tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88146188460926193642024-03-13T09:25:13.812-07:00Check Your Expectations at the Door: Life with BrielleWe have adopted a sweet little girl from Bogota, Colombia! She is our first, and is giving us daily reminders about how expectations and real life don't always mesh. Our whole adoption journey is documented here, so now we want to continue to document our real life with our daughter. allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-64966686445800698422015-10-23T08:12:00.001-07:002015-10-23T08:12:21.882-07:00The New NormalWe have been officially home a little over a year. Brielle touched US soil and became a citizen on October 11, 2014. Our sentencia date was October 8th, so we celebrate our Family Day annually on that date. This year we decided to eat some arepas and go to the zoo. It was truly a perfect day of spending time together, just our little family.<br />
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Lunch at Aprea Mia</div>
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Checking out the fish (or maybe just her reflection)</div>
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Riding the train</div>
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Her favorite part was riding the carousel </div>
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Finishing the day with ice cream (not as good as Crepes y Waffles!)</div>
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I finally feel like we are settling into a good rhythm and finding our new normal at home. The first year had so many big victories, but a lot of struggles too. It didn't always feel hard, but looking back I see how we fought big battles. I believe the Lord just gave us strength to get through each one as it came. I hope no one takes this the wrong way, but we are finally to the point where we truly enjoy our time together. Brielle was left alone most of the time in the orphanage, so it has taken awhile for her to learn to enjoy people. Now that she is in school I treasure the time that we have together. One of my favorite things to do is lay a blanket outside and read books with her. We also love to snuggle in her new big girl bed (that was mine when I was little!) And her favorite part of the day is when Daddy walks in the door; she is a daddy's girl through and through.<br />
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We have also enjoyed outings together so much more lately. It feels less like we are managing, and more like we are truly enjoying our family time. Brielle loved picking apples a few weeks ago!<br />
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She has made some great accomplishments in the last few weeks, and is growing taller all the time! </div>
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<li>Walking 25 or so steps by herself</li>
<li>Using the potty pretty consistently </li>
<li>Saying 7-8 words (that we understand), and trying to imitate everything we say</li>
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<li>'mo' for more</li>
<li>'ga-ga' for Dada</li>
<li>Mama</li>
<li>'Eee-a' for Tia (Aunt Erin)</li>
<li>Noooo and shaking her head</li>
<li>'Ahha' and nodding for yes</li>
<li>'ush eeth' for brush teeth</li>
<li>'ush' for flush</li>
<li>'hep' for help</li>
<li>And probably more that I'm forgetting or we don't understand yet!</li>
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<li>Sleeping in a twin bed, and sometimes staying under her covers (a big sensory victory)</li>
<li>Learning how to trace shapes and letters, but we are still working on this one!</li>
<li>Engaging in more pretend play</li>
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-22569472920850177622015-08-14T05:39:00.003-07:002015-08-14T05:39:38.576-07:00Gotcha Day: A Year LaterI truly cannot believe that a year ago today was the first time we met our beautiful daughter. There are times when I cannot believe a year has passed, but there are times when I feel like we've had Brielle forever. I think it has almost taken me a year to process our Gotcha Day.<br />
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We decided pretty quickly after our Gotcha Day that it would not be the day for celebration. We had been warned by others about how emotional it can be for everyone, so we were somewhat prepared. I remember the first thing I thought when I saw Brielle was how incredibily tiny she was, and clearly not a typical 3 year old. We tried very hard to engage her, and help her to understand the life-changing event that was occurring. She could not make eye contact, did not know how to be held, and was not mentally with-it. It was a pretty scary day for us all. I think at that point Scott and I were accepting that we had adopted a child with very little functioning skills. That was not what we expected. Although we will never know I am sure the day was incredibly hard for Brielle too. She was taken away from the only orphanage she had known to sleep in a new one for a night, put into new clothes that were too big, and handed off to strangers who didn't speak her language.<br />
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We didn't hear any noise out of her until she let out a giggle in the car going over a pot hole. That brought a moment of relief, knowing that at least she could laugh. My prayer then became that there would be a day when she would laugh at us, not at bumps in the road.<br />
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We played outside in the grass, and with some of the toys we brought. Brielle was pretty content just to be held, and she slowly learned how to lean in and form her body to ours. We had a small dinner, and put her to bed. She went down without crying and slept 12 hours straight.<br />
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Scott and I didn't talk much about that day, and how we felt because it was too hard. Our expectations from her file were very different than the reality we walked in to.<br />
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I was reading some of the blogs I wrote before we went to Bogota last year. I had written about a sermon from Momentum based on Matthew 28-30, where Jesus talks about followers taking his yoke. In the sermon Bart described how Christ's yoke fits each of us perfectly because the yoke is molded for us, and us for the yoke. I know on August 14, 2014 I was questioning whether the yoke Christ had given us was indeed a good fit. Now a year later I know, with out doubt, that the yoke of parenting Brielle was designed specifically for us. It is still not a perfect fit because Christ is molding us to fit that yoke every day, growing patience, love, and grace in us.<br />
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Brielle was not the child we expected her to be, and she still exceeds our expectations every day. I cannot even recount all her accomplishments this year. The way that she overcomes her difficulties amazes me every day. I am blessed to be her momma, and pray that God will continue to use her story to draw others to Him.<br />
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(And in case you're wondering October 8th is our Family Day celebration, when we will celebrate the day our adoption was final in court and we could come home a family of 3.)<br />
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Waiting Anxiously</div>
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She wasn't sure what to do with the baby doll</div>
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One of her first car rides</div>
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Our first family photo!</div>
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How she has grown and changed in one year. </div>
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We cannot wait to see what God has planned for her future!</div>
allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-30237677090267399712015-07-11T07:19:00.000-07:002015-07-11T07:19:38.257-07:00May and June RecapMay and June have been busy months, so here is a picture recap!<br />
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May</div>
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Vacation in Cancun</div>
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Sailing on the catamaran</div>
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Eating yummy tacos</div>
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Tubing at Xel-Ha with her tia</div>
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Brielle has been working hard at therapy! One of her favorite activities is riding the tricycle</div>
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The best part of summer is spending lots of time on the boat!</div>
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Hosting a rainy memorial day with all our friends</div>
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We went up to Dahlongea for my birthday, and got to use our awesome Osprey pack. </div>
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June</div>
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Loving family time in our new house</div>
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Friend weekend at the lake. Nora loved swimming! </div>
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Brielle has achieved an important milestone of stacking blocks. </div>
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She also spent her first week at 'Grammy Camp', while Mommy was taking a class to finish her masters. </div>
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Nothing says summer like pizza and cupcakes at the pool.</div>
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The slip-n-slide is also a new favorite.</div>
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Fun Sunday lunch playing with the cousins. So fun to have family live close!</div>
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Brielle has made some great progress in the last few months:</div>
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<li>She has taken a few independent steps, and is gaining confidence in her walking everyday. </li>
