[aunt cw]

My husbands cousin was in jail for assault for a while I dont know exactly how long but he was released on July 3rd this year.
The week of July 4th my husband's cousin called me and asked if I would be able to watch 2 of his 6 children and I agreed, he said that I would need to watch them over the whole weekend,night
&day&would call and make arrangements to get them later. Well later never came. He called but could not take them with him. I told him that they were fine over here. He told me that he would compensate me for watching them.
Weeks went by before I heard from him again and he called to let me know that he would buy them some grocerys and to pay me some money...He had went back to jail.
My husbands mother came by one sunday with grocs. and $50
Mind you that we have had to buy diapers, clothes, sippy cups, bedding, and toys and all on my husbands one and only income.
We have grown so attached to these precious little girls.
Their own grandmother, my husbands aunt, wants for us to adopt them both. My husband and I would love to do so as well.
The birth fathers history is very rotton. Abusive to his parents, abandoning his other children and not paying child support, in and out of jail since 17 and now he is in his 40's, adultry, theft, just all around the absolute worst person alive to have custody of two little girls (2 and 4).
I found out that he had partial custody along with dss and he was giving the social worker the impression that he was caring for them since his release from jail. He called me up last week and told me that he was going to pick the girls up on this past monday that he had court on tues. Well good thing he never showed and I called his mother and she took me, the girls and his rotton self to the hearing. The social worker asked if I would be able to watch the girls out in the lobby, I agreed. they all went inside, even biomom was there (she was intoxicated). The social worker called me back in there...asked me my name in front of a group of people and asked the girls who they have been living with and they pointed to me.
They asked us all to leave and that they will let us know their decision. 10-20 minutes later they called everyone else in except me and the girls and when they came out the father was enraged yelling nasty language and walked past me and out the building. The social worker came to me and said that I was doing such a wonderful thing and that she loved me for it. The mother said thank you for taking such good care of my children. my husbands aunt wispered in my ear that she has custody now and she is going to give them to me and my husband.
That is not the last and final decision...the father said that he will fight and appeal.the only reason he gave was that he was not about to pay child support. Well we all know that is true. The ride home 1.5 hours was miserable and the children heard all sorts of foul language. And there was no calming him down.
I hope that we can adopt them but this is so hard for everyone.
I am worred about everything from the bio father becoming aggressive to being able to adopt the girls and living with one income.
By the way these girls have been in foster care before.

My ? is has any one ever been thru this before? and what was the outcome...how did you cope...how long was the process...I am scared for these girls.

Connie