History

Friday, September 5, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

Hi Everyone!!!

The Calcagno Family is home and doing great!!!!! We came home the beginning of July and it is so nice to be here as a family again. It was a very long 4 months being in Cleveland. I am so gratefule to Russ, my father, my sister and brother and my aunt and uncle, who took care of Domenic for us while we were in Cleveland. I couldn't have made it through these past months without the love, support and prayers from all of our family, friends, and neighbors.
We are all pretty much back to our normal routine. Russ is settled back at work and has also sold Italian Ice at festivals these past few months. Domenic is loving having me back home again and we enjoy every moment of every day together!!! And I am doing great and feeling great. My biopsies have all come back good which means there is no rejection from my new heart!!! I go to Cleveland once a month for biopsies and usually can come home the next day. We bring Domenic with us so it isn't so bad.
We have really taken advantage of these past few months together since we've been home. We have gone camping, swimming all summer, festivals, miniature golf, parades, parks, concerts, car shows, ice cream (too many times!!), the beach, train rides, and lots of playing with friends!!
Domenic has also been busy with his Tae Kwon Do. He just received his yellow belt and is now working towards is green. We are so proud of him!!!! He is very excited for school on Monday. I am too, since he is wearing me out lately!!!
We are all so blessed in so many ways!!! I am a very lucky person to be here with my family and friends.
When you go through a near death experience, it really puts things in perspective and gives you a whole new appreciation of life and all it has to offer!!!

Take care everyone and thanks again for all your calls, emails, cards and thoughts and prayers. They definitely helped!!!

Hope to see all of you at the FANA Halloween Party!!!

Love
Kathy, Russ and Domenic
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Thursday, March 6, 2008 8:52 AM CST

Hello All,

The Calcagno Family is doing great!!! We just finished celebrating Domenic's 4th birthday!! It was a week long celebration!! He had his friends party, his family party, and his class party at school all in the same week!! Domenic enjoyed all of his parties with his family and friends. He really enjoyed his special guest appearance by SPIDERMAN at his friends party!!! He was so surprised to see him!! He really is doing fantastic. He just had his 4yr check up at the doctors and he is 33 lbs and 37 1/2 inches. He passed his eye test and hearing test with flying colors. The doctor was amazed at how much he was concentrating on the hearing test because most kids his age don't really sit still and can't hear the beeps let alone know what ear they are coming from. I didn't even pass the eye test and I where contacts!!!
He is doing great in school too. He is writing his name and putting letters together and spelling words. He has made so many great friends and really enjoys spending time with them. He loves school and his teacher.
We are getting ready for our annual vacation. We aren't going to California this year (SORRY COVELLI's). We are going to Cancun to a really nice fun filled family resort. We are all really excited and can't wait to just hang out for a week together and not have to worry about driving anywhere or making decisions about where to eat, entertainment, and traveling to visit friends and family. We are just going to RELAX and HAVE FUN IN THE SUN!!!!
We hope to see our FANA friends and family at the party on the 30th and at the GM Meeting on 4/5.

Hope everyone is doing well!!
Love, Hugs and Kisses to you all!!
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 8:19 PM CST

Update coming soon!!!

Sunday, December 23, 2007 2:53 PM CDT

Hello Friends and Family,

We would first like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Domenic is doing great in pre-school. He has a couple of boys he has become best friends with and enjoys school.
Domenic is so excited for Christmas. everything he sees on TV he wants for Christmas. He also has learned in school the real reason behind Christmas and knows it is Jesus's birthday. In the home photo Domenic is handing Santa his list.

Please visit our Yahoo web sites listed below for more pictures and the new Christmas pictures.

Feliz Navidad! Un excelente 2008

Hugs and kisses to all
Love
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Friday, August 17, 2007 11:09 AM CDT

HI......

Yes, we are finally going to update our website. Sorry it has taken us so long, but we have been our usual busy selves. We have had a busy year!!!
Domenic turned 3 years old in February and is doing fantastic!!! He has grown so much this year and continues to bring so much joy to our lives. He is getting ready to enter preschool. I can't believe how fast time has gone and that our little boy is starting school!!! We are so excited for him but a little nervous too. I am sure he will enjoy school and making new friends. The only adjustment will be that mom and dad will not be in class with him. The first day will be hard on all of us!!
We have been enjoying our summer. We had a visit from our exchange student, Laura from Colombia. She came back this summer for a month. We all were happy to see her again. She really has become part of our family. Domenic loved having her back. She is a big sister to him. We went to New York City and Coney Island. We had a great time!! It was Laura's first time in NYC and our first time seeing Coney Island. It was hot there, so we really enjoyed the beach!! Domenic loves the water and has been in our pool all summer!!!
We also took Domenic camping for the first time. He loved it!! We didn't rough it, but it was still camping. We went to Darien Lake and rented a RV Camper their. Domenic really liked the campfire the best. Especially when we made marshmallows and smore's. He wants us to buy a RV now so we can go camping all the time!! I am not sure if he will ever want to camp with tents now???
We have had a busy summer our Italian Ice as well. We have worked about 12 festivals and Domenic is becoming quite the little helper. His favorite job is running the cash register. He has learned to take the money and put it in the register and give them change if need be. He then tells them "THANK YOU AND ENJOY". He is so darn cute and the customers just love him!!!
We are looking forward to our upcoming fall trips to North Carolina and maybe NYC again for the San Genaro festival. We always have a great time there!!
We haven't been able to put any pictures on the website because we have had several computer issues. Our hard drive crashed 3 months ago and we lost all the pictures we had. We thankfully have most of them saved on CD, but we haven't had the chance to restore any of them. We are hoping in the next few weeks to put some new pictures on the website.
We hope everyone is having a great summer and we look forward to hearing from you.

Love, Hugs and Kisses to all of our family and friends,
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 10:24 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!

I know it has been quite a long time since I have updated. Sorry!!! We have been pretty busy. Domenic is growing and is now 3 years old. He is such a big boy. He is so much fun and is looking forward to our annual trip to California. We are going to see PAPA Russ and friends in Manhattan Beach as well as our FANA friends in Redondo Beach (The Covelli's). We are ready to get into some fun and sun! We have had enough of cold and snow!!
Domenic has grown and will be starting pre school in the fall. He is really looking forward to that, I think???
I know I am. I am so excited for him!!! He is ready!!!
We will update more when we return from California.
We miss hearing from everyone who updates our journal, so please drop us a note and let us know how you all are!!

Love to all of you!!!
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Thursday, June 29, 2006 6:51 AM CDT

Hello to all,

It has been awhile since we last updated our journal. As always, the Calcagno's have been very busy. We had a great trip to California and Domenic really enjoyed Disney and meeting Mickey and Goofy. The only ride he liked was "Its a Small World" and the train ride around the park. We will return when he is a little older and can enjoy more of the park. Domenic is doing great!!! He is really starting to grow and finally gain a little weight and we think he even grew an inch or so!!! His vocabulary is unbelievable!!! People we meet out, cannot believe how well he speaks for 2 years old. His new favorite question is "What's that". He is so inquisitive and wants to know all he can. He is having so much fun so far this summer. He loves to play outside, swim and help daddy in the garden. His favorite part of the gardening is picking and eating all the strawberries. He only picks the red ones though. He learned the yellow ones don't taste very good. He is such a fun loving little boy who always is laughing and joking and bringing joy to everyone who meets him. We cannot thank God enough for bringing him into our lives. We are the luckiest people in the world!!!
Laura is doing great as well. She finished her senior year at Fairport High School. She graduated with her class last Thursday and we threw her a big party on Sunday for all of our family and her friends. Her mom and brother arrived from Colombia last Tuesday so they were able to share in the events. They are all having a great time shopping and seeing the sites before they all return home to Cali on July 4th. It will be a very sad good bye!!! Laura has been with us since last August and she really became part of our family. It was a great experience hosting an exchange student, especially one who is from Domenic's birth country. We know have another family in Colombia to visit besides everyone at FANA and Betty's Place. We were hoping to return to Bogota for FANA's anniversary in February (Domenic was born on FANA's anniversay ), but I think we are going to wait a few more years, when Domenic is a little older and can understand more.
We all have a busy summer ahead of us and are looking forward to seeing our FANA family and friends in a few weeks at the FANA Golf Tournament and Family Picnic. We always have a great time and we love to help out knowing what a beautiful gift FANA gave to us!!! We are forever grateful!!!

Thanks again to all who read and write to us. We love to hear from everyone, so keep following our journal!!!

Love to all
Kathy,Russ and Domenic
XOXOXOXOXOXO

Thursday, June 29, 2006 6:51 AM CDT

Friday, March 17, 2006 9:07 PM CST

Hello Everyone!!!

Sorry it took me so long to update, but we all have been very busy in the Calcagno household. Domenic had a great birthday!! I think we celebrated that entire week before his birthday. Everywhere we went, someone had something for him. We took him to Chuck E Cheeses on his birthday and he really enjoyed that!! The highlight was when Chuck E Cheese himself came over to Domenic with a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. He was so happy. That was all he told everyone about that day. We had his family party the day after his birthday. It wasn't as big as his first birthday, but there were still about 50 people there. He loves all of his aunts. uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends!! He was such a good boy that day. He opened all of his presents and made sure he said Thank you to everyone!! Domenic is continuing to grow into such an amazing little man. He is talking so much that he surprises us everyday with some of the words that come out of his little mouth. He is developing a love for music. His favorite group is the Beatles. He will sit and listen to them all day long. We love listening to him as he sings along with some of his favorite songs. He also loves Tony Bennett and Dean Martin. It is really funny to see a 2 year old into this kind of music, but I guess it is better than some of today's music that is out there!! He is also really into astronomy. He knows all the planets and gets really excited when he spots the moon and the stars. He still loves his cars and trains and is looking forward to going to see Thomas and Friends in May. He is also looking forward to our family vacation to California next week. We will be visiting his other PAPA, some friends of ours and we will be making a special stop at Disneyland to visit Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. He is so excited about this trip!! He keeps asking everyday when we are going to see Mickey and Minnie. Domenic is also enjoying his Music and Time for Twos classes that he takes at our community center. He loves his teachers, Ms Pat and Ms Barb. He also enjoys story time at the library every week with Ms Joann. It is so amazing to see what a difference a few months make at this age. He has really grown alot in the past 6 months. The only negative change has been, since Domenic turned 2 years old, he feels he does not need a nap anymore. The problem is that he falls asleep at the dinner table. So every afternoon I take him for a ride in the truck so he can nap for an hour or so and then he is fine for the rest of the evening until bed time. It usually is not a problem because we are out running around anyway, so he falls asleep on the way home. We are also continuing to try and get the potty training going again. He was doing really well with it before Christmas and then after the holidays he kind of lost interest. We aren't forcing it but we still want to keep at it if we could.
Laura is doing great also. Her mom came up from Colombia last month because Laura had to have a procedure done in the hospital and she really wanted her mom to be here for that. Everything went well and her problem was corrected. We really enjoyed meeting her mom and are looking forward for her return in June with the rest of her family.
Russ and I are also doing great. We both have been really busy working and trying to keep up with a toddler and a teenager. It has been a challenge, but I think we are doing an ok job!!! We are really looking forward to our vacation!!!! We all need it!!!!
We will update again when we return from California. Thanks to everyone who continues to read and write to us in our journal. We love hearing from everyone!!

