Love Each Child

Entering a New Phase

by steve

Wow…did yesterday actually happen?!?! I woke up this morning feeling like I needed to pinch myself to make sure it was real. I can’t tell you how excited and amazed I am.

Yes, it’s real. And now we enter the next phase of this exciting journey.

With the permanency hearing behind us, the case changes hands to a different social worker. The social worker who will be handling the transition and adoption is the one who handled my adoption of our son a couple of years ago. It was his suggestion that we consider foster/adoption that got us into this to begin with, so it’s kind of a nice “full circle” feeling to work with him again.

He called last night to congratulate us, and told me to call him today to get the process started, which I will do soon. We’re not entirely sure what this will all look like, but we know the following pretty much for sure:

• Transition will begin soon. This is kind of funny because obviously Hope Giver has spent so much time with us in recent months that she feels very comfortable here. The transition is more for the rest of all of us in the picture, I think! Some have asked me if the adoption needs to be finalized before the transition takes place, and the answer is no. Transition will begin almost right away and she will be (pretty much is already considered to be) “ours” while the process of adoption takes place.
• Transition will likely last about a month or so. Details are sketchy right now, but it will likely be something along the lines of Hope Giver spending 3-4 days a week here with us and the remaining time with the foster family with which she has been living.
• The adoption process will involve some more paperwork that DSS has to do (and possibly us? I don’t know) and some formalities, but the entire process can take up to six months for finalization. Again, however, she will be ours, and will already be living with us permanently. As far as I understand it, this is not a situation where we’re having to wait for something to happen to make sure that things don’t change. She is going to be placed with us and will be ours permanently.

Well, having said all that, I guess it’s time for me to get started on my day and this next phase. Thank you all for the many kind comments, emails, and phone calls we have received. We are incredibly blessed, not only to have Hope Giver come into our lives, but so many people rejoicing with us about it!