The Hotel has begun to feel a bit like home.  We have our typical parking spot.  The front desk staff (the ones during the normal business hours at least) quite obviously know me by their smile that seems to say “why are you still here?”.  I send my bills and cards from the hotel.  We enter through the side entrance.  I bring my partner his coffee every morning, as the norm.  I tidy up our room on a daily basis. And to make matters worse…I stopped housekeeping from cleaning up the room this morning because I had already emptied our garbage pails out for her…I enjoyed helping her out too!  I need help…

Tomorrow night, the Birth Mother will be induced.  It will be her 42nd week of pregnancy and we hope that this child will not come out with a full set of teeth.  🙂 We feel bad, because she has stated that she really does not wish to be induced.  Nonetheless, this baby is quite ready and the wait is over.   She is anxious to not be pregnant anymore as much as we are anxious for this journey to come to an end already.  Many have asked us what will happen after the birth-some tend to think we can hop on a plane and come home.  While we wish we could do that, private adoption laws prevent us from doing so.

If the baby is born tomorrow night, our attorney will show up on Tuesday at some point with Termination Papers for the Birth Parents to sign as well as an official order for the hospital stating permission for my partner and I to care for the child.  If the Birth Parents sign the papers, we can leave with the baby once the hospital allows her to be discharged (anticipating by Wednesday).  We will than leave the city we are in and head to Indianapolis. By Friday there will be a termination hearing.  None of the parties, aside from our attorney, have to go to that. However, if the Birth Parents have a change of heart for some reason, they must attend that hearing.  Once the hearing is complete, we wait for a law called ICPC to clear us.  This can take up to 7 business days, however, we are very fortunate to be in “sending” and “receiving” states that seem to work very quickly in getting us clearance.  Typically, 3 days.

Once that is over (that’s correct, the fun continues) 45 days after being back in Texas, we must go to Dallas so I can officially adopt the baby.  Since Texas does not allow same-sex adoption, my partner and I have the unfortunate circumstance to have to return to Dallas 6 months later, so that he can officially “second-parent” adopt the child.

Lot’s of time, money, patience…and it will all be well worth it in the end. This baby has  already been the center of our lives for the last 6 months.  I can’t imagine the over-protective, loving nature that is going to take over us once she is here!

In the meantime, it is time for our last breakfast, our last Sunday, as a 2 person family.