Hugs and Kisses to all
The Calcagno Family

Friday, March 17, 2006 9:07 PM CST

Thursday, March 2, 2006 1:09 PM CST

Domenic turned two years old on February 4th. Updates on his day coming soon!!!

Thanks!!!
The Calcagno Family

Thursday, February 2, 2006 8:03 PM CST

Hello and Happy GroundHog Day!!!

Sorry we haven't updated in awhile. We all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and have been very busy still. We thought things would slow down after the holdays, but they haven't. Domenic is growing and will be 2 years old on Saturday (2/4). We can't believe it's been almost 2 years since he came into our lives!! He is our precious little angel from heaven is what mommy always tells him. He did get everything he asked Santa for and was extremely happy to see a little more than he expected to see Christmas morning. He is an official Thomas the Tank Engine fan. He has the train table complete with all the tracks and trains that are available. He loves playing with his trains!!! I think even cars are taking a back seat to trains right now. He is having so much fun talking. He loves to repeat everything you say. Mommy calls him her little tape recorder.
Laura (our exchange student) is doing great in school and enjoying her stay here. She did have a little heart trouble, but the doctors have diagnosed her problem and it is fixable, so that is a good thing. It was a problem she had in Colombia too, but the doctors where never able to diagnose it. She is going to have a procedure that will fix her problem so she will not have to take medication the rest of her life. Other than that, she is doing great!!!
We are having Domenic's birthday party on Sunday, so we will update with birthday pictures then. We have also updated the link at the bottom with pictures from Christmas and New Years.

Take care and love to everyone!!!
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic Calcagno
XOXOXOXO

Monday, December 12, 2005 10:18 PM CST

Happy Holidays!!!

As you can see, Domenic went to see Santa. He couldn't wait to go see him and ask him for Thomas the Tank Engine and Annie and Clarabel (the freight cars that ride behind Thomas) and Diesel. He is really into Thomas and loves trains!! He loves when we drive down Main St in our village because you can bet there will be a train going through. He gets so excited to see them. He also is really into his cars. He can show you where the motor is as well as the trunk, the exhaust and the head lights are. He also can tell you what make the car is. His favorite is the Mustang and the Cutlass (because daddy has one). Domenic is growing so fast. He is talking so much and repeats every word you say. I call him my little tape recorder. He is really doing well with his numbers, letters, and shapes. He pretty much knows all of them. He is now learning to tell us how many of something there is. For example: He tells us he has 10 toes and 10 fingers. He will count them and show us. It is so amazing!!! He is a very bright, energetic little man who wants to learn and know everything he can. He is also doing really well with the potty training. He asks us every day and night, "Momma, diaper off, peepee potty". Sometimes we will sit there for a half hour and he may not go, but other times he will go and that is really exciting. He loves to read all of his books while he sits there. Domenic has expanded his love for music. He is very much into Billy Joel and the Beatles. As soon as we get in the truck, he says, "Mommy, Beatles Please". Oh, did I mention how polite he has become. He says please and thank you all the time. And if he does something naughty, he looks at us and says, "I sorry" and then gives you a hug and kiss. Its enough to melt your heart!!!! He is just so amazing and we are so lucky to have him. Russ asked me what I want for Christmas and I said, I have everything I want right here!!! Domenic is our gift!! We have a beautiful home and we are all healthy and happy. That is what is important. Christmas is all about the kids. We are so excited to wake up Christmas morning and watch Domenic run out to see if Santa Claus brought him the trains he asked for. I am sure Santa won't let him down. He has been a good boy this year.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. We love hearing from you, so please continue to read our entries and write to us and let us know how you are doing!!!

Hugs, Kisses and love to all
The Calcagno Family
XOXOXOX

Friday, November 11, 2005 8:50 PM CST

Hello to all!!

Sorry it has taken us awhile to update, but life is extremely busy these days. We are all doing great!!! Domenic is growing so much and everyday is a new adventure. He is talking more and more and says words that we didn't even know that he knew. He says his ABC's, counts to 20 and knows the days of the week and all his shapes. He also has been very active at the community center with a Fun with Ones class, a music class, and the open gym. We attend story time at the library one day a week as well. He really enjoys going to the library. He loves looking at books about cars, planes, trains, and buses. He has really gotten into Thomas the Tank Engine and knows all of the character train names. I think he is going to ask Santa for the Thomas train set for Christmas this year. I am sure he will also ask for a race car track as well. He loves cars!! He has quite the collection already. Grandma bought him the Hot Wheels case to carry all of his cars. He loves his Grandma!!!! Domenic did go trick or treating this year and he loved it!!! He was out for almost 2 hours and had a blast. Daddy took him and taped it for me because mommy had to stay home and pass out candy. He went right up to the houses and said Trick or Treat and after they gave him candy he said thank you and then said next house!! Aunt Debbie and cousin Danielle went along with Laura. That was Laura's first time trick or treating too. She said they don't do that in Colombia. They celebrate Halloween with decorations and costumes but they do not go house to house trick or treating. She had alot of fun!! Domenic is a very social, fun loving little boy. He says Hi to everyone we meet during the day and one of his favorite almost daily visits is Wegmans. He has made friends with several people who work there and they look forward to seeing him when we go there. We went to North Carolina in October to see my sister and Domenic's new cousin. We had a great time and Domenic did very well with traveling. He still likes to sleep in his own crib though!!! We are planning to take Laura to New York City around Christmas time so she can see Rockefeller Center and how beautifully Manhattan is decorated. Laura is in Boston this weekend for her Senior trip. She was a little nervous leaving us, but I know she will have a great time with her school mates. They had over 400 kids going!! Laura is doing extremely well in school and has made many friends here. She enjoyed the FANA Halloween party and seeing all the beautiful children from Colombia. She also appreciated how much all of the FANA families speak so highly of Colombia and how much we love that country. Domenic is missing her this weekend and keeps asking us where is Laura? Domenic has given the potty training a try about a month ago but has no interest in it at this time. I thought it was a little early, but he kept telling us "peepee", so we bought a toilet and he went peepee on it a few times. We aren't going to push it because we don't want it to backfire on us. When he is ready again we are sure he will tell us. He has been really great about communicating to us what it is he wants or needs. It makes things a little easier when he can tell us what he wants instead of whining about it. It is amazing how quickly they pick up words!!! He is doing somersaults all on his own. He knows that red light means stop and green light means go. He knows what money is and that George Washington is on the one dollar bill. He talks on the phone and says How are you and Have a good day. He is like a tape recorder where he repeats everything you say and then stores it in his brain and never forgets it. He really surprises us with what he knows at his age. We are so blessed and we thank God and FANA everyday for giving us such a special gift!!!! It was so good to see everyone at the Halloween party and we hope to see you all at Christmas in Colombia in December. Take care and we hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hopefully the cold weather and the snow will hold out for another month or so. We do not like the cold!!!!!

Love to all
Kathy, Russ, Domenic and Laura
XOXOXOXOXOXO

11/27 Update:

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but ate too much as usual. Domenic asked to go peepee in the potty that day, so we took his diaper off and he sat on his toilet and we read books for about 20 minutes until he finally went peepee!! It was very exciting!! Tonight he asked us again to go on the potty and after about 10 minutes of reading books and sitting on the potty, he went peepee!!! Hopefully that will continue and we will have him almost trained by the time he turns 2 in February. We also took Domenic to his first movie today. We saw Chicken Little. He was very good and made it through the whole movie. He didn't sit for the whole movie, but at least he was quiet and not disturbing to other people in the theater. He loves popcorn so that made it a little easier to keep him in his booster chair. He is becoming a little man!!! How time flies!! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!! We know we have so much to be thankful for!!!

Take care and we will update after the holidays!!!

The Calcagno Family

Monday, September 5, 2005 6:37 AM CDT

Hello and Happy Labor Day to Everyone!!!

Domenic turned 19 months old yesterday!! We can't believe how fast time goes and how much Domenic has grown. We look at his referral picture and it seemed like it was yesterday we were in the green room at FANA holding him for the first time. It has been the most amazingly wonderful past 17 months!!! We are all enjoying what is left of the summer. Domenic had his doctor appointment a few weeks ago and the doctor said he is doing fantastic. He is still about 25 percent in height and weight, but he looks great she said. She also said that at his age he should be saying at least 20 words, but he is saying about 3 times that. He had his last shots and won't see the doctor until he turns 2. He did really well with the shots this time with the help of M and M's. He loves all the different colors. He knows his colors pretty well so I ask him to point out the blue, yellow, red and green ones. He also knows purple and orange. He is identifying numbers as well now. His favorite number is 8. He loves to say that number. His Nonna turned 88 last week and he carried her number 8 and 8 candles all around Wegmans saying "8" and "8" all the way to the car and all the way home. We had a party for her at my Dad's restaurant and Domenic loves to go to PaPa's!!! As soon as we pull in the parking lot, he say's "PaPA". Domenic is also learning some Spanish with the help of our new addition to our family. Laura arrived about 3 weeks ago and is doing fantastic. We love having her here. She is a very nice girl and Domenic is really enjoying her as well. She has taught him to say a few words. He says "ola and Buenos Dias". Laura will start school on Wednesday and I think Domenic will miss having her around during the day. We all have been keeping busy with working and having fun. We met Debbie and Sergianni Reale a few weeks ago at the Waterloo outlets and had a great day with them. We had lunch and then shopped until the kids dropped. They actually held up pretty well. It was so nice to see them. Domenic loves Sergianni and gave her a few kisses on the cheek, like the gentlemen he is!! We were hoping to go to the New York State Fair with them, but they were moving into their new house that week and we decided that we really didn't want to fight the traffic their. We ended up going to the Dansville Festival of Balloons. We were so glad we did!!! I don't know what Domenic loved more....the small planes and gliders taking off, the more than 40 hot air balloons taking off one after the other, or the clowns who made him balloon shaped dogs. We really had a great time and were glad we went. Laura was so amazed at all the hot air ballons. We have a few more festivals to work before our season will end. We have had many parties to attend and still have many more to come. We attended our new cousin Cristiano's baptism yesterday. We have 2 birthday parties next week, 2 festivals the week after, and another birthday party the week after that. We are planning on going to North Carolina in October to see Domenic's other new cousin Isabella. Today we are going to Canandaigua Lake for a picnic and some swimming at the beach. Laura has never been on a picnic so it should be lots of fun for all of us!!! It is a beautiful day!!!

