Our Day in Court

You would think a day you've been waiting for to come would produce firework type emotions. To be honest? Karen and I felt strangely calm and somewhat ordinary. It was a rainy day. The family court building has 20 parking spaces to accomodate 300 people on a daily basis. So we were told to arrive before 9am. We got there about 8:45am, I dropped Karen and Bella off at the front door and drove up the road to a parking lot so I could make the 500 yard walk back to the court building. After getting through security we were escorted to a large holding room outside the court room. We met our case worker, Lou Carmichael, and our attorney, Tim Brassil, and my mom and dad in the room. We sat and waited, waited some more, nerves kicking in, waited some more, hear the Ballif call a family into the court room, wait some more, and then about 10:05 we heard our name called. So we all moved next door to the court room where Judge Drumm was preciding over our case. Our attorney asked Karen a series of questions, then asked me the same questions, attorney for Bella (yes, buggaboo had representation in the court room) cross examined us, then he cross examined our case worker, and by 10:15am we were legally Isabella's parents. We left the court with the final papers in hand. We celebrated with a quiet lunch at Hullahans with mom and dad. Then we went home! Strange, you build up for that day for 6 months and I left feeling like I just renewed my drivers license. Don't get me wrong and I am overjoyed the process is over. So Bella celebrated the next day by coming down with a virus that landed us in the ER because she was on the verge of dehydration and our doctor was affraid of that so she sent us to the ER at around Midnight May 24th. It's taken 2 weeks for her to be back to her playful, joyful, and fun self. We are so happy to have Bella Boo back!