Day 23: The Passport, a Doctor Visit & a Trip to FANA

Today was jam packed. It started at 8:30 this morning when I loaded Kate, her oxygen tank and the diaper bag into our stroller and off we went to meet Maria Teresa Perez for a drive to the passport office. Kate watched intently out the window at all the passing cars and people. Within 30 minutes of arriving, we were walking out the door with the thumbs up to come back tomorrow morning to pick up her Colombian Passport!

We drove back to the apartment to drop Kate off with Nana Bev and pick up Shane. The next item on our agenda was getting the necessary documents for Shane to take Owen and Rose out of the country without me. In Colombia, if only one parent is traveling out of the country with the children, you must get a notarized letter with both parents signatures approving of the travel.  We brought Rose along so that Nana Bev wouldn't have her hands too full.  Instead of driving, we walked a few blocks to the nearest notary. Walking is often much faster than driving short distances in the area we are staying. We signed all the documents, making sure to dot our I's and cross our T's. One incorrect number or letter could result in major issues when they fly home on Thursday. We also got a letter for Kate as a precaution. Even though Shane is planning on traveling back to get us, if anything would hold him back from returning, I'll still be able to leave the country with her.

Soon we were back at the apartment with all the necessary documents. The extensive paperwork process is coming together!! Shane stayed back in the apartment with Kate while the rest of us grabbed our usual delicious lunch at Oma. We had just ordered dessert when my phone started buzzing with messages and missed calls on WhatsApp.  Early this morning, I had sent a message to the doctor who had made a house call last week asking if she could come back to take another look at Kate. She was calling to let me know she was on her way! Thank goodness Cole had insisted on me bringing my phone to lunch and connecting to Oma's wi-fi so he could play games. The doctor said to remove Kate from the oxygen and she'd be over shortly. I called Shane to let him know all the details. We finished up lunch and headed back to the apartment to meet the doctor.

Kate had been off oxygen about 30 minutes when Dr. Ruiz arrived. She took her oxygen saturation level and it was above 90%!! She listened to her lungs and they were still clear. She said that Kate should be okay off the oxygen, but to keep testing her oxygen saturation throughout the day and night (or to put her back on oxygen at night). Our little peanut was finally off oxygen and doing great!!  Woo hoo!! Her poor cheeks were a bit sore from the tape so I decided to just set my alarm to monitor her throughout the night. Here's hoping her levels remain high!

The last item on the agenda today was a trip to FANA for a tour and to go over Kate's medical and social history.  Both Owen and Rose were eager to see FANA again so they came along.  We set off for Suba, the part of Bogota where FANA is located. After 30 minutes or so in the car, we saw the sign! We had arrived!!

 

We walked in and were greeted by the familiar sight of the FANA Tree of Life stained glass window.

This was the first time Rose had been back to FANA since she left as an infant. She took Owen's hand as they walked through the halls of their first home.

We were able to tour the older kids' rooms, but not the infant and toddler area. They have had an outbreak of respiratory illnesses so that area was off limits to visitors.

The kids favorite part of the tour was the playground. Rose would have played there for hours! She kept on saying, "just one more time" over and over again. There was at least 10 "just one more" times.

We then toured the preschool area and saw classroom after classroom of adorable 2 to 4 year olds. Some of the children call FANA home, while other kids live with their biological families - to these kids, FANA is more of a daycare.  As we walked by the classrooms, the children's eyes would light up with interest when they saw us. They peppered us with questions asking our names or how old Owen and Rose were. They were such little sweethearts.

After the tour, we met with Maria Teresa Maldonado to go over Kate's health and social history. We got a few more tidbits of information to share with Kate when she's older. It's always so overwhelming to hear about your child's life prior to when they joined your family.  We tried our best to soak up as much information as possible.

We bid FANA a fond farewell and drove back through the Bogota rush hour to our apartment where the rest of our family was waiting for us. Kate ate a huge dinner - I made her 4 servings! Sweet potatoes mixed with rice cereal was a huge hit!

After her big dinner, she caught a sight of her favorite snacks and made sure I knew she wanted one! Rose wanted to be a big helper and feed her baby sister the snacks by breaking them into bite sized pieces and putting them into Kate's mouth.

Then Owen needed a turn with Kate. Rose and Owen are always fighting over who gets to hold, feed and play with Kate.

After such a messy dinner, Kate needed a soak in the tub. She really LOVES taking baths!

We are all thrilled that Kate was able to be off oxygen today! She is so happy not having to wear the nasal cannula, and snuggle and play time are so much easier without having to worry about an oxygen tank. Please pray that she continues to do well without oxygen therapy.

Tomorrow is another big day! We'll be picking up Kate's passport, getting the Conformidad from Bienestar and vising the Embassy doctor. If all goes well tomorrow, the only open item will be Kate's U.S. Visa!