Happy Memorial Day to all of my fellow Americans! Do you have any special plans for today?
Love,
Reese <3
Monday, May 28, 2012
More About Emma and Happy Memorial Day!
Hi everyone, it's Reese! I have more information about our new sister, Emma Grace. (Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but we've been busy getting to know our new sister!) Because Emma is so shy, she doesn't reveal much to us. I think that she is afraid to trust people. None the less, Emma is an amazing artist, she loves to read, and is also great at baking! Yesterday afternoon, Emma went outside with her dog Jip and her sketch pad. Here are a few photos that mom took:
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Emma's Here!
Hi everyone, it's Reese, back on the east coast! I am so excited to tell you that Emma is here, alive, and well! The adoption was a success, so please welcome my new sister, Emma Grace!
Okay, so now that you know our happy ending, I'll tell you about the logistics of our happy day. At 8:00 a.m. this morning, we helped Emma pack and she said her goodbyes to Ben and the orphanage workers. I could tell she was already going to miss them.
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| Here's a quick picture of pretty Emma. |
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| Emma and Isabella became great friends right away. |
At 9:30, we arrived at the Seattle Airport. We boarded a flight at 10:30. However, because of a long delay, we didn't leave until 11:30. Right now, we all are jet-lagged and just got home.
I'll have more on Emma soon!
Love,
Reese <3
Monday, May 21, 2012
Fighting for Emma Part 6
Hi everyone, it's Reese! I have some amazing news to share today! It's official- we will be adopting Emma! Yesterday we had a five hour meeting. (Yes, I know, there are lots of meetings involved with adoptions.) Notice the word "we"? Yes, my sisters, myself, and Emma received permission to attend this meeting!
The first woman I saw upon walking in the door was one whose face I knew well, from descriptions and photos. I never thought I would see this woman again. Emma froze and we surrounded her for protection. It was Lucy.
There, sitting in metal handcuffs was Lucy Shields, Emma's former guardian. Our first instinct was to immediately leave the room. However, that was not an option. Guards were stationed at the door and near Lucy. No one was going anywhere.
"Hello my dear Emma." Lucy said with a cold tone.
"I'm far from dear to you, nor do I want to be!" Emma replied, her voice rising with anger like a train gaining speed.
I knew this terrible woman well from photos and descriptions. Her blond hair looked like it had not been washed in weeks. The smell of stale alcohol and heavy perfume lingered around the small stuffy room. Lucy's blue eyes looked at us, seeming to investigate whether we could or should be trusted.
Our parents sat calmly a few feet away from Lucy. They were not panicking. No, they did not even muster a word. They only sat there and rifled through forms and papers.
Meanwhile, Emma was panicking. She began to back towards the door when a police officer gently laid a hand on her.
"It's alright, Em girl. Nothing's going to happen."
I could see it as soon as I looked at the police officer. His narrow build. The caramel-colored hair with traces of blonde. But most of all were his blue eyes. This was Emma's father, Ben Shields.
Emma had told us that she did not know where her father was. That he had abandoned her and her mother at a very early age. That she thought that she would never see him again. But now, standing behind her, this tall, handsome man had returned.
Emma almost screamed when he first laid a gentle hand upon her. When she finally realized who this middle-aged man was, she took a step closer to him, and was immediately engulfed in a hug.
"Em girl, how I missed you." He said with a loving tone as he gazed downward.
Emma backed off slowly as her eyes narrowed.
"Where have you been?" Emma asked, her blue eyes looking angry and sad.
Nothing was said at first. Ben Shields carefully took Emma's left hand in his and sat her down in a folding chair. That's when the story begins.
Ten years ago, when Emma was merely five years old, Ben went to Rhode Island to pursue a college degree with the police. Relatives of his lived there and the school was very close to there (I can't say the location.). Without wanting to upset anyone with this decision, he plotted every move strategically and left at midnight on a warm August night. The next day, Emma's mother went slightly insane. When she looked for Ben but could not find him, she gave up. She did not look for him. She did not bother to call him. She sank into a dark, deep pit of depression. Eventually, many weeks later, when Emma was six, she would commit suicide. At the age of six years old, Emma took over the home and somehow managed for three years. The next year, Ben returned.
By this point, Lucy was Emma's legal guardian, but she had not been abusing her yet. It was agreed that no one would tell Emma of the returning of her father. Lucy threatened that if he dared tell Emma of his return, he would never be given custody. It was declared by the court that when Emma turned sixteen, he would receive custody of her.
