The first month of foster-to-adopt

It was the third placement call, when we would finally become actual foster parents. The call came in right when we were going to bed at about 10:30 p.m. our agency gave us what little information they could about her. I told them I would need to call back so that I can talk to my husband. After things falling through the other two times, it felt risky to do. As I hung up the phone, I surrendered the outcome to God, and I figured that if this is supposed to be our first foster child then it will happen. Talking and praying with my husband about this was first priority before saying yes. We had to be on the same page and we wanted to invite God into this decision with prayer.

There was a very particular detail mentioned about this little girl that God used to emphasize His complete control over the smallest details of our life. I won’t give all the details, but I’ll just say that she’s a one-in-a-million and she’s a survivor. The amazing thing about her being one-in-a-million is that I know the other one-in-a-million person who has a similar story to her. It made me feel like she was the child that was meant to be in our home….even if it’s not forever. Sometimes certain things fall through, so God’s plan will come into place.

She arrived at our house at 1:00 a.m. and we did paperwork for a few hours. The little girl held tightly to the caseworker and refused to be put down or held by anyone else. Right from the beginning of all this I couldn’t believe all the paperwork that was involved. The amount of paperwork can be compared to buying a house. However, the feeling of it felt more meaningful, impactful, and life changing.

Emergency Placement Appointments

In Texas, within first 3 days of placement, its required to take the kids to the doctor to check for any injuries or illness. Within 30 days, the child needs to go to another doctors appointment to evaluate growth and development. Also, within 30 days the child needs a CANS assessment. Within 60 days, kids need to go to the dentist. These appointments might lead to other necessary appointments.

If the child has lice this too will need to be handled accordingly. If the child is school- age, they need to be enrolled in school.

In addition, if you don’t have the correct clothes sizes/gender stocked in your home, you’ll need to go shopping. This is where Foster Village really shines, with delivering any clothing necessities, bed sheets, car seats etc., to your door. This is where friends shine through who leave food at your door, when you don’t even ask them to. When you feel like you’re running on fumes, it helps SO much to have one less errand to run or one less meal to cook. 

The first month felt overwhelming for us in more ways than one. There were days where I felt like prayer about my specific situation was what kept me together.

I even felt like this little girl was hanging on because of God’s help. One of the first times I was able to help her stop crying was because I put on a show called Superbook, which is a kid show about the Bible events/stories. Even to this day, it is her favorite show to watch. Nine times out of ten she chooses to watch it over Peppa Pig, Bluey, Coco Mellon, etc. I truly believe she prefers this show over all other shows, because to a toddler, it’s like her bible. God is able to bring comfort and rest to our hearts even when circumstances are out-of-control-stressful, when we put our focus on Him.