Learning Together

Not only am I learning Spanish every day…. and having my horrible Spanish corrected by a 7-year-old, but Nora is slowly saying words in English.  She was keeping track of all her English words but once she passed 20 it was too time consuming.  However, “Good morning” counted as one.  Same as “How are you?”… one.  Every day she says funny little words that we would never think to teach her… like “Costco!”  and “Whattaryoudoin?”.. said as one word.  Tonight she asked me, “Que es YOUR ROOM?”  I said that, “YOUR ROOM es su dormitorio.”  She nodded her head and ran off to YOUR ROOM.

This week I’ve taught Nora how to use scotch tape, how to lick envelopes, how to open plastic storage boxes and how to  use an apple slicer and a waffle maker.  She has taught me that even when you’re seven it’s still important to match your socks, underwear, shirt, jewelry and hair clips.  She also intrinsically knows that you can never have too many notebooks with blank lined paper in them!  It’s so true!  She also knows that there is a place for everything and everything has a place of its own…. but her places change… often.  One day her socks are in drawer #3… the next day they are in drawer #5, having been replaced by a collection of marbles and Pez candies. 

Sisters… finally!

We didn’t show her everything in her room right away.  We left toys in hiding places and dolly clothes tucked away.  Slowly I’ve been letting her peak in new hiding places to discover awesome stuff… like a wooden train that hooks together, a box of marbles, a sleeping bag for her doll, and a HUGE box of PlayMobil under her bed!  Her excited expression is always wide-eyed accompanied by her signature, “GWOW!”  It’s wow with a hard G on the front.  Not sure where that came from but it makes us laugh!  We all say it like that now.  GWOW!

Last night was the ending of her first week in America… and it was her first night going to bed without tears.  We’ve come a long way, baby!

I’m Still Alive

I never suspected that I would be this tired when I got home!!!  I felt like we were on a month-long vacation in Colombia, but I guess it was a little more emotionally involved than that!  We are home.  We are safe.  We are happy.  And we are tired!  Nora has been sleeping 12+ hours each night.  She L O V E D her bedroom!  She L O V E D her princess dresses.  She L O V E S her bike!  Here’s some proof.  I’ll be back to writing soon.  So much to tell.  Too tired to tell at this moment.

The Colombian Twin

I’ve heard it been said that everyone has a twin some where in the world.  I’m starting to believe it’s true.  We met Rick’s Colombian twin in Cali… he lived across the street from the house we stayed in.  His name is Juan Carlos and even without communicating very well, he and Rick were up to mischief from the get go.  They both love soccer.  They both think they are good at soccer… but Juan Carlos has videos to prove his story. 

We taught Juan Carlos and his kids how to play Ticket to Ride one evening.  Juan Carlos “helped” Larisa by illegally putting her trains on the board when no one noticed.  Later he got the Spanish/English dictionary and thumbed through it for some time before he came out with the accusation against the other players, “They are deceitful.”  See?  Rick in another body!   Larisa was winning for quite a while and he said it was because of his help.  When she ended up losing, he said she didn’t listen to him. 

Both Rick and Juan Carlos love Mexican/Colombian food.  The foods are so similar… the only difference is that the Mexicans use tortillas and the Colombians use arepas.  Juan Carlos hooked us up with some sumptuous food more than once…. SOOOO something Rick would do!  He also invited us to go with he and his wife to the neighborhood fiesta.  He tried to teach Rick to Salsa dance….. later he gave Rick a Salsa dancing video.  I guess his teaching skills require students with promise.

We didn’t just gain a daughter in Colombia.  We gained life-long friends (and cohorts.)

The Taxi Driver Sent by God

Two days ago our interpreter/guide showed up at the house without me knowing she was coming.  Rick knew, but he neglected to mention it to me.  She needed Nora’s Colombian identification card for some such important business.  She was only stopping by quickly because she needed to deliver the card to our lawyer on the far side of Cali. 

We invited our neighbors for dinner that night, making a trip to the grocery store in town necessary that day.  I figured we would do a family trip on the bus.  We had not yet been brave enough… but adventure is out there!  Then I realized I could get dropped off at the store by our guide and take a taxi home!!  I quickly ran a brush through my bed head and asked Austin to accompany me. 

