Making It Official.

Hey, guess where I am?

The great state.

What? You still don't know? I said the "great state." That should be a dead give-away.

TEXAS!

I'm in Texas! And do you know why?

Because today, right now in fact, as you are reading this blog, I am sitting in a courtroom waiting for a Texas judge to announce that the adoption proceedings for "one Rocklin Cooper Radke are official and finalized according to the state of Texas and the court of law. God bless us, God bless us all. So say I. And yada yada yada."

I can't be sure it will be said exactly like that, but that's how it plays out in my mind.

And then he will ask us how we feel about raising Rocco. And then he will ask to see him. But unfortunately Rocco will not be there because traveling with him means traveling with Remi and traveling with Remi means traveling with a band of wild, drunken gypsies.

So I will say, "Oh, your honor - we couldn't bring him, because his sister is really bad. So he stayed home with his Grandma and Bonga but we did bring some pictures."

And then he'll say, "Well, I'd love to see one."

And then I'll say, "One? That's rude. Cause I have 18."

And then he'll say, "Well, I don't know that I can spend time looking..."

And then I'll interrupt and say, "So here we are at the grocery store. And here we are at the Fall Festival and here we are..."

And then the judge will hit his little stick thingy on his desk and then it will be over. And Rocco will be mine - all mine - in the court of law. Which to be perfectly honest, and I mean no disrespect, is a perfectly wonderful thing but changes nothing in my heart.

The boy's been mine.

And then I will look in the back of the courtroom and see Nonie and Poppy (because they will be there with us - which is rather amazing considering they came out to be with US, just US, even though they knew their grandchildren weren't going to be coming. Don't you just marvel at the fact that miracles still happen?) And I will look back and see Nonie crying and Poppy
beaming with pride.

And then the AG and I will let them take us out for a good Texas steak. Because it would do their hearts good to treat us like that. And I just want to please.

And then we will get on a plane and come right back home because I will need to squeeze Rocco extra hard and remind him that he and I don't need a silly judge to tell us that we were always meant to be.

And then he will smile that little crooked smile at me like he does whenever I say, "Rocco, it's your mama," because he thinks it's silly I still tell him that when he so obviously knows.

And then we will fall asleep.

Together.

Have a good weekend, my lovelies. So say I. And yada yada yada.