Texas Day 2

Friday morning we awoke bright and early. Well, everyone else woke up, I was already awake. Buddy boy did not like sleeping in Texas! He had a hard time the whole weekend! I tried to keep his routine similar but it didn’t help. Different crib, different sounds, time change, whew – he and I struggled. But anywho…..

We all kind of lazed around for the morning because we didn’t really have time to go and do anything because it was COURT DAY! Whooo hooooo

When it was time we all showered and dressed and after making another stop at Walmart (Jeff forgot this belt) we were on our way to the court house. We managed to find a good parking spot directly across from the court house (miracle!) and proceeded to work our way through security. We actually passed with flying colors! Briana had offered to meet us at the court house to show us around and to take pictures and I am so glad she was able to do both! Finding the place on our own would have been a nightmare to say the least. Down the elevator, down the hall, up the elevator, eek. Once we got to the right area we were told to wait for our attorney, which again, I’m glad Briana was with us, because she knew what the woman looked like. As we waiting about 45 minutes for our attorney a sweet adoptive mom holding a precious little baby boy introduced herself to us. Her name was Lacey and her and her husband (and parents) were there to finalize the adoption of their son as well. I remember seeing their faces on the agency website so it was really cool to share that time with them. Their son Ryder was born on the 7^th of March, the day we received a call about Caleb. Shewas so sweet and actually surprised Briana and I by telling us that she follows both of our blogs. That was a nice surprise! (So if you are reading this Lacey – Hi and email me sometime or find me on FB so we can stay in touch!) After a little bit of waiting our attorney appeared and introduced herself. Waited a few more, filled out some papers, then it was time to head into the court room. We had heard that the judges set aside a day to handle all adoptions each week, that the Judges really enjoyed those days. Well, our judge was no exception. We even watched as he sent some folks to another courtroom so the he could focus on just the adoptions that were being finalized. Lacey and I were the only ones from our agency, but there were other families completing step-child adoption, foster adoptions, etc. The attorney asked if Jeff and I wanted our whole group to stand before the Judge and we definitely said yes. We had been through this whole process together so we were excited they were able to share in the moment, especially Amber. When it was out turn all 7 of us rose from our seats and made our way to the front of the courtroom to stand before the judge. Jeff and I were asked a few questions (which I don’t remember!!), asked if it was our intent to make Caleb’s name legal (yes), and if it was our intent to adopt him. (YES) Mom was standing to my right which was a good thing cause Caleb was most interested in my long necklace that he wanted to eat!! I quickly took it off and passed it to her to hide for me. When I glanced at her tears were streaming down her face. Happy tears. Healing tears. Having struggled with infertility for so many years, have 2 miracle children, and watched me struggle for a decade, she understands. Probably better than most. She knows what a special, priceless, miracle gift Caleb is to our family. And she rejoices in him. The judge finally said he saw no reason for us not to be approved for and make our adoption final – words to our ears! He then said we could take some pictures with him and he invited us ALL to stand with him while Briana snapped pictures. He said Caleb sure was a cute and happy fella and congratulated us all. Oh, what a special time. So thankful God gave us a sweet Judge to share our special time with.

After we left the courtroom we waited in the hall a bit longer for our attorney to give us a copy of our adoption decree – hallelujah! We then invited Briana to lunch and we headed to the Spaghetti Warehouse, a delicious, interestingly decorated Italian joint with fantastic food! We set the 2 little handsome boys next to each other and they had the best time “talking”,. Caleb tried a Mum Mum for the first time and he LOVED IT! He devoured it! His first attempt at self feeding was a success. He also liked the Puffs (AKA Baby Crack cause they are so popular)

After lunch we headed back to the house for a quick rest and clothing change, and then we were off to meet Briana to have family photos taken. We met at beautiful Brackenridge Park in our coordinating colors and Briana started snapping shots. I have seen a few of them already, and I am so so so happy with they way they have turned out! I couldn’t believe how well Caleb behaved; he smiled on que when she raised that camera! It was so funny. Amber looked beautiful and so grown.L I love the shots of her and Caleb together, they truly adore each other. I hope their love for each other continues to grow.

Once pics were finished we headed for a late dinner. Yes, we ate on this trip, a lot. We decided to try a steakhouse so we headed to a place called Salt Grass. Oh My Goodness. I even ordered a steak which is a rarity for me so you know I hoping it would be good. I was not disappointed! Everything was delicious! And we surprised Amber with a giant piece of cake and sang Happy Birthday to her (2 days early). She was surprised and a little embarrassed.

Whew, after a long and emotional day we all turned in pretty early excited to start our next day at SEA WORLD!