Nandini's Court Date
I know I haven't updated in about 10 days now, and trust me, I've got some really amazing things to do share (Noah said "I Love You" if that gives you a hint!), but we're getting ready to go into Dallas this morning for a doctor's appointment and I wanted to catch the "Prayer Warriors" bright and early. :-)
Our Scrutiny Case (for Nandini) goes before the judge in Pune tomorrow. Basically, it's a preliminary hearing where a social worker reviews our file and recommends our adoption (or not) to the judge. If the judge approves, then he sets a future date to review and (hopefully) award guardianship to us.
This is the deal, though:
1. The social work job is a poor-paid, entry-level job for recent college grads. There's a high turnover rate, so a lot of the time the report isn't ready for the court date. If not, it has to be rescheduled.
2. Even if the report is ready, most of the time, the judge calls in sick or takes a vacation day. I'm not joking. It's not uncommon for a case to go before a judge multiple times.
3. Even if the report is ready and the judge is there, the stenographer is absent. It's a high-turnover job, too, and they've had a lot of stenographer problems this year.
So.... if all three conditions are met tomorrow, the judge can approve our case to be reviewed in about a month's time for verbal guardianship. After guardianship, we wait about 2 weeks for the case to be written up and sent to the U.S. Then, we wait another 2 months for immigration clearance and for Nandini's passport and U.S. visa to be issued. Then, travel!
But, here's the thing. The judge is QUITTING! We don't know when and once he does, it usually takes weeks before a new judge comes on board. That judge may or may not know about adoptions, may have to go through a significant learning curve, and may be anti-adoption. We know a family that went through FOUR judges before they got approved. So, if our judge approves the Scrutiny Report, we're praying that he awards guardianship BEFORE he leaves and doesn't just say, "Hey, I can't be bothered. We'll wait until the new guy comes in". If that happens, then we have to start completely over because new judges won't accept rulings that were made under old judges.
So, basically, we're praying that the Scrutiny Report gets passed (for us and Kristin V's family, who are also going before the judge tomorrow) and that the judge sets a date and awards guardianship before he leaves. The difference is that Nandini could come home in November or December vs. April or May. True, in the end, it's just 6 months difference, but that's huge in the life of a child - especially one who has never known the love of a mother and father.
Anyway, if any of you could spare a prayer today, that would be great. Pune is 10 1/2 hours a head of us, so the decision will most likely be made while we're all sleeping tonight. We probably won't find out the decision until Friday.
I'll try to update you all on the wonderful Noah miracles later on today (although there is nothing miraculous about him being up since 3:00 in the morning!! Ugh... do you have any idea how much money a month we spend on coffee??)
Have a good week!
Noah's Mom
Our Scrutiny Case (for Nandini) goes before the judge in Pune tomorrow. Basically, it's a preliminary hearing where a social worker reviews our file and recommends our adoption (or not) to the judge. If the judge approves, then he sets a future date to review and (hopefully) award guardianship to us.
This is the deal, though:
1. The social work job is a poor-paid, entry-level job for recent college grads. There's a high turnover rate, so a lot of the time the report isn't ready for the court date. If not, it has to be rescheduled.
2. Even if the report is ready, most of the time, the judge calls in sick or takes a vacation day. I'm not joking. It's not uncommon for a case to go before a judge multiple times.
3. Even if the report is ready and the judge is there, the stenographer is absent. It's a high-turnover job, too, and they've had a lot of stenographer problems this year.
So.... if all three conditions are met tomorrow, the judge can approve our case to be reviewed in about a month's time for verbal guardianship. After guardianship, we wait about 2 weeks for the case to be written up and sent to the U.S. Then, we wait another 2 months for immigration clearance and for Nandini's passport and U.S. visa to be issued. Then, travel!
But, here's the thing. The judge is QUITTING! We don't know when and once he does, it usually takes weeks before a new judge comes on board. That judge may or may not know about adoptions, may have to go through a significant learning curve, and may be anti-adoption. We know a family that went through FOUR judges before they got approved. So, if our judge approves the Scrutiny Report, we're praying that he awards guardianship BEFORE he leaves and doesn't just say, "Hey, I can't be bothered. We'll wait until the new guy comes in". If that happens, then we have to start completely over because new judges won't accept rulings that were made under old judges.
So, basically, we're praying that the Scrutiny Report gets passed (for us and Kristin V's family, who are also going before the judge tomorrow) and that the judge sets a date and awards guardianship before he leaves. The difference is that Nandini could come home in November or December vs. April or May. True, in the end, it's just 6 months difference, but that's huge in the life of a child - especially one who has never known the love of a mother and father.
Anyway, if any of you could spare a prayer today, that would be great. Pune is 10 1/2 hours a head of us, so the decision will most likely be made while we're all sleeping tonight. We probably won't find out the decision until Friday.
I'll try to update you all on the wonderful Noah miracles later on today (although there is nothing miraculous about him being up since 3:00 in the morning!! Ugh... do you have any idea how much money a month we spend on coffee??)
Have a good week!
Noah's Mom
Comments
I am praying hard for you all! I say, start getting Nandini's Christmas stocking ready ;)
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