The most moving experience of the holidays for me personally, was our adoption hearing.
I think its so hard sometimes for moms (maybe just me though) to actually remember to look for the Christ in Christmas. I was so busy this year with shoppng and wrapping and baby stuff, and Big Girl activities and traveling which entailed packing etc... I missed alot of the worship part of Christmas.
In a discussion yesterday at work with The Great Conversationalist, he brought up the point that Christmas has really stopped being a religious holiday and become a consumer extravaganza. Its all about work and expectation now rather than worship and adoration. His comments rang true with me this year. I do believe in our culture today we need to constantly press against the subustitue for truth that it offers us. Problem is that what the world offers is pretty awesome.
That said, the Baby Girl's adoption hearing was a very sacred time. I didnt expect it to be. I really was not very emotional about it but was viewing it as more of a formality and just a real celebration of her joining our family. It was those things, but it was also much more.
We arrived at the courthouse at about 8:30, made our way through security and then up to the 16th floor where our hearing would take place. Since it was the last day of the year, there were several no-contest hearings scheduled to take place. Unbeknownst to us, it doesnt necessarily matter how early you get there...the judge will see you in the order that she chooses. There were several no contest divorce hearings and other little things so it was about 10 before we got to go into the courtroom.
The judge asked us to come and sit at the lawyer's table with our lawyer. She looked over her glasses at the Girl and said, "How old are you young lady?"
The Girl replied, "Ill be 11 in Janaury".
The judge said, "Well you are old enough to do this with your parents, come up here and join them please." It was all very official, but I thought so kind of the judge to include her in this.
After being sworn in the judge asked our lawyer some questions regarding the agency's findings at our post placement visits, all of which were answered in the positive. Then the judge asked the lawyer to proceed with questions to us. First she asked Eric:
1. Was this the child that you took home on October 1st from the hospital?
2. Have you formed a bond with this child in the past 90 days?
3. Have you come to love this child and consider her your own?
4. Will you promise to love and care for this child for your entire life?
5. Do you understand that she will have the rights and privledges as your other biological children?
These are amazing questions to answer but when asked before a courtroom and before a judge--it takes on extreme significance. E was calm and cool and he was so confidant in his answers. Cut to me blubbering like a big baby. Seriously, when it was my turn I couldnt even say my name so overcome was I by joy and by the significance of this.
For me, this was the last stop on an incredibly painful, oddly wonderful, life changing journey of 8 years. It was the fulfillment of a dream...to have another child. I never dreamed I woudl be in a court of law receiving approval for the adoption of a daugther. I never dreamed that I would ever be happy about adopting, and here I was over wrought with joy and simply speechless by the culmination of the journey that God has for us. There was such joy in that moment. I know I cant properly express it in words.
I was able to answer the same questions as E did...stopping to fight back tears.
The judge next turned her glance on the Girl and asked her if she would accept the Baby Girl as her sister and live with her as any other member of her family. The Girl grinned and said "Yes, Your Honor," very seriously.
Here was the part that really moved me... the judge next said that The Baby Girl's original birth certificate would hereby forever be sealed and unable to be opened again and that she would be issued a new birth certificate...one bearing our name, and that from here on she would been seen as a full memeber of our family complete with all the rights of any other biological member.
The significance of this was not lost on us for a moment. This is exactly what Christ has done for us. Taken our old self, banished it and given us His own name so that when we stand before the Great Judge, we are seen as Christ's.
It was so precious. SOOO precious to realize that God loves me so much and what He did for me.
After she gave her decree, the judge offered for us to come up and take a picture with her and then we were dismissed. We were the last infant adoption of 2009 to be decreed. Amazing.
I seriously could not stop crying after we left the court room...I was sooo stinking joyful. The Girl was hilarious because she kept kissing me and giving me hugs even though It old her I was not sad, I was happy. She was happy too!
And the Baby Girl, well, damn, she was just adorable. I had her in one of Kaitlin's sweet little outfits...one of the few that i had saved and she was just yummy!
Enjoy the pics of our special day. God is good!
I think its so hard sometimes for moms (maybe just me though) to actually remember to look for the Christ in Christmas. I was so busy this year with shoppng and wrapping and baby stuff, and Big Girl activities and traveling which entailed packing etc... I missed alot of the worship part of Christmas.
