We finally finalized this adoption. We traveled to Chicago to sign some papers and get Mr. T’s original Thai birth certificate at the Thai Consulate. His adoption is now final and legal in the eyes of the Thai government. Some of my friends said they got Thai iced coffee and it took them 15 minutes to complete this important final step. But our trip was a little different – the official had forgotten our appointment so we had to wait an hour while some Thai nationals completed paperwork for their toddler son. So the two boys played together in the lobby. I was talking to the little boy not sure if he could understand English and Mr. T said, “He’s just not listening to you, Mama.” Ahaha. So I explained that the little boy only spoke Thai. Our trip was less than easy, still it feels great to say that our son is finally our son without a doubt, and both the U.S. and Thai governments recognize that. We didn’t even get coffee and I was disappointed. Luckily there is a Thai restaurant right next door.

Thai Consulate Windy City
As you can see, it was cold and windy that day, so don’t mind my Trump combover. Talking to the official about what rights Mr. T may have in the future was eye-opening. His name will appear in the Thai birth registry, so he will legally be able to buy land, and apply for a national ID card that I think will grant him national healthcare benefits. Doing so will also mean he could be drafted by the Thai army, although this is unlikely. Many poor young men go in to the army to earn a living and the draft rarely affects other citizens.

Cheapest Thai Massage in Town
We also got to take in the sights in Chicago. Our hotel, Hotel Indigo, was located in the Gold Coast neighborhood. I recommend this hotel – the concierge went out and bought a thermometer for our sick boy! This neighborhood is quaint, ritzy and historic and also very wealthy. Its only a 10 minute walk to the glamour of Michigan Ave, and a bunch of cute shops up north on Wells Street. For mother’s day, Ack bought me some expensive Gyokuro tea from a weird German tea shop in biz since 1978. It was $50 per 6 oz, people, but shade grown. It was flavorful but not too astringent and vibrant green when poured. You can’t say that about all the mediocre green teas out there. We also at sushi twice, French once, and Thai twice. The Thai was disappointing.. very disappointed even with the spot next to the consulate. We went to the aquarium and Mr. T liked seeing the fish but it started to get old, probably because he was developing a 103 degree fever.
By the time we got home that night he was sick — pink-cheeked, sweating and starting to sound delusional. He asked me a very unusual babbly question and I started to worry. Unlike his usual super-energetic self, he laid in bed, not talking. We started to panic. I called our pediatrician’s line, ask a nurse, family and friends trying to figure out if we should take him to the ER. I called too many people because half said one thing and the other half another. We ended up going to CVS around the corner and giving him meds,

watching him through the night and hoping for the best. The fever broke and he was much better the next day. Its really scary to have such a sick kid in a strange city.
We flew home on Mother’s Day and it was a great gift to finalize our adoption together. I’m lucky that I have such a sweet little guy, and nice husband who calms me down when my son is hallucinating. We were traveling on Mother’s Day so it wasn’t until the day after that I really thought more about it. I saw this great quote and it sums up how I feel this Mother’s Day, thankful for all the mothers in my son’s life.
“Children born to another woman call me, “Mom”. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me today.” – Jody Landers

