#17!!!

Yesterday this post was all typed up, ready for a few pictures…then it disappeared!

oh my word. I had to step away & breath. I was in serious denial. so i broke it up into 2 posts. One about our mega summer trip, which was no where near as exciting as the trip actually was, but we all know I’m not great at wording/blogging/taking enough pictures..etc. it was a great trip, jam packed seeing tons of relatives, friends, & lots of car time!

So the BIG news, if you hadn’t heard, is that foster #17 is here! But what’s even MORE exciting is that even though AJ (that’s what I’ll refer to baby as) is going to be a permanent part of our family!!!  here’s kind of the run down of the last month or so.
Between us getting back from our trip July 30th & Aug 17th we got a couple possible placement calls. One was out of our age limits. we’ve said up to 2, which we have to clarify as under 24 months. Our CH worker called with a 2 yr old…but no clue if we were talking just turned 2, 2.5, or almost 3. which really makes a big difference. So we said no. Even when it’s out of our boundaries, it’s still hard. But we really felt like we needed to take a placement that was going to be a possible adoption, not just a foster placement. So we were sticking to our guns. We got another call & said yes!! but the CPS worker chose a family that was closer to their office. which worked out great, because it was over an hour away & I’d be traveling back & forth at least once a week for visits. was sad that day, but glad to not be driving that far.

• Friday, August 17th-woke up that morning feeling like something was different. I felt like God was saying “today you’re going to get a GREAT placement call!” around 1:00 we got a call! within a couple hours it was set that we were getting AJ, but some circumstances meant it would be Monday before AJ was in our home. I did get to visit AJ a few times over the weekend. That was such an amazing privilege that most foster parents never get. The CPS worker kept telling me, this is very unusual, this is not normal. believe me, I know. I’m used to 2-4 hours notice of a child being in my home, so 2.5 days was amazing! we actually had time to prepare ourselves & our home!
• Monday, August 20th CPS worker brought AJ to our home, & after 10 min of mega paper signing was gone! Even though it had only been a few days, I was already starting to feel like this might be the one….the one we get to adopt…that our family might be complete.
• Monday August 27th- 14 Day hearing. which if you do the math was really only 7 days, but this judge rotates, or has different hours or something. so they did it early. & the parents Relinquished their rights!! no one at CPS has ever seen parents relinquish at the 14 day hearing. I never had to take AJ to a visit. it really was amazing. so exciting. &  we were falling in love.
• a few days later a CPS worker called to update me & get some information. She was just getting papers ready to transfer the case to the adoption unit.  There were a few people to double check with as far as relative placements go, but it was looking like the goal was for AJ to be part of our family forever. continued excitement!!!…
• Monday, September 17th Robbie left for a work trip & wouldn’t return ’til Saturday. the CPS supervisor called to set up a monthly visit to see AJ & to tell us who our adoption worker is…the same we had for DJ!! even more excitement. It was all going so easy…..
• Tuesday, September 18th Our CH worker called….a new adoption supervisor decided it was procedure that when a child has been in a foster home less than a month & is heading to adoption, that a full adoption staffing be called. This means that all agencies around the area were contacted & could submit possible adoptive families for AJ. CH worker had never heard of this procedure & immediately started calling people asking what was going on. Everyone at CPS knew we were an adoptive family & wanted to adopt AJ. & we were 2 days away from having AJ in our home for a month. 2 days people. well, the ball on the adoption staffing was rolling so that’s what we did. over 100 families submitted their home studies wanting AJ.
• Wednesday, Sept 18th  It was narrowed down to us & 2 other families. they were supposed to have an answer to us by Thursday morning, but the meeting had happened without AJ’s attorney/guardian at litem present, so they had to wait for him to look over the home studies. My muscles were so very tense. I was trying so hard to not worry. to trust that if God wanted AJ to be with us it would work out. But if not, that God had a better plan. But I kept feeling like something was suspicious, something just wasn’t adding up.
•  Monday, Sept 24th Robbie called the Attny/Guardian At Litem to express our love for & desire to adopt AJ, hoping this would help us be chosen as AJ’s forever family.
• Tuesday-supposed to hear officially, but didn’t. not surprised.
• Wednesday, September 26th- CH worker called that we were officially chosen as AJ’s adoptive family. My muscles instantly relaxed. I didn’t realize how stressed I was until we got the official word.

  Since Robbie was out of town most of the week of waiting my sweet mom carried most of the burden of my emotions. from I’m doing good! to feeling like the world was ending. We didn’t tell many people. I don’t know why, I guess I’m just really private. & I didn’t want to have to talk about it & update people all the time.  If things went badly I’d let people know at that point.  I kept thinking this was just crazy to be so worried about a baby we’d had less than a month. But everything about AJ being with us felt different! So easy, & wonderful. AJ even has similar race percentages as DJ. As my pediatrician said, it’s like God just handed us a baby He wanted us to have. while we were waiting to get a placement my prayer had been that the Lord would bring us not just any baby to adopt, but one that needed our family. It sure seems like He answered our prayer!

  We are so excited & incredibly grateful for AJ. I’m not even ready for another foster placement. Just thoroughly enjoying our family of 6 & ready to get the adoption ball rolling. As of October 1st AJ is officially  in the adoption unit. this Friday is a status hearing for the judge to get updated on what’s going on. I have to take AJ as this judge likes to see all the kids cases she hears. Sure hope she hears AJ’s case first & we get out of there ASAP! AJ has to be with us for 6 months before the adoption can be consummated. so we’re looking at end of Feb, early March, 2013. But I’m hoping & praying that the judge will waive a couple weeks of that 6 months & let us adopt AJ on Feb 6th, the same day DJ was adopted. Then we can celebrate adoption day every year! or Gotcha day, whatever you want to call it. I think that would be a great way for them to always know they’re adopted & a very wanted part of our family.

  (AJ is not baby’s real name. It is what baby’s initials will be when we officially change baby’s name)

  “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!”

  http://bible.us/Ps126.3.NIV84