By all accounts Daniel appeared the same as we rode in the taxi back to our condo this afternoon, but something unseen was very different.
At 2:30 p.m. we met with Lucia's assistant Andres at the Colombian passport office. The weather was overcast and scattered showers. We stepped out quickly after paying our fare. Another couple was waiting to get into the taxi. When it's raining in Bogota, taxis are a valuable commodity.
We didn't need to wait very long to pick up Daniel's Colombian passport. The passport office had moved to a newer, larger location since we were last there to pick up Claudia's Colombian passport nearly a month ago. Maybe being in a new location makes things more efficient!
The wait was only about 20 minutes to get his passport. While waiting, Daniel was getting pretty tired and fighting sleep. I walked around the aisles with him in my arms. Claudia and Andres took care of the passport. When we finished, we grabbed another taxi and headed to the ICBF headquarters located near the airport.
At ICBF, we finalized Daniel's adoption paperwork, known as the "Resolution," and ICBF closed his case. Daniel is our son by all accounts. The only thing we need now is his U.S. Visa to return home. We're so close to being finished!
Outside ICBF, we said our good-bye's to Andres. He won't be joining us at the U.S. Embassy tomorrow, so this was likely our last opportunity to see him.
Lucia, Andres and our attorney Oscar are an amazing team. Lucia has been in the business for 40 years. Andres has worked with Lucia for 10 years and Oscar for 14 years. They operate like a well oiled machine. We would likely still be waiting for Sentencia if it weren't for them. (We've met one couple who have been in Colombia for two months trying to finalize the adoption!)
Daniel finally fell asleep in Claudia's arms as we rode through busy Bogota traffic en route to the condo. We both looked at him with love.
"He has no idea what has just happened," I said.
By the end of the day, something about us had changed. Daniel's first chapter in life, as hard as it may have been, finally ended today. Now he is writing a new chapter in life with a forever family and we are blessed by God to be that family.
Showing posts with label Sentencia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sentencia. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Day 30: Forresters Begin Jumping Through Final Hoops
Now the fun begins as we take our final steps toward leaving Colombia and Daniel receiving his U.S. citizenship.
The day began early since our first meeting was at 8:30 a.m. at the Passport office. We dressed Daniel in some of his best clothes and brushed his hair for his photos. He looked great.
We hailed a taxi and met with Lucia's assistant Andres who helped us navigate the Passport office. Daniel did a great job posing for his Colombian passport photo. We had the option of either getting an emergency passport which would be ready within a day but be good for seven months, or wait an extra day and get a passport that is good for 10 years. We know we'll be coming back to visit so it made sense to go ahead and get the 10-year passport.
Once we finished with the Colombian passport, we dove into a small store a couple doors down from the passport office and took Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa.
During this time, Lucia and Andres were contacting the U.S. Embassy doctor to see if we could meet with him today instead of waiting until we received the Colombian passport. Luckily we were able to schedule a meeting for 3:00 p.m.
The process continues to move quickly.
After taking Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa we had a few hours free before our next meeting. We took a short taxi ride to La Hacienda Mall, a high-end mall that was built to look like a small farm. We did mostly window shopping, but found some great boots for Claudia.
After lunch, we took a walk around Usaquen town. It's similar to Belle Meade in Nashville in the sense that its part of Bogota but has its own mayor and other city operations. The town is high-end with elegant restaurants, clothing stores and artifacts wrapping around the town square and church.
We arrived at Casa Lanthana at 1:40. It was great to re-introduce Daniel to the staff who had taken such great care of him during our first week. The staff were so happy to see him. Another great sign of Daniel's attachment to us was when he preferred for me rather than the staff hold him.
Andres showed up at 2:30 and we headed off to the doctor's office. The doctor was tall and had a low gravely voice that reminded me of Herman Munster from the Adam's Family. He was very friendly and would throw out hints about parenthood with a twinkle in his eye.
We were very comfortable talking with the doctor. To our surprise, he lived in the United States for about five years working at a hospital in Louisana and at St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis.
Daniel was a little nervous when the doctor took a look at him. The doctor let Daniel hold a few of his instruments and play with toys.
