We're Off!

Our bags are checked, and we're sitting in the airport anxious to get on the plane. The pooch is off to Grandma and Grandpa Sonnek's. We've hugged our families good-bye, and in just 12 short hours, we'll be in Bogota! No lo creemos! We don't believe it!

Yesterday was filled with last-minute errands, haircuts, visits from family and friends, and (in case we forgot to mention) packing. Through everything we did, we'd stop and say to each other, "This is the last time we'll ___________ without Sophia" or "Just think, the next time we __________, we'll have a baby with us!!!" I think what hit home most for me (Julie) was when I hugged my dad good-bye and said, "When I see you again, I'll have a little girl in my arms. I'll be holding your granddaughter!" We can't tell you how excited we are to become a family of three (well, a family of four with Mocha!)

We're feeling very pleased with how efficiently we got everything packed up. (Even though when Marcia stopped by yesterday at 4:00, she laughed and said, "Oh, you don't have anything in the suitcases yet!") One of our big suitcases (filled with all of Sophie's things) only weighed 28 pounds! We shouldn't be too surprised though since all of her clothes are so tiny!!! The FANA donation suitcase, on the other hand, came in at a whopping 52 pounds. (Don't worry--they didn't charge us extra at the airport.)

While we're gone, we'll be constantly updating this blog and posting pictures of beautiful Sophia on our flickr account (these pics automatically show up on our blog in the upper right hand corner).

We love hearing from all of you, so please post comments on our blog to keep us updated on what's going on while we're gone. To leave a comment, here's what you do:

• Click on the green link at the end of any blog posting that says "X comments". That will take you to a new page to leave comments.
• You don't need to "log in" or "create an account" to leave comments. Just choose the "Anonymous" option.
• Finally, click the "Publish your comment" button.
  

Plus, remember to sign up for email notifications. That way you don't have to constantly check the site to see if we've updated it. On the right-hand side of the page, there's a link to do this. All you have to do is enter your email address.

You can also email us directly. We'll have access to email and the internet while we're away.

Oh--and as for where we're staying in Bogota, for the time being anyway, is apartamento Plenitud. Thanks to the help of Flor Angela Rojas and Maria Teresa de Perez, we've got this place to stay. As soon as room opens up at either El Refugio or El Oasis, we'll be moving in there. These places are more set up for babies and adopting families, but we've been assured that we'll be comfortable at apartamento Plenitud.

Talk to you all soon!

Love,

Ryan and Julie