El Salvador Update – Month 12
Posted July 12th, 2010
Hola!
Short and sweet… back, after an extended 9-month break from the blog. This week — July 15th — both Nestor and Matt celebrate a birthday together. Hope to get some photos to share with ya. Take care!
El Salvador Update – Month 3
Posted November 16th, 2009
Hola, it’s been a while …
Frankly, we’ve been busy… and, in all honesty… we’ve had our hands full.
For what it’s worth, we’re learning that parenting an adopted child–especially one who is 8-years old–is so much different than parenting your biological kid. I won’t say 180-degrees-different, more like 180,000 degrees different. (Is their such a thing Math Teachers?)
No dig on the social workers or psychs reading (Sidebar: I remember when we first got home one telling us, “You parent the same way you’d parent Matthew”).
Uh-huh.
El Salvador Adoption – Home 1 Month
Posted September 14th, 2009
Yes, this past weekend marked one month we’ve been home as a new family.
Hard to believe.
I pause and reflect on just how far Nestor has come in the past month…. another one of those ‘I still can’t quite get my head around it’ moments.
So I thought I’d share 20 facts about Nino Escogido you may not have known about him.
- Nestor sleeps a solid 10-12 hours every night, in his own room, and rarely ever wakes up. In his former home, he shared a three- bedroom house with 8 other kids and slept with 2 other boys in one room.
- He never knew what grilled-cheese sandwich was. He’s hooked now.
- He doesn’t know how to ride a bicycle… but he’s learning.
- He loves horses and dogs.
- He loves to swim in the pool… but he doesn’t know how.
- After only a month in Estados Unidos, he automatically puts on his seat belt without being told. The use of seatsbelts in ES was non-existent.
- He is intrigued by a flashlight… I don’t think he had ever seen one before. He especially enjoyed shining it Mateo’s eyes at 7am.
- He’s really good about trying different foods. Rarely will he say he doesn’t like something without trying it.
- He’s in second grade with about 20 kids in his class… 4 are fluent Spanish speakers, like him. All his studies are in English. He has an ESOL teacher who checks on him and works with him, daily.
- He’s phenomenal at Soccer and really good at baseball.
- Favorite time of the day: (tie) When Papi gets home so they can play baseball; reading together in bed.
- Favorite characters: Spiderman, Batman, Superman
- Favorite fruit: Watermelon, Pineapple, Cantelope, Apples, Grapes.
- Favorite movie: Lion King, Spirit
- He doesn’t fully understand the concept of school shoes/ play shoes; school clothes/play clothes. But he’s getting it.
- He calls cereal “Corn Flakes” regardless of the type, or flavor.
- He knows how to work. He works a mean broom and knows how to work in the yard and sweat. He dislikes hot water and hot showers. All cold for him!
- He has already learned his alphabet in English, and can count to 20.
And the final two, (for now)…
19. He was abandoned around 18 months old. When they found his biological mother, she didn’t want him. They never found his biological dad, but found his dad’s mother: She said she couldn’t afford him.
Until now, he has had no relatives or family for his entire life.
And last but not least…
20. Si! Si!. Te gusto hueves verdes con hamon, Juan Ramon!
Yes, Yes. I do like green eggs and ham, Sam I am.
Green Eggs and Ham, a favorita! Thanks Mami!
El Salvador Adoption – Home – Through Week 3
Posted September 6th, 2009
Author’s Note: I feel like we should rename this journal blog, ‘Stark Reality of International Adoption…’ or something like that.
Hi again–
A thought to open with:
Don’t tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big your God is.
Uh-hem…
Well, I had good intentions of updating this journal every week after we returned home. After all, we managed nearly a daily update while we were in ES, so weekly oughta be a cinch, right?
Not as easy as I thought.
Here’s why…
El Salvador Adoption – Home – Week 1
Posted August 20th, 2009
Hard to believe that we’ve been home a week. Still seems so surreal.
I’d be lying if I said everything’s going smoothly. We’ve certainly been faced with a few challenges this past week. But we’ve managed to hang… and live to tell about it.
I’ve always kept this journal honest… a gut-check to ourselves and to others who want to blaze down the international adoption trail.
What advice would I offer to others?
What would I change for ourselves, if only one thing??
El Salvador Adoption – Home – Day 1
Posted August 13th, 2009
We’re home, and what a great feeling it is!
The trip home went well, although we had to get up VERY earlier Wednesday morning, leaving at 5:30 am to get to the airport.
We got our bags checked relatively quickly and then went through El Salvador security checkpoints at Comalapa Internatioal Airport. All was going well until… they did a hand search of our bags.
We’re Coming Home! – Day 16
Posted August 11th, 2009
We’re all smiles today.
