Looks like we'll be on the 11 news again. This time in NH. WMURtv just left and they have a satelite van meeting them partway to Concord so they can edit it on the road and get it on the 11 o'clock news tonight. These news people really leave things for the last minute. They didn't tell us they were coming til after dinner and I hadn't even showered today. And then they were earlier than they expected. Breaking news I guess!
Here's the WMUR Video Story
Also, here's a link to the blog we set up for the news.
And THANK you again for all those sending out the letters that J put together for Hillary & Janet. There were over 2300 hits on the webpage for the letters from Friday til this afternoon! I hope that many letters are winging their way to DC this week.
And we hope to hear that our rebuttal is at the Embassy tomorrow. Then we can climb back onto our pile of pins and needles.
In other news: The Spark and Cupcake both start school tomorrow. The Spark is SO excited since she is finally one of the BIG kids at their Montessori school. The Kindergarten age kids are in "Extended Day" and they get their very special teacher all to themselves in the afternoons + they get to go on field trips. She is most excited about going for walks around town with her class. And about seeing her teachers and her friends. Cupcake says she's excited to. When we ask her she says "YEAH!" That's probably b/c she thinks Momma goes to the toddler room at school too. That's how we practiced a few times this summer. And that's what I'll do for the next coupe weeks. Thank goodness her teacher is wonderful and does not mind if I stay a few more times. Eventually though school will be for The Spark and Cupcake, not for Momma. I'd love to go to the grocery store sometime soon all by myself. I hope to post pics of the girls tomorrow since The Spark chose her outfit very carefully and I had to go raid the attic for hand-me-down shoes from Cousin E. to go with the outfit. There are no photos from the boys' first day of school last week b/c they looked like they were going to the park to play some ball like every other day that isn't winter.
So...if you're in NH and have t.v., watch WMURtv (I have no idea what channel that is since we do not have tv) for the 11 o'clock news tonight. I'll have to watch it online in the morning.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Thank You note to everyone
Thank you all so much for all the letters that have been sent and are being sent to Hillary and Janet! Maybe if they get enough of them, someone important will feel compelled to look into our case. And maybe s/he will put a little pressure on the field officer in Guatemala City to approve our case a.s.a.p.!!! That is what we have to hope for now.
The rebuttal (16 pages of briefing with lots of exhibits mixed in- 4.4 pounds in all) has landed in Guatemala City as of 5-something this morning. It should be in our Guatemalan attorney's hands by tomorrow at the latest. Then off to the Embassy he'll go. Then we wait and hope that all those letters help us to get a favorable adjudication within days or weeks.
Here's another sneek peek at our silly Ali from J's visit in July:
The rebuttal (16 pages of briefing with lots of exhibits mixed in- 4.4 pounds in all) has landed in Guatemala City as of 5-something this morning. It should be in our Guatemalan attorney's hands by tomorrow at the latest. Then off to the Embassy he'll go. Then we wait and hope that all those letters help us to get a favorable adjudication within days or weeks.
Here's another sneek peek at our silly Ali from J's visit in July:
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
One Year Ago
One year ago, we walked into the Civial Affaairs Office in Nanjing and saw at the opposite end of the room, a teeny, tiny little girl standing at one of the low tables. She had her photo book open on the table in front of her. She saw us as we walked toward her, looked at the picture of us in her photo book, and started to SCREAM! She stomped her little foot and screamed bloody murder. And that was before we even tried to touch her or talk to her. What a day that was!
Given how much she despised even the sight of me the entire trip in China, it melts my heart when I think of how far we've come together. She is a Mamma's girl now. She is affectionate and happy with all of us, but I think she wants me most if I do say so myself. I never would have been able to imagine it like this on last August 25th. She is smiley, giggly, goofy, super healthy, and charms everyone wherever she goes. She can swim (!), ride her trike, loves to eat lobster, mussels, salad, all kinds of veggies, and lollipop is one of her clearest words. (She continues to HATE her carseat though.)
Happy one year Forever Family Day, Cupcake!!!
The song is "Gotcha Day" by Ann Pence
Given how much she despised even the sight of me the entire trip in China, it melts my heart when I think of how far we've come together. She is a Mamma's girl now. She is affectionate and happy with all of us, but I think she wants me most if I do say so myself. I never would have been able to imagine it like this on last August 25th. She is smiley, giggly, goofy, super healthy, and charms everyone wherever she goes. She can swim (!), ride her trike, loves to eat lobster, mussels, salad, all kinds of veggies, and lollipop is one of her clearest words. (She continues to HATE her carseat though.)
Happy one year Forever Family Day, Cupcake!!!
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The song is "Gotcha Day" by Ann Pence
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Last week of summer already!?!?
The weather finally got nice which means I have not posted anything in awhile. We are enjoying our last week in Maine since the boys go back to school next week! There's been soccer camp for both boys, Lobster Camp for Zippy, neighbor girls with good beach toys for The Spark, freedom to row-boat around in his new boat for #1, and wind-in-her-hair boat rides that
Cupcake loves. Unfortunately our friends that were supposed to join us for our last hurrah of summer '09 have rerouted due to chicken pox.
