Our Arrival and an Unexpected Hospital Stay

We spent all day yesterday on our journey to Colombia. We left our house at 9:00 am with a layover in Atlanta and then continued on to Bogota.

Leaving for Atlanta

The flight to Atlanta was uneventful with no issues or delays. The kids did a great job on the first leg of our journey.

Shane & Owen on the way to Atlanta

Rose, Jess & Cole heading to Atlanta

We grabbed a late lunch in Atlanta (thankfully because I forgot to pack a gluten and dairy-free dinner for poor Cole on the flight.) After lunch, we still had some time to kill as we waited for our flight to Bogota. Everyone was excited to get to our destination. Finally it was time to board!  Everything was going according to plan.

 

Our plane took off from Atlanta and all went well on our 5 hour flight...until the last 30 minutes.  We had one VERY tired and upset 8 year old. Cole so badly wanted off that plane.

We got to Bogota around 10:00 pm, deboarded the plane down a long steep staircase while carrying all 7 carry-ons, grabbed our stroller and crammed into a jam-packed bus bound for the terminal. It's much more difficult de-planing in Bogota!

The airport was busier than the last time we were here. Flying in on a Sunday must mean a huge crowd, both those arriving and those waiting to greet the new arrivals.  There was a lot of rushing to wait in the next line.  After we gathered all our checked bags, Owen asked, "Will we have to wait in line at the hotel?" Since we weren't arriving until after 11:00 pm, there would luckily be no wait. Jorge Rico and his wife picked us up at the airport, loaded our luggage into their 2 vehicles and off we went down the streets of Bogota headed for our hotel Plenitud. Rose and Owen conked out on the drive.

We finally arrived at Plenitud, checked in and headed for our room (a 3 bedroom/3 bath - who knew 3 bedrooms existed at Plenitud!) By the time we got settled in, it was midnight. We were all exhausted and crashed soon after.

The next day we were scheduled to be picked up at 11:15 am for our drive to get Kate at FANA. We decided to stop by the front office at our hotel to see if they had any other 3 bedroom options available. Each room at Plenitud is setup a bit differently and some more recently remodeled. They only had 1 other 3-bedroom available so we went to take a look. It had several nice upgrades from our current room - a bigger guest bedroom with an additional bed, a bigger guest bathroom, a king size bed in the master room, a pass-through kitchen with additional counter space and a HUGE balcony - so we decided to quickly make the move to our new digs this morning.

We got everything moved in and I started laying out all of Kate's items for our trip to FANA. And then the phone rang. It was Maria Teresa Perez (our driver/paralegal) bearing some bad news. Kate had been taken to the hospital. We were told she had come down with a cough and they were being proactive starting treatment before it turned into bronchitis.  We wouldn't be able to get her today and we would likely have to wait until Thursday. I asked if we could go visit her in the hospital and she said it was unlikely. I was in tears. Our poor baby girl was in the hospital and we couldn't be there. After hanging up with Maria Teresa Perez, the phone rang once again. This time it was Maria Teresa Maldonado calling from FANA. She reiterated the bad news and said she'd call the hospital to see if we could stop by.  It wasn't long before we got the word - WE COULD GO SEE KATE THIS AFTERNOON!

We grabbed a quick lunch at Oma, one of our local favorites and just across the street from our hotel. We all enjoyed our meal but I think mine was the best - a big bowl of ajiaco and a limonada de coco - YUM!

At lunch we got a "Whatsapp" text from Maria Teresa Perez that Jorge Rico would be picking us up at 2:30 to drive us to the hospital. The ride seemed to take forever, and sitting in traffic is one of the worst places to be in Bogota with all the vehicle exhaust. But we made it - and in style in Jorge's "Green Machine"!

We had to park a few blocks away since no parking is available at the hospital. As we walked up, we were very thankful to have Jorge escorting us.

Simon Bolivar hospital is a public hospital located in northern Bogota. The hospital is like a fortress. No one can come in without first speaking to someone through a tiny window by the front door. Our situation is unique because Kate isn't legally our daughter yet, but after Jorge explained everything and showed them a letter from FANA as well as our passports, we were allowed to enter, but only two of us. So I went with Jorge while Shane waited outside.

There were sick people everywhere, even lining the halls. I had only seen such a sight on TV.  We walked up and down the halls searching for Kate. After a few wrong turns, we finally found her. She was hooked up to oxygen and had in IV placed in her neck. It was an overwhelming sight to see. We found out that she had been diagnosed with Influenza B and RSV. Thankfully there was a caregiver from FANA there watching over her. I could tell just how much she adored our sweet little Kate. Speaking of little, she is not. The nurse kept calling her "gordita" which basically means chubby. I just hope the clothes I brought along will fit! She started to cry so I scooped her up and she quickly stopped. My poor little nina has a really bad cough and is definitely not feeling well. It was really hard to see BUT it was so wonderful to finally have her in my arms.

At some point, Jorge disappeared and Shane appeared. Jorge had brought the FANA caregiver out to the front door with him so she could escort Shane to Kate's room. We got lots of cuddle time and I even got to fed her for the first time.

Leaving her behind at the hospital was one of the hardest things I've had to do. It literally broke my heart. But I was thankful she was not in tears as we walked out but instead very interested in the blanket rolled up in her crib. We will be going back tomorrow afternoon for another visit.

We are so blessed that my mom was able to accompany us to Bogota. She's been a huge help watching Owen, Cole and Rose while Shane and I spend some time at the hospital with Kate. Right now we could use some prayers. Because we haven't been able to take custody of Kate, the process to finalize her adoption technically hasn't started.  Typically we'd spend one week with Kate and then meet with Bienestar (the Colombian Child Welfare Program). This is the first step in the process after which our paperwork gets sent into the court system for approval and Kate becomes a Slominski. Please pray that Bienestar will be flexible and let us meet with them early next week. We are very eager to finalize the adoption process before the Colombian Elections cause a government shutdown at the end of the month and even more so now to get Kate home and to a better environment to help her breathing (the altitude and pollution in Bogota makes breathing all the more difficult.) Last and most important, please pray that Kate recovers completely and quickly and can finally join her family.