History

Journal History

Thursday, February 6, 2003 8:33 PM CST

Well today was the best so far. I signed the sentencia (final adoption decree). We then went to FANA where they handed Anna over to me -- forever!! When Elizabeth put her in my arms she gave me a huge smile. OK, you're the boss. Since I hadn't seen her for 13 days I thought she might cry like she did the very first time I held her. I left a babyproof photo album with her in our absence with several close ups of the family. It must have worked because she really did seem to recognize me. She has been smiling all day---eating, sleeping and smiling. She weighs about 13lbs and she just looks so petite. I can't wait to get her home. Annette, our driver, feels certain that we will have all of the paperwork completed by Monday so there's a good chance that we'll be going home on Tuesday. We had a quiet afternoon --- just getting to know each other.
Time for us to go to bed now. Some new pictures are entered. Good night Luke, Adam, Matthew and Keith

Tueday, February 4, 2003 7:46 PM CST

Well, our great news has arrived. Sharon is on her way to Bogota to pick up little Anna. She'll be flying out on Wednesday, pick up Anna on Thursday, and sign the final papers ASAP. The return date is on Thursday, February 13 on Delta Flight 1219 from Atlanta arriving in Buffalo at 7:17pm.

I'll be watching the boys and we will all eagerly await Anna's arrival. Sharon's upstairs packing and getting ready for her trip. We can't wait to have Anna here in Buffalo!!! Tune in for more journal entries and pictures.

Friday, January 24, 2003 at 07:01 PM (CST)

Today was another fantastic day. Anna displays more personality each day. She's smiling and beginning to recognize our faces. What a thrill. It's so much fun to hold her and feed her. FANA is a really amazing place. We're proud to be FANA parents.The people of Colombia are fantastic!!!!!

Today we had the opportunity to visit the salt mine. We had a great guide and throughly enjoyed the tour. We also finished our shopping at Maku. You can't leave the store without buying a bag full of iems.

We're looking forward to our flight home so that we can see Luke, Adam, and Matthew. However, it's with mixed feelings that we leave Bogota. The obvious reason is that we won't be with Anna for a couple of weeks. Waiting for the completion of the paperwork will be VERY difficult. Hopefully the time will quickly pass. We are comforted in knowing that she is loved by the staff at FANA and that she will be well taken care of.

Keith and Sharon

Thursday, January 23, 2003 at 06:51 PM (CST)

We missed yesterday's journal entry so here's 2 days worth of fun in the sun in Bogota. The temperature has been in the mid 70's here with bright sunshine. Sorry, I had to gloat a bit.

Yesterday Sharon went to FANA while Bob Kowal and I did some sightseeing. She told me that Anna is really begining to show her personality - she's always checking things out, very alert. The Head Nurse at FANA, Eliabeth, seems to really like Anna and devotes a little extra time to her. Anna is getting prettier every day! Our "muy linda" little girl.

Bob Kowal and I visited Mt. Serrate and the "old town" of Bogata on Wednesday. Visiting Mt. Surrate is a great experince. A church is at the top of Mt. Serrate, about 10,000 feet above sea level and 2,000 feet above Bogota. The mountain towers above Bogota and can only be reached by walking or by Cable Car (no surprise - we chose the Cable Car). It's really a scenic view fron the top of the mountain with a view of all of Bogota.

After coming down from Mt. Serrate we took a walking tour of the old town. The buildings there date back to the 1500s. Our guide, Jorge, then took us to the govermental buildings. We were fortuate to encounter the changing of the guard at the Presedential Palace. It's an elaborate parade of at least 150 - 200 soldiers with a marching band. Very neat! We then proceeded down toward the Presidential Palace where we were stopped by the Seceret Service and a soldier carrying a very large machine gun. Jorge wanted to take us to a little cafe right across the street from the Palace. We must not have been too much of a threat because they let us through the roadblock. It was a very memorable experience. We also saw some very impressive churches that dated back to the 1500s and 1600s. The churches were really beuatiful with carved wood everwhere.

Traveling in Bogota by taxi is a very memorable experience. It's like a controlled demolition derby without contact (we hope). To further enhance your trip in the taxi you have to share the road with buses that frequently belch noxious fumes and stop every 5 feet and with motorcycles that come within inches of your car. You get used to it pretty quickly though. After a long day on the road we stayed in for dinner and relaxation.

