Heard from our Lawyer today!

Hi all,
Margaret received an email from our lawyer today, and he told us that our folder was resubmitted to PGN today (the other day Margaret posted that we were resubmitted on Friday, but our lawyer informed us today, that he made the correction on Friday and today was the earliest he can get us back into PGN). As for the error, one of the papers said 2006, where it should have said 2007 - but our lawyer fixed it on Friday. Its no biggie, we are already back in PGN. Yesterday PGN was closed for a holiday, so today was the soonest our lawyer can get it back into PGN. Lets just hope and pray the next time it is Out of PGN for good.

Something to keep in mind, Anna is only 3 months old and she is already in PGN, that is FANTASTIC! Our lawyer is going a wonderful job. With Peter's adoption he didn't enter PGN until he was 5 months old. We are hopeful that Anna will be home for the Holidays!

Margaret has been trying to get in touch (via phone) with our lawyer and our foster mother, but she has had no luck. The cell phone service is Guatemala is really bad, you think here in New York is bad.....trust me, its worse in Guatemala. So our lawyer suggest to try again at an earlier time, hopefully this will work. So tomorrow afternoon we will be talking to our lawyer and our foster mom to see how Anna's doing. Hopefully updated pics and measurements will be sent soon. Just some more positive thinking! :)

thanks for all of your support, it is greatly appreciated during this time of wait!

Wasn't the news we were expecting!

Hi All,
Well, Margaret was expecting updated pictures of Anna with her updated measurements, but instead we got an email from our lawyer. It appears that we got a "Previo" (kick out) from PGN. Our lawyer said it was minor ( a date) that he corrected already, and that he was going to resubmit us on Friday (10/19). Margaret emailed our lawyer back for more details, in regards when we actually got kicked out and what date needed to be corrected. Anyhow, we are back in PGN today. I also checked with the lawyer to see if we have to start from the beginning or do we start from where we left off? Allegedly on the yahoo groups, they are saying once you get kicked out you start all over.

Hopefully PGN will be kinder to us this time around and approve us quickly.

Please continue to pray, wish, fingers crossed - once again whatever works for you, that our Anna comes home real soon.

thanks for you continued support.

Update on the Responses to the letters sent out

hey,
Just wanted to keep everyone up to date. Last week, Margaret sent out about two dozen+ emails and about 80+ faxes to everyone in Congress. Okay, maybe not everyone, but all the congressman/woman and Senators in the New York State, along with the Department of State and UNICEF in NYC. Even though we were not in the "District" or a "constituent" to most of the congress people - Margaret still faxed/emailed them and told them right from the beginning - "Before you toss this letter aside, because we are "non-constituents and our address indicates we do not live in your Districts". We are writing because this is not a "District Issue", this is a Unites States of America issue. Please take a moment to read why"...............

Well, over the weekend we got a letter in the mail (with a real signature) from a congressman from the Bronx. His letter was very nice and he said that "he stood with us on this issue and that he will strongly consider our opinion". I can bet you, he probably has to check into it, because he probably has no idea what is going on with Guatemala Adoptions. But that is okay, now he does.

We also got an email back from The State Department of Children, and they wrote;

Thank you for your inquiry concerning Adoptions in Guatemala. I apologize for responding to you with standard language, rather than writing individually, but I am currently receiving a so many e-mails about Guatemala that if I were to answer individually each person, you might not receive your response for a week or more. I hope that a prompt response is more useful than a personal one. I trust it will respond to most of your questions.

First, the Guatemalan legislation on adoptions (commonly referred as “the Ortega law”) has received a third reading, but is not yet the law of the land. (People who say that the law has “passed” do not realize the language is still subject to amendment.) At this point, I do not yet have a copy of the actual law, so I do not know exactly what it says or what it will mean.

Second, there are many rumors/news reports about what is going to happen and what this law will mean for the children and adoptions. The fact is, no one knows for sure because, just as in the U.S. Congress, “it is not over until it's over." We do understand the concerns of prospective adoptive parents caught in this transition.

Third, I want you to know that we continue to advocate strenuously and at every opportunity for sound, transparent legislation that does two things. It should protect the interests of everyone, but most especially the children themselves. Also the legislation, or its implementing regulations, should include transition provisions that will allow cases already in process, to be completed under the rules in force when a adoption process officially began.

