Michigan - The Second Visit - Getting Custody of Jack

We awoke at 4:30am on 17.February.2006 to get to Hartsfield to standby for our Delta flight to Detroit. We got on the plane and landed in Detroit in - you guessed it - a snow storm. Oh, joy.

We got in our Hertz rental car - again with the very excellent Never Lost GPS system - and went to see Jack at his pre-school. We got there as the class was making a bowl of Jell-o. I am still not sure why they were making Jell-o, but they were and it was very blue. We were not around when it was finished. Drat. Jack was glad to see us and we were so very glad to see Jack.

This was a serious time, however. The people in Michigan sent a few belongings with Jack to preschool in a small bag. He had nothing to speak of. We were also waiting to hear back from our doctor about the results of the medical tests that the Judge had ordered be done for Jack. We had a hard deadline.

We departed the preschool with Jack and headed to the adoption office - where we were to sign the papers accepting custody. I should say that the court hearing was taking place as we were picking Jack up from pre-school. We still have not heard from our doctor to clear the medical report. We were a bit concerned.

Our most excellent Never Lost GPS system is directing us straight to the adoption office. Our cell phone is very quiet. We have called and pleaded that we really needed to talk to the doctor. The doctor was at a meeting but was, we were assured, in possession of the documents, aware of our deadline and going to call us.

As we pulled into the parking space at the adoption office, the phone rang. It was our doctor. She reported that all the medical tests were appropriate and she cleared Jack medically. God is real.

Kat, Jack and I went in the office and we signed the papers accepting custody of Jack. All we needed now was to get ICPC federal clearance to travel with Jack across state lines.

In other words, we had an unexpected vacation in freezing Michigan. It was not Miami or Los Angeles, but Kat and I would not have traded it for any place in the world.

To celebrate our accepting custody of Jack we did two things: got some burgers at White Castle and headed to Wal-Mart to get jack some good shoes, cloths and toys. It was a blast.