Bathtime and Bonding

We've had a nice day here at the hotel today. Jonathan slept very well last night. I woke him up around 1:15am to take his medicine and I guess he decided it was a good time to get acquainted so, I gave him a bottle (which he only drank half of) and then we both went back to sleep. At 6am he was up again, ready to play. The staff at Casa de Maria told me he usually takes a bottle at 6am and they were right! He downed 7oz of delicious formula and went back to bed. Next thing I know it's 8:30am and Jonathan and I were still sleeping. Frank woke me up to let me know that Josh "really wanted to see Jonathan badly" so of course, big brother was right there, looking in the crib waiting for his baby brother to wake up.

We took Jonathan down to breakfast with us... it was his "debut" here at the hotel. Immediately we had our adoption friends hovering over him... David's parents (I mentioned them yesterday) were emotional as we told them the story and his mom was in tears. She's Colombian so of course, I told her... it's a beautiful process, you should consider adopting yourself. I think she had already thought of it because her husband was nodding at us. I think I'm going to give them a plug for Gladney... :) Poor Jonathan didn't feel too well at breakfast but he still managed to down a small bottle of freshly squeezed Papaya juice and some bread and cheese. Josh of course, played the whole time with his new friends... the three amigos!

From there we went back upstairs to our room. Jonathan slept a little in the morning and we had lunch here in our hotel room. When I say "we" I mean Josh and Jonathan as Frank and I don't really have much lunch anymore... the buffet satisfies and we usually have an early dinner. The hotel is great about food for Jonathan. We call room service and they make a soup for him without salt. They puree just about everything and he eats it really well. Jonathan then went down for another nap... this time a long one. Josh had been begging me to go to the pool, so, of course, I had to comply. He's been so good about his new brother. Poor guy.

Josh is doing great in the pool. He now is much more comfortable putting his head underwater and likes to practice kicking from one side of the pool to the other (as an olympic size pool, that's no easy feat for a 4 year old!) Medellin's weather is very much like Miami's. One minute it's sunny, the next the clouds are rolling in and so is the rain. So we only spend about 40 minutes a day in the pool. For Josh, he's happy and I love spending that "private time" as he calls it, with him.

The second half of the day was better for Jonathan... he got his first Castellon bath. He LOVED it! He really likes the water. So we have a pic commemorating that occasion. Here are a few things we've learned about our little one so far:

• He hates to be changed (diapers, clothes, etc.) I'm not sure why... he just doesn't like to be on his back... he tries to turn over.


• He sucks his thumb... I think I already mentioned that, super cute.


• He loves Josh... looks for him everywhere.


• He loves playtime on the floor... trying to walk, he crawls some. But each time we "practice" he bursts into a huge smile.


• He crosses his feet. Like when he's sitting, his feet are always crossed.


• Oh yeah, and he sometimes sleeps in the froggy position.

After that, another nap, but he ate well.Frankie made his awesome picadillo for dinner today... it tasted a bit different due to the country variances, but still delicious! He's been so awesome these last few days... he sterilizes all bottles, prepares the formula, cooks, and he even got up with me last night to give Jonathan his medicine. Sweet husband. I'm so blessed to have him!

My favorite part of the day comes at around 6pm, after we've eaten and Jonathan's had his bottle. He gets so happy! Today Josh played Leapster while Jonathan looked on. Then they "rough housed" on the floor together. Well, as rough as Josh is allowed to get with a baby... they both love it. I took a short video today that I'm posting so you can see it. Jonathan copies Josh for somethings... so cute.

Tomorrow we are set to go back to Casa de maria for Jonathan to have a check up with the pediatrician. I'm hoping he'll give the ok for Jonathan to forego the medicine he's been taking (3 to be exact: an antibiotic, a fever reducer and another for his cough) He HATES all three of them. When Frank and I try to give them he spits them all out... seriously, it's like a whale's blow hole... it all comes flying out. We'll see. Well, love you all. I'm thanking the Lord for a great family day. xo