We are also in Ohio. We are unable to have children due to a genetic condition. So we decided to foster to adopt, since adoption is so expensive. We were approved in Feb 07. We got some calls for foster placements of large groups or very sick children. In June 07 we got a call for two boys age 3 and 4. They already had over 15 foster to adopt parents say, "no". We met the boys and they seemed like pretty normal boys and looked just like us. We had been warned that the older boy had some issues, but they were not evident during the 1 pre-placement visit we had. We were told this was a strong foster to adopt situation. So the boys moved in at the end of June. The first weekend with the boys was a huge eye opener. The oldest boy was everything you hear about in the pre-training classes that everybody says they can not handle. We tried to put our notice in, but stuck it out. The bio mom got her act together once they filed for PC, so the boys stayed with us year before they went with her this June 08. During that time we had taught the oldest boy (RAD) empathy, love, and attachment. Both boys had attachment issues, but were attaching and healing. The county had labeled them "unhelpable", by the time they originally came to our home, but they got better with our patience, structure, faith, love, and sense of humor. Everybody could see the progress these boys had made with us, but in the end the mother was "clean" so she got them back.
After two months, I hear that the oldest was put on antidepressents, then diagnosed bi-polar and put on mood stabilizers. Both boys are carrying our picture around everywhere and the bio mom will not let us have any contact with them, because we are a "threat". The mom has a personality disorder. The county has dropped the PC case against her, even though she lost her job and the boys are doing poorly. Many people expect her to fail again in the next 6 to 12 months.
I hope I have not scared you from foster to adopt, but this is the experience we have had so far. A month ago in our paper
I read that our county is sending home drug addicted babies with their mothers, rather than putting them into care.
Some people have good luck with the process and are able to adopt right away and others go years having to say goodbye to many children that they loved as their own.