Adoption Day!

So, the evening of September 28, I was up late trying to get pants ironed and clothes washed so that we could look decent for court the next day. 

Wednesday morning, September 29, I was up early to work from home.  When my son got up, we put on every day clothes and went over to the school so that he could drop off his homework.  Then back to the house for me to work some more while he did his reading homework for the day.  He was very unhappy to be required to still handle responsibilities on such a great day.

Time came and we got ready to go, picked up my mom, and headed to the courthouse.  We were about 25 minutes early for the planned hearing.  AJ was bouncing off the walls, literally.  He would walk to a wall and bounce himself off of it and then go to another wall and do the same.  Every few walls, he would come and hug me excitedly.

The court clerk came out at about 9:45 to see if we were ready and we filed in to the courtroom.  The magistrate got things started at 9:50.

Highlights from the hearing include:

--At the beginning of the proceedings, the judge asked my son a couple questions and then asked him to raise his right hand.  AJ was so nervous that the magistrate said, “It’s ok, you’re not in trouble.”  My kid didn’t relax too much but he was definitely not quite so nervous after that.

--I had to explain why I think I am of good moral character.  I was very much not expecting such a question.  Isn’t that information included in the report from the county?  Anyway, there will probably be a separate posting just on that question.

--The magistrate informed me that I had a right to have the hearing before an actual judge.  He explained that he was like a “diet judge” and that he would not be offended if I wanted a judge.  I was thinking, “Who cares what level judge you are as long as you legally make this adoption legal?  And I really don’t want to go through the waiting of scheduling this again.”  What I said was, “No worries.”

--In the end, I was deemed of good moral character and an appropriate parent for my kid.  After asking AJ several times whether he was completely certain that he wanted to be adopted and explaining that once he (the magistrate) hands down a decision, it can’t be undone, AJ’s name was legally changed, his foster care case was closed, and I was informed that I was his parent. YEA!

After the hearing, we needed to head home so that I could get back to work.  I knew that if I waited until home to get lunch, that I would end up spending more time cooking and that I’d have to work later.... and I really didn’t want to work later. 

But I was also thinking that we had already used up the “eating out” portion of our budget for this pay period.  But, I decided the reduction in stress by having someone else fix lunch was worth it.  Noodles & Company sounded good and I kept thinking that was the place we should go.  But then we came around the corner and I was reminded that Il Vicino is right there.  Wood-fired pizza suddenly sounded good.  So, I tried to push Noodles out of my mind.  My son asked what we were going to have for lunch just before I pulled in to the parking lot.  I said, “Pizza.”  “What kind?”  “Whatever kind you choose.”  “What?  Are we going out?”  “We’re going to pick something up and take it home.”

We parked and walked around the corner to Il Vicino.  They didn’t open for another 15 minutes.  No way I was waiting 15 more minutes.  The entrance to Noodles was literally across the hall and they were already open with no customers.

We walked in and the manager started commenting on how great AJ looked all dressed up.  He informed her that he had just been adopted and changed his name.  She looked at him and said, "Well, I think that an adoption is a good reason for Noodles to buy you all lunch." 

The manager found a staff person to help AJ go through the menu and make a decision, served us personally, called AJ "his highness, and gave him one of those enormous cookies.  He was doted on, to say the least.

While one of the other employees was helping AJ decide what he wanted, the manager proceeded to tell me that she and her sister were both adopted as infants and that she wishes more people would adopt not just infants but the older children, as well.  So, because we were celebrating that very thing, lunch was on them.

It turned out to be good for me to sit down and rest for a few minutes.  Work was still there when I got home. ;-)