Well, friends, we've now had a foster baby in the house for a full week! It was quite a culture shock at first to have a newborn again, but we are getting the gist of things now.
Baby M is a sweet little baby, but she's quite small for her age. She loves to eat, though, so we're confident she'll start chunking-out in no time! And, as far as we know, she hasn't been exposed to anything dangerous. We assume, however, that she was neglected for the first few weeks of her life since her biological mom is now incarcerated. Baby M is thriving wonderfully in our home, even with two older foster brothers! :) We are loving the snuggles, her occasional smiles, and sweet time together.
We met M's CASA worker today who is a volunteer court advocate. She will work closely with M's case worker to find possible relatives who can take care of M. In the meantime, we get the honor of pouring love into M's little heart and surrounding her with prayer. Every day we pray that M's biological momma will "get better."
And, yes, we are attached! We want God's will for M's life even if that means we don't get to keep her. And we will for sure set her up as best as we can in the event she goes to live with a family member. This little girl is so precious! I love getting to dress her up in all the frills and bows. :)
The foster brothers are being pretty sweet to M apart from the occasional attempt to poke her in the eye or "love" her a little too rough! Joe is especially fond of her and introduces her as "his sister" even though we constantly tell him that she could go back to her own family soon. But they love her, and it's amazing to see how even little children understand the fragility of a baby. Both the boys are great helpers.
Please pray for us as M has a doctor's appointment on July 2nd and we want to make sure she is catching up in weight. Also, the CASA worker told me they go to court on July 7th to come up with a permanency plan for M. That means our time with M could be done within the next week if a reliable relative is found to care for her. We certainly want what is best for M, but our hearts will be broken if she leaves. Please pray for God's will, courage, and strength no matter what the outcome. There is only one, maybe two, possibilities for M outside of our home, so the chance at adoption is very real. But, again, we want her to be with her own family if it is at all possible.
Thank you all for your tremendous support. We are overwhelmed by the love, gifts, and offers to help. We feel your prayers, and can not express how grateful we are for every mention to the Lord on our behalf.
More to come! Until then, if you have a few minutes, come on over and help me tackle the Laundry Monster. :)
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Any Minute Now
I looked at Carey the other night and said, "It's only been two weeks?! It feels like an eternity!"
We've had our license now for several weeks with no placement. We've received two calls, but both children were too old and lived too far away for us to logistically take care of them. So we wait. Again, we wait.
Two weeks is not that long of a time. I've heard of people going months before getting their first child placement, so we are definitely still on the short end of things. But when you're supposed to be ready at any moment - spiritually, emotionally, and physically - it feels like an eternity. Every morning I wake up and think, "Today could be the day!" I could get a call to go pick up a baby before I finish writing this post.
It's like those hard last months of pregnancy (even though I'm not pregnant). I thought it would be easier, but then I realized at least I'd get a few hours notice if I was pregnant! Just like with our boys, my heart longs for this child. Not because she'll "fill a void," but because God has already revealed to my heart that she's out there and she's ours.
Sometimes I feel like we're being selfish for seeking a baby since we've already had two biological children. But the Lord reminds me it's not about us - it's about her. And God has decided that we are to be her parents regardless of whether or not we can have biological children. He has put the desire for a baby on our hearts because he is the Master Planner. I want to do more to get to her: search more, pray more, work harder as a mom. But the Lord has revealed that this is a time of stillness, and there's nothing else I can do. His timing is perfect, and he is working behind the scenes for our daughter and for our family.
Until we meet her, we pray our daughter will be emotionally and physically protected. We pray for her mother and father and extended family. We pray the Lord will use us to draw others to him through this entire process. And thank you for your continued prayers as well!
We've had our license now for several weeks with no placement. We've received two calls, but both children were too old and lived too far away for us to logistically take care of them. So we wait. Again, we wait.
Two weeks is not that long of a time. I've heard of people going months before getting their first child placement, so we are definitely still on the short end of things. But when you're supposed to be ready at any moment - spiritually, emotionally, and physically - it feels like an eternity. Every morning I wake up and think, "Today could be the day!" I could get a call to go pick up a baby before I finish writing this post.
