[whoownsthis]

Hey, everyone! Hope you all are doing well, still hanging in there.

Just wanted everyone to know that we received an e-mail over the weekend from our first Panamanian attorney (whom we fired in July 2003 when we hired another attorney who was supposedly better connected).

Anyway, this attorney had been contacted by the DNA alerting the attorney to a 5-yr-old boy who was legally free for adoption, and would our family be interested.

OK, first, our 2nd attorney submitted the power of attorney naming her as the new attorney and the other guy as the fired (former) attorney in July 2003! However, when the first attorney told the DNA person this, they said that his power of attorney was still listed with our file and the 2nd attorney's was not! (?!?!?! That's odd, considering that our 2nd attorney had gotten a referral for us for that 2-yr-old boy with Down's Syndrome!)

Second, this was yet another referral for a BOY when we expressly requested a girl of any race, and treatable medical condition, and up to the age of 8 years old. What the heck is going on with adoptions in that country?!

***
Now onto better news...We've been chosen for a sibling group of three little girls (7, 5, 3) from another state and will make our first visit with them in the next few weeks. Then the interstate adoption procedure (ICPC) can begin, and we hope to get custody of them by early summer. Yippee!!!!! And the ironic thing is that they are Hispanic and even speak/understand some Spanish! How great is that?!

Rebecca
--Still wishing Panama had worked out, but glad we pulled out when we did and went full force into foster care adoption.