~At Home With Olivia~: An Angry Volcano + a Tropical Storm + a Surreal Sinkhole = ... a Date with the Judge!

Adoption Timeline

2/26/07 - Sent application to agency
2/28/07 - Started home study update
3/19/07 - FBI prints taken
3/29/07 - USCIS prints taken
4/10/07 - FBI print clearance
4/26/07 - Received referral photos of Olivia via e-mail (DOB 11/15/05) - accepted referral on the spot!
5/7/07 - Formally accepted referral
5/9/07 - Home study completed
5/31/07 - I-171H approval. Officially "paper ready"!
6/25/07 - New attorney means 2nd POA
7/19/07 - 2nd POA gets to Guatemala
8/??/07 - DNA supposed to take place...birthmother doesn't show
8/27/07 - 2nd attempt at DNA...birthmom doesn't show again!
9/20/07 - 3rd attempt at DNA...same story, birthmom doesn't show
~BIRTH MOTHER HAS DISAPPEARED~
11/15/07 - Little Olivia's 2nd birthday
12/9/07 - We inform agency that we'd like to pursue an Abandonment Decree
12/15/07 - Agency agrees, needs to confer with Guat. attorneys
12/17/07 - After conferring, we are advised not to pursue AD, due to process changeover
1/1/08 - All new Guatemalan adoptions cease - grandfathered cases (like ours) can continue
2/8/08 - Agency has hired a private investigator to search for birthmom...............................
3/3/08 - Received confirmation of CNA registration
4/08 - Private investigator comes to a dead end in finding birthmom
5/23/08 - Renewed USCIS fingerprints
6/11/08 - I-171H approval...again.
7/9/08 - Home study agency says we need to update our home study
8/14/08 - Assigned to our 4th attorney who will plead our case for abandonment
8/17/08- New attorney means new POA
10/24/08 - Homestudy update complete
10/27/08 - Request USCIS for I-600A extension
11/9/08 - Completed the 10 hour course of newly required Adoption Training Education
11/15/08 - Olivia's 3rd birthday
1/13/09 - Attorney meets with CNA for approval to present to Court
2/4/09 - Former atty. receives summons from CNA that he has to present Olivia in front of a judge within 48 hours! (We also find out she has the chicken pox!)
2/6/09 - Olivia is taken to Court, chicken pox and all! Judge allows her to remain with her FF, but calls for one more search for Bmom. Next Court date in June to determine Olivia's adoptability. We're given the go-ahead to finally be able to go to Guatemala and meet our little girl!
4/6-9/09 - Our first trip to Guatemala...we meet Olivia!!!
4/7/09 - Meet with Jaime Tecu @ CNA to discuss our case
4/21/09 - OLIVIA'S BIRTH MOTHER IS FOUND!!!
4/22/09 - Birth mother does not show up for meeting with attorney, Beyla. Won't answer phone.
6/10/09 - 2nd Court hearing. Beyla was made our Mandatory attorney, we were accepted as part of the process. Adjourned until Nov. 17th. We're told we need to redo our dossier. Judge issues an order for the police in birth mother's town to find her and bring her in for DNA test.
8/31/09 - "Brand new" dossier complete. Will take to Guatemala and hand deliver to Beyla.
9/5-9/09 - 2nd visit trip to see Olivia!
9/8/09 - Met with Beyla for 2 hours, gave her our dossier and got up to speed on what's happening in our case and what we can expect at the hearing in November. As we suspected, Olivia's bmom is again on the run. Praying that she'll be found again before the hearing.
11/14-18/09 - 3rd visit trip
11/15/09 - Olivia's 4th birthday! We're celebrating WITH her!
11/16/09 - 3rd Court hearing. A surprise "grandmother" has told PGN she wants custody of Olivia. So the judge sets the next and FINAL hearing for June 9, 2010, to allow enough time to investigate this person and hopefully find her unworthy.
1/15/10 - Olivia starts pre-school!
3/17-22/10 - 4th Visit trip
6/5-10/10 - 5th Visit Trip
6/9/10 - FINAL (not) Court Hearing ~ DNA test taken between Olivia and potential grandmother. Olivia ordered to go to an orphanage. Definitive "FINAL" hearing in 3 months, on Sept.9th.
9/9/10 - F~I~N~A~L Court hearing ~~ NOPE, POSTPONED due to lab mistake on DNA test. Judge calls for new test, new final hearing.
11/15/10 - Olivia's 5th birthday.
12/13/10 - We were told that 2nd DNA test run in Sept. on "grandmother" is in sufficient and judge orders new samples and test run with the inclusion of an alleged "uncle" in January.
5/3/11 - It's now May. We are still waiting for DNA samples to be taken. The "grandmother" apparently stopped cooperating back in October. We've asked all the people we can think of to help with this situation. To date.....nothing.
6/21/11 - Court hearing with new judge. ~ Update, "Grandma" did not show, hearing POSTPONED until August 8th.
8/8/11 - Court hearing...POSTPONED AGAIN! "Grandma" was a no-show. Not sure what the judge will do now...
8/19/11 - CNA decrees to resolve remaining adoption cases.
10/7/11 - Judge @ 3rd Court turns our case over to judge in Escuintla Court
11/15/11 - Olivia's 6th Birthday
2/14/12 - Court hearing ~ POSTPONED!
2/28/12 - Rescheduled Court hearing
5/8/12 - Hearing to get DNA results and judge's decision ~ POSTPONED. No DNA results yet...
8/17/12 - Court hearing. We've heard DNA results came back inconclusive. Judge to make decision on where to go from here. ~POSTPONED~
9/3/12 - Court hearing ~ CANCELED ~
11/15/12 - Olivia's 7th birthday
1/11/13 - Court hearing with new judge ~POSTPONED~
3/1/13 - Rescheduled Court hearing ~ Judge calls for 3rd and final DNA to be taken on March 21st. Will get results sometime this summer
3/21/13 - DNA samples taken. Alleged birth mother is found and gives her sample!
6/2013 - Case sent to Appeals Court
5/14/13 - We're told that our case has been moved back to Guatemala City Court
8/19/13 - Official word that after 3 years, 2 months & 10 days the DNA results for the Guatemalan family in question, are NEGATIVE! They are NOT related!
8/2013 - Appeals Court sends case back to Escuintla Court
9/4/13 - Hearing for adoptability ~ NO ruling
9/18/13 - FINAL hearing. ADOPTABILITY!
11/15/13 - Olivia's 8th Birthday
1/30/14 - CNA Referral!!!!!!!
3/5/14 - Empathy Visit Invitation
3/16-31/14 - Empathy Study
4/15/14 - CNA Approval!
4/29/14 - File submitted to Family Court!
5/19/14 - Adoption Day! Family Court approval! Olivia is officially our daughter!
5/30/14 - Birth certificate!
6/2/14 - Fly to Guatemala to get Olivia!
6/3/14 - GOTCHA DAY! Officially receive custody of her! TB test.
6/4/14 - Olivia gets her Guatemalan passport.
6/5/14 - Olivia's medical exam. I-600 and visa interviews.
6/6/14 - Visa pick-up, CNA restitution meeting. WE ARE DONE!!!
6/8/14 - Fly home! Olivia becomes a U.S. citizen. We are at home with Olivia.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

