Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Fierce Competition

Nothing can prepare you for the competition to obtain a match.  Maybe  I shouldn't look at it like a competition but that is what it feels like.   It seems very much like applying for jobs.   You see a listing it sounds good, you do a little bit of research, send in your resume and then you wait for the recruiter to decide whether or not you are considered a potential candidate.    As with job hunting some listings will generate hundreds of candidates and others only a few will apply.

We have sent off a couple of inquiries on kids and some our case worker advised against after finding out more information.  There are certain behaviors we aren't able to consider such as cruelty to animals.    On Friday we inquired on a boy and yesterday I didn't see his profile listed.   I logged into our account and see a message that his profile can only be viewed through our account as there are over 15 outstanding inquiries that the case worker has not responded to.   Once there are that many inquiries waiting for responses the child is removed from the site until the case worker responds to the open inquiries.      I guess that is a good thing to prevent hundreds of open inquiries.  


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Weekend Project

I finally got around to working on the photo book project.    To help with the transition I thought it would be good to make a little photo book about us and our family.  This is something we can give to the kid(s) early in the process to help familiarize themselves with what we look like, what the house and neighborhood is like and who is in the family.  

I wouldn't have been able to complete this project without the help of all the family members that sent us photos.   The link to the book will be available for a limited time only.


The new way to make a photo album: photo books by Shutterfly.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

You've Got Mail

I have never been so excited to open an envelope - I don't think I was even this excited when I opened my acceptance letter to college.    

We got a redacted piece of paper in the mail yesterday!


This makes it officially official we are licensed and waiting.  

Saturday, June 7, 2014

6 Month Check-In

Writing that it seems so strange, it can't possibly be 6 months since we started on this adoption journey but yup the calendar says June so it must be true.  So much has happened at that initial meeting seems so long ago but we still have a long road ahead of us.   I would like to say the hard part is behind us, but I don't think that's the case at all.   What is behind us is:

  • The paperwork - oh wait no we still have paperwork ahead of us in terms of tracking visits, medications, and countless other stuff. 
  • The presence of strangers in our home ensuring we will be good parents - nope that continues as well.  We will likely have more people through our home to ensure we are doing a good job.
  • The training - ugh not that either, we have continuing education to do over the course of the year and for every year that we are foster parents. 
  • The waiting - yeah right - longer rights are ahead of us. 
  • The uncertainty - will this happen, when will this happen, how will the kid(s) react.  Yeah lots of uncertainty ahead.
Sheesh it seems like we haven't done anything in the last 6 months.   That clearly isn't true here's what we have done:
  • Attended informational meetings
  • Selected an agency
  • Completed 2 rounds of paperwork 
  • Attended first aid and CPR training
  • Attended foster parent training
  • Completed 3 home study visits/interviews
  • Child proofed our home - purchased fire escape ladders, fire extinguishers, safety locks for cabinets, covers for electrical outlets, fixed our back deck. 
  • Got fingerprinted
  • Passed federal and state background checks
  • Physicals for me & Dave
  • Got certificates of health for Paddy and Koda and made sure they were up to date on shots
  • Prepared information and collected photos for our profile

 and this just goes to show that this is a continually evolving process with no end in sight.      

What does keep me going these days is we officially have a profile completed that is being sent out to social workers and we can now submit inquiries on available children.  I'm anxious to see where this goes and a little nervous to actually send off our first inquiries.