[Dmommab]

Honestly - there is nothing you can REALLY do to protect your heart. Every time we get a new foster care placement ( we are NOT foster to adopt but have adopted 3! LOL) I say "I'm not going to REALLY get attached" and I do - every time!!! We have 2 little ones right now that caseworker told me would be short-term placement. "Probably not more than 4-5 months" Well, they've been with us since early Aug so it's 5 months now and mom has done NOTHING on her case plan. She comes to visits about 60% of the time and that is it!!! My husband & I have begun to discuss "what if they become eligible for adoption" scenarios. It's a tough one because we already have 4 under 7 so if we would adopt them we would be DONE!!!! We wouldn't foster any more and certainly wouldn't adopt any more because he is 47 and I will be 46 next week. It's a tough decision but on the other hand I can't imagine just telling the caseworker NO!! We've got a lot of time before we have to make this decision if it even comes down to it but you just have to trust that if it's right it will happen & if not it won't. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!