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My Countdown Clock Has Begun – February 23, 2011

It’s a conspiracy.  Intercontinental to Radisson to Precioso Paris.  85 in Cali to 60 in Bogota.  I am convinced my wife has had it all planned the whole time.  Getting to the airport in Bogota and not being greeted by the attorney.  I mean how hard can this be?  We’re the only people standing around with 18 bags, a stroller and a child.  Plus two adults who look enojado because we’re now in Bogota.  We get to the new hotel (like a bed and breakfast but with three meals per day) and Court takes Laura to the doctor.  The WIFI works well here so I was able to get some work accomplished.  They were gone longer than expected – Laura never napped and last night she was the enojado one because it was her first night in a crib (no more pack and play for her).  Plus when we woke up this morning it was like 55 degrees in the room.  She had breakfast in the new high chair downstairs and then was happy when the other children came down to play.  Today we are off to the Embassy – I am sure it will be an experience in itself.  They said to expect 3 hours.

Walks that Never End

Alright, so we went to the zoo today.  It actually was fun.  We then went on a windy road up a mountain side to Cristo Rey.  Amazing views of Cali.  A great day.  Then my youngest sweet daughter took a 2 hour power nap.  Go Laura! The day was perfect until my wife decided we needed to walk more after the nap.  I said no a few times, and then, of course, we walked.  I’m ready for my wine cellar, my grill and own bed!  Court is right though, this time is protected and wonderful – a gift for our family, and I am thankful for it.

Phones that DON’T work, Earth-Shaking Thunder Storms and Cold Water

We haven’t been able to get a hold of our attorney lately and wondered why she wasn’t calling us.  We discovered that the phone in our room dials out, just doesn’t capture voice mail messages.  When we finally talked to her this morning – she was very upset.  She let me know she has called more than ten times and was convinced we had left Cali to go on vacation and didn’t tell her.  I’ve decided that the hotel is good, but you’ve got to have a cell phone if you’re going to stay at the Radisson.

It rains here each day.  The other night we had the storm of a lifetime.  I was reliving Fort Madison, Iowa storms and told my mom those now looked calm compared to the storms in Cali.  Seriously…the ground shook.  Each time the thunder crackled, the lightning struck and the rain poured down, the earth shook.  It kept me up.  It kept Court up.  Laura?  No way.  She slept soundly.  Good baby!

I’m not much for hot showers, but cold showers are not my idea of fun.  The hot water here has to come from miles away, as there is never any for our showers.  We fill Laura’s tub up and I’m sure the pool water is warmer.  Good thing she loves the water.  I’m ready for our trip home.  My back is better, still not 100%, but each day is a bit better.

3 Points!!!

So this morning at 6:30 I asked my wife if she had meant pm or am.  3 points for me!  Laura slept a fitful 14 hours.  She did her nap and her nightime sleep routine all in one shot.  Court’s doing great.  Just have to keep this little precioso well fed and rested.  Laura, that is.

Back + 1

Thank goodness for Strollers and high chairs.  Pushing the stroller keeps me upright!  The high chair is just a riot.  

Vino, Motrin, mi hija and Esposa

So, I’m a guy.  A proud one.  I was humbled today.  Actually I was taken out at the knees.  I pride myself on being in pretty good shape.  Bending over to pick up Laura and put her in her crib for the last 11 days has caught up with me.  Unbelievable.  I was on the floor before I knew what hit me.  Dad — to say fatiguing…understatement!!!  All I could think about was how were we going to get from the Intercontinental to the Radisson with all of our stuff?  Court couldn’t possibly get it all and Laura.  Boy was I wrong.  She put Laura in the Ergo, packed us, and got the bellboy to come get our luggage.  She and Laura swam, ate, had a nap, a bath, a bottle and all I could do was be an armchair quarterback.  To which my wife just smiled until about 7:55 when she couldn’t get Laura to settle for bed.  She was over tired, in a new place and didn’t want to miss anything.  Suppose it didn’t help that I came into the room twice, turned on and off all of the lights, accepted the room service delivery, made Court come out to talk with the waiter b/c I couldn’t understand if the tip was in the bill and well…my wife is amazing.  She’s a great wife and an awesome mom.  Pray for quick healing or good mojitos!!

Un poco vino

She is definitely my daughter.  She took a long siesta in the wine shoppe and then helped Court pay for the vino with the credit card.  She also cheered her mama on as she climbed this giant staircase so she could see what was at the top. 

