I adopted Teddy & Emmanuel from Liberia in 2004. They have been a huge blessing to my family. Teddy is seven (or so it says on paper), she is actually older, but that is the birthdate she was given by the orphanage. Emmanuel is six (mind you, on paper, he just turned five).This is Tamarah, my Haitian baby. I just got to spend time with her in Port au Prince, Haiti in January 2007. The adoptions is about 3/4 complete. I spent her first birthday with her. It was special to me. I am getting ready to visit again the end of March. I am not holding my breath, but there is the slight hope that I get to bring Tamarah home with me during that visit. While I was in Haiti, I learned that her birth mother is pregnant and that she asked the orphanage director to accept the child once he/she is born. This would be a half-sibling to Tamarah. I am considering adopting the half-sibling.
This is Amie, she is my biological daughter. She is only eleven years old, super smart and beautiful. I wanted Amie to come to Haiti with me in March, but she wants to stay home. Teddy, on the other hand really wants to come.
This is Joshua (bio). He is 15 years old and in high school. He is a joy most of the time...but teenagers can give such headaches!I also have two foster children whose photos I am not going to post. They came to us unexpectedly last summer and I hope that they will be given to us for adoption soon. In addition to my two foster children, I have two (or three) adult children as well....the number of adult children depends on your outlook. They are doing well, I am happy to report. My oldest, Juana, lives next door to me. She is a huge help! (Did I mention that I work full-time and that I am in law school part-time?) I would not be able to do the things that I do without her help. She is the greatest! Her best friend Andrea lives with her and I consider her my daughter too. Juana is 23 and Andrea is 22. Andrea is a huge help as well. My son, Ricardo is almost 20, he lives in clear across the country, 2,800 miles from us. He is in college, though he is taking a break this semester. I want him to finish college! No more breaks!
Yes, I am in law school. I am enjoying the experience tremendously! I spent time in Liberia and now am spending time in Haiti. Children's Rights are very dear to my heart. Also, working in education, I have learned that through "the law" lots can be accomplished to further children's rights.
Attending law school means that aside from working and spending time with the kids, my life revolves around studying and reading cases, memorizing the rules/laws and taking practice exams. It is a rigerous schedule to say the least. My kids are great in that they really support what I do.
Next week, the law school is offering a guest lecture by an adoption attorney. I am going to try to attend. As I mentioned, I am really interested in children's rights and I am exploring my options. Education Law? International & National Children's Rights Law? Family Law (with a focus on children)? I still have another 3 years to figure it out...that is my goal for graduating from law school and passing the bar exam.
Wow....I finished my first official blog entry. It wasn't difficult to set up the blog.
