I'm surprised it's been so long since my last post! The little girl, J, and I are certainly spending more time together. Last week she stayed over Monday night since Tuesday was a holiday. Then we got together Thursday evening, and she was with me all weekend from after school on Friday through Sunday early evening. I'll see her Tuesday and Thursday evenings this week, and next weekend, although the schedule may be changed somewhat... I will have her the week of Thanksgiving, Tuesday after school through Sunday.
Unlike I'd thought in my last post, she won't be living with me full time by Thanksgiving. She has a number of people on her "team" - caseworker, caseworker's supervisor, counselor, counseling supervisor, psychiatrist, psychologist, guardian ad litem, guardian ad litem's assistant, foster family, myself, and my licensing/certification worker. Needless to say, to get all of these folks on the same page is difficult at best. The current plan, though (and we DO have one!), is to have her stay with me over the long Thanksgiving weekend +, and then tell her I want to adopt her at her first counseling appt. after that on Dec. 3. They would like her to finish the school term out where she's at, and move in with me the weekend she gets out for winter break, Dec. 20. We'll have a couple days together before we go to the NW for Christmas with my family--her NEW family. Huh... wonder if that will seem daunting to her. Fortunately, she loves gatherings and loves attention, so she should enjoy it.
Case in point, we went to an annual picnic yesterday hosted by a local nonprofit environmental group. She met lots of people and was perfectly comfortable serving herself and going off and sitting with other people while she ate. She hooted and hollared for award recipients like she was at a Han*na Mon*tana concert. I did tell her that 95-year-old Edith might not appreciate being told "WOO! You GO girl! Rock on!!" -- it could be considered disrespectful. She toned it down a little after that, but she loves drawing attention and being fawned over. OH - there was a silent auction during the picnic, and I bid on a couple framed photos that she liked, so she was convinced she would get these for her room at my house. I was outbid on one of them, and I did not feel like spending the additional monies for the photo - plus the person who took the photo told us he'd get one just for J if we were outbid. So we were outbid, and even though we'd get a copy of the photo, J started crying, upset and angry that we were outbid. The guy who did get the photo said he'd share it with us... we could have it one year, and at next year's picnic, we'll get it back to him. She was still mad because she wanted "that one." She was finally somewhat appeased when the photographer gave her another framed photo for free, plus the one on which I'd placed the winning bid, plus another that I had commented previously to the photographer that I would like... We walked out with 4 framed nature photos. She decided on the way home that maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to have been so upset and mad.
All in all, things are going very well. She's an absolute love, and I'm looking forward to her being my daughter full time. And I'm really looking forward to her knowing that she has a permanent place with me. December 3rd. I'll let you know how that goes!