<li>She is getting close to using a fork by herself, and has mastered the spoon.</li>
<li>She is getting her own adaptive tricycle, so she can ride while we go on our evening walks. Not only will the trike strengthen her legs, but it will also help with brain connectivity.</li>
<li>She has gotten a body compression suit called Theratogs. It helps calm her system, and also helps with brain connectivity. </li>
<li>The biggest victory is that Brielle has started using two 'words'. This is a huge deal because we weren't sure if she would ever understand how sounds can have meaning. She has started saying 'mo' for more, and 'hep' for help. Most people might not be able to understand her words, but we know what she is trying to say!</li>
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It is hard to believe that we will have been a family for a whole year in August. Our little girl has amazing progress, and we are so blessed to be her parents. Thanks for your support and prayers!</div>
allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-80471021952478134022015-04-23T06:45:00.001-07:002015-04-23T06:45:26.418-07:00March and April It has been a crazy two months, and I have not sat long enough to write my monthly blog update. March and April have been very busy months for us as we started a new adventure as homeowners!<br />
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We started looking at houses when Scott got a new job in January. I know a lot of families deal with a commute but it was NOT working for Brielle. She was used to having her daddy 24/7, so him getting home at 7 was really hard for her. We closed on our house in the beginning of March, and moved the last weekend in March. It was a whirlwind month of packing, driving back and forth, therapy, and Brielle's birthday!<br />
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Her birthday was March 27th and we moved March 28th. As much as I wanted to throw her a big party I knew it was not in the books this year. So I thought about her favorite things, and that became her party: balloons, Chick-Fil-A, friends and cupcakes. It was low key, and just right for our sweet 4 year old. She had a blast and was asleep 5 minutes into the drive home.<br />
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Scott's parents came to visit right after we moved, and were a huge help painting. We painted our dining room ceiling, and whole master bathroom. We had the rest of the house painted before we moved in, so it was nice to check our final painting projects off. Then my parents came the next weekend, and helped us wallpaper the dining room. All we have left is to hang pictures!<br />
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Brielle has been making great progress lately. She is using her signs pretty consistently, even though she does mix up which ones to use from time to time. Now the struggle has been having her understand that she doesn't always get what she wants just because she is signing. Brielle has done pretty well with the move, and loves her big girl room. She has started standing independently for a few seconds at a time, and cruises along all the furniture to get around.<br />
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In OT she has mastered her first puzzle and a stacker toy, which are both developmental milestones. She loves the ball pit and the swing the most. PT is not her favorite, but we are seeing the results at home.<br />
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Last Friday we had her IEP test with the Paulding county schools. She will be starting their special needs Pre-K in the fall. She does really well in Sunday School, so we know she will be ready for school. She will also receive PT, OT and speech at school.<br />
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Yesterday we got her AFOs (ankle-foot orthodics), and she really likes them! She likes things that squeeze, so she doesn't mind wearing them. She already is standing much better, and is working up the courage to take those first independent steps!<br />
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We still enjoy our sweet girl every day, but she is certainly a stubborn toddler. We have to be consistent in discipline, and the temper tantrums are fierce when she is told no. But she has become so much more aware of her surroundings and wants to help with everything from vacuuming the house to putting away laundry to feeding the dogs. She has come such a long way in just 8 months. Praise the Lord for all the healing He has done in her life!<br />
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Thank you for all your continued prayer and support!allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-55984750202054365982015-02-17T05:40:00.001-08:002015-02-17T05:40:41.542-08:006 months with our girl!It is hard to believe that we have been Mommy and Daddy for almost half a year! February 14th will mark our 6th month mark since our Gotcha Day. Many families choose to celebrate different milestones in their adoption journey. For us Gotcha Day was a day of hectic schedules, an unsure child, and lots of forced smiles. The day that we celebrate is what we will call Family Day (October 8, 2014). This is the day our adoption became legal. We had to fight hard for the courts to process our case, and God proved faithful in the end.<br />
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Here is an update on our lives over the last month:<br />
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Brielle was evaluated for physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) in January. We will now start seeing those therapists weekly. In OT she will be learning life skills (dressing, eating, etc.) and working towards developmental milestones (stacking blocks, coloring, holding a pencil, etc.) In PT we will concentrate on more gross motor skills. She is really getting strong in her legs! She pulls up and cruises all over the place, and is getting more steady on her feet. We should be getting her fitted for braces in the next month, and her PT thinks she will really take off after that! The PT was really impressed that she has gone from not crawling all the way to walking with assistance in 6 months.<br />
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Brielle is becoming much more proficient with sign language, but she only does it when she feels like it. :) Typical toddler. She can consistently sign more, please, bath, sing, eat, and all done. We are trying to teach her 'no' to help with some of her frustration. We are also working on potty training, and she is doing pretty well. She also has 'rest time' from 1-3pm every day. We used to make her stay in bed, even if she was playing or reading books, but that hasn't worked lately. Just this week she has started doing the sweetest thing, when she is done playing she will crawl up in her bed and fall fast asleep! My girl is getting so big!<br />
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We are having more food battles, but they are typical toddler food battles. I know that is a good thing because she is forming opinions of her own, and is growing out of food fears. It sure is hard on this momma though! I never know if she will like the same thing day to day. But she consistently eats eggs, chicken nuggets, broccoli, kale chips, and plain pasta. One a good day we get some yogurt, turkey and blueberries too. I never thought I would be the momma to give into her child's food battle, but with an adoptive kid you just have to! When a child has gone without food at some point it is important for attachment for them to know they always have food, even if its not always what I made for dinner.<br />
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She has become much more affectionate with us, and often just crawls up in my lap to snuggle. Playing reciprocally is one of our OT goals, and she gets better every day. It is so fun watching her learn how to interact, and her realization that she doesn't have to always play alone. We have been hearing lots of belly laughs lately!<br />
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Here is a look at our last month together:<br />
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Finally fitting into some cute 3t clothes</div>
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Always <strike>torturing</strike> loving her doggies</div>
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Woods exploration</div>
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Morning baths help cranky attitudes</div>
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We've mastered eating with a spoon!</div>
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Fun time at Ben & Jordyn's house</div>
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We have learned that one sheet of paper is not enough painting space for this girl</div>
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Snuggles with a sick girl</div>
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Boundary testing...</div>
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Sensory play with Flynn</div>
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Sleeping hard after playing hard</div>
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She loved the goop!</div>
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This never happens, but she fell asleep on our way to youth group</div>
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Wagon in the woods</div>
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She has decided to eat apples like Mommy</div>
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First trip to the Dekalb Farmers Market</div>
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First time in Sunday School </div>
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Gotcha Day & Six Months Home!</div>
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Thank you for all your love, support and prayers!</div>
allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-67888768784243994702015-01-11T17:08:00.003-08:002015-01-11T17:08:57.251-08:00New Year, New AccomplishmentsWe kicked off 2015 we an eventful start! We had our first night away from our girl. Every year for 6 years we've spent New Years Eve with friends from college. We had planned to bring Brielle, but my parents kindly offered to come stay the night with her. I was a little nervous because her toddler behavior has increased lately, but of course she was a little angel for her grandparents. It was so nice to have a night away! I can't believe we didn't take a single picture together!<br />
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Scott has also started a new job with Ventiv Tech, which he loves! His position is more web development than his previous one, and he commutes 3 days a week to the office. It has been an adjustment to have him gone, but it makes our family time all the more special. Brielle certainly misses her daddy while he is gone!<br />
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We had an appointment with the ophthalmologist, and it took 4 hours! She did great, but does have a slight vision problem. We hope to pick out her glasses this week. Then the next day we had her OT evaluation. We are excited to start with some therapies because I know they are going to help her tremendously! The evaluation went well, and right now our concentration is learning how to color better and learning how to stack blocks. We have a PT eval on the 23rd, and then we will start both therapies weekly.<br />
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Brielle has been growing and changing all the time! She has gone through so many developmental stages since we got her in August, and she is coming fully into toddlerhood. It is very fun, but also very challenging. She has a lot of opinions, and does not like to be told no! She may not talk but she certainly makes her opinions known.<br />
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One of the best things about Brielle when we first got her was that she would eat anything, veggies and all! But with toddlerhood has come picky eating...I'm just thankful she still likes avocado and broccoli.<br />
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We also started potty training last week, and its going really well! I'm not sure when we can actually move into big girl panties, but it is really nice to use one or two pull-ups a day instead of multiple diapers.<br />
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She consistently signs 'more' or 'all done' when given a choice between eating more or getting down. She is pretty consistent about obeying 'look at mommy', which is a big victory because eye contact has been hard for her. I am hoping she will learn the sign for going potty, but we're still working on it. Food is a much better motivator!<br />
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Her laughter is still medicine for my soul! She is a child of big extremes, very happy, very sad, or very mad. We certainly enjoy her, and she pushes us to our limits.<br />
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I know 2015 holds great things for our girl! I cannot wait to look back over the year when we get to our gotcha day, and see all the expectations she has exceeded!<br />
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Here is a look at our life lately:<br />
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Rainy Saturday=Chick Fil A breakfast</div>
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Music is still her favorite thing</div>
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Long day at the eye doctor</div>
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Equals long nap</div>
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Love when she still snuggles after nap is supposed to be over </div>
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Flynn is hanging out with us again!</div>
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She loves her doggies more than they love her. </div>
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Working on our coloring skills</div>
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Nothing like a playset inside with Mommy, Brielle and Coalie</div>
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-58568536398791798242014-12-30T15:16:00.001-08:002014-12-30T15:16:39.215-08:00Christmas...The time of expectationsOur daughter's first Christmas...words that held a lot of expectation. She may have celebrated Christmas in the orphanage, but we will never know. She didn't have anything to bring from their, so it's safe to say she had never received any gifts. Christmas is a time of of family traditions, celebration, and laughter. Or at least that was my expectation. We tried to keep our gifts to a few, but I kept finding more and more things I just knew my daughter would love.<br />
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Here is how our Christmas went:<br />
We went to church on Christmas Eve, just like we've always done. Our service was at 4:30, which is prime playtime for our child. So that is what she did. Laughed and played during the service. Not exactly the peaceful service I had pictured.<br />
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Then we went to Chinese for dinner. My family has always gone to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Eve. It's an odd tradition, but I wanted to carry it on. All she ate was french fries.<br />
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All I wanted to do before she went to bed was read the Christmas story from Luke 2. She screamed so loud the entire time that Scott had to start over twice.<br />
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Christmas morning she was up bright and early at 6:30...the child who normally sleeps until 8. Scott went to get ready to video her reaction to the Little Tykes play set we built in the living room. She screamed because she wanted to go with Daddy, but I kept her in the bed room. The end of her temper tantrum is caught on video, and she just goes still when she sees the playground. Then promptly scoots back to her room to play with her beloved car.<br />
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Although everyone was excited for her to open her gifts she was overwhelmed by the attention, and mostly screamed when ripping open the paper. Then chose to play with the boxes and bags.<br />
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I am not saying all of this because we had a bad Christmas. We truly had a wonderful Christmas, and my heart was full just having my daughter here with us. I don't know that I could have endured another year without her stocking on the mantle. The expectations for Christmas were mine, not hers. She had a great time getting to know all her family better. She got lots of attention, was read lots of books, and received lots of love. And that is what mattered to her. Now we're slowly reintroducing some of her gifts, and she loves them. She plays everyday with her play set, and got brave enough to slide by herself today.<br />
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I learned that Christmas with an adopted child is best when expectations are set to the side. (Or maybe all children, but this is my first experience). Next year my goal is to just soak in the time with family, buy less toys, and check my expectations at the door.<br />
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Got to finally see the Sanjines family in the US!</div>
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Christmas in Virginia with the Hamilton Family</div>
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Christmas Eve...Our first nativity!</div>
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Christmas morning</div>
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Christmas Day with the Dunton Family</div>
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Hiking with the family</div>
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-73742440836604332392014-11-11T08:25:00.001-08:002014-11-11T08:28:17.655-08:00Life at homeI wanted to stay faithful to blogging about life with Brielle even after we came up, but real life takes up way more time than I remember!<br />
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Overall Brielle has been doing great at home! We are truly loving being at home, and getting into a routine. There are times when we miss Bogota, our slow pace of life, and all the great memories we made there. I can truly say that city will always hold a special place in our hearts.<br />
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Here are some things that our girl has been doing lately:<br />
Signing 'more please' for food, and working on 'all done' when she's finished<br />
Loves playing on the piano<br />
Still eating lots, but learning to enjoy her food slowly instead of gobbling it all down<br />
Showing us she needs to go potty by taking off her pants<br />
Pulling up all the time, and showing a strong desire to walk (can't wait to get her a walker, so she can really go!)<br />
First doctor's visit in the US-weighed 28 lbs, and height of 33 inches<br />
Loves playing with Daddy still, but enjoying more snuggle time with Mommy (at first she bonded more with Scott because she only had female caretakers)<br />
Loves being outside<br />
Had lots of fun with her first time painting<br />
Did NOT like being a unicorn for Halloween, but did enjoy the candy<br />
Loves her doggies, and they are very patient with her loving<br />
Babbling all the time, and communicating her needs more and more<br />
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I'm sure there are lots more things I could post, but that is a good summary of all the progress she has made. It is amazing to think about how far she has come in three months!<br />
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-86677584254664500512014-10-16T06:06:00.001-07:002014-10-16T06:06:20.279-07:00Week 8 in Bogota, the last one!Even though we are home I wanted to recap our final week in Bogota.<div>
