So now what?

I hate immigration, it is just so frustrating! Some days are easier for me to deal with than others, but today is not one of those days. I don't know why, but today has been especially hard for me. We submitted our application for immigration a month ago. According to the Canada Immigration website, the sponsorship assessment (that would be my part) takes just over 2 months to process. Until that 2 months is up, I have no way of knowing if we even have a shot at our application going through. I find myself checking the website everyday, hoping that if I check it enough, the listed processing times will somehow miraculously change and our family will be able to be together. When I checked the website today however, I was very saddened by what I saw. The processing time for applications from Ecuador has changed, but now the time we must wait is longer. The current processing time is now at 17 months + 1 month more for my sponsorship application...that equals a year and a half that we just have to sit here waiting.  The thought of not having my husband present for the first 2 years of my son's life is heartbreaking and is something that I just cannot wrap my head around. I have to figure out some other way.

Lil L and Lalo reading a surf mag in Ecuador on our last visit. 

We talk to Lalo everyday on the phone, but it is so sad to see the way that Lil' L looks around the room searching for his daddy when he hears his voice. He will stop whatever it is he is doing, and smile the biggest smile and look all around to see where daddy is, but he never finds him, and I feel aweful. He misses his daddy, and so do I.

Just a little bit of history.... our immigration dilema

When I found out I was pregnant, I was in Ecuador. I felt that for the safety of my child, and to save up money before the birth, that it was in my best interests to return to Canada. It was at this time that we applied for the first visitor's visa for Lalo. We had hoped that it would be approved in order that he could join me in Canada to be support through my pregnancy. Sadly it was denied. We were not given a reason other than that we did not submit sufficient documentation, so we decided to try again. The second time we applied for a visa, we sent everything we could think of including extras such as my income statements, bank documents, notarized letters and ultrasound photos. We were keeping our fingers crossed, hoping that we would find out in time for Lalo to join me in Canada for the birth of Lil'L. Again we were denied. I was devastated. It was bad enough that I had to go through my pregnancy alone, but the thought of my baby's father having to miss his birth because of political bs made me really really angry. Again, we were not give a reason as to why the visa was denied.
Once Lil'L was born, I applied immediately for his birth certificate. It takes approximately 3 weeks to arrive. This was the key document, it is the one thing that I needed to apply for Lil'L's passport. Note: Having passport photos taken of a 3 week old baby is a tricky challenge. The passport application was sent off, and a few weeks later we had all the documents needed for our first trip to Ecuador to visit Daddy.

First things first...Let me introduce myself!

I am the person that said that they were NEVER going to have children. Simply put, it was just not something that I felt was necessary in my life, and I spent a lot of time convincing everybody around me that I was not ever going to be a mother. Well, it turns out that I was wrong (much to the delight of my parents). I am now a very proud, happy mommy to the most gorgeous baby boy in the world - Lil ' L.

I never planned to be a mommy, so as you can imagine,  life got very REAL very quickly. 

I am a mother that supports "natural" parenting methods, meaning that I practice breastfeeding, co sleeping, cloth diapering and baby wearing. We are also trying out part time EC (elimination communication) as well as baby sign language. I believe in raising my son in a healthy environment. We use eco-friendly products, eat organic food, and support our local markets whenever possible. I try my best to follow the 3 R's in hopes that Lil' L will have the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful world.

Being half Canadian and half Ecuadorian, Lil' L is bilingual. He babbles in both English and Spanish, and absolutely LOVES his salsa music. While we are here in Canada I am raising Lil' L as a single mother.  I'm not going to lie, it is a challenge, however I believe that it will only help me to become a more patient and aware parent.  Lil' L's father would love to help us out, but sadly has been denied a visitor's permit to Canada, therefore, we are forced to wait through the lengthy Canadian immigration process. Hopefully if all goes well, he will be able to come join us in our home within a year and a half. Until then, Lil' L and I must travel back and forth between Canada and Ecuador every few months. What an adventure!Through this blog I hope to share my mommy experiences with you. You will find information on the daily ups and downs of  raising Lil' L as a single mom, trying to teach him two languages (so he can talk to his daddy), our immigration journey, and our travels to and from Ecuador. You will also find information on various aspects of natural parenting. I hope you enjoy!

Follow Lil' L and I as we take on REAL life!

Erin