Happy 3rd Month Nicco!

October 30,2007. Happy Birthday to you my sweet baby! Number 3 already, I cannot believe you are growing up so fast. Tony celebrated again with a special number 3 birthday cake, cream cheese! He can hardly wait until you get here. To celebrate we watched the video of our visit trip for the first time. Tony is still convinced you look just like him! Tony (who had a full head of spiked hair when born) is anxiously waiting for your hair to grow. He swears it is much thicker in the new pictures :) Everyone got a kick out of me almost dropping you nicco (not quite) and your expression of, somebody get me an experienced mommy! I promise to have a good grip on you next visit! DNA results anyday...

What's in a name?

October 28, 2007. No news on Nicco lately, but I have had several people ask about his name. Nicco, pronounced nee-co, which is Italian & Greek, is a variant of Nicholas. It means victory of the people, mythological Nike was Greek goddess of victory and root origin for Nicholas. Anyone who knows Chris or has googled him knows why this is important. We came to Nicco because although I loved the name Nic, I (Kelly)did not like Nicholas. Cristiano pronounced Chris-tay-ah-no, which is Spanish & Italian, means follower of Christ. The definition says people with this name tend to be very inspired,intuitive and creative. Their aim is to improve the world and can be quite altruistic. They strive to see the "big picture" and achieve their dreams. Again, if you know Chris, you understand why this is important. I (Kelly) chose this name because it was a variant of Christopher and both Spanish & Italian. A mix of both of us if you will. It's meaning is also everything I admire in Chris and it just made sense to me.

Monthly dose of Sunshine

October 22, 2007. Well there I was in the middle of pysical therapy and I hear this ding, I have mail. Can you imagine how happy I was to see Nicco's smiling face? I cannot believe how much he has changed in 5 weeks! I can see all those bottles are starting to catch up with him, he likes to eat! It really is funny how you are more in love every time you see them. So here's to my chubby bunny, I cannot wait to hold you!

Not much to Update

October 15, 2007. Not much to update yet. We are waiting for that DNA and to move on to another part of the process. I have come to be very calm now and feel things will fall where they are meant to be. Although I have always believed this, sometimes it is hard to follow. I've stopped following those groups so much and realized I need to have faith in who I hired. I am already so ahead of the game in my experiences with them. I've heard people talk recently about using hotel staff to translate for their Foster Mom. Taking cabs from that airport or shuttles and then the horror stories of no answers from their Representatives on their children. Alot of unprofessional people. I also found myself scared stiff to go to Guatemala after reading some of the stories. I grew up in a suburb outside Detroit. I now live in St. Louis. Guatemala City wasn't much different. A little common sense about things and your fine. Do you see the guns? Yep, only difference as far as I could tell. I'd rather see them. I wonder how many people miss out on their child due to this fear. Anyway, moral of the story for me is to calm down and let it take it's course and keep the drama at bay. I'll add a pic of Nicco just to see his face today :) Goodnight.

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Charge it!!!!!!!

October 11, 2007. I do not think I have ever been happier to look at my credit card statement as I was today! There it was in the middle of all my shopping, a charge to Labcorp for DNA. I am so happy we are moving along. I looked at some options for travel today, I have the unused tickets from our change last visit to use still. I also purchased some vouchers for free nights at the Marriott recently from a charity auction, I love a deal :) I am going to hate to fly that spirit airlines flight going to timbuck too and back. I was so spoiled with Continental and arriving so early in the day. But, I have nothing better to do for a day and I am saving money. More money for baby hats!! I can just see Nic's face again, "isn't that the hat lady again?" Hopefully he is used to them by now. I will anxiously post when I hear DNA has been taken for sure.

DNA

October 10, 2007. We were so happy and surprised to receive our receipt for DNA today! It seems we are finally moving along. Today I have been so excited again because I know I will be able to see Nicco again soon! I couldn't help but get a little nervous today as I thought about Nic's mom seeing him again. I am so worried she will change her mind and I don't even think I could be upset if she did. He is so beautiful, and such a gift. Although we are full of joy, I know her heart is full of grief. We had another sign of "fate" with the DNA, but I will keep this one to myself. Everything happens for a reason, sometimes so hard to remember.

