Wednesday, December 31, 2008

We're licensed!

We are foster licensed!
Yay!
That means we could get a call about kids any time now!

Friday, December 26, 2008

A blessed Christmas...

We have had the most blessed (busy) Christmas EVER!
My future prodigy got (two!) drum sets!
Karl and I got a weekend away at Bay Pointe Inn
I got gift certificates to get my hair done, to Schuler's, and Old Navy and Meijer.
Karl got gift certificates to Meijer for beer only, Guitar Center, and a backpacking tent.
We got night stands, storage, and lamps from IKEA that match our bed frame.
The kids got loads and loads of toys, including a child-sized guitar, storage/organizers, Evie's first kitchen and babydoll, pushing, and riding toys, trucks, and books galore.
Oh, and Karl got a pair of grown up footie pajamas that are sock monkey!
As if that weren't enough, my parents got me a diamond circle necklace, and a beautiful ring with diamonds for those few and far between occasions when I dress up.
I am not one that gets wrapped up in materialism, but how could you not get excited about that!
We have just been so blessed, I feel like kissing everyone.
We had a lovely weekend with family, ate til we nearly burst, and are drowning in the after-math of un-boxing all the toys for my ever impatient boy.

Speaking of impatience - we are STILL waiting on our foster license!
Can you believe it!?
Our licensing worker doesn't know what the hold up is - Lansing is being super slow.
She's inquired what the deal is - so hopefully we'll here something soon.
We were expecting to have kids here by now, so we're just twiddling our thumbs, waiting on God's perfect timing.

What a great time of year.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Change of plans?

So, I was suppose to have my license by Friday, or Monday - and I called my SW yesterday to check in...
No call back.
We also fell in love with a "waiting child" online - and called to find out if that's ok - and if it is, how we would go about it...
No call back.
I looked through our licensing rules, and it says in our contract that we won't pursue any other child with out the permission of DAB.
I talked to the SW of the little boy we're interested in, and she seemed eager to see our home study, and we are excited to pursue him, but have to move quickly if we're going to ---
Still haven't received any calls today.
I hate the whole "hurry up and then wait" aspect of everything.
Hopefully we'll hear something soon because I'm going nutty.

Later:

So, just as I finished typing this - I talk to my social worker
We got the go-ahead to pursue the little boy.
I didn't mention that he was in FL because I didn't think it was important. There are laws restricting bias due to location.
So, I got all excited, called the Adoption SW and asked about the situation.
Then, big let down, our agency does not do out of state adoptions, unless they're private adoptions (big $$)
So, I call the social worker in FL and she says to see if I can get a Home Study from the State, and that every state legally has to have an option for a free home study for adoption out of foster care. But, it could take 4-6 months, and by then he would most likely have another family.

But, we were advised by the adoption SW here that we should move forward and get a license for adoption from them just incase. She said they're matching all the time - but that most children under 5 are adopted by their foster families.
So, I guess the rout we're already traveling is the most likely way to add to our family.
I think we will still do the adoption home study anyway, just in case.
But that's that.

So we wait....
She said our license should have been here by now, and will be very surprised if it isn't by the end of the week.
We're going to continue to get licensed as SNAP adoptive parents through DAB.

Our SW suggested we look at Mi waiting children if we're going to go through DAB.
So we did, and there was a sibling group of 3 that pulled on our heart strings.
3 yr old boy, and 2 year old twins, one boy one girl.

Karl's prayed about it, and wants to move on them. So, I've called and left a message.
Of course no call back yet.
But, we'll get there at some point.
It would be 5 under 3 for us, so I'm not sure they'll allow it - but we'll see.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

It'll be here soon!

My social worker just called and said that all they needed was a copy of my social security card and Lansing is finishing up my paperwork!
She said we could have our license by tomorrow!

Monday, December 8, 2008

My music man...


Ethan has decided that he's going to be not only a drummer, but a guitar player as well...
Here is him playing his "guitar"...




He's getting a real set of drums and a real kid-sized guitar for Christmas, I can't wait to see him open them, he's going to freak, I just know it.
Evelyn is turning 8 months on the 11th.
She is still my little floppy baby.
She refuses to crawl, and hates it when I encourage her to do so. So, I'm letting her be my little blob for now.
She is starting to roll to get what she wants though -so that's a step.
I tried putting her in her play pen the other day while I was cleaning, and she decided all of the sudden she hated it..

She makes the cutest, most dramatic faces when she cries.
She's just like her momma, and likes to watch the squirrels outside the window on the feeder...
I can't believe how big she's getting...



In non-kid related news...
Our rental house had a water filter break, with the water still on, and it got completely flooded, and then frozen.
It's completely un-rentable and un-sellable now...
Not good.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Things have been busy around the house again..
Photo work has been steady, Karl and I are part of a marriage bible study group now, and I have started to go to a new bible study/book club too.
We are waiting patiently for our foster license to come in, as it's been almost 3 weeks now!
But, I've been good, and I haven't called yet.
We were given a crib and bunk beds from Karl's parents, so we're going to do some rearranging.
It was such a blessing.
Bailey has an umbilical hernia, so we had to take her to the vet for a check up and some testing.
Luckily it turned out that it's not intestines or cancerous/infectious material that's protruding through.
They suspect it's just a fatty tumor, and nothing to worry about.... $185 later!
But, I'm glad she's healthy.
I still have Christmas cards to make and send out, along with Ethan's birthday invitations.
But, over all - it's been a pretty nice couple of weeks.