Our attorney is working on beefing up our rebuttal for the Embassy. Should be done soon and winging its way down to our Guatemalan attorney who will submit it to the Embassy before September 5th when our 30 days to rebut is up.
Here are some pics from more of our summer...
Zippy at soccer camp:
The Spark at the town pool:
Boating (with Grampy Dude and GrammaRamma):
Cupcake hamming it up with a snack on the beach:
The Spark's favorite way to enjoy a boat ride:
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Another family's woes
Another adoptive family screwed by the U.S. government: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7928-Charlotte-International-Adoption-Examiner~y2009m8d9-CDC-rules-that-Scruggs-family-must-leave-adopted-daughter-in-China
This family just had to leave their adopted daughter in China and return home without her because she tested + for TB and has been receiving treatment for weeks. She is not contagious as children are too young to have had TB long enough to produce the phlegm-y stuff that passes the disease to others. Had they traveled a few weeks ago, before this new law passed on July 1st, they would be celebrating their new daughter's homecoming this weekend instead of contacting news agencies and law makers. They can try again in 2-4 months to bring her home.
The dad mentioned something very interesting to us on their blog. He said that the House of Reps is going to be considering the Foreign Adopted Children Equality (FACE) Act this fall. If it passes through all the red tape that I cannot even begin to imagine, this law would grant U.S. citizenship to all children adopted abroad by U.S. citizens upon finalization of adoption rather than when the airplane they are flying home in with their new parents touches down on U.S. soil. This would mean that Ali would have been a U.S. citizen since December 12, 2008 and seeing as how she has not broken any laws since then, she'd be allowed to go home to her country of citizenship without having to get an "orphan visa." I'm sure the U.S. Embassy would still try to fight it based on the fact that they do not believe the Guatemalans did their jobs correctly in processing this adoption, but luckily for us, they do not have jurisdiction over Guatemalan laws in Guatemala. This would also mean that any of our daughters could become president of the U.S.A. someday, a job that I would not wish on my worst enemy, but still makes it clear that adopted children would be granted the same rights as natural born children. THAT is important to parents of adopted kids. This FACE Act is important. Everyone can contact their congresspeople and push them to get the FACE Act passed. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
The dad caught up in the TB mess pointed out this simple fact on his blog, "Adopted children should not be treated as immigrants or little adults. They are children." And ours are children of U.S. citizens and as such should be considered U.S. citizens with all rights given to them as such. The right to fly home with her parents being a basic one.
This family just had to leave their adopted daughter in China and return home without her because she tested + for TB and has been receiving treatment for weeks. She is not contagious as children are too young to have had TB long enough to produce the phlegm-y stuff that passes the disease to others. Had they traveled a few weeks ago, before this new law passed on July 1st, they would be celebrating their new daughter's homecoming this weekend instead of contacting news agencies and law makers. They can try again in 2-4 months to bring her home.
The dad mentioned something very interesting to us on their blog. He said that the House of Reps is going to be considering the Foreign Adopted Children Equality (FACE) Act this fall. If it passes through all the red tape that I cannot even begin to imagine, this law would grant U.S. citizenship to all children adopted abroad by U.S. citizens upon finalization of adoption rather than when the airplane they are flying home in with their new parents touches down on U.S. soil. This would mean that Ali would have been a U.S. citizen since December 12, 2008 and seeing as how she has not broken any laws since then, she'd be allowed to go home to her country of citizenship without having to get an "orphan visa." I'm sure the U.S. Embassy would still try to fight it based on the fact that they do not believe the Guatemalans did their jobs correctly in processing this adoption, but luckily for us, they do not have jurisdiction over Guatemalan laws in Guatemala. This would also mean that any of our daughters could become president of the U.S.A. someday, a job that I would not wish on my worst enemy, but still makes it clear that adopted children would be granted the same rights as natural born children. THAT is important to parents of adopted kids. This FACE Act is important. Everyone can contact their congresspeople and push them to get the FACE Act passed. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
The dad caught up in the TB mess pointed out this simple fact on his blog, "Adopted children should not be treated as immigrants or little adults. They are children." And ours are children of U.S. citizens and as such should be considered U.S. citizens with all rights given to them as such. The right to fly home with her parents being a basic one.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The NOID
Got the NOID today. It states what the U.S. gov't thinks the Guatemalan gov't *should* have done in this case. The U.S. has no jurisdiction over the Guatemalan government IN GUATEMALA!!!!!! I am so mad, I think there really might be smoke coming out of my ears. This child was so clearly an orphan. If the law keeps her from being legally classified as such, then this law needs to be rewritten. Never have I wanted to be Canadian more than after reading this NOID from our lovely U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I do not know how this will all turn out. At least we only have to wait til she's 16 though to try a different tack to get her into this land of the free. I thought it was 18 until I read the NOID.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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When They Were Babies
