I've been tagged

Jobs I have had: past tense
1) McDonalds
2) Medical Records Clerk
3) Laboratory Technician
4) Stay at home mom, freelance photographer

Places I have lived:
1) Dundee, Scotland, the first six weeks of my life :)
2) Epping, NH
3) Aurora, NY, my college years!
4) Raymond, NH
5) Fremont, NH

Food I love: I second all of Debbie's answers!
1) Mexican
2) Thai
3) Indian
4) Italian

Places I would rather be:
1) Guatemala with my girl!
2) Scotland visiting family!
3) Australia, I've always wanted to see it, plus my wonderful uncle Sandy lives there!
4) Hawaii, another dream destination

Movies I love:
1) the Harry Potter movies
2) Fried Green Tomatoes
3) Pay it Forward
4) the Green Mile

TV Shows I Watch:
1) It's so sad but almost any reality show you can count on me being hooked on, I'm ashamed to say we even followed "Pirate Master" for a few weeks, how sad is that?!
2) I also love the discovery channel; Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters, Ghost Hunters, wait maybe that one's Sci Fi.
3) Prison Break, love that show!
4) Law & Order SVU

Books I Love:
1) The last pleasure book I read was before Ian was born (yeah I know, pitiful) and it was so good, "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb
2) I also loved Memoirs of a Geisha
3) My current interest is books on adoption, surprise surprise :)

I'm tagging beanhead over at lifegonewild! You're it!

Not in PGN yet...

Greg wrote an e-mail to our agency contact last night as when we were in Guatemala our attorney said she expected us to enter PGN this past Monday or Tuesday. We received an e-mail back stating that we were not yet in, so that was disappointing. But she attached a picture of Ana that was taken on October 9th. It just so happens that was the day we left so it was a little difficult to think about. None the less, it was nice to see that she was back safe and sound at the hogar. She also happens to be wearing an outfit we had sent her in her care package back at the end of September. Nice to see those packages do indeed get there, and get used!

Some good news, I think!

Just in from www.guatadopt.com:

Grandfathering in cases....the intent is "official"

President Berger publicly confirmed the intent to grandfather current cases (I assume this means the 3700 cases that are REGISTERED). The Guatemalan press reported this with a statement by Berger:

"I have never said that I want to stop adoptions. What my government wants is full respect for the legislation that is about to be approved and full compliance with the Hague (Convention)" . The Guatemalan Press also reported the following:

Congressman Rolando Morales, one of the proponents of the new legislation, said that the intention with the pending adoptions is a full review to verify the identity of the woman that is relinquishing the rights on the child, that she is the natural mother, and that the child is given for adoption without coercion, and verify that the child was not abducted (stolen babies). Morales also mentioned that the final version of the new Adoption Law which will be published in the following weeks will not affect the almost 3,700 processes in the pipeline.

These changes (even if they delay the process a few days) are in the best interest of everyone in the process, specifically our main concern, the children.

Looks like good news, for now! I do still fear that the intended review of in process cases will result in cases being held up indefinitely. Hopefully the DNA testing and birthmother interviews required by the United States that have already been done will be enough for the Guatemalan officials to verify a clean case and approve of our process. Like I've said before though, anything that needs to be done to ensure children are coming to the adoption process by their birth parent's own wishes is okay with us. When we started this journey, our social worker told us to hold on for a bumpy ride. I just thought he meant a long drawn out process. I never expected it to be this minute you'll be able to bring your child home, but an hour later, hold up maybe not!! It has indeed been a roller coaster, and I'm ready to get off now thankyouverymuch.

