The Process Continues . . .

We met with Cameron again Friday.  This meeting was our third of four.  Our fourth meeting will be held after our adoption classes are completed in June.  We start the first of the 5 classes this Saturday.  I am excited to get started but not at all looking forward to sitting through 7 hours of speakers for the next several weekends.  Anna says it will all be worth it, and it will be! 

Each time we meet with Cameron we learn a little more about the process.  In our last meeting we gave her our preference form which is maybe a list of 100 or so 'issues' children can have and we had to rank them 1-3.  A 1 means we can parent a child with that issue, a 2 means we can discuss that issue, and a 3 means absolutely no way can we parent a child with that issue.  This was a tricky task to accomplish.  For the most part we put 2s.  I mean 'soils pants' . . . if the child is 4 I can parent that.  If the child is 12, well, that's different.  We put a 2.  The issues ranged from wears glasses to wishes to be the opposite sex or cuts or is severely handicapped.  The spectrum is wide.

We learned that if we have all of our paperwork completed by the end of our classes Cameron will then be working to match us with a child or sibling group.  But, before this can happen all of our paperwork (our PPA - cannot remember for the life of me what that stands for, some sort of assessment - maybe pre-placement??) has to be approved by the state.  She said that usually takes less than a month.  So, we're looking at hopefully being in a position to receive referrals by mid-July!!  That makes me shiver.

This month Josh has to work on making some changes in the house like switching the deadbolts, adding a couple of smoke detectors, and getting a new fire extinguisher.  We have to lock all of our meds up and our cleaning supplies.  I'm thinking if the cleaning supplies are locked up somewhere I will be cleaning less.  No problem.  We have to find another bed in order to meet the requirements to add two more kids to the house.  We are looking to get Ava a bunk bed.  I have to work on making a fire evacuation route and posting it somewhere in the house.  All of this is because once a child is placed in our home we are considered foster parents until they are officially declared adopted by the courts. While we are fostering, the child(ren) will be the state's responsibility.  They have to make sure our home is safe.  There are some other things we have to work on but I can't recall them.  Of course, I have a checklist . . . somewhere.

All the while we are praying for the little one or ones that will be a part of our family soon enough.  We pray that God is bringing them a peace even now, that they will understand that God is working in their favor because they have called out to Him.  It's just incredibly humbling, His faithfulness and His love. 

On a lighter note, it was quite humorous listening to Cameron quiz Josh on the 8 charges he had on his record.  They dated all the way back to like his 3rd week with a license.  She did comment on how they are now fewer and further between.  Somehow, my 3 charges were non-existent.  Hee Hee

A Plethora of Paperwork

And so it begins . . . the paperwork plunge.  Josh and I each had a 32-page questionnaire to fill out with questions such as how did we grow up, where, with whom, what was life like growing up, how do we raise our kids, how did we meet, where did we meet, what do we like and dislike about each other . . . so many questions.  I've decided I'm quite the narcissist.  I enjoyed answering them! 

Today we met with Cameron, our adoption agency's representative (aka, our worker).  This was our 2nd of 4 meetings with her.  So far we have given her a copy of our marriage license, fingerprints, background check sheets, references, etc.  She also met with each of the kids individually.  Isaac asked if she was going to be bringing the kids with her.  He's so lost so I'm trying to do better at keeping him in the loop.  "No, babe. The kids don't come with her for a while yet."  Anna threatened to tell Cameron about all the times she's been in the car when daddy got pulled over for speeding.  It must seem like a lot to her.  I'm sure my comments while on the road have not at all lead her to believe he's been stopped more than his share of times.  Haha  Just sitting here counting I can come up with . . . I'd better shut up : )  I can't wait to hear how these interviews went.

Cameron gave us more paperwork to fill out and we signed several documents while she was here like privacy docs, fees, foster parent agreement, capacity info, rules on how many kids to a room, how many kids to a house, and some more.  Between now and meeting #3 (in 3 weeks) we have to acquire family photos for her, DMV checks on each of our licenses, verification of our education, auto insurance declarations, drivers license copies, vehicle registration, pet vaccinations, fill out our family profile form (kids and agencies can go online and view profiles of the parents looking to adopt), fill out a preference form where we choose and rate what children we would consider (including disabilities, race, ages, genders, etc.), financials, get TB tested, and fill out medical evaluations.  Whew!!! 

Josh and I will be attending adoption classes each Saturday in May and one in June.  After this and after all of our paperwork is processed we will start receiving referrals.  It could be this Fall or next year that we add to our quiver.  God knows and time will tell.  We've decided to expand our search from our initial thoughts of a boy 5-8 yrs. old to a boy and/or girl or even a sibling group between 5 & 10, any race.  I pray often for this kid or these kids.  I can't wait to hear from them what their thoughts were about this time.

Stacie, you said you wanted to know every detail. There ya go!  The paperwork seems endless and my administrative background will come to full use.  One step closer!