Well, I guess that is all for now. I hope all is well for everyone who is reading our journal entries. We enjoying hearing from you!!!

We can't wait to see everyone at the Halloween party!!!

Hugs and Kisses to all
Love
Kathy, Russ, Domenic and Laura

Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:55 PM CDT

Hello to Everyone!!!

What a busy summer this has been!!!! And how about the weather??? I think this is the best summer we have had in a long time!!! We love summer!! We are all doing great. Russ and I have been very busy working and taking care of Domenic. We are not only working our regular jobs, but as I mentioned before, we sell Italian Ice at festivals throughout the summer. And what a summer for selling Italian Ice!!!! Domenic is growing so much and talking more than we ever thought he was ready for. He repeats every word we say. Needless to say, we have to be very careful with what we do say if you all know what I mean!!! One time I slammed my finger in a door and yelled "Jesus" and Domenic looked at me and said "Jesus". It was funny, but made me realize I have to be careful with what I say around him now. He has his 18 month doctor appointment next week, so we are anxious to see if he has gained any weight or not. Everyone keeps telling us he looks like he lost weight. I think it is just because he is getting taller and he is thinning out because he is so active. The only time he sits is when he is sleeping in his crib or eating in his highchair. He sure enjoys every minute of everyday!!! We don't mind because we are the same way. We like to keep busy and enjoy being on the go and having fun!!!!! We have been doing lots of swimming, visiting the library and play dates with other kids his age. Domenic is really enjoying him self and very anxious to learn and see as much as he can in a day. We took him to a water park for the first time a few weeks ago and he loved it. The wave pool was his favorite, I think because it reminds him of the beach and how the waves come up and almost knock you over!!!
Domenic has also been spending some time with his twin cousins Stella and Sabrina as well as his newest cousin Cristiano. We are thrilled that Domenic has a boy cousin too now!!! We didn't want him to be out numbered by the girls. Cristiano just evened things out. Domenic has another new cousin who was just born last week. She lives in North Carolina though so we probably won't see her until around October.
Other news, we are getting an addition to our family. We are hosting an exchange student from, can you believe, Colombia. She is 17 years old and her name is Laura. She is from Cali and will be arriving tomorrow night. She will be a senior and will be staying with us the entire school year. This all was just presented to us a few weeks ago and we said, "sure why not, it will be a great experience for all of us!!" She called us the other night to tell us how excited she is to meet us. Her parents called us tonight to thank us for taking Laura into our home for the next year. We are very exicted and I am sure we will all have a great time getting to know one another and learn about each other cultures as well as each others language. We are hoping to learn a little spanish before she leaves.
Well, I guess that is all for now. Russ should be putting some new pictures on this sight in the next day or so. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as we are!!!

Take care and God Bless
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Friday, July 8, 2005 12:47 AM CDT

Hello and Happy Summer to All,

Sorry we haven't updated in awhile, but we have been pretty busy enjoying the beautiful weather!!!!
Domenic turned 17 months old on the 4th of July. He is doing great!!!! He is growing so fast!! He now weighs 23 lbs and is 31 inches. He has grown 2 inches in the past 3 months, but only gained 1 lb. The doctor said he looks great and wasn't worried about only gaining 1 lb since he is so active. He is walking and running all over the house and loves to be outdoors!! Domenic loves the pool and the park. His favorite things to do outside are swimming, playing soccer and basketball and driving his little coupe car our neighbors were so nice enough to give him. He loves to walk on the grass and pick flowers too!! He enjoys seeing the birds fly around and our dog keesha chasing the squirrels. He loves the sun and the moon and can point to them and say what they are when the are visible. He is talking up a storm. He is really learning to say so many new words as well as beginning to put words together such as "all done". He knows when to use those words too. Whether it is when he is finished eating or his TV or video he is watching is finished. Or he even says it when the train that he sees goes by has ended or the plane that flew by is gone. He is so cute when he says that because he bends his arms at the elbow and turns his hands upwords when he says "all done". He really is starting to understand so much. Everyone tells us that before you know it, he will be doing all of this stuff, but it seems like it is happening so quickly. He is no longer a baby, he is becoming a little boy. He really appreciates everything we do and see. He saw fireworks for the first time and absolutley loved them!!! We have play groups at the park as well as at other kids houses and he is learning to share and play with other kids his age. It is a little frustrating at times for him, but I am trying to teach him to be patient and kind to other kids and he will have a turn too. He is doing pretty well with it. We also made our first trip to the library and he loved that too!!! He loves books, but hasn't gotten to the point where he will let me read to him. He just likes looking at all the pictures and pointing out and saying things he knows. He has learned colors such as red, blue, yellow, green, purple and orange. He also knows the letters "D", "O", "K" and "Z". He is able to point to them when I ask him to show me where they are. We have made a few trips to the zoo which he really enjoys too. So we have been pretty busy. Domenic also enjoys seeing his new twin cousins, Stella and Sabrina. At first he was afraid of them, I think because they were so small, but now he touches and kisses them. He is waiting for another new cousin to arrive in the next few weeks, which we are hoping will be a boy!!!
Russ and I have been pretty busy as well these past few months working and spending as much family time as we can together. We really enjoy taking Domenic everywhere. We are starting to get busy working our festivals selling Italian Ice, so it is hard because we miss spending time with him, but Grandma takes good care of him and he really loves spending time with her too!!!!
We are hoping to make it to the picnic, but we have a festival to work that weekend, so were not sure if we can get someone to help us out and work the booth for us. Russ may have to stay at the festival and Domenic and I will have to go to the picnic without him. Unfortunately, there are bills to be paid and this is income that we count on. I am sure it will all work out!!!
Thanks again to everyone who continues to write to us and read our journal.

Take care and Hugs and Kisses to All
Kathy, Russ and Domenic
XOXOXOXOXO

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 3:59 PM CDT

Hello to all,

Sorry we haven't updated in awhile. We have been pretty busy these past few months. February was a busy month with Domenic's first birthday and his Godmother's baby shower and all of our other weekly social events. As you read at the bottom of the last journal entry, Domenic is walking. He took is first steps on his own about a week or so after his birthday. He is doing well and is pretty much walking all the time. He doesn't like to be held as much and doesn't really crawl anymore either unless he is really tired. He is so proud of his accomplishment!!! He thinks he is a really big boy now. He even thinks he can run!!! He is learning that he isn't ready for that yet. Domenic also had his first haircut in February. He did alot better than I thought he would do. His Zia Dina did a great job of talking to him and distracting him from what she was really doing. He didn't like the cape, so after we took that off, he did pretty well. Daddy was filming, mommy was feeding him his favorite Goldfish crackers and Zia Dina was clipping away while she talked to him. He looked like such a big boy when she was finished.
March was a pretty busy month as well. We had lots of birthday parties to celebrate in the beginning of the month. Mommy and Daddy's anniversary was on the 13th (our lucky number) and we left for our vacation to Sunny California on the 22nd. We arrived in San Diego and spent a few days there. It was a gorgeous day (about 70 degrees) so we decided to go to lunch. There was a little sub shop next to the airport and we sat outside. Everytime a plane came in for a landing, we had a great view of it. After pointing the plane coming in out to Domenic, he was so amazed!! He then began to let us know when a plane was coming in for a landing. It was so much fun watching how excited he became as he spotted the airplanes!! The next day we took Domenic to SeaWorld. He loves the dolphins and the whales!!! We saw both shows and he clapped as everyone else did at the end. He really enjoyed himself!!! The next day we took off for Palm Springs to see PAPA. We had a great time with PAPA. He was really liking not having to wear all those heavy clothes and coats like we did back home. It was beautiful weather (about 75 degrees). Daddy enjoyed golfing every morning early with PAPA. When Daddy returned, we would venture out and either explore or enjoy the pool. If it was up to Domenic, he would have stayed in the pool the entire stay. He loves the water and really had a great time. He even made a few new friends. On Friday we went to the Living Desert, which is like a zoo in the desert. It was really neat to see. We have been to Palm Springs several times, but we never visited this attraction. I am glad we went. Domenic enjoyed seeing the giraffes, the cougars, the mountain goats, the wolfes, the birds as well as many other animals. They also had a huge train display. It was so big and looked so real. They really did a great job putting this together. We arrived close to the closing time that day so we ended up going back on Monday to make sure we saw everything. On Saturday, we spent the day at the Marriott Desert Springs pool. This is where Mommy and Daddy were married. We always try to visit our very special place!!! It brought back such great memories for us because the weather that day was just like it was the day we were married. (sunny and 80-85 degrees) They were even setting up a wedding, so it really brought back memories as well as a tear to my eye. Easter Sunday we woke up early and went to a beautiful church service in Downtown Palm Springs. It was the same church where Sonny Bono's funeral was and where Cher spoke. After church, we took PaPa and Marie out to brunch. The Rock Garden Cafe is one of our favorite breakfast spots!!! They have the best fresh squeezed orange juice!!! We then just went back to the pool and hung out for the rest of the day. Monday was back at the Living Desert and out to dinner for our final night in Palm Springs. Tuesday we left for Manhattan Beach to see friends of ours. Cathy, Jim and their son Eric were the kindess, sweetest hosts ever!!! Cathy and Eric took us to the beach as soon as we were settled in. Jim was still at work. It was a little windy that day. They also took us to an aquarium at the end of the pier. That was really neat to see. Wednesday morning we woke up and headed straight for the beach. It was going to be a beautiful day!! Sunny and 75. We had such good time!!! It was Domenic's first time in the sand and the ocean. He just had a ball!!!! We really didn't want to leave on Thursday to come back home. So we called the airlines and decided to extend our vacation a few more days. Wednesday night, Cathy and Eric brought us to their country club where it was family night. They do this every Wednesday and each week they have a different guest character. This particular night we saw Bert and Ernie!!! Yes, the duo from Sesame Street. Well let me tell you that Domenic could not get up to see them fast enough. He ran and plowed through all the kids that were sitting on the floor ready and waiting for the show to begin. Domenic just looked at them and wanted to keep touching them to make sure they were real!!! He was mesmorized by them. He was trying to get their attention by grabbing them and turning their shoulders around to face him. They even at one point picked him up and used him as part of their show. He loved it!!! I think Domenic dreamt about Bert and Ernie that night. He had such a good time!!! Thursday we were up early again and off to the beach. We again had a beautiful day. Sunny and 80 degrees. Thursday night we all went out for Chinese. Friday was the beach one last time before we leave to go home on Saturday. Friday night Russ wanted to make dinner for everyone. He made Chicken Saltimbocca with a side of angel hair pasta with tomatoe vokda cream sauce. It was an outstanding meal and a way of thanking Jim and Cathy for allowing us to stay with them in their gorgeous home. We were very sad to leave Saturday morning but we know we will be returning next year. The journey home was a little longer than expected because of delays with the bad weather NY was having. If we could have stayed in California longer, we definitely would have !!!!!! We finally made it home safely on Sunday. First thing we had to do was take showers and head up to the hospital to see Domenic's new baby cousins. Twin girls!!!! Daddy and Domenic stayed home instead of going to the hospital. We didn't want Domenic to be around them quite yet. They are still to new. They are so cute. Domenic is going to have such a good time playing with them when they get a little bigger. I showed him their pictures and he had this big smile on his face!! He is very excited to meet them.
Well as you can see we have been pretty busy these past few months. Domenic is growing so quickly. He is still such a fun loving little boy. He is learning so many new words and still loves to do his fish lips to everyone he meets. He even got us free dessert in Palm Springs one night. The waitress told us if he did more tricks, she would buy us dessert. He did all of the tricks he knew for her and she and everyone around us were hysterical!!! He really enjoys making people laugh!!
It is great to be home as long as I know summer is near. We are continuing with our busy schedule, but we hope to keep updating our site at least once a month.
Thank you again to everyone who writes to us. We appreciate hearing from everyone.

