The Court Jester

Maya with the judge - looking scared, with the judge's secretary - looking serious, with her Papa - looking happy and relieved (yay, you got me out of those crazy offices!!)

By the way, this is the finickity judge, who's tardiness has cost us an extra month in Mexico and about $2,500 of extra expenses. Should send her and our friend Solis a bill for financial and emotional distress...



Plan B. If all else fails.

Ahmed flew back to Tijuana (via US secondary inspection, same old questions, but wow, this time he didn't miss any flights!) for exactly 48 hours to make our much-longed-for court appearance. My mum has also just arrived from NZ for almost three weeks to make the stay here in Mexico more fun, be one of our witnesses, and hang out with our wee scallywag.

Ha ha. Our great court day turned out to be a farce, and found us (mum, Ahmed, Maya and me) driving away in various states of shock, disillusionment, anger. Actually Maya was just thinking:"Hmmm, where are these big people taking me now in this stinky hot car?? Get me out of here, let me play!!"

Due to our previous experience at the court hearings with other adopting families here, we believed that we trundled into court, with two witnesses and birth family, went into the judge's secretary's office to testify that we are who we say we are, we love our baby, we're ready to roll, all's well, let's get this show on the road. And an hour or so later, we all leave, and basically wait a week or so, and then get the final decree - the precious document that finalizes the adoption. That's how it's been for everybody else.

Aida had told us that our witnesses couldn't come in on the same day, so we'd have to ask the judge when we saw her. We imagined asking, and her saying, oh yeah, they can come tomorrow? Or something like that. Never assume.

So, we arrived and went into the judge's office, with mum as well. She would be the symbol of our loving extended family. She interviewed us and decided that Ahmed was a fit father as he was able to figure out how to get Maya out of the stroller. Yeah, that's a sure sign of decent parenting... She also commented on how important it was for grandparents and extended family to be part of family life. Yes, we agreed, and mentioned all the other extended family who'd visited already and for whom Maya was already a part of their lives. And then onto the question of witnesses and how much it meant to my mother to be one, and how she had to leave on the 12th November, so of course she would be able to witness for us. Ha ha, sticking point. Turns out court closes from 12th Dec - 5th Jan, and they're full up. Too busy, how about the witnesses and birth mother come in January??? Shocked silence.

We begged, Aida begged, and we now have a tentative date booked for mum to come in on 11th November, along with our friend Anna as the second witness. That will be if the petition is published in time, and if the secretary can squeeze us in among the hundreds of other hearings that day, and if the birth mother can come in then, and if, if, if.... All feels very precarious and iffy. Watch this space.