A busy December

December was a very full month. It started with a trial for Termination of Parental rights in the first week. We saw the kids' parents, but they did not speak to us. It was very interesting attending a trial where it's being proven that kids should not go back home. It was sad to watch the parents and hear of their struggles. It was maddening to hear how they work the system and to imagine what the kids had unknowingly put up with. It was encouraging to see their grandma sit through the trial and dedicate herself to adopting their 10 year old sister. The judge was decisive and put out an order the following week that the kids would not be going back home! (Yay for us, bittersweet for the kids, sad for the parents.)

We saw what it was like to get moved to the top of the social worker's priority list. Suddenly our emails, phone calls, and text messages were getting answered within a day or 2. The guardian ad litem was fantastic and came in during her vacation to be present when the social worker and the therapist told the kids they couldn't go back home. Dave was able to get a couple days of paternity leave. The kids took Mickey and Minnie Mouse with them to the meeting for comfort, and came telling us clearly "We can't live with our mom anymore." There were only a few tears, a couple questions, and then quiet. We spent the day together. We went to open gym at gymnastics and kept our dentist appointment. I was surprised how excited they were to get new toothbrushes and their very own toothpaste tubes. It really is the simple things in life.

The very next day the kids had a "goodbye visit." The lady who usually took them to visit their parents picked them up, and they all met at the therapist's office. The kids had made Christmas presents and cookies for their parents, so they exchanged those and overall had a good time. They took a couple pictures, the only pictures we have with their parents. Again, there were minimal tears and too much quiet. We had gymnastics and a lot of time in the rocking chair.

Christmas was a very joyful time for us, the first time kids had been at Christmas since my sister was little. Everyone was willing to entertain the kids. They got lots of piggy back rides, play time, and even got to ride mom's horses! They had a great time!

It was a blessing to be off work when all of this went down. Now it's on to the next phase: preparing for adoption. Unfortunately their mom has appealed the termination, which will likely push the adoption back until April instead of late February as we were thinking. Aside from the mental split that creates for us, day to day practice is the same. Ali was in the back of the van saying "daddy, mommy, daddy, mommy...my mommy" during our road trip, and even Alex has started to call Dave "dad." (He started calling me "mom" after Thanksgiving.) We are so blessed to welcome these kids into our family!