Welcome!

I would first like to start of by saying Happy Holiday to all of you, and introduce myself. I'm a 24 year old foster mom no bio children. Myself along with my fiance are caring for our 8 1/2 month foster daugther since she was 2 days old. We would like to say thanks for welcoming us and we look forward to talking and sharing stories with you in future.

Hi, Happy holidays to everyone, can't believe it's 2005 already. My husband and I have two biological daughters at home, ages 10 and 7. We are fostering newborn twins. We have had them with us since they came home from the hospital. Our fs first, then a week later, our fd. We adore these little miracles, and thank God everyday to be a part of their lives. I know they wouldn't have survived if they hadn't come to live with us, they were very premature. We have been dealing with their medical fragility, but overall, they are exceptional babies. We pray that we will get to adopt them, but know that the chances are good that they will go back to the biological family when they are strong enough. It breaks my heart to think of us without them, so we will just keep loving them as our own, and help them get big and strong. Does it get any easier to let go when you have babies you bring home from the hospital? Actually, we are such "kid people", I believe it would be very difficult to say goodbye to any child. I am so glad to have this forum, where I can talk to others who know the heartache of falling in love only to have to say goodbye. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we will with you. Thanks, Debbie

Hi all happy New Year! I am going to make this short because I just heard the boys. My dh and I are foster/adopt parents.No kids with our last name yet but hopefully soon. We have one 11 month old boy and one 7 month old boy. Close to twins but at least only one is crawling. Both boys were drug exposed and our oldest tested positive. Both are healthy and full of energy. I'm gald to have a place to talk to others going thur all this fun stuff right now. Debbie I have had 7 kids total and it never gets easier to say bye but after the first I think you get better at handleing your emotions and you know what most of you feelings are going to be. Thanks for reading

Hello. I love the ease I had coming into this site for a chat because my husband and I are interested in fostering infants to toddler aged children in the hopes of also adopting to increase our family size. My husband was adopted after 6 months with a foster mom as and infant and we have a friend who said we'd be great at it (she is a foster family too). What I am frustrated about though is orientation meetings are not easily accessible for us being set at late week night hours and during the days when my children will be going to school or coming home from school in the middle of the meeting times. We are still trying to get throught the homestudy application paperwork and it's been 4 months trying to do all that while friends ask "How's the fostering or adopting thing going". I feel like we are spinning our wheels and I really want this to take off so I can be putting my time to better use as a stay at home Mom of two grammer school children. Anyone interested in giving some advice would be welcome! Thanks!

Wow, you are so young to be a foster Mom. Please don't be offended, but when I first contacted NJ foster program years ago they said I was too young, our home too small, and the woman on the telephone told me I wouldn't qualify so she wasn't sending me an application. Now that was 3 years ago and I know now that she was wrong, but good for you for starting early in life! Keep up the wonderful work!

Hello and how wonderful you are there for the twins! Have you ever fostered babies before this long and had to send them back to the biological family before? My husband and I were told we could be foster/adopt parents where we'd only get children that are for adoption in the foster system if we applied to be a foster family. Is this true? I have fostered animals all my life, but a baby is what we really want (I'd like 2 toddlers actually), but how to give them back is terrifying.

Hello Everyone, Happy New Year! My husband and I have 3 bio kids (11y son, 6y dau, & 6y son). We were just licensed 12/04 so we have not received any foster children yet. We live in NC and the county we stay in only has 7 stay-at-home moms. They need more because of the infants coming out of hospital can't go to daycare until they are 6 weeks & healthy. I wish good luck to everyone. Bye for now. :)

i became a foster parent when i was 25, i had my first fd only for a couple of weeks, she was 9months. my second fd came to me at 4 months and very malnurished. she stayed for 9 months and went back to her bdad (very hard as he was not located until after baby was with me 3 months and the sw was sure she would be going to tpr and available for adoption), 3 weeks later, i got my son who was 4 months old, when he was 1.5 years old, his bmom terminated her rights and then it took another year for bdad's rights to be terminated and i was eventually able to adopt my son when he was 2.5 years old. he is wonderful and loving but has attachment issues as he suffered a pretty rough life before birth and during his first 4 months. during this time, his 1/2 sister came to live with us for 11 months (from 9 months- 20months) she was then returned to bmom who has since lost custody to bdad's relatives. this was devistating to me and my son, so i have decided to adopt through a private agency this time. i should be officially waiting in the next couple of weeks. the system is not perfect and there are many success stories, but i have just lost faith in them really putting the needs of kids first, after my son and his sister were split up and now a 4th child has been born to this mom and she is being given another chance to parent even though she does not have custody of her first 3.

Hi all! We started this process open to up to three siblings ages 0-7 and somehow along the way have become infant caregivers :) It brings so much joy (and exhaustion) to our lives. We currently have two beautiful girls who look like twins. They are 3 1/2 months apart. In almost 16 weeks we will be open to take another infant.

Hi Everyone! I recognize a couple of names here. I was lurking around the site a couple of months ago. Mostly while I was going through the classes. I got my license in...November I think, and JUST YESTERDAY got the call! Thursday, 18 month old T. is coming to my home! I am SO EXCITED! this is going to sound really stupid, but he is AA, and I'm not sure what to do about his little hair. I'm thinking you aren't suppose to shampoo it daily, it might dry it out? I don't know where I might have heard that, but???? If you know, pls clue me in. and I'll probably be asking a gazillion other questions! thanks for the support! heather

Congratulations! I can't answer you question but wanted to say good luck. I'm sure 2 days still seems far off for you. I can't wait to hear all about you newest family member.

Heather, My son is AA and we are trying to figure out the exact products that we should use on his hair, but you are right, you should not wash his hair every day. From what I have read it should only be washed with shampoo every week or two. Congratulations. Cassandra

Thanks Cassandra! and Elissa! I'm so excited, and yes, WHEN IS THURSDAY going to get here??? :)