Moving

Things are really moving forward. Our licensing specialist came out last week and interviewed me and a few of the kids, she will be back today to finish my interview and the rest of the kids. Our home inspection is scheduled for next Wednesday, we have frantically been trying to get ready for that. We don't have too much to do but it is a little nerve racking knowing someone will be coming into your home and looking over everything. Good thing I like to keep a clean house or this process could become very overwhelming. I have taken the opportunity to organize practically every cupboard and drawer in my house, I know they won't care but having someone look in them could be embarrassing so it's kind of the kick in the pants that I need to get it done anyways! My daughter is having oral surgery the same day as the inspection, definitely not ideal but there was no other time they would be in our area and I really don't want to delay our licensing so we will make it work. We just finished our 9th class last night, just 2 more to go! I need to schedule our doctor appointments and our CPR class and finish getting some of the paper work together and we will be set. Our specialist said she hoped to have us licensed within 30 days after our last class so for us that would be mid March, crazy! This whole time I have been planning on sometime in May so that is really exciting. After class last night my hubby and I went to Target and bought a crib for our new little one. It is weird buying things for a child we don't even know yet but so fun too! I scored a infant car seat  on clearance last week for half off but other than that it is hard to buy things since I won't know the age or sex until we get that first call. I am still a little dazed that this is really happening. I have thought about being a foster mom for as long as I can remember so now that it is actually here it is somewhat surreal. I hope that I am up for it, that my family adjusts well to the changes, and that this experience will be positive for all of us.

Training

Up to this point we have finished 7 of our 11 required classes. Without the holidays we probably would have been finished by now but the breaks have been good too. Our class is huge, 42 of us I think. The agency decided to let everyone stay in the class because there is such a need for good foster homes right now. I am glad because I hated feeling guilty over my selfishness! A few of the couples in our class already have kinship placements, most are wanting to adopt and the rest of us want to foster. People ask me all the time if I want to adopt and I'm not sure what to say. I am going into this wanting to help strengthen families and to love a child that needs a safe place to be. If I say no, well that sounds a little heartless but we are not fostering so that we can adopt, but of course if a child that we have loved and taken care of ends up not reunifying with their parents we would want to adopt that child. It is just a weird question to me, it goes along with "I could never do that". Ugh, really people. I have read alot of foster blogs dealing with this topic lately, most say they are not anything special, they just do what others won't. I say to them, "you are special!" It does take a special person who is willing to put aside their own needs and maybe even those of their families to help these kids and families, not everyone will do that. I have actually really enjoyed our PS MAPP classes, I have learned alot about myself and have a better understanding of what these kids are going through. I have realized that my experiences as a child from a broken family will help me relate somewhat to these precious children. My husband is more on board than ever, we are excited to complete our home study and finish up our training so that hopefully in a few months we will finally be licensed foster parents!