We arrived at Jardin Plaza, where we had shopped before, but didn’t realize there was a grocery store!  We only needed the ingredients for a fine Mexican meal… plus we realized we would have to carry all the bags, so we wouldn’t be long.  I was thrilled to find my first quality flour tortillas in Colombia!  Auntie Connie’s burritos are now famous in South America!  Our neighbor asked for the recipe… twice.  :o)   As we were leaving the store…. sad realization sunk in that I didn’t remember the full name of where we are staying to tell a taxi driver.   The name is Ciudad Campestre El Castillo Conjunto Herrerier #1.  I could only remember Castillo. 

Austin thought he solved the problem by suggesting we call our guide.  That’s all fine and good if I had the cell phone she gave us.  But I didn’t.  I didn’t know her number either.  The next solution I thought of was to call Santiago, a wonderful taxi driver that we have been using for three weeks.  But I didn’t have his card with me.  We knew where the hundreds of taxi drivers lined up at Jardin Plaza so we headed there…. with dread in my heart.  I knew I could explain that we needed to go toward Jamundi… but you’re supposed to agree on a price before you get into the taxi… and we didn’t need to go all the way to Jamundi.  I could say “our house is in the middle of Cali and Jamundi”… but that wasn’t true… it was ALMOST to Jamundi.  I had heard Rick negotiate with the taxi drivers in that very spot… they started at $28,000 pesos ($15 US).  I knew Santiago only charged us $13,000 pesos. I hate bartering!

Just as we emerged from the plaza, I spotted God’s little gift to me that day…. SANTIAGO was the first taxi driver in the line of 57 cars!!  “Look who it is, Austin!” I said quickly as I hurried to get his car!  “Hola, mi amigo!”  and I truly meant “my friend” at that moment.  I asked if he could take us home, he said it would be his pleasure and he removed the grocery bags from my hands.  “God is taking care of us today!” I told Austin and he agreed.  I marvelled once again at the Lord ordering our steps!  Santiago speaks very rapidly in Spanish and I can’t understand most of what he says, but after we got in his taxi he said something to the effect of “that was perfect timing!”  I replied, “Gloria a Dios!” (Glory to God!)  Then he smiled in the rear view mirror at me.

Shower Competition (Why Didn’t I Think of That!)

In our home, our water bill is higher than it should be for five people with average water usage.  The reason being, we have a son who LOVES the hot water.  No names mentioned, of course!  This is his little slice of heaven… private time with the steamy water and the God he loves.  He has been known to take showers that last longer than it took Noah to build the ark.  Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but it’s pretty close!  We bang on the door and yell, “Are you almost done?”  To which he always answers, “Almost!”  We’re not quite sure what he does in there the whole time…. however, we do have proof that he once shaved his legs and another time, the space between his eyebrows.  He didn’t want a uni-brow.   Nothing has worked to speed up this child in the bath.  Until now.

I cannot believe I didn’t think of this!  Make it a contest!  The boys have decided that they are both the speediest shower takers in Colombia.  So each day one sits outside the bathroom with a watch and the other zooms through a thorough bathing, I’m sure!  Then they switch places.  The whole ordeal takes about eight minutes…. seriously!  The winner currently is at 2 minutes 2 seconds.  I doubt the effectiveness of these showers, but I’m not checking for dirty evidence.

I know I said this before, but I cannot believe I didn’t think of this five years ago!  This will save hundreds of dollars each year in water usage and water heating for my dear husband!  Now Rick can list the two best things that happened to him in Colombia….. his little princess and the shower contest!

Promises Promises

I promise I’ll blog tonight!  I’ve not been feeling the greatest and sleeping a lot.  Thankfully we’ve had nothing going on for a few days!  Busy day today though, going up to the mountains.  :o)  Stay Tuned for the following stories of great interest:

Shower Competition

Taxi Driver Sent by God

Colombiano Twin

I Officially have FOUR Kids!

Today was the final Sentencia in the courts for us to sign on the dotted line and make Nora ours officially.  It’s not all as fancy as that sounds…. the court that you sign in is a room full of desks…. looks like a crowded newspaper office without cubical walls.  Rick actually went without me to sign.  I’m not feeling that great and our guide didn’t think it was a good idea to take the kids downtown at this busy time of the year.  I was good with that.  I stayed home and have been taking any and all cold medications we brought with us! 

