Adoption Day

So yesterday was Adoption Day!!  We had to be at the courthouse at 8:30 so I needed to be up early so I could get all the kids up and out the door by 7:45.  Normally, I can get Caleb and Cassidy up at 7 and they are both ready for the bus by 7:45, but I knew that when we actually have to be up and out the door that early, if something can go wrong it generally will, so I got up at 6:00 and got myself ready and then started getting the kids up and ready to go.  I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually a pretty smooth morning, especially seeing how our mornings have been going lately!

We arrived at the courthouse in plenty of time and waited for our attorney to show up.  He arrived with a new associate and headed back to the Judge's chambers to see where we were on the docket.  Our case ended up being third on the docket.  There was another attorney there that had two adoption cases that morning, so they went first.

I was very proud of both Caleb and Cassidy for waiting patiently.  

It was finally our turn and we went into the courtroom and sat at the table and waited for the Judge.  He came in and sat down and talked to us a little bit.  He then surprised me by asking, "So what about this process could have been done differently?"  Tony looked at me and I looked at him, then at the Judge and said, "Do you really want to know?"  He told me that he did.  I told him that there were HUGE paperwork delays on the part of the agency that made it very frustrating.  We talked about how that was not the first time that he had heard that and how they are working to change that, but it's not easy when there are many crisis situations that come up that leave adoptions put on the back burner.

With that he began signing the necessary papers.  The first document he signed was the Decree of Adoption.  Once he signed that he gave it to our attorney who took it to be filed and get the necessary certified copies.  Then he signed the Record of Adoption so that Steven's birth certificate could be changed.  Then he had another paper and he said, "While those papers that I just signed are important, this is the most important because it gets us (meaning the system) out of your lives."  I can't put into words the relief that I feel having that step completed!

After all the signings and the congratulations from the Judge, the Court Services Officer, our attorney and Steven's support worker, the Judge gave Steven a teddy bear.  We then took some pictures with the Judge.

Judge Henderson with our family of five!

Mommy, Steven and Mr. Curtis, Steven's Support Worker, whom we did monthly visits with.

So I introduce to you, Steven Lewis Sines!!!!