Girls Scouts Starts and a Win for the Clovers!

The girls were thrilled to start Girl Scouts, Fer as a Junior and Wendy as a Brownie. They asked all week about it, and seemed to really enjoy the first meeting. I have jumped in as a leader-in-training, and am helping out with Wendy's troop. The girls are very sweet, and we had fun getting to know each other a little bit and starting our first "Leadership Journey," which is about water.



We went up to Tivoli on Saturday morning and both girls were amazed at the leaves changing as we drove up the Taconic. They haven't quite believed that fall is really coming, since all the trees are still green in the Bronx with the warm weather we've been having. Wendy took the camera to record the moment:




On Saturday, we had lunch with Gigi and Grandad, and dinner with Matt and Christine and Jack. It was wonderful to see the fam, and the girls loved hanging out with everyone, especially Jack, who just seems to love them. "Where's Fer?" "Where's Wendy?" He is so cute, and they so enjoy playing with him (and, truth be told, his toys!).

Then, on Sunday, the Clovers took on the grey team and won their first game, 3-0! It's amazing how much the girls have improved in just 3 weeks. Of course, the Blue Ninjas and the Pink Panthers had also beat this team, so perhaps our rallying cry is simply, "We're not in last place!" (There are only 4 teams in Fer's division.) But the girls were really excited, and that was fun to see.

Weekend with Friends

We had a really nice weekend with some great playdates. On Saturday, I took the girls by train out to New Jersey to visit Jim and Patricia and Jessica and Jillian, and Chris joined us later in the afternoon for dinner. Dress-up and American Girl dolls featured prominently, and we also hit the mall for a little shopping and ice cream!





Then, on Sunday, we had our long-awaited reunion with Apple and Millie. The four of them came up to Riverdale and we all went to the Family Art Project at Wave Hill. Katie and Harris had never been to Wave Hill before and we were happy to share this "jewel of the Bronx" with them. The four girls had a wonderful time together -- after the art project and lunch, we all watched Fer's soccer game. Sadly, the Green Clovers lost again, this time 5-0. But they are getting better and seemed to enjoy playing. We're hoping for a win next weekend!

Fer's First Soccer Game

Fer had her first soccer game today -- she really seemed to enjoy it. Her team, the Green Clovers, played the Blue Ninjas. Final score: Ninjas 3, Clovers 1. The difference in team name pretty much mirrored the different approaches of the coaches as well as the different skill levels of the players. The green team has quite a few first-time soccer players, it seems, while the blue team seemed comprised of girls with much more experience. The blue goalie actually dove for the ball a few times, and the girls seemed to understand the idea of kicking the ball and running after it immediately. Before the game, the green team was trying to decide on a team name (which they didn't finalize til afterwards) while the blue team was running drills on the other side of the field! I prefer the more laid-back vibe, so I'm happy. I want her to have fun and enjoy being with the other kids and hopefully get a little exercise in the bargain, and that's about it. At least from today, it seems those goals were met.

Happy Birthday Hugo! and other reflections

On Monday we called Hugo and Leidy to wish Hugo a happy birthday. It was pretty momentous -- the girls had not heard their voices since our farewell visit in February in Bogota. We sang to Hugo, and then the four kids talked for maybe 15 minutes. We were amazed at how happy and excited Wendy and Fer were to tell Hugo and Leidy all about their life with us. Wendy actually referred to us at one point as "mis papas" -- first time in my hearing, she has usually called us "los padrinos" -- and at another time was saying how "mi mama" has allergies when Leidy asked why we don't have a cat! Leidy especially had lots of questions, wanting to know about the girls' school, their friends, the dogs, the house, and so on. It was a little hard, knowing that Hugo and Leidy are on this call in one of the offices in the orphanage, and that so much is unknown to them about what their life will be like in the United States. At the end I had a chance to speak to Hugo briefly and told him that Julei is working hard on the papers and is doing everything she can to move the process along, and that we are so excited to welcome them to the States when they come. I also told him we would call again soon.

That night Wendy had a really hard time going to bed -- maybe just one of her nights, but maybe it had to do with the call. It's hard to tell. And while Fer seemed very happy about the call and didn't have any overt reaction, I think it also brought up for her some fantasies that somehow Hugo and Leidy will come to live with us. When she visited me at school on Wednesday, she was drawing on my blackboard and wrote on the board "Wendy Weeks Fer Weeks Hugo Weeks Leidy Weeks." I had to tell her no, Hugo and Leidy would have a different last name, and spelled out Julei's last name for her so she could see it. She has also been writing in her notebooks about how all the family loves Hugo and Leidy, and how much she loves Hugo and Leidy.

