Parental Termination FINAL!!

We just got back from court and the birth mother voluntarily surrendered her rights. YEA!! It is what we were expecting, but you still never know until you get there. Since this was done in court, it will take effect immediately. Then we proceed to a conversion process for us and sign 33's where we declare our desire to adopt Grace. All of this will still take a few months, but at least we are past the termination!! Needless to say, we are so excited and relieved that it is over!

Gracie also cut her 1st tooth, discovered it yesterday just coming through. Hope to head out to the pool today for our 1st swimming experience. So fun!!





Daddy hurt his back, so Gracie had to lay down on the floor with him. Notice the remote...she LOVES them!

A Fun Day with Friends!!

Today we went for a walk in Suwanee Park with Michelle Redwine and her 2 boys, Owen & Dalton and Stacy Ulam and her son Barrett. It looked like it might be a rainy day, but it was cool and wonderful to catch up with each other. I love the picture of Grace and Barrett stroller to stroller holding hands! Barrett appears to be going steady with another little girl, but Grace couldn't keep her hands off him!



We got home and couldn't help another photo session in her room with her color coordinated "Love" outfit. She is FINALLY smiling at the camera. Yea!! Oh yea, notice the sitting up unassisted...here we go, it won't be long before the "c" word (crawl). I am enjoying my unbabyproofed and ungated house in the meantime!

No visit to Birth Mother - Maybe next week

Well….this morning Laverne couldn’t make it out to the corrections facility to serve the papers to the mother because she couldn’t get the system to print them out. Then she made it out there and they sent her to the wrong place and after a ½ hour of wasting time she had to leave. So she plans to visit her Monday or Tuesday of next week.

So we wait….just when you think you are almost there. We can only keep trusting that the final outcome will be worth all the wait. And at least we get to love on Baby Grace while we wait…..and have a great Mother’s Day weekend!!

Thanks for your emails, interest and prayers!

Michael & Jodi

Case Worker Visit

I spoke with Laverne our DFCS caseworker, and she wasn’t able to make it over to the corrections facility today, so she will go tomorrow morning. Since we are already almost 9 months into this, what is one more day? I was thinking today, what would make my 1st Mother’s Day better than for her to surrender her rights?!! That would be perfect! Please God, hear my prayer!! Baby Grace is laying on my lap right now lovingly hitting my arm, saying Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma…so precious!

I’ll update tomorrow after she calls me back.

Thanks for all your emails and prayers, we can feel them…I think we are close!

Michael & Jodi….and Baby Grace

Parental Rights Status

There hasn't been much to report, hence no updates. We got back from Spring Break April 14th and we were expecting sometime that week to be back in court with Grace's mother and her court appointed attorney. I called to check and see if we had a date and time and was told that the mother's lawyer asked for a continuance to have more time to prepare. The judge granted it in fear that if she didn't then there would just be an appeal. We now wait to hear exactly when the next date is, should be sometime in May or June. Tomorrow our DFCS social worker will visit the mother in jail and tell her that DFCS is not supporting her trying to get Grace back. What that means is that she is on her own in regards to any costs needed during her case plan (ie. counseling, drug tests, classes, etc.). Our hope is that this will deter her from trying to get Grace back, and she will voluntarily surrender her rights. I was told to call around 5:00 PM tomorrow to see how the visit went.

We have also been in contact with a lawyer to represent us if we get that far. She was referred by a friend who used her while adopting his grandson. She just happened to be a court appointed attorney for birth mothers under Judge Miller (our judge) for 10 years and she also knows Grace's lawyer Mary. She said that in the 10 years she never won a case against Judge Miller. The children were always put up for adoption. She did call Mary for us to see if it would be worth us working with her, and we were told that we didn't need her. Meaning that Mary felt that knowing Judge Miller and her judging style and the history of the case, that she was pretty sure of the outcome. That gave us a sense of peace. At this point we are just moving along as if we are her parents, pending the official paperwork.

Please pray for her mother to realize she is in a better place with a loving family. And that she is where she will get a life that she cannot supply.

Thanks for your prayers, I will do another post as soon as I hear anything.

The Shaheen Family

PS: here are some photos from today, she is getting so big...she will be 9 months on the 16th...hard to believe!