*Captain Serious*

petisa8407

Hi,

   You probably dont remember me, but we chatted back in November/December about Peru.  I lived in Peru for a couple of years and my  husband is from there- anyways I was just checking in to see how your adoption process is going!  Are you most likely going to adopt a child from the "waiting angels" list?  My husband and I were looking at it and a lot of the kids were at 2 of the orphanages I volunteered/interned at (and they were wonderful for the kids- especially one of them).  We probably wont be able to adopt for another year or two, but are still excited and hopeful about it in the future. 

I know you had asked for recipes/cooking tips for Peruvian food and I totally dropped the ball!  I will ask my husband again if you are still interested.

Good luck with the adoption- I hope things are going very quickly for you! 

 

CaptainSerious

Yes, I do remember you.  I've thought of you often, actually, and wondered why you stopped posting here.  I'm glad to hear that it sounds like everything's okay, and you just might not start the process for a little while.

Our paperwork is in the approval process in Peru, thanks for asking!  We've made it through the legal division with no questions, and are awaiting a decision from the psycho-social division sometime within this or next week.  We're expecting them to ask for more information, as they usually do, but we are starting to get so close, we can taste our eventual approval.  Once we have it, we'll officially begin our wait for a referral.

My husband and I are hoping to adopt a child or sibling group of 2 between the ages of 2 and 6.  We are open to some medical/developmental issues, so it is possible that we could find a match on the Waiting Angels list, and we'd be super happy with that.  If, however, we are not granted a referral from the list, we are also prepared to wait for a match.

You may have mentioned it before, but may I ask which orphanages you worked at, and where they were located?  I know you have said that both homes were great, but one really excelled in their care and attention to the children.  Would you share which one that was?

It's very generous of you to offer your husband's recipes and/or cooking tips.  I would love to take you up on it!  Just remembering the yummy food is making my mouth water!

As a side note, I just wanted to let you know that the adoption process from Peru takes a very long time (longer than many others).  I've been at it for the last 15 months, and we are only expecting our approval within the next week or so.  If we do not find a match on the Waiting Angels list, we will most likely be waiting another year or so for a referral.  I realize the process is a little quicker for Peruvians, but some of the time-frames are just unavoidable.  If you decided to hold off because you feel you and your husband would simply like more time alone together as a couple before a child graces your life, I urge you to consider these timeframes when making your decision on how long to wait.  My husband and I waited until we were "perfectly ready" for kids--as in ready for them RIGHT THEN--and by the time we bring our child home, likely two or more years will have passed.  I wish we started earlier, when we knew we were going to adopt, but wanted a little more time alone.  The paperwork, homestudy, and approval process all take time, so if you think you'll be ready to have children in your life in the next year or two, you're probably ready to start the process now.  Of course there are plenty of good reasons to wait, I just wanted to let you know what we didn't fully realize--there is so much waiting built into the process that it's sometimes a good idea to take it into account when determining when to begin.

Anyway, thank you for reaching out to me!  I hope your path runs smoothly when you do start, and feel free to ask me anything along the way.  I'd love to help you if I can.

petisa8407

Hi!

   I am so glad that you are so close to your referral.  I am very excited for you!  I actually hadn't posted in a long time because I just didn't have time to get on the bump and post - life has been hectic!  Now that things are a little slower, I have a little more time  

As far as the orphanages "hogares" go...I will say this:  the one that I *really* liked was Nuevo Futuro.  They have 3 hogares in Lima.  One is for babies 0-2, one for 3 and up in Villa El Salvador, and another that is for children with special needs in Comas.  I worked at the baby orphanage, but I am 100% confident that all three are fantastic.   The reason that I loved it so much was #1- all the staff LOVE the babies/kids.  They truly treat them as if they are their own children, which I think is so important since many will spend years in the hogar or "system".  #2 They also were great about working on developmental milestones- for example: the babies all had "goals" so for the little ones it was tracking objects, reaching items, head control (tummy time), etc.  They had developmental therapists, speech therapists, pediatricians, nutritionists, etc.   Everyone was so loving and really had the best interests of the kids at heart.  I think they try and put forth 100% effort to make sure the children get all the advantages.  I actually talked with the director about setting up a non-profit 501-3c here in the US to help raise funds (so that way people can have their tax deduction), but we haven't done this yet. 

I also volunteered at INABIF Hogar Urpi (so a state run/sponsored) orphanage in Ayacucho.  The children were all a bit older but they had good activities for the kids there too.  They took camping trips, had a lot of arts and crafts- actually did art therapy with some too, had a psychologist on staff.  I was able to lead a couple of "group" sessions there too (I was working on my Master's in Social Work).    The other hogar, that I actually spent the most significant time at, was for children not available for adoption (age 4-12) -their families had limited resources but still wanted them- so they sent them there and were still able to see them once per month.

As for our timeline, we actually do have a 10 month old baby (biological) but the reason we are waiting to adopt the next one is because of financial reasons- we are going to try and purchase a home in the next year or so (currently renting our condo).     I was also wondering if not owning right now would be an obstacle in the process (?).  We also need to have a bit more savings for childcare, etc for #2.  My baby has had a lot of doctors/medical visits, so we really want to make sure we have enough resources for the next one also.  Otherwise, I am ready now  and would love to begin the process.   We are also looking at the birth order issue- we would also like to adopt an older child (3-7) and so we are talking about if we should wait until our baby is a little older or not. 

I think you are right about the timeline not being that much faster though.  I know since my husband is Peruvian it *should* be slightly faster, but I still think it will take a year or more.  So, we are discussing when to start. 

I definitely would appreciate your help in the future- I know you have a lot of knowledge to share.

I miss Peru so, so much.  We were going to go in February and still havent made it there- due to health issues/work/vacation time... I am hopeful that we will make it there in the fall or winter of this year.

If you need ANY contacts or helpful people/resources about Peru when you receive your referral (not sure how long you stay for)- I would be totally happy to help.  I know so many wonderful people there.  And I lived there for some time so I know my way around pretty well! 

Take Care!