Thank You

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all the support and well wishes we have received over the past few weeks. It is overwhelming the amount of people who have made calls in support of Guatemalan adoptions, and have passed on the information to their families and friends. I have heard from people I haven't been in touch with in ages, and have heard through others how people we have never even met before are helping as well. It is so touching, and I don't think I could ever express how much it has meant to Greg and I to have the support of so many. We feel so blessed. There was just a new announcement made on the JCICS website, a sort of summary of what came of last weeks Guatemala 5000 Initiative. There is still more work to be done, but I believe the amount of attention that has been brought to this issue can only help the cause. We still await a definitive statement from UNICEF (their current statement is very weak), and from President Berger's administration (apparently we should hear something on Friday, no one knows what to expect). I wanted to share with you what our voices have accomplished. This is taken from the JCICS website:

GUATEMALA 5000 SUMMARY UPDATE

Your Voice Counts
The call-in, fax and email campaign generated thousands of inquiries
into the offices of the United States Congress, UNICEF and the
Guatemalan government. Initially designed for only three days, the
campaign began late last week and continued through this past
Friday. Your calls, emails and faxes resulted in Joint Council being
contacted by all involved including Congressional offices, UNICEF
Headquarters in New York, UNICEF Guatemala and the administration of
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. As a result, Joint Council
directly advocated with all parties and found virtually all to be
very responsive to your calls, emails and faxes. Your voice most
definitely counts!

Support Grows
The Guatemalan children served through Joint Council's Guatemala 5000
initiative continue to gain widespread public attention and the
support of key stakeholders including;

United States Congressional Coalition on Adoption,
United States Department of State
The Hague Permanent Bureau,
UNICEF Guatemala.

Visibility Increases
Through the efforts of Joint Council Member Organizations and
thousands of adoptive families, the initiative has been publicized
extensively in:

24 blogs including the widely read Huffington Post,
682 web pages including the civil action site Congress.org,
21 media outlets including ABC, NBC and CBS affiliates.


The Office of President Berger
During the past seven days, Joint Council has been in frequent and
direct communication with the Office of President Oscar Berger
regarding his administration's position on the adoption cases
currently in-process. Despite the ongoing dialogue between Joint
Council and the Berger administration, we are unable to report that
President Berger supports the unencumbered completion of the
adoptions in-process. Similarly, we cannot confirm the President's
support for the amendment to Article 52 of bill #3217, which would
allow for the completion of in-process cases under current law. It
is our understanding that the administration will publish an
announcement on the transition cases on or around October 19th.

The administration has provided Joint Council with a statement and
asked that we communicate the content to the larger community. (read
the text of the statement) Unfortunately, the statement falls short
of supporting the best interest of the children whose adoptions are
currently in-process. Joint Council will continue to advocate with
the administration to ensure that all in-process adoptions are
completed and the best interest of each child is truly served.


The following reflects the actions of each organization noted above.

Congressional Coalition on Adoption
The four Co-Chairs of the Congressional Coalition strongly support
the completion of all adoptions in-process. Letters from members of
the United States Congress will be delivered to Guatemalan President
Oscar Berger and UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman on October 26,
2007. Please be sure that your congressional representatives (House
and Senate) have signed on to these two very important letters.

Unites States Department of State
On Friday September 28th, the U.S. Department of State revised its
Warning on Guatemala to include support for the transition cases.

The Hague Permanent Bureau
It is Joint Council's understanding that the Hague Permanent Bureau
supports the transition cases and has suggested specific language as
an amendment to Article 52 of the `adoption law', bill #3217.

UNICEF Guatemala
It is Joint Council's understanding that UNICEF Guatemala supports
the amendment to Article 52.

Dr. Manuel Manrique, Director of UNICEF Guatemala has notified Joint
Council that due to the large volume of calls, faxes and emails, his
office is unable to respond directly to all inquiries, especially
those who faxed their letters of concern. Dr. Manrique extends his
apologies to anyone who has not received a direct response from his
office and wants all to know of his ongoing concern for the children
of Guatemala.

UNICEF Headquarters
On Friday October 5th, UNICEF updated its stated position on
intercountry adoption to reference the best interest of the child
during a country's transition to full implementation of the Hague
Convention. In Joint Council's assessment, the statement is vague
and open to interpretation by those supporting transition cases and
those in opposition. Joint Council continues to call on the UNICEF
Executive Director Ann Veneman to directly and unequivocally support
the completion of all adoptions in-process.