Love to all
XOXOXOXOXO
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Tuesday, February 8, 2005 9:35 PM CST

Updating very soon!!!

Love to all of you out there!!!!
XOXOXOX
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Monday, January 3, 2005 9:52 PM CST

Happy New Year Everyone!!

And what a year it has been for the Calcagno family!! This has been the best year and best Christmas for all of us!!! We've had a pretty exciting and busy last couple of weeks. We finalized the New York State re-adoption of Domenic on Dec 22nd in our very good friend, Judge Gail Donofrio's chambers. Domenic will now receive a US Birth Certificate as well as a US Passport. That was a pretty exciting day!!! Members of both our families were there to share in the joy. Christmas Eve, we went to my Aunt's house for our traditional Italian meal (no meat). After coffee, dessert and dishes, we open presents. Needless to say, Domenic had the biggest pile of presents to open. He had so much fun!!! He loved all of his toys. He also received an entire winter wardrobe as well as the beginning of a Spring 2005 wardrobe. I just hope he has a chance to wear everything before he grows out of it!! After presents, we all went to Christmas Eve mass at 10pm. Domenic was wide awake and playing with Grandpa the entire mass. His favorite part of mass is the singing. We waited Christmas morning until Domenic woke about 9am. We then let him open presents from Mommy, Daddy and Santa. Then Mommy and Daddy exchanged gifts, even though we already have our gift!!! Domenic loved all of his presents. Mommy's favorite present was the locket Domenic got her with his picture inside it. Daddy's favorite present was the T-shirt and coffee mug Domenic got him with his picture on both of them. We then got ready for our guests. We had 23 family members over for our traditional Italian Christmas Day dinner. Homemade chicken soup (which Domenic loves), homemade pasta and sauce, Braciole, Eggplant, and all the fixings. Oh, and lets not forget about the many desserts and cookies!! We all were so full!!! It was a great day and a wonderful dinner. The next week was pretty busy with trying to organize and find room for all of Domenic's new stuff. New Year's Eve was another great day. It was Mommy's birthday and Domenic and Daddy insisted on taking Mommy out to dinner to her favorite place. So, we went to my Dad's restaurant for a great meal. We then went to my Aunt's house to ring in the New Year with the rest of the family. I am not sure if it was all the excitement at my Aunt's house or if Domenic just knew it was a special night, but he did not want to go to sleep. He stayed up to ring in the New Year with Mommy, Daddy and the rest of the family. So we let him celebrate with a little bubbly!!! What a Party Animal!! He finally went to sleep about 2am. That was ok with us, because we woke up early New Years Day to drive to Toronto to visit with my cousins. He slept the whole way there. We had a great time visiting with everyone and they all really enjoyed seeing how much he has grown. He was so good and had a great time laughing and playing with everyone. He did finally catch up on his sleep the next night by sleeping 15 hours straight!!! The holidays have been so busy but so much fun for all of us this year. I think Domenic is really going to be dissappointed when we take the tree down. He loves looking at the tree and the lights. He is so cute when he points to the angel at the top of the tree when we ask him "where is the angel?" He is correct by pointing to the top of the tree, but Domenic is really our angel and our gift from God!!! This will definitely be a Christmas we will never forget and always cherish!!!
We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and we hope you all have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2005!! We are certainly looking forward to it!!!
We will continue to update our website and our pictures on the links listed below. Thank you again to all who continue to write to us. We look forward to hearing from everyone!!

God Bless
Love
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic

Sunday, December 19, 2004 10:27 PM CST

Hello,

Well, Christmas is less than a week away. Time is really passing quickly!!! It has been an unbelievable year for us. We were blessed with our son Domenic on Tuesday, April 13th!! He is just the most precious, funny and loveable little man!! We are so lucky to have him in our lives. As time as gone by, we truly believe that he was meant to be our son. He is more and more like us everyday!!! Our families feel the same way. They are all so happy he is part of all our lives. We all simply can't get enough of him. We all can't imagine what life was like before him. He is growing so fast and everyday doing something new. He is still most famous for his "fish lips". Everywhere we go and everyone who comes up to talk to him or play with him, he puckers up for them!!! He does it on command, which is even funnier!! We had the entire Jack Astors staff at our table the other night because they all wanted to see "fish lips". He is still walking along tables and furniture, but still hasn't tried to venture out on his own yet. He will turn and start to walk, but then realizes he still needs to hold onto something. That's ok though, because it means he still needs mommy to hold onto. I don't want him growing up too fast!!! He has been so entrigued by all the holiday decorations. He went to see Santa and was mesmorized by his long white beard!!! He just stared at him as if to say, "what is your name again and why do you have so much hair on your face?" He is really enjoying the tree and all the lights. He loves opening presents as well!!! This will truly be the best Christmas ever for the Calcagno family!!! We have been blessed and will never forget April 13, 2004, the day we became a forever family!!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Everyone!!!
We love you all!!!
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic

Monday, November 15, 2004 12:43 AM CST

Hello,

Wow, has time gone by fast. Domenic is now 9 months old!! He now has 8 teeth (4 top,4 bottom) and is crawling, pulling himself up, walking along his leap frog table, climbing , and walking as long as someone is holding his hands. He really doesn't sit still unless we have him strapped in his walker or bouncy seat. He is almost 21 lbs and 27 inches long. He is saying DA DA all the time and tries to mumble other words. We just haven't figured out what they are yet??? He enjoyed his first Halloween as he greeted all the trick or treators at our door. He isn't really fond of dressing warmer with all the cold weather we are having. He usually likes to hang out in just his onezie. Now we have to put a coat, hat and gloves on and he doesn't like that too much. He gets that from his mom and dad because we don't like the cold weather either!!! We are hoping to plan a trip to California to see Grandpa Russ in February to get some winter relief!! That should be fun!!!He really is the joy of our life!! He is so funny and most recently has a new face we call fish lips. We are not sure where he learned this one. As you can see from the picture above, it really is pretty funny!!! He is sleeping the same at night, but I think because he is so active, he is finally starting to take naps during the day for sometimes a couple of hours. He isn't really eating too much baby food other than cereal. He likes yogurt, fruit, cheese and crackers, and his teething biscuits. He loves the water, so we try to take him swimming as much as we can. He loves his books, especially the baby words book. He looks at all the babies and then gives them kisses. It is so cute!! We just had our first family portrait taken for the holidays. That was pretty exciting!! We will try to post some new pictures on our site soon. Take care and we will update again before the holidays. Thanks to all who are continuing to follow our web site and write to us. We love to hear from everyone!!

Love to all!!!
XOXOXOX
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 9:11 PM CDT

Hello!!!

Sorry we haven't written in awhile, but we have had an extremely busy summer!!! We ended the summer by taking our annual trip to Toronto to see our cousins, Labor Day weekend. We decided to take the Fast Ferry instead of driving. We had a great trip!! Too bad we won't be able to do that again!!! Domenic enjoyed himself the entire weekend and my cousins just couldn't get enough of him. He is just a wonderful little boy who loves to have fun!!!! Domenic turned 8 months old yesterday. He is growing so fast and learning and doing so much. Everyday we see him do something new!! He doesn't have a check up until next month, but we think he weighs about 20 lbs and is about 28 inches long. He just about grew out of all of his summer clothes, which is ok because unfortunately we have to start wearing the fall clothes. He is very active and loves to wonder around the house to explore and see what he can discover next. He is just starting to stand up holding onto something as well as walking with someone holding his hands. I think we still have another month or so before he is walking on his own though. He is eating cereal, fruits and vegetables, but we are recently introducing him to some table food. He is very cautious about the whole chewing and swallowing thing, so we are taking it slow. He has been getting a little more comfortable with it the past few days. I am sure he will be eating pasta and meatballs by Thanksgiving!!! He really is such a joy to watch and play with. He loves to hang out on the floor with all of his toys along with Mom and Dad and just play and babble. He did say DA DA first. He says DA DA almost everyday, especially after he receives his daily phone call from Daddy every morning. He loves to talk on the phone, even though he doesn't say too much. He just laughs and then tries to eat the phone!! He loves the water, so I enrolled him and I in a Waterbabies class at our newly built Aquatic Center in our town. It is like an indoor water park. He swims 2 mornings a week and just loves it!!! He kicks his little legs and slaps his arms as if he were trying to do the doggy paddle. He is so funny!! His sleeping habits really haven't changed much. He still sleeps around 12 hours a night and takes about 3 short naps a day, depending on how tired he is. We are traveling to New York this weekend and can't wait to take Domenic on a plane as well as the train we will take into Manhattan on Monday. Hopefully we will have nice weather so we are able to walk around and enjoy the city.
We thank God, Mercedes, and FANA everyday for giving us Domenic. We are so truly blessed to have him in our lives. He is the most precious, fun loving, happy little boy!! He lights up any room he walks into. Every where we go, Domenic is the center of attention. Even the cashiers at Wegmans all know him by his name!! I think I am spending too much time their??? Well, anyway, we are so thankful and just love being Domenics parents!!! He has brought endless joy into our lives as well as our family and friends lives!!!