In a discussion yesterday at work with The Great Conversationalist, he brought up the point that Christmas has really stopped being a religious holiday and become a consumer extravaganza. Its all about work and expectation now rather than worship and adoration. His comments rang true with me this year. I do believe in our culture today we need to constantly press against the subustitue for truth that it offers us. Problem is that what the world offers is pretty awesome.
That said, the Baby Girl's adoption hearing was a very sacred time. I didnt expect it to be. I really was not very emotional about it but was viewing it as more of a formality and just a real celebration of her joining our family. It was those things, but it was also much more.
We arrived at the courthouse at about 8:30, made our way through security and then up to the 16th floor where our hearing would take place. Since it was the last day of the year, there were several no-contest hearings scheduled to take place. Unbeknownst to us, it doesnt necessarily matter how early you get there...the judge will see you in the order that she chooses. There were several no contest divorce hearings and other little things so it was about 10 before we got to go into the courtroom.
The judge asked us to come and sit at the lawyer's table with our lawyer. She looked over her glasses at the Girl and said, "How old are you young lady?"
The Girl replied, "Ill be 11 in Janaury".
The judge said, "Well you are old enough to do this with your parents, come up here and join them please." It was all very official, but I thought so kind of the judge to include her in this.
After being sworn in the judge asked our lawyer some questions regarding the agency's findings at our post placement visits, all of which were answered in the positive. Then the judge asked the lawyer to proceed with questions to us. First she asked Eric:
1. Was this the child that you took home on October 1st from the hospital?
2. Have you formed a bond with this child in the past 90 days?
3. Have you come to love this child and consider her your own?
4. Will you promise to love and care for this child for your entire life?
5. Do you understand that she will have the rights and privledges as your other biological children?
These are amazing questions to answer but when asked before a courtroom and before a judge--it takes on extreme significance. E was calm and cool and he was so confidant in his answers. Cut to me blubbering like a big baby. Seriously, when it was my turn I couldnt even say my name so overcome was I by joy and by the significance of this.
For me, this was the last stop on an incredibly painful, oddly wonderful, life changing journey of 8 years. It was the fulfillment of a dream...to have another child. I never dreamed I woudl be in a court of law receiving approval for the adoption of a daugther. I never dreamed that I would ever be happy about adopting, and here I was over wrought with joy and simply speechless by the culmination of the journey that God has for us. There was such joy in that moment. I know I cant properly express it in words.
I was able to answer the same questions as E did...stopping to fight back tears.
The judge next turned her glance on the Girl and asked her if she would accept the Baby Girl as her sister and live with her as any other member of her family. The Girl grinned and said "Yes, Your Honor," very seriously.
Here was the part that really moved me... the judge next said that The Baby Girl's original birth certificate would hereby forever be sealed and unable to be opened again and that she would be issued a new birth certificate...one bearing our name, and that from here on she would been seen as a full memeber of our family complete with all the rights of any other biological member.
The significance of this was not lost on us for a moment. This is exactly what Christ has done for us. Taken our old self, banished it and given us His own name so that when we stand before the Great Judge, we are seen as Christ's.
It was so precious. SOOO precious to realize that God loves me so much and what He did for me.
After she gave her decree, the judge offered for us to come up and take a picture with her and then we were dismissed. We were the last infant adoption of 2009 to be decreed. Amazing.
I seriously could not stop crying after we left the court room...I was sooo stinking joyful. The Girl was hilarious because she kept kissing me and giving me hugs even though It old her I was not sad, I was happy. She was happy too!
And the Baby Girl, well, damn, she was just adorable. I had her in one of Kaitlin's sweet little outfits...one of the few that i had saved and she was just yummy!
Enjoy the pics of our special day. God is good!
A little courtroom bottle
Excited Momma!
What 10 year olds do while waiting to see the judge! Nintendo!!!
Big Sissy loves holding the Baby Girl!
Daddy and the Baby Girl
After the adoption decree!!
SO HAPPY!!!
Big Sissy loves holding the Baby Girl!Daddy and the Baby GirlAfter the adoption decree!!
Its official! She's ours!!!
SO HAPPY!!!
5 comments:
Now I'm crying! So beautiful!
Well written my friend. Bren
Awesome. Powerful write up Patti.
Taylor
Tiger says hey.
wow! and wow!
how much more her baptism will be - to become not just legal but covenantal.
Omy!! I have a tear in my eye and I'm in class... too precious, P!
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