My Mother Knows I Was Born

     I had a bit of a panic attack this morning. Seven months of meticulous record keeping, document seeking, filing, requesting & sorting information for my Dossier, and the precious package arrived in Michigan this morning. Whew & Hallelujah!  BUT...my Oregon state sealed birth certificate apparently is due to pass the 6month validity deadline tomorrow. Per my international helper in Michigan, this means...I have to get a new one. WHAT?!!! All that work!  I texted my mother to complain...I thought she was going to come out of her skin: "Who wants official documentation of your birth?! I'll give them something official to document! I was there! You were there. You're still here. It's official-you were born. What's the problem?!"     Whoa, nelly.  (She has a point...and I think she wants to get her hands on her grandson.)

     This is part of the game that is Adoption Paperwork. I need the exact same piece of paper, signed by the same people, in the same envelope, going to the same place with the left corner documenting this month's date...not last month's date in the right corner.    Arrggg.  The notary is my new best friend.

     After two big breaths, I hopped on the phone to the State of Oregon's Department of Vital Statistics and got someone real to talk to. (A miracle in & of itself). I calmly asked for another $35 birth certificate and oh, did she know the address to the Oregon Secretary of State to reseal the document. "Well, I can just send this right over for you if you'd like." If I'd like?! Nice-lady-person, I'd take that over just about anything right now! (The alternative, was receiving the birth certificate by mail & resending it back to Oregon to be resealed, having it sent back to me, then sent to Michigan = TIME CONSUMING). She also offered a phone number to confirm the transaction with the Secretary of State's office...turns out she gave me the direct number to THE Secretary of State of Oregon. "um...hello, Ms. Brown...your honor...ship, ma'am". (What do you say?!).  Thankfully, they are pretty good people in Salem, Oregon and they'll seal my birth certificate and get it back to me...before Monday. Whoohooo! We are right back on track.

     The doors just keep opening...it's TRULY amazing.  I'm so looking forward to telling Little One his story...our story...and of the Greatness who brought us together.  "He is our praise; He is our God, who performed for us those great & awesome wonders we saw with our own eyes!"  (Deuteronomy 10:21).  And of a Gramma that will thrown down a vital statistics office if needed...
     (Just joking secret government blog watchers. Just joking.)