MAJOR update!!

Well, it's been less than a week since our visit in Bogota -- and Wendy and Fernanda are here!!! For good!!!!! We have to return to Colombia in January for the adoption, but they will not be going back to the fundacion again. Our daughters have come home!

We met the girls at JFK last night at 9 p.m. -- we had waited for over an hour at the arrivals gate and then finally there they were, two little people walking on either side of an Avianca representative pushing a luggage cart. They were very excited to see us, and very excited as well for the gifts we brought, parkas from Gigi and Grandad! Thank goodness we brought them to the airport because for Wendy and Fer, our relatively balmy 45 degrees is freezing. They immediately zipped the jackets all the way up, put on their hoods, and shivered their way to the car. They slept a bit on the way home but woke up when we arrived and seemed very happy to be here. We took the dogs for a walk, explored some of the new things in their room, especially the new bunk bed with room up top to play, watched Kitty and then to sleep. We went to bed at 11 anticipating a long rest.

But it was not to be -- they came into our room at 5:30 this morning! We told them they had to go back to bed for a little while, which they did, returning at 7 to lie on our bed and pet the dogs. They both love the dogs, especially Happy, and he certainly loves the attention. Then we got up, made them breakfast, got them showered and dressed, and went out for a walk with the dogs. Despite their bundling up as though for subzero weather, they were still quite cold on the walk, and announced their intention to put on two pairs of pants when they returned! I persuaded them that tights would do as well. :) Around 10:30 we headed out to KIPP -- we wanted them to see the school again before they come to spend the day when school is in session, and also Chris had a parent meeting. They liked being there, but were too shy to meet any students yet. I'm sure they will get more comfortable over time, and we will be back on Monday.

After returning home, they spent the afternoon playing, swimming, watching some episodes of a new show they like, "Maya and Miguel," and celebrating their first ever SNOW!! It was too wet to go out and play, but they were so excited to watch through the window. We had pizza hawaiiana for dinner (a pizza they serve in Colombia with pineapple, ham and cheese - no tomato sauce) and after some Kitty, one in English and one in Spanish, they were off to bed. Fer lost a tooth during the second Kitty, so we explained about the magic lady who comes to take the tooth and leave money . . . she seemed a bit nonplussed but was happy to put her tooth in the envelope. So we have to remember to leave some "plata" (change) before we go to bed!

Overall it has been a great 24 hours! They seemed really happy to see us and to be here, and though a bit shy with new people at KIPP which is totally understandable, they seem really comfortable here at home and also with the people we have seen in our building who they met this summer.