Gabrirella's Massachusetts Readoption

Today concluded the long journey of Gabriella's adoption! Gabriella's Massachusetts readoption was completed this morning! November is National Adoption Month and this was a perfect way to celebrate!

Gabriella's readoption was not required, but legally recommended. The three outcomes that I was most interested in with Gabriella's readoption are 1) we now have an adoption decree issued by a U.S. state court under the U.S. Constitution giving full faith and credit to Gabriella's adoption decree and to all of her rights under the decree, 2) her birth certificate will be "stored" here in the Unites States so that if her Guatemalan birth certificate is ever misplaced it is easy to access a new one, 3) her name is now changed from Astrid Mariela Draper to Gabriella Astrid Draper.

"Readoption" is when a U.S. state court reviews the details of the foreign adoption and issues a new adoption decree, independent from the foreign decree, stating that the child has been adopted in conformity with the adoption law of the state. "Readoption" is not the same as an adoption "finalization." Gabriella's "Finalization" occurred in Guatemala; her final decree was issued on July 3, 2008 and her birth certificate was reissued on July 28, 2008 listing me as her mother and her last name as Draper.

Gabriella walking into the Probate and Family Court in New Bedford, MA for her readoption:
We were scheduled for an 8:30 AM session and we were walking out of the courthouse by 9:00 AM. It was rather quick, but this experience was not entirely "entertaining" for a two year old! Waiting "patiently:"

Prior to the "hearing" I was asked to sign two of the same documents for Gabriella's US birth certificate. We were then called into the judges chambers for a private session with Judge Prudence McGregor. She was the same judge who heard my motion to not have to publish for Gabriella's birth father. She was very pleasant, made us feel very comfortable, and upheld the importance of the event. She started off by dumping a large container of chocolate on her desk, giving Gabriella a large manila envelope, and instructing Gabriella to fill up the envelope with chocolate! This was the highlight of the event for Gabriella!

Gabriella proudly showing off her candy!:

The judge then spoke to us about the significance of the event. The judge viewed this event as an adoption, rather than a readoption, just as she had when I stood before her for the motion to waive the requirement of publishing for Gabriella's birth father. This event was significant, but did not hold the same weight for me as Gabriella's finalization in Guatemala. To me, Gabriella was certainly already my daughter and I did not have to have this event to legally affirm that.

The judge started off by asking me what this adoption meant to me. I had not prepared for questioning, but this was certainly an easy question for me to answer. I stated that it means that Gabriella is an extremely important member of my family. The Judge then shared the "Love Poem" which you can read below. She stated that the poem states that as a parent, Gabriella will look to me for comfort and care, but most importantly that when she looks in my eyes she will know how loved she is. This was very emotional and, of course, brought tears to my eyes. She said that she gives this poem to all adoptees and tells the adoptee and anybody significant in his/her life to sign it and then frame it. She recommended that we wait until Gabriella is a bit older and then to do this with her. The judge then said that an adoption cannot be reversed. She said that sometimes families, after they realize that a child may have significant emotional issues, ask to "undo" an adoption. I assured the judge that this was not an option for me, that Gabriella is and would always be my daughter forever.

All of this "serious" talk was kind of boring for Gabriella! Then, the judge signed the documents.:

The judge then offered to take photos with us! Being the picture nut that I am, I was thrilled that the judge offered to do this!:

The judge gave us all hugs. She tried to give Gabriella a high five, but Gabriella was too shy!:

Today was a day that I will never forget!

"My Love Poem" by James Agee

I hear my father:

I hear my mother:

I need never fear

I shall never be

lonely or want of love

When I am hungry it is you who will provide for me

When I am in dismay, it is you who will fill me with comfort;

When I am astonished or bewildered, it is you who will make the weak ground firm beneath my soil

It is in you that I put my trust

When I am sick it is you who will send for the doctor.

When I am well, it is in your eyes that I shall know best that I am loved

And it is towards the shining of your smiles that I lift up my heart and in your laughter that I shall know my best delight

I hear my father and my mother and they are my giants.

My king and my queen beside whom there are no others so wise.

So worthy, so honorable, or brave or beautiful in this world.

Disney Live! Rockin' Road Show

Today we went to see Disney Live! Rockin' Road Show at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium to see Mickey Mouse ("The Mouse," as Gabriella calls him) and friends! At bedtime last night I told Gabriella that when we woke up in the morning we would be going to see Mickey Mouse. When Gabriella woke up this morning she must have remembered this and the first words out of her mouth were, "See Mouse!"

