Day 3: Together at last

What a day! We were up bright and early to get ready to meet Samuel. Our driver, William, arrived on-time at 8:00 am as we were still scrambling to get ready. We quickly grabbed the bags that we needed for the big day and rushed out the door. 

William had taken a different and much worse route to our rental house so he had to park at the bottom of a large and steep gravel road covered in deep ruts. It was nerve-wracking walking down, but thankfully we made it with no falls.

We loaded up the van and headed off to Tunja. It was only about 30 miles away but due to the slow and winding roads, it took over an hour to get to our destination. 

We pulled into ICBF's Tunja location and met in person with the people whom we had had a video call with the prior day. 

They were all so kind and excited. They had been rooting for a family for Samuel for over 3 years and we were told that they had lost all hope in finding one.  When we put in our Letter of Intent over a year ago, their hearts leap with joy. Samuel was finally going to get a family. Their love and hope for a future for him was so heartwarming to see. They even made a sign for us to keep.

We met for a brief time to attempt to go over paperwork, but our translator Soraya was coming from Bogota and got stuck in traffic so she had not yet arrived. So instead we went to work decorating a tent for Samuel's farewell party. 

The girls worked hard on signs for the special occasion.

As soon as we finished, Soraya arrived and we went back into the office to sign the papers giving us legal custody of Sam. The ICBF Director Liliana reviewed the documents with us and Soraya and then we signed them marking the first official legal step in the process. Once the papers were signed, everyone clapped. They were as excited as we were! 

We then returned outside to wait for Samuel's arrival. Things got a bit crazy as all of the sudden he was coming, but I hadn't found anyone to take photos or videos of the big moment. And then the battery in my flash died. So we didn't quite get the images I had hoped for.

We held him and played some silly games of "Give-Samuel-a-toy-to-drop-then-laugh-hysterically".

Then we all had ice cream which we had learned the day prior was one of his favorites. It did not disappoint. He devoured it.

It started to sprinkle and in true Colombian fashion, we were told to quickly pack up to get him out of the rain. Mind you, we were inside an enclosed tent. But we obliged as we were ready to hit the road to get back for lunch. So we loaded up into the van for the long, winding, bumpy drive back and Samuel fell asleep in my arms.

The roads to our rental house are quite the adventure! Steep, rocky, narrow and unmarked making it easy to get lost.

We spent the rest of the day getting to know Samuel and attempting to figure out a new schedule. It definitely takes some planning when caring for two non-mobile children.

Some things we learned about Samuel...he loves to eat! And he can swallow and chew quite well. He is not a picky eater (Hallelujah!!). He will verbally respond "no" or "si' when asked questions. He'll wipe his face with a napkin when drinking (so stinkin' cute!!). He has the most adorable dimples. He has better control with his left hand but will attempt to do things with his right hand too. He's a smart cookie - he started moving himself in the wheelchair we had brought along within minutes!

The day had gone better than we could have hoped. He had been so brave all day. He was laid-back yet playful and started coming out of his shell within a couple hours. He ate amazing and loved playing with his siblings. But as bedtime came, sadness started to creep its way in. It was a rough bedtime, and I'm not certain how the night will go, but he's currently snuggled up beside me asleep. 

Sweet dreams, brave little one. Here's hoping for a good nights rest.