"My name is Heartened and I was born at Swedish Covenant Hospital"

My friend Dan said to me today that it is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. That pretty much sums it up.

I received my letter from IARMIE today. Here is what the important part said:

the birth mother's age is given as 29 and the birth father's age is given as 31 at the time of the birth, the date and place of birth are May 17,1971 at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

And no, there wasn't a match in the registry.

I keep being struck by the giggles because I've been in and out of Swedish Covenant dozens of times in my previous professional capacity! How many times did I walk right past the room where my records are kept? Did I walk the same halls my birthmother walked? Have I been in the room she stayed in after she gave birth to me? Were my brothers and sisters born there as well? Want to hear a really scary speculation? I might have actually had dealings with one of them if they were still in the area.

It is such a strange feeling to know where I was born, and to know that my date of birth is correct. Most people never think about what hospital they were born in - because they already know, or at least know that they can ask their parents at any time. As an adoptee, that piece of my history was denied to me for almost 35 years. I'm glad to have it now.

I will probably petition the Cook County Courts to appoint a Confidential Intermediary in the next few weeks. I've got a few avenues I want to explore before I sink money into the CI program, particularly since they are backlogged. If that's what I have to do, however, then I will and will consider it money well spent.

They are younger than I remember reading in my non-id, so that threw me for a bit. Then again, I haven't seen my non-id in something like 14 years and some days I have a hard time remembering my own age, let alone theirs. LOL So now I'm eagerly waiting for the non-id from Lake Bluff aka ChildServ. I've learned from a friend recently that ChildServ is not "anti-search" like I thought they were. I was going on what I remembered from my last communication with them so many years ago - apparently, they've gone through some changes. For my own peace of mind, I'll wait until my non-id arrives before requesting that ChildServ send a letter to my birthmother's last known address. Not that it is likely to reach her, but I'd not forgive myself if I didn't exhaust every avenue.

Sometimes I wish I could encounter someone "unethical" in the system who could just give me enough of a hint that I could use to find them. I keep telling myself that I've waited this long, I can wait a while longer - but then I get caught up in the excitement and my ethics go right out the window. I realize how much I could do with just a name, how many doors that would open for me, how good I am at finding information on the internet. But that key piece of information is not mine to have, not yet.

I did come across something interesting earlier, however. It seems possible that I can use the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 as an avenue to my records. I know from my old non-id that I am of Native American descent. That's not something I can pursue until I have my non-id in hand again. I'll need a copy of that paperwork to present to the court in order to back up my claim.

I feel good - I learned something new about myself today. It's a good feeling. It makes me feel that much more connected.