Caleb Goes to Court

This past Thursday was a momentous occasion for us all.  It was the day that we went to court to finalize our adoption.  While we did not anticipate that there would be any problems with finalizing, we're thankful that there were none and that it's now official:  Caleb is legally our son!  Of course, he has already been a part of our family, but now it's recognized by the law.
We made the trek to the state where we first met him (always fun with a 5 month old) where we spent 20 minutes in court. While in court, we were sworn in, and then our attorney and the judge asked a few questions.  And then he signed the Final Decree of Adoption, and we were on our way home. 
As the Final Decree of Adoption says:  "said adoptee [Caleb] is hereby legally adopted by the Petitioners [Tony and me] and from this date the said adoptee shall be, as to all legal intents and purposes, the child of the Petitioners...and that the name of the adoptee shall be Caleb Augustine Argo..." 

Caleb was still a little sleepy from the drive.

The judge was such a nice man.  He stated that he himself had been adopted when he was just 6 weeks old and that adoptions held a special place in his heart.  He reminded us that his courtroom was not Wal-Mart - there was a strict no return policy.  As Tony and I have been bound to one another for better or for worse, so too are we now bound to Caleb.  He's our child, even on those difficult days ahead. 
In our profile book we prepared when we began the adoption process, we included this for our children: "Remember that we will always love you and accept you, regardless of your decisions in life, not because of anything you have or have not done, but merely because you're ours!"  Caleb, always know that we love you, and always will, because you are ours...legally and in all other ways!