I am learning to have patience with what is going on, or isn't, delete as applicable! ;)
Hubby and I had to take a water safety class before we can get certified. Considering as it is Fall already most places have stopped running the classes- until next Spring when they will start again ready for another summer season of kids and swimming pools! We took an online class, passed and got our certificates. We were very happy, but the State of California wasn't. We had to go and physically take the class. After much stressing (by me) to find one, we managed to sign up for the last American Red Cross Water Safety Class this year that a certain company was running. We were so relieved!! DH and I took the class this past Saturday, and it was very informative, but also fun! We now are waiting for our certificates to be emailed through to us so that we can forward them on to our Case Worker.
As well as all of that going on, we had to fill out paperwork for 20 years worth of Addresses for our Nebraska clearance, that's right 20 years!!! We only lived in Nebraska for 4 1/2 years, but they (for some reason) want to see 20 years worth of addresses. Whatever... We filled the paperwork, got it notarized and now are waiting for that all to be returned to our CW. When this comes back, we will finally be certified! yay!
We decided to paint the 'girls' room a very soft pink. I bought sheer curtains and an Antique White curtain rod- to match the day bed. I will post a couple of photos once it is all finished. I had to do something to make it all seem real :)
That is all for now, nothing huge has happened. We are just carrying on playing the waiting game.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
We are nearly certified!
After 9 weeks of classes, a First Aid and CPR class, and a water safety class (gotta love having a neighbourhood pool) we are very nearly certified to have foster kiddies!
All we are waiting for now is our caseworker to finishing typing up our home study and we should be good to go!
We started our foster/adopt classes in June, and were told that after the classes ended we would probably get a caseworker within a month or so. Hubby and I were very efficient it seems. We got all of the paperwork complete and fingerprints done and sent in before our first class. Halfway through the module we got a call from a caseworker that had been assigned to us! We were elated, we didn't expect things to move along so quickly! A home study and interviews were conducted before we had even taken the last module!
So what now? Now we wait....
Patience has never been a strong virtue of mine, but after trying to get pregnant for 15 years waiting for a few months/year or whatever, will seem like a walk in the park.
Also we had been pretty broad with the children that we would 'accept' (that sounds so awful to me, but that is the term that our agency uses). The agency try to place kiddies as close race/ethnicity wise as they can. I am Indian, Spanish and English, my hubby is fair hair and blue eyes, so that gives us a pretty broad spectrum to start with. We also said we would take siblings, maybe upto 3 siblings (my hubby is kinda stuck on two, but said he would go on a case by case basis), upto age 6. The only thing we did specify is that we want girls. I have a stepson from my first marriage who is nearly 24 (wow, where did all of that time go??) who I keep in regular contact with, and DH has twin 14 year old boys. I am severely out-numbered here, we need more estrogen in this house ;-) The twins are very excited to have a sister as they have two young brothers back home at their mums house, and have already started with the 'protective older brother' routine- we aren't even properly ready and certified for kids, and yet that had to take their role seriously already!
I didn't want to do too much to prepare a bedroom because a) How many little ones will there be? b) how old will she/they be? That makes the finishing decorating touches difficult!
We have a bed. We bought a day bed as the chances of adopting a baby are very slim, and I didn't want a crib in the house reminding me of all the times I prayed for a baby and it just never happened... We bought paint for the room, but until we find out how many girls we can't paint as we have one room that is perfect for one girl- or two, but the other one has ample room for two and could even fit three. I bought bed covers, and a cute fleece blanket today, I had to buy something while we wait, and it was the only thing that I could think of that wouldn't really change too much with the age of the little one. I did buy one cute dress last week, it was on sale and it's for a 4 year old. If it's no good for us I am sure that someone else from our class could make good use of it! So many cute clothes, and no idea of an age.
This is the time that I have to learn to have patience, I just wish I knew for how long :)
All we are waiting for now is our caseworker to finishing typing up our home study and we should be good to go!
We started our foster/adopt classes in June, and were told that after the classes ended we would probably get a caseworker within a month or so. Hubby and I were very efficient it seems. We got all of the paperwork complete and fingerprints done and sent in before our first class. Halfway through the module we got a call from a caseworker that had been assigned to us! We were elated, we didn't expect things to move along so quickly! A home study and interviews were conducted before we had even taken the last module!
