Holy Moly

The meeting tonight with J was great (her official title is a "Family Support Specialist"). She was as down to earth as she was in training last January and put us at ease over some fears that have come up. She asked to see where our bedroom would be in relationship to the children's so she got a quickie house tour (and was pleased, I'm relieved to report). Her job is to guide us through the waiting period to placement and, once there, we're handed off to the next social worker. Bummer.. I wish she was along with us for the rest of the ride.

Our next task is supposed to be respite care which is basically us baby sitting for foster parents. It gives them a break and us a chance to see how we cope with different behaviors and ages. She said to keep our minds and hearts open to all the kiddos. Apparently it's common for couples to reconsider their initial choices after they've met the kids. It's a great opportunity for us to realize first hand our true capabilities.

There's also a discussion/support group I've signed up for that meets once a month. We get some required credit hours for attending and get to meet some of the kids in the system as well as their foster parents. I think it'll be cool and look forward to it.

Come to find out, we are the ONLY couple recently certified that is willing to take sibs. Go figure!! Basically, we're the only ones that are completely nuts. No surprise there. DH reiterated we would prefer one but will take two (if we can manage them) so we don't separate siblings. She said our phone will be ringing sooner rather than later and gave us a list of additional questions to ask when we get "The Call". Although the Text Book Order of Things is to have us do our respite care first, it doesn't always work out that way...

Bottom Line: It's Showtime!