Completion

This should be the final time I write about "lasts" with the process of adopting Lucy.  Alleluia!  Recently we went back to court to "re-adopt" Lucy.  Even though the adoption was finalized in China, and Lucy became a citizen at our port-of-entry upon returning from China, there was one last step we wanted to take:  making it official-- on paper-- through the United States' legal system.  Even though this was not necessary, many encouraged us to do it.  This will secure any potential questions or problems that Lucy could encounter later in her life regarding citizenship.  It also allows us to get her social security number/card in her American name.  It was something we thought was important to do for Lucy.  

I admit that doing more paperwork and paying more fees was quite unappealing 6 months ago, when we could have completed this last step.  Finally I got the energy to do what was needed in November, and off to court we went on December 29th.  In hindsight, it wasn't bad at all (nothing compared to all that had to be done on the front end of this process.)  And the Judge made the experience quite enjoyable, as you can tell in the pictures below.  He was friendly, inquisitive and encouraging.  If it weren't for the (tall!) man in the black robe sitting behind the big bench, I wouldn't have even know we were in court!

Brian and I feel a great sense of relief...  

No more legal matters, home studies, classes, paperwork or fees.

No more questions about our intentions, our house, our family or our histories.

No more fingerprinting, notarizing or traveling.

Just Brian, Karen and Lucy. . . . . being the family God intended for us to be. 

Waiting to go into the courtroom...

Judge Rogers invited Lucy to come bang the gavel to make it official.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of it all...neither was I, behind that bench!

Smile, Lucy...we are all done!!!