So what now? Now we wait....
Patience has never been a strong virtue of mine, but after trying to get pregnant for 15 years waiting for a few months/year or whatever, will seem like a walk in the park.
Also we had been pretty broad with the children that we would 'accept' (that sounds so awful to me, but that is the term that our agency uses). The agency try to place kiddies as close race/ethnicity wise as they can. I am Indian, Spanish and English, my hubby is fair hair and blue eyes, so that gives us a pretty broad spectrum to start with. We also said we would take siblings, maybe upto 3 siblings (my hubby is kinda stuck on two, but said he would go on a case by case basis), upto age 6. The only thing we did specify is that we want girls. I have a stepson from my first marriage who is nearly 24 (wow, where did all of that time go??) who I keep in regular contact with, and DH has twin 14 year old boys. I am severely out-numbered here, we need more estrogen in this house ;-) The twins are very excited to have a sister as they have two young brothers back home at their mums house, and have already started with the 'protective older brother' routine- we aren't even properly ready and certified for kids, and yet that had to take their role seriously already!
I didn't want to do too much to prepare a bedroom because a) How many little ones will there be? b) how old will she/they be? That makes the finishing decorating touches difficult!
We have a bed. We bought a day bed as the chances of adopting a baby are very slim, and I didn't want a crib in the house reminding me of all the times I prayed for a baby and it just never happened... We bought paint for the room, but until we find out how many girls we can't paint as we have one room that is perfect for one girl- or two, but the other one has ample room for two and could even fit three. I bought bed covers, and a cute fleece blanket today, I had to buy something while we wait, and it was the only thing that I could think of that wouldn't really change too much with the age of the little one. I did buy one cute dress last week, it was on sale and it's for a 4 year old. If it's no good for us I am sure that someone else from our class could make good use of it! So many cute clothes, and no idea of an age.
This is the time that I have to learn to have patience, I just wish I knew for how long :)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Time flies...
Wow, it has been a long time since I last wrote on here!
SO much has changed, a move, a wedding, and plans to adopt a little girl (well, hopefully)
My hubby and I visited England and Spain (both home to me) in May 2011 for the first time in 3 years. It had been far too long not seeing family, espeically my ageing Grandma. While we were tehre we received and email telling us that we had orders to California! Excited wasn't the word, then sadness at leaving the wonderful friends I had made... :(
In September 2011 we drove the 1600 miles from Nebraska to Northern California. It was an exhausting trip.. My husband I I drove seperately. Me in the car with our two dogs- and loaded to the max with personal stuff, my husband had the moving truck and our cat!
After a 2 day drive- we will NEVER do that again, and a brief stay with our friend in Salt Lake, we arrived in Sacramento! Driving through Nevada was amazing, it was so mountainous. Then through the Tahoe National forest... It reminded me so much of Spain that I felt like I had come home. :)
We settled in a little rented house in a town called Wheatland. I have never lived in such a small town before, and never want to again. I am a city girl, I grew up 5 minutes from the Tower of London for crying out loud! Being somewhere that had one 'village store' that sold a loaf of bread for $4.50, was more than I could handle.
We searched neighbourhoods and spent lots of time with our amazing realtor who really made finding a house so much less stressful than it could have been. Having an anazing realtor makes all the difference. She was so patient with us, switching areas, ruling out 2 story houses, and wanting a 3 car garage (Hubby's 'MUST HAVE'). In the end we bought a house in an area we ruled out, it is a two story with a two car garage, and we love it!!
Just before we moved into our new house we had a trip back to England (and Scotland) for my sisters wedding. It was the first time that I had visited Scotland (I am a Londoner, I don't like travelling north, ;) ). But I was amazed by it's beauty, and really wish I had visited before I lived on the West Coast of the USA!
The wedding was beautiful, set in a small castle in Scotland. The day was perfect and my sister looked beautiful!
After being here for a few months we decided to try again for a baby. I found a new fertility Doc and made an appointment.
