Do you have it in you?

The fight that is, are you giving up, or maybe just "ONE MORE ROUND?" Here you go,the meeting is scheduled for this Friday so time is of the essence. The links for calling your contacts are to the right of this post. So at this point CALLING/Email would be the most effective.

Dear Families,

Please read below the JCICS posting and please email or call your Senators and Representatives today!

July 30, 2008 - CALL OR E-MAIL TODAY!

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption has invited the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to conduct a briefing of Congressional Members and Staff on issues related to intercountry adoption in Vietnam , Guatemala along with issues related to intercountry adoption in general. The briefing is scheduled for this Friday, August 1, 2008 in the U.S. Capitol Building, LBJ Room at 10:00 a.m.

Given the pending suspension of intercountry adoption and related services in Vietnam and the continuing issues of concern in Guatemala , Joint Council urges participation by all Congressional Members or Staff. It is critically important that Members of Congress and their Staff participate in the U.S. Government’s role in international children’s services, specifically intercountry adoption. Given the impact of current issues on children and families, Joint Council urges 100% participation by Congressional offices in this very important briefing.

In order to gain the largest possible participation, please choose to contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators and urge them to participate in the briefing by sending a staff member or Member themselves.

·If you choose to contact your representatives, please do so today by email or phone call, and request that they send Staff to Friday’s briefing.

This briefing follows the briefing conducted for Congressional Staff last Friday, July 25th by child advocates and experts including Joint Council. These briefings and continuing participation by Members of Congress in the ongoing issues related to international children’s services is critically important to the continuation of intercountry adoption as a viable solution for children in need.

Hague in the News

Should we stick this thing out? Switching countries will extend our wait unless we see a brief ray of hope waiting for Vietnam to get a new agreement. Here is the latest news,it seems very positive to me, unless I don't understand what I am reading. :)

Lawmakers back bid to join Hague adoption convention

A man pushes two Vietnamese kids in a stroller outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1
International adoption responsibilities would be fielded by a single government agency if Vietnam joins the convention.


A majority of National Assembly’s Standing Committee members supported a bid to sign the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption Friday, scheduling a vote on the measure by the year’s end.

The International Adopted Children Bureau, under the Minister of Justice, would be solely responsible for approving international adoption applications if Vietnam becomes a signatory on the convention, said Deputy Minister Hoang The Lien on the sidelines of the committee session.

Currently, each provincial government ratifies its own international adoption applications.

ADOPTION FIGURES

Of 378 orphanages nationwide,

85 centers have been licensed to process international adoption applications.

Around 2,000 Vietnamese children are adopted into international families each year.

Financial aid to orphanages would also be handled by the central government agency if Vietnam joins the convention, said Lien.

The move would aim to ward off unhealthy competition between international adoption agencies and even among Vietnamese orphanages, he added.

Lien said lawmakers would also work to remedy shortcomings in local adoption regulations, which many people had capitalized on to forge adoption applications.

Under Vietnamese law, a child must be abandoned by their parents or orphaned to be adopted.

Vietnamese parents who send their children to orphanages due to poverty do so only temporarily.

But several criminals have faked documents leading agencies and adoptive parents to believe that such children were in fact abandoned.

Lien said a recent case of adoption paperwork fraud in the northern province of Nam Dinh would be a major deterrent.

Nam Dinh Province police arrested the head of a charity organization in Truc Ninh District on Thursday for allegedly forging adoption documents.

Nam Dinh authorities began investigating two local charity organizations for their alleged involvement in dubious adoption paperwork in mid-July.

Prior to Thursday, Nam Dinh police had arrested three people, including two communal health officials, for allegedly faking papers documenting the origins of babies they claimed to have found.

Lien also said authorities would discuss other mismatches between Vietnamese laws and the Hague Convention.

For example, under Vietnamese law, the maximum age for adoptees is 16, while the Hague Convention extends the adoption age to 18.

Additionally, the Hague Convention stipulates that adopted children must jettison their legal ties with their parents while Vietnamese laws still allow adopted children to retain inheritance and other rights from their birth parents.

Lien said Vietnam and the US may still cooperate to arrange adoptions in the future through a new agreement or the Hague Adoption Convention.

In April, the Ministry of Justice dispelled accusations in an official US report of systematic baby-selling in Vietnam, saying it was “totally untrue.”

Reported by Tuyet Nhung

Not going to Happen

After two years it appears that we will not meet the 9/1 deadline. I am a strong person, so talk to me with straight answers. No more hearing that "we are hopeful" or "you might be ok", so with the current agreement and new surprise of needing the DIA letter sent to us by 9/1, its not going to happen, no way possible. This is hard saying, but better than expecting good news or the call that never comes, re-thinking all possible scenarios, hopes that we will just get by. I will tell you we are so darn close, the only small saving grace is we get to keep our "blessed number" with our agency. So if Vietnam does reopen our place is not lost. (there is more to this mix but too much to go into now) We have not officially pulled out yet, wondering if any dates will be extended. Truly what's another 6weeks in the scheme of this. So for how I am feeling, lets just say numb for now, starting to get a little angry thinking how everything is going down. At this point I am more sad for the families, PAP's all the people that are just financially getting by to make the adoption happen. The children will get homes, just not in the USA. Adoption programs will continue. I will add, hopefully US agencys will contiune the humantiarian aid, and that Vietnam keeps track of the support US agencys provide to programs within Vietnam.

Waiting, and more waiting....

