Visit to Home Affairs on Wednesday 20th February 2013

With the Adoption Order in my hand and a signed form to change her surname and a signed form to change her forenames I headed to Home Affairs in Wynberg straight after school on Wednesday 20th of February 2013. On arrival one gets a number . . . Mine was 599 . . . and then an automated system calls you to a desk when your number comes up . . . Well I am still waiting for my number to come up!! So much for their system. After arriving at just after 3pm I was finally seen to at just after 5pm. Low and behold there were 3 other forms that I had to fill in that were not on their system . . . So a bit of a rush and R70 later the documaents have been submitted to have Sasha`s name issued on a new birth certificate reading Sasha (Defender of mankind) Alive (Hear my voice) Theunissen. The lady behind the counter said it could take up to 8 months to be ready!!

A matrix of photo`s of my family, Sasha & I

Time flies when you are having fun . . .

Wow!! It has been just over a year since my last blog entry. Time definitely flies when you are having fun . . . and Sasha and I sure have been having loads of fun!! Sasha started walking at 15 months old and was running by 17 months old. She loves singing, dancing and being outside. I took a decision early last year to sell my fabulous flat on the 3rd floor and rather buy a house with a little garden. I put my flat on the market in May and my house hunting began. If you have ever sold and bought property before you will know that it is quite a balancing act. I sold my flat in September and had to be out by 30 November 2012, but bought a townhouse in October with a big garden. We are only moving into the house in 2 weeks time as there are tenants whose lease only expires the end of February. In the mean time we are living with my parents,Nanna and Grandpa. The end of 2012 was filled with packing and sorting and packing and sorting. I had enjoyed living in the flat for nearly 13 years but look forward to something bigger with a garden. Sasha went to Daycare First Friends while I was at school last year. In December we went to Wilderness and stayed in a the same forest hut we did the year before for Christmas and for Sasha`s 2nd birthday. We had a fantastic time. When school started in January Sasha started going to a little playschool called Munchkins. She is the youngest, but has settled in so well. At this point we are busy potty training!! We will hopefully be nappy free before winter. The ongoing wait and constant reminder in the back of my mind, however, has been for the Adoption Order. I tried to contact the registrar Pretoria myself but could not get through to anybody!! Eventually the social worker at Child Welfare said she would see what she could do! Today I went to fetch my post at my sold flat from the kind new owner who is collecting it for me and there is was . . . The Adoption Order . . . So now I can change the name that is on her birth certificate. Soon it will read Sasha Alive Theunissen.