First, remember this number: 1,023. I’ll get back to it in a ’sec.
Because the one thing about international adoption is your countenance changes like the wind, hour by hour.
Happy, frustrated… bummed, excited.
Nestor’s Visa was issued at 3pm after us sitting around all day just waiting for the phone to ring. I so hate being unproductive.
El Salvador Adoption – Day 14
Posted August 9th, 2009
Two weeks folks.
Okay, we’ve lost two soccer balls in two days. Hope we can make it until bedtime!! Sheesh.
El Salvador Update – Day 13
Posted August 8th, 2009
Great day on Saturday! Well, at least it turned out that way…
Matt wants to share his comments with you.
Part of the genuiness of this journey–and writing them in diary form–is that our thoughts and comments are captured in real and raw form. One day, it will be pretty cool for Nestor to be able to read through how much his family loved him, and what we all went through
That said, I have no idea what Matt wants to write. I think he just needs to express himself to y’all. He hasn’t adjusted yet, and he’s been bugging me about it today. So take it away numero uno son, and I’ll be back shortly.
El Salvador Adoption – Day 12
Posted August 7th, 2009
Ok… Day 12, and I confess: I’m exhausted. I guess everything has started to catch up with me. All in all though, today was a good day. Small victories.
The theme, or “saying,” over the last two days?
El Salvador Update – Day 10
Posted August 6th, 2009
Wednesday update, Day 10.
First and foremost, I want to thank so many of you for your comments, words of encouragement, nuggets of scripture (or at least where to find them) and your prayers. Your comments bring tears to our eyes. We read them all, and from the sheer volume of them, we aren’t able to reply to each. But they are sustaining us right now, each moment of each day.
Secondly, let me update you on Wednesday, starting in the afternoon. We went to this place on the map:
View Larger Map
Pictured: Lake Coatepeque, a pristine volcanic crater lake, 600+ feet deep, over 57,000 years old. It is more magnificent than Lake Tahoe.
El Salvador Update – Day 11
Posted August 6th, 2009
A quiet day today. Kinda nice. There is another woman staying here at Casa Mia who is fluent in Spanish and English. It has been great getting to know her, and she has been most helpful, especially with translations.
You know, real important phrases like… “Don’t do that…” “Don’t hit your brother…” “Can you say excuse me?…” “Use your fork, please…”
Today while swimming in the pool, Nestor cut his foot on the sharp stone that surrounds the pool. Big tears and a little worry on our part, but I think he’ll be okay. As my daddy says, he “skinned the bark” pretty deeply, and a decent amount of blood.
El Salvador Adoption – Day 9
Posted August 5th, 2009
Just so you know that we’re real people doing our best in unchartered territory, let me sum up Tuesday: Roughest day yet.
After I posted that scripture verse yesterday about Jesus and not worrying, I think we both had to go back and read it a few times. We’re normal people just like you, doing the best we can.
Here’s Tuesday’s summary.
El Salvador Adoption – Day 8
Posted August 4th, 2009
“You never know what to expect…”
…here in El Salvador.
This country–and the adoption process–keeps you on your toes. It makes everything a little more spontaneous. If you’re the type of person who doesn’t deal well with spontaniety, or your personality requires you to be in control all the time, stay away. You won’t make it on a trip like this.
- Photo: Nestor’s laundry room (the washer) in his former home. (Dryer: Outside… a clothes line.)
I often think the English translation of the word El Salvador means Faith Walk. (Actually, it means The Savior.)
Which reminds me of Jesus’ words:
“Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26, NIV).
I’ve got a question for you: Anything you’re worried about, right now, in your life?
Hold that thought as I tell you about today.
El Salvador Update – Weekend Days 6 & 7
Posted August 3rd, 2009
I’m writing Sunday and the boys are still sleeping. The birds are chirping like mad, and it’s nice and cool after a BIG tropical rain storm last night. This is the “winter” season here, aka: rainy season. Big thunderstorms with magnificent thunder and sideways lightning, typically during the early evening hours… and worse than at home! Weather is a mild mid-80s, with very little humidity and cool breezes.
We’ll be walking 2 blocks this morning to the Union Church for worship. There are many U.S. Embassy families here that attend this un-airconditioned church (windows are open, and there’s a gentle breeze), and the services are in English. (I visited when I was here last August.)
Check out the view from inside the church. There’s a bit of a glare in my photo, but look close behind the altar and you’ll see a large, lush volcano through the glass. It’s amazing to worship God and see this beauty.
We offered praise and thanksgiving to God for all He has done in our adoption. Just one year ago, I sat in this same church, with the same view, wondering if our adoption would EVER happen.