Big Day!

We started the day with our last visit from the Peruvian psychologist. She asked us a few questions and finished her report so the adoption will be finalized on Monday. This interview went smoother than the last- no tantrums- and we are truly thankful for the improved communication between Alexandra and her English-speaking family. Luke did tell the psychologist that Alexandra kicks and hits him but we told her that is normal behavior for our kids so she fits in fine.



After the psychologist visit, Cami came over and we got to run some errands in town. The Lima KTM shop isn't too far from our apartment so we got to check it out. The owner was a very nice guy- he gave me a T-shirt and a bunch of KTM-Peru stickers for the kids. The boys can't wait to decorate their bikes with the stickers. The guy was so nice I was tempted to buy a new bike but the shipping cost made me decide to wait till we get back to the US.

One of the errands we ran was to Cami's dental practice. Becca, while eating Inca Corn (like Corn nuts) lost a bracket of her braces and swallowed it the other night. Thankfully Cami was able to get another one and put it on for her, so that her wires wouldn't be poking her for 3 more weeks. God is good to provide us with all we need, when we need it! Thanks Cami!

The rest of the day has been rather uneventful. Bedtime is always a long ordeal with singing to Alexandra, getting the boys to calm down and fighting Becca for the computer. By the time the day is done, we are whooped. Tomorrow should be rather uneventful as we check out the local scene again.

We passed!

This morning we had our second visit with the SNA psychologist. It went much better than Tuesday! There were no fits and Alexandra was very plesant during the visit. She has her report done, so we go to SNA on Monday to sign the Adoption Resolution. WOO HOO!!!



We are not sure what all we are going to do this weekend. Communication continues to improve with Alexandra, so we will be up for more outings to discover this culture. It has been fun and very eye opening to learn about the different people here and all the different departments (like their states.) We continue to see how blessed we are in the States and how much we take for granted.



We decided today on Alexandra's official name for her new Peruvian Birth Certificate...Alexandra Anna Trosper Driever. Ok, so we didn't add the Driever, but that is Peruvian law. Children here have 2 last names here: the maiden last name of the mother and the last name of the father. Crazy, huh?



Alexandra just finished receiving a manicure from Papa...a treat for him as well as here. She giggled the entire time he painted her toes. Too fun. We love it here, but will be glad to get home. Pray for wisdom for us as we check into Layne and boys staying longer. We thought perhaps we might finish early and all fly home together, but now that doesn't look like the case. There are a lot of areas on the American side of things, that could go quicker, so please pray for favor as our paperwork crosses those desks and that it will be expedited.



We will post more this weekend with the sights and stories of Peru! We continue to try new foods and have loved everything so far...including Ceviche which is the fish they are famous for. We haven't braved Cuy yet (Guinea Pig), but the boys all say they will try it.

I am hoping to learn how to prepare some of these foods (not Cuy), so I can share them with many of you. Until later...Ciao

Zoo Day

We had a great time at the zoo today. The kids had fun and the weather was sunny which was a welcome change from the overcast we've seen for a while. The zoo is in another part of town approximately 45 minutes from our apartment so we got to see more of Lima. The zoo wasn't real big- about the size of the Montgomery Zoo but does have a good assortment of animals. Near the end of the zoo trip, we let Alexandra pick one of the small kiddie rides to ride. She settled on the Merry-go-Round but found out it was broken. The next closest ride was an octupus looking thing with various animal chairs on the tentacles. The ride did seem to tip a little when Alexandra and Luke got on but the real treat was the music that accompanied the ride. The music was a series of very hight pitched tones vaguely set to a children's tune- I think. I wanted to be near the ride in case one of the kids jumped off but the high pitched tones were painful. I was very glad when the ride finally ended.

In the evening we went to Wong - another local department store- to get some dinner and a few things. We also stopped by Cami's brother's house to look at his restored Vespa. It is a really sharp bike. I think Cami's brother may have more motorcycle/car junk than I do. It is always good for Deb to see that she doesn't have it so bad. Very shortly after leaving Cami's brother, Alexandra let us know she had to go potty so we then went to Cami's apartment. She has a beautiful apartment she shares with her mom so we got to hang out there for a little bit while Alexandra went potty and played with Cami's daughter LuAnn. We also got to meet Cami's mom and spend a few minutes chatting with her. Overall, a very pleasant evening with great company.

We finally got home about 8, had some dinner, then got ready for bed. Alexandra laid in bed with Becca, Drake, and Luke for a few minutes then went to bed where she fell asleep after a few minutes of Deb's singing. What an awesome end to the day.

Better Day!

Today has been such a better day than yesterday! Thank you so much for your prayers. Alexandra seems to understand us better today and her behavior especially when we have been out has been exceptional! We went out to eat lunch and then a trip to the small toy store. We made it without any incidences. We even made it out of the toy store with what we went in for and not more. (Except for the puzzle of Peru that we are all struggling to get together.) We came home and worked on the puzzles and were amazed at how Alexandra could put the pieces together without her glasses. She could do the entire 24 piece Barbie puzzle alone. In one of her reports it suggested that she be taken to the school for the blind so she could learn how to "function without much sight". I know God has already been at work healing her eyes! I can't wait for the day the sight is restored in her right eye as well.

Later this afternoon we went for her doctor's appointment,. (The first one, the US Embassy doesn't accept the same one as Peru...crazy isn't it?) Alexandra did so well. She sat very quietly while we talked with the doctor. (Luckily he spoke English and Spanish and was great with Alexandra!) She got a clean bill of health is in the 10th percentile for height (already a female Trosper) and 25th for weight. The doctor seemed very surprised and we told him she had been taken care of very well at the home where she had been!

