Time for action

We've been struggling with possibilities in Canada, as these sluggish economic times make it hard enough to find a job in one's own country, let alone a foreign one. While we're still trying hard to make that option work, we're also stepping up the fight on the homefront to push for legislation that would ultimately allow Carlos to return to the US legally and finally be a regular husband and father.

That brings us to American Families United. They recognize that mere Comprehensive Immigration Reform isn't enough unless it includes the families of US citizens that are stuck with ridiculous bans. They've constructed a pretty fantastic waiver reform proposal that has already been placed in the hands of various legislators. We believe that AFU's lobbying efforts are making a difference in the immigration legislation currently being drafted. That's why we're adding our voices to theirs in hopes of some positive change. Our story can be seen on their website, and in the near future, we'll be informing you of ways you can add your voice to push for legislative reform that would help us.

Stay tuned!

Lucas checks in

Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa are busy trying to make me proficient at all this stuff, such as
sitting by myself...


learning to play with my toys...



eating from a spoon (even if it is just my milk from Mommy)...


playing music...


And now, web browsing and blogging. Here's my first blog post from my own fingers:

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f cdx zzzzxu8nu ,lgv y vg ¸Ωv f n nnmmmn k

Everyone's amazed that I can type Greek characters. I'm not telling how I do it.

After 7 months and much anticipation...

...We're all here together in Mexico!

Here's the photo everyone's been waiting to see:

This is actually a screen capture from my parents' computer while they were talking to us on Skype as soon as we got home. Hopefully we'll get a nicer one taken while we're here...

Some photos of Carlos getting to know his son:


Carlos' dad meeting his first grandchild:

Wake up, Daddy!!!

I decided the last straw was when, after postponing our trip due to the "swine flu outbreak" in Mexico, I fell ill with a nasty strain of the flu. Ironically, it's very likely that what hit me was the same swine flu, due to the fact that there were a number of confirmed cases in the schools where I was substituting right before getting sick.

Just when I thought I was recovering, Lucas started showing signs of it. Fortunately, after a check-up at the doctor and lots of Tylenol, he recovered, but we were nervous for awhile. It's always scary to see your child sick, but especially when you know how he's feeling.

After we completed our 7-to-10-day contagious period, I jumped on the very first flight we could get to Mexico.

And here we are. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get a few spare moments to post about some of the things we've been up to. Till then, suffice it to say we are one very happy family!

Maybe someday we'll look back and laugh

Lucas' Birth Certificate: $14 and 10 days
Lucas' Social Security Number: 3 months
Mexican Notary Stamp on signed Passport Consent Form from Carlos: $50 and 1 month
DHL fee to mail said consent form to the US: $35 and 3 days
Lucas' Passport: $85 and 2 ½ weeks
Round-trip airfare from Chicago to Mexico for me and the baby: $450

...Having to postpone our much-anticipated reunion because of a swine flu outbreak? Priceless.



I would prefer to think that caution and care are all we need, and that a flu outbreak should not deter me from finally seeing my husband after 7 months, but I've been forced to shelve that approach in favor of extreme wariness.

If it wasn't enough that all the health professionals in my life on this side of the border were urging me not to go, now it's being confirmed from the Mexican side. Carlos' father, who is a health professional in the non-alarmist tradition, said we must not come. Apparently hospitals in Monterrey are classifying this virus as a Stage 4, which Carlos explained to me as basically "bad, bad news".

So even though I feel like a virus is just a virus, preventable and treatable, the others in my life say otherwise and I'm going to rely on their judgment.

So there you go. If we weren't stuck before, we sure are now!

Still a family without a country

I'd love to have posted on all the fun and interesting moments that transpired since the last post. Unfortunately, due to my slacker nature, I'm now forced to jump straight to the very important and not so pleasant news that defines my family's reality.

