Mrs. daS and Mrs. A, nothing personal I'm sure), she's excited about her new school. Maybe just because it's new. Maybe just because people go out of their way to try to make her comfortable despite the language barrier on both sides. Maybe because it's such a pretty school, or because she gets to wear a uniform and ride a bus. I don't know. Whatever it is, she's happy, which makes both Jim and I very happy.
Have I mentioned that Annalise is in a private school? I don't remember. Who reads these things anyway ;-0 It's a school for what is considered upper middle class here. Whatever. It's called Ausubel School, and my very smart psychology friends will know who the famous Ausubel was. I had no clue. I had to look him up. Her full set of uniforms cost about $60, her books and materials $24 and monthly tuition is $160, which includes a snack and transportation. Yes, $160 a month. I'm sure we pay more than that in gas $$$ driving her back and forth to school in Maryland (it's 40 minutes away) between her grandmother and I. Holy cow, and what a blessing. She not only gets to continue her K education (and not be held back due to absence back home), but she gets to do it in Spanish which is consistent with her immersion program. In addition, there is the added benefit of being immersed in a new culture. Only children can adapt this well. I'm still trying to figure out which way is the center of town! She had a super day.
---------------------
This morning finally felt like a normal day, as normal as one can be away from home. I awoke to make Annie breakfast and pack her a lunch. Woke her up, dressed and groomed her. Made her all cute and spiffy for her first day back after bronchitis. Took her to school, and took a cab ride back home. Alejandro was happy chomping away at breakfast with Daddy. They were both dressed and ready to start the day.
I pack a diaper and goodie bag. Haven't done that in years. I take off to the mall in a cab, about 20 minutes away. It's a fantastic mall. Beautiful. Obviously upscale. How odd that this is where I would fit in. It just feels like an average mall back home. Alejandro loves being wheeled around in his umbrella stroller. Did I mention that the airlines broke a handle and then forced it back together? We didn't notice it until a week later when we finally used it. They don't sell umbrella strollers here, locally. This is an "el-cheapo" version, but at least it does the job well and is light-weight for me.
Before ditching it, we thought maybe we could find someone to weld the broken parts together. But where to find that? Well, yesterday, when Jim came home to give me a break, I took a walk to where he thought he had seen some metal welding places nearby. I asked them if they could fix it and they were up for the job. After working on it diligently for about half an hour, they returned it to me. Almost new condition. I asked what they wanted me to pay for it. He couldn't come up with a sum, and finally asked for $1, embarassed, as though that was too much to ask. Seriously? He just saved me $40 which is what the nearest version of it would cost. I paid him $4. Happiness all around. Awesome.
Food shopping next. Family dinner a challenge. Alejandro isn't happy with the meat selection. He doesn't fuss. He just hands me back the plate as to say, "what else you got?" We muddle through anyway. But I digress.
Back to today.
He loved the stroller ride through the mall. We stocked up on wooden puzzles, a ride-on car for baby boy, and Barbies and other girlie goodies for baby girl (who's not such a baby anymore).
So after the mall run and naptime, we were headed out the door to Ossitos to sign documents giving us temporary official custody of Alejandro. At that moment we receive a call from Dragon Lady. She's at the front door for a visit. She works for INFA, Instituto de la Ninez y Familia. I think it would come closest to our Child Protective Services back home. She is here on official business, to make an unnanounced site visit and check on Alejandro. Ok.
Have you ever seen the Bugs Bunny episode with "Michigan J. Frog"? It's the one where a man has a frog that he swears sings and dances and should be a star. However, when in public, he just sits there, and does nothing. That describes Alejandro during that visit.
She called him by his name, he wouldn't look. She asked him, "Where is mommy?" and "Where is daddy?" Nothing. He didn't want to interact with her. A true judge of character, I'd say. He kept playing on daddy's lap with his new bucket full of Leggos. She took notes. Then she asked us what we knew of him. I asked, what did she specifically mean? Did she mean what we had read on reports, etc? She just responded, just tell me what you know of him. So, after translating for Jim, I responded, something to the effect of:
"In addition to what we (meaning she and I, because she has copies of the same reports we received) know about him on paper, I can tell you that OUR SON, loves the river out back. He loves to stare at it in tranquility. He loves his bathtime and water play, so much, that it's hard to take him away from it. He says words, some of which he only learned today from us. He's quiet and easy going. He likes dogs, busses and car rides. He is very alert and notices even the most minor things around him. And so on, and so on. I filled a half-hour converstation about what we know about him in just six and a half days. That seemed to satisfy her, although she was not happy that we had been given custody after only two and a half days. What can I say. Things went better than anyone expected. The kid is a sound judge of character ;-)
Didn't get to go sign the custody papers. Will go tomorrow instead.
