Walkin' Tall

Hello, reader people. It's been a while since our last post. On July 1, the baby moved in with us and we officially became her foster parents. We have been extremely busy with the little one and we are loving every minute of it. She is a bundle of joy and the most entertaining person I've met.

A couple weeks later, we had a "Welcome To The Family" party for her. A lot of people showed up to meet her. As always, she was happy to let anyone and everyone hold her. She is great around large groups of people, which is good because we both have pretty large families. Ashley, our moms and a few others did a great job planning and setting up this party. It truly was an awesome day!

Since then, we have seen her learn quite a few new things. She says a few words, like mama and dada. Cat and dog. She also says cup and has been trying to say bite. The other day, the dog sneezed and she decided it would be fun to mimic her and faked a sneeze of her own. Complete with the head nod and "Chhhh" sound. She now does it when anyone sneezes and, at times, for no reason at all. We have also started fake sneezing just so she'll do it. It is one of the funniest things I've seen. She loves to play and laugh and really only cries when she's tired.

Most parents we talk to ask how she sleeps. To which I have to fight the urge to say "laying down" or "with her eyes closed." Yes, I know, smart aleck-ness is my friend. Seriously though, she's a really good sleeper. She's usually asleep by 9 or 9:30 and sleeps through the night. Most mornings she's up by 7, but occasionally gives us a little extra shut eye and stays asleep until 8. She also naps twice a day.

The biggest new development is that she took her first steps a couple weeks ago. Until this week she wouldn't take more than a few steps at a time and she wouldn't do that very often. Now she is getting more brave and trying to walk more. Soon she will be running and I can't wait!

These next two weeks are going to be crazy. Wednesday is going to test our nerves. The termination of parental rights hearing is happening then. Luckily it's in the morning so we won't have to wait all day to get a call from her social worker. We understand that the court could issue a continuance or they could terminate parental rights. Of course, we want the latter but are prepared for either outcome. We think. There is also the possibility of someone else in the biological family trying to get custody, but it's pretty late in the game to be stepping up. We are praying that the court realizes that she has already bonded with us and has a good, happy home here. It is indescribable how much we love her already. She physically looks like she could be our child and she has many of the same characteristics and mannerisms that we do. We really feel like she was meant to be part of our family.

Her first birthday is coming up in a couple weeks too. We (mostly Ash) are planning her party and getting more excited (both of us) by the day. Ashley has come up with a great theme and lots of good ideas. It's going to be amazing!

So that's the latest chapter in the Sharp Evolution. We will get better at updating more frequently. Thanks for reading. Until next time...