Keeping the beat...

Time has escaped between all the numbers in the last 24 months.  The days have become a blurr juggling work, home and breathlessly running after Brase.  I have no time for myself but would not take anything for this time with my son. 

I must report that my favorite moment, in recent weeks, took place during our post dinner dance a-thon.  Adele was streaming through the air as we jumped and swung our bodies around the room.  It was a tender moment when I scooped my little boy up and he laid his head upon my shoulder. Brase then motioned to the kitchen where his Papi' stood.  Brase insisted that Jose' join us as we slowly danced. Jose joined in and our wee one laid his small hands upon our faces.  We smiled and Brase giggled as our bodies swayed to the beat.  This is an amazing time... a time that will only come once.

Mayonnaise!

Brase has mastered the art of babble.  He endlessly spouts out single syllable sounds that are transitioning his vocabulary. One repetitious noise he continually makes is Ga. This thrills one of his "Grandmothers" as she prefers to be called Gaga.  His never ending stream of Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is music to her ears. 

Brase's taste buds are developing at a steady pace.  He is going to be a great lover of fine French food.  He seems to continually crave Mayonnaise.  He constantly request a spoonful by looking into our eyes as he repeats the repetitious sound Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma Ma.  This makes his two fathers so very proud!  When in public, we like to tell onlookers how advanced our son is regarding his culinary and linguistic endeavors.

Judgement Day...

July 16, 2010 will forever be imprinted in my mind and on my calendar. This important date will bind our family together legally. We are officially on the court docket to finalize Brase’s adoption.

Remember, we live in the red state of Texas. We are Southerners, actually Texans, by heritage but the South does not live within our souls. We live here for so many reasons but equality is not included on that list.

The 16th is just the 1st step in our state’s 2 part adoption process. Keep in mind, this 2nd step is only required of Gay and Lesbian adoptive parents. Our 2nd court date will be scheduled on or before August 6th.

I will finalize “our adoption” in the county our son was born, during this 1st legal round. Then Jose and I will appear again, in another county, to finalize the second parent adoption. The 2nd step also requires mediation and a legally binding agreement involving custody. This is to ensure that the court does not have to intervene in the event Jose and I ever separate. The mediation and custody agreement in effect acknowledges our family and commitment in a very convoluted process.

Texas is not the only backwards state. We live in a nation with many pockets of inequality and injustice. We are not all free in The Land of the Free! Thus…The Stars and Stripes never hang outside our home because it’s a constant reminder of our 2nd class status as American citizens.

Regardless of the cost and legal obstacles this is a triumph for us and everyone like us. And most importantly, our family will be “legally” united!