Some Bumps.....

Well....things aren't going quite as planned. We found out late last week that we are not going to be allowed to sign the waiver for reading the girls' redacted files. Apparently only relative or kinship placements are allowed to waive their rights to read the file. We have to wait for the file to come in. So at this point we are at a standstill until the file gets in & we can get down to the CPS office to read it. Everything else we need to complete has been done & everyone is waiting on the word that this has been completed, then we will sign our placement paperwork & our attorney will file the petitions. So, I guess its just a little more wait & see. All 3 kids are doing really well. They are looking forward to Halloween this week (well not D as much as Tuck & Sissy).The baby is finally old enough to really sit in the room with the bigger kids & play with what they're playing with & she is really happy about it! (The photo above is Tuck & Sissy, this is what happens late at night at Walmart).

New Things.....

     I really wish I could blog a little more often than I have been! I always swear I'm going to do updates weekly, next thing I know its been a month or so. At this point the girls have been home just a few days shy of 9 months. There are a lot of changes coming up. We have set the date to sign our adoptive placement paperwork! We are scheduled to sign on Halloween. We're very excited because as soon as we sign those our attorney will file the documents with the court so we can finalize on December 18th, one week before Christmas. There were 3 things we needed to do before we could sign the placement paperwork. One of them was to negotiate subsidy. We got those documents turned in & they have been accepted & should be coming to us in the mail any day. The other thing we were waiting on was the girls' developmental assessments. I took the girls for these this past week. The process they use is very interesting, they do things like see if the baby can stack blocks when prompted, or get a raisin from a jar with a narrow opening (too narrow to put a finger in). For Sissy they asked her questions like "what do you do when you're hungry?", or "what do you do with a bed?". They also did physical tests to see their motor skills etc. Both girls were well above their target levels (which I expected). The last thing we are waiting on that is NOT done yet is reading the girls' de-identified files. They requested redacted copies of the case file last month but it still hasn't come in. If we do not get this in before Halloween we have to either put off signing the placement paperwork which means we likely won't finalize this year, or we have to sign a waiver saying we agreed not to read the file before the placement. At this point there is nothing in the file that would change our minds so we would gladly sign the waiver so we can continue the placement. The only thing that worries me is if we sign the waiver for the file they won't EVER send it to us. I really want that file for our girls. It tells them the story of their life from a third party, not us and not their biological family. I want them to read what the state said happened, not what we TOLD them happened. If they ever find their biological family, I want to prepare them with the facts of their actions. They deserve it. I also took Sissy to see the ballet today. I think she liked it, she behaved very well & I couldn't have asked for her to act more "proper" at 2 years old. A couple of other things is I recently got a new job (I know, again!). The school I started out at the beginning of the year was an hour drive away & didn't have the training & room for advancement I had hoped for. Next Monday I will be starting at another autism school as a behavior therapist in their ABA program. Its a great position with an amazing structured training program to help me progress in my therapist levels. (The picture above is Daddy painting D's nails & then playing Hide & Seek with Sissy. )

Signing on the dotted line....

   Things have changed so much and then again they haven't. We have been getting everything lined up to signed the adoption paperwork for the girls. The documents we signed previously were just for foster & these will state our intent to adopt with the court. There are a few things we still have to do before we can sign the adoption placement paperwork. One of the things we have to do is take the girls in for their psychological evaluations. We have those scheduled for next week. We also still need to read the girls' file & negotiate subsidy. Our case worker is confident we will get it all done in the next 2 weeks so we are set to sign the paperwork on October 31st. They usually try to change the placement types on the last day of the month for accounting purposes. This way starting November 1st we would get adoption subsidy instead of foster stipend etc. As soon as we sign the paperwork our attorney will file the documents to finalize with the court. He said we should finalize at the December 18th court date already set up for adoptions. October 31st was pretty much the last date to sign our paperwork & still be able to finalize this year! We are so excited to introduce our girls to the world and get on with living happily ever after with our two little princesses.

Just Days Away.....

The girls have been home for 8 months now, it has gone by so fast but I can't even remember our life before them. We are just a few days away from the 90 day waiting period being over. This upcoming week the 90 day period for family members to appeal will be over & the girls will be completely & forever legally free for adoption. We are so relieved, excited, relieved, overjoyed, did I say relieved? This is the point where we can see the finish line, and we are in the final push. We got moved to the DFPS adoption unit & the girls have an "adoption" worker. They have requested the girls deidentified files & we are negotiating subsidy (there really isn't any negotiating, its a set package in Texas), the most notable part of the state subsidy is free college tuition at any public Texas university. The girls automatically qualify for subsidy because they are a sibling group. We also are lining up our attorney & getting the adoption paperwork ready to file. The hardest part of that is settling on names. We have 2 names picked & are pretty set, but its such a big decision! A couple of weeks ago we went back to court to the judge an update. For the first time I was allowed to speak at the hearing. She asked how the girls are doing, whether we plan to adopt or not as well as some basic questions. Now we are just counting the days & waiting some more! (The picture above is from last Sunday, I took Tuck out for brunch at The Cheesecake Factory & for a little shopping. The picture below is him inside Abercrombie for kids, he was very excited that he is finally big enough to shop there!).

