Back and Forth

It's been decided. Lil' L and I will be returning to Ecuador to visit Daddy in November.  We will be there for 3 months at least, maybe 4. This time, however, will be the first time that we will be down in South America during their summer. I thought it was well enough hot during their winter months, I can't imagine how hot it is going to be this next time that we are there. Luckily for those of us up north who are heading into winter, all the summer baby clothes are on sale, which means a shopping spree for Lil' L , in order to be well equipped for life on the beach.  Packing is the hard part, especially with how quickly Lil' L is changing. Last time we went I brought way too many things with me that I never ended up using, and found myself wishing that I had brought things that I didn't.
This time around I am bringing cloth diapers, which I will have to wash by hand, so I've been experimenting with what type of diaper is the easiest to wash, and the fastest to dry.  I have decided on using Indian cotton prefolds in GroVia shells, and bringing my own "Tiny Bubbles" laundry detergent. Last time, I resorted to using disposables, but found myself regretting that decision as they were incredibly expensive, and irritated Lil' L's cute little bum.  Aside from the diaper stash, the only other things I am bringing are short sleeved onesies, baby sunscreen, hats, a baby wrap, toys and sippy cups.
The travel time from Vancouver, BC to Quito, Ecuador is approximately 16 hours, which was no problem last time we went to visit, as Lil' L was only 2 months old and literally slept the whole way. This time though..... I don't know what I'm going to do! This little guy is always moving non- stop, and has decided that he doesn't need to sleep during the day anymore, so the thought of 16 hours of travel, by myself, with a crazy baby, is a little bit daunting to me. I would really appreciate the help from anybody who can give me some tips for travelling long distance with a 7 month old.
So now I'm off to start making lists... after all, I only have a month and half to get ready... chao!

So now what?

I hate immigration, it is just so frustrating! Some days are easier for me to deal with than others, but today is not one of those days. I don't know why, but today has been especially hard for me. We submitted our application for immigration a month ago. According to the Canada Immigration website, the sponsorship assessment (that would be my part) takes just over 2 months to process. Until that 2 months is up, I have no way of knowing if we even have a shot at our application going through. I find myself checking the website everyday, hoping that if I check it enough, the listed processing times will somehow miraculously change and our family will be able to be together. When I checked the website today however, I was very saddened by what I saw. The processing time for applications from Ecuador has changed, but now the time we must wait is longer. The current processing time is now at 17 months + 1 month more for my sponsorship application...that equals a year and a half that we just have to sit here waiting.  The thought of not having my husband present for the first 2 years of my son's life is heartbreaking and is something that I just cannot wrap my head around. I have to figure out some other way.

Lil L and Lalo reading a surf mag in Ecuador on our last visit. 

We talk to Lalo everyday on the phone, but it is so sad to see the way that Lil' L looks around the room searching for his daddy when he hears his voice. He will stop whatever it is he is doing, and smile the biggest smile and look all around to see where daddy is, but he never finds him, and I feel aweful. He misses his daddy, and so do I.

Just a little bit of history.... our immigration dilema

When I found out I was pregnant, I was in Ecuador. I felt that for the safety of my child, and to save up money before the birth, that it was in my best interests to return to Canada. It was at this time that we applied for the first visitor's visa for Lalo. We had hoped that it would be approved in order that he could join me in Canada to be support through my pregnancy. Sadly it was denied. We were not given a reason other than that we did not submit sufficient documentation, so we decided to try again. The second time we applied for a visa, we sent everything we could think of including extras such as my income statements, bank documents, notarized letters and ultrasound photos. We were keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that we would find out in time for Lalo to join me in Canada for the birth of Lil'L. Again we were denied. I was devastated. It was bad enough that I had to go through my pregnancy alone, but the thought of my baby's father having to miss his birth because of political bs made me really really angry. Again, we were not give a reason as to why the visa was denied.
Once Lil'L was born, I applied immediately for his birth certificate. It takes approximately 3 weeks to arrive. This was the key document, it is the one thing that I needed to apply for Lil'L's passport. Note: Having passport photos taken of a 3 week old baby is a tricky challenge. The passport application was sent off, and a few weeks later we had all the documents needed for our first trip to Ecuador to visit Daddy.