An Angry Volcano + a Tropical Storm + a Surreal Sinkhole = ... a Date with the Judge!

This past week has been a stressful one to say the least.

As time has been growing closer to June 9th, our Court date, the realities of what may or may not be decided by the judge that day have been weighing on my mind. Couple that with the last minute projects I've created for myself that must be done before we leave. (I've always worked best under a modest amount of pressure........)

Last Wednesday, 10 days before our departure, I find out that my dear brother is in the hospital ICU in very serious condition. Now all my focus is on him and praying for his recovery.

Two days later on Friday, I'm watching the morning news and see that our "favorite" Guatemalan volcano, Pacaya, the one that we see from our hotel, has erupted. What?!! People have been evacuated, the airport is shut down and there's 2 inches of ash everywhere. Knowing that Olivia lives relatively close to Pacaya, I immediately emailed her foster family to make sure they were all safe.

Then Saturday the first tropical storm of the season pounds Guatemala with as much rain in several hours as they would normally get in a year. Oh my word!

How is my child?!
Where is my child?!
What's going on???!

After spending the weekend visiting my brother and seeing that he is much better and on the mend, we return home Sunday night to find an email from Olivia's foster family, saying that they are all okay and safe. Praise the Lord on both counts!

Monday, we see pictures of the sinkhole in Guatemala City. Have you seen the sinkhole? Absolutely surreal.

LOOK!!!

Now we're thinking...... with all this turmoil all at once in this small Central American country, are we still going to be able to go as scheduled? Should we go? Will our hearing be postponed? If so, for how long this time? Will this set our case back even more?

We've been trying to get answers to all these questions for days now and thanks to our wonderful friend and translator, Mirna, we now know that our hearing is indeed still on for Wednesday! With 2 1/2 days to spare before we leave!

We'll be off bright and early Saturday morning and will send updates as often as we can. Please pray for safe travels, safety while we're there, that the judge allows us to finally go ahead with Olivia's adoption and for all the people of Guatemala who are struggling right now. Thanks!

4 comments:

Traci Michele said...: So glad your brother is doing better! You and I are a lot alike... thriving and stressing under "modest" amounts of pressure.

THAT SINKHOLE IS C-A-RAZY!!!!

It must be even crazier for you since you've been there!

Praying praying praying! The Lord knows... but I will pray that it will be soon! You've waited LONG enough :-)

Love,
Traci; June 2, 2010 at 1:13 PM
Christy B said...: Oh my word! I cannot believe all that activity all at once. God is so good and I praise Him for protecting your little angel. We will be praying for safe travels and a merciful judge. Love and prayers,
Christy and fam; June 2, 2010 at 2:22 PM
Laina said...: I did see that picture of the sinkhole on yahoo news the other day. Scary looking! I didn't know that was so close to where your little girl lives! I'm glad your brother is okay. I am on pins and needles about your upcoming court date. I hope it brings some good news for you! Let me know how it all works out! :); June 3, 2010 at 4:14 AM
The Heinrichs said...: Praying for you all in so many ways!!! Keep us posted!!!; June 3, 2010 at 8:35 PM