Bringing Home Bebé

Welcome to the ins and outs of our family's journey to adopt a child from Peru!

[bringinghomebebe]

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...we're leaving TODAY! Despite being told that we wouldn't get Mijo's visa until next week because of the holiday, we got an adoption miracle and left the embassy with it today. We have everything we need, including plane tickets for 11:59 tonight. As 2015 shifts into 2016, we'll be rising into the sky. On the first day of the new year, we will land on American soil and Mijo will become a citizen. We'll be on our way to our new lives. Happy New Year, indeed.

[bringinghomebebe]

It's a Date

We have an appointment with the U.S. consulate on Thursday morning at 10!

[bringinghomebebe]

Around Lima: Parque de la Reserva

Bee and I have been to this water fountain park before, but it was our first time at night and Mijo’s first time period.  The parque was decorated for Christmas and even had a sweet little train that drove around the fountains.  Despite it being evening, it was still warm enough that Mijo and his siblings could wear swimsuits and play in the water.  They had such a good time that I’d love to try to go back before we leave for the States.

[bringinghomebebe]

Around Lima: Larco Museo

As a Christmas gift, Tia Elle traded babysitting hours with us (best gift ever).  This past weekend, we watched her kiddos on Saturday while she went out, and then she returned the favor Sunday so Bee and I could have a date night.  We decided to grab a nice meal and check out the Larco Museo, since that’s not somewhere we would go with a two-year-old.

The museum was wonderful!  Set in a beautiful old mansion in the Pueblo Libre district and surrounded by gorgeous gardens, it was a real treasure trove of pre-Columbian artwork and artifacts.  We enjoyed seeing different types of pottery, jewelry, textiles, weaponry, masks, scultpures, and even a mummy.  A lot of the pieces were over a thousand years old, and they were in stunningly good condition.  Some of the artifacts were Incan, but most were from other earlier cultures like the Moche, Wari, and Chancay people.

Once we were done exploring the main gallery and the staggering storage and research facility, we headed into the gallery that Larco is probably most famous for: erotic pottery.  Yes, really.  I won’t include any pictures here for obvious reasons, but just imagine any number of sexual acts and body parts you can think of, and then imagine them rendered in thousand-year-old clay and ceramic on top of a pot or plate.  For some reason.  It was giggle-inducing and entertaining, to say the least.  Those pre-Columbian civilizations were really in touch with themselves.  Literally!

After a few hours at the Museo, we went to a chifa and had some really nice Chinese food before collecting our little one for the evening.  I love our boy more than anything, but it was really nice to get out for a bit and have some one-on-one time with my husband.  We’ll have to remember to make time for dates when we’re home too!

[bringinghomebebe]

Around Lima: Parque de las Leyendas

We kept reading about Lima’s zoo in our guidebooks, and we knew that it was something that we planned on doing with Mijo once we were all together.  We went a few weekends ago and it was great.  Parque de las Leyendas is divided into the different geographical regions of Peru (though it does have some animals from other countries too, like giraffes and big cats).

We were sure to go early in the day to ensure that the critters would be awake and active, and our timing did not disappoint.  Mijo especially liked the Isla de Monos (Monkey Island) and the sea lion laguna, and I was delighted with the jaguars and giraffes.  We spent several hours there quite happily, though due to naptime we didn’t get to see everything in the park.  Something for next time!

Our son loved the animals so much that we’re planning to take him to the National Zoo for his upcoming birthday in January.

[bringinghomebebe]

Immigrant Visa Application

We are now in the final stretch of the adoption process--we filed our DS-260 (Immigrant Visa Application) today and are now just awaiting our appointment with the US Consulate so we can get Mijo’s visa squared away.  We know that they hold these types of appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so we’re very much hoping that they’ll see us this week.  Maybe even tomorrow, if we get a good bit of luck!

It was nice, at least, to be able to file something for the immigration process online for once.  Most of our other government documents (I-800, I-800A, etc.) have had to be mailed to lockbox facilities, which takes forever.  This form just took me a few minutes to turn in and I got email confirmation right away.  It also ended up being fairly entertaining.  Here are some of the questions that were asked of my 2-year-old son:

What is your current marital status?

How many children do you have?

Do you plan to practice polygamy?

Have you violated any international treaties?

Are you a terrorist?

Are you involved in chemical warfare?

Have you ever engaged in genocide?

Do you plan to?

I wonder if there’s anyone out there who answers “yes” to any of those types of questions. 

