What a week!

This week has certainly been jam packed. Not only did we get the great news about presidential dispense and parquet, we also received news that all adoptive families now have to make a trip to Haiti to appear before the local Justice of the Peace. This has been floating around all summer but I didn't get too worked up because who knows what the requirement would be when our file got to that point.

Well, GLA decided to follow this new requirement this week and our file is now at that point. So... we're going to Haiti Sept. 15 and we'll get to see Peterson & Gaëlle face to face for the first time.

Quite honestly, it's all a bit surreal. I certainly never expected this and it's not really the way I want to meet them. We only will be there for a couple of days. We won't really get the chance to relax and get to know them in such a short time. They won't really know what to make of us either. It's just so unfair all the way around. Not just for us, but for GLA, and the adoption officials working so hard to facilitate our adoption.

Quite a few people have asked what is left in the process. I've copied a list that GLA uses to help us understand.

Pre-IBESR = We are preparing your dossier to go into Haitian Social Services. There are some legal documents that must be made after you accept your proposal and some of them must be legalized at the Ministry of Justice. If we have problems getting a document, this can delay this step.

IBESR = Haitian Social Services

Parquet = Pre-Courts, they interview the birth parents and give permission for the dossier to go through the Haitian court system.

Courts = The dossier is in the Haitian Courts having the actual adoption declared and legalized.

Attest or Attestation= After court papers are finished, the Act of Adoption must be sent to the National Archives and they declare that the signature on the Act of Adoption is legal.

Legal or Legalization = All court papers must be sent to the Ministry of Justice to be legalized. They declare that the signature on all of the paperwork actually is the signature of the Judge who signed it.

MAE = Ministry of Foreign Affairs must legalize the signature of the person in the Ministry of Justice who signed your paperwork in the step above.

MOI = All Adoption passports must go through the Ministry of the Interior for approval before Immigration will print the passport.

Printing= Your dossier is in Immigration waiting for the passport to be printed.

Visa=Your dossier is in your country's Embassy waiting for a visa to be issued!

As you can see, there is quite a bit left!!!! However, even though it all takes time, the only real big step left is MOI. Of course, this is Haiti, and anything could happen and slow things down for us.

What a week!