Great news & 7 month pics

Last Tuesday was our original court date for the termination of rights, We found out about a week before, that some paperwork had not been filed and the court date was pushed to Oct 2. I was disappointed, mainly because I wanted to have an adoption party in late Oct, but I knew God had a plan, and there was a reason the date had changed. So we got up Tuesday morning and went to work. Around lunchtime Allen called me and said, "You may need to be prepared to leave. The birth father is at juvenile court and is wanting to surrender his rights today." I was totally shocked. Here we were, planning on going forth with the termination, and it turns out he was ready and willing to surrender instead. They needed to find the birth mother and have her come to the court as well so it could all take place that day. So after a few phone calls, she was contacted and said she would be right there. Allen called and told me he was on his way to pick me up! I had our assistant, Kate, cover my class and Allen and I drove to juvenile court. We really had no idea what to expect. Were we going to have to see the BF? Up until this point, we hadn't had to, and we really didn't want him to see us. He has a very dangerous history and we felt it best that he not know anymore about us than he had to! It turned out, he was in a private room where we didn't have to see him and neither did the birth mother. What a blessing!

They signed some papers and then we were called back. The judge asked us a few questions and we signed some papers too. Then he told us that they had 10 days to change their mind before the rights were officially terminated. We understood and left to wait in the lobby. We walked out with the BM and she said she was going to go ahead and leave. She gave us both hugs and told us she was so happy and knew Delaney was where she was supposed to be. I held her tight for a moment, tears in my eyes, and told her she would never know how much her sacrifice meant to us. We waited until we had copies of our paperwork, and then we spoke to our lawyer. She said as soon as Sept 14th rolls around(the day the 10 day period is up), we can file to adopt in Anderson County. It could be as soon as a few weeks, but maybe a little longer. On that day Delaney will go with us and she will officially become Delaney Jane Goins. I cannot even imagine the excitement that day will bring :)

We have 2 other exciting dates coming up too. Oct 7th she will be dedicated at church, and Oct 20th we will be having an adoption/gotcha day party(if the adoption is final by then). We are so amazed at how God has worked all of this out in HIS timing. He is good and loves us so very much!!

This past weekend was my 31st birthday :) With everything else going on, it didn't seem all that important!! But we did go out Thursday night with Allen's parents, and Friday night with Matt & Amanda ;) The other girls from school couldn't come, but we had a blast! It took forever to get up there but we drove to Gatlinburg and ate at Bubba Gump's!!

Me & my best buddy Amanda :)

They made me stand on a chair for my birthday ...

What a fun night!

Being silly!!

Saturday my sweet Mommy came into town! We had not seen her since June so we were so excited!! We spent all day shopping and got Delaney a dedication dress and Halloween costume!! She also went to church with us Sunday morning. It was so wonderful to have her in town, even for a short visit :)

Delaney tried out a sippy cup for the first time :)

Right before another birthday dinner @ Olive Garden :)

Kisses

Daddy's girl!!

Lovin Gigi!!

The girls!!

Sunday morning before church! Isn't this outfit precious??

We were all so sad when Mom had to leave...even Hank!! Hank seriously goes crazy when my mom comes to visit!! He is in love!!

We had a wonderful weekend!! And on Monday, this little cutie pie was 7 months old!!!! WOW!! Where has the time gone????

Delaney Jane you are 7 months old!! We are so excited about all that has happened this month!! You now can say "Mama" and "Da-da!" You also are sitting up perfectly and are close to crawling :) You started baby food and you love everything! You are a great eater!!!

I feel like you were just a little tiny one month old propped up against this rabbit to take a picture! Now you are sitting up like a big girl, chewing on the rabbit's foot :) HA!!

You weigh about 14.5 lbs and are around 25.5 inches. You are wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers!

You are still so happy all the time! Everywhere we go you love to smile and laugh at people :) They just go on about you!! You have so much personality that it is contagious!! We love to see you interact with people.

You are still doing great at the babysitters. You usually take about an hour nap in the morning and a little longer one after lunch. You also take a nap in the early evening. You have been going to bed between 8:30-9 now too. You still take about 5 oz every three hours during the day. You also eat oatmeal for breakfast, a vegetable @ lunchtime, avocado after your nap, and then another fruit or veggie around dinner time!

You still do not have any teeth, but you chew on everything. You are so feisty and are constantly moving. I know once you start crawling we will never keep up!! You have really started to recognize us this month. You get excited when you see me or your daddy come into a room :) It's the sweetest thing ever! You also get mad when we take something away from you, like a toy, that you want! You definitely are stubborn!!

This is what happened when I took your block away ...:)

We still cannot get over how sweet and easy going you are! You are the best baby and we feel so blessed!! You sleep through the night, you are very rarely fussy, you are a great eater/not picky, and you love everyone you meet! It's so wonderful being your parents!! We are so thankful to God for his wonderful gift!!!