Wow, not a post since 5/27/08. Time has just been flying by! Where did summer go? Since my last post here is what has happened.
Wesleyan Wolves win Region, then win State for the 1st time in Wesleyan history!! Wow, what a week, it started with the parental termination and ended Friday with a state championship. If you want to read all about it, check out the baseball website.
http://www.wesleyanwolvesbaseball.com/
From the game came an article in the AJC. The reporter just happened to see Michael's face as I handed him Grace upon celebrating on the field after the win, and just had to write about it. Little did he know the "rest of the story". Here is the article and some pictures from the paper.
Coach's win-win at school, home
Wesleyan's Shaheen celebrates state title, official fatherhood
By Curtis Bunn The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 06/23/08
The week of Memorial Day was the most rewarding time of Wesleyan baseball coach Mike Shaheen's life. And it had nothing to do with his team winning the Class AA state championship.
Rather, that Tuesday, word came after months of anticipation and anxiety that he and wife Jodi's adopted daughter, Grace, was officially theirs.
Now you know why he continues to exude so much joy three weeks after the crown.
"It was great to win a state title, but it doesn't compare to having a child," Shaheen said.
It showed after Wesleyan's sweep of Lovett on May 30 for the championship. With players and fans celebrating all around him on the field, Shaheen clutched 10-month-old Grace in his arms, kissed her on her cheek and hugged her tightly.
"Absolute glory" is how Shaheen described that moment of celebrating a championship and his daughter all at once.
This week, the celebration continued on his living room floor, where Shaheen played with Grace.
"My life has changed a lot," Shaheen said. "People say you win a championship and things change. Well, not for me. I'm still the same coach, the same guy. But my life has been turned upside down in a good way with Grace."
The Shaheens have endured an arduous journey to get to their blissful place. Married six years, they were unable to conceive naturally and went through a litany of infertility tests that wrought nothing more than stress.
"You don't know how much it takes out of you until it's over," Jodi Shaheen said.
Finally, she and her husband decided on adoption through the state. They wanted a newborn, and, on Aug. 16, Grace, only a few days old, became their child —- but not officially.
The natural mother disappeared before signing over her parental rights to the Shaheens.
There were court dates in which they thought the drama would end, but the mother did not show and the judge arranged new court dates three months later, leaving the Shaheens in limbo.
Finally, in March, the birth mother resurfaced —- and she wanted her baby back. A shock wave reverberated through the Shaheens' hearts.
But over time, the birth mother rethought her position and conceded she could not provide Grace with a stable home. On May 27, she signed the documents.
Three days later, Grayson Garvin, a left-handed pitcher who's headed to Vanderbilt, led the Wolves to the championship with 12-0 and 12-6 victories.
"Winning the championship was a bonus," Jodi Shaheen said. "Having Grace has brought us even closer together and made me fall in love with Mike all over again, but in a different way. If we didn't get her, it would have been a horrible week, even with winning the championship."
Instead it was "a blessing," Garvin said. He received a real surprise when Coach Shaheen stopped him in the hallway one Friday before chapel and asked him to be Grace's godfather.
A little odd, a 33-year-old coach asking an 18-year-old player to such a role?
"No," Shaheen said. "He's a Godly man. We've become close over the years and we've spent a lot of time together. It was a natural thing."
Said Garvin: "I was pretty surprised, but we've known each other for 4 1/2 years. I know they wanted a child for a while. Now he understands what it's like to really be a father. We, his players, we're like his family, his kids. Now, he has one of his own and he loves it."
Meanwhile, on the diamond, Shaheen gave birth to a champion. The Wolves, who have been contenders under Shaheen in his five years at Wesleyan —- they lost in the title series in 2006 to Lovett —- validated all their talent.
"It was awesome, surreal, a great sense of accomplishment," Garvin said.
Added Shaheen: "It's great, but I don't think it's a big deal in the scheme of life. The moments together as a team mean a lot. And having my daughter along the way made it all far more special."
The end of June we headed up north to visit family. We had a great time on Cape Cod, Newport RI, and Shrewsbury, MA. It was great to see the family and we stayed about 2.5 weeks.
You can click to enlarge - some pics from our Boston trip
Then back to Duluth for a week of rest and recouperation then off to Seacrest Beach, Florida. Seacrest is right next to Rosemary Beach on the Panhandle. We had a great time taking in the sights and food!
You can click to enlarge - some shots from the beach
Now for the latest adoption update, we are awaiting some paperwork to be filed after Grace turns 1 on 8/16/07, then we will sign 33's and get our lawyer. They will then file with the state for the finalization which will happen about a month later. At the finalization we will legally change her name to Grace Jeanette, Grace for my great-grandmother, and Jeanette for Michael's grandmother. We are looking for the finalization to take place the end of October beginning of November.
Grace is doing great, she is crawling all around and standing. She did stand without holding onto anything this past weekend. So it won't be long before she is off and running. We have turned our family room into a UFC ring where she can play without getting into too much trouble. She has 4 teeth and her hair is growing constantly. She loves to copy us by laughing (a funny fake laugh) when we laugh, coughing when we cough and just lighting up when we walk into the room or get her up in the morning. She is at such a fun age....much more excitement to come I am sure.
Here is one of the 1st pictures from August 22nd, the day after we got the call about her.
This was taken 8/7/08 - click to enlarge and check out the teeth...and big hair!
Be on the look out for more pics after next weekend! I will have to have another post this weekend with some Birthday Party shots!!
Michael, Jodi & Grace
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