Levi Douglas Bradley: Kickout confirmed!

Our Adoption Story

Levi was born on April 21, 2007 in Chinautla, Guatemala, a small town known for pottery. He weighed 6.7 pounds and was 19.7 inches long. He was in private foster care in Guatemala City where he lived for 10 1/2 months with his foster mom, her son and daughter and Isaac, his foster brother. Throughout our difficult adoption journey, Isaac's mom, Nancy and I became very good friends. God placed our boys together and had the perfect plan in place long before we ever realized it. When I was undecided on an adoption agency, I joined an online forum where Nancy provided me with information about her agency and recommended them to us. We decided to sign with the same agency and I emailed Nancy back to let her know. Over a few months we emailed back and forth to learn we were both from TN and lived only 30 minutes apart... we thought wow, it's a small world. Little did we know a few months later we'd both get referrals, earlier than we expected, of 2 beautiful Guatemalan angels. When they turned 2 months old our agency called and decided it was time to tell us that they were in the same foster home together and had been since they were 1 day old. We were amazed they were together. Even more so, God amazed us once again when we learned shortly after that they were born on the same day and were from the same town... no longer a coincidence that was for sure. We were being told by the foster mom how attached they were and acted like brothers. But, Nancy and I got the chance in January '08 to go to visit them and see it for ourselves. It was an amazing time of bonding with our boys that we will never forget. After that trip it seemed when one of us would reach a roadblock in the crazy process of international adoption the other would be delayed with something else. We stayed right together until the very day we picked them both up. We had our US Embassy appts the same day and we flew home through Atlanta on the same flight on March 11, 2008 when they both entered the US as citizens! It was an awesome time for us in the Atlanta Airport when we rec'd the congrats they were official! We've made friends for life with Nancy, Eric, and with Isaac's extended families. We look forward to many years of watching them both grow up so close together. Over the past year, as we went through battle after battle to bring our boys home, Nancy and I both would never think of one without the other in our endless prayers to keep them safe, happy and healthy until they could be home with their forever families. We're finally parents and it's what we've both waited for, for so many years.. our families are finally complete!!!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Kickout confirmed!

Hey, just wanted to let you all know that we did indeed receive a kickout from the Guatemalan court system on Oct 17Th. They had to have it signed off and get through all the channels before it was available to be picked up my attorney there. She went to the court today and picked it up and you'll never believe what the error in the paperwork was! When we had our homestudy done by the social worker, we told her we wished to adopt a baby girl from Guatemala. Well, since we didn't accept a girl but, we accepted Levi, we had to complete an affidavit that was notarized, etc.. basically stating that we chose a boy on our own free will with much consideration and feel that was what is best for our family and things like that. Bad part being that we had to have it notarized here and then get the county seal, Secretary of State seal in Nashville, and then the Guatemalan Consulate's seal in Atlanta. Atlanta will then send the paper onto our agency to overnight back to the attorney. After she gets it back she will take it and resubmit it back into the courts. Also, we start our time over from the 1st reviewer on up since we had the KO. If you get the KO then you have to be submitted back into the process from the beginning. The near month we had behind is just lost time. We cannot afford too much delay with this if he is to be home this year. Praying that God allows it to sail right on through the rest of the process. Love- Tracy **(aka Levi's mommy)

1 comment:

Nancy and Isaac McGee said...: Tracy I know you are having a hard time with the kick out and I am really sorry. But there are so many reasons this could have happened. Of course you know that God is in control, not us and surely not PGN. I think maybe you got ko'd because we would not get out at the same time and now when you go back in then there is a better chance of us getting out together. Or I know you said that we go back to the same reviewer but what if you do get a different one and that is God's way of getting you out quicker or maybe that reviewer will be in a good frame of mine when they get your paperwork back on their desk. There are just so many reasons that you haven't thought of and I am just trying to lay some of them out there for you. Just remember the Lord works in mysterious ways and He never puts more on us than we can handle. I am sure you have heard all this and right now it really doesn't help but just know I do know how you are feeling and we are not going to be complete until we get our boys home to Tennessee. GO VOLS!!!!!; October 26, 2007 at 11:35:00 PM EDT