On Thursday, we were scheduled for 2 things, a tour of the FANA orphanage and our trip to Bienistar, the social services agency. Bob and I went to the tour of FANA while Sharon and Laura stayed home. Sharon was a bit under the weather this morning so she rested. The tour of FANA was outstanding. FANA is only about 7 years old. It's very clean and neat and it's obvious that the staff enjoys their work and the service that they provide. I can truly say that FANA is a more impressive facility than any of the hospitals or clinics that I've visited in the US. We were able to see how our children were cared for and the love and care that they receive. It's a very emotional and moving experience to visit FANA, to meet with some of the older kids, and to see Anna's first home.

At the conclusion of our tour I got the best present ever. I was able to take Anna home to Betty's place for our trip to Bienestar. She's a peanut, so cute. Our driver Annette is outstanding. She and Betty take such great care of us that it's hard to describe. Without them we would be lost.

Anna rested on my shoulder for about 3 hours today. She was on my shoulder on the way to the social agency for our interview, through the interview, and on the way back. The interview went well, we must have passed muster. The social worker said that it was evident that I was elated to have Anna in my arms. She asked a few questions to gauge our fitness as parents and that was about it. It was so nice to have Anna in my arms with her looking up at Daddy and smiling. The social worker said that she will be one spoiled girl (she's right about that). Anna really likes to see thigs, she keeps her eyes moving all the time - taking everything in. She's so neat!

That's about it. I could be writing in the journal for years. There's some new pictures on the website - please check them out.

We miss you Luke, Adam, and Matthew. Be good boys for Aunt Carol. We'll be home soon. Love Mom and Dad

Tuesday, January 21, 2003 at 08:33 PM (CST)

We had another wonderful day in Colombia. We visited Anna at FANA again today. We fed her, played and then she slept in my arms for about an hour. She is just so sweet!! It was so nice to have some quiet time with her. She does like to cry every now and then but responds very nicely to Spanish. That may be a little bit of a problem at home! Her nurse, Elizabeth really seems to love her. Everyone at FANA has been fantastic.

On the way home,our driver Annette, told us about her trip to the Amazon. Wow, what an amazing trip that would be! She has helped us so much through this process. After returning from FANA we had a quick lunch at the house then we took a wild trip to downtown Bogota. It was wild because Bob, Laura, Keith and I were jammed into the back of a taxi. Yes, those very small yellow ones! We felt like we were back in college again. Just to be in a car in Bogota is frightening---cars coming at you from all directions, horns beeping, buses stopping on a dime, bikes and motorcycles swirving in and out of traffic and people stepping off the curbs not seeming to notice the cars. It's a real adventure---the entire trip. We met Jorge in town and visited the gold museum where we learned alot about Colombian history. Keith and I had a very lovely dinner alone at the Carbon de Pollo. The food was fantastic and the service spectacular. I started to take off my blazer during the meal and our waiter nearly lept over the table behind us to help me remove my coat---very impressive! They also had live, authentic music which made the entire evening very Colombian. The food that we've had a Betty's has been very good as well. The maids here do a fantastic job cooking, cleaning and doing anything that you may need. Betty had a lady come to the house to do manicures for about $5. It's so nice to be pampered. And the weather--- sunny and 75-78 degrees every day! It only rained once, no, I think it was a real quick monsoon or maybe a rain forest type downpour. Luckily we were inside!

There are some new pictures on the website. We will try to keep you posted everyday but we sure have been busy! We're trying to do 2 weeks worth of visiting in only 1 week. I think the altitude makes you tired also. We are very happy and just LOVING this entire experience!!

Good night Luke, Adam, Matthew and Anna.

Monday, January 20, 2003 at 06:39 PM (CST)

Well, we finally saw our little girl!! She's so beautiful and so little. She is much smaller than she looks in her picture. It was so wonderful to finally hold her in our arms. She was happy and alert in my arms when they handed her to me but when I started to cry she joined in. We met so many fantastic people at FANA today and what an unbelieveable place it is. Wow, what a day!! How blessed we are to be the parents of four beautiful children.

There were four couples who received their babies today, three American couples and a couple from France who also have a new little girl. They treated all of us to some good French champagne. A young man from France who was adopted from FANA 20 years ago presented all of the children to their parents today. A truly emotional experience that we will never forget!!

The Kowals received their son Andrew today. He's so cute and has so much hair. Of course, they're just thrilled. Betty (the woman who owns the guest house) has been super!! We felt like part of her family as soon as we arrived.

We are going see our little angel again in the morning. We will enter the pictures as soon as we figure out how to do it. Sorry!