Finally, many prospective adoptive parents who have already begun their cases have expressed specific concerns about how their cases might be affected by the Government of Guatemala's announcement that they would no longer process adoptions to non-Hague countries after December 31, 2007. Unfortunately, most of their questions cannot be addressed until the legal situation in Guatemala clarifies. The Department of State issued a warning about adoptions in Guatemala so that people who may be thinking about initiating an adoption will be aware of the risks involved during this time of transition. At the same time, the Department of State continues to work hard to protect the interests of American citizens already pursuing an adoption in Guatemala. We are urging the Government of Guatemala to allow adoption cases already in progress to proceed to conclusion without additional requirements, under the laws and regulations in effect when children were matched with a prospective adoptive parent(s)

The State Department’s Office of Children’s Issues is deeply committed to working with all concerned parties to ensure that inter country adoptions occur under transparent conditions and with appropriate safeguards to protect the interests of birth parents, adoptive parents and, most importantly, the children themselves.

Sincerely,
Gerry Fuller

This letter also was a very good letter to read.

Things with Guatemala Adoptions are looking better, now we just need to get it all in writing, that they will allow the Grandfather clause and all cases will be completed with the laws it started with.

Please continue to pray, wish, fingers crossed - whatever works for you - that our Anna comes home real soon, and all the other families who are adopting get their child home also.

Thanks for all of your support.

GREAT NEWS! For all families who are adopting in Guatemala.

We just found out that President Berger (Guatemala's President) is now backing the amendment stating in process cases are allowed to finish under current law! That is such Great news for all the families that are in "process". We want to Thank everyone who have prayed, e-mailed, faxed and made phone calls to keep Guatemala Adoptions open. We are so grateful to be surrounded by such loving and supportive family and friends.

Now, lets just get Anna home, come on PGN - reviewer #2 - approve us and move our folder over to Barrios for the final sign off. "Positively Thinking of Course" :)

Update on our Adoption

Hi All,

Margaret spoke with our lawyer today and was told that our folder went to the 2nd Reviewer in PGN, this is great news!!! We are moving right along. Muchas Gracias to our lawyer and his staff for doing such a wonderful job! :)

Today Margaret and Peter was doing the "Joint Council Action Plan" and was faxing and emailing a lot of letters to our congressmen/women and senators and even Mr. President himself. Oh ya, and lets not forget UNICEF in New York. Peter was enjoying playing with the printer while mommy was printing the letters, and then he enjoyed hitting the fax button after mommy dialed the number - some people got two faxes of the same thing - oops! Today we faxed out about 40 letters with a few emails, and tomorrow we will be faxing out more letters (about 50 letters). And hopefully next week the Joint Council will have some great news for Guatemala Adoptions. Did you know on the Congress.org website, they also give you the Top Rank in Each State? Well, lets just say the top 50 reps will be getting a letter from us, regardless if we are "in their District" or not - because Gautemala Adoptions is a United States of America concern, not just our District.

This evening Margaret called the foster mother with the help of Soni who translated (thanks Soni). Anna is doing very good. Anna has a good appetite and is very alert and playful. Anna is be well taken care of by the foster mother and her children. We will be calling the foster mother again on the 20th of October to see how Anna's check up appointment went.

Keep your fingers crossed and say a few prayers, if things keep on going the way they are going, Anna will be home very soon. :)

Thanks again for all your support and for taking the time to sign the petition and writing letters, it means a lot to us!

Drum Roll Please..............

Here are pictures of our Anna.

She is almost 3 months old in the pics. She'll be 3 months on the 18th.

These are the outfits that her big brother picked out and we sent to Guatemala with Laurie and her Husband who went to visit this past weekend. Thanks so much Laurie for taking the pkg.

Anna is soo cute - it was very nice get these pics. Thanks Edwin and Jacqueline! :) She is missed so much.

Please sign the Petitions, to help keep Guatemala Adoptions Open.

Hi, Just a reminder to please Sign the Petitions to Help Keep Guatemala Adoptions Open. You can go to 5000 Orphans (see right margin for link) in the middle column on the top, they have the links: to sign the petitions. Right now there are two petitions that need to be signed.

Once again, thanks for all your support.