November Update

Here is our November update from New Life.

Hello Lori,
As usual, here is an update on your kids.
James: weight: 30, weight: 38. 
Jovanika: weight: 33, height: 43. Also a picture of Jovanika on her birthday. They are doing good.

Have a nice day!

They included two pictures.  One is their monthly picture.  The other is Jovanika cutting her birthday cake.  I love that they have a little party for the kids with a birthday each month.

Presidential Dispensation published!!!

There are three requirements that you must meet in order to adopt from Haiti:  1~ Must not have biological children  2-~Must be at least 35 years old  3~ Must be married for 10 years.   If you don't meet these three requirements then the Haitian President must approve our adoption file in order to continue.  Without his signature, then we can't adopt from Haiti...period.  Since we have a bio kid, we had to apply for presidential dispensation. Several months ago, we exited IBESR with Presidential Dispensation!!  However, before we could move forward the Dispensation had to be published in the Haitian Legal Newspaper.  While I was in Haiti this week, I found out it was published on Friday!  

What's next???  Next, we enter 'Parquet'.  Below is a list of steps that occur while in Parquet (taken from All Blessing International Adoption Agency).

Parquet Court
The 'step' we refer to as Parquet court is actually a very complex series of steps and processes involving multiple offices and repeated trips between them.

1. Attorney addresses a Request for Judgment to the Chief Justice of Parquet Court
2. Birth parents are interviewed in Parquet Court
3. Parquet Court signs off on "approval judgement for adoption
4. Facilitator takes approval to DGI for stamp of authorization
5. Back to Parquet for enforcement of the approval judgement
6. Authorization and redaction from the Civil Registrar Officer for legal Adoption Decree
7. Verification in parquet of the adoption documents by the Civil Registrar before signing the adoption decree
8. First Legalization of the Adoption Decree, in Parquet Court
9. Second Legalization of the Adoption Decree, at the Ministry of Justice
10. Third Legalization of the Adoption Decree, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
11. Obtain attestation of Adoption Decree from the National Archives

 At the end of this stage we will have an adoption decree...which means the adoption is legal in Haiti!  The kids will officially be ours and have our last name!!!

That isn't the end, though.  There are still some more steps after this. Pray for rapid movement so we can get these babies HOME!!!