Home At Last!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

After almost 2 years of being immersed in the adoption process, we have finally reached the light at the end of the very long tunnel. Three weeks ago Julie found a lawyer who helped us get our birth certificate released from the local municipality that was holding it up (for over 2 months!). Once this happened, our case began to move very rapidly. We didn´t talk about it with anyone because of the healthy skepticism that we have learned to embrace during this arduous process. But, happily, our skepticism wasn´t needed this time! Our case progressed from receiving the birth certificate to receiving the Guatemalan passport to dropping off all embassy paperwork to doing the final DNA test and doctors visit to the embassy visa interview very rapidly. In fact, Julie picked up the completed visa today and then will be able to finally bring Shira home. This will be the sweetest new year ever for us.

After 3 1/2 months of living abroad, Julie and Ravi are understandably VERY excited about returning home. They are also a bit apprehensive about the re-entry (could this be because of the 3 months of mail waiting for them and school calendars that haven´t been set up yet?!). We are all looking forward to introducing Shira to our community of friends. We know that you will understand if we take a bit of extra time to help Shira acclimate to her new surroundings slowly in the manner in which she is most ready to progress.

There aren´t enough gigabytes for the many thank yous that we want to extend. First and foremost, our parents have interrupted their lives and schedules countless times over the past two years to travel with us to Guatemala or to help with childcare at home so that Julie could travel to Guatemala. We feel so grateful for their love and support. Our friends have done the same. More times than we can count we have needed help with carpools, playdates and more so that Julie could travel over and over again down to see Shira. During the past 3 1/2 months of Julie and the kids living abroad, you have all been so incredibly kind to us with your supportive calls and emails, care packages sent down to Guatemala (and visits to Guatemala!!), inviting Daniel over for meals while he was living by himself, helping Liat transition back to school with both her parents out of town....and so much more. We couldn´t have made it through these past two years without the love and support of our community of friends and family and for this we are so grateful.

We look forward to beginning the new year with great anticipation and joy--reunited as a complete family of 5 in the same city and country. And we look forward to celebrating many happy times together in the coming year.

Wishing you good health, unified families (!!) and much love from our family to yours.

Julie, Daniel, Liat, Merav, and Shira

(letter from September 23rd)