the Garcia family South Park style

Our new digs

We are settling into our new house in north Austin. We put Tony's room together first, but I have yet to paint it (the pink stripes will be gone after the 4th - Tony's making a 2-day trip to Grandma Clyta's so Bobby and I can paint). You can see the little monster asleep in his crib if you look closely. I did re-paint the stripes in our bedroom using a color combination I love instead of the orange-ish brown and muted blue stripes that were there before.



Tony is doing great. He has learned to climb, and has proven himself to be fearless by climbing up a six foot ladder behind Mommy while she was painting. Thank God I was right next to the bed - I just swung him over and dropped him onto it. I guess he doesn't see the difference between that and the bars at the park playground. He is very outgoing and will walk up to any other child even remotely his size when we go to the park. His vocabulary is still "uh-oh," "Yay!" (with clapping), and pppbbbbhh!! (lots of spitting involved with that one), and he has recently added "nuh-uh," followed by him running away from me.

Adoption day

Well, we had our big day in court on Monday. We waited for three long, tiring hours for the judge to finish other cases and get to our little file. Right before our case we were let into the courtroom and sat through a couple of DWI and petty theft cases, then the judge declared a five minute recess for our adoption case. Everyone told us it would be a festive, private event in the judge's chambers, but it turned out to be a very dry, impersonal reading of court documents and the judge giving a half enthusiastic "congratulations." Even with this cold treatment, we were ecstatic to have the full parental rights we deserve. I have no pictures of the actual event, but here this week's photo's of our little dude.

In other news, we no longer live in the Valley! We are Austin-ites! When we get the house and Tony's room fixed up I will post some pictures.

At an IHOP for lunch right after the hearing. We were all so tired!

Tony and Earl, about 2/3 of the way to Austin from the Valley on moving day

At Laura and Dax's house post - spaghetti

Our last Sunday at St. Mark (for a while)

We are in the midst of packing up for the big move, which is one of those things that makes you say - every time - "This is the last time I ever want to do this!!" We got a nice send off from our pastor at St. Mark, including a blessing for tomorrow's adoption hearing. I am so glad it's finally here! Apparently the swift arm of justice takes a year to get cranking. I will be thrilled to finally see my name on that birth certificate, and to hear the judge bang his gavel and make us an official, certified family. We will no longer have that little extra worry and distraction that currently hangs over our heads; the worry of "What if _____ happened and then someone decided they wanted Tony?" We will no longer worry every time that he falls "Will the judge think this bruise is something else?"

Of course, now the real fun begins. Tony is into everything, especially now that he has seen all the contents of our house paraded out and stuffed into boxes. He keeps very busy running back and forth between playing with Earl, pulling out of boxes the things we have just put in, and throwing his toys into the same box so that we have to fish them back out for him. Thank goodness Grandma Clyta is here to chase him down!