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!