Walking up to the auditorium entrance with her Minnie Mouse doll:

Excitedly waiting for the show:

Enjoying a pre-show snack of popcorn...:

...and a TEN DOLLAR lemonade! The concession folks were walking around the auditorium selling toys, snacks, snowcones, and lemonades and Gabriella asked several times for "lemon" so I had to get her one.:

Gabriella watched the show intently the entire time. She loved it. When the characters first walked out on stage she gasped and pointed with her mouth open! She even danced and jumped along when they encouraged the audience to participate. She was anxious for the show to begin again during intermission. We saw Disney on Ice only two months ago and Gabriella enjoyed that, but seemed much more engaged during this show.

After the show we ate a late lunch at Mi Tierra Restaurant, an authentic Guatemalan restaurant. We talked to some Guatemalan patrons and enjoyed yummy Guatemalan food. Gabriella seemed to enjoy the food and the atmosphere.

Gabriella's Activities

Gabriella is still taking riding lessons, dance lessons, and swim lessons weekly and making progress in each of these activities. Below are the most recent photos from these activities.

Sparky the horse loves Ginger Snaps. We brought some Ginger Snaps for Gabriella to feed Sparky after her lesson. Instead of feeding this cookie to Sparky, Gabriella decided to eat it herself!:

Little Miss Boss!

Gabriella has a very strong personality, very much like my own! She knows what she wants - end of story! Lately she has been giving a lot of commands such as "Sit!;" "Eat!;" "Watchum!," which is short for "Watcha Me!," which is how she says "Watch Me!;" "Uppa," which is her version of "Up!," which means "Get Up and do whatever she needs accomplished!;" "Do It,!" usually while playing and when she wants you to imitate something she is doing or has done; "Music!," which sounds very much like "Seasick" when she says it and means "Turn on the Music!;" and "Sing!," which means "Sing with Me!" Since I have a "Supervisor" type personality myself, I, of course, see this as a good quality for Gabriella to have (to an extent, of course, and only when done respectfully)! I am confident that Gabriella will go after whatever she wants in life.

Meet Rolando (In Memory of Papa)

Rolando is a four-year old from Guatemala. I, along with a couple friends and family members, sponsored Rolando today through Mayan Families (http://www.mayanfamilies.org) in memory of my grandfather, Lawrence Casarano, to send to preschool. Papa looked upon education as a major priority for children and he loved children and admired their innocence. Sponsoring a child to attend school seemed like a fitting tribute for papa.

Rolando's 35 year old father only makes $40 per week taking sand out of a river and selling it for construction. When there are no sand sales, he doesn't earn anything. Rolando's 25 year old mother stays home to care for her four other children, ages 9 years, 5 years, 2 years, and 7 months. Often they do not have anything to eat except tortillas with salt. Their home has two rooms made of cement block with a tile roof and cement floor. Rolando's mother cooks outside over an open fire on blocks on the ground. They do not have a water filter, a table, or chairs. They only have 2 beds for the entire family.

If you are interested in donating money for this family for food, a water filter, an Onil stove, or beds, please let me know.

The Trials and Tribulations of Toddlers Using Public Restrooms

Public restrooms are gross, but you never really truly understand just how gross they are until you have a potty training toddler! My current, main obstacles are:

1. The toilet seats are way too big and the tiny toddler can barely balance his/her little bottom on the ginormous seat. You can't bring a potty seat with you everywhere and you can't let the child regress by asking them to "hold it," so you are left with no choice but to help them balance above the enormous bowl.
2. The seats are filthy and it is impossible to keep the toddler's hands off the germ-infested seat, especially when he/she already feels unsteady above the huge bowl and can't balance himself/herself.
3. A toddler's body is not big enough to keep the automatic flush from activating and the sound of the automatic flush is enough to scare the living daylight out of them. The unexpected sound of the automatic flush, in itself, is enough to make them never want to use a toilet again.

All of these issues became very evident today and they make me want to stay confined to our house until Gabriella grows another two feet! Aside from thorough hand washing after the fact, how do other moms handle these issues?

Speech Class

Gabriella started Speech Class today. It is a two hour class and during a portion of the time the children play freely with whatever toys they choose. I attend the class with her and interact with her during the class. When Gabriella had first started going to daycare over a year ago, I would watch sadly as children would pull toys from her and she would simply walk away. It broke my heart but I knew I could not intervene. Well, today, a little boy (actually, a little BULLY!) tried pulling a doll away from her. Gabriella pulled back keeping the doll and exclaimed, "Share!" I was very proud!