Emma turns fifteen tomorrow, May 22. If Lucy's abusive guardianship had not been found out about, she would still be living there. However, in this case, if we were not adopting Emma, she would be in the orphanage. By technical means, Ben could still take Emma and fight for her. Because he is her biological father, the odds of him receiving custody would be high. However, the odds changed this time.
When my mother found out about Emma's situation from the adoption agency that she works for, she immediately wanted to help. It was not until about a month later, when Emma was placed in an orphanage, that the thought of adoption came about. The first person Kara located and spoke with was Ben, whom granted permission for the adoption. However, the orphanage proposed a problem. They required that Emma stay in the orphanage two weeks after her arrival before adoption began to be talked about, and an additional two weeks of processing and forms. (Unlike most orphanages, this is a very short amount of time. Due to Emma's abusive situation, she was hospitalized for three days before arriving at the orphanage.)
For signatures and most of the paperwork, both of my parents had to present in Washington. This led to us traveling to Washington State to fill out forms and attempt an earlier adoption date. Now, today, and for the past three days, we have been in meetings and been discussing all of the things associated with the adoption.
Ben and Lucy Shields were both required to be present here for verbal agreement of the adoption. (Yes, I do realize that Lucy is supposed to be in prison, but she was allowed out only for this.) This is why this second to last meeting was five hours long. Upon receiving permission and custody agreements from Ben, Lucy succumbed and agreed as well. With many signatures and meetings, the adoption was complete and official. We are now the official legal guardians of Emma.
Now I am going to speak about the events that occurred today. Our side of the story is pretty boring. From about 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., we did schoolwork. I finished my History essay, and everyone else finished their schoolwork as well. (With being absent for almost a week, we took the work with us.) At noon, we met Ben and Emma at a 50's style diner about an hour drive from the hotel. There we stayed and ate until 2 p.m.. At this point, Ben had to go back to work. Knowing that tomorrow would be the last time seeing his daughter for a long time, he decided to take off the day and spend it with Emma. They went all around Washington until 9 p.m. when he dropped off Emma at the orphanage again until tomorrow.
We booked a nine hour flight back home for tomorrow, May 22. We will be meeting Emma at the orphanage at 8 a.m.. Emma will say her goodbyes, gather her belongings, and we are due at the Seattle airport at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. flight. I'll let you know how everything goes tomorrow.
I'm so excited!
Love,
Reese <3
The first woman I saw upon walking in the door was one whose face I knew well, from descriptions and photos. I never thought I would see this woman again. Emma froze and we surrounded her for protection. It was Lucy.
There, sitting in metal handcuffs was Lucy Shields, Emma's former guardian. Our first instinct was to immediately leave the room. However, that was not an option. Guards were stationed at the door and near Lucy. No one was going anywhere.
"Hello my dear Emma." Lucy said with a cold tone.
"I'm far from dear to you, nor do I want to be!" Emma replied, her voice rising with anger like a train gaining speed.
I knew this terrible woman well from photos and descriptions. Her blond hair looked like it had not been washed in weeks. The smell of stale alcohol and heavy perfume lingered around the small stuffy room. Lucy's blue eyes looked at us, seeming to investigate whether we could or should be trusted.
Our parents sat calmly a few feet away from Lucy. They were not panicking. No, they did not even muster a word. They only sat there and rifled through forms and papers.
Meanwhile, Emma was panicking. She began to back towards the door when a police officer gently laid a hand on her.
"It's alright, Em girl. Nothing's going to happen."
I could see it as soon as I looked at the police officer. His narrow build. The caramel-colored hair with traces of blonde. But most of all were his blue eyes. This was Emma's father, Ben Shields.
Emma had told us that she did not know where her father was. That he had abandoned her and her mother at a very early age. That she thought that she would never see him again. But now, standing behind her, this tall, handsome man had returned.
Emma almost screamed when he first laid a gentle hand upon her. When she finally realized who this middle-aged man was, she took a step closer to him, and was immediately engulfed in a hug.
"Em girl, how I missed you." He said with a loving tone as he gazed downward.
Emma backed off slowly as her eyes narrowed.
"Where have you been?" Emma asked, her blue eyes looking angry and sad.
