This is a document that is presented to pre-adoptive parents and is supposed to disclose all the case details regarding the children to the people who are signing up to take them in for life.  It includes details about history, reasons for placement, biological family, ect.

My heart raced a little when I opened the email attachment containing the document.  One part nervous and one part eager to learn more about my children.

Well, as it turns out, there was nothing in there I didn’t know.  And trust me, I don’t know a lot.  But they should, right? I mean, I was hoping to get some little details…you know, just small things, such as…

Where was Sprout and what happened to him the first 3.5 years of his life?!

Looks like I might not ever know. 

He was stoic and serious and avoided eye contact, but asked her to say it again. I didn’t necessarily expect his reaction, but I wasn’t surprised by it either.  So much to process. We talked about it for a while longer.  Talked about big feelings and missing mom.  We read one of his adoption books together. 

Then, as if a lightbulb went off, he said:

“I’m staying here forever?!  Forever and ever! And I get a new last name!!”

He is seriously excited about this new last name business.

Then the night carried on in an oddly normal way.  We finished up our visit with the social worker and met up with my dad for a church fundraiser dinner.  Saw friends, ate good food, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company until it was time to head home.

I put my sleepy boy to bed – sang a song, rubbed his back, and kissed his head.  As I was getting up to leave the room he let out a sigh and said,

“This was the best day ever.”

On a side note, I found out where mom has been the past few weeks…

in rehab.

I don’t know why, but that makes me want to cry.

Well that’s so not Sprout and I’m wishing it was. 

At home he’s been perfectly fine – really pretty good and cooperative, actually. 

At school? a nightmare. 

Obviously I know where it’s coming from - he’s got a lot on his mind right now.  But ugh, I’d really rather he save the crazy for when he got home once in a while…

it’s nice to forget about the harder things for a while.

“Of course he can’t sit still! He’s probably got the pins and needles of his life! What 5 yo in the world could concentrate at school when he may NEVER SEE HIS MOTHER AGAIN?! i hate how much he has to endure while also trying to live a normal kid life.”

ps. We haven’t yet told Sprout about the TPR.  Not that he’d know what a TPR was anyway.  What he knows is that someday soon a judge is going to decide what his forever home will be.  Out of an abundance of caution, we are waiting for the appeal period to lapse before we tell him.  But he senses it in the air – he always does.  It’s especially easy to put 2 and 2 together since his mom has disappeared…

pps. Dont worry, my wife knows I was just venting not yelling

The email notifying us came with a bunch of adoption paperwork to be filled out.  So many questions we haven’t allowed ourselves to think of now need answers.  My mind is spinning to think of it all.

And then it quiets and goes back to the place its been dwelling so often these past few weeks…

but what about her? where is she? how badly is she hurting? when will I speak to her again?

There is a tax credit available for people who adopt. It is intended to offset the cost of traditional adoption and provide incentive for perspective parents to adopt special needs children from Foster Care.

When adopting from foster care, almost all of our kids qualify as “special needs”. Some of the qualifications for that are sibling groups, minority children, a child that has been in care over 1yr, or children with medical or developmental disabilities. If you adopt a special needs child, you are eligible for the entire adoption tax credit.

In years past, this credit could be used against your income tax. So you would get a bigger return, but the benefit was linked to your income and how much you pay in taxes. So for Middle class families, it could take years before you saw the full benefit of the tax credit. If you were a Grandma on Social Security who adopted 3 of your Grandbabies, you would never see this money because you don’t owe taxes.

In 2010, however, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which had some small print that made this Adoption Tax Credit a refund. This means that for every child adopted from foster care through 2011, their adoptive parents would a receive a $13,170 check regardless of their income or taxes owed. This was great news for people who got to adopt in these past 2 yrs. Granny gets the money she needs to move to a bigger apartment or start college fund for her kids.

Unfortunately, this refundable credit went away on December 31, 2011.
The plan for people adopting in 2012 is that you can get credit up to $12,170 for each adoption against your income tax. However, the remaining amount can not be used in following years. You’ll get a bigger tax return for this year, but not the check for the credit amount and there is no benefit beyond 2012.
In 2013, the Adoption Tax Credit goes away all together.

There is a petition going around to try to get the Tax Credit extended. I signed it, and I hope you will too!! The financial incentive shouldn’t be the reason people adopt, but hopefully it helps keep siblings together or keep higher needs kids in stable homes.
Click here to sign the Adoption Tax Credit Petition
This is a form letter you can send to your State representative

I have a sinking feeling that lifebook isn’t going to happen.

I’m so sad for what this might mean.