We instead stayed home and enjoyed some family time. We tickled, giggled, played, did homework, and played some more. During Annie's homework time, we gave Alejandro colored pencils and paper and let him have at it. Never too early to instill good study habits. We played with the wooden puzzles. Alejandro especially took joy in hiding the pieces away from me under his blanket on the bed, and then layed on them. He thought that was hilarious. We did too. I tried to mismatch the animals, but he knew where they should go. He's a fast learner. He learned some animal sounds today. He may have known them all along, but hadn't mimicked them yet.
Annie feels like such a big girl when she gets to do something for him, or teach him something. Yesterday, she gave him his bath, with me close by. Today she helped teach animal sounds. He already knows all his body parts. No teaching needed there. This is the fun part. Basking in family time. Thanks for sharing it with us.
BTW, I discovered why the Tias put the baby's footie pajamas on backwards. I checked on him before going to bed last night, and he had unzipped himself and taken his arms out of it. From now on, it goes on backwards.
Love, Lisandra.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 10
Since we don't have a crib, we pushed the kid's two twin beds together and against a wall. Alejandro sleeps closest to the wall, so he doesn't fall off the bed. I have been helping him fall asleep by laying in the bed next to him until he is out. I know the surroundings must be frightening to him. Annalise has been too sick to sleep next to him and needed night-time attention. So, he's gotten used to me being next to him as he falls asleep. Last night was no different.
After I had left him sleeping and was in the living room/dining room/kitchen on the computer, I heard him wimpering. I gave it a few minutes to see if he would fall back asleep. When I went in to check on him, he had moved from his bed to the bed I normally lay on, with his face on the mattress wimpering, "Mama, mama". Oh, just rip my heart out with a wooden spoon, won't you? I gave him a hug, reassured him, placed him back on his bed and laid next to him again rubbing his back. He likes that for a few minutes, then does the check-swing thing. Then, he reaches his tiny little hand to mine and holds it until he falls asleep. Aaaaaaawwwwe.
The parade that had gone by yesterday had about twenty youth dancing to folkloric music. In front and behind them were the national flags. They were followed by a truck with large speakers in the back playing the music. We had fun watching them from the window. Annalise then practiced her best Ecuadorian folkloric dance routine. She's feeling much better and thanks to all of you who have written to wish us better health. Zithromax rocks. She'll be back to school tomorrow. I'll just ask that she be kept inside and away from PE class. The weather is so nice, that they hold the class outdoors. The breezes make Annie go into coughing fits though, so we're staying clear of that for the time being. The doctor said she'd have the cough for the better part of the next two weeks.
Alejandro awoke with a slight cough today. Bummer. I have now enterred the world that many of my friends already know. Once one kid gets sick, the other gets sick too. Call me a late bloomer. I already know that the minute he gets a fever, I need to call the social worker to have him seen by a doctor ASAP. They have their own doctor that sees the children. She told me they take the children to be seen immediately if they have a cold, followed by a fever, and don't wait. I, of course, don't want to give even the slightest hint of negligence, so if he gets a fever, it's off to the doctor we go. So far, so good. Yet another home remedy was recommended...they have one for everything. I guess your average person can't afford to go to the doctor so they try all these remedies first. I'm sure some are quite good. My own culture has many, but having grown up in New York City and not Puerto Rico, I am not privy to them. This one was one garlic clove boiled in milk, with raisins and brown sugar to cover the taste. So long as it doesn't sound harmful to me, I'll go along. He drank it right up. My five year old has much to learn from him.
Lunch and Dinner times are quite the guessing game nowadays. "I wonder if he'll like this?" Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I take it when he spits something right out, it means a firm, "No". This part isn't fun. I don't get to ease into this part like I did with Annie, trying one new thing at a time. Let's see, besides his homeland foods that I have learned to make, fresh chicken is a yes, but chicken nuggets are a "No". Likes fresh fish but hotdogs earn a "what are you crazy?" look on his face. Smart kid. No crappy processed foods. A genius! Now if only I could wean the five year old off of that junk.
