An Update

I've had to take a break for the last couple of weeks. First, my work went from very slow to super busy overnight (which is good because I have been praying for it to pick up). Secondly, I have been so darn mad...plain raw with DFCS and needed time to settle down. This was a big week for us in the adoption arena and because I have been so irritated, I felt like I needed to step away and not get myself worked up into a tizzy before our big events. So, being busy at work really helped in occupying my mind for while.

So here is a quick update:

1. I did receive a call from the state level at DFCS regarding my complaint to the Governor's office. The lady that called me was sweet but very uninformed. In my opinion, she needs to be fired...ok, maybe sent to the front desk to answer phones instead. While she was nice, she clearly did not know the state laws on adoption. I don't care about how many degrees she may have or all the special training she has received, she was simply incompetent when it came to her position. She was the most ignorant person I have dealt with to date with DFCS. I know more about the state laws than she does by doing a lot of late night Internet searching and networking. Our conversation was quite pleasant but it ate at me for days. Her ignorance crept up on me and spread like a mad rash.

2. On Thursday, we met with our Caseworker for a brief meeting at her request as we had some loose ends on the paperwork that needed to be taken care of...meaning that we had to sign a blank HIPAA form for the third time! She made no suggestion on any potential children. I was very nice and was very proud of myself for controlling my tongue because it would not have taken much to provoke me.

3. Last but certainly not least, we attended an adoption fair today. This was an event where potential adoptive parents meet children in need of families. Going into it today, I was a little indifferent as I can say that in the last two weeks, I've almost felt indifferent about adoption in general. I guess for the most part, I was expecting the worst so I wouldn't be disappointed. Last night and this morning, I found myself a little nervous, but thanks to two of my adoption buddies, Lisa and Robin, they had pretty much prepared me on what to expect.

There were 11 kids at the fair (which included two sibling groups of 2). The turn out for adoptive parents was phenomenal. I'm not sure how many couples attended but the families definitely out number the children by far! This was the only event in the state like this today so each child was pulled to the side and interviewed for 5-10 minutes and it was videoconferenced so other potential adoptive parents in different cities in Georgia were able to view it. However, some couples opted to attend this event in person and drove as far as 5 hours to attend the event!

We were interested in one of the sibling groups - two boys - ages 10 and 12. They currently reside in a nearby county. We were able to speak to their Social Worker in great detail and she wants to see our home study. Everything that I have learned so far seems like a very good match. Right now we are trying not to get too excited and wait to see how it goes. We feel like there will be a lot of interest in them after today but if it is meant to be, then it will happen...of course with a little proactive initiative! :-)

I think the event was a very positive experience for Billy. He seemed really interested in these boys. He was so good playing with all the kids. He had his shirt tucked out and sweat rolling down his forehead within in the first 30 minutes!