Today we went to the aquarium. Even before we left, the morning started out rough. Juan Manuel woke up extra early, and just to make sure that we wouldn't send him back to lay in bed, he woke up both of his brothers to ensure that Jason and I would get up too. Of course, Juan Manuel claimed that they woke up on their own, but we are highly suspicious that he was fibbing to us. We had no way to prove it one way or another though. So right away we started the day off with Santi and Christian getting about 1-2 hours less sleep than they normally would have had.
In the morning, Juan Manuel was really being difficult, and we were kind of disheartened after we had had such a good afternoon yesterday. He was pushy with his brothers and disrespectful to Jason and I right off the bat. We didn't even tell the kids about the aquarium until this morning, and we were both afraid that we would need to cancel the trip altogether due to his defiance. Juan Manuel was a little bit better at and after breakfast though, so we decided to still go.
We had pre-arranged for a taxi driver to take us to and from the aquarium. We were supposed to be picked up at 10:00am, so we were down in the lobby waiting at 9:50. Our boys can't seem to sit still for long, so we usually walk back and forth along the hallway on the first floor until it's time to go. By 10:15 there was still no sign of our taxi driver, so Jason went back up to the room to make some calls and find out what was going on. Long story short, she was half an hour late. By the time she arrived, the kids were restless and agitated, but we tried to just make a fresh start and try to have a nice time.
The aquarium was a little bit confusing to us. You could purchase different "packages" to view different attractions. The attendant tried to explain everything to me in Spanish, but I only caught about 1/3 of what he was saying. You get a card like a plastic hotel room key, and then at the entrance to different sections of the aquarium, they scan the card and let you in. To be honest, we weren't sure where we were going or what attractions we could actually get into. There was a 3D dinosaur movie that was supposed to show at 11:30 that the boys said they really wanted to see. We went down to the theatre at 11:25, but they were having some technical difficulties and didn't open the theatre until about 11:40. We tried to spend some time in an activity park near to the theatre, but we were having a tough time at that point.
By the time they finally opened the movie, the kids were a bit weary, and Jason and I were glad to sit down with the kids sandwiched between us and not running every which way. Santiago was afraid of the 3D effects, but Christian kept saying "Ooh! Ooh!" and kicking his legs. Christian and Juan Manuel loved the movie!
There were a lot of activities and learning stations throughout the park, but it was tough because the kids have such a short attention span. They would run from thing to thing, and Jason and I could barely catch up to them to explain what they were supposed to do, when they would run on to the next thing and repeat the cycle over and over. I think that the kids were slightly too young to really enjoy a lot of the exhibits, but we tried to find the ones that were more suited to them.
When we had purchased the tickets and the attendant explained some of the attractions, he explained something to the kids that totally went over my head. Juan Manuel kept begging us to go to this certian something, and we had no idea what he was talking about. I kept asking the people all throughout the aquarium where we should go, and finally we found what he was talking about. It is a mini-maze that is entirely in the dark, and simulates the "vision" of a bat. You have to wear a vest that emits sounds when you are about to bump into something, and you are supposed to navigate your way through the maze using your "sonar". We were shocked that this was the thing that Juan Manuel had been begging us to see...especially because he is afraid of the dark!! Jason had to go in with him, and they bumped their way through until they came out on the other side.
The kids seemed to have a fun time, but we were pretty frazzled by the time Lina, our taxi driver, came back to get us. In hind sight, we realize that it maybe was too much of a stretch from the routine and consistency for our kids at this point. We had been thinking of going to the zoo this weekend, but after seeing how challenging the aquarium was for us, we are thinking that we are going to put it off for a while, or maybe we will even skip it altogether. Not sure at this point. It is tough for us when all of the other families here for adoptions go here and there with their kids, but it really just doesn't seem to work for us. The most important thing is definitely focusing on the kids and their transitions, and maybe we just tried to take too big of a jump today.
Once we got back to the hotel, Santi and Christian were both a little bit fussier than usual, and we could definitely tell that they were both tired. By that time though, it was pretty late in the afternoon, and we just plugged through the rest of the day until bed time.
Today the kids listened to the song "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas, and they kept trying to mimic the words, but never got it quite right. Santi kept singing it all night long though, and it was really cute. Even little Christian dances all around and acts silly.
So tomorrow we are going to settle back into our routine of wake up, breakfast, play in the park and take a walk, play in the room, lunch, pool, dinner, baths, and movie. Hoping that we will have a little bit more success with that. Jason will run to the grocery store some time in there too, but I'll hold down the fort at the hotel with the kids.
Oh, we did hear from our lawyer today, and apparently there has been no action on our case in the legal system this week. We aren't exactly sure where we stand on timing, but it seems better if we just try not to worry about it. The days and time we spend here have a strange way of feeling very warped. We often can't remember what day of the week it is, how many days it's been since this or that, or how many days until the next appointment comes. I guess that it's normal for vacations to feel that way, but we've never really had this long or this kind of a "vacation" before either!
Hopefully the kids will sleep a little bit later tomorrow morning. Our hotel is hosting a very large medical conference on menopause this weekend though, and there are a ton of people here and lots of extra noise. The saxophone is blaring away as I write this, and the elevator button keeps dinging. At this point though, I think that Jason and I are tired enough to sleep through just about anything!!
Hey, this is your cousin Jenna. My mom sent me your blog few weeks ago and I found the whole adoption process so interesting and intriguing that I ended up going back and reading almost every entry. I wanted to tell you that I think what you are doing is such a wonderful thing. When I read about the day you met the boys and how they jumped into your arms I couldn't help but cry. What a great way to begin your life as a family! Although it is tough living in a hotel in a foreign country and transitioning to this new and often hectic lifestyle it sounds like you are doing great. I think the best thing you are doing is the way you are adapting to situations. Trying new tactics when one doesn't work and introducing new policies and remaining flexible (which is key in parenting) and it sounds like you are naturals. I don't often give parenting advice because I am still new at it too, but as it seems you are welcoming it this is something I have found to be very helpful. Simon, who is just under two, responds really well to responsibility. For a while now he has had little chores around the house (putting his pjs away, feeding the dog and cats, "helping" wash dishes etc) and it really gives him a sense of accomplishment. It boosts his self-esteem and of course he likes the praise and attention he gets from us when he does a good job. It may seem counterintuitive, but even at such a young age he feels a sense of ownership. He doesn't like it when I feed the cats without him as it is his job. Now I realize that this could not even be possible in the hotel, but it is the one thing that I noticed helped us the most and I know many parents overlook it. I enjoy reading your blog and can't wait to meet the boys. They sound precious, even when they are misbehaving. :) Hang in there! You'll be back before you know it! Good luck and I look forward to more entries. -Jenna P.S. Sorry it's so long!
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