So it’s a good wait. I just want to have the finalization date, yet, here we wait. The SW is still new at this, so everything takes a little bit longer as she double checks with a more senor SW on all her paperwork before subitting it to the courts and such. So I will continue to keep everyone posted. Thinking happy (and speedy) thoughts!
Moving right along
The homestudy is done, the homestudy is done! I know…it only took, what, a year and a half. Nothing like having a social worker who likes to procrastinate. Anyway, she’s done and it’s been approved (or at least it should be or she should have called me by Friday. If all went as planned and it was indeed approved, she then handed it off to Korbin’s social worker and she can get to work on to the final pieces next week. I don’t know the court work loads or timeframes but we are hoping for a finalization court date by the end of summer. Soooo exciting. It’s not too much that is tangible right now, but it’s a start. Well, it’s a start to the finish.
Oh Happy Day!
Hmmmm…
So my SW finally got back with me after some time. Apparently her dad died on Easter Sunday. (I know, so truly sad, I really feel for her.) She had been out of the office for two weeks. So after getting back with me by email late last week, she called me this morning while I was on my way to work and said they were having their placement meeting today (or something like that) and she wanted to submit my name for a 10-month-old that is available. There is some risk as he is still having visits once a week with bio mom. But she isn’t doing anything toward reunification. My SW said she will update me either way to let me know if I was chosen. I am researching his medical condition (which is treatable) and keeping as detached as possible. Sooooo, I will update everyone either way, hopefully sooner rather than later. I really do hope she gets back to me before the week is out. I am so not a fan of waiting, but strangely enough I have been doing okay with it, well at least this week.
Fingerprints :)
Oh, it was a happy Friday. The licensing social worker called me back on Friday (after a 6 day vacation) to let me know my prints cleared and that she had entered me into the system so I can take emergency placements. Her supervisor will be in the office Wednesday to sign off on my paperwork and I can expect to receive my license in the mail within 2 weeks. WooHoo!!!! Good news. Theeeeeen, I called my adoption social worker (who is out of town until the 3rd) to leave her a message with all my updates and I look forward to leaving her an email on Monday and another phone call Thursday afternoon. I know I have very little that needs to be done so I want to get some feedback from her so I can get some form of time-line (even if it’s nothing more than I already don’t know). I haven’t looked so forward to the new year is quite sometime, but thankfully I can say (with ultimate positivity), “I will have my kids home in 2008!” I have a ‘waiting video’ I made months ago, I need to figure out how to post that. It’s sort of a tear jearker. Well, it was for me at the time.
Boiled Nipples
I thought that would catch some attention. I am in the middle of a nasty cold and nesting like crazy. I can now say for sure that I will (likely) have a placement in the next few months so I want to be ready at the drop of a hat. I finished washing, folding, organizing and sorting all laundry 0 months-5T (’cause you never know how old or rather what size your child is going to fit into), and today I boiled all the nipples of the bottles and pacifiers I have. I realized I simply had them in packages and it would be nice to be prepared and know that I could have a bottle ready in just a few moments instead of knowing I had one more thing to do before I could even prepare the bottle. I still feel completely unprepared in some respects especially since my age range in 0-4 years. There are so many developmental milestones that a child could be at by the time they come home, so not knowing is now slightly more stressful than the waiting. I guess I’ve become so accustomed to waiting that not waiting is actually a little scary right now too. I have been waiting for years, years I tell ya so not waiting is actually a little foreign to me and I don’t know how I’ll do with that. More prayer I guess.
On a slightly different note: I called the licensing social worker Tuesday about my fingerprints and she hadn’t heard anything so she told me to call back Thursday or Friday. I called Friday morning around 10 (no answer, so I left a detailed message) and, since I was sick I forgot to call back and nag her around 5. I really have started to dislike Friday in the adoption world. No answers by Friday means no answers for two more days, because my people don’t seem to work on weekends in my behalf. Annnnd since Tuesday is a holiday and many of the social workers work Tuesday-Friday I likely won’t hear any news until Wednesday IF they are in the office and not taking some tropical holiday while my paperwork and case sits all cozy-like on their desk. On a good note, my references received licensing forms that are similar to background checks but ask questions about my character and the like. I sent in almost all the paperwork needed by my adoption social worker, but I need my fingerprints to clear before any of that even matters. I had my prints done almost 3 weeks ago, but gladly they didn’t get kicked back so, albeit slowly, they are processing. I’m hoping and praying I’ll hear grand news about my prints clearing no later than Wednesday and from the time they clear the licensing social worker can transfer my certification from my old agency to county and then I can receive a placement. That’s why this means so much to me. The only thing I need to complete for the adoption social worker is my physical (which I would like to be over my cold before I get that done), and last years taxes (I usually do my taxes every 3 years, strange, I know, but it works for me since I rarely owe). Once the prints clear I’ll call my adoption social worker and start the nagging/butt kissing, whatever works to keep myself glowingly present in her mind for any upcoming cuties. My friend/neighbor said I should make a preference for the cute ones. I told her as soon as I know they are likely to be ‘mine’ they will be the cutest children I’ve ever seen. I know that sounds sappy, but I wouldn’t be surprised it that’s how it played out.
My next question and/or topic is, how do I plan a baby shower? Since the children are likely to be a sibling group and the adoption may not be finalized for a year do I wait until it’s finalized to have an adoption finalization party or do I wait until I know parental rights are terminated and then have a gathering of close friends to celebrate that event (which is celebratory to me, but may not be the best news to a child who doesn’t get to live with their bio family) or do I just plan some type of congrats party (as soon as they arrive home) and welcome all the gifts and love and well wishes and just treat their placement as any other referral where once your child comes home they wouldn’t leave (even those they might, but likely wouldn’t)? I’m so confused on this. I know my friends and family want to celebrate and I do welcome gifts and necessities from those who want to share in my joy, I just don’t know the etiquette on this type of situation. I am so going to have to google this.
I’ll post more as soon as I know it. Come on Wednesday!!!! Come on good news!!!
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
FCSW just called to reschedule my appointment. It was going to be in three house now it will be in 12 days!!! Adoption SW called yesterday to schedule an appointment for December 1st. Good thing I gave myself mentally until Spring of ‘08. I was thinking, ‘how silly it’ll never take that long’. Looks like it just might. Here I sit, frustrated, near tears and a little irritated everything takes longer than I’d like.
The End of Next Week
That is what the SW said. She needs to review my homestudy and someone else’s and she should know something by the end of next week! Wow that is so not what I wanted to hear. I know what’s best for this little guy is what is going to happen, but another week. Better to know than not I guess.
And completely off topic, my car insurance bill just came in the mail and the all knowing secretary who so knowledgeable informed me that my bill would be X amount happened to be $200 off. And not in my favor, so excuse me while I pull that out of my a$$. Or better yet, I’ll just run out back to my non-existent backyard and shake the money tree, I’m sure something will come loose.