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Monday: We all went up to the court with the promise of Sentencia. It is a lot of work to get Brielle ready to leave the house at 7 (she is NOT a morning person), and then drive an hour through traffic. We sat for a few hours, and then were simply told that it wasn't ready, and to come back at 8am the next day. The place where Brielle lived was a special orphanage for children with special needs called the Foundation. It was near the courthouse, so we decided to go visit. It was in Strato 1, which is the poorest area. Everyone was so happy to see Brielle, and everyone wanted to hug and kiss on her. It was nice to see how loved she was there. She was happy to see everyone, but preferred being held by Daddy. </div>
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With some of the workers including her caretaker, Margarita. </div>
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Her friend Jon was so excited to see her!</div>
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Jon, Sarai and Brielle, best buds!</div>
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This was her special friend, Juanita, from the older kids room. </div>
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She was worn out from her visit. </div>
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Tuesday: I went back to the court first thing in the morning by myself to sign the Sentencia. It wasn't done being written, so we were told to come back at 2pm. I opted to wait with my lawyer at La Casa instead of driving all the way home. I talked to the kids there while I waited, and practiced English with them. When we got back the Sentencia was done, but the judge was in court so he never signed. Told to come back, and everything would be ready by 8am sharp.</div>
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Wednesday: I go back to the court again (it was a blessing that I got to go alone), and the Sentencia was ready around 9am for me to sign! Then my lawyer signed, but we still had to get the defender of minors to sign. We went up to the office and our defender had been sick for a month. My attorney had a friend in the office, but she refused to sign because of the extra work our lady was causing by being out sick. So then another guy said if my attorney could find his son a job he would sign, and so it was done! After more craziness with months printed incorrectly, and waiting for more people to sign Gabrielle was legally our daughter! So then we raced off to the notary to get the new birth certificate, and then off to the passport office to get her passport. Wednesday night we wanted to go celebrate by eating a nice Italian restaurant called Archies, and we got caught in a torrential downpour. Brielle loved running through the rain, and we ended up eating spaghetti at home. </div>
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Our official family photo! (not easy to get a three year old to pose)</div>
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Thursday: I went back early to pick up her passport, and then we scanned it to the US Embassy and the the Embassy doctor. Our rep had informed the Embassy earlier in the week that we would need an appointment Friday in order to fly home Saturday, so we were cutting it close. In the afternoon we walked to the doctor's office to get her medical packet, and had dinner at Sopas y Postres. It was delicious!</div>
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This girl loves to eat!</div>
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Friday: We headed out for the Embassy around 11am, and when we got there they were calling "Familia Hamilton" over the loudspeaker. We rushed in to find the place empty. It turns out that the Embassy was closed for an administration day, but they made a special appointment for us! God is so good! We were interviewed by the same guy who I spoke with on the phone months before, and he said that they are always excited to help complete adoptions. We went to the mall for one last lunch before going back to pick up her official visa. It all went so smoothly! Finally, we were ready to come home!</div>
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Our wonderful rep, Martha! She made the process so smooth!</div>
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Dinner at Archie's with our friends Sam & Brian.</div>
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Saturday: We were up bright and early to get to the airport! Brielle LOVED flying, and behaved so well the whole time. It was wonderful to have so many family and friends meet us at the airport, and finally eat some Chick Fil A! We had a wonderful time in Bogota, but it is so nice to be home!</div>
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Breakfast picnic-last time for Juan Valdez (great Colombian coffee!)</div>
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Loving the airplane! She laughed and laughed during take off!</div>
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Finally back in the US! So blessed to be home as a family of three!</div>
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We'll still keep the blog updated with Brielle's progress, and how she is adapting to life at home! We truly cannot thank everyone enough for all the support and prayers that you have provided during this adventure. We are so excited to have our girl home!</div>
allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-82142380958571522242014-10-05T15:41:00.004-07:002014-10-05T15:41:55.707-07:00I can't believe week 7 has come and gone!I know when we left the states we told everyone we'd be gone for 8-9 weeks, but I had no idea how long that would actually feel! We have truly loved our time on Bogota, but so much has happened at home. We are ready to get home and catch up! We are praying that our week 8 update will be the final one!<br />
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Each day of the week has gone pretty much the same. We spend a lot of time playing at the apartment, go jogging on a nice path we found, watch Baby Einstein (her new favorite!), and just spend time together. It has been nice seeing how our lives will kind of be at home. </div>
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A few highlights from the week:</div>
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Tuesday: We went to Jeno's pizza for the half off lunch, and were literally the only people in the restaurant! We even let Brielle go (halfway) down the big slide by herself, which she loved! That girl has no fear.</div>
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Wednesday: In the evening we met our new friends Sam and Brian at Usaquen Square to find a place for dinner. The third story of the mall is a Plaza de Andres. (By the same company as Andres Carne de Res). They have all these different stations to order your food, like a cafeteria. Scott opted for a hamburger, while Brielle and I had aprepas. Sam confessed that she did not believe Brielle could eat her entire aprea covered in chicken, but she put it down and asked for more! We had a great time hanging out, and getting coffee after dinner.<br />
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She is LOVING her Five Little Monkeys book!</div>
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Putting on Daddy's shoes all by herself!</div>
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Friday: We were really hoping for Sentenica because we have gotten all the other necessary signatures. But the secretary didn't come in, so no luck. We decided we needed to get out of the house, so we took our work (Scott) and Kindle (Allyson) the the Juan Valdez coffee shop. Its one of the few places with fast internet. Brielle took along her new favorite book, 5 Little Monkeys, which has entertained her for countless hours this week. We were just sitting and chatting, when I heard someone speaking English! So I started peaking over at the family, and as they were leaving Scott realized one of their kids was adopted. Then the dad turned around, and was like "Hey, are you all Americans?" It was truly God's providence that led us all to meet up! They are from our same agency and spending their last week or so in Bogota to get all their paperwork finished. We have found that our little area is pretty safe to walk around in the evening, so we decided to do dinner out at El Corral Gourmet. It was sooo good! They have their burgers divided by country, I had a Thai burger, and Scott had something from Europe.<br />
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We got a little dressed up in hope of Sentencia!</div>
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Dinner at El Corral</div>
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Saturday: We went with the Wood family (that we met Friday) to Simon Bolivar park. We had lots of fun. The kids played on the playground, and we had meat and corn on a stick for lunch. Their oldest daughter, Eden, was great with Brielle, and all the kids loved pushing her in the stroller. Luis made her laugh the most with all his sound effects! As we were leaving it started POURING rain. It was the first long rain shower we've had in Bogota, and the first one we've been caught in!</div>
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Sunday: During the past week I connected with a family who is here in Bogota for the adoption of their 6 month old. We met with them at Al Aguas Patos today for brunch. It has all kinds of french toast. You choose your bread, and then the toppings. Scott and I both ordered pan dulces, which turned out to be more like dessert. It was delicious though! We had a great time meeting Michelle and Chris, we just we could have connected with them earlier! Then we went to the makert with Sam and Brian. We got a few more souvenirs, and some beautiful serving spoons that we've been eyeing the whole time. Then of course we had to get ice cream at Crepes and Waffles!</div>
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Our most exciting breakthrough this week was Saturday when we got home from the park. Brielle normally has a snack around 5:00 because we don't eat dinner until closer to 7. I went over to the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee. She saw me in the kitchen, scooted over, and signed 'more' to me! That is really the first time she has told us she was hungry without screaming!</div>
