The long drawn out part...

Now what? Well this is the long drawn out part. The part where I am waiting on someone to put together the million and a half tons of paperwork we completed into what? I am not exactly sure what a Home Study really means at this point or what exactly it will say about us as a couple or as a family ready to adopt or to foster.

So now we just continue to wait for the license. I really wished this could have been completed in April as she had suggested... then we would have had 3 months prior to moving and would of had a better idea of exactly what we really are capable of doing.

What I want... 3 kids about the ages of 3-5 for adoption only, I think I really want 2 girls and 1 boy. I feel like I am trying to recreate the family I grew up with... no wonder I always thought there was 1 child missing from our family- um... ME... as in Girl,Boy,Girl = the birth order of my family growing up.... my children Girl, Boy... see 1 missing child.. lol Maybe this is why when I do think of the child I want to adopt it's a little girl?




I also want to foster only medically complex children of any age any sex. This is more like a professional choice vs a family choice however, if that makes any sense?

Home inspection

Is complete. We just had to fix the dryer venting, apparently you have to have a metal one and not the white plastic one because the plastic one is flammable. Ok. So now we are just waiting the licensing status.

Just waiting

Tomorrow is the home inspection. Then we are just in a waiting pattern until the Homestudy is completed and sent off to the state for licensure. I am curious as to what the Homestudy suggestions will be.

New Classes

So I talked to another agency today about signing up for their next training class for Medically Fragile children... get this it includes a course in Medication administration..lol OK so yeah shouldn't I get a pass for having to take this class based on my RN? Anyway, I should here about registration soon. Classes would be for 3 Saturdays from 4/20 to 5/4 of course we are only only the waiting list for that class, the next class is for Aug 3-17 which it looks like we will be registered for.

Last Class

10 classes in the books. 1 more thing checked off. They said Homestudies would be submitted by 4.12.13 Then the state has 1 month to issue a license, except that the state is behind. 5.12.13 - 6.1.13?

Hummm... So it looking like placement won't even happen until we move in July anyway. I do know we will not be accepting any NEW placements in June because of the move and the amount of stuff required to accomplish for a new placement in that first month there just won't be enough of me to go around. There will just be wayyy too much to do... of course that better mean I get more hours at work in the mean time.

If your adoption worker were standing at your door right now with your child... how would they look?

Are you f'ing kidding me? Are they seriously wanting me to answer this? I have no idea, I have an empty place in my heart, a spot that I knew at least 1 child was supposed to fill and who has been missing from our family to make it complete.

I have had this feeling for a very long time... the problem is... I have never, not once, EVER had an inkling on what they looked like or acted like. Why? Because I have known for a long time that biologically they would never be mine, and since your heart does not pass on genes, I never attempted to guess what the child, born from my heart, would look like.

So NO I can not answer this question... what I can say is... when "the" child comes to my door and joins our family through adoption, I will know them when I see them, and they will be "perfect" for us... even if that child is not the first one that comes through our door as a foster child.

Almost there

In a few hours will be the last PS-MAPP class. Then the Homestudy will be nearing completion. I still need to do a few more things for the Inspection (like putting the cleaning stuff away and locking up the Tylenol) Hoping that we will be able to be licensed soon. I am just tired of the not knowing.

Of course I looked at adoptuskids.org again this week. A sib set that I had seen many many months ago is still on there, actually back on there. I really want them, of course I know that won't happen, but they are pretty cute. They have a video, so it adds to the pull.

Although I was thinking and I may have lowered my adoption number idea, for financial travel reasons, but like everything else it is still a big unknown.

Homestudy Semi Complete

Well there are a few more emails with questions we have to answer, a few more papers we have to collect, and a home inspection left, but it's all pretty much just our Worker's write up and our Homestudy and Adoption Certifications will be nearly there.

We have 1 more PS-MAPP class, which contains a huge "Impact" Assignment we have to complete, which I am NOT looking forward to.

But overall not as bad of an experience as I had thought, but still, crazy crazy process.

Maybe by this time next month we will have a Placement... at which time I really hope I am not asking myself, "What the hell was I thinking?"

Ok I am grumpy so off to find something productive to do.

#9

Really? Tomorrow is #9 outta 10 for our classes. We have 1 more Homestudy visit (Friday) and of course the home inspection visit. We have a few more papers to collect of course, there is always something else to collect, and then the papers go to the courts to be approved and our licence and adoption certifications processed.

Ok well off to complete some more paperwork.

HomeStudy #2

So we had Home Study #2 the other day. More of the same questions we have answered about a million and 1 times already. I can't imagine that there would be anything left for Home Study #3... but they can always think of another way to ask the same questions I guess.

I made sure that she understood the reason behind our choice to foster and that we do want to eventually adopt someday a "regular" child, but our preference is for fostering medically fragile foster placements. At which time she said she will put us into the next available class for that, which is not right away and would we be willing to accept "regular" placements first? We said we would consider that on a case by case basis because this places the reimbursement at a lower rate, and thus Frank will still be working for a while and care options have to be considered when taking a placement that will need daycare or who's schedule is affected by our work hours. I will be working a lot for a while to make up some extra money for the new house and to pay some bills so my hours are kinda messed up for a few months until school gets out. We will then need to find DES approved summer camp options that we can also afford.

On that note, although Frank and I have discussed the idea of adopting as our primary purpose, we may not adopt if fostering goes well and fulls the "void" that we feel having an empty nest too soon.

Ultimately bringing a permanent member into the family is a huge commitment and effects so many more things with our options where it concerns Sami and Daniel, who given their choices for military lives, may live in all over the place in the future and thus our contact with grandchildren if we are so blessed, would be something we would need to consider.

However, finally having a home base and roots in 1 established house, well that makes an for a greater chance that the family will use our house as a hub for holiday and vacation destination.

So many things to consider, needless to say we have NOT taken this decision lightly.