Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas & good news!
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas today, this day of Christ's birth.We have had a wonderful day thus far. The kids woke up to lots of fun presents from Santa, mommy and daddy, and extended family. Our living room was made chaos for a while!
Now the kids are napping and when the get up we're going to visit a dear friend in a retirement home and then head to Oronzo's sister's house for dinner with her family.
Boo's two favorite gifts were a Fisher Price shopping cart, which she took shopping with me at the grocery store this morning, and her baby doll set (doll, stroller, playpen, & high chair). She's really into babies right now and it's fun to see her play "mommy" with her dolls!
Boo's two favorite gifts were a Fisher Price shopping cart, which she took shopping with me at the grocery store this morning, and her baby doll set (doll, stroller, playpen, & high chair). She's really into babies right now and it's fun to see her play "mommy" with her dolls!
Snuggle Bug's favorite toys were his kid-sized guitar and his Geotracks train set! Last year he wanted a drum set from Santa, which he got. This year he wanted a guitar. I suspect there's a chance he'll have a career in music! Maybe he'll start his own rock band. :)
So, now for the good news!
As you may remember, we were scheduled to have court this week for Boo.
Let me just say that things went far better than we expected! All the prayers offered up for our family were indeed heard!
Two big things came out of this court hearing.
1) The judge has refused to transfer Boo to the state where her mom resides. He said Boo has been through enough change in her short life and she's doing well with us so he does not feel it's in her best interest to move. He told Boo's mom to stop trying to come up with families in her state that would be willing to foster Boo because he will no longer entertain such requests! Praise God for that! She will be required to make arrangements to move here if she wants the opportunity to work a case plan.
2) The judge has changed the case plan goal from Reunification with Boo's mother to Severance and Adoption by our family!!
This court hearing brought out quite a lot of the history of Boo's mom and it was clear that she'd had a rough childhood and a rough life. Her extended family was not very stable either.
The judge finally acknowledged that Boo has been in the system for 17 1/2 months of her 22 month life and deserves permanency and stability!
Now, before you get too excited, thinking we're close to adopting Boo, let me caution you to wait. The judge made it very clear that he is unable to make a final decision at this time because this is a very complicated case and he needs more time to review all the facts before reaching a decision. He told CPS that they had to continue to offer Boo's mom services and he encouraged Boo's mom to avail herself of those services and continue working hard to get her life in order. He could, at any time, change his mind and allow Boo's mom to work a case plan for 6-9 months.
So, the next step is an initial Severance hearing, scheduled for late January. Then there will be a Termination Trial in late March that may last days. Each side gets to call witnesses to testify on their behalf. After all the testimony has been heard, the judge will need time to make a decision.
IF he rules that severance and adoption is in Boo's best interest, then Boo's mom has 30 days to appeal his decision. If she does that (we fully expect that she will), we could have a long wait. We've been told by an experienced foster mom who's adopted through the system in our state that it can take 8-15 months just for the appeal to be reviewed and a final verdict reached!
After the appeals, if it's still a verdict of severance and adoption, then we probably have another 4-6 month wait to get a court date for adoption finalization.
So, as you can see, we're not out of the woods yet by any means and we still have a long road before us. But, the court hearing this week gave us hope. We're moving at the right direction!
We'd sure appreciate your continued prayers for Boo and our family!
Merry Christmas to you all! May your new year be blessed!
Labels: Boo, foster-to-adopt, fostering, holiday
26 Comments:
Merry Christmas to you and your family. That is fantastic news, certainly sounds like a judge with Boo's best interest at heart. My prayers are with you all as you proceed through the process.
Wow! What a blessing! I am so happy for you. While I know it isn't a "done deal", I truly know the hope that decision offers.
I'll be praying for you! May God bless you in wonderful and unexpected ways.
What a blessing! No, it won't happen overnight, but you have so much to hope for now. What a wonderful judge!
I'm glad Boo had a good Christmas.
Merry Christmas! Sounds like you had a wonderful one. Both of my girls love baby dolls in fact my 3 yo thinks that every baby doll in the world is hers. LOL Such good news about Boo what a wonderful Christmas gift to ya'll. Yes I know that it will be a long road to a conclusion but this is definately a step in the right direction for Boo. I will continue to keep your family in our prayers.
What wonderful news!
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! I'm praying that this journey will go as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful family.
Very glad it is working out. Our prayers are that Boo will continue to be in a stable environment...hopefully mom won't appeal. In our state it's 12 months wait after an appeal and our second adoption is now on hold for that 12 months (*sigh*) so I know the feeling there. Here's hoping you won't have to go through that though!
After going through the foster-adoption process and TPR, I know exactly how you are feeling - excited but cautious at the same time. It sounds like you got a wonderful judge - praise the Lord! I pray that Boo's mom comes to realize that it is in her best interest to be with you and that she does not appeal. My daughter's birth parents threatened to appeal but did not. I hope you have a speedy TPR and a quick finalization!!!
Let me guess what your favorite Christmas gift was. :-)
This is wonderful news. Thank goodness this judge sees the value of stability in Boo's life and isn't being influenced by the people who would take her away and put her with people she doesn't know.
Happy, happy for you!
WONDERFUL NEWS!!!
I am happy for your success plus a wonderful family.
More blessings to come for 2009!
Wow!How well we know what your going through.So many loop holes,and waits,its all very exhausting and confusing.Appeals are never fun!We are walking the same difficult path,hang in their.I moved my blog recently for privacy sake,so come visit my new home.Jill
I am so happy for Boo and you!
That is great news! I will continue to keep you in my prayers!
Beautiful, Loving Blog - your family is precious
Happy New Year & God Bless
http://momtheblog.blogspot.com/
I did not design my blog,I downladed it for free at "the cutest blog on the block" website,they have tons of designs and its super easy,even for me.
Oh, that's good news! Merry Christmas to you and the family.
How cute is Boo pushing her cart thru the store!
How lucky is she to have found her way into your family, I pray she gets to stay where she belongs.
So happy for you! How wonderful that the court's decision gave you hope. Now that's an important ingredient to have on hand!
Many sweet blessings!
So glad to hear there is actually a judge who has common sense and will put the needs of the child ahead of the needs of the biological parent.
I will continue to pray for your family.
Merry Christmas,
Julie
Just stopping by to wish you a happy 2009! I am glad with the good news! Blessings!
I wanted to wish you a Happy new Year! Bunches of hugs...
Just stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year!
How wonderful! What a wonderful Christmas present and I continue to pray for Boo and your family. Happy New Year and God Bless!
I am happy to hear the encouraging news.
Happy New Year!
Post a Comment
<< Home