When Rick got home he handed me a stack of official papers in Spanish and I read through them the best I could in my Spanglish.  It made me cry all over again.  Why any child would have to go through this is so SAD!  I keep looking at our new daughter… she’s so stinkin’ cute!  And talented… and I’m not just saying it because I’m the momma!  Even her toes are darling.  And she has dimples and wavy hair… not that any of these things matter to me… but they are the icing on the cake.  Every child deserves a home with love and acceptance and I’m so glad she’s in ours!

I had the typical new-mommy fear: What if I don’t think she’s cute?  Rick reassured me that Colombian girls are all cute!  He also reminded me that I didn’t think one of my bio kids was cute either….. but that child has grown on me and now I do!  (No names mentioned!  Ever!)

Nora is spunky… today was the first morning that she woke up before me… at 6:30!  She came jumping in on our bed and kissed me and said her only line in English, “Good morning, Mama!”  She wakes up happy.  She goes to bed without too much of a hassle!  But even if she didn’t, we would still love her to pieces.  In our adoption training, we heard worse case scenarios that had us holding our breath waiting for weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Our transition has been so much better than we could have hoped for.  I do realize this is the honeymoon phase and her true colors will shine at home in a month or so, but I expected so much more trauma!  I’m thankful!

Last night I used google translate to ask Nora a bunch of questions.  I told her that we have been waiting four years for her!  And that we prayed for her that whole time.  I asked her if she prayed to.  She answered in Spanish, “Yes, to Jesus for a family!”  I told her Jesus answered her prayers and ours!  It will be so interesting to get more of her story from her own lips once we are on the same language page. 

I realize her entire life has been changed forever… but so has mine.  I’m a mother of four.  Two girls.  Two boys.  And I get to do ponytails again… and ruffle sockies.  Being a mom is the BEST!

Estados Unidos Excitement!

Tonight I went into Nora’s room to dry her hair (from swimming!) and put her to bed.  This was obviously the first time she’s had her hair dried with a blow dryer.  First she was scared of the noise, then she giggled and danced and spoke rapidly in Spanish the entire time I dried her hair.  It was hilarious. 

As I tucked her in, I explained in my supremely lame Spanish that tomorrow we are going to the zoo.  She obviously didn’t understand the word ZOO because her eyes got BIG and she asked excitedly if we were going to the Estados Unidos tomorrow!  (The United States)  No, I unfortunately explained.  It is seven more days until we go to Bogota and then seven MORE days until we go to the USA.  That’s a long time when you’re 7 years old!

Rick asked me tonight if I have heard what Nora thinks about the United States.  The only thing I’ve heard so far is that she thinks it is in another galaxy.  Wow!  We plan to ask Nora a bunch of questions and videotape her answers so we have it as a keepsake.  We were going to do it today, but after last night’s rockin’ party, our naps interfered with our illustrious plans.  Mañana!

The Festival of Lights

Here in Cali, Colombia on the night of December 7^th (last night!), the Festival of Lights is held to commemorate the Immaculate Conception. The candles are lit to show Mary the way on her journey to Bethlehem on the donkey.  Cheesy cardboard luminaries of multiple sizes and color go on sale on the streets and in the stores for the event. Of course we participated by buying some colorful Mother Mary flimsy stand-up holders for our six little blue candles…. one for each family member. With great care and enthusiasm, we lined them up in the sprinkling rain in front of our little home. Yes, they kept blowing over. Yes, the candles kept going out, but the spirit of the night was alive!

Our measly display was nothing compared to the streets, sidewalks, balconies and terraces of our little gated community. The band of 12-14 year old soccer players even came by our place and lit a small fireworks display in our driveway for us! We were told that the celebration of the Night of Candles is one of the most beautiful ones of Colombia and it’s true.

There was also an all-night fiesta of the Colombian nature held in the cabana next to the pool outside our back door. A live band, salsa dancing and mucho food kept the party-goers laughing and dancing until 6:00 am. Yes, you read that right… SIX in the morning. Thank the good Lord someone invented orange foamy earplugs. Our neighbors invited us to go with them, since we weren’t aware that we were supposed to bring food. That’s what good neighbors are for! The festivities didn’t get started until 9:30 last night, and with Nora needing to go to bed, I stayed home and contentedly watched through the sliding glass door.

