Ngo Minh Ly is now officially Maelie Jolianne. It was a painless process, and Maelie has two very proud parents. Before our turn, Maelie had a great time running around the waiting area/lobby. She loved how her shoes tapped on the floor, and sat down right on the floor to read some books. My sister Kim came to watch in court, which I'm very glad about, as Maelie decided to run around the courtroom. Kim helped to 'field' her!! Apparently, she wanted to be either a witness, or in the jury, since those were the two areas she kept trying to get to. :) And...I had done her hair up in a very cute bow, which she had left alone, right up to when the judge said he would sign the petition for adoption....Maelie RIPS the bow out of her hair, throws it in the courtroom as if to say, "We're done here." :) You can see the before and afters in the photos.
After our day in court, (which lasted a painless 15 minutes), we celebrated as a US citizen should...lunch at McDonald's! Maelie's Grammie (Mike's mom) came for lunch, and Kim stayed, too. It was a lovely celebration, and we even got free McDonald's cookies to celebrate.
I am so relieved that this final step is done. She's official, and she's ours. (as if there were any doubt!!!!)
