ICBF y El Jardin Botanico

It's 3:00 pm on thursday and both my boys are napping, which is completely unusual because so far they've had completely different napping schedules. This is therefore a nice coincidence and a good opportunity to blog.

We had our interview at ICBF (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar or "Colombian Institute for Welfare of the Family") on tuesday. This interview starts the legal process that takes our adoption case to the courts and therefore it was very important. Our appointment was at 2:00 pm and were picked up by Carmen Cruz (she works for Bethany Christian Services here in Colombia) at 1:00 pm. We made it there in only 30 minutes in spite of the chaotic traffic of Bogota and extensive construction work around the ICBF office.

The officer in charge of our case actually saw us early and asked us just one question: "how are you doing with the baby? " that's it. It was the shortest interview ever. She signed all the paperwork, gave us a favorable review for the court and sent us our way. Jeff and I were surprised because our interview when we adopted Santi took a good 45 minutes and was quite extensive. We are not about to complain; our paperwork is now moving to the judiciary system and the officer gave us both a favorable review and all the necessary documents for the American embassy for the baby's visa- once the time arrives.

We were back home before 4:00 pm, took a nap and then headed out to meet our friends the Thompsons for a fabulous dinner. We had such a great time with them! Santi in particular had a grand time with BFF Josiah.

Today, Jeff, Santi, Sebastian, my mom and I went to the botanical garden. I am embarrassed to admit that as a native of Bogota I had NEVER been to the botanical garden. Shame on me. This is a true gem of this city. Acres and acres of beautifully manicured areas of flowers, roses, native ecosystems, all kinds of gardens and a incredible arboretum. We were particularly lucky today for two reasons: One, they had a butterfly exhibit from the coffee-growing region of Colombia. What a treat to see over 600 butterflies representing 20 species of truly colombian butterflies. Two: we happened to see the flower of the Victoria Regia (victoria amazonica). Let me explain this one: the victoria regia is a plant native of the shallow waters of the amazon. The leaf is seen year-round, but it's flower only blossoms once or twice per year. Furthermore, once it blossoms, the flower only lasts for 24-48 hours. I guess what we saw today was a once in a lifetime shot at this marvelous flower.

Here are some pictures:

Enjoying the gardens:

The national tree of Colombia: La Palma de Cera (Ceroxylon quindiuense)

Sebastian and my mom taking a break in the shade:

The flower of the victoria regia:

At the butterfly exhibit (my mom and Santi)

Mom and I at a beautiful bridge:

Too much excitement for my little guy:

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but seeing with new eyes"

- Marcel Proust