First, Maya and Sophia (the girls' older twin sisters who live in Indiana) donned party hats and made Rosa a "happy birthday" card that they sent via Facebook. They are such sweet little girls. We are beyond blessed that the girls have family back in the States - family who we or they have yet to even meet in person, but family who has immediately accepted us into their fold and has been incredibly gracious and kind to us.
Then the hotel
staff surprised us by bringing up a cake and present to the room! It was so sweet of them and totally indicative of the caring nature of the people here, especially when it comes to kids. The present was a little pull-along toy which Rosa loved. We decided to let them both dig into the cake. We cleared a large space on the floor and gave them each a big piece. They both weren't sure what to do at first, but eventually they each dug in with both hands and st
arted munching away. Rosa needed a little help from Daddy since she isn't quite putting things in her mouth by herself yet, but she couldn't get enough. On a side note, I wonder if we will look back at eating cake on the hotel floor as being totally ghetto some day. That being said, we didn't have highchairs to strap them to so that was really our best bet!Later in the day we got to talk to Aunt Seri, Uncle Pete, and Abuela (Grandma) back home. That was a nice treat as well. They wished Rosa a very happy birthday, as did tons of others on Facebook. It seems like each time we feel alone down here, God reminds us that we have so much love and support around us that we never need to feel alone.
The day went a bit south after the cake. About an hour later, the girls came down from their sugar highs and just started crying for no reason whatsoever (imagine that!). We also did a poor job of planning today. Usually we have a nice morning routine, an early afternoon nap, and then park/city/mall and dinner at night. Today we were way off schedule and the sugar rush made it worse, so we are vowing to get back to more of a routine tomorrow, but it was worth it to celebrate our little hija's big day.
One year ago today, we were babysitting Jadyn (as we did most Friday nights last year), totally unaware that on another continent, our daughter was being born into a less-than-ideal situation. As we took care of our beloved little J-bird, we dreamed of the day we would have children of our own. Little did we know that we would have two beautiful daughters to hold in our arms just a short year later. Happy birthday, Rosa Maria. We cannot wait to celebrate many birthdays ahead for both you and Katie!
(P.S. Facebook friends, there is a video of Rosa Maria smashing her cake on our profiles)
Sugar!!!!!! My children still cannot handle it. Those girls are so darn cute and what a blessing. Things are going to start to move quick this week and routines will be interrupted. We had a tough time with it but on the other hand it was so exciting knowing we would be home soon. Take one task at a time and know that when you get home you can get that important routine started ASAP. Focus on the girls and don't worry about any suitcases or laundry or things that need put away. It took me 2 weeks to get everything done, but only 2 days to get that routine in place. Maybe we will all meet one day. There are not many Colombian children in Pittsburgh. Keep up the good work and be prepared for this week.
ReplyDelete