Nothing was said at first. Ben Shields carefully took Emma's left hand in his and sat her down in a folding chair. That's when the story begins.
Ten years ago, when Emma was merely five years old, Ben went to Rhode Island to pursue a college degree with the police. Relatives of his lived there and the school was very close to there (I can't say the location.). Without wanting to upset anyone with this decision, he plotted every move strategically and left at midnight on a warm August night. The next day, Emma's mother went slightly insane. When she looked for Ben but could not find him, she gave up. She did not look for him. She did not bother to call him. She sank into a dark, deep pit of depression. Eventually, many weeks later, when Emma was six, she would commit suicide. At the age of six years old, Emma took over the home and somehow managed for three years. The next year, Ben returned.
By this point, Lucy was Emma's legal guardian, but she had not been abusing her yet. It was agreed that no one would tell Emma of the returning of her father. Lucy threatened that if he dared tell Emma of his return, he would never be given custody. It was declared by the court that when Emma turned sixteen, he would receive custody of her.
Emma turns fifteen tomorrow, May 22. If Lucy's abusive guardianship had not been found out about, she would still be living there. However, in this case, if we were not adopting Emma, she would be in the orphanage. By technical means, Ben could still take Emma and fight for her. Because he is her biological father, the odds of him receiving custody would be high. However, the odds changed this time.
When my mother found out about Emma's situation from the adoption agency that she works for, she immediately wanted to help. It was not until about a month later, when Emma was placed in an orphanage, that the thought of adoption came about. The first person Kara located and spoke with was Ben, whom granted permission for the adoption. However, the orphanage proposed a problem. They required that Emma stay in the orphanage two weeks after her arrival before adoption began to be talked about, and an additional two weeks of processing and forms. (Unlike most orphanages, this is a very short amount of time. Due to Emma's abusive situation, she was hospitalized for three days before arriving at the orphanage.)
For signatures and most of the paperwork, both of my parents had to present in Washington. This led to us traveling to Washington State to fill out forms and attempt an earlier adoption date. Now, today, and for the past three days, we have been in meetings and been discussing all of the things associated with the adoption.
Ben and Lucy Shields were both required to be present here for verbal agreement of the adoption. (Yes, I do realize that Lucy is supposed to be in prison, but she was allowed out only for this.) This is why this second to last meeting was five hours long. Upon receiving permission and custody agreements from Ben, Lucy succumbed and agreed as well. With many signatures and meetings, the adoption was complete and official. We are now the official legal guardians of Emma.
Now I am going to speak about the events that occurred today. Our side of the story is pretty boring. From about 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., we did schoolwork. I finished my History essay, and everyone else finished their schoolwork as well. (With being absent for almost a week, we took the work with us.) At noon, we met Ben and Emma at a 50's style diner about an hour drive from the hotel. There we stayed and ate until 2 p.m.. At this point, Ben had to go back to work. Knowing that tomorrow would be the last time seeing his daughter for a long time, he decided to take off the day and spend it with Emma. They went all around Washington until 9 p.m. when he dropped off Emma at the orphanage again until tomorrow.
We booked a nine hour flight back home for tomorrow, May 22. We will be meeting Emma at the orphanage at 8 a.m.. Emma will say her goodbyes, gather her belongings, and we are due at the Seattle airport at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. flight. I'll let you know how everything goes tomorrow.
I'm so excited!
Love,
Reese <3
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Fighting for Emma Part 5
Hi everyone, it's Reese! Today we had a four hour meeting beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the orphanage. Basically, us "kids" (me, Nellie, Samantha, Isabella, and Emma) weren't allowed in. We wanted to go back to the hotel, but my mom wouldn't let us. Today, we spent four unsupervised hours with Emma.
At 9:05 this morning, my mom and dad went into a secluded room to speak with the adoption agents, Emma's social worker, and a few employees from the orphanage. Meanwhile, my sisters and I were hanging out with Emma. One thing that you should know is that Emma is really shy. She doesn't talk very much either. I understand though; when I first arrived in December, I was that way too. I hope that Emma will eventually become more comfortable around us. Emma is one of the prettiest girls I know. She has long brown hair, aqua eyes, and a heart-shaped, very thin face.
Emma is very into acting and becoming a pediatrician. She is also an amazing artist. Emma very reluctantly showed us her sacred copy of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The pages were worn, so I could tell that she had read the book many, many times. I knew that we would have to get her some more books as well. The only other things that Emma owns are a golden locket and a teddy bear. She seemed very attached to these three things.
