Luis & Luhanie

So today we started off with another visit for Luis and Luhanie at Social Services. There was quite awhile there where their birth parents weren't showing up for their visits and so they were canceled but they've been showing up again now and it's been really hard on the kids. Luhanie is affected the most, she screams every time she sees them, because she doesn't know them at all. It just breaks my heart to hand her over, screaming for us. I can't imagine what she's going through. It's interesting to watch Luis, he's happy and singing and dancing in the car by the time we get to the second floor and he steps off the elevator he's a different kid, he becomes really solemn and almost expressionless. It's probably one of the hardest things for us to do, is leave them at Social Services for 2 hours for their visit, wondering what's being said and how they're being treated while they're there.

Fostercare has been a really interesting experience for both John and I. In the beginning when Luis and Luhanie came into our home, we put up a barrier to basically not get too close for the possibility of breaking our hearts if they ended up going back home. Then as time went on we were hoping that their birth parents could get it together so that they could be a family again, then more time went on and we started to become more protective of them and kind of let our barriers down a little more. We are now to the point that we feel like they are completely part of our family and hope that they will be a permanent part of our family. (their Forever family).

Recently there has been a grandmother that has stated that she wants custody of Luis and Luhanie. she lives in Philadelphia and we have been so concerned about this. She has never once contacted the children or even sent them anything. She's never even met them. To make matters even worse she doesn't speak English at all, so if Luis and Luhanie did go to her they would have to learn an entirely different language, culture and lifestyle. We have been so worried about this and what it would do to them.

Today we spoke with our Social Worker and voiced our concerns as well as our intentions of adopting Luis and Luhanie. I think the social worker was a little relieved to know that we were willing to adopt them, as we have never really voiced this to her before. We are still unsure as to what the Judge will decide, we do know that the County is going for termination of parental rights in July, we are just hoping that the County as well as the Judge will see that Luis and Luhanie belong with us, we are all they really know, they call us mom and dad, Jaidyn is sissy and my parents are Grandma and Grandpa to them. They really are great kids and we love them so very much! Our entire family has kept us in their prayers and we have been praying fervently for a few months now. We know that how ever this eventually turns out, it will be the best for the children. In the meantime, it's so very hard being on this roller coaster ride.