One Down, Six to Go

Today was our first foster/adoption class.  We met at our church in our little town, so there was no need for extra commuting to the next biggest town.  (Like I thought we would have to originally).  My pastor and her husband joined us along with one other couple.  Our social worker is very personable and casual, which is nice.  She gave us a lot of information, including a lot of (what I think were) horror stories.  I could feel my fight or flight instinct kicking in, but I told myself that all the examples she gave were teenagers.  I also reassured myself that the right child will come to us at the right time, and that God will not give us more than we can handle.

She told us that it will take about three months to become certified and ready to accept children in our home.  She made it sound like that was a long time, but after more than two years of waiting for another child, three months is nothing.  Not to mention the fact that we'll probably need that much time to have everything ready.

The picture above is of all of the paperwork we were given to fill out today.  We don't have to have it all ready by next week, but it will have to be done soon.  After all, we only have six more classes.  Our social worker will meet with us in our home three times in addition to the classes.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at this moment and maybe somewhat disillusioned, but I'll push through.  I know all of this will be worth it in the end.

A New Song Addition

Katy Perry performed "Firework," on the "Home for the Holidays," special.  I hadn't listened very closely to the lyrics before then, but after reading them, I had to add it to my blog playlist:

Firework

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that tehre's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

It's Everywhere!

A couple of weeks ago, we watched, "Home for the Holidays."  It is put on by the Dave Thomas Foundation to raise adoption awareness--specifically adoption through the foster system.  They even featured the agency we are going through.  It was an emotional experience to watch it.

Also, "Brothers and Sisters," has a story line about a gay couple adopting through the foster system.  They had a long journey coming to that decision, and it somewhat goes along with our own story.

I talked with another mom at my daughter's dance school yesterday about our plans, and she gave me some good information.  She works for SRS and has worked with foster children and the system for many years.

I constantly feel like I'm being reminded that this is the right thing for us to do--that this was the plan all along and that we are only now privy to the information.  We begin our class on Saturday.  I can't wait!

It Won't Be Long!

Our social worker called me just a little while ago.  She told me that our meeting on January 8th will actually be our first class.  We will be going through the DT (Deciding Together) class, rather than the MAPP class and it will only take about seven weeks.  If everything goes according to plan, we should be finished around February 19-20!  Then, we will be ready for background checks and a home visit.

Anxious

Now that school is over for me for the semester, I have a lot more thinking time.  I'm starting to feel anxious to get our adoption journey started.  January 8th is 20 days away and it doesn't seem like it can get here fast enough.  Thankfully, Christmas is nearly upon us, my little brother is coming "home", my dear friend is coming to visit, and we will be heading to Arizona for a week vacation.  I'm shopping tomorrow with a friend and then will do some work around the house.  I also still need to wrap all of our gifts.  Time will fly, but the few days before everything starts up will crawl by.  I hope I can get some sleep!

A Meeting Set!

On January 8th, we will be meeting with a social worker to get things started for fostering to adopt!  I'm so excited!

I still haven't heard about the private adoption situation, so I'm fairly confident that the opportunity has passed and that it isn't meant to be.

No News and Good News

No news:
We have yet to hear anything on the potential private adoption situation, so I'm not holding my breath that anything will come of it.

Good news:
The recruitment officer from the foster/adopt agency we have visited with called me today.  It sounds like she wants to get things moving for us as soon as possible.  She plans to take a day soon to do a walk-through in our house to give us a head's up on what will need to be taken care of prior to our home study.  She wants to do our fingerprinting and background check on the same day.  It also sounds like they want to put is through the more accelerated class, which will take less than seven weeks to complete.

We'll plan to continue on with our plan to foster/adopt.  If anything changes, we'll do what is best for us.  I need to leave this in God's hands and trust He has a plan for us and the child who is waiting to come into our family.