Progress and Ethics

Ethics is a serious topic in relation to adoption,
as well it should be.
Changing the structure of a family is not a small thing.
No matter what the cause, the addition or subtraction of any family member is a big deal.

Within the process of adoption,
ethical behavior is also a big deal.
Are fees being paid to "expedite" signatures or processing of paperwork?
Are documents being created to avoid difficult questions or circumstances?
Is information being left out of files to avoid the same?

Throughout our adoption process,
we have found ourselves in the situation where communication and cooperation from our legal team have not always been forthcoming.

Case in point:
Recently, while waiting for passport printing,
we were notified that our son's passport photos had been lost.
Okay. That's unfortunate, but fixable.
We contacted the nuns watching over our boy at the orphanage,
with faith that they would act and get more to our legal team . . . which they did.
Our attorney, after receiving the photos, apparently,
continued to act as though the nuns were holding up the delinquent process,
finally telling us that he received the replacement photos "yesterday,"
when, in fact, Sister had delivered them the week prior.

Where is his ethical behavior?
Blatantly lying, assuming that we did not have the accurate information to know better.
(And believe me when I tell you, that is the tip of the iceberg.)

Anyway . . .
All in all, we have been very blessed to deal with caregivers who have not exploited our son's adoption for their own gain or profit,
have not asked us for crazy "gifts" or monthly support payments,
and have been very generous with their welcoming us to their country and their home when we've traveled.
They have always accepted our gifts humbly and never acted as if they were even expected.

Yesterday, after months and months of asking,
our attorney finally sent us a scan of our adoption decree.
It was comforting to know this document exists, with all names and addresses correct,
and that it is the final "missing piece" of our file needed for visa application once his Haitian passport is complete.

A dear family also traveling this Haitian adoption journey,
received word that their I600 (immigration application) was approved yesterday and they were granted a visa interview for next week.

Hallelujah

Our day is coming, I just know it.

After three years, I know that Dimitry will be home with us soon,
and he will finally know that we really, really do want him and love him.

Someone posted on Facebook that it is cool that God knows the exact date our children will be placed with us . . .
wish He'd share it with me! :)

OMG

Six weeks we've been waiting for Dimmy's passport

6 Weeks

Friday, Mr. Attorney emailed "Urgent" stating the passport was ready to print, BUT
our son's passport photos were no where to be found.

Really??

Well, sure . . . 

Why streamline anything now? 

After this long, what's a few more weeks?

You're killing me, Smalls.

Layering on the Stress

Like many people, I seem to stack my stressors . . .

You know how they say that your should avoid too many major things at once?
(wedding, relocating, buying a home, starting a new job, etc.)
Well, I'm not a good listener, apparently.

While that little ticker up top says it's been 2 years, 7 months, blah, blah, blah
since our referral to adopt Dimitry,
(which is the date we were told "yes," specifically for Dimitry)
the 3rd anniversary of being called to adopt has now passed.

We continue to wait for word on his passport --
hearing other families report that they received their child's passport in the " 7-10 day period" quoted to them --
we just passed the 5 week waiting milestone.
We are so very close to being done with this red tape and actually having our son home,
but just haven't caught a break yet.

So, in the meantime . . .
we've decided to finish our basement (in record time), put our house on the market,
have surgery on my hip (making me non-weight bearing for 4 weeks, then months of PT),
accept a job in Colorado (that I start after the new year),
start shopping for homes online, while planning to relocate after the holidays,
where we will enroll our 3 children in a new school,
all while our puppy (10.5 years old) has recently become disabled,
which is absolutely breaking my heart.

Not a good time to try a new medication for hip pain,
which causes me to have weird dreams all night, that roll on like a movie,
leaving me tired in the morning . . .
and still hurting.
Not a good time for the pharmacy to run out of a regular medication,
leaving me without it for 3 days . . .

And, on top of all that, I'm having deja vu' . . .

Two months before I gave birth to my oldest child,
our first "child," George (a tabby cat),
became inexplicably and seriously ill.
Without any other signs of illness,
he began losing weight rapidly and went into multi-system organ failure.
One day, he seemed fine,
then two weeks later, he died.
The vet could not determine an exact cause of illness -
feline leukemia negative, potentially a form of acquired immunodeficiency?

Then Grant came along,

our sweet, sweet baby boy.

"This operating room is sooooo cold!!"

Before he was six months old,
we relocated,
I began a new job,
Eric transferred to a new school . . .

Yep.
Deja vu'

Harley,
Dimitry,
Pueblo.

bwahahahahahahaha