If I said I had been a bit edgy since Thursday (the day of the big meeting) it would be a huge understatement! I knew it would be several days before we would hear anything but that doesn't make this wait any easier.
Mark and I have decided to head down to Guatemala over the Labor Day week end and sign new POA. Our original lawyer announced he didn't want anything to do with finishing our case and I don't want to deal with his assistant who had taken over our case. He's quite the money hungry mongrel! We're stepping out and doing what we feel is best for our case and best for Nola. Mayra has gotten everything she needs from our original lawyer's office with exception of a copy of the birth mothers POA but I don't think she will have any trouble getting that. The fee the new lawyer will charge is very reasonable and he is someone Mayra has worked with and recommends.
We're praying the results of the meeting will send our case from CNA back to PGN to be completed. If indeed that happens, our quick trip to Guatemala will hopefully speed the POA process along and enable our new lawyer to jump right in and be ready to represent us as soon as things begin to move.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
More Good News On The Horizon!?!?
I heard from my friend Mayra last night. She and I have both been waiting for a response from Sr. Enrique Valesquez at CNA about whether or not our case will be able to continue. Sr Valesquez did tell Mayra that it would not be necessary for me to make another trip to Guatemala right now and that he would respond to an e-mail. Mayra and I both sent him e-mails and are still waiting for a response. But last night Mayra sent me this message:
Hope is alive!!!
I went to CNA yesterday with another family, they told us that right now they are having meetings and there is a huge possibility that PGN will finish all pending adoptions, this is not official, but they hope to have a final decition within a couple of weeks. We will take from there. That is why they are not answering to us, everything is in hold.
Blessings
Blessings
Mayra
Hope is alive!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
It's Official....
.....all of the i's have been dotted and the t's have been crossed. Joshua and Alison are Audree's legal parents! The hearing was August 12th and I don't think there are two happier parents in the world right now. 
The kids had a baby dedication during church and a celebration lunch right after church this past Sunday. It was a perfect day!
I had a hard time trying to decide on a design for the cake but was pleased with what I finally came up with. I had all kinds of trouble trying to get my little bear to stay together. I ended up leaving the back arm and leg (that you can't see) off, and it was fine. I'm not a fondant master................and not sure I want to be.
This week brought another bit of official business to our home. Maria is officially a Kindergartner. Today was day three. Day one, she was up and out of bed and dressed in a surprising amount of time. Day two, she was a little more sluggish. Today, day three, I dressed her while she was sleeping. It was like dressing a big rag doll. Now that's the Maria I know and love. She loves her sleep! Hopefully she will adjust to that early morning rising soon. If not, I may be thinking about devising an automatic child dressing machine. You know, one of those contraptions that a child could be placed in one end and when they come out the other, they are completely dressed, hair and teeth brushed, shoes and back pack on and ready to go out the door. Oohhh, I might have to get working on that. Oh well, one more day and she'll have the week end to sleep in and catch up on her late morning sleep that she loves so much. 
Posing for her first day of school.
The kids had a baby dedication during church and a celebration lunch right after church this past Sunday. It was a perfect day! 
I had a hard time trying to decide on a design for the cake but was pleased with what I finally came up with. I had all kinds of trouble trying to get my little bear to stay together. I ended up leaving the back arm and leg (that you can't see) off, and it was fine. I'm not a fondant master................and not sure I want to be.
This week brought another bit of official business to our home. Maria is officially a Kindergartner. Today was day three. Day one, she was up and out of bed and dressed in a surprising amount of time. Day two, she was a little more sluggish. Today, day three, I dressed her while she was sleeping. It was like dressing a big rag doll. Now that's the Maria I know and love. She loves her sleep! Hopefully she will adjust to that early morning rising soon. If not, I may be thinking about devising an automatic child dressing machine. You know, one of those contraptions that a child could be placed in one end and when they come out the other, they are completely dressed, hair and teeth brushed, shoes and back pack on and ready to go out the door. Oohhh, I might have to get working on that. Oh well, one more day and she'll have the week end to sleep in and catch up on her late morning sleep that she loves so much.
Posing for her first day of school.Tuesday, August 10, 2010
There's a Buzz in the Guatemala Adoption Circles...
....and boy, am I praying the rumors are true!
