Finally! We left PGN and are now in RENAP! We left PGN Dec. 18,
2008 and went into RENAP eleven days later, in the last days of
2008. As I understand it, RENAP is the new Civil Registry, or at any
rate the place where you now go to get the new birth certificate for
your child. So that is where we are. We are out of PGN!! And to get
into RENAP, the Final Decree has to be drawn up and submitted, and
that contains the birth mother's final sign-off. So that is now also
done. So our adoption is now legal and binding in Guatemalan law.
Our daughter (who just turned 15 months), is now ours. We have the
final steps to go through -- RENAP, the passport, the US Embassy
steps (2nd DNA, etc), but as you know, these are just formalities.
The actual process of adopting Maria is over. She is our
daughter.
I don't know if anyone is still reading this anymore, but just in
case, I wanted to bring this up to date. I expect we will be able to
go to Guatemala to pick up our daughter sometime in the next month.
I will try to update one last time, either when we get the Embassy
appointment date, or when we bring her home. But just in case things
got very busy, I did want to write now, and let people know that in
spite of all the naysayers, all the doom and gloom, we fought and
fought and got our CNA registration, even though we were initially
among those who HAD registered once, but missed that RE-registration
Feb. 9-12, 2008. In spite of that, with the help of Adoption
Supervisors Guatemala (www.adoptionsupervisors.com), we got the
registration, went into PGN, got a birth mother interview in before
the end of August, and have now left PGN and are just waiting through
these last steps to be able to go pick up our daughter. I wanted to
post this to encourage everyone. Great obstacles can be overcome. I
wish you all courage and good luck as you continue to do what you
need to do to complete your adoptions. The very, very best to
everyone in 2009, and always, -- Laurel