Weekend Update No. 2

Posted on March 8, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

I’m taking Michelle from My Six in the City’s Challenge and posting photos every monday. Here’s what we’ve been up to!

I'm reading, so what? (Elian is currently into rolling up one pant leg. You just can't hold down his hip-hop style)

It was rainy so we had an arepapaloooza. Arepas+hot chocolate=Wonderful

We went down to SoCal so Elian could meet his grandparents. He enjoyed the airport as always.

It seems Grandma was smitten with the little sailor.

Grandmas United cannot be Divided

Arnold teaches Elian the importance of staying AWAY from the squatters outside our house.

Awww.... grandparents bonding at Cabrillo National Monument.

Elian Vs. Arnold

Posted on February 26, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

Oh man I have been waiting SO LONG to publish this video! I can’t even tell you how excited I am to share the awesomeness of this epic battle between my beloved son and my sweet husband. This video was taken at Martiza’s parents house our first week in Colombia with Elian. The whole week was equal parts overwhelming joy and nightmarish struggles. Because the adoption was not yet finalized I chose at that time to only write about the joyful moments but let’s get real, it wasn’t all fun. Elian refused to eat anything but yogurt for the whole week among other issues. Keep this in mind as you see my child battle with Arnold over his sovereign right to EAT ROCKS. That’s right we spent the whole week stressing about his eating only to watch him sneakily try to devour pebbles at the playground. We watched this video almost every night we were in Colombia and it still makes me laugh hysterically. ENJOY!

PS-I can’t believe how much bigger he is now. Crazy.

PPS – Thank you to everyone who shared their encouraging words and crazy parenting experiences yesterday. I truly appreciate your support!

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The Signature

Posted on February 10, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

Remember when I alluded to last minute drama regarding our ability to secure Elian’s visa in time to leave Bogotá together? Yeah, that was a fun time. And now I’m going to tell you all about it…

While we were in Colombia things went unnaturally well. We got Sentencia 8 business days after we requested it which is CRAZY amazing. We even got his birth certificate the same day we got Sentencia thanks to our lawyer’s savvy connections.This gave us 5 days to get his visa. It only takes two. We were more than golden! We were home free! I couldn’t eat anything but saltines but I was over the moon. We were on our way home! And then we weren’t.

What we needed was just one thing. A document from Colombian social welfare that says and I quote “These people adopted this child.” Never mind the birth certificate with our names or the Court Decree saying the same things. The stupid Hague convention requires this document.

But no big deal? Colombian Social Services is on it! They always turn around things super fast. We ‘ll get the doc and then we go to the Embassy and the next day visa. Bada-bing. Bada-boom! Easy Peasy. Except this is us, so of course something went wrong. Actually many things went wrong. Shall I tell you about them?

Monday: We leave the document to be signed.

Tuesday: The computer breaks down. No big deal. They’ll do it the next day.

Wednesday: The ONLY person internationally authorized to sign the paper QUITS HER JOB over some policy disagreement and LEAVES social services. We are now officially screwed. Elian and I simultaneously throw tantrums at a Bogotá Shopping Mall.

Wednesday Night: My stomach ailment mysteriously returns. I ponder what it will be like to spend a week in Bogotá by myself with Elian and then take a 13 hour flight home with him. I think the cold sweat is a bad sign.

Thursday Morning: Nauseous and depressed I return to my all saltines diet while I wait to find out what’s going to happen. I know if we don’t have that document by 11 the embassy won’t let us in and we’ll have no chance of getting the visa until next week. I look and my baby boy and pep talk myself. This is a blessing, a special time to spend together… but I don’t believe it. I know it would’ve been horrible.

Thursday Morning: Our facilitator calls and says “Get thee to Social Services we are going to track down the head of the dept and get her to sign.” I was like, what? The head of “Social Services” is kind of the equivalent of trying to track down a member of Obama’s cabinet. Not easy. When we arrived they said “Oh she’ll be here any minute, she’s at Casa Narino. Yeah, Casa Narino is the Colombian white house. Okay then. ”At least she’s not actually with the president!” they add trying to cheer me up.

Thursday Morning 10:30: Our facilitator starts visibly getting nervous. Not a good sign as she is a cool cucumber. She looks at me and makes a decision “We are going to the embassy with Elian. We will beg the embassy to start processing the visa with the promise that the document is coming. Arnold is going to stay here and get the signature.” People at social services are fluttering around in a tizzy about our situation. Alright then, off we go. I’m officially scared. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen our facilitator walk quickly.

Thursday Morning: 10:55: We get into the embassy with 5 minutes to spare. There are big weird gates that open and close. They make a sound very similar to Lostzilla. We’re there for a few hours. They provisionally accept our application. I try not to throw myself against the service window and faux hug the consul. My appetite begins to return.

