April Fools?

Well, D-Day hath passed, but then again it probably has just been delayed. We were told that April 1st may mark the day where it "all falls apart." At this point, I cannot even imagine losing what we say is our "son" - carefully, but we are using the term now. I spoke with the agency who could only tell me that due to the holiday, not much is going on there. Wait, just wait... that is what we keep being told... that is what we will have to do for more than 8 months. It is very difficult for someone like me... our agency politely calls me "paper proficient" which really means anal retentive, right? I had control over the paperwork, now the control is with the government. They could still pull the rug out, a possibility that will be there the entire way through. It is something to get used to. I guess when carrying a child, you never truly KNOW the outcome, but at least you have some control over things.

This weekend was interesting. It was the first time Jeff and I had really been around the community since Mario's photos were posted. I had spoken with friends, but now was the time for everyone in the area to weigh in. We live in a small town where most people know one another, and everyone knows everyone else's business - we love it! It is not a good place for a private person to live! Thank goodness we are open! The first person to come up to us (at a "park clean up" for softball/baseball) completely startled us. They said, "Congratulations!" Jeff and I were unsure why they were congratulating us... it took a few seconds to realize that they were taking about Mario! It is hard for us at this point to show the same excitement that they have. I am not sure if that is "normal"... well, we are not sure what the "normal" reaction is to anything at this point! We are not allowing ourselves to get overly excited. We are certainly not buying anything, readying the nursery or thinking of things in final terms.

I have to say, it is the weirdest thing, adoption. People ask so many strange things that you would never ask a pregnant woman. I have been asked more times than I can count, "Why did you not adopt from the US? There are so many kids who need a good home here?" My thought is, "Why did YOU have 3 kids and not just adopt from the US? There are so many kids here who need good homes!" But, I hold my tongue and try to pray for their ignorance. Most comments are good, so I focus on that.

We will know a bit more after the Easter break. We keep praying that we are "in the clear" with our power of attorney already registered. We lack I600A status (for immigration). We have not received that back, and we do not expect it for several weeks. Some say that "in process" people will not be effected if things change. No one know if "in process" means those with POA or those with the I600A filed and back with their fingerprints done. Who knows? I sure wish I did.

For those who are curious, here is a link to a flow chart straight from the US Government itemizing the multiple steps that must occur before our adoption in Guatemala is finalized. http://www.jcics.org/CIS%20Guat_Adop_Chart.pdf

It is a bit confusing, but may help you to understand where we are!

One more day closer to Mario Patrick Lesko!

Oh, and look over to the RIGHT side! I added music! Click on each song to hear them! :-)