It's like those hard last months of pregnancy (even though I'm not pregnant). I thought it would be easier, but then I realized at least I'd get a few hours notice if I was pregnant! Just like with our boys, my heart longs for this child. Not because she'll "fill a void," but because God has already revealed to my heart that she's out there and she's ours.
Sometimes I feel like we're being selfish for seeking a baby since we've already had two biological children. But the Lord reminds me it's not about us - it's about her. And God has decided that we are to be her parents regardless of whether or not we can have biological children. He has put the desire for a baby on our hearts because he is the Master Planner. I want to do more to get to her: search more, pray more, work harder as a mom. But the Lord has revealed that this is a time of stillness, and there's nothing else I can do. His timing is perfect, and he is working behind the scenes for our daughter and for our family.
Until we meet her, we pray our daughter will be emotionally and physically protected. We pray for her mother and father and extended family. We pray the Lord will use us to draw others to him through this entire process. And thank you for your continued prayers as well!
Friday, June 5, 2015
We Have Our License!
After six months of meetings, deadlines, paperwork, and prayer we officially have our foster/adoption license!
What happens next: Our names will be placed on the Centralized Placement Vacancy list (CPV) with a note that we are highly motivated to adopt a baby girl. In other words, case workers will know the specifics of our desires and hopefully start giving us calls when a baby girl in our area becomes available. Furthermore, there may already be babies available for adoption, so we are waiting to hear from our FAD worker to see if we can go ahead and start pursuing a specific child. Exciting times!
Meanwhile, I'm finally washing the car seat cover so I can get the darn thing in the van...
When trying to explain to our oldest son, Joseph, that we can now "help the babies," he looked at my tummy and said, "Yeah, there's a baby sister in mommy's tummy." I just want to make it clear, in case he says to someone else, that this IS NOT the case, haha! It's just the way his 3-year-old brain is processing everything. But I smile at his excitement to hopefully, and in God's timing, have a baby sister. We will be able to show our boys so much about God's love through adoption! And, even if something happens and we don't get to adopt a child, we can honestly tell the boys that God's ways are not our ways.
Please continue to pray for us as we will most likely have to make some major decisions going forward. The worst thing I can imagine right now is having numerous children available and trying to decide which ONE (because I want to help them all) God wants to be in our family. Also, please pray for us in the event a special needs child becomes available. We are seeking God's complete will and discernment, which can be scary, but we know he is working out everything according to his plan.
Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! Our hearts are full with anticipation.
What happens next: Our names will be placed on the Centralized Placement Vacancy list (CPV) with a note that we are highly motivated to adopt a baby girl. In other words, case workers will know the specifics of our desires and hopefully start giving us calls when a baby girl in our area becomes available. Furthermore, there may already be babies available for adoption, so we are waiting to hear from our FAD worker to see if we can go ahead and start pursuing a specific child. Exciting times!
Meanwhile, I'm finally washing the car seat cover so I can get the darn thing in the van...
When trying to explain to our oldest son, Joseph, that we can now "help the babies," he looked at my tummy and said, "Yeah, there's a baby sister in mommy's tummy." I just want to make it clear, in case he says to someone else, that this IS NOT the case, haha! It's just the way his 3-year-old brain is processing everything. But I smile at his excitement to hopefully, and in God's timing, have a baby sister. We will be able to show our boys so much about God's love through adoption! And, even if something happens and we don't get to adopt a child, we can honestly tell the boys that God's ways are not our ways.
Please continue to pray for us as we will most likely have to make some major decisions going forward. The worst thing I can imagine right now is having numerous children available and trying to decide which ONE (because I want to help them all) God wants to be in our family. Also, please pray for us in the event a special needs child becomes available. We are seeking God's complete will and discernment, which can be scary, but we know he is working out everything according to his plan.
Praise the Lord from whom all blessings flow! Our hearts are full with anticipation.
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