Most importantly, the doctor signed off on the documents necessary for the U.S. Embassy to provide us with Daniel's visa. We're confirmed to visit the U.S. Embassy on Friday at 8:30 a.m. Everything is falling into place quickly. It's hard to believe we are almost finished!
During the evening, we had a brief meeting with Claudia's uncle Alberto. We're taking advantage of the Colombian holiday this weekend and planning a trip to Villa de Leyva, located about three hours from Bogota. It's one of my favorite places to go.
God Bless,
Brian, Claudia and Daniel
The day began early since our first meeting was at 8:30 a.m. at the Passport office. We dressed Daniel in some of his best clothes and brushed his hair for his photos. He looked great.
We hailed a taxi and met with Lucia's assistant Andres who helped us navigate the Passport office. Daniel did a great job posing for his Colombian passport photo. We had the option of either getting an emergency passport which would be ready within a day but be good for seven months, or wait an extra day and get a passport that is good for 10 years. We know we'll be coming back to visit so it made sense to go ahead and get the 10-year passport.
Once we finished with the Colombian passport, we dove into a small store a couple doors down from the passport office and took Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa.
During this time, Lucia and Andres were contacting the U.S. Embassy doctor to see if we could meet with him today instead of waiting until we received the Colombian passport. Luckily we were able to schedule a meeting for 3:00 p.m.
The process continues to move quickly.
After taking Daniel's photos for his U.S. visa we had a few hours free before our next meeting. We took a short taxi ride to La Hacienda Mall, a high-end mall that was built to look like a small farm. We did mostly window shopping, but found some great boots for Claudia.
After lunch, we took a walk around Usaquen town. It's similar to Belle Meade in Nashville in the sense that its part of Bogota but has its own mayor and other city operations. The town is high-end with elegant restaurants, clothing stores and artifacts wrapping around the town square and church.
We arrived at Casa Lanthana at 1:40. It was great to re-introduce Daniel to the staff who had taken such great care of him during our first week. The staff were so happy to see him. Another great sign of Daniel's attachment to us was when he preferred for me rather than the staff hold him.
Andres showed up at 2:30 and we headed off to the doctor's office. The doctor was tall and had a low gravely voice that reminded me of Herman Munster from the Adam's Family. He was very friendly and would throw out hints about parenthood with a twinkle in his eye.
We were very comfortable talking with the doctor. To our surprise, he lived in the United States for about five years working at a hospital in Louisana and at St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis.
Daniel was a little nervous when the doctor took a look at him. The doctor let Daniel hold a few of his instruments and play with toys.
Most importantly, the doctor signed off on the documents necessary for the U.S. Embassy to provide us with Daniel's visa. We're confirmed to visit the U.S. Embassy on Friday at 8:30 a.m. Everything is falling into place quickly. It's hard to believe we are almost finished!
During the evening, we had a brief meeting with Claudia's uncle Alberto. We're taking advantage of the Colombian holiday this weekend and planning a trip to Villa de Leyva, located about three hours from Bogota. It's one of my favorite places to go.
God Bless,
Brian, Claudia and Daniel
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 29: Colombia Recognizes Daniel as a Forrester
Tuesday, June 21st was the BEST Day for the Forrester Family. Afer a month in Colombia we finally got the sentencia from a judge saying Daniel is our official baby boy. It was an emocional day.
We got up early because we were waiting for Lucia's call at any time. Around noon we got the good news. Our court appoinment was for 2:30 pm. Also, she recommended for Brian and Daniel to stay at the condo because it was going to be a long afternoon of paperwork. We went out to eat a quick lunch and right after that I headed to Casa Lanthana with my grandfather to meet Lucia's partner Andres, who was going to take us to the court in downtown Bogota. Around 2:15 we arrived at the building and met our lawyer Oscar.
We went trough all the paperwork to make sure all the information was correct. It melted my heart to see my son's name for the first time on paper with our last name. I don't have words to describe the moment. It was awesome. I signed the papers and we waited for about 30 minutes for the judge to sign it. Andres and the lawyer shook my hand and told me congratulations, "It is official. Daniel is your son."
At that point I was ready to cry. My son, my fist son, was finally offcially my baby boy.