We will update in another month or so!!!
Hope you all had a great summer!!!! I know we did!!!!
Love
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Tuesday, August 10, 2004 11:41 AM CDT

Hello to all our family and friends!!!

Just wanted to give a brief update as to how Domenic is doing. Yesterday he had his 6 month check up. He now weighs 18.8 lbs and is 26 inches long. He has 2 bottom teeth and is still waiting for the top 2 teeth to pop through. The doctor said it shouldn't be too much longer before they pop through. He is rolling all over the floor to get from one place to another or just squirms his way around. He still hasn't actually crawled yet though. He just figured another way to get around, so I am not sure if he will crawl soon or not, but that is ok. He is still a very happy baby and is always smiling and laughing. The doctor asked us if he is always this happy? He is eating cereal and fruits and vegetables. He can now eat table fruits and veggies as long as they are chopped in very small pieces. He can have cheerios and baby biscuits. We have given him a tiny taste of ice cream (black raspberry) and he loved it. I am not sure if he liked the coldness of it or the taste of it??? We just got back from a wedding in Michigan and it was a 6 hour drive each way, but he did ok considering the length of the trip. We stopped in Niagara Falls on the way back. Domenic loves water, so we thought he would really enjoy the falls. He was amazed by not only the falls, but all the trees in the park by the falls. He really loves the outdoors. Thankfully, we didn't have any trouble at the border.
Domenic is still sleeping about 10-12 hours at night, but is not really a day time napper. He takes about 2 or 3 naps through out the day which are about 1/2 to 1 hour. That's fine with us, as long as he is sleeping through the night. He really is doing great!! The doctor says he has abs of steel. I wish I did!!! He is very strong and would rather stand than sit. He does sit up on his own, but not for very long because he doesn't like that position. We are just having a great time watching him grow and learn and discover so many different things. He is very alert and aware and also very, very curious. He has just been a dream come true for us and our families. We all just love him so much!!!!
We will update again in the future!! Take care and thank you to all who are continuing to follow our journal updates and pictures. We will put some new pictures on our site soon.

Thanks and Love to all of you!!!
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Thursday, July 22, 2004 9:13 PM CDT

Hello to all our family and friends!!!

It has been almost 3 months since we've returned from Bogota with Domenic. He is going to be 6 months old on Aug 4th. He is doing fantastic!!! We both have grown so attached to him as he has to us. He now weighs close to 20 lbs, but we will find out for sure when he goes for his 6 month check up. He is still sleeping about 10-11 hours a night and has just started eating cereal and fruit a few weeks ago. He loves it!!! We woke up this morning and found 2 bottom teeth that had popped through. He looks so cute with those little teeth. We do see 2 upper teeth that may pop through in the next week or so. We really are lucky, because we thought that he would have really been fussy and feverish while he teeths for the first time, but I guess that will happen as more teeth pop through. He is still rolling over from his stomach to his back and is just about turning over from his back to his stomach. He is sitting up on his own but now for too long. He is just an amazingly wonderful, fun loving little boy. He really makes us laugh as much as we make him laugh. We look at him every day and thank God and Mercedes and FANA for giving us such a beautiful son!!! We truly have been blessed!!!!

Love to everyone!!!
XOXOXO
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Sunday, June 13, 2004 8:12 PM CDT

It has been a while since we updated our web page. Domenic has had two scheduled doctor visits for normal check ups. He is very healthy and has been gaining almost a pound every week. He is just over 15 pounds now and is 24 inches long. Domenic is starting to use his hands and turned over in bed last week for the first time. He is also putting is nuk back in his mouth by himself. He doesn't always get it the first try though. He usually hits his eyes or nose with it, then he finally gets his mouth. Domenic is trying so hard to talk and is always blowing bubbles and rasberries. He is so funny. He is just a joy to watch grow!!! He is always smiling and sleeps through the night! Domenic is eating about 7 oz every four hours and seems to be happy with that.

On Sunday May 23rd Domenic was baptized at St. Louis Church in Pittsford N.Y.. Christoforo Geraci and Elena Scortino were selected to be the God Parents. During the ceremony, Domenic was fully submerged in the baptismal water and never cried. He did great all day! We had a reception after church at the Spring House Restaurant in Pittsford with our families. Domenic wore his baptizmal outfit that was hand made in Colombia from Miriam, "the sweater lady".

We would like to thank our families and friends for all of your suport. Thanks also for visiting Domenic! He enjoys the company.

Saturday, May 8, 2004 8:20 AM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!

We are home!!! We left Bogota at 11:30 (we were supposed to leave at 9:30, but the plane had problems). We arrived in Atlanta at around 4:30. That is when Domenic became a US Citizen!!! (See above picture) We left Atlanta at 8:15 and arrived in Rochester at 10:25pm. We were the last people to get off the plane because we had to wait for the stoller. Well, one of the flight attendants came back to the gate to let us know that there was a huge crowd of people waiting for us. We headed out of the gate and heard everyone cheering and clapping for us. It was just beautiful to see all of our family and friends who came to greet us and meet little Domenic. There had to be at least 50 people there. Thank you to everyone who was there. Especially the Surace Six, Fred Hammett, and Deb Cullen who drove in from Buffalo so late that night. We great appreciate everything everyone did for us and were very touched and emotional to see all of you!!! We love every single one of you very much!!! Domenic did great on the plane all day and the flight attendants just went nuts for him. They all were holding him and passing him around. He was a trooper!!! When we got out of the gate, the first person we gave him to was Great Gramma Parravano. This is her first great grandson!! She was just overjoyed and the tears were flowing from everyone!!! He then was passed around, but then started to cry because he was hungry. I fed him as he met other members of his family and then he was smiling and happy to see everyone!!! We left the airport finally around 11:30 and Domenic was fast alseep in his car seat. He looked adorable!!! He slept great his first night in his crib and woke up around 8:00 for a bottle and then went back to bed until 11:00am. We had many visitors and phone calls yesterday. Our house was decorated with lawn signs as well as signs and balloons all over the house!! We are very happy to be home, but we do miss everyone in Bogota!! Yes Michelle, we miss you very much!!! We all went to my dad's restaurant for dinner last night and he did great!! We then went to Nonna's house for a visit. He went to bed at 10:30 last night and slept until 6:30 this morning. He had a bottle and went back to sleep. He is still sleeping and it is almost 10:00. He is really doing great!!! The real test is soon to come. Russ and I are on our way to go pick up Keesha. We are hoping that if we go to pick her up, she will have some time to get excited and jump all over us before we get home. I am sure she will do great with Domenic.
Well, thank you again to everyone who has done so much for us during this entire process!!!

We did put some new pictures on our websites listed below, so check them out!!

We will try to keep this website updated on Domenic's progress. We probably won't update it everyday, but maybe once a week.

Love to everyone!!!!
Kathy, Russ and Domenic

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 10:38 PM CDT

Buenos Nochas,

Well, this is our last night in Bogota. We have had an incredible journey. I don't think there is anything we would change about the entire trip. We have had a great time beginning with receiving the most precious gift any person could receive, our beautiful son Domenic. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives!! He is an incredible loving little boy, with a smile that will melt your heart!! We are looking forward to sharing him with all of our family and friends.
Thanks to everyone in Bogota who took such good care of us!! Betty is an amazingly generous person, who has opened her home as well as her heart to all the families who stay atBetty's place when adopting a child. She makes you truly feel like you are a part of her family. Okenis, Adelma and all the other maids blew us away with their fabulous meals as well as taking care of our every need here at Betty's. Alicia, she is an amazing babysitter. You can leave her with 5 crying babies and then return to find them all peacefully sleeping!! Jorge Rico is a very knowledge person who can show you every square inch of Bogota and will tell you the complete story about everything. He is a great man!!! Maria Teresa Perez (our driver), was a very well organized woman who made sure we were at the correct place, at the correct time, and with the correct documents we needed. She helped make this process in Bogota run smoothly and accurately. We are very grateful to her!!! Our lawyer, Dr. Polo, was a very nice man. He is very tall and very well respected here in Bogata. Elizabeth, the nurse at FANA, is an incredibly, loving and caring person. She takes great care of all the children at FANA and you can see that everyone of them deeply care about her. Maria Teresa and Flor at FANA are wonderful woman and we greatly appreciate everything they did for us and for Domenic. Thanks to Jerri Wegner for her patience with us and for the very important job she has in ensuring our paperwork is submitted, as well as every detail you need to know to help you on your journey to Bogota. We greatly appreciate everything you have done!!! And lastly, Mercedes, thank you for allowing us to adopt Domenic!! He has brought incredible joy to our hearts as well as to our family. We are so truly grateful and appreciative of the gift you have given us!! We will always be dedicated to FANA!! We hope to see all of you in a few years to adopt a second child. Even if we don't get a chance to adopt again, we will always know that our second family is here in Bogota and we will return to visit everyone!!!!

Love to all our family and friends.
We will see you tomorrow night!!!

Kathy, Russ and Domenic
XOXOXOXOX

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 7:27 PM CDT

OLA!!!!

Today Domenic is 3 months old!!!! For his birthday, we got him a VISA at the US Embassy. He will automatically be a US Citizen when we land in Atlanta on Thursday!!! He is doing so well!! He is sleeping 8-10 hours a night and is eating very well too. He had his check up at the US Embassy doctor yesterday and he weighs just under 13 lbs!!! He has doubled his weight since birth. Good job Domenic. He is in training for all the pasta he will eventually be eating!!!
Other than going to the US Embassy, we really just hung around Betty's place today. A new family arrived last night from Kansas City. They are very nice people and have adopted 3 siblings (ages 2,4,11) from Cucuta which is on the border of Colombia and Venezuela. There are 2 boys and a girl. They are beautiful children and are very grateful for their new family.
Tomorrow we will get some last minute shopping done, going out to lunch and then a Bon Voyage dinner. We will be picked up bright and early Thursday (5:45am), so we will not stay out too late.
Thanks again to everyone who has written to us and followed our journey. We appreciate everyone and are looking forward for all of you to meet our beautiful son Domenic!!!
Thanks also to everyone we have met here in Bogota and who has taken such good care of us!!! It is very hard to say good bye so soon, but we know we have a new family here in Bogota to come back to someday!!
And a big thank you to Danielle for watering our plants and keeping the vacuum lines in the carpet while we were gone. Thanks to John Sullivan for cutting our grass and watching the house. Thanks to everyone I work with who is covering for me while I am here. Russ also thanks everyone who is covering for him at work while he is in Bogota. And last, but not least, thanks to Mark, Cathy, Cailyn, Ryan, and Aaron for taking such good care of our other baby Keesha!!! Your thoughtfulness and kindness towards her has made our stay away from her a little easier.

