BRING IT ON!!!

Where should I even start??? Well, it's Tuesday and this week already feels like it has been the longest, most tumultuous week ever.....why is it that recently my posts have been starting off that way?

For starters, my Uncle committed suicide on Sunday. I didn't find out until Monday, but apparently there is a lot of family drama going on with this situation. I wasn't all that close with my Uncle - the last time I saw him was probably 8 years ago - but it still is hard to take. I remember him as so full of life - always grinning or cracking some joke (mostly at my Dad's expense of course!) or having a good time. It is hard to think of that man as the kind that would take his own life. I am praying for more than just understanding right now. I am praying for peace for my family as well as my cousin (who is just 9 years old) and my Dad who just lost his only brother.

On another note, the little baby we were trying to adopt was supposed to be born today. What we found out is that the mother was induced last night and at some point today during labor, they lost the baby's heartbeat and never got it back. The last I heard this afternoon is that the doctors were expecting him to be still born. I can't even imagine what this child who is giving birth is going through right now - I know as an adult I wouldn't be able to wok through all of the emotions that she must be going through right now. My heart breaks for her and the baby and her family.....I don't even really know what else to say....

But there is a semi happy ending to the last couple of days. Patrick and I met with a lawyer today who specializes in CPS adoptions and interventions. We discussed with her what we knew about the case (um, incredibly little!) and then she tried to get in touch with some of her contacts that could fill in some of the gaps. We left to go get the boys and so I could meet a dear friend for a night of packing and wine. When we left the lawyer's office, her thoughts were that based on the information we last got about the parents possibly relinquishing their parental rights that we didn't really need to file an intervention - it would really just be a waste of our money. So right in the middle of a sno-cone stop (mmmmm Hawaiin and cream!) we got a call from her again. She was able to talk to someone involved in the case and it turns out things are not as cut and dry as we last thought. It turns out that one of the fathers is going to likely fight to keep his rights and is actively submitting names for other family members to be reviewed for the boys to be placed with. This changes things significantly. Though the termination hearing is still set for August 10th, he can still make a case for a family member or even work his own service plan (we dont know the details of where he stands in completing that service plan.) So she strongly advised us to file the intervention.

So in about a day or so, they are going to the court house to file the intervention and we are going in the "boxing ring" to fight for our boys. The lawyer was shocked that we haven't been invited to any other hearings before this one in August (and technically we weren't invited so much as informed by an annonymous source....). I am desperately praying that the fact that we haven't been to any hearings up to this point will not be a detriment to our case. Either way though we are gearing up for a fight. Our lawyer seems confident that we are going to be able to pull through all of this with the boys and be able to adopt them in the end. We are just going to have to jump through the hoops first and work through this last rallying effort on the part of the parents (or as it seems, really just the youngest boy's father). But of course we don't know what we are looking at until the day actually comes. It sounds like we will be able to get some more information now that we have hired this lawyer (and given her the $2500 retainer...guess we're clipping coupons and eating PB&J sandwiches for a while!). She will have access to the case file and court files that we don't have the rights to otherwise. So we may know more about how to proceed in the next week or so.

In the mean time, we ask again for your prayers and support. We are in the thick of things now and it is only going to get harder the closer we get to our goal. But it is so worth it. These boys are so worth every single minute, every single penny, every single sacrifice and more. We can not wait to get those birth certificates with Pringle as the last name and mine and Patrick's names as the birth parents....Wow, I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it! Despite how "impossible" things may seem, Our Lord is all powerful and can make anything happen! So we trudge forward constantly reminding ourselves "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

More of the Pringle Family saga to come!