Right after that we headed out to the Notary to change Daniel's last name to Forrester on his birth certificate. In Colombia, you need to go to the Notary where you were first registered to obtain original birth certificates or make any changes. This means we were going to the Notary where Daniel was first registered. It was a special connection to part of Daniel's past. It was really far away and the traffic in Bogota can be a mess sometimes.
As soon as we walked into the Notary building, I saw all the couples registering the little babies. I became a really proud mom also. I was going to register our baby boy under our names as his parents. What a great feeling! What a great Day!!!
While we were waiting to get copies of the documents, I finally had time to call Brian and give him an update. He was really excited also and couldn't wait to celebrate. He also had great news for me. He was having a great afternoon with Daniel; a great bonding time for both of them.
I got home around 7 pm. It was a long day for everybody. As soon as Daniel saw me at the front door he was so excited that he was jumping and screaming like crazy. It was like he knew what a great and significant day we had as a family of three. All my exhaustion melted and I was ready for some play time with my son. I love my two boys with all my heart.
Good nigh everybody. We have another busy day tomorrow!!!
Claudia
We got up early because we were waiting for Lucia's call at any time. Around noon we got the good news. Our court appoinment was for 2:30 pm. Also, she recommended for Brian and Daniel to stay at the condo because it was going to be a long afternoon of paperwork. We went out to eat a quick lunch and right after that I headed to Casa Lanthana with my grandfather to meet Lucia's partner Andres, who was going to take us to the court in downtown Bogota. Around 2:15 we arrived at the building and met our lawyer Oscar.
We went trough all the paperwork to make sure all the information was correct. It melted my heart to see my son's name for the first time on paper with our last name. I don't have words to describe the moment. It was awesome. I signed the papers and we waited for about 30 minutes for the judge to sign it. Andres and the lawyer shook my hand and told me congratulations, "It is official. Daniel is your son."
At that point I was ready to cry. My son, my fist son, was finally offcially my baby boy.
Right after that we headed out to the Notary to change Daniel's last name to Forrester on his birth certificate. In Colombia, you need to go to the Notary where you were first registered to obtain original birth certificates or make any changes. This means we were going to the Notary where Daniel was first registered. It was a special connection to part of Daniel's past. It was really far away and the traffic in Bogota can be a mess sometimes.
As soon as we walked into the Notary building, I saw all the couples registering the little babies. I became a really proud mom also. I was going to register our baby boy under our names as his parents. What a great feeling! What a great Day!!!
While we were waiting to get copies of the documents, I finally had time to call Brian and give him an update. He was really excited also and couldn't wait to celebrate. He also had great news for me. He was having a great afternoon with Daniel; a great bonding time for both of them.
I got home around 7 pm. It was a long day for everybody. As soon as Daniel saw me at the front door he was so excited that he was jumping and screaming like crazy. It was like he knew what a great and significant day we had as a family of three. All my exhaustion melted and I was ready for some play time with my son. I love my two boys with all my heart.
Good nigh everybody. We have another busy day tomorrow!!!
Claudia
Monday, June 20, 2011
Sentencia Scheduled for Tuesday!
Our liaison Lucia confirmed this evening our Sentencia is confirmed for Tuesday and now the fun begins!
This is fantastic news and means our time in Colombia is coming to an end within about a week. We'll definitely be able to spend Daniel's 1st birthday in Nashville.
We're supposed to meet Lucia downtown tomorrow morning and meet with the judge overseeing our case. Depending on the time we finish, we'll be able to immediately go get Daniel's birth certificate.
The rest of the week we'll have a lot to do. We need to obtain Daniel's Colombian passport, take him to the U.S. Embassy doctor and receive his U.S. Visa.
We need to change our flights, but will be heading to Nashville next week!
Stayed tuned.
This is fantastic news and means our time in Colombia is coming to an end within about a week. We'll definitely be able to spend Daniel's 1st birthday in Nashville.
We're supposed to meet Lucia downtown tomorrow morning and meet with the judge overseeing our case. Depending on the time we finish, we'll be able to immediately go get Daniel's birth certificate.
The rest of the week we'll have a lot to do. We need to obtain Daniel's Colombian passport, take him to the U.S. Embassy doctor and receive his U.S. Visa.
We need to change our flights, but will be heading to Nashville next week!
Stayed tuned.
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