Great News Finally!!!!!!

October 9, 2007. We received great news today that our DNA should be taking place soon. I am back to having faith that we are moving in the system even if it is a slow process. I am hoping again we will still be able to visit with Nicco in December. I cannot wait to see him again and rub his little head! Everybody keep your fingers crossed for DNA next week!!

Same Ol'

October 9, 2007. Nothing new to report I am afraid. I heard from a lot of people today..a lot. Nobody seems to be moving anywhere in this adoption nightmare and depending on who your agency is, they have had no luck getting answers. I spoke with one friend who is a month longer in process than us and received a terrible reply from our agency today. My heart goes out to her as this is an emotional thing for anyone going through this. I hope we are never sent an email like that. It is a shame that everything becomes so politically motivated and not about these children finding a good home. I pray this system will find it's peace and that Nicco will be allowed to come home to us. Today I find myself wondering what he is doing and what he looks like. I know he has probably changed so much. I would give just about anything to hold him for a minute. I hope Maritza has been using those disposable cameras I left her. I can hardly wait to see those pics! I'll update when I hear something...

I'm depressed today..

October 4, 2007. No DNA still and I am losing any hope of seeing our son in December like we originally planned. I do not understand all the politics of things. We have friends 3 weeks behind us in process and they have already been allowed their first overnight visit with their son, they will make there second in December. In hindsight I guess these are all questions I should have asked before starting the process. I assumed policies would be the same across the board. I am trying not to pay any attention to the negative press and everything about the suspension. In honesty I do not think we would have a problem waiting if we thought we could continue a relationship with Nic, but not having the answers to questions and not knowing we are moving along in the system is making things unbearable. I am worried since this new law has passed and unfinished cases would need to start over that we have been set aside to "wait & see". I am sure the thought would be, what's the point in getting DNA and family court if we need to start over. Ugh! I am frustrated. I know Nic is in great care with Maritza and I do not worry about him, but I feel like I am being robbed of his baby moments. Moments I thought I would get to see. Anyway...I had to vent, I don't feel any better though. I miss U Nic.

Current Events, Please lend a Hand.

Dear Friends,
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1 2008. The Joint Council on International Children’s Services strongly opposes such a suspension and asks for your support in their efforts to ensure that all children retain the right to permanency through Intercountry Adoption.
President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Such a suspension would be extremely detrimental to the children referred to adoptive parents. If President Berger’s plan is actually implemented, up to 5,000 will unnecessarily remain in foster care or orphanages indefinitely.
This situation represents a pending crisis for the adoptive families who have lovingly chosen to provide permanency, safety and love to a child in need and most importantly a crisis for 5,000 children of Guatemala.
What can you do? Make six simple phone calls and one email.

1. Call your U.S. Senator.
• You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

2. Call your second U.S. Senator.

3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative.
• You can find your representative at www.house.gov
• Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff

4. Call or fax UNICEF Headquarter
• Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director
• Their number is 212-326-7000
• Their fax number is 212-326-7758

5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala
• Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique
• Their number is 011-502-2327-6373
• Their fax number is 011-502-2327.6366
Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls

6. Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org
• Write briefly or at length
• Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption
When should you call? Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th 11th)
• For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window!

What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information.
• Inform them that you are calling regarding Guatemala 5000

• Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger

• Ask them to sign the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF

• Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008.

• Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process.

• Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care.

• Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.

Sample Statement
Hello,
We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson add their signature to two letters. First, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute sponsored letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. Second, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF.
As you may be aware, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. Your office must get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws.
Sincerely,



Can you explain the problem behind the pending crisis? Here is some additional information…

• Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to effectively stop all adoptions into the United States including those children who have already been referred to adoptive parents

• Over 5,000 children have been referred

• The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights. As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family

• The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children