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Tomorrow morning we are headed to the courthouse at 7:00am. We are so hoping that with us their the judge will sign our Sentencia! Please pray for that! We have flights booked for Saturday, so if all goes well this is our last weekend in Bogota. We will miss our friends we have made here, but it will be so nice to get home!</div>
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-56992020897514739462014-10-01T07:43:00.001-07:002014-10-01T07:43:04.940-07:00The UnseenToday I was reading 2 Corinthians 5, and it had so much wisdom for where we are at in our adoption journey. I love the blog because it records our memories of this trip, and I know this is wisdom that I'll need to read again sometime.<br />
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Vs. 8 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abounded, struck down, but not destroyed."<br />
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At this point we feel hard pressed. We miss our home, our dogs, our friends, and our community. But we are not crushed or in despair. We have been blessed to make new friends in this country, enjoy time bonding with our girl, and finding the Lord's provision in small ways. Tonight we get to have dinner with another couple from the States, hooray for English!<br />
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Vs. 17-18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."<br />
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Part of the reason that we chose adoption to start our family was because we felt that was where God was calling us. There have been lots of light and momentary troubles, but we know that the reward of following His call outweighs them all.<br />
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Choosing a child off a waiting list, and then deciding to call that child your own is a hard choice. You have to trust in the unseen. We knew our girl had some 'seen' special needs, but we believed that her 'unseen' potential was greater. After meeting so many others on this journey I know this to be true for all parents going through the adoption of waiting children. These children have been rejected because on the outside they seem unmanageable, but God gives the right people the wisdom to see the unseen potential that each child has. We do not know what the future holds for our daughter, but we believe that God is faithful to help us raise her to love Him, and reach that unseen potential. We feel blessed that we get to be her parents.<br />
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-65614350148548315782014-09-29T08:36:00.000-07:002014-09-29T08:36:17.437-07:00Week 6 in BogotaIt has been a good week, but a week that felt long. We thought we would have good news by Friday, but still nothing. Please continue to pray that we hear tomorrow (Monday), and the judge will also sign the Sentencia quickly after accepting. The Sentencia makes Brielle legally our daughter, and we will finally be able to post her pretty face!<br />
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Sunday:<br />
Last Sunday we went to the market with my mom, and then had lunch at Andres Carne de Res. It is a very well known restaurant in Bogota because of its fun atmosphere, and kids activities. The food was great too! It was Dia del Amor y Amistad, which is like Valentine's Day, so there were fun activities because of the holiday too.<br />
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Monday: Gramma caught a flight home, and we had a quiet afternoon. I do a yearly photo book, so I've been putting together our final marriage book before it turns to a family book!<br />
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Tuesday-Friday: This week we do not have any appointments of activities, so we are trying to fall into a routine more similar to home. We go to the park and walk/run in the mornings after breakfast, have some lunch, have an hour of rest time (sometimes she naps, sometimes she plays), cook dinner, have a bath, and get ready for bed.<br />
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Walking practice at the park</div>
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Snuggles with Daddy in the morning</div>
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Thursday: Some people from the states came to look at the apartment, and it was so nice just to chat with people in English! We are missing our friends from the states, so it was very nice to make a new connection for the rest of our time here.</div>
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Saturday: Everything is an adventure in Bogota! We decided to go visit the Multiparque on Saturday. It is a huge kids park with inflatables, a little kid area, a huge playground area, and a petting zoo. We decided to take the bus, but got on the wrong one. Luckily it put off us near McDonalds, so we had lunch there! We don't eat MickyD's a lot, but I still love a double cheeseburger. While we waited for another bus a lady stopped us and told us it was too cold for Brielle to be out today. It was probably around 57 degrees. We finally caught the bus, and rode for about an hour until we were north of the city. The park was lots of fun, but Bri was a little scared of some of the rides and animals. Also, they didn't let adults go on any of the kids stuff, so we couldn't help her climb. Her favorite park was of course the huge slide! And we got to have some grown-up fun on the big swings. Overall it was a great day!<br />
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Watching the water in the kids slide</div>
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Feeding carrots to the horse</div>
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Coconut and raspberry brownie popsicles!</div>
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Grown-up fun on the swing! </div>
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(We went one at a time while Brielle watched.)</div>
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Sunday: We had a normal day attending church, and eating lunch at Palatino mall. We had quite an adventure getting to church though. We got on the bus, but our card ran out when Scott tried to get on. Then the bus went the wrong direction, so we had to get off. We walked to the Exito (Walmart) to recharge our card, but they don't charge on Sundays. So we had to catch a cab instead, all just to get to church! I will be very grateful for our car! But I will miss all the walking we do here. We walked about two miles home from the mall after lunch. </div>
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Well we are really hoping to report good news with next weeks post! Brielle continues to bond, and grow all the time. She is pulling up a lot more, and we can't wait to get her fitted for a walker at home so she'll have more mobility. Thank you for your prayers and support! </div>
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-72145717026685715182014-09-20T15:27:00.000-07:002014-09-20T15:27:15.188-07:00Bogota, Week 5We were assigned a new court last week, 15. It is supposed to be a better court, and our attorney is predicting that we get Sentencia by Friday. Please pray that this is true! Once we get Sentencia we should be home in about a week. Here's a recap of our last week:<br />
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Saturday: This was my favorite tour thus far! We went hiking at the Guatavita Lagoon with the Sanjines family. The hike took about an hour, and it rained almost the whole time. We still had so much fun, and the kids did awesome. Brielle LOVED being out in nature. She just giggled and giggled. I wish I could put up our better group picture, but can't show her face yet. Then we toured the historical town of Guatavita. It is all white stucco with the traditional hispanic tiles. It turned into a beautiful day, and we had lots of fun walking around. We even toured the bull fighting arena!<br />
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Sunday: We had a normal Sunday going to church, and then Jen and I got to shop at the market without any kids! Thanks Scott & Nick! Then they came over to our apartment for some last minute swimming. Great way to end our weekend!<br />
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Monday: We had a quiet morning, and I started getting things ready to move to a new apartment (again). We ate lunch at the Sanjines apartment. Nick made awesome empanadas! Brielle loves playing with their girls, and they are so sweet to entertain her. We are getting her to say 'mamama' more consistently, so now she just needs to understand that momma is me!<br />
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Tuesday: It was half price at Jeno's pizza, so we went there for lunch. This time we went down the slide with Brielle. She loved it! I can't wait to take her on kiddy rides at home.<br />
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Wednesday: Today was moving day, so we finished packing up our apartment. Someone had already leased it starting the 19th, so we found a new place to finish the rest of our time. We move in our bags, and then went to the airport to get Gramma! After a long time waiting on her bag we headed back to the apartment to unpack and grocery shop.<br />
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Thursday: This was our 4th wedding anniversary, and I honestly am so happy to be spending it with our daughter! I made crepes for breakfast because we did that on our first wedding anniversary. We had a final lunch with Nick & Jen, and some other friends from church. Then we hung out at their apartment for a bit. It was so hard to say goodbye, but we are already making plans to do some hiking together this fall! Our time spent in Bogota was so much better because of the awesome friends God placed in our path. Then we cooked steak and shrimp for dinner, and ended with a quiet night at home. We're planning to go see the Maze Runner this weekend since Gramma is here to babysit!<br />
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Gonna miss these cuties! </div>
