Adoption Update

Ok so we are OFFICIALLY certified with the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare.

I am at a point right now that I don't have the most positive experience or things to say. I think all foster parents go through good AND bad, but by the time they tell you any of the bad it's overrun with all the good, either that or it's a horror experience and everyone always warns you of those. I'm here to tell you of neither. So far, for us, it's just been more of a pain in the rear than anything else. And since I don't have my precious kiddos in home to overrun the bad I'ma tell you about it. Why? Not to make the system seem bad, not to complain rather just to let you know what it's like, and to document our experience.
So we have been in certification for FIVE MONTHS. It was supposed to be 3 max. Our social worker quit and when he did he left ALL his families unfinished and in chaos. He had no notes on two of our home studies so we had to redo them. This means we did FIVE home studies.
Our new social worker was great. She was efficient and organized, a complete difference. She got everything together very quickly but then noticed we didn't have our TX background check. So we had to wait another month for that to come in.
It's been ridiculous. One thing after another.
In the meantime I've heard about how great the need is with DHS (Department of Home Services). They have 102 children in shelters sleeping on cots, and so many babies that they are going from emergency home to emergency home every 2 weeks with no security.

So first thing I need to update with is that we have gone from Adoption only to foster to adopt status. I don't expect everyone in our family to be excited or supportive of this decision. After all there are alot of sad stories about fostering, and it IS a risk we've decided to take. We may go through several children before we get one who is adoptable and offered to us for adoption. We may go through the heartache of loving them and having to hand them back to their birth parents knowing it's a much better place in our home. But here's the thing.....it's not their decision to make. It's ours. And this is the one we've chosen, for many reasons.
-We believe it is more giving to offer our home to children in need knowing that we could lose them
-We will have peace knowing we served and loved them while we could, even in heartache should it come
-We know we will get more full disclosure of information on the child's background within the foster system having attended court dates and think this is better for us AND the child in the future. If you can know the truth, you can deal with the truth. If you deal with it you can forgive and find peace.
-We like the option of making sure the child fits well into our family and our family fits well for the child and his/her needs
-We have a better chance of getting a baby or younger child by fostering. It takes quite a bit of time to get parental rights taken away and because of this the children get older. I believe we are at a point to take in a younger child or baby rather than older, although we would like to take in older at some point in our lives...we just aren't there yet.
-Less chance of the child having emotional problems from having been moved from home to home. And since they will be babies they won't have the memory of others that are older.
-Less exposure to my own children.
Etc

Another thing you need to know is that we are thinking of getting dual certification through both ICW and DHS. I have called DHS today to see if we can get information on dual certification and to see what info will transfer or not.

I"m hoping we have our next child soon. I don't even know what to expect next or what happens next. I feel like I'm walking in the dark here.