I spoke to her about the drama program at our school. In the fall, Emma will definitely be a part of the show. I'm so glad to have another girl who is so interested in the theater. My friends have tried the theater before. Personally, I have never been into the theater, but when I saw our school's spring musical, I definitely want to be in the shows.
Here's what my parents found out in the meeting:
WE WILL BE ADOPTING EMMA! (well, 99% sure) The orphanage is allowing the adoption; however, we will be visited by Emma's social service worker six times in 2012. This is to make sure everything is going smoothly. We all know that my family would never try to hurt anyone, but I suppose they just want to be sure.
The earliest we can adopt Emma is May 22. This is not until Tuesday. Because of this, we have a problem. You see, I live on the east coast of the United States. Washington is on the other side of the country. We could either:
1. Go back home until Tuesday. However, for the adoption to take place, we all need to be present. This would also increase costs in plane tickets and hotel rates. We can't stay in the hotel for so long though. We only brought enough clothing to last for a few days. No one wants to constantly wear the same clothing.
2. Stay in Washington until Tuesday. Like I mentioned above, this would increase our hotel rates and we don't have enough clothing packed. There might be a hold on adopting Emma as well. This means that we may not be able to adopt Emma on Tuesday, and it might take a little longer.
What do you think we should do?
Well, that's about all I can write for tonight. It's getting late, and we are seeing Emma again tomorrow.
Love,
Reese <3
At 9:05 this morning, my mom and dad went into a secluded room to speak with the adoption agents, Emma's social worker, and a few employees from the orphanage. Meanwhile, my sisters and I were hanging out with Emma. One thing that you should know is that Emma is really shy. She doesn't talk very much either. I understand though; when I first arrived in December, I was that way too. I hope that Emma will eventually become more comfortable around us. Emma is one of the prettiest girls I know. She has long brown hair, aqua eyes, and a heart-shaped, very thin face.
Emma is very into acting and becoming a pediatrician. She is also an amazing artist. Emma very reluctantly showed us her sacred copy of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The pages were worn, so I could tell that she had read the book many, many times. I knew that we would have to get her some more books as well. The only other things that Emma owns are a golden locket and a teddy bear. She seemed very attached to these three things.
I spoke to her about the drama program at our school. In the fall, Emma will definitely be a part of the show. I'm so glad to have another girl who is so interested in the theater. My friends have tried the theater before. Personally, I have never been into the theater, but when I saw our school's spring musical, I definitely want to be in the shows.
Here's what my parents found out in the meeting:
WE WILL BE ADOPTING EMMA! (well, 99% sure) The orphanage is allowing the adoption; however, we will be visited by Emma's social service worker six times in 2012. This is to make sure everything is going smoothly. We all know that my family would never try to hurt anyone, but I suppose they just want to be sure.
The earliest we can adopt Emma is May 22. This is not until Tuesday. Because of this, we have a problem. You see, I live on the east coast of the United States. Washington is on the other side of the country. We could either:
1. Go back home until Tuesday. However, for the adoption to take place, we all need to be present. This would also increase costs in plane tickets and hotel rates. We can't stay in the hotel for so long though. We only brought enough clothing to last for a few days. No one wants to constantly wear the same clothing.
2. Stay in Washington until Tuesday. Like I mentioned above, this would increase our hotel rates and we don't have enough clothing packed. There might be a hold on adopting Emma as well. This means that we may not be able to adopt Emma on Tuesday, and it might take a little longer.
What do you think we should do?
Well, that's about all I can write for tonight. It's getting late, and we are seeing Emma again tomorrow.
Love,
Reese <3
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Fighting for Emma Part 4
Hi everyone, it's Reese! Right at this very moment, I am in Washington State with Isabella, Samantha, and Nellie. We decided to fly out to Seattle earlier than expected. (We all decided to bring our schoolwork with us. Yes, it is unpleasant, but I got most of it completed on the plane. Samantha still hasn't started hers, but we all have a History report to write.) We contacted the airline, and apparently, a few people who had bought tickets did not need them anymore, so we got three free tickets, and space on a plane to fly to Seattle. When we reached Seattle at about 6:00 a.m. this morning, we drove three hours to where the adoption agency is located.
