Hurdle #1 is Officially Cleared!

Well, it's official! We are now licensed foster parents for TWO counties in our state. Did you catch that? Yep, I said TWO counties and believe me, that was a surprise to us as well. What does this mean exactly? Well, not much more other than geographical coverage I suppose. Our city is in one county but also resides very close to another, so I suppose they wanted to license us in both counties so that we could accept a child from the other nearby county should one become available. So in a way, I guess you could say it broadens our horizon.

Anyway - we received our license in the mail on Friday and it's valid for 3 years and we are licensed to foster a boy or girl age 0 - 2yrs old. So, you may be asking yourself what happens now? Well, come Monday I will contact the adoption division for the state and get those wheels turning toward the next hurdle. In addition, I will contact the placement coordinator for our state and let her know we are ready and waiting for their call for the right child to be placed with us in hopes of adopting them. I will hopefully be able to convey our desires clear enough to her and undoubtedly at one time or another we will receive a call for someone we clearly won't take but in time, I'm sure the right one will come along. I will also have to clarify to her that although our license states we are able to accept a girl or a boy -that we are really seeking a boy.

So, how is all of this news sitting with me internally? Well, in a way it kind of feels like when the double pink line first appeared on home pregnancy test reading positive when we were trying to get pregnant 6 years ago with Big Sis. In a way it's all so surreal. Although the promise of so much change in lives in the coming months and years is evident, there isn't really a whole lot to show for it in the current moment other than an official reading. So I guess it's a lot like being pregnant but more on paper then physically. There is a term in the adoption community that they call "paper pregnancy" so I guess this is it. We're officially "paper pregnant" because we are now licensed to foster our prospective adoptive child -whoever he is.

I am at peace though with the excitement creeping up every now and then that this is about to get really cranking with some serious adrenaline rushes every time the phone rings! In the end though, I will continue to seek God's will in this whole process. And I will continue to pray for the little one that He has already chosen for us. I ask that you do the same. I pray that our paths will cross with undoubted certainty when the right call comes in and we question whether to take in that child. I pray that God will continue to guide us every step of the way with His truth and His wisdom. Thank you for joining me in prayer for the process to go according to His will. And thank you for continuing to check in on us - it should really start getting good now, eh?