Ok, Ok see the theme here? My current song is specially loaded for J&C, Joyfull, NYPD,& Little River, two Mr's 5 in the Hive "ya all know who you are" and all the PAP's that are having one very very hard wait. Are we waiting for the dreaded 9/1 deadline or some sort of miracle? Time will tell, however this is not the end of the road, maybe a different turn. Remember live life with no regrets don't give up only to say years from now, "at one time we tried to adopt". I hear this statement from many people that see us with our kids, its sad. God put the burden of adoption in your hearts, you have to carry it and follow the "plan". This is our 3rd time, not easier, we are proof that things work out, specially in your darkest times,quiet times when you are alone with your thoughts.

Groovy

I could post all our worries, endless thought of what ifs, quits, other countries, constant re-hashing. All we can do is hang in there. Its no easier on other families either, I specially have extra prayers for 1st timers, this should be a joyous wait, some worries but not this horrible pit of darkness and helplessness. I hope come 9/1 many doors or windows are open for theses families.

The good old camera came out today. I am enjoying my camera tons. Last year I ordered a family yearbook from shutterfly. So this year I am even more organized. It is too much keeping up with the scrap booking, ordering prints, ending up with tons of supplies and photos all over the place. The yearbook was about $170 for over 12 months worth of photos and events all in a leather bound book. I LOVE IT! The trick is order at the end of DEC, that's when all the discounts come out, I had a 30% offer. Great deal. Today we finished our tie-dye craziness. Even dyed the pillow cases!

Time for Thanks: Very Important timeframe

Please consider one last push to your reps. The links for your contacts are to the right of this post. *Never regret that you should of done more, so here ya go...

Dear Families,
As you may know, both Congress and the Senate will recess from August 11-September 5With the MOU expiring on September 1, while our representatives are away, it is critical that we continue to show our support for a new or an interim MOU.
We, along with our representatives, JCICS, CCA and ASPs and many others have worked tirelessly to encourage the Department of State to support a transitional agreement as Vietnam works toward acquiring Hague compliant status.
I am asking first, that you extend a note of thanks to your representatives for their assistance in making our collective voice heard and along with that correspondence, a plea for their help in securing a definitive reply from the Department of State prior to the August 11 recess.
For your convenience, below is a draft of a letter to copy/paste and send to your representatives. Phone calls,FAXES, snail mail and personal visits, of course, will help.



Dear __________________________,

Your time and effort in supporting the establishment of an interim agreement that facilitates the continuation of adoption between Vietnam and the US have been greatly appreciated. As a signatory to the letter for Secretary of State Rice on my behalf, I'd like you to know that your efforts are unprecedented in the adoption arena and certainly, a credit to living in a democracy. Thank you!


As you are probably aware, both Congress and the Senate are scheduled to recess from August 11- September 5 while the Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam expires September 1. I would like to respectfully request that your office strive to obtain an official statement regarding the implementation of an interim agreement from the Department of State prior to August 11, 2008.



Respectfully,

Shame on Both of you!

I have taken quality time to review all the signatures on the lettter to Sec. Rice in support of adoptions in Vietnam. I do not see SENATOR BILL NELSON OR MEL MARTINEZ of FL. Ok fine, if you were not going to sign say that. But NO, both offices told my mother and all her friends in the Condo that they signed in support. Shame Shame, of all people to lie to, it would not be my mother or her friends. They are not happy. If the Senators lie about this what next? Signing in support would of been a very positive gesture, no real effort on their parts. All I can do is shake my head, do these people think we are stupid? Of course I was going to check. I am still pissed at the McCain for not signing. There is nothing I can be told to calm me down. He should of supported this PERIOD!

Things that are bugging me...

1. That Senator McCain did not sign in support of the letter to SOS Rice. OMG, he is an adoptive parent, his wife HUGE in helping the orphans in Vietnam. Come on now, what was he thinking?

2. Getting mad at NBC, I wanted to teach my kids the game show "Family Feud" the other night, sounded like fun. The first two rounds were Sex related or getting even with ex-lovers((&*^&*^%??? What the heck happened to that show? Not to mention seeing the "Hell Boy" constantly popping up in commercials and on the bottom of the screen through several shows even during "America's Got Talent".

3. Creating a wonderful garden, only for it to be over run with bugs eating all the beautiful plants. That is a huge defeater. Even squeezing them is totally gross.

4. People thinking that their kids look cute with food all over their face. (its only cute if its your kid) I don't want to look at that! *We did a worm snack treat at the library today, and GROSS.. nasty pudding coated gummy worms hanging out of kids mouths, even the big kids, with Mom's smiling on. SORRY.. not cute.

Photos of 7/4 Rafting Adventure on the river.

Happy 4th of July America!

We had a wonderful day today. Our adventure started with a white water raft trip. It started with the manager saying that our son was too young and maybe if he cried it would ruin the trip for the rest of the rafters. Oh my, yes my heart did sink, I had email and phoned 3 times to this company to confirm the ages in our group. All times we felt welcome. Needless to say, we did take the trip. Michael promised the man he would be good. If I was to brag, I do think he acted better than most of the children and adults. (this could of gone either way) We have been talking of this trip all week so what a huge disappointment if we had to call the whole thing off after the car trip and arrival. If anything the trip was more for me, I just needed a stinking break! Other than day trips, I am starting to look forward to following the Olympics, due to start 8-8-08. Watching the sports and the world come together gives you a deeper meaning of proud to be an American. Here are a few photos of todays adventure,we rafted about 6 miles in the river below. Does this not look like nature touched by the hands of God?