We're both exhausted and plan to get a good nights sleep. Good night Luke, Adam and Matthew. We love and miss you.

Sunday, January 19, 2003 at 07:28 PM (CST)

Hello all. We just can't wait to see our little Anna and to send pictures for all to see. We've been looking at our daughter's picture for 11 days now and she never moves, never changes her expression---this is a VERY different experience. Tomorrow we will finally have her in our arms and hear her voice for the first time!! We're so close now. It's been a very emotional experience so far with many more tears to come.
We spent the day walking around town and getting a flavor for Colombia. It was great having Laura Kowal with us who speaks fluent Spanish. We visited the LaFontana Hotel and bought several gifts at the open market. They had an outdoor mass followed by live traditional Colombian music. Truly an enjoyable experience and what a beautiful hotel!!
Now to go back 11 days to January 8th-- referral day! A very special thank you to Patty and Bob Andzel and family for a truly memorable experience. The only thing that would have made it better was if Keith had been home.(In Atlanta all week)
It was Wednesday, Jan 8 about 7pm. There was a call, "Hi Sharon, it's Patty Andzel(our FANA buddy couple. I then gasped and found myself speechless. Right away she said, "No, no it's now about your referral, I just wanted to see how you were doing." Then I breathed. We talked for a few minutes then she had to get off quickly for a 2 year old potty emergency. I put all the kids to bed at 8:00 then hopped into the shower. As I was finishing I could hear someone knocking on the bathroom door. It was Adam. "Mom, there's someone at the front door." Still not suspecting a thing, with wet hair and wearing nothing but a robe I head for the front door. As I neared the door I could see that there were alot of people there but who were they?? Then the pink balloon caught my eye and the light bulb finally came on. I quickly opened the door to hear "SURPRISE" from the Andzels---all 6 of them. A picture and some champagne were thrust into my hands and the camera lights were flashing. In addition to everything else that was flying through my mind I kept thinking --- this looks like a Publishers Clearing House commercial--bathrobe, wet hair, cameras. Boy did we win a million that day!! Keith was in the middle of a dinner when he got the good news. He was able to celebrate with a group of friends. Pat, Bob and I celebrated with champagne while the kids (who were now awake) played. We will someday tell Anna the story of her arrival into our HEARTS!!
Well, that's more than enough for one day. We are preparing for our big day tomorrow at 11:30. Pictures to come. Good night.
Sharon and Keith

Saturday, January 18, 2003 at 10:24 PM (CST)

We have arrived. The flight down to Bogota was easy - no problems at all. We sat next to a gastroenterologist from Colombia - plenty of things to talk about with him. Going through customs and immigaration was a breeze. The trip down with the Kowals was great - it's nice to have someone who speaks Spanish with you on your travels. Going to bed now after a long day. We are very thankful for a safe trip. Goodnight Luke, Adam, and Matthew. We miss you!

Friday, January 17, 2003 at 12:59 PM (CST)

It's Friday afternoon - our passports and visas finally made it back from New York. What a relief and just in time! We've packed enough clothes to last us for the next century and our documents are in order so we are ready to go.

Sharon's sister Carol and her 1 year old daughter, Emily, will be staying with our boys so she will have her hands full taking care of 4 kids. We thank Carol, her husband Pat, Pat's sister Cathy, and his family in Pittsburgh for helping to watch their children (Billy and Tommy) so that Carol could come to Buffalo and watch our kids. (There's quite a bit of logistical preparations with this undertaking).

We've been having a little trouble sleeping lately due to all of the excitment. We will be flying with another couple, the Kowals, on Saturday morning - departure time of 10::00 with an arrival time in Bogota of 9:40. After Saturday's long journey we will try to relax on Sunday and then see little Anna for the first time on Monday. We called Elizabeth her nurse today and all is well. We can't wait to get there. We'll start to post more entries now that we are on our way. Thanks for chekcing in to see our progress. Keith, Sharon, Anna, and "the boys"

Monday, January 13, 2003 at 07:55 PM (CST)

Thanks to all of you who have sent us congratulatory messages and well wishes. We appreciate your thoughtfulness. We are very anxious to start our journey. We're leaving on Saturday the 18th so we've been busy preparing for the trip. We've been blessed by God with the arrival of Anna, we can't wait to see and hold her in our arms. The boys keep asking us when Anna will be home - they can't wait either.

Keith, Sharon, and the boys

Tuesday, December 03, 2002 at 09:05 PM (CST)

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