[bringinghomebebe]

Passport Achieved

Our boy has his very own passport, and we are one step closer to heading home as a family!  

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This Week's Agenda

It's Christmas week, so we're hustling every possible day before the holiday to get Mijo's paperwork squared away. Today, we had his medical exam and tuberculosis test results with the U.S. consulate-approved doctor, and we also got his new ID card. Tomorrow, we finish up with the doctor and get our boy's new passport. In the meantime, our lawyer will set up an appointment with the consulate so we can get the visa we need to fly. Once we have that appointment set, we'll finally know when we can travel and can stop living in limbo. It looks like we're on track to head home next week, so long as the consulate isn't all shut down for the holidays. I'm starting to feel a bit homesick, so fingers crossed!

[bringinghomebebe]

Moving Right Along

We’re working on getting paperwork together so that Mijo can fly home with us soon, and our progress is good so far!  We were able to get his new birth certificate today and we also put in our request for his new ID card (which we took photos for yesterday).  Tomorrow, we have our medical appointment for the US consulate, and we’ll hopefully get the ID by the end of next week.  Once we have the ID, we can get his passport, and then we can get his visa and book plane tickets.

We still don’t have a return date, but perhaps by the end of the year?  I’m 99% sure that we’ll be in Lima for Christmas, but I’m staying positive and choosing to look forward to observing Peruvian traditions with my boy.  We packed some Christmas gifts for the kids and I’m planning to get a tree of some sort to decorate in the coming days.

In any event, we’re together, we love our Lima apartment, and we’re moving at a good clip in terms of bringing our bebe home.  Life is pretty damn good.

[bringinghomebebe]

Adios, Cusco!  You were lovely and we’ll miss you.

[bringinghomebebe]

Adoption Decree

8 years ago, Bee asked me to marry him.  I said “yes,” and we began putting our lives together into something bigger and better.  8 years ago, 2 people committed to becoming a family.

Today, we legally became parents to our beautiful little son.  We were issued our adoption resolution from the Cusco DGA, and now we can begin putting our lives together into something bigger and better.  Today, 3 people became a family.

Tomorrow, we board a plane to Lima together to finish up the paperwork needed to bring Mijo to the States.  He’s ours, and we’re his, and we’re on our way home!

[beingamomisthebestjob]

[bringinghomebebe]

Guardianship

As of this writing, we are in the guardianship period of our parenthood.  Basically, this means that we are not yet legally Mijo’s parents but we do have full custody.  After three days of visiting him at the orphanage, we were allowed to bring him to stay with us at our apartment, where we have regular visits from our social worker.  We, Tia Elle, and her two children are all staying together in a nice little neighborhood in Cusco while we wait for our official adoption decrees, and things have been great so far.  We’re still finding our rhythm as a family, but the best part of all is that Mijo has effortlessly trusted and accepted us as his parents.  From the moment we met, it’s like he knew just who we were.  After all of the obstacles that we have been through to get to this point, it’s a relief that this has been a graceful transition for us.

Parenthood is at once harder and easier than I thought it would be, if that makes any sense.  The stuff that I thought would be easy, like naptime, is a struggle.  The stuff that I thought would be hard, like diapers, isn’t so bad.  I’m probably tireder than I have ever been, but I’m also happier too.  For every moment that I feel overwhelmed at the irrationality of toddlers, I have a moment where I laugh so hard I cry.  Every temper tantrum yields a perfect hug or kiss.  Every bloodcurdling scream leads to the sound of his little voice yelling “Mama!” and little bare feet scampering down the hallway.  It’s all a beautiful mess, and I’m glad it’s mine.

[bringinghomebebe]

Adventure

Dear Mijo,

As you might learn about us pretty soon, your papa and I like to have adventures.  Until we met you on this trip, our time in Peru felt kind of like vacation.  Every day was exciting, with something new to see and eat and do.  Your mama took a running leap from a cliff.

We spent hours hiking and exploring the grounds of Machu Picchu.

We watched the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

We have been to Lima, to Urubamba, to Ollaytaytambo, to Aguas Calientes, to Chancay, to Cusco.  We have had a beautiful time here in your country, Mijo, but absolutely everything pales in comparison to you.  We have been visiting you for a few days now, and you take our breath away.  Your devilish grin is better than any paragliding ride.  Your big belly laughs fill my heart more than the Andes Mountains can.  Your hugs and kisses and trusting nature are worth a hundred million perfect sunsets.  You are our great joy, our biggest adventure, our heart.

Machu Picchu’s got nothing on you, kid.