We are back home this evening laying low and hoping for an early bedtime as we are heading to the zoo tomorrow. We have noticed that Alexandra's idea of cold is somewhat different than ours. Layne and the boys are wearing shorts while Alexandra wants a coat most of the time. Tonight's pic is her choice for piyamas-even the hat. Just wait till she gets to Alabama in the summer. Not sure she will want the hat then.

Good morning

Last night we prayed over Alexandra that any fears would go away and today we could continue to bond with her. We know that there will always be difficult times- just like we still experience with each other, Becca, Drake, and Luke- but Alexandra would truly know that she is part of our family and that will never change. We know God is working in her and us and we are thankfulthat He has brought us together for His purposes.

We did engage in a round of tummy raspberries with Alexandra this morning. She asked for each of us to give her a raspberry on her belly. I'm not sure if that is actual bonding but we'll take it.

I think we are going to Pardo's Chicken for lunch today. It is a local favorite and we like it alot too. Their menu is in English and Spanish so ordering should be fairly simple as well. Later today, we are taking Alexandra to her Peruvian doctor appointment- don't expect any issues ther except that we already broke her glasses. Hopefully, we can replace them tomorrow on the way to the zoo.

Alexandra is now in the shower with some assistance from Deb, Becca is eating breakfast (just got up a few minutes ago), Drake is reading, and Luke is just laying on the couch. Very peaceful. We'll post more later with some pics.

Psychologist and Pizza

Today was our first in-home (or apartment) evaluation by the Peruvian Ministry of Adoptions Psychologist. This was the unannounced evaluation but we knew it would be today at approximately 0930. The actual logistics of making a real unannounced visit are a pain so we pretended to be surprised. Things were going well with normal questions when Alexandra decided to throw a good old-fashioned lay-on-the-floor kicking and screaming tantrum. We were, of course, mortified but the psychologist didn't seem to think it was a problem. At least that is what she told us. Who knows what she wrote in her evaluation. The psychologist told us to let her scream for 8 minutes then console her- that must be the psychology approved time for tantrums. Luckily, Alexandra gave up before the 8 minute time limit had expired so we began consoling early. The rest of the interview went fine so I think we are still good to go.

To celebrate the possibly successful interview, we decided to go to Larcomar (local tourist mall) for pizza and to get some pics printed. The pizza experience was good except for ordering difficulties. The nice lady behind the counter was trying to tell me that the advertised special did not count for a supreme pizza but I thought she was telling me I got two pizzas for that price. The confusion lasted for several minutes until an irritated local (who spoke English) behind me in line said "she's trying to tell you that is going to cost more." In the interest of Peruvian-US relations, I agreed to whatever the lady said and paid. We all ate pizza, breadsticks, and soda for the equivalent of $14. No wonder the Peruvian in line thought I was an idiot- and cheap.

After the pizza lunch, we walked around the mall for a few minutes with a few tantrums. For anyone considering international adoption, I highly recommend a high quality protective cup for the occasional kicking/screaming fit. I've learned the hard way that Alexandra's feet are just at crotch level when I carry her. Nobody at the adoption agency mentioned this possibility when we started the process. Again, heavy-duty cup would've been a wise investment.

We are now back at the apartment with Deb and Becca working a tag-team effort to get Alexandra to sleep. She took a long nap today so this could be a long battle. Luckily for me, somebody has to update the blog so I haven't committed to the battle yet.

Sorry no pics today. We'll make sure to post more tomorrow.

Today has been an interesting day but we know God is working through all of us to bring us all together as a family. We continue to pray for bonding and that any bad memories for Alexandra will be wiped away by the great memories we are making as a family. God continues to bless us in ways we cannot imagine.

Market and Barranco

Well today we headed off to the Inka Market. Quite the cool place I must say. There was so much to take in I hardly knew where to start. There was clothing, toys, decor, hats, anything Peruvian you could want. We had a blast finding stuff for Alexandra and ourselves. Of course we bought more than we needed, but you know how Layne is a sucker for a good bargain.

After the shopping, we headed to Rustica, a local restaurant that is in an old house in the district of Barranco. Barranco has a spanish influence in its architecture and is right on the water. It really is a beautiful part of the city. The restaurant was a Peruvian buffet so we got to try several new Peruvian dishes. Everybody tried Ceviche, raw fish marinated in lemon juice, onions, and spices. We all liked it but Luke went back for several portions. Unfortunately, they didn't have Cuy on the buffet so we haven't gotten to try it yet. After lunch we walked some of the streets of Barranco and went down to the beach. I say beach, but it is quite different than our beaches. There was no sand, only rocks. The waves sound different as the rocks rattle when the waves crash upon them. We didn't plan on anyone getting wet but you know how that usually turns out. We left the beach when Becca, Luke, and Alex were soaked from the waist down. Then we got to enjoy the reverse trip back up the stairs down to the water from the restaurant approximately 200 feet below. At least we burned off some of the big lunch we ate.

We then returned to the apartment for dry clothes and some relax time. Later, Deb, Becca, and Alexandra went back out for new (dry) zapatos and some groceries. Now it is time for bed but some family members are not cooperating. Oh well, I guess I would be concerned if all the kids actually wanted to go to bed when Mom and Dad tell them.

Another awesome day for the family. We are truly amazed everyday at how God is bleesing us. Thanks for all your prayers.