[AlekseiGirl]

Hi Kate. I'm a single foster parent, and have been licensed for almost a year. I'm 26. In the past year I have had 5 foster children, all of them under age 1. Three newborns, two girls and a boy - straight from the hospital, a two week old boy, and a 7 month old boy. I am in the process of adopting my current foster daughter, she's almost five months old and has been with me since birth.

I've never gone more than 9 days without a placement when I have an opening...until I requested a child OVER age 2. I have had an opening for almost two months. So, the available children depend on the area you live in. Two of my babies were meth babies, one of them has mentally ill parents, the other two had no problems (besides their dysfunctional parents).

Seriously think about what age child will fit into your home. The babies are easy because they do not come with any bad habits. But, the sleepless nights are tough, especially when you almost always have a newborn in the house. And it is very tough to watch drug babies suffer...but it is also wonderful to watch them succeed. The oldest child I had was seven months, and he had a horrible sleep schedule, had never slept in a crib before, and was so scared when he arrived. It is heart wrenching what these little ones go through! If you have any more questions, you can PM me.

Good luck!