We love you around the world and back (and we’ll see you in a few hours!),

Mama and Papa

[bringinghomebebe]

Gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving, and even though I’m on a different continent for the holiday, I have so much to be thankful for.  Yesterday, after several years of writing back and forth, I got to meet my sponsored child Ronaldo.  World Vision was amazingly accommodating and put together a beautiful day for us despite the very last-minute notice that we gave them.  They sent us in a car to Ronaldo’s home in Chancay, which is a region about two hours outside of Lima.

I won’t sugarcoat it--it is an extremely impoverished area.  Located in the desert at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, it is made up of about 27,000 residents who, for the most part, go without regular access to clean water and nutrition.  When we arrived at the World Vision office, we met with their main staff members and were given a brief overview of the community and their work there.  When WV first identified Chancay as an area in need, over half of the children they saw tested positive for anemia and major nutritional deficits.  Cholera, gastroenteritis, and diarrhea are also pretty big problems here.  WV is working to improve health and sanitation in the area and they are on their third year of working with the community on this and on educational initiatives.  My favorite part was the traveling bookbags that they have made for children to bring books into their homes.  Half of the schools also now have toy libraries so the children can play and have access to toys that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

After our presentation, we were able to meet Ronaldo and his family.  It was wonderful to get to see them all face to face, and I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity.  Ronaldo was shy at first and confessed that he felt nervous to meet me, but when I told him that I was nervous too, the ice was broken.  Bee and I brought some little gifts for the family, and he and his sisters quickly got to work playing with us.  We brought an inflatable ball and tuned the office into our own personal playground for a long round of Monkey in the Middle.  We were all pretty sweaty and giggly by the end!

After that, Ronaldo asked me for a taekwondo lesson (I’m an instructor at home), and I was happy to kick off my shoes and oblige.  He and his sisters had some pretty good moves!

After that, we all went to one of the WV volunteer’s homes so we could have an example of one of the cooking workshops they have been putting together for residents.  They focus on sanitation in the kitchen, balanced nutrition, using every part of the animals and plants available to them, and making sure that everyone is getting iron and vitamins though their meals.

I still don’t feel like I have the words to adequately describe what it was like to see Ronaldo in person and his home and family, but I am so grateful that I was able to.  As his mother, Ana, told me, it means very much to them that their stories are heard.  As Bee told me in the car back to Lima, whatever we are contributing to them through the sponsorship program, it isn’t enough.  And it really isn’t.  What really bowled me over was that this community goes without so much that we take for granted in the US, but they were so eager to welcome us and share it with us.  If that isn’t a cause for Thanksgiving, I don’t know what is.

Spread the love; consider being a sponsor to a child through World Vision.

[bringinghomebebe]

Game Plan

We’re in Lima safe and sound, and we’re enjoying our time here while we wait for the show to begin.  We met with our lawyers Maria Elena and Raul yesterday to make a game plan for the adoption process.  We were also able to secure our Article 5 letter from the U.S. Consulate, which was great timing.  Here’s what the rest of our trip is going to look like (tentatively):

Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving)

We meet with the DGA to formally begin the adoption process

We catch the next flight to Cusco right after and then taxi to a slightly lower altitude to acclimate in the town of Urubamba

Friday, November 27

We lay low and adjust to the altitude (about 8,000 ft.)

Saturday, November 28

We go to Machu Picchu for the day, because why the heck not?

Sunday, November 29

We head up the mountain to Cusco (about 11,000 ft. altitude) and check into our hotel to try to sleep before The Big Day

Monday, November 30

We report to a meeting with the Cusco DGA

Monday, November 30-Wednesday, December 2

We meet our son (!!!!) and spend three provisional days visiting him at his orphanage and taking him for little outings

Thursday, December 3-Monday, December 14ish

We gain temporary guardianship of him and he is able to come stay with us in our apartment.  We are required to have 8 business days of this period, which will likely come to an end of the 14th, at which point we will receive the decree of adoption and be able to request his new birth certificate

Tuesday, December 15-?

We wait for the new birth certificate, which can take a few days to acquire

December ?--?

We return to Lima as a family and stay in an apartment together until our guy has all of his new documents (passport, visa, medical report, etc.) to allow him to come home to the U.S. with us.  This can take 2 or 3 weeks, and we have the added government closures for Christmas and New Year’s that might slow us down a bit.  We’ll almost certainly spend Christmas down here, but as long as we’re together, it’s all good!

[bringinghomebebe]

How I spent my Sunday in Miraflores...