For Kathy

This is the story of my foster care journey. It starts a long time ago in a way because I've known since I was little that I wanted to be a mom. When I was 14 I found out that it would be difficult, if not impossible. As I got older thoughts of adoption grew stronger and more frequent. In my early 30s I came to a point where I decided that I didn't want to wait anymore. I might never find the right guy but I knew I was ready to be a mom. I began researching the possibility of adopting. I looked at the all the options and for various reasons decided to pursue older child adoption through the county/state.

I began the homestudy process in the summer of 2003. I checked the website frequently and inquired about several children but months went by and I didn't even get a NEGATIVE response about them. Meanwhile my sister was working with a lady who was fostering a 3 yr old boy that my sister adored. It turned out he needed to be moved and my sister mentioned that maybe I should go into fostering and see if they'd place him with me. Of course that didn't happen because the process is too long. He'd been placed somewhere else before I was certified but it got the ball rolling. I was officially a resource home in October 2003.

FYI~The little boy went back to his parents. They had another baby, a girl. In 2007 they were removed AGAIN and are still in the system. I don't know the current status of their case but I know they aren't going home.