Really Official...

Rocky has been mine from the day his birth mother said "he's yours if you want him"

Rocky has been mine from the first time my ears heard the thunder of his heart beat on the Doppler.

Rocky has been mine from the moment the nurses said "we will assume for the moment that you are his parents..." as they handed him to us on the way out of the delivery room.

Rocky has been mine from the moment that we sped wildlydrove ever so cautiously from the parking garage at the hospital.

Rocky has been mine ever since the judge signed papers giving us legal physical custody just 48 hours after his birth.

Rocky has been mine ever since his birth parents signed the papers terminating their parental rights to him.

Rocky has been mine ever since the judge sign the papers completely terminating his birth parents rights.

Rocky legally became mine on December 16th, 2011 when the judge declared that he be known as Rocky Bernard Rubble...

but today...it became really official when in the mail we found Rocky's final adoption decree. The one with the raised gold seal from the county

in which he was born along with instructions of how to obtain his birth certificate that lists Barney and I as his parents on September 13, 2011 but in the mean time this certificate which can be found in any public record denotes that we by heart, and law are Rocky's parents-then, now, and forever...