Tonight we had our first meeting with the Foster Coordinator for our county. Basically with was the orientation to the program. She had an outline in front of her, but said since it was just us we could just ask any questions we had. And so we did. By the end of the meeting she gave us the outline, and low-and-behold we'd covered everything on the outline and much more. Not to say we won't have a million more questions as time progresses, but we definitely have a good base of information. Sherry made us feel so comfortable, and was so easy to talk to. We both felt really comfortable talking to her, and she really has a passion for what she does. Nate was even comfortable too. He was playing games on my iPhone while reclining on a rocker, and had a great time. Nate got an opportunity to ask questions to. He asked if it would be okay to give whoever comes to live with us kisses. Sherry handled the question perfectly, it was so cute.

So, what did we find out? We found out that once we turn in the application, we are "engaged" to a specific department. So Sherry suggested we shop around a bit to ensure working with her is what we feel the most comfortable with. She even said she would be happy to give us the names of coordinators in neighboring counties. As far as counties go, we may call one or two, but I think we would be very happy with her. We may try to contact Jewish Family Services, and/or a couple of the local rabbis to see what resources they recommend within the Jewish community.

Our only real requirement, so far, is for a child younger than Nate. We would love a little girl, but we will welcome any child if the match is right. Sherry agreed, that if the child is young, the child should definitely be younger than Nate to maintain the birth order. The only time the child should be older than Nate is if he or she is much older, say 13 or 14. We probably won't go in that direction, but hey, nothing is definite yet. I also asked if there are restrictions on opposite sex placements, and she said she didn't see that as an issue.

We also asked about cost. Going through our county/city would be very inexpensive for us. The County basically covers all the main requirement costs except doctor visits to get the "your healthy" signature, and CPR classes. So, definitely cost effective.

The one draw back, if it really is a drawback, is it could take longer working in such a small county. However, she said if she can't get a placement made in six months we can look outside the county, and she would still be the go-between for us and the other county coordinators. So, I don't see the downside of sticking with her and our local jurisdiction. I like the idea of staying within a small community.

So what's next? Mel and I need to have some conversations re: expectations, how to proceed, etc. Get the applications and paperwork filled out and back to Sherry, and let the fun begin. We don't know who's out there waiting to meet us, but we are excited to find out what and who is in store for us. And who is going to make our home complete!! We figure there is a reason we were never successfully pregnant a second time. We like to say "Nate broke the mold"! We are meant to give a child in need a forever home and the love they so deserve.

Stay tuned for more on our journey.