TGIFridays and SDA

Last night we had the opportunity to meet up with some other American families at TGIFridays. It was so nice because they had English menus and an English speaking waiter. I met several Reece's Rainbow families (I got to meet Mia, Gabe, and Levi! It was so exciting to see their sweet faces in person) as well as a lady who had just adopted her daughter from Quinton's orphanage. She was able to tell me all about the judges, social workers, facilitators, and nannies. She thinks that Quinton was in her daughter's group, but it was hard to tell since his picture is over a year old. If she was correct though, there are 17 kids in his group. She was also able to tell me about some of the judges. There is one very young blonde headed judge who is brand new. She heard their court case in only one week! That is really fast compared to other families who have encountered "my way or the highway" judges. So, please let's start praying now for a kind hearted judge. We would love to be home with Quinton as quickly as possible.

Today we went to the SDA to accept Quinton's referral for adoption. They showed us his baby picture which they said they would allow us to trade after the adoption is finalized! They told us a little bit about his family and medical history. I have to admit, I was teary-eyed almost the whole time. Just seeing another picture of him did me in the first time. Then when she told us about his family, it broke my heart. He was the second born child in a very well to do family with plenty of money. Since he was born with Down Syndrome, his parents signed abandonment papers immediately. I knew that his parents had given him up-otherwise he would not be at the orphanage, but for some reason, the word abandoned just pierced my heart. How could anyone abandon their child? It breaks my heart that his parents would essentially throw him away, but once I get past the sadness and anger, I know I will always have a place in my heart for the people who blessed me with my first child.

We did learn a bit about his medical history, but the way it was translated was unclear. We were told his first and last name which we cannot share until the adoption is finalized. He was 51 centimeters (21 inches) long and somewhere around 3 kilograms (6.6lbs). He has dermatitis (dry skin), a problem with one of his ears, something about his navel, and an open oval window (a hole in his heart). We have been told by several families that medical conditions are often overdiagnosed and not to be alarmed. We will take him to see a pediatrician and a cardiologist when we get back to the US and go from there. They asked us if we would like to see the files of any other children. I shook my head no and smiled. The lady did not need an interpreter for that. It was short and sweet. We will pick up his referral for adoption tomorrow between 4 and 5:00 and then head to his region to visit him on Friday. According to people who have been to his region recently, the internet connection is not good. We will do our best to update as we can. Thanks for all the prayers and keep them coming :)