I just want to say that our licensing social worker is awesome. There are only 2LSWs in our county, and they work so hard to make sure each foster parent has all the resources they need, and each child is placed into a loving home.
Today we completed the paperwork to renew our foster care license. (This means we've committed to keep our house open to placements for at least 2 more years.) I had gotten everything signed at the end of April, but was waiting for my CPR and first aid cards to come in the mail.
We had a nice discussion. She joked with the kids and asked about how we were dealing with the loss of baby girl. Im glad that I have counseling resources on hand, and even more glad that we havent needed to use them!
I think our LSW -really- didnt want to go back to her office, because she also spent 20 mins playing in the backyard with the kids. The best part was when she climbed into the treehouse and slid down the slide! I took a picture of her. Wish I could post it. Hilarious.
The little guy has been asking me when we will have another little boy come to stay with us. Soon, I hope. I had a message from God, that we will get another long term placement by the end of August. ok, that might sound a little crazy, but thats what I was told.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Our first post-placement visit
We got to see Baby Girl this afternoon.
I'd found some toys and clothes around the house that I wanted to pass along to her, and I'd made a scrapbook for her, so I sent a message to her relatives, asking if we could meet-up somewhere. At first I was thinking we'd meet in the same shopping center where we always did drop-off/pick-up visitation exchanges. I'd say hi, give them a bag of stuff, it'd take 2 minutes, and we would all go our separate ways.
But the relatives suggested something even better: They wanted to meet us at a fast-food restaurant, the kind with a small playground attached, so that we could actually visit together for an hour or two.
They have always been very grateful for the way we took care of Baby Girl when she needed to be in foster care. I am pleasantly surprised that they are willing to stay in contact and let us visit once in awhile. The primary caretaker told me "Just let us know when you want to see her. You're welcome to visit anytime."
It will be interesting to see how this relationship progresses. But for now, I am just grateful for this first visit. It's really nice to know that she is happy and being well cared for.
Baby Girl recognized us right away. She had a huge smile on her face. She came running to me, then to Hannah. She looks exactly the same as she did when we said goodbye a month ago (only, her hair was done better than I could've ever styled it. I need more practice!). My kids got to play with her for about an hour on the little playground, and I got to feed her a few bites of french fries and ice cream. She hadn't taken a nap yet, so towards the end of our visit, when she laid her head down on my shoulder and twisted my hair into her hands, I figured she was about done being pleasant and social.
That's when I knew it was time to say goodbye. I had to hand her back. She didn't fuss too much. My kids didn't make a big scene either (probably because they knew we were heading to another social engagement). They each gave her a big hug, and said goodbye. Then we all turned away, and together we walked to our vehicle, holding hands.
Baby Girl probably fell asleep in the car.
It was a good visit.
I'd found some toys and clothes around the house that I wanted to pass along to her, and I'd made a scrapbook for her, so I sent a message to her relatives, asking if we could meet-up somewhere. At first I was thinking we'd meet in the same shopping center where we always did drop-off/pick-up visitation exchanges. I'd say hi, give them a bag of stuff, it'd take 2 minutes, and we would all go our separate ways.
But the relatives suggested something even better: They wanted to meet us at a fast-food restaurant, the kind with a small playground attached, so that we could actually visit together for an hour or two.
They have always been very grateful for the way we took care of Baby Girl when she needed to be in foster care. I am pleasantly surprised that they are willing to stay in contact and let us visit once in awhile. The primary caretaker told me "Just let us know when you want to see her. You're welcome to visit anytime."
It will be interesting to see how this relationship progresses. But for now, I am just grateful for this first visit. It's really nice to know that she is happy and being well cared for.
Baby Girl recognized us right away. She had a huge smile on her face. She came running to me, then to Hannah. She looks exactly the same as she did when we said goodbye a month ago (only, her hair was done better than I could've ever styled it. I need more practice!). My kids got to play with her for about an hour on the little playground, and I got to feed her a few bites of french fries and ice cream. She hadn't taken a nap yet, so towards the end of our visit, when she laid her head down on my shoulder and twisted my hair into her hands, I figured she was about done being pleasant and social.
That's when I knew it was time to say goodbye. I had to hand her back. She didn't fuss too much. My kids didn't make a big scene either (probably because they knew we were heading to another social engagement). They each gave her a big hug, and said goodbye. Then we all turned away, and together we walked to our vehicle, holding hands.
Baby Girl probably fell asleep in the car.
It was a good visit.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)