We finally have a tiny bit of news: Our Adoption Update

Hey friends….I am blogging today to give you an update on our adoption process.

If you follow my blog, you will know the 30 second story is that our family felt led to start the adoption process 2.5 years ago.  We felt called to adopt from the US….which meant selecting a local agency and waiting for a birth mom to select us. 

After 1 year and a half of getting our home study done and NOT being selected by a birth mom….we switched gears to adopt a child younger than our youngest biological kiddo (she is 5) from the foster care system.  We began that process last spring and finished all of our training and new home study with the state last November.

So…..since November, I’ve tried hard not to get frustrated with the system (you can read about it here) and…. we have learned of a sibling set needing a permanent home.

Yes, I said “set”….there is not one kiddo….but 2.

Not at all what we have been thinking we would ever consider. 

We came to know of these kids thru a stranger who just happened to come in to The Red Apron where I sell my painted furniture.

And I just happened to be working.

And she just happened to hire us to do some painting for her. 

And then she just happened to go to my blog and saw we are trying to adopt.

She just happened to know of these 2 kids and their story. 

Just happened?  Hmmmmmmm……I doubt it.

And so 9 weeks ago, I began the internal struggle of trying to reconcile in my mind what I thought this may look like vs. what it is actually beginning to look like.  And we expressed interest in the kids via 181 phone calls and emails to our social worker (ok, perhaps not that many….but it sure felt like it).

Because the way staffing in the foster system is changing….we have been assigned a new social worker.  And these kid have been assigned a new social worker. And their new social worker was out of the office, then it was the holidays. Then it took time for their social worker to get familiar with the kid’s case, etc, etc.  I had about had it.

But then……we finally got the kiddo’s files sent to us this week.  That basically means we got an email with their names, their birthdays, their ethnicity, their hair/skin color and information on their history, where they are currently living, their challenges, their needs, etc.

I held my breathe reading all 6 pages of that file.

And then I exhaled slowly and thanked God that nothing in the file seemed like a deal breaker to me.

And so now what?

Well, I am learning as we go.  The state now has to recruit for placement for these kids.  Even though we have expressed interest in them….that does NOT mean we get to adopt them.  The recruitment period will last 2 weeks or until they think they have found a reasonable number of families to consider for the kids.  Then the state will begin staffing meetings where they go thru all of our home studies to narrow down the families that are best suited to adopt the children.  If we have made it to that point, it would mean we would then be in meetings with our social worker, with the kid’s social worker, with therapists and attorneys, etc.

Then then…..an adoptive family is selected.

The move from the kid’s current home to ours/another would be gradual at a pace the kids are comfortable with.  So, this doesn’t happen overnight.  It then takes 6 months to be able to go through the legal adoption process so the children are officially adopted.

It will still take some time.

And…….I just got an email saying we should be getting a picture of the kids soon to look at.  And when I say soon….I mean hopefully in a week or so.

After 9 weeks of imagining what they may look like….I think I may pass out.

After 2.5 years of trying to adopt….. I can’t believe we are finally getting to this point.

I am terrified and excited at the same time.

Terrified of 2 extra kids.
Excited about 2 extra kids.
Terrified this isn’t it.
Excited this could be it.
Terrified to see a photo and what.if.i.feel.nothing?
Excited to put a face with a name and a file.
The list goes on and on and on!!!!

Pray friends! Please pray for both us and the kiddos. We either want God to be all over this….or we don’t want any part of it.

Will hope to be able to update you again soon!