She's Registered

Remember this day? Me too, head splitting that it was . Today was register the adoption with the state without legal representation part 2. I used all the cheat sheets given to me by the nice bureacrat on the last visit. I collected every scrap of paperwork given to us in China proving Olivia was legally adopted with the consent of one very democratic but inefficient government and one communist and yet oddly sweet tempered government, topped the stack off with a legaleze petition, formal order, and one bit of triplicate 3/4 sheet of paper for which I have no idea how it added to the integrity of the stack but I was told it was "very" important. At least it added interest since it could not be filled out with a computer, it had to be typed on a dinosaur typewriter. IBM Selectric...pass the nut mix at that party.

Liv and I marched down to the city county building one more time with low expectations but bright with hope of further progress. I was stopped while getting out of the car by a man asking for a quarter. I obliged... hoping to create good karma. Liv was excited because she got to take her new stuffed monkey and she knows after all that by completing this task she will have legal right to her $.50 of inheiritance to be shared with her sister. (Don't spend it all in one place, my darlings.) Spread the bubble gum money out making it last; remember that when I am gone.

We arrived 2nd in line to meet with the Commissioner. Apparently he had to approve my petition before he would allow me to kevetch with a clerk who might ultimately press the go button. I explained that the Commissioner had already looked at my paperwork last time I arrived at this taco stand and surely I could just proceed to the clerk station. No go, said the secretary with the nose ring and lovely tats. You must wait your turn and get the coveted rubber stamp. So we did, we waited 1 hour and sure enough upon seeing him we actually got a rubber stamp on our documents. I couldn't believe it! We did it, Liv and I registered her adoption with the state all by ourselves. And it only took 3 rice cakes, one cup of soy milk and one package of yogos worth of time.

Then Liv picked up her monkey and stinky pink blanket and dragged it all the way down to the clerk's desk. Ms. clerk took all of about 6 seconds to happily process us. She hit the go button as I wrote a check for $10 to the State Dept. of Health. The probate court apparently will send the processed info to the State Dept. of Health so that they can kick off a delayed state birth certificate. They provide this service since they are a rocking happy bunch of state funded employees. And, honestly they must have warmth in their hearts after all. We in turn should see a birth certificate in a mailbox near us in about 4-6 weeks.

It took everything I had not to take that $600 I saved in legal fees and march right on over to Nordstroms for fall shoes.