I love this boy!

Anyway, now that that is out of my system, I guess I will  talk about foster care today.  It has been a while.

I finally got Ben & I's insurance cards in the mail today!  Yes, we have been insured this whole time, but I lost our new cards and because Ben and I will be seeing a new group of Doctors to get our Physicals and TB tests I wanted to have them on hand.  I will be scheduling our Tests for the first week in November.  After I hand that stuff in (and make copies of it before I do in case the agency looses them like they did my friend's!) then all we have to do is wait for them to schedule  a home study.  I guess waiting is not all I have to do though, because we have to do somethings around the house before that-like convert the office into a child's room!  It is going to feel so real once we do that!

So, there is a girl in Kobe's class...her name is Rachel.  Rachel has 2 biological sisters that I know of.  Her and her sisters were all adopted through foster care.  Their Mom and I have gotten to know each other over the past two years (big surprise I end up getting to know the only Mom that has adopted through foster care probably in the whole school) and she is always willing to chat with me and tell me about her experiences.

Last Friday I got to pick her brain a little.  Here is what I found out:

1.  She was licensed directly through the State of Michigan - DHS.

2.  She had SEVEN sets of siblings go through her home before she was able to adopt Rachel and her sisters.

3.  She was listed as a Foster Parent hoping to Adopt.

Her advice to me:

1.  Stick to your guns

-she said people would call her about taking kids that did not meet criteria that she and her case worker had agreed on and then when she would say she wasn't able to take them they would try to guilt her by saying "Well, it may be a long time before you get another phone call."

She said she would always tell them, "I'll just wait."-

Having Kobe in our home will definitely force Ben and I to have to do this as well.  I know it will be hard for me to say No to any phone call we get but in the mean time I will just have to get myself ready to do it.  Luckily I know Ben will be there to talk some sense into me too.  Praise God we are a team!

2.  If you need a child moved from your house be very clear that you are scared for the life of someone in your home because that is the only thing they take seriously.

3.  Keep the "birth" order.  For example, we will always have Kobe as our oldest, but even if we adopt a three year old, if we are considering more they should be younger than the three year old.  

I don't know for experience, but I too believe this is very important.

So, that's about it...

I will leave you with this video...