Josue, meet Henry

We have had quite a week after we got our referral of little Josue Moises Morales. We have re-named him Henry Morales Pratt. After we got our referral, there was a whirlwind of activity: calling family and friends, emailing pictures of our little guy, filling out referral acceptance forms, going to Target to buy clothes and toys to put into a care package, etc. We have pictures of Henry up all over our house, which makes me wonder, is it possible to fall in love with a picture? I answer with a resounding "YES". I just wish we had more photos of Henry M. Pratt.

This weekend we traveled to the Twin Cities to attend a meeting at our adoption agency with the two attorneys in Guatemala who will be handling our adoption. It was great to meet these wonderful people (they are a husband and wife team) and see their enthusiasm and love for what they do. After attending a tough Twins loss last night, today we went to a Latin American adoption picnic. There must have been dozens of adoptive families in the park, and what struck me was how happy these children were. They were all laughing, running and jumping in the extreme heat. I could have sat and watched these happy kids all day, and I quickly got a feeling of great hope, that soon I will be in the same position that the adoptive parents are. I really have no doubt that adopting from Guatemala is the right thing to do.

What happens next? Well, we submitted another batch of paperwork to our adoption agency yesterday, and that will go down to Guatemala next week. Then, the 3-8 month clock begins! The first thing to happen is for the birth mother and Henry to get DNA tests. Once that happens, the case can be submitted to a family court. The court will interview the birth mother to ensure that she wants to give the child up and is not being coerced. We will be waiting up here (hopefully being patient, but I doubt it) and will receive monthly updates on Henry's growth and medical condition. And we'll get more pictures!

By the way, the first article of clothing we bought for Henry was a Twins "onesie". That item was non-negotiable. We will send some more pictures later when we are at our own computer! Adios!

Andy