After initial tests and a consult he told me that he thought the only way I would get pregnant was through IVF. We couldn't afford the $20k costs, so asked if we could try injectable hormones again. We tried, twice, and nothing. After hearing that a friend of mine was diagnosed with hormone related breast cancer (a direct result of her fertility treatment) I decided that this was not for me anymore. After 16 tries at fertility treatment, one pregnancy that ended in a late miscarriage, I didn't want to take the risk.
We went to a Cinco de Mayo party and got talking to a couple there. We found out that they had adopted their daughter from an agency close by. We got in contact with the agency and they told us that they had an 'Orientation meeting' opening for that same evening (which would have been my mums birthday). We went and decided to sign up for classes to become foster parents (first step) that started June 19th! It is all happening kind of quickly, which is good as it doesn't give me too much time to worry and over think :)
Here in California you go through foster to adopt with the State. There are no real fees (not like the upwards of $23k in Nebraska) and there is a lot of post adoption help too. We have met other couples going through the exact same process as us at the same time, and even another Air Force family. So this will be the next stage in our lives, foster with the hope to adopt a girl/girls.
In the meantime we are fostering a (he was 4 weeks old) 6 week old puppy named Billy Bear... he was too young to be at the shelter so we took him in. He is very cute and keeping me very busy.
SO much has changed, a move, a wedding, and plans to adopt a little girl (well, hopefully)
My hubby and I visited England and Spain (both home to me) in May 2011 for the first time in 3 years. It had been far too long not seeing family, espeically my ageing Grandma. While we were tehre we received and email telling us that we had orders to California! Excited wasn't the word, then sadness at leaving the wonderful friends I had made... :(
In September 2011 we drove the 1600 miles from Nebraska to Northern California. It was an exhausting trip.. My husband I I drove seperately. Me in the car with our two dogs- and loaded to the max with personal stuff, my husband had the moving truck and our cat!
After a 2 day drive- we will NEVER do that again, and a brief stay with our friend in Salt Lake, we arrived in Sacramento! Driving through Nevada was amazing, it was so mountainous. Then through the Tahoe National forest... It reminded me so much of Spain that I felt like I had come home. :)
We settled in a little rented house in a town called Wheatland. I have never lived in such a small town before, and never want to again. I am a city girl, I grew up 5 minutes from the Tower of London for crying out loud! Being somewhere that had one 'village store' that sold a loaf of bread for $4.50, was more than I could handle.
Just before we moved into our new house we had a trip back to England (and Scotland) for my sisters wedding. It was the first time that I had visited Scotland (I am a Londoner, I don't like travelling north, ;) ). But I was amazed by it's beauty, and really wish I had visited before I lived on the West Coast of the USA!
The wedding was beautiful, set in a small castle in Scotland. The day was perfect and my sister looked beautiful!
After being here for a few months we decided to try again for a baby. I found a new fertility Doc and made an appointment.
After initial tests and a consult he told me that he thought the only way I would get pregnant was through IVF. We couldn't afford the $20k costs, so asked if we could try injectable hormones again. We tried, twice, and nothing. After hearing that a friend of mine was diagnosed with hormone related breast cancer (a direct result of her fertility treatment) I decided that this was not for me anymore. After 16 tries at fertility treatment, one pregnancy that ended in a late miscarriage, I didn't want to take the risk.
We went to a Cinco de Mayo party and got talking to a couple there. We found out that they had adopted their daughter from an agency close by. We got in contact with the agency and they told us that they had an 'Orientation meeting' opening for that same evening (which would have been my mums birthday). We went and decided to sign up for classes to become foster parents (first step) that started June 19th! It is all happening kind of quickly, which is good as it doesn't give me too much time to worry and over think :)
Here in California you go through foster to adopt with the State. There are no real fees (not like the upwards of $23k in Nebraska) and there is a lot of post adoption help too. We have met other couples going through the exact same process as us at the same time, and even another Air Force family. So this will be the next stage in our lives, foster with the hope to adopt a girl/girls.
In the meantime we are fostering a (he was 4 weeks old) 6 week old puppy named Billy Bear... he was too young to be at the shelter so we took him in. He is very cute and keeping me very busy.
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