It's Official!

Yesterday we went to court! We finalized Joy's adoption through the State of California. We have had several people ask us why we were doing it. My best answer was something like, "Well, it is just one more official seal on her adoption and by doing it, she will have a California birth certificate." I know the certificate will make things easier for her later on, when she is applying for her driver's license, passport or even her first job. But, what really meant something to me was the act of going.

We sat in front of a judge, signed our names two times (even Joy got to sign) and took a Polaroid photo with the judge. The officials were all very pleasant and the whole ceremony maybe took five minutes total. I did overhear a lawyer outside saying something like, "This is the only happy thing that happens here." I guess that is true, because we were at Juvenile Court, which is right next to Juvenile Hall.

While walking in and going through the metal detector, a woman behind me said something nice about Joy and then said, "I have one, too, only she is 26." I thought that was an interesting comment. I wasn't sure what she meant, because China has not been doing foreign adoptions for that long. I saw her daughter a while later, who had been adopted from Korea. She was really sweet to Joy. I kept staring at the woman's family, thinking that they looked so natural and imagining myself in her place many years from now. To celebrate we went to Baskin Robbins to get ice cream with Grandma. Joy loves "yogurt" as she calls it! It really was a fun day. Now a note from Paul...

On the way home, we had a proud rock and roll moment. To digress.......
Daddy has been very interested in music since 1975 and his 4th grade end of the year party. It was then that he started to indentify with rock and roll. Beach Boys' "Round Round, I Get Around" and Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" were early favorites. Daddy had secret dreams early on that Joy would absorb his incredibly tasteful music habits. Imagine his elation when joy covered her ears upon hearing Britney Spears at the mall. Imagine his disappointment when she did the same when daddy played his favorite 80's punk band Bad Religion. Fast forward to Thursday's trip home from the Courthouse. We had a "Best of the Ramones" in the cd player. (The Ramones have lost a few popularity battles to Laurie Berkner recently.) Well, Joey came over the speakers singing about Bonzo and Bitberg. Mommy was in the back seat, shaking her long hair. Daddy encouraged Joy to pump her fists. Mommy said, "Rock it!" Darling daughter Joy repeated "Rock it, rock it rock it.....Joy's rockin' it. Rock it!....Rock it! Rock it! Rock it!........Rock it! I rock it!

Tears to daddy's eyes.......