We are arriving in Rochester (from Atlanta) at 10:25pm on Thursday evening. We hope to see all of our family and friends there to greet us and meet Domenic!!!

Love, Hugs and Kisses to everyone!!!
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic

Monday, May 3, 2004 11:14 PM CDT

Hello,

Yesterday we went to church, then we went to La Fontana and enjoyed shopping for Colombian crafts. Then we decided to walk to Crepes and Waffles for lunch. Well, it was a 2 hour wait!!! So we walked to every restaurant from there to Betty's to only end up at the Lebanese place for pizza's. Every restaurant had a line of people out the door. Sunday afternoon must be a popular time to eat out!!!
Then we decided to stay in for the evening and watch a movie. We had had a late lunch so we didn't want Okenis to make us dinner. We watched Big Momma's House and ate popcorn and chips for dinner.
Monday morning we went to FANA. We then returned to Betty's and Maria Teresa took us to get Domenic's passport picture and then to get his plane ticket and then to the US Embassy doctor. He was great the entire day!!!!
We returned to Betty's and then all went out to Harry Sasson's for dinner to celebrate Jonathan's leaving tomorrow. We all had a great meal and then took a taxi back to El Coral for one last drink to send them off!!! We will greatly miss Jonathan, Riter and Nicholas!!!! We have grown to love them all and will reunite with them at the Minnesota golf tournament in 2005!!!!

Tomorrow we will go to the US Embassy to get Domenic's VISA.

We will update more tomorrow!! I am having trouble typing this late!!!!

Love to all of you!!!
The Calcagno Famiglia!!!!
XOXOXOXO

Please don't forget to view our new pictures on our link sites below!

Saturday, May 1, 2004 8:44 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!

Well yesterday was the big day!!! We were picked up by Maria Teresa at 9:30 and headed into the city. We arrived at the building where the family courts are. We climbed 6 flights of stairs to Court #21. We signed and we were out of there within 20 minutes. We then went to the Notary office to get Domenic's birth certificate. It was a very exciting day for all of us!!! We then went back to Betty's and relaxed. Russ made all of us some shrimp lo mein for a late lunch since we all planned on Happy Hour at El Coral at 4 pm to celebrate us and Jonathan Sheedy signing. We all headed over to El Coral around 4:00 and sat at a table outside. It is a very nice place and looks alot newer than the other El Coral we went to the first week we were here. They serve the same type of food, hamburgers and of course their famous shakes!! We of course took full advantage of the Happy Hour!!! After all, we were there to celebrate!!! We stayed until around 11:00. We all had a great time as we tried to sample everything they had displayed behind the biggest bar I had ever seen!! Javier, our waiter was more than happy to accomodate our every need. We all walked back to Betty's to find Alicia with all the boys sound asleep. What a fun night Michelle, Jonathan, Russ and myself had. We have truly had a great time with them these past few weeks and we will miss them both!!! Jonathan is leaving on Tuesday.
Today was a really relaxing day for all of us. Everyone slept in, including the boys!!! After dinner, a new couple arrived from Holland. They have a 3 year old boy Carlos and they are here to adopt another little boy, Sebastian who is 3 months old. They are not adopting from FANA. I am not sure where the orphanage is, but they do receive their second son on Monday. They seemed very nice, but headed straight to bed because they were so exhausted from flying all day.
Tomorrow, we will go to church and then to La Fontana (weather permitting). We then will probably just have dinner and get a good night sleep for Monday and Tuesday's activities. Monday, we will go to FANA to get Domenic's social history and then we are off to get his passport picture taken and the Embassy doctor in the afternoon. Tuesday we will probabaly be at the US Embassy most of the day getting Domenic's VISA.
We are all set to fly home on Thursday. We will arrive in Rochester at 10:25 pm. The flight # is 5372 coming from Atlanta. If anything should change before then, we will let you know. We are all very excited to bring Domenic home to meet all of our wonderful family and friends!!!!

Thanks again to all of our family and friends who have been so supportive to us during this process!!!

We love all of you and can't wait to see you all at the airport!!!

Love
Kathy, Russ and Domenic
XOXOXOXO

Please view more photos at our other web sites. Look below for the links.

Thursday, April 29, 2004 8:41 PM CDT

OLA!!!!

We are back from Cartagena!!! We had a great time and the weather was perfect!!! Sunny and 80-90 degrees every day!!! Here is how our first family vacation went:
Monday - we arrived in Cartagena at around 10:30am. We were shuttled to the Hilton Hotel by a very nice man by the name of JJ. He was very friendly!!! We checked in at the hotel and unloaded our suitcases. We then captured the view from our balcony of our room. It overlooked the many pools and the ocean. It was breathtaking!!! We then put our swimsuits on and headed down to the pool area. We had lunch at the cafe (Las Chivas)overlooking the pool and then went back to our rooms for a nap. We decided to just hang low on our first day there. We went down to the restaurant for dinner around 8:00. We waited for Domenic to take his bath and eat dinner first, that way he would sleep through our dinner. Domenic did great on the plane!! He slept through most of the flight.
Tuesday - we headed down to Las Chivas for breakfast. It was more like a brunch that was set up. Everything was delicious!!! We then headed back to the pool and then relaxed until dinner again. We planned on going out for dinner to a restaurant in the old city, but Domenic fell asleep at around 6pm and never woke up until 2:30 in the morning. So we ordered some pizzas and from Las Chivas (which reminded me of Antica's in Niagara Falls). They delivered them to our room and we ended up having an enjoyable dinner and got to watch the Yankees come from behind to beat the A's. I think all the excitement of the pool wore Domenic out. I was so happy he loved the pool, since we will be hanging out at Zia's pool this summer!!
Wednesday - we again went to the fabulous brunch and then had JJ pick us up for a private tour of Cartagena. He took us to the Old City, the church at the top of the hill (LA POPA). I think that is what it is called. It is very similiar to Monserate, where people climb the hill during holy week and go through the stations of the cross. The altar was so beautiful in this church. It looked like it was made of all gold!! The view from the hill over looking all of Cartagena was just gorgeous!!! He was very knowledgable about the entire area. JJ's father was a tour guide for 40 years and you can see where he has learned his tour guide style. He was great!!! Our last stop was a factory where Emerald jewelry is made from the raw Emeralds that are found in the mountains. We met the owner and got to see the entire process. Of course, they then opened the door to their very extravagant show room of all kinds of Emerald jewelry. Yes, my husband bought me my first mothers day gift early!! I did get an Emerald ring. JJ had recommended for us to take the carriage ride from our hotel over to the old city to have dinner at a restaurant called La Brushetta. So about 7:00, we went down to the lobby and there were many carriages waiting to take you where every you wanted to go. We had one of the bell hops call a carriage over to us. It was a great ride, but a little windy. Domenic slept the entire ride. The restaurant was recommended to us by one of the bell hops at our hotel. Well, what a great Italian meal!!!. I had tagliatelle with a fresh tomatoe and basil sauce and Russ had linguine and clam sauce. We totally enjoyed ourselves and our waiter was extremely friendly. He even gave us a cook book with recipes for every dish they had on the menu. We then decided to take a taxi back to the hotel instead of the carriage since it was pretty windy.
Thursday - We got up early and had breakfast and headed out to the pool again to try to savor some sun and get some color before returning back to Bogata where we knew it would be cold and maybe raining. Domenic wasn't really into the heat this morning, so I took him back to the room to pack and Russ stayed to swim and lay out. He then came up to the room and I went down to the pool to swim and lay out for an hour. After that, we showered and went down to have lunch before our ride was coming to take us to the airport. We were sad to say good bye to all of our waiters who had taken such good care of us this week!! We arrived back in Bogata around 5:00 and got back to Betty's Place around 6:30. Michelle, Max, Jonathan, his mom, Nicholas, Betty and Rafa were all just finishing up happy hour. They had invited everyone from the Paris to come over for drinks and appetizers. They all had just left before we arrived. We were happy to hear that Jonathan had signed today and will possibly be leaving to go home maybe Tuesday.
We had gotten a message from Jorge when he picked us up from the airport, to call Maria Teresa (our driver) when we got back to Betty's. We couldn't believe what we heard from her...........WE ARE SIGNING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!
Yes, we could be home next week!! We are very happy about that, but we will be sad to leave all the wonderful people we have met and the friends we have made. We still have about a week before we will leave, so we can finish up our sightseeing and shopping!!!!
Well, I think that is everything. If I missed anything, I will add it to tomorrow's journal.
Thanks again for everyone who wrote to us while we were away. We appreciated reading all your entries when we came back from Cartagena.

We will update all of you as to when we complete Sentencia and when our expected return date will be along with flight information.

Love to all our family and friends!!!
Kathy, Russ, and Domenic

We will try to add new pictures of our trip to Cartagena in the next day or so.

Sunday, April 25, 2004 9:58 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!

As you can see by the above picture, Daddy has now changed his 2nd poopie diaper!! We are all doing very well here in Bogota. Today we woke up to get ready for church and it was raining very hard. I decided to stay home with Domenic because I didn't want to bring him out in that weather. Russ went to church with Jonathan and his mom and of course little Nicholas. Sister Tearny picked them up at 9:30 and they returned about 11:30. We all ordered lunch and Jonathan and Russ picked it up. We had gotten 3 of Fred Hammett's favorite pizza's from the Lebanese place around the corner. They were very good!!! We then watched a movie and hung out until Jore picked us up for the soccer game. It was America vs Millonarios. America is a team from the Cali region of Colombia and Millonarios is a team from Bogota. What an exciting game!!! I don't think I have ever seen fans like that. Not even at Buffalo/Miami game. The end zones each had a huge crowd of fans for each team. They chanted and sang the entire game (2 1/2 hours). I can't believe they didn't sit down once or get tired!! As they introduced each team, the fans threw out hundreds of rolls of toilet paper at their end of the field. Michelle and I then understood why when we went to the bathroom, there wasn't any toilet paper in any of the stalls!! By half time, there was no score, but there were alot of great shots on goal made by the Millonarios. America didn't play well in the first half. Well, by the second half, they flip flopped. America was playing so well. They scored 2 goals!! What a celebration their fans had at their end zone. They had a mini fireworks display only they used flares that shot out from the stands and onto the field where the toilet paper was still laying. Well, needless to say, some small fires started, but were quickly put out by all the police and security on the field. Right before the end of the game, they annouced that they wanted all America fans to exit first and then 20 minutes later, the Millonarios fans can leave. Jore took very good care of us. There was 10 of us total. We had picked up some people who are staying at Paris. That is a place similar to Betty's place. It is right around the corner from us. There are 2 couples from Minnesota and another couple from Holland that had come to the game with us. Very nice people!!
Tomorrow we are off to Cartagena. Jore is picking us up at 6:45 am. We fly out at 8:30am. We are very excited and are looking forward to some sun and our first family vacation. We bought a stroller for Domenic to take with us. We have been strolling him around Betty's all day to get him used to it. He loves when you take him for a walk and he even fell asleep in it today!! I think he will have a great time in Cartagena. Betty gave us a list of places to see and go for dinner. She has been wonderful as usual!!! We will miss Michelle, Max, Jonathan, Nicholas, and Rita, but we will be back Thursday early evening.