The End to the Summer.....

The end of this summer has been very bittersweet. I spent this summer staying at home with the kids. It was nice but I'm excited to get back to work. I took a position with one of the best special needs schools in the Houston area as an Assistant Teacher. It was a hard decision, but the experience I will gain there is so priceless. I am working one on one with students in their ABA program for children with autism. Its a great program that I feel so lucky to be a part of. I don't have my teaching certificate just yet but am able to teach because we have a certified teacher who is the "lead" teacher. Since we work one on one with students the tuition would be insane for each student to work with a certified teacher. Its already been such a learning experience & I'm really excited to see what this year has in store for us. Another big change is our file recently went before the permanency committee & we were referred to the adoption unit at DFPS. We still haven't heard from our new adoption worker, but small steps I guess! Though the school I work at is back in session already (we only take a 3 week summer break), regular schools aren't. Tomorrow Tuck starts the first grade & I also go back to class working towards my degree. The girls are both doing so well. D is such a little lady & is growing into quite the ham. At the dinner table every night she sees who she can make laugh. Sissy is growing so fast too & has probably made the most progress. Not too long ago I realized the worker in her daycare class has been babying her. By babying her I mean, holding her when she cries because she doesn't get her way (the toy she wants, or 3rd servings of every meal). I also caught her teaching her to pout out her bottom lip when she's upset. Things kinda came to a head when one day when I was dropping her off she started crying because I got on to her for throwing an open drink in the car. When I had Sissy sitting on the floor until she could stop crying, her teacher walked up & tried to pick her up off the floor & take her from me. After a nice little talk with their Director I am happy to say we have seen a HUGE improvement in her behavior. We were being so consistent & we were having trouble understanding why she was still throwing such huge fits every time she didn't get her way. Now I realize it was because those fits were working at daycare. They were reinforcing her negative behaviors with positive consequences (being held or coddled). She has really started coming into her own & even her personality is brighter & happier. Now when she doesn't get her way, she realizes a fit & pouting won't work & she just goes about her business! Before it would turn into a meltdown, punishment & pouting. The picture above was taken last Sunday, we had a big crawfish & shrimp boil for my 30th Birthday. We all had a really great time & I couldn't ask for better friends or family!

Birthdays!

The kids had their birthday last weekend & everything went great! I was a little stirred up just because

the party was at my parents lake house & the drive was pretty far if we forgot anything at our house. Tuck had a great time & I hope his friends did too. All the kids "camped", well they stayed in the tents for 2 hours then slept inside. We also celebrated little D's first birthday. Shes walking so well now & her personality is developing also. We are still in limbo & there hasn't really been any movement on the adoption front. We are just waiting to get moved to the adoption unit at DFPS (Department of Family & Protective Services). There are lots of big changes coming up for us in the next few months & we're pretty excited. The photos below are of Tuck's party & a little sneak peak of D's birthday also. I obviously can't post much of hers since she is still in protective custody.

So, so, much!

It seems that things are so busy these days! Yesterday was the last day for the girls' parents to file their appeal with the courts. Yesterday came & went with no appeals filed. The girls are both wards of the state with no legal parents & we are one step closer to finalizing their adoption. Tomorrow will be 6 months since we brought our daughters home & the time has gone by so fast. I can't believe the baby will be celebrating her first birthday this week. Its been such a crazy time & I knew it would be over fast but I couldn't imagine how it would fly by. The baby is walking already & talks so much. Our "baby" is turning into such a little lady! We are celebrating her first birthday & our sons 6th birthday this weekend together since their birthdays are only 10 days apart. Tuck is having a camping themed birthday party & he is very excited! In other news I recently signed a lease on a little space at a co-op boutique by our home & will be opening August 1st. It will be nice because I can do everything in my spare time & spend more time with our kids. I will mainly be selling girls hair bows, tutus & kids high end items. I am just so excited to be moving forward with our lives & our beautiful kids. Six months ago I couldn't imagine how far we would come & grow. I'm grateful every day for the strength to do this & take such a risk with our girls.