This is what happened on your "Adoption Day," the day we formally and legally finalized your place in our family. Yes, you've been our son since June, but America and Korea have to do a little political handshaking to finish things up. It's really for their benefit; your mother and I have considered the deal finished since we first saw you.

We all had to get up and out the door early, because it was a two hour drive to the courthouse where our ceremony was scheduled. You actually slept until almost the last possible moment to get us out the door on time. Mom gave you your breakfast in the car. Once you had eaten, you slept until we got about twenty minutes from the courthouse. Well done!

When we got inside, we saw lots of other kids like you, here to officially finish their adoptions. The judges like to schedule a bunch of these in one day, because it is convenient and fun for them. I would think it's a nice change of pace, since most of the time they're presiding over divorces and civil disputes and delinquent teens. We saw some families that Mommy recognized. You were happy and giggly the entire time, even though your nose was running like a faucet.

We had to wait until it was our turn, then we entered the judge's chambers. Along with him and the three of us, there was a representative from our adoption agency, a stenographer, a police officer, and some other officials from the court. Most of us sat at one big table with the judge at the head. Mommy and I promised to speak truthfully and the judge started asking us questions. Most of it was like "is this document you submitted correct in what it says" or "do you accept and understand what I'm telling you." We each said "yes" a lot.

The judge told us that from now on, you have all the rights and privileges just as if you had been biologically born to us. This means you will now legally inherit my comic book collection and stack of PS1 memory cards, among other things. You are also now an official United States citizen, so you'll probably soon be receiving the form where you decide whether you'll be a Democrat or a Republican for life. We'll throw that away when it comes.

The judge posed for some pictures with us, and then it was all over! The doctor visits and the meetings and the forms and the home studies and the autobiographies and the waiting and the waiting and the waiting. All over.

By this time we were all hungry, so we went to a gigantic mall. You ate your lunch in your stroller at the food court, another mealtime first. Mommy and I shared some of our vegetable lo mein and spicy tofu with you, since you're starting to eat non-baby food now. Then we shopped.

It was probably kind of stupid to go to a mall just a few days before Christmas, but you liked it. You liked being pushed around in the stroller (this was the first time you stayed happy in the stroller indoors for any length of time, come to think of it) and you liked looking at all the people and decorations. We sat you with the mall Santa for pictures, but you didn't consider that something to smile about, so we have another Stunned Baby photo for the pile.

We went to the Discovery Channel Store and wondered why they can't just make a freaking Paz Penguin stuffed animal. We get that they want to showcase educational toys, since it's a Discovery property and all, but come on. Slapping Paz stickers on a plastic instrument set is nice, but all we wanted was a little $5 Paz beanie to take home. Maybe with a sound chip.

The Disney Store was having a sale on their stuffed animals. Now there's a store that knows how to market! It was a good sale: we're talking 20"ers for $8 apiece. I would have bought an armload at that price, but I limited myself to just one: a super-cool Uncle Scrooge stuffed animal. You'll get that someday as well. (Later, a four-year-old boy asked us why we would buy him, the old guy from the Christmas story with Mickey, when we could have had a Mickey.)

The Apple Store was so packed with people buying iPods that we could barely see anything. I was looking for the iPod video cable and Mommy wanted a nice iPod carrier/protector. They were sold out of the cables and the case selection was no better than the junk we had previously rejected at our local Target. Big strike-out at the Apple Store.

But the only really lousy thing that happened was when you soaked through your diaper and grenaded your entire outfit. Not your fault; it happens. "It was EVERYWHERE," Mommy told me later, because this mall didn't have co-ed family bathrooms. We headed for home pretty quickly after that.

And that was December 22, 2005, your Adoption Day. Now the entire United States knows what we already know: that we love you and will care for you, and that you have made us into a family.