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| Our home, now operated by the state of TX. |
Happy New Year! Could you please send me proof of updates to the following by Friday, January 4:
· Auto Insurance for Honda & Nissan
– Expired 11/24/12
· Auto Inspection for Nissan – Expired 12/12
· Driver’s License Renewal – Expired 6/7/12
· Dog's Pet Vaccinations – Expired 12/8/12
· Auto Registration for Nissan – Expires 1/13
And while we're at it, we'll need to schedule your quarterly home safety check, could you send a date by January 7?
Clearly, Big Brother has made himself at home at our place. As of December 19th, WE ARE OFFICIALLY A STATE LICENSED FOSTER/ADOPTIVE FAMILY HOME! We are so excited to have completed five months of training, documentation, interviews, and home visits in order to get that fancy little certificate pictured to the left. What it means is that our home is now, quite literally, operated by the State of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, and will remain as such until any adoption is finalized in court. The list above is anything and everything that has gone out of date since we started working with the agency in August of this year. So THIS is how it's gonna be.
I am thrilled to report that we have, in the four business days since we've been licensed, already received FIVE broadcasts regarding children in need of legal risk foster placement. Legal risk (as opposed to emergency placement) means that the state is 90-95% sure that the child or children are headed for non-relative adoption; however, their parents' legal rights have not yet been terminated in court. Some already have court dates set for termination, some don't. Some are still having supervised visits with biological family members, some aren't. Some of the broadcasts are detailed and well thought out, with photos - while still others are sloppy and vague.
We are cautiously optimistic about the fact that we have already seen such an improvement in the access to available children - the main reason we switched to foster from straight-adopt. Even the small summaries that come through are a tough read; in one case both parents addicted to prescription pain meds and in all kinds of trouble with the law; in another, two out of a sibling group of seven are in need of a home in a big hurry due to multiple placements after severe neglect. In yet another, the kids' biological grandparents simply can't manage the task any longer, but would still like to see the kids once they're adopted (arrangements like this are voluntary, but are often kept if in the best interest of the child or children).
We've submitted our home study for consideration for all of the broadcasts we've received. Three of them were for sibling groups of three and two for sibling groups of two. The process mirrors straight-adopt in that for each broadcast for which we submit, we wait to hear if we are chosen by the Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworker for that group. There is no timetable. There is no guarantee. Once chosen, we'd have access to more info and to visits with the kids before deciding to bring them into our home. Any kids we foster would be with the intention to adopt, so we must choose carefully. If the parental rights are ultimately terminated, as the State expects they will be, we can adopt them as soon as they've been in our home six months. No one else gets a shot; they're ours.
Reality has been sinking in slowly but surely. My husband and I made a list of all the things we'd need to acquire in order to make this a kid-friendly home (I had to get him to pretend we had an anonymous benefactor, so he'd participate without seeing only the money!). My mom and I spent an hour in Toys R Us staring at car seats, bless her heart. And yes, everything is renewed and inspected and vaccinated that needed to be. Welcome to life in the fish bowl. One can only imagine what things will be like once children live here. I'm going to need another bedroom just for the paperwork! It's a huge hassle I'm REALLY starting to look forward to!
Thanks to any readers for your continued interest and support. Kindly pray that a great match will be made soon! Lastly, our hearts go out to those involved in international adoptions from Russia. The recent politicizing of Russia-to-U.S. adoptions has put thousands of children in jeopardy, children who live in some of the most deplorable orphanages in the world. Please pray that for the sake of human rights and all kids in need that these children will have opportunities to find forever homes. <3