We put some more pictures out there for your viewing pleasure. There are 2 links below for you to click on. (Calcagno family 1 and 2) We won't be writing for the next 4 days, so please enjoy the pictures and we will write when we return from Cartagena.

Love to all our family and friends and thank you again to everyone who has written to us. We appreciate everything that everyone has written and we really have enjoyed reading the entries. It makes us feel like we are really not far from home.

Hugs and Kisses to all!!!
The Calcagno Family

Saturday, April 24, 2004 2:32 PM CDT

Good Afternoon Everyone!!!

Yesterday was another rainy day here in Bogota. We all got up and had breakfast. We then went to the Uno Central Mall down the street from Betty's. What a very nice mall!!! For those who are familiar with Eastview, it is about twice the size of that mall. We shopped and then had lunch at a cute little Bistro type place. It was really funny because we all sat down and when we opened the menu, we all realized we didn't understand anything we were reading!! We all just wung it and each of us ended up with a delicious lunch. I had the pasta with mushrooms and shrimp in an alfredo type sauce. Russ had shredded chicken over pasta in a lite red sauce. Michelle had the baby beef. Jonathan had the lasagna and his mother had fish. Everyone really enjoyed their lunch. We then shopped around a little bit more and decided to walk back to Betty's instead of taking a cab, since it wasn't that far. We all sat around Betty's before dinner listening to the Colombian CD's we bought and drinking Daiquiri's. It was a very relaxing evening.
Today we woke and it finally wasn't raining!! Jore picked us up and brought us downtown to some other very trending malls (Atlantis and Andino). We had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and then walked around the area for a bit. We are just getting back to Betty's and will have another relaxing evening.
Tomorrow, we will go to church and then back to La Fontana for the flea market. Tomorrow evening Jore is taking 12 of us to a soccer game. He says it is going to be a great game because it is a playoff game and the winner goes to the championship. It should be alot of fun. All of us from Betty's are going plus 6 other people who are staying at another residence. They all have also adopted and are waiting for their Sentencia.
Domenic is doing very well. He really has adjusted so well to us and us to him. He is eating about 6 ounces every 3-4 hours and is sleeping about 6 hours a night. Not too bad!!! We can't believe that we have been here almost 2 weeks already. It seems as though we just got here. We are all having a great time and getting too spoiled!!! Everyone here has been so fantastic!! Everything we have read about and heard about the past year, was definitely not exaggerated by any means. It is just like everyone told us it would be.

We are trying to download some new pictures, so be sure to check them out.

We miss and love everyone!!!
The Calcagno Family
XOXOXOXOXOX

We have two web sites now with photos! Please visit the bottom of the page and click on the link.

Thursday, April 22, 2004 4:17 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!
Especially Danielle Juliano and her Spanish Class at Roth Middle School. Please make sure you visit our other web site with more pictures. It is on the link section.

Please ask us any questions you may have about Colombia and we will try to answer them. I can tell you that we are on the equator and when the sun does come out it is very hot. They do not have a change of seasons.

Thanks you for visiting!
Yesterday was a very relaxing day at Betty's Place. We hung around the house and then Betty took Michelle Eaton, Russ and myself to the Metropolitan Spa. This is a very elite club where the president and other important people in Bogota belong to. We first had a nice lunch and then we all chose the services we wanted done. Betty had the works (Turkish Bath,massage, and hair done). Michelle had the massage and a manicure, and Russ had the Turkish bath and massage. I wasn't comfortable having a massage, so I just said I wanted a facial. We were there almost 3 hours and unfortunately, I didn't get the facial because they didn't have anyone available to give it to me. It was really relaxing just hanging out at such a beautiful place. It is located up in the mountains and is very well gated and guarded. They even have you open up your trunk before allowing you to enter the premises.
We came back to Betty's about 4:30 and sat around before dinner. We had another fabulous meal prepared by Okenis. I thought I would lose weight here, but the only chance I have of losing weight is climbing the stairs several times a day to go to our room. We have not had one bad meal yet!!! After dinner, Elizabeth and her husband Carlos came over with Emeralds and silver. I bought a silver dolphin bracelet, but had to pass on the Emeralds at this point. I have to remember we are going to Cartagena on Monday. We then all turned in for a good nights sleep. Domenic however was not ready to sleep at 10:00pm, so him and I came back down stairs and he watched me fold clothes. He was laughing and smiling and didn't look like he was even close to being tired. He finally fell asleep about 11:30 and didn't wake until 5:30 am. He really is doing great!!! He is starting to get in the habit of sleeping 5 to 6 hours a night. Let's hope that continues!!
This morning, Michelle and myself went to FANA for the baby class. That was very informative. Elizabeth showed us all a video and then bathed a baby boy to show us how to clean him. He was so good and patient with her. I then got to feed him when we where done. There were two other couples there with us. One was from Connecticut and the other from France. They were very nice and we exchanged numbers so we can get together for dinner before we all leave to go home. Russ went with Jonathan and his mom to a school run by Sister Tearny. They had a very nice time!! We all met back at Betty's and went to Lebanese place for lunch that is right around the corner. I was a little nervous about Lebanese food since I have never had it before, but I have to say, it wasn't that bad. Betty had suggested to get the pizza Fred Hammet loves. Great recommendation!!! It was delicious!!! We are all just hanging around the house for the rest of the afternoon and evening. The weather here hasn't been that great. It is rainy season here in Bogota. That is another reason we are looking forward to going to Cartagena. We need some sun!!!!

Thanks again to everyone for writing to us and thanks to my sister and brother in law for taking such good care of our other baby (Keesha)!!! We enjoyed hearing from her as well. We miss all of our family and friends and love all of you very much. Domenic has brought Russ and I so much joy this past week and we can't wait to share him with all of you!!!

Talk to you all soon!!!
Love to all
Kathy and Russ
XOXOXOXOXO

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 7:51 AM CDT

Buenos Dias,

Yesterday was our one week anniversary of receiving Domenic!!! It seems as though he has been with us longer than that. That is a good thing though, because we are all bonding so beautifully. He is doing great. He slept from 10:30 last night until almost 6:00am this morning. We were very grateful for that because we had gotten back from dinner at Betty and Rafa's very late last night. We had a wonderful time. Their home is so beautiful. We felt like we were in one of Donald Trump's penthouse suites looking over all of Manhattan, except we were looking over all of Bogota. What a view from their place!! We arrived their around 7:30 and started out with cocktails, empanadas and another appetizer which I don't know what it was called but it was stuffed with a provolone type cheese. Very delicious!! We then were told dinner was ready and a large sliding door opened to the dining room which had a gorgeous view also!!! Well, Betty knew that I needed a pasta fix, so she made homemade sauce and ravioli. They were very good!! I had been craving pasta all week!!! We got to meet Natalya, Betty's daughter and her boss. She lives in Manhattan, but is back in Bogata on business. Her boss lives in Connecticut. He seemed like a very nice man. Natalya is very nice also and looks like a dark haired Betty. She does however have Rafa's eyes. We all enjoyed ourselves so much, we didn't get back to Betty's Place until midnight. We were also very sad to say good bye to Scott Eaton. He left this morning to go back to Buffalo for work. He will be returning in a couple of weeks and then he and Michelle and the kids will go to Cartagena. We booked our trip to Cartagena with Betty yesterday. We are leaving on Monday morning and returning on Thursday late afternoon. We are staying at the Hilton, which I think I already told all of you that it is a beautiful hotel with 5 pools. We are very excited to go there and take our first family vacation together.
Yesterday, we also toured FANA. It is a beautiful facility, but sad to say that it is very empty. Everything is so clean and well taken care of. We did get to see the babies in the nursery (there were about 16 total) and then visited a couple of class rooms with older children. They were all so friendly and excited to see us!! We are going back on Thursday morning for the baby class. Michelle and I haven't had the experience of taking care of a boy, so we would like to take this class to make sure we are doing what we should be doing for our little guys!!
We then all came back and ordered a pizza for lunch and just relaxed the rest of the afternoon until it was time to get ready to go to Betty and Rafa's for dinner.
Today, Michelle Eaton, Rita Sheeday (Jonathan's mom) and I might be going to the Metropolitan Spa with Betty. If we don't go there, then we might do a little site seeing.
Tonight, Elizabeth is coming to Betty's Place with the Emeralds and silver she sells. We will see if I get any new jewelry or not????
Well, I better go see if Domenic is awake yet. We will update again tomorrow.
Thanks again for all your messages and I believe Russ put some new pictures out there for everyone to see at the link listed at the bottom of this page.

Hola for now!!!
The Calcagno Family!!!

Monday, April 19, 2004 8:08 PM CDT

Good Evening Everyone!!!

We had a pretty relaxing day today. Domenic slept well last night (6 hrs) and had a better day today. We think he either was constipated or had gas he was not able to release last night before bed. Daddy finally changed his first poopy diaper. He has pooped before, but always when Alicia watched him, so we haven't had the chance to experience the stink of poopies!!! We had the world's best pancakes for breakfast and then we and the Eaton's went to the Hacienda Santa Barbara. It is a shopping mall. We had a very good lunch and then did some shopping. There even was a casino in the mall, which the guys had to visit!! After a few hours we returned to Betty's. We had a message to call Maria Teresa (our driver). We called her and she let us know that our paperwork is in Court # 21. She said that is a pretty good court, so we shall see how long it will take us. She said to go ahead and book our trip to Cartagena. We are leaving on Monday and returning on Thursday. We are staying at the Hilton, which has 5 pools!! I think I will visit each one daily!! We are all going to tour FANA tomorrow morning and then we are all going to Betty and Rafa's for dinner. Her daughter is here, so we will get to meet her.
Things are going really well for the Calcagno family so far in Bogota!! We are all very happy with each other and Domenic is growing so fast. He has now learned to reach for things and grab them. Daddy taught him to use his hands and grab his stuffed animal as well as daddy's nose!! He really seems to enjoy that!! It's great to see him laughing and gooing for us and realizing we are his mommy and daddy!! We are just so happy and love him so much!!
We will keep updating our journal and in a day or so try to get some new pictures on our website.