Where to begin? As you all know, or for those who don't, last October Carlos and I received the final word from the US Consulate in Cuidad Juarez, Mexico. He is not eligible for a visa to live in the US as my spouse, and he also isn't eligible for the hardship waiver that US citizen spouses usually get to file when their loved one isn't eligible for a visa.

All this because of one unfortunate day when he was 16, when he was forced by a parent to seek entry to the US using a relative's US birth certificate instead of the visitor's visa he already possessed. Under immigration law -- INA 212 A 6 C ii to be specific -- a false claim of US citizenship carries a lifetime ban with no waiver. Still, the fact that Carlos was ineligible for the waiver was a surprise to most who knew our case, including the wildly successful immigration lawyer who we consulted with prior to attending the interview. Evidently the immigration world had been misinformed, because everyone was under the impression the consulate would not be applying this law to people who were minors at the time the incident occurred.

So, we fought it. In November, the Wildly Successful Immigration Lawyer proved her ongoing excellence by sending a beautifully crafted appeal to the Department of State in Washington. Basically, the argument was that since Carlos was too young to consent to the claim of citizenship, and because it happened against his will, that section of the law should not be used against him. Unfortunately, weeks later, the appeals people in Washington decided that INA 212 A 6 C ii does not require the person to have intended anything. They simply had to commit it. In other words, case closed.

On to December. I attempted to get some help from Senator Durbin's office. This is the man who not only ranks at the top of the power structure in the Senate, but also sponsored the DREAM act, which seeks to provide legal status for people brought into the US as minors. People like Carlos. Sadly, his immigration caseworkers don't match Durbin's own reputation for having a heart. To start with, it took them weeks to respond to my calls. Then when they did call me back, I was in the middle of giving birth to Lucas. Then, after literally months of run-around from his Chicago and Springfield immigration caseworkers, they ultimately decided they weren't going to be able to provide the simple letter of support I was requesting from them.

Now we're at March. I turned to my local congressional representative, Bill Foster. Within days, his immigration caseworker had mailed an absolutely amazing letter of support. I put this letter on the top of a 60-page packet requesting a Humanitarian Parole from Washington and prayed this would be our chance to get the family together in the US for at least a few more months.

March 16, I sent the packet. March 31, Washington sent their form-letter response. Denied.

We are no strangers to denial at this point. Still, it hurts a little every time. And not just when we think of the time and money that's been wasted. It's so hard to accept that my country thinks this little of the life I've worked hard to build, of my skills and abilities, and of the investments that so many others have made in my future. To reduce my entire experience to a form letter denying my family a chance to exist together in the US for something none of us could help or choose? Just seems beyond heartless.

So now what? Well, we applied for Lucas' pasport and once that's here, I hope to book the tickets and fly to Mexico so Carlos can finally meet his son. After that I'll come back, prepare to close the book on our story in the US, and head out into the unknown again...

He just keeps getting cuter...

We've got a month's worth of photos to prove it.

Click the photo below to go to the new album:

There really will be a new update soon with more details on our little family. Really. :)

2 months later...

Kinda haven't posted in awhile. Been a little busy with this adorable little guy:

We've been collecting photos of Lucas on his own Picasa account. See them here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/LucasSalvatoreG

More update action coming soon!

Presenting Lucas Salvatore!

Lucas was finally born on December 23 at 6:22 am. He was 7 lbs 10 oz, 20 in of perfection! He is in fabulous health, and he and Amy were able to leave the hospital on Christmas Eve in time to spend the holiday with family.

Carlos was able to watch the birth via Webcam, and is so proud of his new son. He even managed to capture some of Lucas' first moments on video:


Here are some other photos of the baby with proud family members:

With Grandpa

With Amy's cousin Carly and Grandma

Look at all that hair!

More photos and updates to come...

a super belated photo post

Oops. It's been over a month since I was in Mexico and I still haven't posted most of the photos. I'll add them in a second.

