Stefania our new daughter

I will try and express how I felt but we took a ton of pictures and I think they show more.  This was on our way to pick up Stefania.  Please forgive my chest hanging all out.  I had no idea I looked like a sexpot when I went to the orphanage.  I hope they weren't thinking, "look at this hoochie."  But then again, it's Cali.  We were so nervous.  My heart was in my stomach.  Angel had been antsy all week.  The girls couldn't contain their excitement.  Iliana told me, "Mami, I am going to cry when we get Stefania."

This is when they were presenting her to us.  The woman holding her was her primary caretaker at the orphanage.  She cried before and while she was handing her to me.  I feel so bad because I didn't even notice her.  I was too caught up in Stefania.  I was bawling and doing the ugly cry. 

Look at Iliana grinning right next to me.  She was so happy.  She said, "Mami! She is so cute!  I can't wait for Grandma and Grandpa to see her.  They are going to love her."

I know it's not that clear, but she stared at me from the moment they put her in my arms.  She looked at me very intently with no fear or hesitation.  It was a curiousity for her to see this boo-hooing lady holding her.  She never pulled away or cried.  She was just my baby.  This meant so much to me because with both of my other girls, I had c-sections, and I was never the first to hold them.  Angel held them both first and took care of them the first day while I recovered.  With Stefania, she was mine first.  For the first 5 minutes anyway because then she met her Dada or Papi.

And I lost her too. LOL.  She has joined her sisters in being a Daddy's girl.  If you know my husband Angel, then you know I married the Pied Piper.  You should see him with all of the children here at the house.  The kids flock to him.  He's just a big kid too.  All of the fathers here are watching and taking notes, which they should because my husband is the best father in the world.

On the car ride home I held Stefania in my arms.  (No carseats in Colombia. Iliana and Natalia are loving that.  Wait til they get home.)  The whole ride back, Iliana and Natalia would alternate and ask, "Mama you holding Stefania tight?"  Poor Stefania has three mothers.  Let me add that my older girls have been phenomenal.  No jealousy at all.  Sometimes they get a little babyish and want me to coddle them but considering they really are still babies, they are entitled.  Iliana will be 5 in June and Natalia is 2 and a half.  Stefania is 10 months but she is tiny.  She is so petite.  She is very strong and has a good appetite.  Another one like her father who can eat everything in sight and not gain weight.  She is adapting very well.  She likes her sisters, loves her father and knows I am the one to cry to. (Lucky me).  Oh I forgot to mention, the girls all had matching shirts courtesy of my eldest Iliana.  She insisted we get two big sisters shirts for Iliana and Natalia and Stefania's matching shirt says Little Sister.  I didn't get a clear picture of the three of them wearing the shirts but I think you can tell. 

Stefania's 1st nap with us.

Stefania's first meal with us.  Sorry we are posting all the firsts but like Angel said, we have all the firsts in one day as opposed to through the last 10 months.  I love this picture.  Actually, I love them all.  I love her.

And as a woman who has given birth and now in the process of adopting, the first time I held Stefania and had time alone with her was exactly the same as when I held Iliana and Natalia.  I truly felt my heart grow.  It is so crazy but it feels like your heart is multiplying inside of your body.  I boo-hooed and still as I write this, I cry.  It's amazing.

Me and my three daughters, Iliana, Natalia and Stefania.

Now granted this is a horrid picture of me but it's not about me.  This was the first bottle that Stefania took from me almost 24 hours after we picked her up.  She hated the bottle.  I had no idea what to do because both of my older girls were breastfed babies.  My inclination was to give her the boob but alas, there is no milk there anymore.  She ate fine from baby food but didn't want the bottle.  Finally she woke up hungry and caved.  We were so happy she drank from the bottle!  Also I am wearing the bata (in English it's nightgown?) that I wore in the hospital after giving birth to Iliana and Natalia.  I thought it fitting to wear for Stefania as well.  Stefania sleeps well.  Better than her sisters in fact.  We hope she can give them some pointers.

Today is Saturday and Angel took the big girls to the movies.  We are a few blocks from a nice mall so they went to see Rio in Spanish.  My girls are picking up Spanish.  The rest of the children at the hotel are getting adopted so some of them are Iliana's age.  They only speak Spanish for now, but I will tell you, kids are amazing.  They pick up language with a quickness.  One couple had a 2.5 year old girl for two weeks.  She already understands her parents who are speaking to her in Norwegian!  Spanish and Norwegian are about as distant in language structure as you can get.  Another little boy David, is Iliana's buddy.  He was adopted officially yesterday by his Norwegian parents.  They are so proud like any new parents and he is excited to have a forever home.  He loves his father like crazy.  The most beautiful thing is to see children be loved and treated the way all children should be.   They leave for Bogota and then for Norway next week.  We will miss them but we are so happy they are going home.  He too is already understanding Norwegian.  Here he is playing with Iliana.

I love Hotel Pension Stein.  It truly is a haven for adoptive families.  The parents all help one another, the kids play together all the time.  We all celebrate each other's victories.  Enrique Frei runs the place with such love and attentiveness.  The babies get their own meals!  Homemade baby soup! Delicious! Hopefully Stefania will get a little fatter with the food here.  I know Iliana will.  She told me today, "Mama they cook better than you here!"  That says a lot because before Iliana used to say I was the "best cooker in the world."  I met the cooks here.  She is right.  I ain't got nothing on them. 

Every few days we go on trips arranged by the hotel to get to know Cali.  We went to a waterpark on Wednesday.  It was so much fun.  I think I had the most fun.

I was holding Natalia in the picture.  I need to have a kid to make it look like I did it for her.  I loved this place.  There were no lines.  It was clean and the food was cheap.  How I love cheap food.  Angel and I are sure we will come back fatter.  And since we both did not get into the NYC Marathon, we are in trouble.

Sorry it took me so long to write.  I am now a mother of three and the only reason I could write this was because the girls are at the movies with Angel and Stefania is taking a nice, long morning nap.

One more of Stefania looking at the camera.  I noticed most of the pictures are of her profile.