Losing Patience!

Losing patience! I guess we all are. I have received so many phone calls, emails and inquiries about what is happening with Devi. We appreciate all of your support so much and I wish I had more details. (If you just can't wait...you might want to scroll to the bottom first!)

I do have one morsel of information to share. On July 3rd we received email from Dillon that the "scrutinization" of our documents was complete. Scrutinization is the first part of the Kolkata court process. Basically, all of our information has been "scrutinized" by an attorney of the court and a report has been written that "recommends" that the judge "approve" our guardianship. That all sounds positive to me, so woo-hoo and high-fives to that!

The next step is having a court date set for our guardianship hearing. This usually takes 3-4 weeks. This is the scary part because sometimes cases have to go through several hearing dates before the case is done. The agency will let us know when the case is approved or if the judge asks for additional paperwork. In addition to the possibility of multiple hearing dates, we also have a judge whose term ends in August. He may or may not decide to continue on for another term. Although he has been difficult at times, I hope he chooses to stay on because if a new judge takes his place, they tend to take a month or more to learn their new positions...a time when NO cases will be heard. Of course the timing falls right at a crucial time for us. I explained all this to my sister-in-law, Lisa, recently and to quote her..."Now I know what I am praying and crossing all my body parts for!" We are gladly accepting prayers for a smooth and speedy court process and if you feel like crossing body parts too...by all means, do! :)

There are a lot of outside sources that sustain us through this time. Family and friends for sure, but I have to give kudos to the Dillon forum (a group of Indian adoptive families) who share thoughts and their own experiences with adoption. They are the "go-to" group...a wealth of information and just plain support. They remind us of what we are trying to accomplish and that the outcome far surpasses the journey to get there.

We just try to stay busy, although Patrick tells me every morning he can't wait to hold her! Currently, we are fast and furiously working on Devi's room which we hope to share photos of soon. We view the video of her often and are starting on her Lifebook which will tell the story of how we found each other. And for those of you who are still starved for information, after all that, we hear rumors of updated pictures coming soon! I hope, I hope!

SIDE NOTE!! No sooner had I posted this latest message when what should arrive? A message from Dillon and our Bengali girl graces my computer with her presence! I LOVE FRIDAY THE 13THS! This photo was taken July 6, 2007 by a traveling family. We are so thankful for their efforts.