It was rather last-minute that we decided to fly to Washington before this weekend. On Wednesday, my dad was on the phone with my mom. According to my mom, the two week period (the time that the orphanage requires before adoption) is almost up. More specifically, the two week period will end on May 21st. The soonest we would be able to adopt Emma would be on May 22nd, her 15th birthday. Anyways, my parents want to adopt Emma as soon as possible to get her into a more friendly and less stressful environment.
Do you remember when I told you that the orphanage had reported some sightings of people asking for Emma and lurking around? We have more information on that as well. We now know for a fact that these people are working for Lucy. We have no idea how she was able to hire or force these people to work for her, but she's still in prison. Since her trial involved attempted murder, it occurred yesterday, May 16th. She was found guilty. However, she will not be killed. Instead, she is being transported to a high security prison (they didn't tell us the name) not in the United States.
The orphanage caught one of these people working for Emma. When a worker went into the room where Emma and a few other girls sleep, a young woman, in her late teens, was peering into the window. They called the police immediately. The police forced this girl to confess that she was working for Lucy in an attempt to kill Emma.
I'm not sure how they will get rid of these people. It scares me that these people could still kill Emma, despite the fact that the police know who they are.
Now that we are in Washington, we had a two hour meeting with Emma, some of the adoption agency workers, Emma's social service worker, a few orphanage workers, and of course, my family. My family and I thoroughly expressed how much we would love to make Emma a part of our family. My sisters and I showed identification and babysitting reviews from people who we have babysat. My parents showed identification and their records. I have no idea if they trust us or not. They told us to come back tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. to have a four hour meeting, with a lunch break where it will only be me, my sisters, and Emma. I'm not sure what to think of the lunch. I'm not sure if I should be nervous or excited. What do you think?
Love,
Reese <3
Monday, May 14, 2012
Fighting for Emma Part 3
Hi everyone, it's Reese! I have some Emma news to share (yes, I do realize that I blog about this a lot, but now it's getting exciting!). Do you remember how I told you that my mom was flying to Washington? Well, she left around 4 a.m. this morning.
It was 3:30 a.m. in the morning and everyone was asleep. I was awaken by the sound of a crash. At this point, I was scared, so I hopped out of bed, taking my trusty unicorn pillow pet, and hurried into the kitchen where the noise came from. Standing in business attire was my mother, who looked distressed as she cleaned coffee from the white tile floor. As she looked up to put the coffee pot in the sink, she noticed me standing in the doorway and almost dropped the coffee pot again.
"Good morning Ree. Did I wake you up?"
"Yes, kinda." I replied, trying to avoid being mean, but also being honest.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." My mom said as I was engulfed in a hug. At that very moment, my unicorn fell into the coffee puddle, and now has a brown stain on its muzzle. (That's okay though, because I love my unicorn.)
"Are you going on the flight today?"
"Yes, I was just about to leave."
I notice a medium-sized duffle bag near the front door, accompanied with a large suitcase and my mom's briefcase.
"Okay, well, can you see Emma today?" I inquire.
"Most likely not." My mother replies, and picks her travel mug overflowing with decaf coffee.
My dad shows up in the doorway, wearing plaid pajama bottoms, and looking extremely groggy compared to my mom.
"Goodbye love." He says to my mom as her ushers her to the door.
"Love you Ree, and you." She says with a laugh, picking up the briefcase.
"See you on Saturday mom."
"Bye Reese, say goodbye to your sisters for me." She replies, then walks out the door and starts her car.
At this point, my dad looks at me and says,
"Let's head back to bed, shall we Reese's?" He chuckles, using his special nickname for me.
"We shall." I reply, and we walk down the hallway together, only parting when I reach my bedroom.
The next part of our story comes later that evening, around 6 p.m. I am typing up a Global report for school when a Skype call comes in.
"It's mom!" Isabella yells.
"I'll answer."
Over a camera, our mom tells us that she indeed did see Emma today, around 2:00 p.m. Here's what we know now.
The orphanage is willing to let Emma go early, but only if we can prove that we are adequate caregivers for Emma. Despite my mother's pleas, we all will have to fly out to Washington this weekend. Because of this, my mom will stay in Washington, and me, my dad, Isabella, Samantha, and Nellie will meet her there on Friday, late at night.
The earliest we could adopt Emma would be on Sunday, May 20. My dad promised me not to worry about all of this legal stuff, but it's hard not to when even your parents are worrying.
