Fostering Experience

After 6 months of starting the licensing process, David and I were finally licensed to adopt on 4/20/16.  Our caseworker sent many emails on individual cases and either they weren't a good match (i.e. The child couldn't be with younger children or animals, had a Hx of aggression, etc.) or when we did say "yes" someone else was chosen.  Sept 12th we got the phone call for an emergency placement of a baby boy.  They needed an answer within a 1/2 HR.

We had this little buddy for 9 1/2 wks.  We were warned ahead of time that he may be with us for weeks, months, or even years.  Our caseworker had kids placed in homes for 4 years and going.  This is what I prepared my heart for in regards to our little buddy.  His mom went to court and while we don't know the outcome, she was given visitation and he was moved to a foster home closer to mom.

Baby went from having injuries to being healed.  Eating 10 bottles/day (an extra 300 calories/day for him) to incorporating solids 4x/day and the right amounts of formula.  He would wake every 3 hours at night and cat-napping all day to taking 2 naps/day and sleeping 11 hrs @ night.  We taught him to crawl, pull himself up, feed self fingerfoods, play patty cake & peek-a-boo.  I wish I could have seen his family when they saw him again and how much he changed, including getting his first 2 teeth.

We got into this process to adopt, not foster.  I don't think we'll foster again for a while because it was so hard on the girls to say goodbye.  I had a hard time too, but I know we were there for him for a season.  Many times you just don't know how long a season will last.  Maybe it's a good thing he won't remember us. One less person's feelings hurt.

People gave us such nice compliments, but they gave us too much credit.  "Good for you!"  But I see it like this: what if a mom threw her baby out of a burning building to you to save him.  Would you catch him and care for him if he had no one else?  Absolutely.

This little fella will always have someone praying for him.  I hope the best for him. He touched a lot of lives in a short amount of time.