Catching up from Christmas

Here's a little update from our adoption worker on where we are in the process:

"The DNA test will start when the Embassy receives the cable of your approval and issues the orders to begin the test. Since your approval was received just before Christmas, it’ll probably take the Embassy a week or 2 to catch up from all the holidays. When we get the notice from the Embassy and we’ve paid the lab, I’ll let you know that the process has started. I don’t always know the date the doctor in Guatemala takes the cheeks swabs, but we’ll be informed when the lab physically receives the samples. Then it takes a couple of weeks for the test to be performed and the paperwork to be prepared.

As of the last update just before Christmas, they were still working on getting your dossier translated and stamped off by all the necessary government agencies, which is required before the case can be entered into family court. I’ll have to see what the next update says since their office was closed last week. They are probably playing catch up as are the rest of us! I’ll let you know as soon as I hear."

I know this all might not make sense if you aren't familiar with the whole adoption process in Guatemala, so I will explain just a little. We are waiting for two things to happen right now. First, we need to be approved by Family Court. This usually takes about a month, but things are hectic because of the holidays. While we are in Family Court, we are also working on the DNA test. This is something required by the US Embassy. The doctor in Guatemala will take a cheek swab of both Cohen and his birthmother, the samples will be sent to North Carolina and tested, and then the results will be sent back to Guatemala. Once we are out of Family Court and have a DNA match, the case will be submitted to PGN. This is the court of the federal level. Most cases get "kicked out" at lease once, require corrections, and are then resubmitted. After PGN approval, we will wait for a "pink slip" from the US Embassy in Guatemala telling us when we can travel to bring Cohen home. It's such a complicated process and difficult to explain, so feel free to ask questions!