Adoptions Worker

Our county adoptions worker seems to think the court trial this month is just a formality.  Based off the birth dad's progress in his original case plan and how he is handling life at the moment, she believes the court will most likely be terminating parental rights when the trial comes.  We all assume that birth dad will be filing an appeal to that decision when and if it comes.  I cannot see him declining to submit paperwork for an appeal...after all he has already requested a trial, and he keeps telling people that he will be getting Sam back.  If parental rights are terminated, and an appeal is filed, it will essentially slow the process down by about six months or more.  I was hoping Sam's adoption would take place in the early part of next year, but at this point in time I am not sure anymore.  It would be neat if we could have Sam dedicated at church the same time James was.  Our church does baby dedications twice a year, around Christmas and around Father's Day.  We already figured we would be missing the December option because we have the sixty day appeal period to wait out after rights are terminated.  James was dedicated Father's Day weekend...it would be neat if the same held true for Sam.  However, we will be grateful whenever the dedication takes place.

The county worker also talked about putting in a request to end the sibling visits.  Who knows if the courts will grant that request or not...generally sibling visits continue until one or the other is adopted.  My worker says that since the boys have never lived together, and they are so young, the courts may decide to stop sibling visits.  If that was the case, it would be up to the other mom and myself to set up our own visits.

On top of all of this, I checked online today, and birth mom is currently incarcerated.  She should be released soon.  I wonder if she will want to start having visits again or not.  The main reason she stopped was because there was a warrant out for her arrest.  However, she didn't even want to hold Sam at her last visit, so I am not sure what her thoughts are on all of this.

It is so weird to have a set of birth parents involved.  I wish circumstances were different because under our current circumstances there is no way an open adoption would be beneficial to anyone.  I mean...we have been told repeatedly not to go to court because they do not want us to meet the birth parents, and after the stories we have heard, I think it is wise we haven't met them...for our family's safety, if nothing else.  It's such a sad, confusing world we live in.

I will say I am grateful and truly blessed to have my two precious, sweet little boys in my life.  I love them as my own and always will.