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(I can finally put up their picture, since their adoption is finalized)</div>
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Friday: We spent the morning at our new place playing with Gramma. Then we had lunch at Crepes and Waffles again. It is definitely one of our favorites here! We played at a nearby park in the afternoon until the rain came.<br />
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Saturday: We woke up to more rain, so we called our favorite tour guide, Rene, to see if he had any suggestions for the day. We ended up touring the historical part of Bogota called La Candelaria, and the Simon Bolivar plaza. The rain let up and the clouds cleared, so we took the cable car up to Monserrate. It was a beautiful view, and the sun decided to come out. We walked the stations of the cross and went in the cathedral. It is amazing to see the sprawling city of Bogota, but even more beautiful were the mountains on the other side of Monserrate. Then we took the train called the Funicular down the mountain.<br />
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Update on Brielle: She is continuing to do well, and showing more improvement every day! I had not idea how much a three year old can eat; she gets close to the same portions as Scott. She has gained weight over the last five weeks, and developed the typical 'toddler tummy'. I love it! She loves to be tickled, ride in the Ergo, play crazy games with Daddy, read books with Mommy. She is pulling up more and more, and walking around using the rolling suitcase. She is making more babbling noises. The people who have seen her over the past couple weeks comment how much she's changed and how well she is doing, which is so encouraging to us.<br />
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Again, please pray for Sentencia this week! We cannot wait to get home and settle into our regular lives. We have scheduled her first appointment with the adoption doctor at the end of October, so we'd love some time to settle in before we begin any medical treatments. Thanks for all the continued support!<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4522px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 193px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 4522px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-26985440245116060062014-09-12T19:43:00.000-07:002014-09-12T19:43:56.677-07:00Week 4Saturday-Today we took our first all day tour to Tequendama waterfall and Hacienda Colonia. The drive (once we were out of the city traffic) was beautiful! It was so nice to drive through the mountains. Our first stop was the stinky waterfall. The nearby factories dump waste into the river above, but the waterfall was still beautiful to see. We got some traditional Colombian food at a vendor while we observed. Then we went onto Hacienda Colonia, which is a coffee plantation. It was a wonderful break from the fast paced city life. The setting was very serene with beautiful flowers and birds. We learned all about how the coffee is grown, picked, dried, and roasted. We smelled some wonderful and terrible coffees, and were educated on how to buy good coffee at the store. Then we got to sample some of the coffee grown on the Hacienda. It was a lot of fun! Our tour guide Rene was very informative, and he and Emily kept all entertained with their lively conversation. Brielle did wonderful being out all day, and we made it home with only one meltdown!<br />
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Sunday: After beautiful weather on Saturday, we woke up to rain. We waited until afternoon to head to the outdoor market, and had a late lunch in the mall. Brielle is loving playing with Grammy and Grandpap. She is getting bigger and bigger and wearing us out with all her high energy play!<br />
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Monday: We all slept in, and then Emily and I went to the park. We walked for a while, and played with Brielle on the playground. Jennifer and her kids got to come for a bit too. We had a relaxing afternoon, and then I tried my hand at making arepas for dinner. They turned out great! We had them topped with ground beef and cheese.<br />
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Tuesday: Emily and Kevin were so kind to babysit, so Scott and I could have our first real date as parents!! We went to eat at Crepes and Waffles, and saw the movie Chef. It was a lot of fun and refreshing to have some time to ourselves. Then Jen & Nick and the kids came over to swim. It was their first time, and we had so much fun. They were fearless!<br />
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Wednesday: We caught a cab downtown, and had lunch in a little sandwich shop. I have loved being adventurous and trying new places to eat. We cook a lot of our meals at the apartment, but it is fun to just find a little tienda (shop) and stop for lunch. Then we went to look at emeralds. Colombia is known for their emeralds, so I wanted to see them. Then Emily and Kevin toured the Gold Museum while the rest of us rent home to rest. They said it was a great museum!<br />
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Thursday: We headed back downtown to Simon Bolivar park. It is such a fun park that we have visited it three times. We played and walked around, and then got some lunch at the park restaurant. Their food is really interesting. My 'perrito Americano' (American hot dog) came with cheese, ketchup and chips crushed on top. Not one of my top meals in Bogota. Then we headed to the Botanical Gardens, which was beautiful! My favorite parts were the waterfall and the rose garden. We also enjoyed picking herbs from the herb garden, and getting Brielle to sniff them. She has been doing really well imitating us lately! I have been working on the "mmm" sound with her, and also "ma". Tonight I got her to imitate 'mamama' pretty well! I'm hoping she'll connect those sounds with me soon!<br />
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Another first in Bogota! Our bus got hit by a car. The driving is crazy, but this is the first accident we've been in. Luckily everyone involved was ok, and we got on another bus right away. </div>
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Friday: So today was supposed to be a relaxing day at home, but things quickly changed in the morning. We had to go sign a new power of attorney, so our case could be switched to a new judge. We are now in a new court, and hoping our case gets accepted and signed quickly! Please pray hard for this! Then we went to eat at Palatino, and Kevin and Emily had one last traditional Colombian meal. Brielle and I went swimming for a bit after everyone took naps, and we had steak fajitas for dinner. Then Kevin and Emily were off for the airport. We will miss them! One great discovery that Kevin made right before leaving was the Brielle will walk around with the aid of a rolling suitcase! A great makeshift walker while we're here.<br />
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Hopefully we'll have good news to post next week!<br />
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<!--EndFragment-->allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-86097804588114030282014-09-10T11:53:00.001-07:002014-09-10T11:53:21.220-07:00Our third week in BogotaWe've been having lots of fun, and making lots of memories while we are here. However, we are getting more homesick, and ready to come home. Please be praying that we hear an update from our judge soon. We were told last Friday to 'consider our case accepted', but never heard that is was formally accepted. The way this stage works is that the judge has to accept the case, and then has 10 days to review and sign it. The signing is called Sentencia, and makes the adoption legal. After Sentencia we will only have one more week or so in country!<br />
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So if our case was accepted last week, then we should hear news about Sentencia next week sometime! Please pray that this happens, and that we can possibly go meet the judge to show him that Brielle needs to come home for medical care.<br />
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So picking up where our last blog left off:<br />
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Sunday (08/31): We went to church, and then went to the market in Usaquen. It is a traditional outdoor market with lots of handmade goods. Our goal is to get Brielle some cultural gifts that we can give to her as she gets older.<br />
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Monday: I made some potato soup for lunch, and Jen, Nick and the kids came over. Then we went and played at the park for a bit. Brielle is doing well, but is getting a bit of a runny nose. She was more cranky this morning, and just wanted to be held all day. I can't say I mind that though.<br />
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Tuesday: We had a chill day at home, which seemed to help Brielle feel better. Then we went to Jen & Nick's apartment for breakfast for dinner. It was really fun, and Emory & Trish (missionary friends) came too. We had homemade biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and egg casserole! It was like being at home!<br />
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Wednesday: Jen, Ashley (their friend from home), and I took this kids on a walk up the mountain to get fresh bread in the morning. The bread is amazing, and cheap! But the walk up the mountain pushing Brielle in the stroller was tough. Then we went to the mall for lunch, and Sipote. It is exactly like Chipotle in the states. Emily and Kevin got in safely around 10pm, and we tried to keep Brielle up, but she was asleep on my shoulder when then came. :)<br />
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Thursday: We are seeing some exciting breakthroughs with Brielle! She signed 'more' to us this week instead of screaming for more food. It is not always consistent, but I love giving her the ability to communicate. We are also working a little on potty training because she shows the initiative. We have gotten used to her potty routine, so now we just put her over the potty around those times. She has gone three times!! Otherwise we had a quiet day and did some grocery shopping.<br />
