Foster Care is Becoming a True Reality!!!
WOW! It is hard to believe but something is finally going in the right direction for our home:)
First and foremost we cannot begin to THANK YOU enough for all of the phone calls, e-mails, messages and words of encouragement as we embark on this journey. We do not know what God has in store but have faith that he will lead us to a fulfilled path of with this process!
Our foster care application has been accepted, we have been assigned a licenser and our background check forms have been sent! (Those of you kind people who have agreed to be our background check informants best say what you need to say! J/K) Yes, this foster care idea is becoming a true reality!
On Tuesday we met with our licenser to go over many legalistic details that foster care entails. I have a stack of paperwork about 9 inches think that I have been reading for the last few weeks. I have to say that after today I am up to date on any and all information you might need to know about foster care!! After a quick home visit our wonderful licenser has approved out home for 5 children...YIKES...yes I said 5:) Don't any of you be getting your hopes up...we are keeping our application to 1 child for now, with the possibility of a sibling group if the timing is right! We have signed up for the classes we need to take and are in the process of getting documentation to DA Blodgett. Once all of our i's and t's have been dotted and checked we will be good to go.
Hopeful for a child in our home by the beginning of the year!
With that being said I know there have been many questions about our decision so we have decided to answer a few:)
Why Foster Care?
As many of you know we have struggled with infertility for the last two years. After month after month of disappointment we are ready to some exciting changes. Foster care has been on both of our hearts for the last year but we were always waiting for the "its the right time" call. Well, as we all know there never is going to be a right time to do something like this...so why not now? We are excited to bring love, hope and joy to a child's life. Hoping to change that child's life forever...no matter if they return back to their parents or remain with us!
You both work...what will you do with the child while you are at work?
Just as if we had a child of our own, our foster care kiddo will be welcomed into a safe/loving day care facility. I have already been doing my research on day care facilities in the area and have our name on a few waiting lists. There are even a few day cares that have openings for our foster care kiddo when they get here should we choose them! To help our foster care kiddo become adjusted to our home both Jason and I plan to take some time off from work (2 weeks combined) to help with this transition.
What can we do?
As always please PRAY for peace and guidance as this process progresses...especially when we are placed with a foster care kiddo. For those of you who feel the need to "get" or "do" something for us here is a suggestion list from a foster care blog (referenced below)
- Gift cards to a variety of retail stores (Foster families often take children in a “moment’s notice”, and may need to run out and grab a car seat, clothing, and other essentials for taking care of children.)
- Gender neutral items (A child of any gender could walk through our door at any moment)
- Gift cards to restaurants, zoo passes, movie tickets, or other entertainment venues. Sometimes, actually often, a two parent home with no children instantly turns into a two parent home with three children. Eating out, going to the movies and other forms of family entertainment can get expensive with a large family.
- Children’s hygiene necessities (Often, families are bombarded with clothing, toys, and other nice gifts, but they may not have a supply of pediatric fever reducers, pain medicines, toothbrushes/toothpaste, or other hygiene products.)
- Photography Packages (Professional photography can get expensive. Consider going in with other friends/family members and purchasing a photography session.
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Again, THANK YOU all for your support and encouragement...looking forward to embarking on this journey with ALL of you!
Blessings to you all!
Jason and Allyson