Rick took our three eldest kids and they all laughed and ate with our Colombian neighbors in the balmy 80 degree night. Austin, our 14-year-old, came home first. He reported that he only went to see his father make a fool of himself and that happened in the first five minutes on the dance floor… so he was done. About an hour later, Keeve, our 12-year-old son, wandered in with a wide smile on his face reporting that Dad can “almost salsa dance” and that Larisa “is totally getting it!” At that point, I was thankful for our little muchacha needed a guardian to stay home with her. Another hour later, Larisa, our dance-loving 17-year-old came through the patio door and told me that Dad is actually learning fast and is pretty good “but don’t tell him I said so.” I questioned if she knew when Dad was planning on returning. She replied, “Well, he’s dancing with all the ladies who don’t have partners and he’s about done.” Of course he was!!!

A new Crosby tradition was born last night. Forevermore, we will light candles on Dec. 7^th to remember our night in Cali once upon a time and to keep the Colombian traditions alive. After all, Mary played a significant part in the Baby Jesus story.

Table for Six, Please!

Today we sat down with the kids and planned the remainder of our stay in the Cauca Valley.  There were requests for paintball, the gold museum, an architectural tour, the zoo, handmade crafts shopping and a trip up into the mountains.  We are sort of on an every-other-day schedule, as the cleaning lady/cook comes on Monday-Wednesday-Friday and someone should be here at the villa.  The smaller trips of interest to only a few of us cultured family members can take place on cleaning days too.  We have another 11-12 days here in Cali and we want to see as much as possible without spending an arm and a leg… or wearing out the little muchacha.  Ok, enough logistics.

Tonight as my kids all hugged and kissed each other before Nora’s bedtime, I witnessed unconditional love that melted my heart.  Our two Canadian and one American kids have wholeheartedly accepted their little Colombian sister without as much as a hiccup.  My 17-year-old daughter is sharing a room and a bed with her new little sister and is loving it all!  So am I!  Nora picked first in the room… which meant all the shelves in the closet, the only nightstand and the best side of the bed.  Larisa hasn’t really been told what to do by a 7-year-old before, and she handled it beautifully.  I’ve heard her say several times, “Where is my favorite little Colombian?”  Awwww.

Adoption is such an amazing, heart-transforming adventure.  We have seen God’s hand in the orchestration of our family every day as more and more tidbits of Nora’s personality and talents surface.  It is remarkable that a little girl can grow up on a different continent and mesh so well with a family of five who barely even speak her language!  Her sense of humor is the best part of it all!  One day, like every other day, we were looking through the photo album I made for Nora of her new family, our house and relatives.  She looked at the picture of our piano and asked who played it.  We told her that we all did, except Dad.  She said, very matter-of-factly, “Así que la mamá es más inteligente que papá?”  (Oh, so mommy is more intelligent than daddy?)  Made me laugh. 

We are also totally enjoying the fact that Larisa and I speak and understand the most Spanish among our family (which isn’t saying a whole lot!) but everyone talks to Rick because he looks like he belongs here!  Rick can’t understand a lick of Spanish!  He has been in the swimming pool every day for a week and is darkening up to a golden bronze color.  :o)  A group of neighborhood boys have been playing soccer every day with Rick and our sons, Austin and Keeve.  One of the boys asked me in Rick’s absence, “Is Rick the father of Austin?”  and I overheard one boy ask Keeve, “Are you and Austin brothers?”  It makes me laugh.  I realized today, after EVERYONE in the mall stared at us with our blonde children, that they must assume that Rick married me with these three teenagers in tow… and then we had this cute little dark girl that looks like her Daddy!  One of the clowns at the petting zoo told Rick that he appears to be Colombian!

The first morning we were in this villa, I was up early making scrambled eggs and toast (and arepa, of course!) and I set the kitchen table before anyone was awake.  Later, my husband walked in and asked if I wasn’t eating with the family.  I ONLY SET FIVE PLACES!  Thank the good Lord Nora didn’t witness her mother forgetting her already!!!!  Aye, yi yi!  This is life changing in every way.  Thankfully there is enough love to take care of everyone!