Candles for Ana

There is a site where you can light candles for people and Ian and Ana's Mimi set up a group for Ana. If you would like to light a candle for Ana, click here, then click on any unlit candle. Each candle will burn for 48 hours at a time. Mimi's goal is to keep the candles lit until Ana comes home! Thank you Mimi, such a nice idea!

Emotional Exhaustion

We're back. This week has been the most emotionally exhausting week I think I've ever experienced. The highs were very high and the lows were very low. We were separated from our son to meet our daughter whom we spent 5 amazing days with only then to say goodbye for who knows how long.

A week ago today we left Ian in the care of our friends and family while we traveled to Guatemala to visit our new daughter. He was very upset when we left him and I have to admit I momentarily wanted to postpone the trip so he could come along. It was very difficult to see him so sad, it was the first time we have left him for an extended time, let alone to leave the country! None the less, I think it was for the best. Ian would have undoubtedly been bored most of the time. I admittedly spent a great deal of time just staring in wonder at Ana's sweet little face, trying to soak up as much of her as I could knowing we only had a short time together. I'm pretty sure I was in denial about having to give her back until the very last moment when I handed her back to the director of the hogar. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I know she is well cared for there, but I'm sure she doesn't get the amount of attention and interaction we would be giving her, they just have so many children to care for. I remember one moment during our stay when I was singing to her. She just stared into my eyes and smiled. I think it was then that it hit me, she probably doesn't get that in the hogar. Sure, they feed her, bathe her and diaper her, but all these things I was able to provide for Ian at her age, the cuddling, the singing, the kisses, I can't give her. I had 5 days, 5 glorious days, yet still only 5 days to show her how much she is loved. And though I know at the age of 3 months she will never remember our time together, I am forever grateful for it. I can't wait until the day she is in our arms forever. I have left a piece of my heart in Guatemala, and I won't be complete until she comes home.

A revised plea!

Okay everyone, I just checked out the status of the Guatemala 5000 initiative and they have changed it slightly. The information following is from the JCICS website.

10/8 - Based on events of the past three days, Joint Council has revised its Call to Action and Guatemala 5000 Initiative. While the changes are minor, they are none the less important to the overall goal of ensuring that the Guatemalan children whose adoptions are in process are allowed to be united with their forever family. It is the understanding of Joint Council that the U.S. Department of State, Hague Permanent Bureau and UNICEF-Guatemala now support the amendment to Bill # 3217, which addresses the issue of adoptions in process. As a result, we are recommending that your calls, emails and faxes be targeted to two primary entities; the United States Congress and UNICEF Headquarters in New York.

We greatly appreciate the recent revisions to the UNICEF statement on intercountry adoption. While UNICEF-Guatemala has been removed from our list of recommended calls, we continue to request that the office of Ann Veneman publicly support the completion of Guatemalan adoptions currently in process.

Make six four simple phone calls and one email.

1. Call your U.S. Senator.
· You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov
· Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.
· You can find your representative at www.house.gov
· Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Headquarters
· Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director
· Their number is 212-326-7000
· Their fax number is 212-326-7758

5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala

6. Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org
· Write briefly or at length
· Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption

When should you call?
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th, 11th)
For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to a member of the U.S. Congress?
Speak from your heart and give them the following information:
· Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000.
· Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger
· If they do not have the letters, ask them to contact CCAI at 202-544-8500.
· Ask them to sign the Joint Council sponsored letter to UNICEF
· Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the United States will be suspended on January 1, 2008.
· Inform them that President Berger's initial announcement also indicated that there will be no 'grandfathering' of adoptions already in process.
· Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.
· Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1, 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

What should you say or write to UNICEF Headquarters in New York?
Speak from your heart and give them the following information
· Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000.
· Ask them to support the rights of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.
· Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1, 2008.
· Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process.
· Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.
· Ask them again for their support of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative.

Thanks everyone!