My mom also got to have one hour of a supervised visit with Emma. From what my mom told us, CPS was right. Emma is extremely petite and has a worried nature to her. Emma is very shy and usually has very limited responses, even when she is questioned. If the name Lucy is mentioned, Emma grabs onto the handles of a chair and freezes. It is as if she is blind to the world and is trying to put a wall in between to protect herself. Considering what Emma has been through, this doesn't surprise me at all. She is unwilling to trust anyone except her service worker, and she is even lenient about that. We now have a more detailed visual description as well- Emma has very light skin, caramel-colored brown hair, large aqua-colored eyes, and a thin, heart-shaped face. She is fourteen years old, but she turns fifteen on May 22.
Do you remember how Lucy still wants revenge on Emma? Apparently, she is locked up, but the orphanage has reported some people lurking around and asking for Emma. I have a strong gut feeling that Lucy has something to do with these people, and I don't like it one bit. The orphanage has not let them in, but that doesn't stop them from constantly surrounding the building. My mom had to show proof that she is working with the adoption agency to even be allowed in the office. In the visit with Emma, many guards surrounded both my mom and Emma.
My mom is staying in Washington all week, so we will hopefully have some new information throughout the week to share.
I know that Emma is somewhat safe in the orphanage, but she will have to go to school soon. Going to school also means going outside, and being in public all day long. I'm worried that one of these people may attempt to hurt Emma. I don't know what to make of this situation. Poor Emma! She's only fourteen, but this is a ton for anyone to handle.
Love,
Reese <3
It was 3:30 a.m. in the morning and everyone was asleep. I was awaken by the sound of a crash. At this point, I was scared, so I hopped out of bed, taking my trusty unicorn pillow pet, and hurried into the kitchen where the noise came from. Standing in business attire was my mother, who looked distressed as she cleaned coffee from the white tile floor. As she looked up to put the coffee pot in the sink, she noticed me standing in the doorway and almost dropped the coffee pot again.
"Good morning Ree. Did I wake you up?"
"Yes, kinda." I replied, trying to avoid being mean, but also being honest.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry." My mom said as I was engulfed in a hug. At that very moment, my unicorn fell into the coffee puddle, and now has a brown stain on its muzzle. (That's okay though, because I love my unicorn.)
"Are you going on the flight today?"
"Yes, I was just about to leave."
I notice a medium-sized duffle bag near the front door, accompanied with a large suitcase and my mom's briefcase.
"Okay, well, can you see Emma today?" I inquire.
"Most likely not." My mother replies, and picks her travel mug overflowing with decaf coffee.
My dad shows up in the doorway, wearing plaid pajama bottoms, and looking extremely groggy compared to my mom.
"Goodbye love." He says to my mom as her ushers her to the door.
"Love you Ree, and you." She says with a laugh, picking up the briefcase.
"See you on Saturday mom."
"Bye Reese, say goodbye to your sisters for me." She replies, then walks out the door and starts her car.
At this point, my dad looks at me and says,
"Let's head back to bed, shall we Reese's?" He chuckles, using his special nickname for me.
"We shall." I reply, and we walk down the hallway together, only parting when I reach my bedroom.
The next part of our story comes later that evening, around 6 p.m. I am typing up a Global report for school when a Skype call comes in.
"It's mom!" Isabella yells.
"I'll answer."
Over a camera, our mom tells us that she indeed did see Emma today, around 2:00 p.m. Here's what we know now.
The orphanage is willing to let Emma go early, but only if we can prove that we are adequate caregivers for Emma. Despite my mother's pleas, we all will have to fly out to Washington this weekend. Because of this, my mom will stay in Washington, and me, my dad, Isabella, Samantha, and Nellie will meet her there on Friday, late at night.
The earliest we could adopt Emma would be on Sunday, May 20. My dad promised me not to worry about all of this legal stuff, but it's hard not to when even your parents are worrying.
My mom also got to have one hour of a supervised visit with Emma. From what my mom told us, CPS was right. Emma is extremely petite and has a worried nature to her. Emma is very shy and usually has very limited responses, even when she is questioned. If the name Lucy is mentioned, Emma grabs onto the handles of a chair and freezes. It is as if she is blind to the world and is trying to put a wall in between to protect herself. Considering what Emma has been through, this doesn't surprise me at all. She is unwilling to trust anyone except her service worker, and she is even lenient about that. We now have a more detailed visual description as well- Emma has very light skin, caramel-colored brown hair, large aqua-colored eyes, and a thin, heart-shaped face. She is fourteen years old, but she turns fifteen on May 22.