1:30 -No sign of Arnold. I’m wondering where the hell he is because cell phones are not allowed in the Embassy. Nor are ipods. Nor are cameras(thus this all text post) It makes the hours you spend there freezing outside like cattle all the more entertaining.

2:00 – We return to Social Services after promising to bring back the document later that afternoon. We arrive to find Arnold in a hysterical fury. Social Services neglected to put my name on the document. And Ms. Cabinet Member has gone into another meeting while the document is being re-written correctly. Arnold has spent the last four hours wandering the hallways with the plan of launching himself on her if she accidentally steps in to the hall. All of social services is eyeing him suspiciously.

3:00 pm -Arnold tells me he is going to throw Elian at Ms. Cabinet Member and grovel at her feet if he sees her. I plan my “begging for mercy” speech to use at the Embassy. And then our last minute miracle occurs and they FINALLY appear with the document. I try not to scream with joy. I am hysterical but not lacking in dignity!

3:30 pm – We turn in the document and finally eat for the first time today.

FRIDAY -We pick up Elian’s visa 8 hours before our flight is scheduled to leave. I’m not ashamed to say that I wept there in the Embassy when they handed it to me. And when I mean I wept, I don’t mean a little, I mean A LOT. I may have imagined it but Bogotá suddenly seems to me the most beautiful it’s ever been. Pristine clear skies. I feel like Amelie after she gives the box back to Dominique Brodetau. Everything is WONDERFUL!

And that my friends is how spend our last two days in Bogota.

Scenic Sunday

Posted on February 7, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

We’ve been home for a week. Bogota seems so far away, like a beautiful distant dream.

Garcia Marquez Cultural Center-Bogota, Colombia

St. John the Divine

Posted on February 4, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

I once read an article that said “There are two types of girls in the world, those that read Madeline L’engle and those that didn’t”

I loved that because Is am the type of girl who read Madeline L’engle and the supposition is that those who do are creative, headstrong, brainy types. And I love the supposition that I might dare to be considered all of the above.

Madeline L’engle is best known for her children’s book about time travel “A Wrinkle in Time” but she wrote A LOT and my favorite book of hers is called “Walking on Water”The book is a meditation on creativity and the Christian life; the vocation of twriting/art. The call to create. I love that book dearly and read it once a year or so. In addition to writing 50 or so books during her life she was also a devoted Episcopalian and served as the writer-in-residence at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York. St. John the Divine is the largest gothic cathedral in the world and it figures prominently in some of her novels so whenever I get a chance to go to New York I feel compelled, obligated even to visit and watch my childhood stories come to life.

When Arnold and I visited New York last fall on our “last hurrah” before the hurricane we ended up staying directly across the street from the Cathedral. Everyday as we left Liz’s apartment the Cathedral was our great hulking friend bidding us good morning at at night it’s flying buttresses watched us head safely back home. Here are the pictures from that trip and the beautiful building that holds not only a house of worship but my childhood dreams.

Home Sweet Home

Posted on February 1, 2010 by NotoriousMLE

We made it home and while the flight(s) weren’t as terrible as I was expecting I can’t say that a 13 hour trip with a 1.5 year old is enjoyable either. And for that matter, nor is the day after a redeye flight with a toddler but you know what? I was so relieved to be on the plane all together that I could’ve cared less about the screaming. (Note to all travelers: There is something worse than being on a plane with a screaming baby and that’s being the person whose holding the baby. ) When we arrived in Sacramento and I stood up to de-board several people looked at Elian and nodded their heads as if to say “Oh that’s where all that noise was coming from”. I’m glad none of you had to make that trip with us but I can’t deprive you of the funner moments of the trip can I? Here’s a small and unthorough “photodocumentary” of our journey home!

All smiles on the plane. It's 1:00 am. Arnold looks appropriately concerned about what's to come. Carmen spent most of the flight making good use of her rosary.

Arriving to Houston airport. Elian and Carmen's first moments in the USA! I think he looks appropriately alarmed given that we arrived at 5 am

Arnold wastes no time introducing his Mom to Starbucks. She was a fan of the oatmeal but thought the coffee to be "feo y demasiado cargado". They obviously have a "small" difference of opinion about what makes good coffee. Note the shell-shocked lack of sleep in eyes.

After weeks of getting Carmen mentally prepared for "the intense cold" of California we arrive to freakishly warm and beautiful weather at SMF. Carmen unsurprisingly, is thrilled. Elian looks around waiting for the first Sacramentan to fall victim to his cuteness!

My parents used the chalkboard door to welcome us home. I'm glad to see they used the chalk that I put rather obviously in view for this exact purpose. Good job guys!