Signing on the dotted line

Today was a big day for us: we became Olivia's legal guardians.

We braved the stifling heat of Bangkok to attend the interview with the Thai Family Ministry's board of review. We waited for a bit over an hour together with a probably 10-15 other families who were there for the same reason. Our contact person, Khun Toy, was again fabulous and made sure that everything went well and even found another office (of someone she knows there) for us to wait where there was some air conditioning.

The interview was a formal affair with a panel of about 8 people from different professions, bureaucrats, doctors, nurses, school teachers and the like. They called us Dr. Saunders and Dr. Meyer the whole time so it was difficult to stay serious... They asked about our path to adoption, our reasons for choosing Thailand, and about our plans for Olivia's future etc. We did not experience it as an inquisition, but neither did we feel that they treated the interview as a mere formality. None the less after only 10-15 min they approved our case. I think that the Thai system is very good in that they make a big effort to ensure the safety and future of the children in their new home.

Then Khun Toy drove us to the Danish Embassy - together with Dorthe, Henrik and their little Janus - to get the kid's immigration papers sorted - this was a mere formality but it still took some time. Then by the time we made it back to the hotel we all exhausted and Olivia was totally past it. We had to run our first emergency sleep routine with me doing laps of the apartment with her in the stroller screaming until she calmed down. It did not take too long actually and as the "normal" routine has been shot to pieces the past couple of days she has actually been a very tough girl.

Tomorrow it is rest day and then the big trip home. We are flying 0:30 (3:30 Bris. 19:30 DK) from Bangkok and land in Copenhagen 6:30 (14:30 in Brisbane). We have fingers and everything else crossed that Olivia sleeps most of the way...

We will miss Thailand: the warmth, the mangos, the tropical thunderstorms in the evening, the food, the fascinating language and the Thai people... but we are ready to go home!