[Darwin67]

I've read the posts, and like everyone who has written, we have a unique story, with a happy ending.

We went into the foster care system to specifically adopt. I didn't want to go overseas, and I certainly didn't want to help a local lawyer purchase his next mercedes....rather, I wanted to do something locally.

We weren't sure what we were getting into, but like most new parents we were just nervous as all get out. It took us about 6 months to go from the initial interview, to recieving our license. We geinuinely thought we would be recieving a toddler. The week we got our license, we got a call about a six week old girl. Well, the idea of a toddler boy hurtled out the window, and we embraced this little girl with all our hearts. It didn't take long for her to touch every heart she met. She was with us for about a month when the Roller Coaster began. Trust me, no engineer could physically design a coaster to do the things that birth parents and they system do to you on a nearly daily basis. Out of desperation, I can remember finding this forum to search out support, and I found plenty of it! No one but a fost adopt parent can understand the torment. We were faced every day with possbily losing this little girl, but we persevered. Our social worker always gave us words of encouragement (p.s., we went to a PRIVATE agency......instead of the state....that's my biggest recommendation to you!). At 15 months we still weren't sure. But, at 15.5 months, mom dropped off the face of the earth. She could fake it for a year, but not much longer, her life and habits finally caught up with her. Katie was placed with us in March 2002, and the mother's rights were terminated this month.

In that year, we also had another little girl placed with us...remember that toddler I thought we were going to get...well, we got her too. Her's was a riskier case, and one where I believed with all my heart would result in re-unification. It wasn't meant to be, the mother and father fought, but not hard enough, and did nothing to complete the services. Their rights were termineat in May and July.

I can't imagine life without these little girls. Even with the highs and lows, the tears and fitful nights without sleep, I would do it all over again...hands down. The adoptions should be complete by December. We will give our family a little time to get over this stressful year, and will then think about doing it all over again.

My best to you, and I hope you get a little faith, and courage to move forward with your plans to participate in the fost adopt program. Again, I HIGHLY recommend a private agency (we went through Lutheran Social Services in Washington), but found them to be really on top of their cases, and each of the case workers were fully there for us every step of the way.

Best of luck to you!!!!

~~K