Article 5 letter to be issued tomorrow!!!

Hello, everyone,
I'd like to share that Toni had the Article 5 interview for our boys today, and the priceless letter will be issued tomorrow. With this stage now completed, all the U.S.-related steps are done--and maximilian and Philip are almost home!!! Yes, the crucial stage is the court approval--but the Bulgarian authorities seem to have a very friendly approach towards international adoptions. . . and we have the best, most dedicated lawyer in the whole wide world: Toni (Antonia) Vladimirova!

In other words, even though those precious court decrees are still missing, yestrday was the day when for the first time I can think of Maximilian and Philip as my sons not only with my heart but also with my mind. For the rest of my family, there were no reservations at all from the very beginning--but I'm kind of an owl, fearing some bad news any moment. Even during my first trip, although in all those pictures and videos you can see the complete bonding and the magic of those unforgettable moments, still deep inside me I was haunted by the terror that something could go wrong in the end. Finally, yesterday I could feel much more at ease.

The waiting time for that e-mail from Toni was horrible. We were all on pins and needless, with our hearts pounding out of control as if about to burst out of our chests, our airways tightening up, and the feeling that our knees were reqdy to give in.

Actually, I gave some extra work to my knees as in the early morning I did part of my typing for a motion for a client kneeling at my computer desk. I feel badly not to have been unable to keep kneeling all the time-but must confess that when the pain became more than what I could tolerate, I'd grab my chair and contine in a normal sitting position.

Our agony was finally over when at 11:23 a.m. we got the expected e-mail from Toni: The interview had gone through all right, they seemed to remember our family from Stephen's adoption, and the Article 5 Letter would be issued the next day!!!

Thank You, Our Lord, His Blessed Mother, St. Anthony, St. Jude, St. Gerard, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and all the saints--including the saintly souls of those from our family who were already called to the Eternal Land. Actually, a few days ago, on Father's Day, I was thinking about the miracle of that dream back June of 2008, in which my Dad, who passed away in 1993, was ringing the bell, carrying Thomas and Nicholas--one in each of his arms. Something seemingly unsolvable had happen at the U.S. Consulate in Port-au-Prince. My Dad told me in that unforgettable dream that he had gone to Haiti himself in order to bring them home to all of us. As I had tried to hug my Dad one last time, he had vanished--but the very day after the problem had been mysteriously solved. Within one week the visas had been issued and I was purchasing the airplane tickets to bring Thomas and Nicholas home. Last Sunday I asked my Dad to intercede one more time before the Almighty--for Maximilian and Philip now. Things looked much better than they did for Thomas and Nicholas back in 2008--but when it comes to adoption it's impossible to avoid worrying until the little ones are actually home.

My Dad, Armando C.E. Godone-Signanini

My Mom had been praying, and praying, and praying. After the joy of the good news, towards the evening she started not feeling well. It was the result of the anxiety--the result of so much love.

Please pray for her. Her name is Nydia Soracco-Godone. Thank you all.