Living in the Moment
Being present in my daily life is a constant challenge for me. I tend to spend my time fretting about the future or grieving certain events in the past. But right now, I am having one of those beautiful seasons where I am just enjoying my family right where they are, who they are, today. Jafta's adoption is moving forward, and it's less of a concern. His developmental stuff is on-track and there is no more concern over any delays. He is talking up a storm and I love his emerging personality. . . .
A TPR. Finally. Again.
At court this morning the judge terminated the birthparents’ parental rights! This was a huge court decision and one we have been waiting for to confirm that we could adopt Jafta. This names us as prospective adoptive parents officially. We are back where we were in December 2005 . . . only two years later! Hopefully things can move quickly from this point. We have to wait 60 days to find out if an appeal is filed. Believe it or not, yes, this could happen again, but hopefully things were done . . .
India has a Haitian Twin. Introducing . . .
We are officiall matched with the little boy we met in Haiti and were so hoping to adopt. His dossier was just submitted with ours. Our paperwork is in Hatian's social service system, and it will probably be next year before we find out if they approve us. Haiti is a volatile place right now, so we are hoping and praying this adoption will move forward despite a corrupt government.Our little boy shares a birthday with our daughter India. They will both turn one next month on October 6th. Here . . .
Stay Away, and Things Happen
Finally! A hearing! Of course, it happened while we were in Seattle. We debated over canceling our trip and then decided that the only way the hearing would actually happen is if we didn’t wake up at the crack of dawn and drive to LA.Anyways, we are so excited to share that things are finally looking good. The judge did the arraignment and disposition on the same day, and set a trial for the TPR (termination of parental rights) on Sep. 24th. She waived the usual 120 day wait. We are again . . .
A Day in the Life at Family Court
Once again, we drove to the courthouse this morning to find out that there was no hearing. Apparently one of the attorneys was out for the day, and our attorney "forgot" to tell us. It's cool. We love taking time and pay off work, hiring sitters, waking at the crack of dawn, and driving the scenic 710 to Los Angeles a couples times a month. They are most likely going to reschedule for August 9th (Mark's birthday), and we have a trip to Seattle planned for that week. So we'll be biting our nails . . .
Jafta’s case is going to trial
We went to court this morning and there was a hearing, finally. His birthmom did not show up (an answered prayer) but she has a very aggressive attorney who contested the hearing. The result was that Jafta's case was set for a trial on July 20th. This will determine whether or not there is reunification. We are still a long ways from an adoption plan and have many hearings to go through before we get there. Frustrating and nervewracking. . . .
The Poop Hits the Fan
I got a call from our attorney this morning. She basically told me that she and the county’s attorney are worried that there is a chance that Jafta could be returned to his birthmom. She wanted to shoot straight with me and wants us to be prepared for this possibility. The next court date is June 26th, and it is likely that the birthmom’s attorney will call for a contested trial which will drag this out for a very long time and could end in reunification.Right after my conversation with her, I . . .
same story, different day
Well.Yet again, the Department of Children and Family Services failed to file the necessary report for today's hearing, so we spent the morningg sitting in a crowded lobby to find out nothing would happen. We've been rescheduled to late June. Birthmom did not come, but this buys her another chance to show up. The judge noted that we were there, and Jafta's attorney said he would file for a new social worker.On the bright side, I got to see a guy in the parking lot get a gun out of his trunk and . . .
Hi from Haiti
Hey friends and family,Mark and I are alive and well in Haiti. I'm on a satellite-and-generator run computer in the missionary's house, safe and secure behind a barb wire gate, an armed guard, and two dogs as big as horses. It's a different world over here.We arrived early this morning, with suitcases packed full of supplies for the orphanage. We spent the day hanging out with the kids. It is an amazing ministry they are doing here. The kids are beautiful and so well cared for. We are struggling . . .
Adoptions plans come to a screeching halt
We are really in need of prayers for Jafta. = As you know, we are in the process of adopting him from the fostercare system and it has been a long, dramatic process so far. A year ago, his birthparent’s rights were terminated because they were deemed unfit due to some serious issues, and they appealed that court decision. It was in the appeal court for the past year and we found out yesterday that they won the appeal on a technicality.In a nutshell, the Dept. of Child & Family Services in LA . . .
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