Annie and I are having a hard time because we love salads. Green leafys, mmm-mmmm. Can't have them here. At least, I haven't figured out if that's what did me in even though I soaked stuff four times as long as recommended with some fancy vegetable disinfecting wash stuff. I'm going to miss salads. I have to figure that out.
Other than meal time, the little guy had a good day. Jim had to go to do some work at a cafe. This place is too small for him to hide to work. The kids obviously missed him all day, despite my best efforts. I feel bad about it. I do a good chopped liver immitation. Jim came home to give me a little break to go food shopping, child-free. Doesn't sound like much, but it helps.
Bed time went without a hitch. I told Alejandro several times that he would be sleeping with Annie instead of Mommy. He protested a little once the time came, but did fine. Annie said she would sleep on his bed with him to keep him company and keep him from being scared. She's so special. A very giving child with a warm heart. Sounds familiar.
Goodnight,
Love, Lisandra.
After I had left him sleeping and was in the living room/dining room/kitchen on the computer, I heard him wimpering. I gave it a few minutes to see if he would fall back asleep. When I went in to check on him, he had moved from his bed to the bed I normally lay on, with his face on the mattress wimpering, "Mama, mama". Oh, just rip my heart out with a wooden spoon, won't you? I gave him a hug, reassured him, placed him back on his bed and laid next to him again rubbing his back. He likes that for a few minutes, then does the check-swing thing. Then, he reaches his tiny little hand to mine and holds it until he falls asleep. Aaaaaaawwwwe.
The parade that had gone by yesterday had about twenty youth dancing to folkloric music. In front and behind them were the national flags. They were followed by a truck with large speakers in the back playing the music. We had fun watching them from the window. Annalise then practiced her best Ecuadorian folkloric dance routine. She's feeling much better and thanks to all of you who have written to wish us better health. Zithromax rocks. She'll be back to school tomorrow. I'll just ask that she be kept inside and away from PE class. The weather is so nice, that they hold the class outdoors. The breezes make Annie go into coughing fits though, so we're staying clear of that for the time being. The doctor said she'd have the cough for the better part of the next two weeks.
Alejandro awoke with a slight cough today. Bummer. I have now enterred the world that many of my friends already know. Once one kid gets sick, the other gets sick too. Call me a late bloomer. I already know that the minute he gets a fever, I need to call the social worker to have him seen by a doctor ASAP. They have their own doctor that sees the children. She told me they take the children to be seen immediately if they have a cold, followed by a fever, and don't wait. I, of course, don't want to give even the slightest hint of negligence, so if he gets a fever, it's off to the doctor we go. So far, so good. Yet another home remedy was recommended...they have one for everything. I guess your average person can't afford to go to the doctor so they try all these remedies first. I'm sure some are quite good. My own culture has many, but having grown up in New York City and not Puerto Rico, I am not privy to them. This one was one garlic clove boiled in milk, with raisins and brown sugar to cover the taste. So long as it doesn't sound harmful to me, I'll go along. He drank it right up. My five year old has much to learn from him.
Lunch and Dinner times are quite the guessing game nowadays. "I wonder if he'll like this?" Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. I take it when he spits something right out, it means a firm, "No". This part isn't fun. I don't get to ease into this part like I did with Annie, trying one new thing at a time. Let's see, besides his homeland foods that I have learned to make, fresh chicken is a yes, but chicken nuggets are a "No". Likes fresh fish but hotdogs earn a "what are you crazy?" look on his face. Smart kid. No crappy processed foods. A genius! Now if only I could wean the five year old off of that junk.
Annie and I are having a hard time because we love salads. Green leafys, mmm-mmmm. Can't have them here. At least, I haven't figured out if that's what did me in even though I soaked stuff four times as long as recommended with some fancy vegetable disinfecting wash stuff. I'm going to miss salads. I have to figure that out.
Other than meal time, the little guy had a good day. Jim had to go to do some work at a cafe. This place is too small for him to hide to work. The kids obviously missed him all day, despite my best efforts. I feel bad about it. I do a good chopped liver immitation. Jim came home to give me a little break to go food shopping, child-free. Doesn't sound like much, but it helps.
Bed time went without a hitch. I told Alejandro several times that he would be sleeping with Annie instead of Mommy. He protested a little once the time came, but did fine. Annie said she would sleep on his bed with him to keep him company and keep him from being scared. She's so special. A very giving child with a warm heart. Sounds familiar.
Goodnight,
Love, Lisandra.
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