Adoption Update

I know you are in need of some gratuitous cuteness but it's 630AM and I don't have a clue which tiny cranny I crammed the camera into before our last showing. I'll find it and oblige later. For now -- an adoption update.

We submitted our very last piece of paperwork last week! We are still waiting to hear from the fire marshal's office, but being a perfectly run government agency, they are experiencing about a 4 week delay in contacting applicants. The best news is that Arrow has assigned us a caseworker! I spoke with our Family Home Developer, told her the fire marshal delay and let her know we were wanting to expedite certain steps (mainly consolidate the waiting times). She agreed and as soon as our paperwork was submitted, sent word of our caseworker assignment. "J" has been assigned our home (not sure if I'm supposed to publicize her name) and should be contacting us soon. Of course I also know that some caseworkers take up to 3 weeks to get to a home so the definition of "soon" is a little varied.

What this means: once we complete our home study (and submit proof of our fire inspection) we will officially be licensed to accept a foster child/children. Once licensing happens, placement usually occurs within 5 days (and that's being generous -- most stories we've heard have happened in 72 hours or less). Licensing can take about 3 weeks to complete -- the case worker has 14 days to process and type her report for submission to her supervisor, and then Arrow takes about 3 days to process the license (I have no idea how long the Supervisor gets to review the case).

How you can help: We are asking people to cover "J" in prayer. Her job is not an easy one and we are just asking for God's favor on her life right now. Pray for us and our kids as we enter the scariest portion of this process (excluding actual placement I suppose). The home study is almost 8 hours of interviews -- that's a lot of talking! Pray for us to continue to seek God's timetable in this; it's my human nature to "get things done", I'm an expediter and this is one project that can't be expedited.

I'll keep you updated as I know more.