We finalized by phone at Trainor Grain in Wing because Susan Stork was our notary. Our appointment was for 3:30pm Florida time, 2:30pm Illinois time. Our attorney called us at a little before 2:30pm to let us know court was about to begin and he would be calling back and we should be ready to speak to the judge. We sat in a back room at Trainor's and used speaker phone. When our attorney called back we spoke with the judge and Susan had to give her notary information. Then we were sworn in (affirmed in). Next the attorney asked us a few questions. We stated our full names, how long we had been married, if we had a stable marriage, when Wren was born and how long we were in florida, if we have formed a bond with Wren, if we knew that the adoption was irrevocable and Wren would be entitled to our estate as a biological child, and if we wanted to keep her legal name Wren Danielle. After we answered the questions the judge said he signed the papers and he congratulated us on our adoption completion for Wren! He told us if we were ever in Tampa we could stop by and get a picture with him at the courthouse with Wren! Instead we took a picture with Susan since she was our notary for the finalization. We finished the phone conversation and signed the notary paper which I then mailed to our attorney. He was going to file the paperwork from the judge that day and we should soon be getting a birth certificate for Wren in the mail! Then we can file for a social security number for her and we will be completely done with anything adoption related for Wren! The whole phone conversation lasted about 5 minutes if even! When we got done we came out of the back room at Trainor Grain and my co-workers had food and drinks prepared to celebrate our finalization! They are the greatest co-workers and have been an encouragement and a support from the very beginning of our infertility and throughout our adoption! You guys are the best, thanks so much for all you have done for us! They also gave us cards and a Willow Tree Angel called "Our Gift" which is the mom, dad, and baby. It was perfect for the occasion!
It has been an amazing journey. There were really amazing parts, really hard parts, times that made us want to give up and times that made us want to do it all over again. We are so thankful for our friends, family and everyone else who prayed for Wren even before we knew her and who continually supported and encouraged us!
We also are thankful for Wren's birth family. They have given us a beautiful child who fills our lives with so much joy and we will be forever grateful.
Most importantly we want to praise God for orchestrating this entire adoption. So many times it was evident that God was at work making things happen at just the right time to show us He was in control and would see us through! We are so thankful we have a never failing constant God to depend on whether we are in a hard season or a joyful season. We are also thankful that God was able to take the pain of infertility and use it to deepen our trust in Him, provide a home for a child, help a birth mom that needed someone to parent her child, and ultimately bring glory and honor to His name!!
Woohoo!!! Glad it's final. She is sure a keeperš
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