We went a court’n

Today was our big day. The day when the judge, prosecutor, Department of Education representative, and baby house pediatrician review and discuss our paperwork. This paperwork represents every aspect of who Mee and I are. It includes all of our letters of recommendation, financial information, home study, as well as all of the Kazak legal papers, stamps and other necessary items. We shared our date stamped photos and our airline ticket stubs to prove that we have been visiting Chloe for the past almost four weeks. And we read our speeches to the judge ultimately asking that she grant our adoption. She did.

Note: Don't worry, the Kazaks don't seem to like smiling in photos, and the mailman is actually the prosecutor. Everyone was very nice and all supported our adoption.


After waiting the mandatory fourteen-day period for the judgment to be final, we will be allowed to pick Chloe up from the baby-house and bring her home. We will be coming home for that period so we can get a couple of things squared away, then return to Kazakhstan to pick her up.

One of the biggest hurdles has been cleared. We just have a lot of traveling ahead of us and a woefully long two weeks without our daughter.

Looking forward to being home for a bit, but not as much as coming back for our baby.

Z

Zac and I want to offer a heartfelt thanks to every one of you who has followed along with us on this momentous journey in our lives. Your encouragement and support has been one of the most important factors in what has kept us sane and hopeful during this wonderful but very surreal time. And you have no idea how good it felt to tell Chloe about the smothering that awaits her from her many loving aunties in America. We will be starting the journey back tomorrow afternoon (4 a.m. Chicago time) and arrive home on Thursday around midday. Somebody order me a hot dog, extra peppers, stat!

M