Jury Duty

This post could also be titled, “One of the things that I love about the United States,” in a belated 4th of July tribute.

 So, last Monday I was summoned for jury duty for the first two weeks in August. Although it’s looking more likely now that it will be the END of August that we’ll be traveling to meet our girls, it’s not impossible that the jury assignment would conflict with trip one. Besides that is the simple fact that wherever I go, Gloria goes, because nursing is still her only means of nourishment. We’ve never done a bottle with any of our children, partly because we’ve never needed to, and partly because I’ve never had success pumping. By the day after I received my summons, I had a letter returned explaining my situation:
1) Gloria is nursing. I can only report for jury duty if she can come with me and I can be excused as necessary to nurse her when she needs to nurse.
2) we may be out of the country at some point in August that is yet to be determined.
3) although one is allowed to postpone one’s jury assignment for up to nine months, I don’t really want to do that because by the time Gloria’s done nursing (January), we’re expecting B and T to be home, and for bonding reasons, I don’t want to be gone, particularly for T, during her waking hours for the first six months that they’re home, and especially important during the first three months of that time.

 I suggested in my letter that October might be a good time for me to come, if we could make arrangements for Gloria – she won’t be 100% nursing by that point, so would have some more flexibility in getting along with solid foods. And then I waited.

A mere week later I got a notice back in the mail with my new assignment: August 2017. How beautiful is that!?! Although I could have gotten a medical letter for the nursing, adoption isn’t one of the things that is listed as an acceptable excuse. So I am thrilled that I get to fulfill my duty in the system that supplies a fair trial with a jury of peers, and that we have a government that listens to my request as a mother of a nursing baby and soon-to-be-mother of a very needy child, and will postpone my time out for a year.