one step closer

when last we spoke of the adoption of theo, we were out in the snow at the jail and the courthouse. today brought us one step closer to theo's adoption, at the lawyer's office.  we met with theo's guardian ad litem, who has been appointed to ensure that laura and i are suitable parents for him.  this consisted largely in her observing theo being comfortable in our presence, in confirming that we both have the ability to make money, and in warning us that if we broke up, we'd have to share custody and financial responsibility for theo.

she also shed light on something we'd been confused about:  the reason i am "adopting" theo in terms of the pleading is so that it can be a "related" adoption.  the statute says that if one of the people adopting the child is already the parent (or otherwise related by blood or marriage), the home study and waiting period can be waived.  so, that's why i'm technically adopting theo!

our next step is the final adoption hearing, which can be sometime after january 23rd - very shortly thereafter, we hope!  soon we will start planning theo's adoption party!  we are going to celebrate it each year, so that neither he nor we lose sight of the great blessing we have been given in laura's being able to legally adopt him so straightforwardly in illinois.

so, we celebrated the next step in the process by having an early dinner at the Blue Cat Brew Pub just a block away, and where we also had our last meal before we went to the hospital.  we also "celebrated" neither of us having had lunch!  i had breakfast late and then got wrapped up in our beautiful boy, and laura had left her wallet at home.  it was also our first meal out since we've had theo.  no one was in the main room of the restaurant at 4:30, and i was able to nurse theo under the table, and it was quiet and relaxing for the little guy.  so much so, we went to the grocery store afterwards, and he totally held up through the whole thing!  he only started crying when we were wheeling the groceries out the store.  he has really become much more alert and calm in the last couple of days, and awake for much more of the day.  our boy is coming into himself!

here's laura with theo in the lawyer's conference room:

here's the view out the window from the conference room:

here's theo with his lawyer: