Get Ready For A Vent Session...

Baby V had his second visit today.

And it resulted in an insane amount of frustration.

Not at the Birth Family, but at DFACS.

Oh, where oh where should I begin?

First off, apparently DFACS definition of helping with transportation to visits, means me driving an hour each way and spending two hours in a podunk town with a 3 year old with nothing to do. I had to practically pull teeth to get them to agree to meet me at 7:30 AM to pick him up and agree to drive out there to pick him up after the visit.

Then they inform me that the caseworker (whom we still have not heard from) is requesting two to three visits a week.

Why then, did you decide to place him in a county an hour away?!?!

Then the lady hands me a sheet of paper and tells me that this is the information on his case plan they were able to get for me. (she actually looked proud of herself that she had gotten me 12 sentences of information 3 weeks after he was placed with us)

The information sheet has more spelling errors then I have ever seen. Every word over 5 letters is spelled incorrectly.

Mind you caseworkers have to have Bachelors Degrees.

Apparently the mother filled out the questions and obviously has no clue what she is talking about.

She claims he hates peas, yet I've given him peas every other day and he loves them.

She says he chokes if you don't use a certain bottle. I've never used those bottles and he eats like a champ.

He sleeps through the night and takes 4-5 30 minute naps a day? Huh. That's funny, considering he naps 3 times a day for over an hour and wakes up around 2 AM for a bottle.

And the kicker?

She said he needs "special shots."

Can I get a definition please?!?!

I have been trying to call the county supervisor everyday since last Monday and haven't received a single call back.

So yesterday, I decided to take him to our pediatrician so that I could at least know if he was healthy since I wasn't getting any information from DFACS.

He was way behind on his shots and the doctor stressed how important it was for me to find out what his heart condition is so that I can properly care for him.

When I mentioned that we had gotten him caught up on his shots, the lady looked like I had just told her I'd been giving him a stiff drink before bed.

Apparently she thinks "special shots" means no immunizations.

Well thanks lady. That information would have been helpful yesterday.

I'm frustrated that these people get to decide his future. That they have an ounce of say in his little life.

And I feel awful for the Birth Mother.

If we are this in the dark, she is probably even more so.

With a strange twist of events and happenstance, we found out that she works for one of Andrew's best friends. I learned today that his opinion of her is that she is actually pretty normal and that she told him about the case and that she wants to get him back.

Which makes me happy. It makes me want to meet her and help her be the best she can be for this little guy.

But after learning what his heart condition is, I will be surprised if the judge decides she is the right placement.

I also had an extremely frustrating experience at the WIC office yesterday.

But I'll save you from that rant.

I love being a foster parent. But I hate working with ignorant caseworkers.

I told Amber the other day that I have decided to speak life over the Birth Mom. If there is even an ounce of chance that he is going home, I pray that she is up to the task. That she can provide a safe and stable home. That he can have opportunity and experiences that he deserves.

We still don't have the details of the case. We want to know exactly why he was taken into care and what the plan is. We made an appointment with the Cardiologist and are claiming victory through the cross over any further heart problems.

Andrew is in charge of getting a hold of the caseworker today and getting the information that we need. I will update if we hear anything that is remotely helpful.