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Friday: We had to go to a meeting at La Casa to check on Brielle's progress. Emily went with me, and the meeting was pretty quick (30 minutes), but drive took over an hour with traffic! Then we met up with Kevin & Scott for lunch at Crepes and Waffles. It was delicious!! It is a chain that started in Colombia, and they employ single moms to help them raise their children.<br />
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-83029435923782013402014-08-31T06:54:00.000-07:002014-08-31T06:54:13.588-07:00A fun week!We had a great week with lots of outings! No news on the legal side of the process. We're still waiting for the judge to accept our case in court 13. Please pray we hear something this week!<br />
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Tuesday-We spent the day packing up to move to our new apartment. We enjoyed staying at Zuetana, but our new place has a kids play room and pool! We went to Jeno's pizza for lunch with the Sanjines family, Elizabeth and her kids, and Wendy and Karen. It was our last time to see Wendy and Karen since they were able to go home a few days after. She had been here 12 weeks!<br />
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Wednesday-We moved into our new apartment, got unpacked, and played upstairs in the play room. Brielle now has her own room, which is allowing her to sleep much better. Normally 10-12 hours a night! She loves having more space to move around too.<br />
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Thursday-We decided to meet Nick & Jen & kids at El Rodeo for lunch. We ended up walking a ways to get there, after taking the bus, and then walking all the way home. I'll never trust Google maps for a correct walking distance again...But El Rodeo was really fun! They had a trampoline and a merry-go-round that Brielle loved! I'm thinking we might get her a small one for a jumping handle for at home.<br />
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Friday-We just spent the day at home. She slept in until 9! We played in the apartment in the morning, I did some grocery shopping while she napped, and then we went to the pool for the first time! It was quite an experience! Everyone has to wear swim caps, and you have to shower before and after swimming. There is a pool attendant checking the whole time. She SCREAMED about being in a bathing suit (she doesn't like her arms showing), and SCREAMED about being put in the shower. But then she loved swimming, and she is a natural at it. She loves to put her whole face in the water. She kicks her legs well, and is starting to paddle her arms. She may be swimming before we know it! They also have a baby pool where she can play independently.<br />
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Saturday-We got up early and went to the Museo del Ninos with the Sanjines family (Nick & Jen). It was really neat. They take you on a guided tour. We played in the clubhouse, did some chocolate painting, learned about teeth, and toured the airplane. Then we walked over to Simon Bolivar park for lunch and playing. Lots of fun! Brielle went swimming for a bit when we got home, and we had some fun with spaghetti for dinner. Then she was asleep by 8:00 after a fun day with no nap!<br />
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-37530585370719832882014-08-25T19:28:00.001-07:002014-08-25T19:28:23.694-07:00Integration and moreWe had a good, but busy weekend!<br />
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Saturday-We had lunch with our friends Nick & Jen, and their three kiddos. Their girls are 4 and 6 and were so sweet to Brielle. They wanted to feed her crackers, and I warned them about her sharp teeth, but they found out the hard way! Then we went to a beautiful park near their place.<br />
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Sunday-We went to Vida Bogota again. It was amazing to see how much better Brielle was able to do this Sunday than the last Sunday. She was very content to sit with us through most of the long service. Scott took her to play room near the end to burn off a little energy. Then we came home for lunch, naps, and watched some of a movie. She is not too interested in any type of technology though, so her attention span for movies or tv isn't very long.<br />
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Monday-Today was our integration meeting. It went very well (minus the hour and a half of traffic to get there), and we also got to tour La Casa. Brielle was only in La Casa when she was a baby, and was transferred to the Foundation at 5 months for better care for her special needs. Then we went to the park again, and went to Unicentro mall to eat. Our girly takes great naps, but is staying up later and later. She is currently still giggling in her bed at 9:20!<br />
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We decided today to move to a new apartment on Wednesday. We like the place we're at, but the new one is more modern. We will be able to walk to our friends' apartment, the mall, and the nice park. The new place even has an indoor pool!<br />
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We also got news this afternoon that we have court 13. Our attorney said this court is neither slow nor fast, but we might be able to talk to the judge. We're just praying that he finds everything favorable, and does not take the maximum allowed time with each step of the process.<br />
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<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-72885170315179852942014-08-22T18:54:00.001-07:002014-08-22T18:54:29.500-07:00My first post as a mommy :)I had great intentions of updating our blog all the time, but being a parent is super time consuming! Here is a recap of all that has happened now that we have been in Bogota over a week...<br />
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Tuesday-Arrived very late at 11:40, and settled into our hotel<br />
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Wednesday-Met with Brielle's caretakers and went over all their information about Brielle.<br />
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Thursday-Spent the whole morning getting our 'cedulas' (Colombian ID card), and then went at 3:00 to get our girl! I don't think we told many people, but they actually had a professional film crew in the room with us. We will be part of a French documentary showing the importance of special needs adoption.<br />
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Friday-Spent our first full day with our girl! It was wonderful, and really hard. Lots of tantrums, but a few giggles too. She mostly just wants to be held, and carried around. We strolled around the mall, and learned that she loves riding in elevators.<br />
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Saturday-Spent the day at home just relaxing and playing. She is getting more relaxed each day, with less tantrums and meltdowns.<br />
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Sunday-Went to Vida Bogota church, and met our friends Nick and Jennifer. They've adopted 3 kids from Bogota! Went to lunch at the mall with some new people from church. It was so nice to be out with friends, even if missing nap caused a bit of a meltdown.<br />
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Monday-Our first Monday holiday in Colombia, and there are a lot of them! Seeing more progress each day with Brielle, and she is bonding more and more with us. This girl loves her bath! Sometimes she gets two a day because she gets out so much energy with all her splashing.<br />
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Tuesday-Her first doctor's visit. Not fun, with a TB test included. Plus the traffic in Bogota is horrible, so it takes forever to get around. Another afternoon with no nap, but she is sleeping 10-12 hours at night. Hooray!<br />
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Wednesday-We had a meeting with her psychologist and some people from La Casa (her orphanage). They said her progress in six days was amazing. They almost cried at our video of her crawling and feeding herself. Those were skills they have been working on for months, but she had never done either. They just kept saying 'love makes all the difference'! Very encouraging.<br />
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Thursday-We went to the park and lunch with Nick and Jennifer. Their kids are super cute, and it is so nice to be with people who have the same experiences with adoption. Then we had to go back to the doctor to read her TB test (she was negative), and get papers notarized for the US Embassy. What could have been a quick trip took three hours because of traffic. I am just glad to get these errands done now instead of when we're trying to get home.<br />
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Friday-Today we got brave and took the bus across town. We have passes and an app that tells us our route. It took almost 30 minutes to catch the right bus, but Brielle was a trooper. The trip was about 45 minutes each way, but we went to a huge park in the middle of Bogota. They compare it to Central Park. We had a picnic lunch, played on the playground, went to 'la playa' by the lake, and walked around for a while. It was nice to get out on our own, and now we know we can do it again! Next we want to visit the Botanical Gardens.<br />
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Sleepy girl in the Ergo! We love all the mountains around Bogota!</div>
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It has been truly wonderful having so much time to just bond with our girl. I cannot even list all the ways that she has become a new person in our short week of having her. The Lord is truly healing her, and seeing progress is so encouraging. My favorite time with her is putting her in bed with us when she wakes up because she just snuggles and stretches, and plays. It is so sweet to have that time with her, when I know her last three years she was kept to a strict schedule. Thank you for all your prayers and support, and we'll try to keep updating more!<br />
