Checking in!

Hi there dear internet! I've been a bit busy with this whole mommy thing so I have neglected my postings. Then I got a very sweet email from my former MIL who encouraged me to keep blogging. Nice!

Anyway, AV and I are doing great. They have asked me to be her legal guardian. Legal guardianship is just one step down from adoption. They do not believe AV will become available fo adoption because they don't think they can terminate the father's parental rights. Apparently there are seven legal tests that must be met before rights can be terminated and the State does not feel they can prevail on all 7 tests. So she can't go home but she can't be adopted either.

Turns out this may be the best plan for AV anyway. She HATES the idea of adoption. Seems her father has told her that if she is adopted, she'll never see her family again. Not true with open adoption but she believes it. So guardianship will give her a permanent plan without the trauma (in her mind) of adoption. So I'm ok with it.

I am now a cliche - a soccer mom! AV is on a soccer team and just loves it. She's really good too. The coach calls her a natural goalie. It's great to watch her get out there and play. So now our schedule includes twice weekly practices and weekly games. I had thought to start her in piano but I think I'm going to hold off on that until after soccer!

I just got back from a week in VA visiting my SIL and neices. I finally got to meet Cadee! The girls are just so cute! Cadee is 17 months and Rori is just shy of her third birthday. I had so much fun with them and enjoyed playing "auntie". I was glad to give Nikki a break too. My brother Guy is in the Navy and is on a 6 month deployment. He is due home in 6 weeks. So it's been a long stretch of being a single mom to two preschoolers!

Nikki also got me into scrapbooking. I brought a bunch of AV photos and Nikki gave me a ton of stuff she no longer wanted. So during naps and evenings I created scrapbooks for AV from 1st and 2nd grade. It was so sad to realize, she has no tangible memories of life before foster care. All the pictures and such that she has all start from when she came into care.