The adoption totem pole

Our Little Lady's lawyer met with her on Sunday afternoon to check in with her. It was hard to sit still and quiet while he asked her big, grown up questions.

One of the questions they (her lawyer and the other case workers) always ask before they leave is, "What should I tell the judge? Where do you want to live? If you had to choose between blank, blank, blank, and Mr. Brian/Ms. Julie's house, where would you want to live?" She thought about it for a minute and decided she needed more time to answer. 

LL went upstairs to play while Bry and I spoke with the lawyer. While we were talking, we saw a bright red piece of paper fall from the top of the stairs. On the front, it said, From me To you. Inside, it read, I want to live at ----------'s house.

Now, of course there was a tiny (or a huge) part of me that hoped she'd write our names. Let's be honest...I'd never wished to be chosen for something so badly in my entire life. I wondered for a second what it may have been like to have a child of my own who would never have to live this moment and choose, at 7 years old, where they wanted to live. 

Unfortunately, that isn't what happened. The name she did write down will most likely change the course of her case and she may have sealed her own fate without even knowing it. Written, documented evidence from the child herself. That'll be priceless in court. 

My heart skipped a few beats and I reminded myself to take a breath. 

We talked for a little while longer and we expressed that we are open to adoption. The lawyer scoffed and I think even laughed a little bit as he said, "Ha! Let me explain where foster parents are on the totem pole in Texas. I'm the only one behind you in the line to adopt, and that's only because I'm a complete stranger!"

We will continue to love and care for this little one, however long the Lord chooses to keep her in our home.

And our hope will not be stifled.

And even if things do not go our way, we will still trust Him. And lean on Him. And love His children.

Especially our Little Lady.

LL's quotes:

- (After the radio station said, "Safe for the whole family...") "How do they know you have a kid???"

- "I've been playing the same Barbie game for two days. It's called, 'You're gettin' married, girl!"

"Let's take a picture with my Barbies, Ms. Julie. They just got married!"

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About Us: 

We began our foster journey in mid-August 2013. We finished our classes in October, had our home study in early January, and we were licensed on February 7, 2014. After seven calls from CPS, we received our first placement, a 7-year-old girl (our Little Lady, or LL for short) on April 3, 2014. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our journey through the craziness that is foster care. Most importantly, thanks for your prayers, love, and support. We hope to encourage fellow foster/adoptive parents as we document our ups and downs each day. 

Key Posts:

We are Facebook-Official!

Saying goodbye to someone I've never met

Will you get a white one?

Yup, it's gonna hurt.

Day 1 with our Little Lady

Oasis 

What we tried to build