Here’s what I’ve learned recently.  Wine in restaurants and even in stores is about the same price.  You can’t buy wine in Colombia.  The mark up is ridiculous.  We went out for dinner with our attorney and got a bottle of Casa Lapostelle Chardonnay (Chile).  It was fantastic and at 110,000 pesos it should be.  Too bad it really only cost $12 in the states.  Unbelievable.  My wife keeps telling me to just drink beer instead.  Laura keeps telling me to stop drinking her water.  These girls…I am outnumbered!

February 9th

Laura was fussy fussy today.  We kept her out way too late last night.  The happiest she was today was swmming with Court in the pool and taking her bath.  She loves the water.  My wife forced us to go get dinner at a homemade pasta house tonight.  The pasta was great, but Laura was asleep before we left.  Good thing she had already planned for take out and we were gone less than 30 minutes.

Things I’ve learned today…

• Court should always feed Laura (bottle, spoon, everything)
• I should always put her to sleep (unless she’s in the Ergo and then she is all Court’s)
• Bedtime at 7:30 should be adhered to for a familia feliz

Jeremy met us today for a cerveza roja and told us about Dengue Fever.  He warned Court to wear repellent all of the time.  She is already covered in bites.  2 on her face, a giant one on her back, her torso, her legs.  She better be fine.  I actually uttered the words today that Court assumed I would… “I’m done with the hotel”.  She was right about getting to the country and simply a change of scenery.  Oh well.  We are staying put. We hope to be traveling to Bogota soon, but who knows…

The lighter moments of today?

• Feeding Laura sopa this morning (she loved the potatoes)
• Watching my littlest daughter go crazy over a banana and a parmesan bagle
• Skyping Jake from the pool so he could see his little sister
• Skyping Mom from the pool so she could see her granddaughter swimming
• Watching Court have unending patience and just shake it all off – being a mom suits her completely.  Makes me love her all the more too…especially when she forced me to go to the gym today!

Feb 7th/8th

Alright…so these girls are giving me a run for my money.  Between Courtney trying to drag us everywhere and little Laura being so gung ho, there is no amount of complaining I can do to prevent these “walk-abouts”!!!  My wife has broken every rule I have!  Somehow, she just keeps taking a different tactic and then just packs up Laura and we go.    She feeds Laura crazy things from the breakfast buffet (she ate soup this morning – seriously, soup for breakfast.  AND…she liked it).  We walk through bizarre streets and along strange rivers, through questionable parks, swim in cold water, feed Laura from our fingers rather than a spoon, and we end up taking Laura to dinner with us at RESTAURANTS!!! and she falls asleep at the dinner table (which my wife seems to think is cute).  I can’t believe I go out to dinner with my littlest daughter every night.  My wife doesn’t mind when she fusses and then falls asleep.  I think these 90 seconds are the longest of my life.

To Court’s point, the ladies here are gorgeous.  The wine fabulous.  The weather outstanding.  I’m here with two of my favorite three girls and am actually enjoying myself.  If it would simply stop snowing at home and the prices here were a few mil pesos less, I think I would be all set.

The best parts?

• Being the hero who puts Laura to sleep
• Playing with her on the floor and getting huge smiles and laughs
• Watching Laura learn and change in such a short time
• Watching Courtney with Laura – she was made to be her mama
• Eowe, our friend the security guard who protects us all and is not to be messed with
• All of the staff at the Intercontinental – they are great
• Laundry that is $1.50 / lb and comes back clean, sorted and folded
• The casino in the hotel

Alright, so Court is looking over my shoulder and says I need to come back to Laura…so, here’s a few somethings I wasn’t expecting.

When my wife feeds her, I stop breathing.  I stop eating.  I simply watch.  I am sure she is going to choke and something awful is about to happen.  When we go out to dinner and Laura is snug in the Ergo, I am convinced she weighs to much and Court’s back is going to give out.  When Laura got this rash under her chin and then got red, I was convinced we should take her to the doctor and she got her first sunburn.  (Thankfully, Court talked to the concierge who found another mom who said it was heat rash and just baby acne).

And my last words…we are not leaving this hotel.  My wife wants to swap to the country so we can be in a house and have a kitchen.  I’m not sure she remembers the luggage we packed and Ewoe who looks out for us.  We are busy, but it’s a good busy.  Court finds things for us to do every morning and every afternoon / evening.  It makes our trip kind of fun.  Okay, fun.