The Guatemala 900 group posted this information last week and I'm sure everyone involved is on the edges of their seats as we wait to see what happens next. Our problem is, we aren't sure if our case is still considered "grandfathered" since the judge sent Nola's file to CNA. The Childrens Issues department of the DOS seems to think we have lost our "grandfathered" status and would now be processed as a new case. I'm not sure how the last almost three years of our process could be tossed aside and forgotten but our DOS doesn't seem to be putting any effort into figuring that out. The Guatemala 900 folks, on the other hand, are of the opinion, "once a grandfathered case, always a grandfathered case". I like the way they think better. For now, we just wait and see what happens. I would really like to look back through this blog and see how many times I've written that phrase......."we'll just wait and see what happens".
I did get a message from the lawyer at CNA stating it would not be necessary for me to come back down right now and that he would respond to an e-mail message from me. Mayra sent one and I did the same including information on our case and pictures. Mayra also just got the "golden ticket" from our ex-lawyer's office allowing her to retrieve our file and dossier from PGN and take it to CNA as proof of our grandfathered status.
Please continue to join us in praying that all of the children who are stuck in this unfortunate situation are united with their forever families soon!
We also owe a big THANK YOU to the Guatemala 900 organization whose tireless efforts seem to finally be paying off.
OPTIMISTIC NEWS FROM GUATEMALA
Guatemala Minister Counselor Fernando de la Cerda is returning to Washington, DC today after an intense 10 day trip to Guatemala which included 2 meetings with Guatemala President Alvaro Colom. Fernando is reporting significant progress in finding solutions for moving the adoption cases of the Guatemala900 forwards towards resolution. Fernando's efforts in Guatemala also included individual meetings with the PGN, CNA, Court of Appeals, MP, and with his own Department of Foreign Ministry.
On Monday, July 26th, President Colom hosted a meeting with the highest level officials from the PGN, CNA, MP and several high level lawyers. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss adoptions, including the resolution of the grandfathered cases. The same group along with the Deputy Secretary of Interior and high level officials from the SecretarÃa de Bienestar Social (SBS) convened again on Monday, August 2nd and will do so again next Monday, August 9th. Fernando reports that President Colom was sympathetic to the children who are in limbo and spearheaded discussions with the other officials about how cases can start to accelerate towards resolution. Fernando is optimistic that end result should be some significant measurable progress in the coming weeks and months.
Guatemala Minister Counselor Fernando de la Cerda is returning to Washington, DC today after an intense 10 day trip to Guatemala which included 2 meetings with Guatemala President Alvaro Colom. Fernando is reporting significant progress in finding solutions for moving the adoption cases of the Guatemala900 forwards towards resolution. Fernando's efforts in Guatemala also included individual meetings with the PGN, CNA, Court of Appeals, MP, and with his own Department of Foreign Ministry.
On Monday, July 26th, President Colom hosted a meeting with the highest level officials from the PGN, CNA, MP and several high level lawyers. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss adoptions, including the resolution of the grandfathered cases. The same group along with the Deputy Secretary of Interior and high level officials from the SecretarÃa de Bienestar Social (SBS) convened again on Monday, August 2nd and will do so again next Monday, August 9th. Fernando reports that President Colom was sympathetic to the children who are in limbo and spearheaded discussions with the other officials about how cases can start to accelerate towards resolution. Fernando is optimistic that end result should be some significant measurable progress in the coming weeks and months.
The Guatemala 900 group posted this information last week and I'm sure everyone involved is on the edges of their seats as we wait to see what happens next. Our problem is, we aren't sure if our case is still considered "grandfathered" since the judge sent Nola's file to CNA. The Childrens Issues department of the DOS seems to think we have lost our "grandfathered" status and would now be processed as a new case. I'm not sure how the last almost three years of our process could be tossed aside and forgotten but our DOS doesn't seem to be putting any effort into figuring that out. The Guatemala 900 folks, on the other hand, are of the opinion, "once a grandfathered case, always a grandfathered case". I like the way they think better. For now, we just wait and see what happens. I would really like to look back through this blog and see how many times I've written that phrase......."we'll just wait and see what happens".
I did get a message from the lawyer at CNA stating it would not be necessary for me to come back down right now and that he would respond to an e-mail message from me. Mayra sent one and I did the same including information on our case and pictures. Mayra also just got the "golden ticket" from our ex-lawyer's office allowing her to retrieve our file and dossier from PGN and take it to CNA as proof of our grandfathered status.
Please continue to join us in praying that all of the children who are stuck in this unfortunate situation are united with their forever families soon!
We also owe a big THANK YOU to the Guatemala 900 organization whose tireless efforts seem to finally be paying off.
THANK YOU GUAT900!!!
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