Do you remember how Lucy still wants revenge on Emma? Apparently, she is locked up, but the orphanage has reported some people lurking around and asking for Emma. I have a strong gut feeling that Lucy has something to do with these people, and I don't like it one bit. The orphanage has not let them in, but that doesn't stop them from constantly surrounding the building. My mom had to show proof that she is working with the adoption agency to even be allowed in the office. In the visit with Emma, many guards surrounded both my mom and Emma.
My mom is staying in Washington all week, so we will hopefully have some new information throughout the week to share.
I know that Emma is somewhat safe in the orphanage, but she will have to go to school soon. Going to school also means going outside, and being in public all day long. I'm worried that one of these people may attempt to hurt Emma. I don't know what to make of this situation. Poor Emma! She's only fourteen, but this is a ton for anyone to handle.
Love,
Reese <3
Monday, May 7, 2012
Fighting for Emma Part 2
Hi everyone, it's Reese! I have some really great news and some terrible news to share today about Emma. If you remember, my last post about Emma was on April 25. That was two weeks ago. In Fighting for Emma Part 1, I told you that Lucy was abusing Emma. During this time, the agency only told us one thing- Lucy was still trying to find a way to kill Emma and make it appear as if she didn't do it. For two weeks, we've been worried sick that Emma is getting hurt. Badly hurt. Today, my mom let us in on some new information from the police. Here's the situation.
My mother contacted the adoption agency and CPS on April 26 about our theories confirming the ideas that Emma is being mistreated. I can't go into all of the specifics here and now, because my mom wouldn't tell us. She told us that it was much too violent for us to hear about. None the less, read on, because they believed us. We got a few of Emma's teachers to contact CPS as well. Luckily, we were able to catch Lucy in the act.
In turn, the adoption agency and CPS immediately contacted the police. This, however, turned out to be difficult due to the fact that Emma lives on the other side of the country in Washington State. I live extremely far away. However, my very close friend Emery lives in Seattle. I immediately e-mailed Emery and told her about the entire situation. She contacted the police, and found out that Emma lives about 50 miles south of Seattle in a small, poor neighborhood. The police caught Lucy in the act as she was holding a knife to Emma's throat and had her pinned to the ground. From what we've been told, Emma was badly injured and was hospitalized. The police had Lucy arrested and put in jail. She is currently awaiting a trial. If she is found to be guilty, she will be put to death. According to the police, Lucy swore revenge on Emma. I only hope that she can be held responsible for the terrible things she did!
You may be wondering, "What happened to Emma?" Well, that's what I'm about to talk about.
Emma is currently in an orphanage. From what CPS told us, Emma is still recovering, but she could not afford to stay in the hospital more than the time that she needed. My mom plans to fly to Washington next week, and that's hopefully when our next update will come.
We are definitely looking into adopting Emma as soon as we can. However, the orphanage is proving to make this difficult. They will not let her out of the orphanage until two weeks after she arrived. That's not until about the middle/end of May. We do not want Emma trapped there. That's why my mom's going to Washington next week- to try to adopt Emma sooner.
That's all we know for now. Pretty intense, huh? I'm so worried for Emma, but I'm relieved that Lucy didn't kill her. None the less, she wants revenge. I'm so worried!
Love,
Reese <3
My mother contacted the adoption agency and CPS on April 26 about our theories confirming the ideas that Emma is being mistreated. I can't go into all of the specifics here and now, because my mom wouldn't tell us. She told us that it was much too violent for us to hear about. None the less, read on, because they believed us. We got a few of Emma's teachers to contact CPS as well. Luckily, we were able to catch Lucy in the act.
In turn, the adoption agency and CPS immediately contacted the police. This, however, turned out to be difficult due to the fact that Emma lives on the other side of the country in Washington State. I live extremely far away. However, my very close friend Emery lives in Seattle. I immediately e-mailed Emery and told her about the entire situation. She contacted the police, and found out that Emma lives about 50 miles south of Seattle in a small, poor neighborhood. The police caught Lucy in the act as she was holding a knife to Emma's throat and had her pinned to the ground. From what we've been told, Emma was badly injured and was hospitalized. The police had Lucy arrested and put in jail. She is currently awaiting a trial. If she is found to be guilty, she will be put to death. According to the police, Lucy swore revenge on Emma. I only hope that she can be held responsible for the terrible things she did!
