Wow!! Well for everyone awaiting the big news, it's here! Two little girls have arrived to keep us on our toes! I am writing this on day 2 of having them and plan to keep everyone updated as much as possible. I will start by telling you a little background info of why the girls came to us. The girls who are 2 and 3 (almost 4) years old were removed from their homes because of unacceptable living conditions and neglect. The parents of the girls are very young, 18 & 19. Mom had the oldest when she was barely 15. A lot of family tragedy and trauma has had its way with this family and the girls. The girl's dad is not really in the picture. He and mom do not have a good relationship, and there is a lot of substance abuse and dealing that dad carries on. The whole situation had become overwhelming for their very young mother and that's when OCS (office of children's services) stepped in and took custody of the girls. Shortly after we received the call...
We got the call that there were 2 little girls who needed care and we got all the background info. There were a couple of things that were very important to this case. 1. This was not an adoptable situation. The family is very large, on both sides. For whatever reason, if mom is not able to regain custody of the children, there are family members (in other states) that are willing to adopt. 2. Grandpa (Papa), who is the girl's mom's dad, is very much involved and a big part of the girl's life. He is just unable to provide the stability and support they are in desperate need of on his own. He will be a large part of this process and providing the extra support for us (taking them some weekends, babysitting, etc...). And 3. This is somewhat of an agreed upon placement, which means mom agrees that the girls are in need of more than she can provide right now. She is voluntarily enrolling in a program that teaches her how to "get her stuff together", and that the program can be anywhere from 6 months to a year. This means it could be a pretty long placement, depending on how she does.
The girls are doing very well so far. The oldest is definitely having a harder time adjusting emotionally. We have to remember they came from a home that had no structure whatsoever. There were no rules, the girls did whatever they could imagine to do. They have immediately bonded with the dogs! They run around the house saying "Here puppy puppy puppy!!!" and kissing their lips together. The dogs are usually terrified hiding under the bed! Not really, the dogs have been so amazing with them, letting them chase, play, and tease them...We are still working on the boundaries :) The biggest thing I've noticed, with both of them, is their wanting to help. They love to do things with you and love receiving that positive praise for a job well done. Tonight they helped make pizzas and afterward, help put the dishes away! They loved every minute! And we are enjoying every minute we get to hang out with them!
In two weeks there will be one more court hearing to determine length of custody. The state was only granted temporary custody until a full on hearing with attorneys and all can be held. After this we will know approximately how long to expect to have the girls, and work out a plan from there. I hope to keep you guys updated as much as possible. Thanks for reading!
Holly and Jason
