It's Official!

Yes, that's right - it IS official! The court today determined that I am "MaMa" to little Alexandra Jeanette O'Niel! I have to say that court was nothing like I imagined it would be, starting with the fact that I expected to be grilled for about an hour, but the entire proceeding was over in 15 minutes (apparently I had the good fortune of having court the exact date that they are moving everything out of their current location and into their new building - I think the judge just needed to get through all her cases in a timely fashion so they could move all the furnishings!). The judge asked me if I really was ready to be a mom, why I wanted to be a mom to THIS child, how long would I stay home with her, and who would take care of her when I went back to work. Yep - that's IT.

The baby home director and custody manager also testified that they had seen me interact with my child (yes, she was referred to as "the child" for most of the proceeding) and that although she could be "difficult" I was able to calm her down and begin the bonding process.

As happy a day as this was, it was also very sad in that I heard that she had been on the registry for a while now and offered to several Russian families, only to not have anything happen with that process. Apparently they were scared off by her medical diagnosis (which according to everything I have read and the IA doctor who reviewed her documents is really nothing to worry about) and the fact that she screams bloody murder when first introduced to strangers. Their loss is truly my gain, but it makes my heart ache for her nonetheless.

In the next few days I should get my travel information to come and pick her up to bring her home... for good. This is truly the first day of the rest of our lives and we head back to the orphanage at 3:30 for one last visit before heading home tomorrow, our last trip back WITHOUT my little RP! It's hard to believe that this process is truly almost over, at last.

Finally... :)