Adoption

While our first Mother's day was spent in the car on the way home from Illinois, we got the best present we could imagine the very next day when Susie's second-parent adoption of Jackson was finalized!


We started the adoption process before Jackson was born. There were forms to sign before we conceived, when the pregnancy was confirmed, and when Jackson arrived. Then there were lawyer's fees, paternity hearings, serving of notices, signing of affidavits, and visits from extremely inept social workers. At times it was extremely frustrating to have to go through this in order to adopt our own kid, but we know that we are the lucky ones and having Susie's name put on Jackson's birth certificate is still not an option in many parts of America.

When the day of the court date arrived, there was some last-minute scrambling to get some overlooked forms notarized and faxed in, so we were too frazzled to focus much on what was about to happen until the judge walked in. She asked a few simple questions then told us how happy she was to see a child who is loved and wanted by both his parents. She said that she doesn't see much of that in family court and that certifying adoptions was the happiest part of her job. Then she declared the adoption finalized. Susie started crying, which made Rach and the lawyer tear up to. Then the judge, the court reporter, and the bailiff all gathered around and told Jackson what a beautiful baby he is.





It was a long, expensive, and frustrating process, but it was well worth it, and having our government recognize our family made for an excellent first Mothers' Day.