Getting to Know You

For date #2, we picked the kids up for dinner and let them choose the restaurant. IHOP was picked without hesitation.  When we picked the kids up, Z told us in the sweetest voice you can imagine, “You’re back! I missed you so much!”  It barely felt real.  We took them by my parents’ house, which was close by, and they were able to briefly meet a few members of the family.  This was amazing. 

Our next visit was a sleepover.  I cooked the standard kids’ food, chicken nuggets and fries.  We watched a movie and played some games and let the kids sleep in their rooms.  H was excited to sleep in his own room, but for Z, this was the first time to ever be in her own room.  She was sad and scared at first, but we prayed, did the obligatory monster check and thankfully, my sweet dog Vida hopped up the bed to sleep with Z, and all was well. 

For some reason, after our few dates, CPS told us that we were going to have to wait a full week with no face-to-face contact with the kids prior to them moving in.  I’m sure there is some logic behind this, but for me this was pure agony.  Imagine having your newborn taken away after birth and returned a week later.  I tried to busy myself with tasks that needed to be completed prior to them moving in, but I just kept counting down the days until they moved in. 

Talking on the phone was all that we had, and phone conversations with young children can be tough.  We made the most of it though.  I looked forward to those 10-minute phone calls, and we scheduled our lives around them. 

Finally, on June 13^th, we picked our kids up for the last time from their foster home and brought them to their new forever home.  That drive was surreal and the kids kept talking about how excited they were.  BEST. DAY. EVER.  This did not make the adoption official in the eyes of the law, but in our eyes, it was final.