Let The Games Begin

Last Thursday we had our final homestudy inspection. We are official and can have foster children placed in our home from this point forward. It's a very exciting time.

I have been so focused on long term thoughts about adoption that our new reality hasn't been anywhere on my radar. We hope to adopt waiting children from the foster care system, but are open to fostering and possibly completing our family that way as well. We are trusting that the Lord will show us the children that we are supposed to have. It occurred to me as our agency worker left that there could be new little people in my house any day now! I suddenly felt very unprepared. You plan and work and dream about this process and then suddenly it culminates in an instant. We're foster parents!

We don't know when our first placement will come, but we came home from a 4 day trip last night to a message on our machine. We have been asked to do respite for a 4 year old and 2 year old this Sunday/Monday. For those of you not familiar with the foster system, respite is when one set of foster parents basically "babysit" for another foster family. Foster children can't be left with just anyone, so when foster families need a sitter they use respite.I will be getting more information on the children later today.

We are excited that we are already being utilized within the system, but it has all suddenly become very real. It's a great thing, but I'm very nervous.The next step for our adoption process is that we have one more class to take to complete our file. At that point we can search out waiting children and inquire about any that we are interested in adopting.

It's hard to believe it's finally happening.