Our Big Day

Today was a great reminder of everything we have to be thankful for.  Mark and I have certainly been blessed.

This morning we had an 8:30 court appearance to finalize Anthony's adoption.  I have to admit that I was a bit nervous.  The check-in line to court was quite long and a bit shady.  (Maybe even a bit TPT, Erin.)  The surprise of the morning was our own private guide waiting for us.   Turns out a former student's mom works at the courthouse, saw our name on the docket and was waiting for us to show up.  She rushed me through the line (which drew lots of dirty looks - YIKES!), got us signed in and showed us to the right courtroom.  I was very thankful for Lisa! Meeting with the judge went really well.  It was obvious that everyone in the court system loves adoption hearings; it gives a good reprieve from everything else they see day in and day out.   Our adoption of Anthony is now official and legal after four months of having him home and after 14 months of beginning this whole process.  By the end of the summer we'll have his new birth certificate and have his social security changed as well.  

Because we feel so fortunate and thankful we wanted to "pay it forward" and give to others. (Perhaps that was more me than Mark, but he wasn't too upset.)  So tonight we went to a Lutheran Social Service meeting for couples who are going through the process we went through last summer.  I was super excited that Cynthia was able to attend as well; I really wanted everyone to see the benefits and the possibilities of having an open adoption.  While we were there we were able to share our story and answer questions while Anthony entertained everyone.  Hopefully our story gave someone else strength or just an impression of what their lives could look like in the future. If so, then it was completely worth it!

The best part of the day was spending time with Cynthia.  We haven't seen her for a couple of months even though we talk on the phone often.  I have to once again emphasize what an amazing person she is - we're so fortunate to have her in our lives!  I love the fact that our time together isn't awkward.  Ever.  Right away we hugged and started talking like we were old friends. Everything just feels so natural and right.  Again, I'm so thankful she is Anthony's birth mommy and in our lives.

After being on the panel we went out to supper to spend time together and celebrate Cynthia's upcoming 20th birthday.  Here she is unwrapping her gift, which was decorated by Anthony.  

And here's the boy of honor who just turned 22 months old today.  He loved his mac and cheese and got lots on his face, shirt and daddy too!  The best part of dinner was entertaining us all by jumping, talking and pointing out the balloons and hot items in the restaurant.  It was great to see that he completely remembers Cynthia and enjoyed visiting with her as well.

Getting a picture of Anthony and his mommies proved to be very difficult.  Sitting still wasn't something he really wanted to do - at all.  So this was as good as it got tonight.  Perhaps sometime in the future we'll be able to get a good photo of the three of us.

Today was a beautiful and wonderful day - just one out of many.  I don't think there will ever be a day that will pass that I won't feel completely thankful.  How fortunate are we?