Finalization Day - One Year Later

One year ago today we sat in a courtroom while a judge made us a legal family. It seemed like the first six months of Baylie's life crawled by while we waited for her to be officially and finally ours. The year since then has flown by.

I think the thing that strikes me most is how the stress and agony of the past seven years is just a distant memory. First the heartache of infertility, then the frustration of not being selected as adoptive parents, then the elation of being matched - coupled with the anxiety of a birth mother possibly changing her mind. Next, Baylie in our arms, loving her completely, but still worrying that something would happen to keep the adoption from being finalized. Then finally, a judge telling us that Baylie was ours and the file was sealed. I sobbed in the courtroom and literally felt a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I knew she was ours, mine, my daughter. And all the hurt was worth it.

Even though we still hope to adopt another baby, having Baylie has healed my heart and I no longer agonize about whether or not I'll be a mother. If she is the only child we ever have, it is more than enough. I love you little girl!