Hey, just wanted to post that we had our readoption hearing yesterday and the judge finally signed off on the paperwork to obtain a new Tennessee birth certificate for Levi and change his name officially to Levi. There were a few road blocks for us in that we had other issues like the fact Steve had signed some of the paperwork before he passed away but, then wasn't here to appear for the hearing and unable to sign the final decree. We had to write and rewrite our documents 4 times until we got it like the judge thought was best on Levi's behalf to indicate we still wanted Steve listed as his father, etc.. and about his passing unexpectedly before we got this done. Which... was my fault for putting it off. Steve reminded me daily we needed to change his name "before something happened", just another confirmation that he was getting things in order for me in the end.
Levi came home Juan Jose which was his birth name although he had our last name changed before we brought him home. Steve and I had decided to follow his heritage of having 4 names like they do in Guatemala and add Elias into his name. Elias was his foster mom's son there and Levi was very attached to him before we brought him home as was Elias to Levi. Readoption was not something we HAD to do but that we chose to do. He came home a US citizen already but we wanted him to enter school and play sports, etc.. with a TN birth certificate like everyone else has. We were already listed as his parents on the Guatemalan one. It was for sure a day we're glad is behind us and can't wait to get the new birth certificate from Nashville so we can get him his passport. Until next time.. Blessings from our family to yours!- Tracy (aka Levi's momma)
1 Samuel 1:27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him
Levi
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!!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
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