Lawyer says what?

We got such great news today and it comes on the heels of a conversation S and I had this morning so this is proof that the power of intention is working for us.

Our family lawyer called today (actually her assistant did) to tell us that we have a court date for the hearing of our adoption case. Since we have just started blogging let me catch you up on this situation.

E did not come into this world by immaculate conception. Although the relationship was not what I expected or hoped for I was given the most wonderful gift of being a mother to my best friend and most cherished gift, E. As I wandered through the confusing and mystifying jungle of dating I made it a point to not bring E into that world. However things don't always go as planned as I have come to know and accept. For the first time ever E was a part of my dating experience with S and while it was helpful at certain times it was extremely difficult and often down right frustrating. 

Do you know how hard it is to try and have fun at Animal Kingdom while your little one is giving your girlfriend the evil eye the entire time? Yeah, let's just say that it wasn't fun and it sucks to be in the middle. I'm glad that stage is over!

 So when it got to a point where S and E were not only getting along but understanding one another on a deeper level it made me breathe a sigh of relief. Of course with both of my girls being stubborn it took them some time to admit that THEY were more alike than different.

I knew that S's family would like E, but I had no idea that they would fall head over heels for her. I mean she is the kind of kid that if you don't like kids, you'll love E. She's so calm, cool and collected. It may seem like I'm bragging but once you meet E, you'll know what I'm talking about. I mean if she wasn't my daughter she would be the kind of kid that I would look at and say I wish I had a daughter like that... (seriously).

Once S and I knew that we were in it for the long haul she decided that she wanted to adopt E because she felt like E was not only a part of her family but a part of her as well. Emotionally we were already a family, it was import for her to put the legal protections in place.  S found a great lawyer who has worked with other same sex couples who have adopted children in the state of Florida. And as you may or may not know Florida is such a red state that if you are a same sex couple you have NO rights.So to know that there are not only lawyers but also judges who believe and support our rights to be a family in the legal sense (at least the adoption aspect) was such a wonderful surprise.

Before our wedding and expanding our family we wanted to make this adoption official. However time (and some other more pressing circumstances)  prolonged the process more than we hoped, so we had to put some of the logistical aspects on hold. Once we had our wedding, everything was in line to resume the adoption process. Unfortunately we were playing phone tag with the lawyer for quite a bit with no real answers to our questions of when we would be getting a court date for this process to be finished.


Oh I forgot to mention something. An important part of the pre-work for the adoption was doing a home visit with a social worker to make sure that S is sane and I wasn't bonkers. We found a social worker who has worked with same sex couples before, and "got it" as to why it was so important for S to legally become E's mom. First S and I met with her in her office and then she came to our house to see how we lived and spoke with E to make sure we lived up to all of the wonderful things that we said. In addition to the social worker we needed to have letters from reputable sources saying that S was a wonderful parent and (again) that I wasn't crazy. We got great letters from my mom and E's teachers from fourth and fifth grade.

So now down to the news I wanted to tell you. This morning as E and I were getting ready for a shopping spree I got a call from our lawyer's assistant. She gave us an official court date for the adoption proceedings which will be coming up in the next two weeks. I was so excited when I got the news that I sent S a text as I  was on the phone with the lawyer's assistant to have her call me. The only thing that we have to do is confirm the date and the time (which we did) and we will get all of the paperwork in the mail telling us what will happen now.

So now that you are all caught up and you know the story you'll understand why we are so excited. Of course I plan to take pictures and we will keep you posted on all the great news.

YAY!