Adoption Update!

I know that despite the many assurances we've posted here, some of you are still holding on to a little bit of doubt and/or fear that something could go sideways and turn our adoption process into the worst heartbreak imaginable.

FEAR NOT, GOOD KEEPERS-UP OF THESE BRINKERHOFFS!!

Yesterday, we got Happy Mail!



That's the cover page of the Adoption Social Worker's follow up report, in which he says that Danee is doing great, our family is adjusting well, and that she "should do well in this family."

Allow me to paraphrase:

Dear You Guys,

Danielle Grace is so clearly a Brinkerhoff already, and her family is indisputably HER family. So let's not take any longer... MAKE IT SO!

Thanks! You're Awesome!

Hopefully that's how the rest of the system will read it too - because now the final step is to get this into the judge's hands, get us a court date, and go take an oath to always love, cherish and support our sweet baby girl.

I can't wait for that to happen!! Cindy and I were talking the other night, while Danee was snuggling between us in our bed (which is her favorite way to fall asleep at night), and we both are amazed at how deep our love for her is. There is absolutely no distinction between our feelings for Danee compared to our feelings for our other kids... That realization was such an awesome moment! She's truly our baby!!

Last night she was having pretty bad tummy trouble. Spitting up, Crying hard while tensing her body so tight you could bounce a quarter off her normally soft chubby tummy. As a result, her "snuggle with Mommy and Daddy in their bed" time was longer than usual. And Mommy and Daddy both ended up falling asleep before Danee finally did... which seemed perfectly okay with her! When my alarm went off this morning at 4:30 (Racketball!!) I realized that I'd spent the entire night on the very edge of the bed - and I have the stiff neck to prove it! For a very brief moment, I wasn't sure WHY I was crammed into about 6" of bedspace... Then I heard the most content little sigh I've ever heard in my life, and looked behind me to see Little Miss Daneekins on her back, under the blankies, hands up by her head, looking like the perfect vision of good sleep. By the time we got the camera on her, she'd pulled her hands down, but you still get the gist here...



And soon, VERY soon, she'll finally be OUR baby!! OURS OURS OURS!!!