Continued from here.

Bill 3217, also known as the Ortega Law, is the “baby” of UNICEF, the US DOS, The Hague Conference and President Oscar Berger and his wife Wendy. Originally it had a grandfather clause and allowed the notarial process, however last month the Hague Conference’s team of “experts” (and I use that term loosely) introduced many amendments that eliminated the grandfather clause, the notarial process, the relinquishment by the parents, and foster care for children.... more

I did not watch the CNN program on Guatemalan adoptions last night as Ella and I were sound asleep. I could have taped it with my DVR but chose not to because lately I’ve been too emotional about the adoption scene and can’t tolerate my own ranting and raving. However, this morning I’ve already been stopped by two acquaintances questioning the validity of what they saw on CNN.

In my opinion, parents (and prospective) parents of Guatemalan born children need to arm themselves with information and be good ambassadors for Guatemalan adoptions. When... more

After a busy weekend with two delightful out of country visitors who are just like family, the house suddenly feels empty and depressingly quiet.

The thirteen year old engaged Ella in hours of fun that included playing his guitar while she danced along with a maraca in each hand doing her own unique version of the "shimmy." Ella was quite independent as she followed him around, and even let him attend to some of her needs.

His father has been part of our family since he was fourteen years old and we were a young couple of twenty-three with one child. We quickly... more

I am so impressed with the multitude of avenues people are utilizing to spread information about the possible crisis in Guatemalan adoptions. Emails, phone calls, faxes and letters are being sent to the DOS, Presidents (Bush & Berger), senators and congressmen, newspapers, embassies and even to famous personalities like Oprah.

Petitions are going around (sign here), but according to a friend with connections to the government, letters are much more effective; must be something about an old fashioned... more

The latest statement from the Department of State will certainly instill terror into the hearts of many parents in the process of adopting from Guatemala.

To summarize what they are saying:

1. Guatemala will become a Hague Convention country on January 1st 2008 and will no longer process adoptions with non Hague countries. 2. The U.S. will not be Hague compliant so it won’t work with the U.S. 3. When the U.S. becomes Hague compliant, probably in the spring of 2008, they may not allow adoptions from Guatemala until they are certain that they are truly following the rules... more

In 2005 and 2006 the average adoption from Guatemala used to take 4-7 months from the referral to completion; now you are looking at 8-10 months or longer. Add the uncertainty of the future of Guatemalan adoptions and PAPs (prospective adopting parents) of Guatemalan children have a lot to contend with these days.

In the past it was stressful enough worrying if you would get stuck in Family Court or PGN. Now PAPs are worrying if their children will come home at all when changes are implemented in the Guatemalan adoption process.

Rumors about the... more

An anniversary of sorts slipped by unnoticed on September 14th; not the kind that is accompanied by flowers, chocolates and a romantic night out, but nonetheless a very important one for me. It was the sixth month anniversary of my first blog.

Six months ago I took the plunge, and with a lot of encouragement and help from my friend and fellow blogger Sandra posted my first blog. Always a big talker but rarely one to write things down, blogging was a new challenge in my life. It has been extremely rewarding.

But I don’t want this blog to be about me, but rather about you, my readers.... more

This week the agency we used for Ella’s adoption announced that they were no longer accepting applications for Guatemalan adoptions. Not the first agency to make this decision, and most certainly not the last, it is nonetheless depressing.

So much has transpired since we started our adoption in 2005, but I remember well my first telephone conversation with our agency’s Guatemalan program director, and everything he told me about adopting from Guatemala. I also remember feeling completely overwhelmed when I received the dossier instructions, realizing just how much there... more

Parents who have adopted from Guatemala often remain very involved in the welfare of children and families in Guatemala. It is not uncommon for them to go on mission trips or send funds to support a broad spectrum of charities. I’ve even heard of families who are helping their child’s birth family in Guatemala.

Yesterday I received an email from an adoptive mother who we’ll call “A,” who read about a sweet young baby in Guatemala named Jose on one of the web groups she belongs to. He is nine months old and if not adopted soon, he will be... more

Last Friday there was an offshore earthquake on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala with a magnitude of 5.8. This was followed by another one yesterday registered at 6.8 on the Richter magnitude scale. There was some damage to homes on the Pacific Coast, but to date no casualties have been reported. Guatemala has a long history of earthquakes. Back in 1773 the city of La Antigua was almost completely destroyed by a huge earthquake. It was rebuilt and... more