Well, after waiting for several weeks for another phone call regarding more foster children, we heard about 2 siblings in a neighboring county that needed a home. The problem was jumping through all the hoops and red tape to get permission from our "home county" to take them. Finally, on July 1 we received word from the children's case worker that we would be able to take them. The little boy had just turned 2 and the little girl would be turning 3 on the day we received them. We had plans to go out of town for the 4th of July weekend, but we had to get permission to take the children with us. The caseworker got the trip approved, and we left for Mississippi on Friday afternoon, July 3rd. The first 2 1/2 hours of the trip were relatively peaceful because the children slept. However, once they woke up, the noise level in the car increased dramatically. At one point, Randy asked if I wanted to call my family to tell them we weren't coming. Needless to say, the children weren't great travelers. Maybe taking a trip the day after we got them wasn't the greatest idea. The weekend went by quickly, but the car ride back was just as long and noisy! I guess the saying "be careful what you wish for because you just might get it" certainly applies to this situation.
I've said to co-workers several times over the last week and a half that it's like breaking wild mustangs. The children are having to learn what appropriate behavior is such as not choking your brother, biting your sister, screaming at adults when redirected, etc. They are certainly different than having 1 child who was a baby. We have taken them to the park once and are trying to make plans for this coming weekend. I doubt we'll be traveling too far outside the city limits this time! :) There are times when I think they are settling in and getting better, but then bedtime comes and that changes very quickly. It's not the most fun part of our day right now. The little boy has had an ear infection since last weekend and did not sleep well. Anyone who knows me well knows that I don't function at full speed without at least 9 hours of sleep, but that didn't happen over the weekend. There have been mornings that I'll find him wandering through the house looking for Randy and I.
Finding and starting daycare has also been an adventure. I wanted one closer to home this time, but with the children being in foster care, the child care is paid with state vouchers. The time limit on how many hours the children can be in daycare each day is a maximum of 9, so I've had to rearrange my work schedule to be able to leave earlier. They seem to like going to school, but the morning separation has been hard for the little boy. The little girl separates better, but she still asks for her mother on a continual basis. We have the conversation several times a day about when she can see her again. This happens mostly when we have to redirect her inappropriate behavior.
We were told by their caseworker from the beginning that the children would most likely be reunified with their parents, and we're okay with that. We just didn't want to have an empty home until we are able to adopt a child(ren). We have finished our adoption paperwork through DHS and are scheduled to have our final home study this Friday. We are also looking into private adoption through an agency in town. I realized the other day that it had been a year since we started this journey. I don't know where the time has gone. With God's help, and the support of our family and friends, we know that we will eventually have our family.
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