Thanks everyone and we really enjoy reading your entries!!! We do love and miss you all, but we are really enjoying ourselves here!!!

Love, Hugs and Kisses to All!!!!

Check out our photos at www.calcagnofamily.zoomshare.com

Sunday, April 18, 2004 9:09 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!!

We had a wonderful evening last night at the Teatro Colon. We saw a show called "America, America, America". It was spectacular! There were groups of people singing and dancing representing countries such as Cuba, Chili, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and of course COLOMBIA. The costumes were very colorful. It was at a theater that was built in 1892 (400 years after Colombus discovered America). It was very beautiful and located in the "Old City" Bogota. Jorge, our driver, and his wife, joined all of us too.
This morning we woke up and went to an English speaking Mass with Jonathan Sheedy and his mom. We were picked up by a nun from the church. We also stopped and picked up Maritza and her mom. It was great to see them again. The chapel was located at an all girls Catholic school. It was very nice to bring Domenic to church. Everyone from the parish welcomed all of us. They had a coffee and donut hour after church and we talked to many people that belonged to the parish. They were all so nice and just loved our babies. Domenic slept through most of the mass. After that, Sister brought us over to La Fontana Hotel. They also had a mass going on in the courtyard, but it was in Spanish. After mass there, everyone enjoys the craft show that is held every Sunday in the courtyard of the La Fontana as well as a band. They serve brunch in the restaurant or they also sell food outside. We walked around and looked at all the crafts. We also enjoyed some Empanadas as well. We ran into Miriam, the sweater lady, who had booth there. She gave Domenic a little hat as a gift from her to him. She is a wonderful lady and reminds Russ and I of his Aunt Marge (Senorita). Miriam had visited Betty's on Friday, and I have to say, I understand all the talk we have heard about her. She has some beautiful things that she makes and sells. We did purchase quite a few things as well as Domenic's complete Christening outfit (sorry Elena!!). We just couldn't resist.
After an hour or so, it was about 1:30, so we decided to walk back to Betty's because it was such a nice day and because on Sunday's in Bogata, they close down one side of the street to promote people to walk, ride bikes, and roller blade. They road is closed from 10am-2pm.
Domenic has been doing great!! He slept for 6 hours last night and had a great day at church and at the hotel as well as the walk back to Betty's. He was not himself tonight though. We weren't sure if it was an upset stomach or just too much for him in a day. Hopefully he will be ok through the night. Otherwise, he has been doing wonderful. He looks at Russ and I and recognizes us as his mom and dad. He follows our voices and us when we move around the room. He has grown so much this past week. He found his hands and what he can do with them. He also is becoming very vocal. He smiles at us when we look at him and talk. He is so cute!!!
Tomorrow we should find out what court our paperwork is in. Angela and David Rea are leaving tomorrow to bring Matthew home to Toronto. We will all miss them here at Betty's. We will probably just hang around the house tomorrow.
Well, Domenic finally calmed down and fell asleep,so we are all going to turn in early tonight.

We want to say thank you again to all our family and friends for all the wonderful messages you have sent us. We really enjoy reading all of them. Thanks also to our neighbor John for taking care of our yard while we are gone and all of our neighbors for watching the house.

Love to all!!!
XOXOXO

All of our pictures are on WWW.calcagnofamily.zoomshare.com

Saturday, April 17, 2004 10:50 AM CDT

Buenos Dias!!!!

Yesterday we all were up and ready for Bienestar by 8:30am. Maria Teresa picked us up at 9:15 and we had our interview at 10:00am. There was a brand new person at Bienestar and we were his very first interview. It went great!!! Domenic slept through most of it, but when he did wake up he was all smiles looking at his mommy and daddy!! We were very proud of him!! The man only asked us a few questions and ended up talking to our attorney, Dr Polo, most of the time. Apparently there is a new form that Bienestar has put into place effective yesterday. The man did not have the formal letter ready, so he typed it up as we sat there. Dr Polo read it and Maria Teresa translated it for us to make sure we understand what it said. Dr Polo brought a copy over to FANA. The gentlemen was a very nice man and welcomed us to Bogota and congratulated us on Domenic. He said we make a beautiful family!!! The Eatons went in for their interview right after us. We all met back at Betty's for lunch and then a relaxing afternoon. Most everyone napped so they were ready to go out for the evening to Carbon de Polo. We all were picked up at 7:15pm because we had a 7:30 reservation. We all had a great time!! We started off with Margaritas and then ordered the Empanadas for appetizers and the baby beef (steak) for the entree. Everything was absolutely delicious!! Betty had told them when she made our reservation that it was Scott Eaton's birthday so after dinner they brought a piece of cake and everyone came over and sang to him. We also enjoyed all of the waitresses and waiters go on stage and sing and dance for everyone. It was a very enjoyable evening!! We got back to Betty's around 11:30 and Alicia (the magician) had all 4 boys sound asleep. She is great!!!
We are going to walk around Betty's today and do a little shopping in the area. Tonight we will have an early dinner and then we are all going to the theater to see a show. It should be another enjoyable evening.
Domenic is doing wonderful!! He slept until 5:30 this morning, had a bottle and went back down until 8:30. Had another bottle and went down for another morning nap. I will give him a bath and dressed and we will take him with us shopping. Michelle Eaton and I,along with the kids, are going out to a store which is similar to a Babies R Us.
We will update again tomorrow and possible new pictures will be added.

OLA!!!!

We have a new web picture link. www.calcagnofamily.zoomshare.com

Please visit it for all of the pictures!

Thursday, April 15, 2004 4:00 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!

Yesterday was another emotional day in the "Green Room" at FANA. The Eatons were presented with their second child, Max, by a young man who was adopted from FANA himself when he was 9 years old. He now is 19 and lives in France. He was not able to communicate with us because he didn't speak any English, but from the tears in his eyes as well as all of our eyes, we knew that was a very emotional moment for him. To remember being adopted from FANA 10 years ago and then return to present a baby to a family was very special to him. He told his translator that he wished he could express how much that meant to him to be their at FANA and be a part of the Eatons presentation day.
We all returned to Betty's after and enjoyed a Happy Hour celebration complete with wine and Empinadas. They were delicious!!! We then enjoyed another fabulous meal prepared by Okenis. The Rea's had just returned from Cartegna so they were able to join us for dinner too. Betty wanted a picture of the 4 boys so we lined them up on the couch and as we all snapped our cameras, the boys tumbled over one by one, just like dominoes!! We all laughed so hard!! They are adorable!!!
Domenic was much better for us the second night. He went down at 10:30pm and did not wake until 4:30 am. We gave him a bottle and then he went right back to sleep until 9:00am this morning. He is so amazing and we are falling in love with him more and more every day!! He really knows that we are his parents by the way he looks at both of us. He even recognizes our voices now. We went to El Coral for burgers and shakes with Betty and the Eatons. Domenic wasn't really hungry for burgers or shakes, so he just slept on me. They really do have the best shakes!!!!
Tonight we will all hang out at the house for a relaxing dinner and watch the season finale of The Apprentice. Tomorrow, Maria Teresa will pick us and the Eatons up at 9:15am for our Bienestar interviews. That means no HAPPY HOUR tonight!!!
Tomorrow evening we are going out to dinner to Carbon de Paolo for the Rea's far well. They are leaving to go home on Saturday morning.

We updating our site daily with new pictures so be sure to click on the bottom of our site where it says "click to preview photo album". (That direction is for anyone who has never been on a caringbridge site)

Thanks to all our family and friends who have written to us. We really enjoy reading the entries daily. Thank you sister in law Cathy for the entry from Keesha. You made both of us cry!!!

Love, Hugs and Kisses to everyone!!!!
Buenos Noches!!!

Wednesday, April 14, 2004 11:59 AM CDT

We were presented with our son Domenic yesterday!

We received a call in the morning from FANA telling us to be at FANA by 2:00 P.M. We were picked up by our driver, Maria Teresa at 1:30 P.M. and she drove us to FANA. She brought us to the infamous "green room" where everyones dreams come true! We have always heard how special it is to receive your baby but today was the best day of our lives! We were told that an 18 year old girl named Marita would be presenting our baby to us. She was adopted from FANA 18 years ago and made her first trip back with her mom. They live in Sidney, Austalia and are vacationing for a few weeks here in Bogata.

The moment arrived, and Domenic was presented to us! He looked at both of us as if he knew we were his parents and he had been waiting for us to come and get him. He is even more beautiful than his picture! We tried hard to hold it together and not to have tears in our eyes but we couldn't hold back. It was a very emotional moment for us. It is great to hold him and know we will all will be spending our lives together.

We took several pictures and video taped everything. Our Bienestar interview is set for Friday morning. After this we will set up a court date. When we returned to Betty's, we had a great meal waiting for us. Betty is taking good care of us and so is everyone else here.

Domenic is doing great. He woke up at 3:00 A.M. last night and needed to be fed and changed. He almost baptized his mother, but got himself and his blanket instead. I think with all the excitement of yesterday's activities, he didn't sleep to well last night. This morning he received his first bath and loved it! He is being well taken care of today by Alicia while we go to FANA with the Eaton's presentation of their son Max.

We are still having problems downloading pictures onto our website, but we hope to have some pictures of the presentation on there by tonight.

We will continue to keep everyone updated.

OLA!!!!

Monday, April 12, 2004

We have arrived at Betty's Place!!! For the past two weeks we have been preparing ourselves for this trip. Shopping, reading, preparing documents, running to Buffalo, packing and more shopping!!! It has been a very busy couple weeks. We woke early this morning to get ready to go to the airport. We left Rochester at almost noon and arrived in Bogata at 7:45pm, their time. Because of daylight savings, New York is one hour ahead of Bogata time. We had great service from Delta the entire trip. We got off the plane in Bogata and went through immigrations and as soon as the door opened to go outside, Russ had spotted Jorge standing there holding a sign with our name on it. He is a very nice man and we enjoyed our drive to Betty's with him. He gave us a brief history of Bogata and answered several questions we had. We arrived at Betty's and were greeted by Jonathan Sheedy from Minnesota and his beautiful son Nicholas. We walked into Betty's and immediately felt right at home. Betty had called to welcome us and we will see her in the morning for breakfast. We are just going to relax tonight and prepare everything we will need for our presentation of our son Domenic tomorrow!!! We are truly excited to be here and we are looking forward to everything we will experience here in Bogata with our son Domenic. Thank you again to all of our family and friends who have supported us through this process. We would not be here today if it wasn't for your support. We love all of you very much!!!

Friday, December 26, 2003 11:09 AM CST

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