Readoption

Yesterday, we went to court to readopt Rohama and officially change her name to "Maura Rohama".  It was a really special day for our family as it would have been my Mom's 58th birthday and there is NO ONE outside of Jason and me who prayed harder for this baby than her....I just wish she had lived long enough to hold her in her arms.  Also, before our case was heard, I had the honor and privilege of presenting my sister to the court as a new attorney and then her very first action was our adoption! 

Maura loves to hear herself chatter and squeal, so she does both frequently.  Jason had to take her into the hallway right after Chancellor Corlew started calling the docket.  Even with the door shut, we could still hear her squealing in the hallway.  The courtroom as packed as there were about 5 or so families who were all there for adoptions - such a happy, cheerful atmosphere which is very unusual for court!  It was really a great day for the readoption because several of my fellow attorneys and the Dept. of Children's Services staff that I work so closely with were also there....I loved being able to share this special day with them too as they have all been so supportive during my career and our adoption journey.  Also, Chancellor Corlew is one of my all-time favorite judges to practice in front of, so I was really glad that he was able to hear our case.  What a wonderful day we had!

My sister, Leigh, who was the officiating attorney

Pa Reed and the kiddos

Hum, what's all this fuss about? 

She's also wearing the bracelet my mother bought her before her death.

PaPa Tudor, his new wife Ms. Debbie, and the kiddos

Of course, she just had to drop the pacifier and announce "uh oh" to the Court.

Ash has told practically everyone he has seen that he got to go to court.   He was so excited.

Waving bye-bye.  She'd had enough.

Nissan's Easter Festivities

This morning, the kids went to Nissan so they could enjoy the Easter festivities.  There was an egghunt, juggling, unicyclist, etc.  They had a blast!  Maura wasn't scared of the Easterbunny at all but Ash was rather standoffish.  Here are two of my favorite pics:

Trip to the Greenway

Where we live, our county has constructed miles of pathways that go alongside creeks and rivers and woods.  People walk, rollerblade, job, etc. all along the Greenway.  Maura and Ashton both love the outdoors, so this is a perfect place for our family to go.

Here are a few pics of Maura's first trip:

Parents of Special Needs Children - READ THIS!

Yesterday, I received a phone call from another adoptive parent telling me about a national program under Title V which provides financial assistance and emotional support to families with special needs children.  Adoption is very expensive anyway and when you add the cost of unexpected medical bills, some days you just dread going to the mailbox. 

For TN residents, if you qualify for the program, you will basically get secondary insurance that won't pay all that your primary insurance doesn't cover but they will help some...and every little bit helps!  Apparently Title V has provided for this nation-wide program for years but people just don't know about it.  If you are interested in the program that your state offers, you may want to start by Googling your state's Dept. of Public Health and looking for a program that assists children with special needs.  In TN, the program is called Children's Special Services. 

Maybe someone reading this is feeling overwhelmed with the medical bills and responsibilities associated with caring for a special needs child and now you know about some help - both financially and through the support groups that are also available under Title V!  We have our appointment with our county's representative this coming Wednesday, so we'll see if Maura qualifies but they already said that she should due to her cardiomyopathy.  Thank you so much, Meg, for passing this info along!

My Little Boy is Growing Up

This morning as I was walking Ashton to his preschool classroom, he stopped me in the hall and wanted a kiss.  I told him to wait until I could put down his naptime blanket, jacket, etc. and we kept walking.  He grabbed my arm right before we opened the door and asked if I could go ahead and kiss him goodbye now.  I said, "Do you want Mommy to kiss you before we go into the room so your friends won't see?"  He said, "Yes, Mother, I'm a big boy now."  I obliged but my heart broke because at that moment I knew he was growing up. 

Calling the Police....on a goose

We have a variety of pets at our house ranging from a bassett hound to a rabbit to chickens, ducks, doves, pigeons, and geese. We love them all, but sometimes they don't leave each other so well. We purchased 2 geese about 3 years ago and as they grew, we realized that we didn't have the female:male combo that we thought. Instead, we have 2 males who have begun to fight. So, when I was in court on Friday, I asked one of the officers who I knew had a farm if she needed a goose. She declined because she doesn't have any other fowl but she called the Sheriff's Dept. and another officer said he would take him.

On the way home from daycare on Friday, Ash overhead me on the phone saying that the officer would be over on Saturday to pick-up the goose and he started wailing. I explained to Ashton that the geese were fighting and that if we didn't separate them that they were going to hurt each other and possibly even kill one another. I answered a few more questions and then we moved on to a different topic.

Yesterday morning, the officer came to pick-up the goose. Ashton went with his Daddy later that day to his grandmother's house and told his Aunt Denise that I had called the police because the geese were fighting and the police came and took away one of our geese. Denise told Jason what he had said because she thought Ashton was confused. He laughed and explained the situation to her and when he got home, he told me what Ash had said. I knew Ashton kept asking why the policeman was in a truck and not in his patrolcar, but I had no idea that Ash thought the goose was going to jail!

Maura's Dedication

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Don't forget to pause the music player on the right side of the screen so you can hear the video.