Fer said something so sweet the other night. I was cooking dinner and she was in the kitchen with me, and she kissed my arm and said "Thank you for adopting me, because I didn't have a mom." We were talking at dinner and she said it again -- "Thank you for adopting me, because we didn't have a family. And now we have a very good family."

Wendy has become so much more attached to us as well. She is often in my arms and calls me "Mami" maybe 80% or more of the time. Tonight as she was going to bed she said "Mami I like to be with you and I don't want to go away from you." On the way to school this week she spontaneously took Chris's hand, and that has happened a few times since. When I think of the prickly little girl who told me that I would always be ugly to her and she would call me madrina for the rest of her life, I'm just amazed! And so very, very thankful for all the blessings we have that have made this new life possible.

First Days of School (and End of Medicine!)

Picture to come, but the girls have had a great start to the new school year at St. Peter's. Wendy is now in 2nd grade with Mrs. Harding, and Fer is in 3rd with Ms. Guerra (for now, she will go on maternity leave at the end of the month and Fer will have a substitute til January, I believe). It has been a very smooth transition to the new year -- they are both happy and excited, enjoying seeing their old friends and making some new ones, and the first homework assignments were completed with alacrity and relative ease! We are so pleased with their enthusiasm and positive attitude. Next week the girls will start afterschool with a little time at St. Peter's afterschool program before the bus from Triple S Tutoring in Riverdale comes to take them to an academic/homework help afterschool program. We are hoping that they will come home at 5:30 with all homework done and ready for some fun family time! Or at least ready to relax on the couch with Barbies or babies, drawing and perhaps a little TV. :)

On Wednesday, we also ended the regime of medicine that we have been on since mid-August. We found when we did a final round of lab tests that the girls had an asymptomatic parasite which needed to be treated. Unfortunately, despite obtaining a specialized children's flavored version of the medicine from a gold-plated non-insurance-taking pharmacy in Connecticut, the girls really hated it. They had to take two kinds (cherry and tangerine) for 2 weeks, and then finish up the tangerine for a final week. Wendy especially loathed the cherry, and I will say we got quite creative in trying to get the stuff down, three times a day. Some tips if you find yourself in similar straits:
-make it a race, between the children or between parent-child teams
-count down from numbers of the child's choice before taking it (sometimes this needs to happen several times)
-offer M&M's after each dose to take away the bad taste
-make sugar cookies (in the shape of dog bones, natch) to take away the bad taste
-pretend to play "jokes" of not taking the medicine while really taking it very quickly and in secret. These "jokes" can be on any member of the family, though Papi was the girls' preferred target.
-have friends act as cheerleaders while the children take it
-have the children stand back-to-back and take it at the exact same time
-make a chart and put a smiley-face for each medicine time with no problems
-have medicine be the pre-requisite for going to the beach, the mini-golf, the game room, the ice-cream parlor (helps if you are in a beach hotel for that one)
-do it first thing in the morning before any other activity
-have it be the pre-requisite for TV or a movie
-end with a celebration at Target! Barbie time!!
As you may be able to tell, it really was quite an ordeal. Now we wait to hear if it worked! We should learn in the next two weeks if they are cured.

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great weekend in Tivoli. Saturday the girls had a chance to hang out with Apple and Millie, 2 little girls whom they met last summer at cousin Jack's birthday party. The four girls became immediate best buddies, and we saw them on Sunday and Monday as well. Hopefully there will be more good times together in the future!







On Sunday night we celebrated Gigi and Grandad's 45th (!!!!) wedding anniversary with a surprise dinner party at Christine and Matt's house. It was a wonderful evening -- the pictures really don't do it justice. Somehow everyone's eyes were closed! Of special note was Peter's reading of an Ogden Nash poem as a toast -- "Near and far/Near and far/I am happy where you are./And it's true I've never larnt/To be happy where you aren't." It was beautifully read and I think expressed perfectly the loving feelings in a strong marriage, and in a happy family as well. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! We love you!!

Happy Birthday to Fer!!

Fer's birthday poem/song:

It's my first birthday in United States
And I'm going to enjoy this birthday today
So thank you Gigi and Grandad for coming to my birthday
And my sister Wendy, I love her so much
and Mami and Papi and
of course Hugo y Leidy
It's a great day, my birthday, today!!

Pretty much says it all (except we also extend the thanks to all the family members who called or sent cards - special thanks to Grandpa Jack and Grandma Deb and the Gosas for their generous gifts!). Happy 11th birthday Fer! We love you so much!!