Part 2

OK, so we walked into Los Pisingos and waited for a few minutes before they escorted us us into a small room to the left of the reception desk. A woman named Edna came in and Cecelia told us that she is taking over the presentations since Rosa died. This was LSS' first presentation since then. Cecelia took our video camera and went out the door. We knew she was coming because Cecelia was taping. I started to get a little teary eyed and then when Edna walked in the room, it was over. I thought I'd be a babbling fool but I guess not. Edna placed her in my arms and we just looked at her and looked at her. She stared at Rob. And I mean stared. Rob wanted to hold her so he took her and we just kept talking to her and she just kept staring at Rob. He was quite the baby hog while we were there! Edna brought in some paperwork for us to sign and some medical notes. She is taking something for reflux and also iron drops. They also want us to do some exercises with her daily. We have a meeting set up on Friday to meet with her caretakers. She really stunk and Edna said "I think we need to check her diaper". Of course Rob didn't step up to take care of this one, although there wasn't anything there. We headed out and Cecelia and Ernando brought us back to the motel. Cecelia had the motel order her medicine and she explained the exercises to us. She left and we came up to our room and just held her. This was only around 11:30 so the morning had gone by quickly. She was a little fussy so we gave her the bottle they had given us and she drank that and took about a 20 minute nap. You could tell all day that she was really tired but she just would not go to sleep. We went downstairs around 1:00 for dinner...I had a salad and Rob had porkchops. After we ate, Rob changed her "wet only" diaper and we put pants on her. Rob actually dressed her and put her shirt on backwards. We needed to exchange money and buy some formula so Deb Springman took us to the bank and the place to copy our passports (to carry so our originals don't get stolen). Murphy rode in the carrier we have for her. She did NOT like facing me. While we were at the bank I turned her around and she was a happy camper for the rest of the trip. We weren't, though because it started to pour. And it didn't quit. So after Rob exchanged money, we just waited in the bank. We needed to be home by 4:00 for the welcoming party and by this time it was around 3:30. So we made a dash for it across the street, under canopies, and made our way home. Around 4:00 we went downstairs and Carmen, the concierge at the motel (really the party planner) was stuck at the airport picking up someone else. So they said they'd call. We ended up going back down around 5:00 and had cake and strawberry pop with Deb, Carmen, a couple from Germany adopting a little boy named Daniel, and some of the women who work at the motel. Murphy was getting to be very hungry and very tired at this point so Rob held her and she finally fell asleep. We brought her upstairs and laid her down and she woke up. She is just such a light sleeper. My ankle cracked once and it woke her up. She'll be sound asleep in our arms and the minute we put her down she's awake. She loves to watch TV, though. They must have had the TV on at the foster home she was in. Her head turns to watch it. I had her in the carseat and was playing with her and she would laugh and laugh...until I got out the camera. Either the digital or the video camera. And then she would just stare at the camera. Grandma Karen finally has a willing subject! I would even slide the camera to Rob and he would slyly turn it on and she still knew. Supper was supposed to start around 6:30 so we went down shortly after. They said it wasn't ready yet and to come back at 7:00. So we came back upstairs and tried to get her to sleep. Still a no-go. We went back downstairs and she sat in the carseat for quite a while and really seems to like it. I think she'll like her swing as well. Toward the end of supper...salad again for me, pasta and chicken for Rob, rice and raisins for dessert...she started getting cranky. So we brought her upstairs and changed her into pajamas and tried to get her to sleep. I think it was just such a long day for her and so many new things, she just couldn't sleep. I think it was finally around 9:30 when she fell asleep. We were up at 11:30, 12:45, 2:00, and finally 5:30 she woke up for the day. I took Murphy down to breakfast at about 7:00 and Rob stayed in bed. He slept for just a little bit and then we came back upstairs with a bathtub. She tried to sleep again but as soon as I layed her down she woke up. When I got up at 12:45 with her I had quite the laugh. When she goes to sleep and then wakes up, she stretches her arms out and gets this awful grimace on her face. It was so funny that I laughed out loud. After Rob came back from breakfast, we gave her a bath. The water here is either really hot or really cold so we had a hard time finding a temp that was warm enough without being too hot. Her whole body just shook she was so cold. She didn't cry until I accidentally splashed water in her face and then the fun bath was over. We changed her into her clothes and fed her (she is totally on a no-schedule plan right now) and then she acted sleepy so I rocked her and layed her down. Sure enough. Eyes wide open. So then I sat on the bed and held her and then just layed her down on the bed next to me. That was over an hour ago! Woo Hoo! I think she is just exhausted. And for being as tired as she was, she was still such a good baby. So she's stretched out on the bed in Seamonkey's "victory pose". Rob and I have both showered but we're still waiting to brush our teeth and dry my hair.

SO...what has our first day as parents been like? Well, we've learned that she likes to grasp fingers, she doesn't like to sit up on your shoulder, she likes to see out, she likes her butt patted when she's going to sleep, she's very attentive to the environment around her, she takes REALLY big stretches when she wakes up, I don't think it seems real yet, she doesn't smell overly "baby-y", she doesn't like to be cold (the crib is by the window and it's pretty chilly), Rob talks more baby talk to her than I ever thought he would (he even used the word "precious").

The motel is nice...the staff has been very friendly, the meals are good, we aren't far from some of the stores. Everything in our room has a cost. A small bag of chips (the size of fruit snacks) is $1, sweetened condensed milk is $1 (I'm not sure what you'd do with it, though), five liters of water is $2.50. Our room is small...much smaller than the pictures on the website. The family from Brookings left this morning, as well as the husband from Watertown. There is a French family here and a German family here, as well as Patty from Watertown and her son and us. The family from Minnesota that was supposed to be here on Sunday isn't coming until this next Sunday I guess. So it's pretty quiet around here. Maybe they'll let us switch rooms since some of the others are opening up.

Well, it's been another half hour and she is still sleeping. She is a little stuffed up, so the doctor is going to come later today to give her some medicine.

So that's as much as I know for now. As soon as she wakes up we're going to pick up the room and finish getting ready and go to the store. Dinner is at 1:00 so we'll need to be home around then.

Congratulations to RHS' boys cross country team for placing second at the state meet on Saturday! Football team, we are sorry to hear of the loss last night but are proud of your season. Volleyball players, good luck at districts next week.

Have a great day and I'll post more again later on today. (Tom & Jill...I know I have some emails out there...I'll get back to you later today, as well.)

Love you and miss you...

Rob, Dana, and Murphy