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PS. We cannot put up any 'identifying' pictures (of her face) of her until she is legally ours, which is the very end of the process.<br />
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She loves when Daddy plays the guitar!</div>
<br />allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-9698846179235847112014-08-11T05:45:00.001-07:002014-08-11T05:45:37.183-07:00Godly wisdomYesterday was our last day at our church for two months, a very bittersweet day for us. We love Momentum so much, and the people there are truly a second family for us. A small group of friends pulled aside after service, and prayed over us-what a blessing! We do have connections with two churches in Bogota, and we would like to attend one Catholic mass since that is Brielle's heritage.<br />
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I love when I see God's timing in things, and part of that was the sermon we heard yesterday. It was the perfect sermon for this week. It was over Matthew 11:25-30, where Jesus is offering rest to the weary. Bart talked about the yoke of Jesus, and it was such affirmation and reassurance for me. He talked about how the yoke of Jesus isn't necessary always easy, but it is 'well-fitting'. I know that God has called us specifically to the adoption of our girl, but I know that doesn't guarantee things will be easy. I love knowing that this is His yoke for us, and it is well-fitted to us. He has designed Scott and I to be the best parents we can be for our sweet girl. This week my goal is to rest in the knowledge that this is the yoke that God designed for us.<br />
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We are almost packed, and ready to go tomorrow. Please just say a prayer that all will go smoothly at the airport, since we have a total of 6 checked items! We do get some discounts because we are adopting, so I'm hoping the people at the check out counter will understand that. I'm not sure we'll get to update on here tomorrow because we won't get to Bogota until 10pm (11pm EST). Our hotel does have Wi-Fi so we will be able to check in periodically.<br />
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Here are two shots (from their website) of the place we are staying: Hotel Zuetana. It specifically caters to adoptive parents, and the owner has already offered to stock our fridge with breakfast food before we come in!</div>
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-18844153894785329312014-08-08T20:01:00.002-07:002014-08-08T20:01:46.822-07:00This is it...I have been waiting for almost two years to write this post...<br />
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We are meeting our girl in one week!!!!!</div>
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Sometimes I can't believe it is actually happening. We got our phone call today that our encuentro (meeting) is set for next Friday. Our plan is to leave Monday, so we have a few days to adjust before we pick her up. Friday we will go to her orphanage, La Casa, and talk with her care takers before officially meeting her. Then she is ours! She will stay with us the whole trip. </div>
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It has been a day of a lot of emotions for sure. We are so excited that the time has finally come, but it still seems surreal. After a year of seeing pictures we finally get to meet our girl in person, we finally get to be parents. Ahh, that is kind of scary too! But I know this is what God has called us to, and He will equip us for it. </div>
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We are staying at the Hotel Zuetana in Bogota, and the owner is super sweet. She is even going to get some groceries for us before we get in! Our plan for communication is Skype (allyson.hamilton88), or an app called WhatsApp. If you download it we can text and send pictures through it. We will not be able to post pictures to the blog until our adoption is official at the end of our stay, but we will post updates. </div>
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We also got our visas today, so there is nothing else we need to do (except finish packing). </div>
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allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-30639938517780519562014-08-04T15:14:00.000-07:002014-08-04T15:14:03.604-07:00Quick UpdateJust wanted to give everyone a quick update!<br />
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We are now working with a new agency, Adoptions by Shepherd Care. I don't need to go into the details, but I think that things are all smoothed out now. We heard today from Martha, a lady who works for ASC, and lives in Colombia. Our Article 5 letter should be almost complete, and we should get confirmation tomorrow. Once Martha has the letter she can go to La Casa and set our date to meet our girl!<br />
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We are planning to fly out up to a week before meeting her, so we have some time to adjust and prepare the apartment. I am still praying that we can book our flights this week, and possibly fly out in the next week or so.<br />
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We are still working out the details between the two agencies, so please pray that all of the details get finalized. ASC has said that their priority is getting us in country, so that is great! We will have some fees associated with the switch, so we are trying to save up some more funds for that. Also, continue to pray for our girl and that our attachment will go well. We are so ready to meet her!!allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-34103172085572718702014-07-28T08:02:00.001-07:002014-07-28T08:02:37.727-07:00The hardest wait yet.So we are just waiting to hear from Colombia about the date set to meet our girl! It has only been a week and a half since we filed our DS260, but this wait has felt like an eternity. Normally we expect to wait a month or more in between paperwork, but this two weeks has felt like the longest two weeks of my life. We are so close to finally meeting our girl, and we are just so ready to finalize our plans! Please pray that we hear something soon, and that God will grant us patience and peace in the meantime.<br />
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I know He is using this time to prepare us to be parents. We had a wonderful time at CIY Move two weeks ago. God convicted us, moved us, and prepared our hearts. We went to serve the teens in our youth group, but God taught us so much during the week. I know it was part of His plan that we attend CIY before our trip to Colombia.<br />
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After we receive our official date we can book our plane tickets, and get our visas. The visa center is back up and running this morning, so thank you to everyone who prayed for that. And then try to pack for two months....<br />
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Last minute nesting...a new pillow for her bed!</div>
allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-45285583563164645222014-07-16T14:24:00.001-07:002014-07-16T14:24:07.146-07:00DS260 done!One step closer…next we will get our encuentro (meeting) date with Brielle! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5XmljTXV-hQ/U8btdUwffLI/AAAAAAAAAr8/dIHfGIejVJE/s640/blogger-image-808859306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5XmljTXV-hQ/U8btdUwffLI/AAAAAAAAAr8/dIHfGIejVJE/s640/blogger-image-808859306.jpg"></a></div><br></div>allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-35679777986898507842014-07-13T15:54:00.001-07:002014-07-13T15:54:25.338-07:00The official letter<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">One step closer! The official I800 letter!<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xgb-zQmll6s/U8MOH93wghI/AAAAAAAAArs/TC2fFlaHscM/s640/blogger-image--131948894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xgb-zQmll6s/U8MOH93wghI/AAAAAAAAArs/TC2fFlaHscM/s640/blogger-image--131948894.jpg"></a></div>allyson.scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03947869890075175611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8814618846092619364.post-11111477517276058842014-07-11T06:05:00.000-07:002014-07-11T06:05:03.392-07:00The Power of PrayerOn Monday I petitioned everyone to pray that we would hear quickly about our I800 approval. We had been told she had just received our file, and would possibly review it by Thursday. Well God is bigger than men's timelines because we got an email Wednesday saying that our officer had approved the I800, and the letter was on its way to us!! Now we are one step closer. Here are the next couple steps in more detail. I am learning more about each step as we get there.<br />
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1. Our I800 approval is sent to the National Visa Center for processing.<br />
2. I can call NVC on Wednesday to get our case number. Then I use the case number to file the DS-260, which is approved immediately.<br />
3. A letter called an Article 5 gets sent to the ICBF in Colombia, and they will schedule our encuentro date! (The official date that we will meet Brielle).<br />
4. We will book round trip plane tickets because you must have a return ticket to get a visa.<br />
5. Go to Atlanta and apply for our visas.<br />
6. PACK, PACK, PACK!<br />
7. Go to Colombia!<br />
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So our timeline is definitely getting shorter, and our agency has said this part moves pretty quickly. At this point weeks are feelings long to us because we are just ready to get our girl! Please be praying that all of these steps are completed quickly. This part that could take longer is the Article 5 getting sent to Colombia, and the meeting date set, so you can pray specifically about step 3. Your prayers are working, so thank you, thank you!<br />
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In the mean time it has been so fun for me to get ready for our little girl!<br />
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