November 16th

Many of you might be wondering how it went, right?

Most of you already know.

I wanted to wait until we told him to post it on this blog.

On Friday, November 16th, (A)'s mom made the decision to relinquish her rights so that he could become a part of our family forever.

Apparently, this type of request at this stage is unusual as the circuit court judge seemed confused and the city attorney appeared a little flustered.

I knew about this ahead of time, but wasn't sure what would actually happen. On Wednesday we went to lunch together- his mom and I. She shared her decision and her reasons and we both cried and hugged.

God is so good. I am so amazed at how far she has come and cannot wait to continue to build our relationship as she is now a part of our family as well. It is going to be good.

Oh, and I didn't mention that before court we were chosen as his adoptive parents:).

We are absolutely thrilled and I cannot stop smiling.

So we didn't tell him right away. Lee and I wanted to make it special so this afternoon I went on a hunt for some type of special stuffed animal. Four of the same, to be exact. This would represent that we will all be in the same family forever. I toyed around with the idea of having different animals all wearing the same color bow or something, but then figured that the exact same animals would help to make the concept a little more concrete.

It was harder than you'd think! It took me about two hours total...I finally ended up at a cute gift store (Doodlehopper 4 Kids) and stared at the stuffed animals. I put four soft, yellow, ducklings in my basket and made my way to the counter.

It all felt surreal...I just couldn't believe that we would have the privilege of being his mommy and daddy FOREVER! Anyway, I walked up to the counter and gently put all four ducklings on the counter. I'm not sure what prompted her, but the cashier asked me, "And what are these for?"

It caught me off guard. I don't get asked that question very often about my purchases, but it was as though God wanted me to share our joy so I stumbled a little and then said, "Well, we are adopting our foster son and we want to have one duck for each member of our family." The woman was quiet and said, "Wow. That makes me feel teary-eyed. Congratulations!" I smiled, thanked her, and walked out of the store still feeling as though this was all a dream.

I made it home and not long after, the boys woke up from their naps ready to hear some important news and to get their surprise.

David was so so so excited and wanted to call his Mommy N to tell her. He left her a message:). (A) looked a little serious at first, but after we explained the different emotions he might feel and gave him big hugs and his special duckling...he gave us a big smile. The boys have been keeping their ducklings close to them all afternoon.

Lee and I feel so privileged to have the opportunity to watch as God continues to shape (A)'s life. What an incredible gift that is!!