An update on immigration: our amazing attorney is now filing a separate appeal that will go to a completely different office. So she's basically working from two angles, and if either is successful, we're looking at a brand new chance! So we just need prayers that we'll get quick and favorable responses.

Now, back to the trip. Aside from the absolute insanity of our experience with immigration, we had a good time together. Here are some highlights:

Carlos bought me a slice of German Chocolate Cake for my birthday! Baby G and I both enjoyed it.









We went to this huge market/strip mall, "Los Cabacitos". Several food vendors make stuff that's so good, this place is known all over the city.

These gorditas are one example: picadillo con papas (ground beef with potatoes) is the top one, and calabacitas (squash) on the bottom. SO GOOD!




A different type of gorditas. These ones are sweet and sugary and come filled with a huge range of stuff (strawberry, pineapple, honey, chocolate). They are crazy good.







Carlos proudly emerges with one of the most famous dishes to be found at Los Cabacitos: Elote Asado (grilled corn on the cob). His is smothered in the usual mayo, cheese, and powdered chile.







Carlos' brother with his findings: a bag full of churros, and a rusa, which is a refreshing regional drink involving lemon soda, pineapple, and powdered chile.








My favorite: Jalisco-style ice cream. It's similar to italian ice (reminds me of Mario's Italian Ice on Taylor St in Chicago). In amazing flavors like cantaloupe, mango, coconut.















On a different day, visiting my in-laws. Another delicious ice cream stop.









Carlos' choice? These insane nachos, loaded with melted fake cheddar, corn, and jalapeños. He really was this excited.








The dogs: 4-month-old Negro on the left, and our baby Nico, all grown up to about 7.5 months old. They both live with the in-laws now. He's got a huge tongue.
















See, we weren't ALWAYS eating! Finally, a photo of us at the hotel in Juarez.

Next Steps and New Hope

OK, a week has passed since the last post, and a LOT has happened since then.

First of all, I said goodbye to Carlos (and our home in Mexico), knowing full well that the next time I see him, I'll be introducing him to our newborn baby! That's a sad and happy thought at the same time.

The GOOD news is that the next time I see him, Lord willing, we will be meeting up in the lovely city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada!

That's right. With the help of my wonderful parents, and possibly even joined by my brother and sister-in-law, we will be driving through Michigan into Canada shortly after the baby's born. Carlos will fly one of the direct flights from Mexico to Canada and then travel to Windsor to meet up with us for several days so that he can meet his new baby. After that, he'll ideally stick around for a short while scouting out the city of Toronto, which we dream of as our future home.

You've read correctly. Our days in Mexico are coming to an end. It was a great adventure, but we can't continue on there permanently. Carlos needs to finish his degree/radiology certification, and the baby needs a better environment to grow up in (read: more diverse, more sophisticated, more cosmopolitan, and more accessible to grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and loving family in the US). Yes, call us snobs, but this is what we want for our future and for our child's future.

So, the current investigation involves options for getting Carlos into school and obtaining Student/Temporary Resident visas for us and the baby. Ideally as soon as possible so we can all be together. Since we adored Chicago so much, we decided that the best place to pursue our future is in the Canadian equivalent to Chicago. Anyone with advice and/or connections involving Toronto, please feel free to share!!

Meanwhile, the fight for justice with Carlos' visa situation continues! We now have the great fortune of benefiting from the assistance of Attorney Laurel Scott. She is arguably the nation's most experienced and successful immigration lawyer working with the consulate at Ciudad Juarez and many others around the world. She will be submitting a request to the Department of State seeking clarification on the application of the law in our case. While the chances are slim, and while the process is indefinite and probably very long, this is one way to continue fighting the lifetime ban. So, those that are still praying, we will keep praying that in the long run, this decision goes in our favor and we can finally return home.

In general, everything looks great for us right now. Let's just pray that the money and logistics can come together to make this promising future possible, and that Carlos' Canadian visa process will go a lot more smoothly, and mine and the baby's, of course!