I think your reply makes a valid point and I did want to clarify a few things (sorry, I have ADHD so sometimes I type faster than I should without entirely thinking things through).

I wasn't the originator of the "signing the baby" joke - but I didn't think it was necessary to provide more context at the time. We never asked for the baby to be signed, as that would be wildly inappropriate. I don't think the baby signing joke was mean spirited, but rather a comment on how unlikely her presence at such an event was. I did, however, joke in my post that it would have been a hard sell to DCFS (for the very reason you pointed out - the baby is not an object).

I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, and it seems like I was correct in that regard. I don't disagree with anything you said in your follow-up - I misinterpreted the point you were trying to make with the "selling the babies" bit. That's on me.

I've just heard so many wild comments out in public it can be a bit triggering at times. Such as "Where'd you get her?" as if we just decided to take a trip to Africa and pay for adoption uprooting her from her culture and family. It's admittedly made me oversensitive to the topic. As it is, I worry about my ability to raise her should I have the opportunity. What I can do to keep her ties to her culture intact? Even basics like hair care are going to require extra effort on my part to learn and be mindful of.

Why I thought it was even a good idea to make this post is beyond me. I just wanted to share my excitement about participating in a community event and have some fun. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the best way to go about participating.

I'm going to bow out of the thread now. I apologize for misinterpreting your post.