We finalized on Gracie's adoption on Friday, September 19th. I was more excited about it than I thought I would be. I mean - she's been home for six months, so I anticipated this feeling like more of a formality than something really special. It was really special.

I was nervous walking into the courtroom - the same kind of nervous as when I walked into the operating room when Jaimes was born. When our attorney asked me, under oath, if I understood that by adopting Sevyn from this day forward she is ours as if she was born to us, I got the same dizzy feeling I did when the doctor held Jaimes up for me to see for the first time.

I'm not comparing the kids, by the way. I'm comparing my experiences with new fatherhood. Finalization brought a feeling of newness and permanency to my relationship with Gracie that I hadn't realized was missing.