First days with Esteban

Our apologies for not posting yesterday--we were so tired by the time Esteban went to sleep last night that we couldn't focus our brains. Not that today is much better, having slept only 4 hours on our first night as parents, but at least it's naptime now!

Going back to yesterday morning...

We were so nervous we could hardly eat breakfast. Helena picked us up and took us to CRAN at 8:30am. We arrived and met Ximena, the founder of CRAN and adoption coordinator. She guided us through signing a few necessary forms, and then had us meet with the foster mother. The foster mother, Gladys, told us about Esteban's routine and gave us a picture book to give to him when he's older. Finally, we were presented with Esteban and spent about 30 minutes alone with him. Words are really not adequate to describe our joy and relief. All the anxiety of the last few weeks disappeared when we held him. He is a wonderful, beautiful little boy!

We then took the 40 minute cab ride back to the Halifax--Esteban slept in Sabeth's arms the whole way. The other guests (all adoptive parents themselves) and the staff at the Halifax welcomed us back with many congratulations. They even decorated our room door!

Esteban and we are still getting used to each other. Even with the outline from Gladys, we are still learning Esteban's routine. Julien changed his first diaper, and will gladly share poop stories privately. Julien also gave him his first bath--something Esteban loved. We somehow missed his afternoon nap yesterday, and that made for a difficult evening.

And today...

Esteban woke up at 4am, ate, and went back to sleep for two more hours (thankfully! since we weren't ready to be up at 4!). The Google video on the sidebar was after Esteban's breakfast.

After our breakfast, we took the stroller out for its maiden voyage. Esteban slept for 90 minutes of our two hour exploration of the neighborhood. Our hotel is in a neighborhood with many professional buildings, restaurants, and several parks with play areas. Bogota is a city of 7-10 million (depending on whom you ask), and we think it feels very European.

The remainder of our day, so far, has been pretty uneventful as we try to re-establish Esteban's routine of bottles and naps and exercise. We hope we'll all sleep better tonight!

The Halifax is providing a wonderful community for us as we find our way through our first days of being parents. Both guests and staff are helpful, and the other guests really do know what it's like. We can't sign off without mentioning how great the food is here at the Halifax, too--lots of fresh fruit, traditional Colombian dishes, and great coffee!

We were able to borrow a cell phone. It's number and the Halifax info are now posted somewhere to the right. Also, check out our slideshow--we'll add to it regularly.