You may be wondering, "What happened to Emma?" Well, that's what I'm about to talk about.
Emma is currently in an orphanage. From what CPS told us, Emma is still recovering, but she could not afford to stay in the hospital more than the time that she needed. My mom plans to fly to Washington next week, and that's hopefully when our next update will come.
We are definitely looking into adopting Emma as soon as we can. However, the orphanage is proving to make this difficult. They will not let her out of the orphanage until two weeks after she arrived. That's not until about the middle/end of May. We do not want Emma trapped there. That's why my mom's going to Washington next week- to try to adopt Emma sooner.
That's all we know for now. Pretty intense, huh? I'm so worried for Emma, but I'm relieved that Lucy didn't kill her. None the less, she wants revenge. I'm so worried!
Love,
Reese <3
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
A Combination of Things: dolls, games, food, dance, renovations, and friendships!
Hi everyone, it's Reese! I'm sorry that I've been kind of absent from blogging for a while. Our house is getting re-done and the workers are in here a lot. I don't have much time to blog, but the time is increasing. Oh and you'll see more about the renovations at the end of this post. :) This blog post is going to be about a wide variety of things, and it will be very long.
First of all, Samantha had one of her last dance competitions of the season on Saturday. I took these pictures right before she left to go to the studio.
Secondly, on Saturday, mom made all of us a big lunch. I had pancakes with a yogurt and a strawberry smoothie. (Yes, I do realize that this isn't very, er, lunch-y. I had a pancake craving, what can I say?) Isabella had a turkey and lettuce sub sandwich with a soda.
Fourth, Isabella gave me her Josefina doll and I gave her my Ivy doll. I look more like Josefina and Isabella looks more like Ivy, so it's all good. Here's a picture of my pretty Josefina!
Fifth, mom bought us all this cool game called Apples to Apples. I'd never heard of it, but Isabella used to play it a lot. It's a really fun game. All four of us- me, Samantha, Nellie, and Isabella all played. It was so much fun! Mom caught a few pictures.
Sixth, we're doing some renovations. Like I said before, I don't have much blogging time, but I hope this super-duper long post makes up for that. But don't worry, more blog posts are planned and coming soon! Here are some pictures that Samantha took of our house as it is right now. This is only the ground floor, because the second and third floors are in chaos.
Call it what you want, a study, an office, or something else. We call it the study for obvious reasons. In this room is our desk, a bookshelf, a chair, and a few bags. We're in need of a few more decorations,
but those will be coming soon.
First of all, Samantha had one of her last dance competitions of the season on Saturday. I took these pictures right before she left to go to the studio.
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Samantha won first place in the 14 to 15 age division for her pointe solo. We're all so proud of her!
Secondly, on Saturday, mom made all of us a big lunch. I had pancakes with a yogurt and a strawberry smoothie. (Yes, I do realize that this isn't very, er, lunch-y. I had a pancake craving, what can I say?) Isabella had a turkey and lettuce sub sandwich with a soda.
Thirdly, I bought a new bracelet! It has a heart stone and clear beads. I love it so much!
Fourth, Isabella gave me her Josefina doll and I gave her my Ivy doll. I look more like Josefina and Isabella looks more like Ivy, so it's all good. Here's a picture of my pretty Josefina!
Fifth, mom bought us all this cool game called Apples to Apples. I'd never heard of it, but Isabella used to play it a lot. It's a really fun game. All four of us- me, Samantha, Nellie, and Isabella all played. It was so much fun! Mom caught a few pictures.
but those will be coming soon.
This is the bedroom shared by Isabella and I. If we can get custody and adopt Emma, she will be sleeping in here as well. Samantha and Nellie are planning to have another bedroom. Isabella and I are going for a pink and black theme in here.
Lastly, I want to talk about a few friendship-related things. Isabella and I have been getting much closer lately, and so have Samantha and Nellie. I don't want to abandon Nellie as a friend, but Isabella is so kind and sweet. I don't know what to do!
If you've read this far, I'm very impressed! More posts will be on the way soon. Love ya all!
Love,
Reese <3
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