5/09/2023
Goodness! Where do I start?!
So much has happened in the last month. It has been a whirlwind.
Last I wrote, we had officially been identified as the adoptive home of one of the three children. All three of the children are at different points in their paperwork and this can often take quite some time. In order to officially adopt, the children need to be in our home for at least 6 months. Our goal is to keep the siblings together while their paperwork continues, so we are required to go through foster care licensing. Then as the paperwork for the others advance, the time they will have spent with us through that point will count towards the 6 months. Most recently, we received our background checks (yes, new ones) back and are ready to start the home study (yes, another one).
In addition, we are required to do several training courses for foster care licensing. Some of these include but are not limited to fire safety, furnace inspection, unity training, and training to understand children with trauma.
While all of this is going on, I am looking at what daycare we would be able to have them in and where they would receive their services. Please pray that we get at least 2 daycare openings by the time they come into our home.
I was planning on going on bonding leave, but now I am receiving conflicting information, so I am not sure if this will be possible right away, or if I would need to wait until the adoption is finalized to take my leave. If I am unable to take leave when they are placed with us, this will make things more difficult as daycare is still hard to find and I would still need to work.
Frank and I are still working full time, and he is still in school. He is working on his Masters and is planning to be finished this December.
We were able to start visits with the children, and last weekend, we had them for our first overnight! They had a little bit of a hard time getting to sleep, but I can’t blame them. New home, new beds, new people… It will all take some getting used to. With all that being said, they were all asleep by 9p and aside from one baby feeding, slept until 7a. Going forward, we will have them on the weekends, so we will need to coordinate between work and picking them up on Fridays as well as dropping them off on Sunday.
Now, you might think, how will they get 3 car seats in their Equinox? The answer is… we can’t. So, car shopping we went. With the help of our cousin, we were able to purchase a Traverse! It is in need of a few repairs, so for the time being we have a lifted Yukon XL (basically a bus) for a rental.
If we have been on the quiet end and aren’t in contact as much as we usually are, please know that it is nothing personal. Honestly, this is all overwhelming. It is a transition for all of us, and we are trying to make everything work well and get everything we need in a small timeframe. God bless!
Congratulations. Just find a licensed daycare like the one you were in. Not a babysitter. But a fun learning environment. Where will take an interest in your children and help you with love and kindness towards your children.we always bonded with our foster children. We could have adopted 3 of our foster children. I always wanted a big family. I loved my work. I really enjoyed what I did. You will enjoy your children so much. I am so happy for you both. Take Care, Sergio, Debbie, Julia and Roy Basabe
So happy for you & can’t imagine all the work ahead for you. Of course, we will keep all of you in our prayers. It’s hard to welcome one new person in your family & you are faced with three! We love you!
The foster care training goes quickly you willl do fine! I can’t even tell you how many times we renewed our homestudy, got fingerprints and physicals…. over 8 years! You both are doing an amazing job already! I can’t wait to hear more of this God Written Story!
The timing of all of this is happening when it is supposed to…you just have to believe that. I am happy you will get to spend time with the kiddos on weekends to make the transition easier for all.