Updates

Here we are a month and a half in to this process of waiting to find out if we are selected to be the adoptive family for this little one (see the post from yesterday to know how crazy this makes me!) and we are on the cusp of knowing what God has in store for us on this particular situation.

Our FAD (foster/adoption) worker came by last night to get our "pick us" book.  She is going to use this in the meeting on December 8th to kind of give a little snapshot of our family and who we are - outside of the black and white, clinically written home study they use to "kow us".  I would like to take this moment to just mention that she is an AWESOME lady.  I so enjoy working with her!  Anyways, while she was there we talked about what to expect over the next couple of weeks.

First, the selection meeting is scheduled for December 8th at 11:00 am.  Our FAD worker will attend the meeting just long enough to represent us, answer their questions, show off our "pick us" book and such.  Then she will leave.  She is not allowed to sit and listen about the other family that is also in consideration right now.  She promised to call/email me immediately after she leaves the meeting so she can tell me what she knows - another reason she is awesome, she knows I will be going completely insane!  She said she does not know if the committee will make their decision on the 8th or not.  I guess it just depends on who is there, what they hear and if they have any further questions or checking they need to do.  And of course, she will let us know immediately as she hears anything.

IF WE ARE PICKED: The child's worker will prepare a copy of the case file for us to review.  We will have the opportunity to review the entire case file prior to placement. Someone will either deliver it to us or we will go pick it up, but either way we will have the chance to go through all of it, ask questions, do some reasearch etc. before we have to decide that we will, based on this new information, still take this little girl.  Let me back up by saying this: DOES IT MATTER????  Not really!  I am pretty certain that there is nothing in that case file that could possibly change our minds.  But they have to give us that opportunity (full disclosure and all that) and so we will take it - just because I am nosy more than anything else.  

Then once we have reviewed the file and done all the additional fact seeking we want to, we will let them know our decision (is there really any question??) and then they will coordinate with us us about placement.  Here is what I don't know - what happens after that?  I don't know if they will bring her to us immediately or if they will do a transition thing.  If it is transitional, they will let us have her for a short period (like a day) and then take her back to her foster home.  Then they will let us have her like overnight and then take her back and the progressing to a full weekend and then to forever.  The idea behind that plan is to allow the child and the adoptive family the opportunity to get to know each other, learn more about each other's needs and habits and work on developing a routine.  It is also a chance for everyone involved to determine if this placement will work - a trial run per se.  Given that this little girl is so young (she is 8 months old) I don't know if they will do the transitional thing or not.  I could see that being harder for such a young one, but then again, I just don't know. 

My guess is that if they pick us we will be doing really good to have her in our home by Christmas....

IF THEY DON'T PICK US: that's all she wrote folks!  That will be it.  There won't be anything else for us to do except see what God has in store for us next.

Our FAD worker really has no other information at this time.....she doesn't know anything about what the other family has to offer that would get them this far in the process that we don't offer - though I had a thought recently that perhaps they are closer logistically and that may be a plus just for keeping in touch with the other siblings or perhaps one of the parents is a stay at home parent.  And quite frankly it is none of our business about this other family any way.  There is no reason we need to know anything about them so I wouldn't really want to ask anyways. 

So there you have the most recent updates....5 days and counting.

God Bless!