What Were You Doing at 4:10 pm Today?

Me? Oh, not much. Just celebrating the fact that Isaac's ADOPTION IS FINAL!!

Woo hoo!!

Actually, "final" probably isn't the right word. I think that's what I'm supposed to say after we have our court hearing. But for all intensive purposes, he is ours forever. Lexie signed the consent form exactly 10 business days ago at 4:10 pm, so the just-kidding-I-changed-my-mind period has passed.

We celebrated by mowing the lawn, doing the dishes, and successfully putting a baby to sleep after only trying for an hour or so. =)

Now we are going to kick back, watch one of our favorite tv shows, and maybe even have an adult beverage of some sort.

As long as the baby doesn't wake up, that is...

Peace

Newborn Pictures

I didn't think it was possible, but Isaac looks even more adorable through the lens of a professional photographer. One of our favoritest people in the whole world, Kelsey, gave us a gift of a one-hour photo shoot with photographer Natalie Champa Jennings. Natalie was FANTASTIC! Here are a few pics- all were taken in Isaac's Nana's house and gorgeous garden. You will see Isaac (of course), me, Jonathan, and Lexie.




































































(this is my favorite picture ever!)

Sweet Sentiment

Isaac and I had a lovely day at the farmer's market last week. After some serious taste-testing (me, not Isaac) we walked away with a homemade coconut barbecue sauce and a loaf of cranberry walnut bread.

Side note: We would have also had some vegetables (since that's the whole reason I go to the farmer's market) but I ran out of money. Unfortunately I didn't realize this until I had already chosen the perfect trays of veggies and the nice man had dumped them into a bag for me. When he said they accept checks, I was relieved. Until I noticed that I had used my last check a few days ago! I felt like a bit of an idiot. I guess I was REALLY not meant to eat any vegetables from his stand that week!

After leaving the farmer's market, we walked down the street to the local grocery store to get some dish soap. (You go through a lot of dish soap when you wash 40,000 bottles a day) Behind me in the checkout line was a rough-looking sort of man. He had the kind of facial hair you don't plan, but just get from just not shaving for a long time. He had on a dirty flannel shirt and sweat-stained hat. He was buying cigarettes and chewing tobacco. He glanced over at Isaac in his stroller and you could just see him melt. He said "Ohhhh, how old?" I said, "Two weeks today." He smiled and kept gazing adoringly at my little sleeping son. Then he said, "Remember this feeling."

Amen to that.

"Can She Take Him Back?"

Ah yes. The million dollar question. Can Isaac's birth mom change her mind? Could he be taken from us?

In a word: Yes. Do we believe this will happen in our situation? No.

Every state has different adoption laws and processes, so I will briefly explain how it works here in Minnesota.

For an adoption to be legal, the birth mom must sign a Consent to Adoption. If the birth father is named on the birth certificate, he must also sign the consent. This consent relinquishes their rights as parents. In Minnesota, the birth parents must wait 72 hours after the birth of the child before signing the consent. However, they can take up to 60 calendar days to sign the paper.

After the consent is signed, the birth parents have 10 business days to change their minds. (Including weekends, this could be up to 14 calendar days). After this possible 14 day waiting period is complete, the birth parents cannot revoke their consent (i.e. they cannot take baby back.) All that's left after that is a court hearing that states the adoption is "final." In 99% of cases, this is a legal formality. The only factors that would get in the way at this point would be if there was proof of fraud or coercion somewhere along the line.

Now it's time for a little arithmetic:
3 day waiting period + 60 days to sign the consent + 14 days to change their mind= 77 days of "legal risk"

In Minnesota, the time frame in which the birth parents can change their mind is 17 days at the least, 77 days at the most.

With all that said, I firmly believe that Isaac will stay with us forever. How do I know? Well there are several concrete reasons I can point to... but mostly? It's just faith. Faith that God brought us all together for a reason. Faith in Lexie and her commitment to Isaac. Faith that this is so right.

Isaac's Adventures

Since Isaac has been home, he has:


cuddled



met two of his future partners-in-crime, Drew and Lars


cuddled



visited the dog park


gotten lots of lovin from the grandparents


cuddled


tried out his new stroller



gone out to eat with Mommy and Daddy


cuddled



gone on a St. Croix river boat cruise


hung out with Lexie and met two of his birth cousins


cuddled


enjoyed tummy time (with Cody keeping guard)


cuddled


and spent time learning how to be a family of three! (And Cody, of course)

You Might Be a Mom of a Newborn If...

You watch your dog throw up but don't clean it up until 45 minutes later because you just don't have enough hands.