The day started out well when I awoke at 5am to find ANOTHER mouse in the bathtub! Luckily the owners were up and I got them to take care of it. He basically chased and smashed the mouse with some canvas (based on the noise--I didn't watch).
We were picked up around 6am and after a loooong ride on a really uncomfortable seat, we arrived in Kampala. My butt still hurts!
When we arrived at the lawyer's office around 8:30, he told us that the judge usually comes in around 10am, sometimes earlier, so he wanted us to go to the courthouse and wait at 9:15 with one of his associates, who would call him when the judge arrived. This way we would be first in line and beat out anyone else. We were totally confused--we thought we had a set appointment time. Anyway, it worked. Ours were the first cases heard.
The case was heard in a regular room, not the courtroom we sat in last week. The judge sat at a desk taking notes and asking questions, rarely looking up. We had been instructed not to speak unless she asked us something which was unlikely. In front of her desk was a table where the lawyers and the judge's assistant sat. We sat in plastic chairs against the walls facing in.
The lawyer said he was representing us, and said our names. When he said my name I raised my hand. He referred to Jessica as "the infant" which is how they refer to all children in court. He motioned for me to hold her up, so I lifted her up from my lap which made her wail rather loudly. I comforted her, and she quieted down some, and then I gave her a sucker, which shut her up completely.
The lawyer said that we were requesting legal guardianship and that Jessica's mother had abandoned her. He had an affidavit from the woman who found her. Apparently she was left by her mother, at the place of a woman named Betty who knew who her mother was, whether at Betty's home or business it wasn't clear. Betty took Jessica to the child welfare officer who placed her at Welcome Home. The judge questioned where the mother was since her name was known, but she is gone. They told the judge that the required photo advertisements were run in the newspaper for someone to claim her, and what date they ran. The judge then said that there was a grandmother's name listed, so where was she? My heart sank, but the lawyer said she is deceased.
The lawyer told the judge we were US citizens, that we had passed a criminal clearance, where Daryl is employed, and that our home had been approved for adoption by an international home study. For each thing he said he referred to the proof of it, as Appendix A, etc. and if he didn't the judge would ask where the proof was.
The judge never looked at Jessica or I and at the end she said she would give us a ruling on Sept. 9, next Thursday. Julius' case is Sept. 7, Tuesday. I was hoping she could have the ruling done by Tuesday. The lawyer had told us that if she picked a date a week or more away, we could ask her for a fast ruling due to our wanting to minimize our time in country, but I didn't have the nerve to do that. I figure when she hears Julius' case, if she gives a ruling date after Thursday Sept. 9 I will ask her (you have to call her Your Lordship) if we can have a fast ruling the same date as Jessica's.
The kids can start staying with us after Julius' case is heard--we don't have to wait for the ruling. The orphanage manager, who was with us in court and did testify, said court went well and the judge was in a good mood. I'd hate to see her bad mood! So everyone here assumes it is a slam dunk once your case is heard.
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