Baby on the way

Got a call from our attorney! He finally received what he needs to petition the courts for an adoption date!!! Is that not awesome?! I guess CPS also needs to be ready to file what they have. I had not realized that but I am fairly certain our SW said she was done with all on her end that only her supervisor had to approve our updated homestudy and they would be submitting to the courts. Our background and fingerprint stuff is back so we are good to go. Also great news, we have no criminal/felony charges since being checked last year :). We meet with our attorney towards the end of the week to sign the very last of the paperwork and by next week it should be submitted for a date and then we wait for an adoption date, he will ask for November 15th and feels we will get that date. Saturday was our fall festival in our small town. This summer when C was playing baseball E found a very good friend (a little girl who was about 9 years old) she played with him for 2 solid hours as C's team played her sister's team. She was so sweet with E. She kept telling me she had a brother just like E. I was like, umm ya. She kept saying over and over again. She wanted me to go talk to her mom. Then she finally turns to me and asks "are you a foster parent?" Then she explains to me that her mom is and that they have 3 babies, twins and a 1 year old that looks just like E. So I meet her mom. We have a good chat. She tells me in passing her daughter always sings at this festival. She's at most 9-10 years old. When we had to leave her daughter was sad, she asked when she would see E again? We think we will meet up at more baseball games but due to horse camp and vacations we never do. I totally forgot about her and her family. As we are at the festival I hear this beautiful music playing we are at the petting zoo, walking through town, buying pumpkins and having a good time. The girl is singing Wicked, Hair Spray, Peter Paul and Mary, Pop songs...she is amazing. I'm thinking its a teenager and working my way over to see who is singing. I get to the stage and its that little girl! She is singing and she sees E and I and waves at us, not missing a beat. Then she motions to her mom and baby brother (all while singing). So I go and stand next to her mom who is managing somehow to take care of twins and a one year old, who is AA and has just been freed for adoption:). Give that mom some props please! This little girl is singing song after song totally from memory, perfect pitch, beautiful and clear. She keeps smiling at us. She would talk about each song before she sang, what it meant to her. I was impressed. She then talked about how much she loves children (so cute since she is one!) she then sings a song about children and it brought me to tears. She has been singing for 2 solid hours! That is just amazing. She gets done and makes a b-line for E. E is thrilled. A few boys come and ask for her autograph. She looks at them and says "are you serious?" They hand her some paper and a pen. She laughs and signs, right back to E and showing E her baby brothers. I ask her mom if she sings for events. She does, so I'm hoping she will come and sing at E's adoption party. This is getting real!! I am getting those butterflies in the tummy feelings. Knowing this baby is on her way very soon to our home. Each night I pray for her birth family. Adoption is bittersweet. The baby we will adopt will be drug exposed, different from traditional agency experience. There is that element of our adoption being justified, but you know this is extraordinary because I will know this birth mom/family could have chosen a reunification process through traditional foster care, whatever feelings and judgments are I feel this will be unimaginably difficult on this birth family for the rest of their lives and something they will choose because they feel strongly it is the best choice for their baby. I have nothing but respect for that aspect of their life. My e-bay purchases this week are for an extremely adorable car seat cover. Pink minky dot middle where baby will snuggle with brown and pink material on the canopy and accent for the cover. I still have a few hours to see if I'll actually win it or not. Wish I could post pictures. Need to get a blog up and running, don't I? I am also bidding on an infant snowsuit, nothing too cute, but functional and needed. I have a J.J. Cole pink car seat bundle me (that will match the car seat cover :)), those are the best for winter. Snowsuit is for when I wear baby outside in the cold. I'm getting an inexpensive used one because I don't know if I'll need it or not but something says that I will :). I honestly think that is all I have left to purchase for our baby girl. I'm hoping for a glider rocking chair in our room for late night feedings. But that can wait (I think I'm getting it for a Christmas present). Where has the time gone? Better get going.