Sunday, July 26, 2009

Adoption Day

Adoption Day has come and gone. Nothing really feels different, life goes on as it always has. Christopher is no more Ashley's dad than he was a week ago. Yet somehow, there is a comfort in knowing that it is done. We will never have to worry about Christopher's rights as a father again. He can legally make medical decisions for Ashley and if I die, there will never be any question about her placement. That is a load off my shoulders right there.

The hearing went well. We had a judge who had just made the transition to family court, we were his first adoption. We had to chuckle at that, there have been so many firsts for so many people in this process. The judge kept asking the lawyers questions about what he should do next and even forgot to swear us in at the beginning. The first hearing was the Termination of Parental Rights(TPR). My ex husband was present for that portion. Ashley and Jackie were hanging out in the lunchroom of the courthouse during the TPR. No child should be present for that. It is done professionally and quickly, but the wording is harsh. After the TPR was done, Ashley and Jackie came up and the adoption hearing took place. That too was short and sweet. There was a feeling of happiness in the court room and we got to take pictures afterward.



After the hearing, we went to the comic book store. That store is a sacred place for Ashley and Christopher. :) Then we were off to "The Melting Pot" for a fancy, four course dinner. The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant and is so delicious! We were happy to find out that it was "spa night" at the restaurant, it meant that Ashley, Jackie and I all got hand and back massages for free!

The first course was the cheese course, we had two pots of cheese - the special cheese and the Wisconsin Blend. The cheese course was served with three types of breads, apples, celery, carrots and cauliflower. It was delicious!

The salad course was next. Ashley, Jackie and I opted for the Caprese Salad. It was divine - a whole tomato, field greens and chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese. Christopher got a caesar salad, which was just as tasty.

The third course was the main course. We ordered two different cooking styles, a french style and a Caribbean style. The french style was better tasting. The Caribbean style was a bit too citrusy. The foods to cook were white shrimp, filet mignon, sirloin, chicken breast & pork, mushrooms, red potatoes and broccoli. There were eight different sauces to choose from as well. The food was great.

Lastly was the dessert course. We ordered two pots of chocolate, the traditional milk chocolate and peanut butter mixture and the special tiramisu mixture. Our dippers were marshmallows, rice krispie squares, strawberries, cheesecake, brownies, poundcake and bananas. The dessert is the best part, it was decadent.

The Melting Pot is quite expensive, and everything is so rich that it is really not the type of place that we will eat at more than once every few years. It was great for this special occasion though.

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