New Neice and Nephew.... Bitter Sweet

For the past five years Lee's brother, Simon, and his wife, Lisa, have been trying to adopt a child or children. It has been such a struggle for them the system here is so very different than the system in the states. The hardest bit being that you cant adopt a baby because of the rights of the mother. Even if she says she doesnt want the child, the child still has to go into Foster Care for a set amount of time to give the mother the opportunity to change her mind. For this reason most "babies" adopted are about 18 months.

I am so Excited for Simon and Lisa. They are going to make absolutely wonderful Parents. I honestly couldnt be more happy. And I know that their children are going to be so loved, So well cared for, so Happy and just so lucky to have Simon and Lisa as their parents.

They are getting two children A little boy Lewis who was three in September and a little girl Faith who is five, I think in September as well. Beautiful Children. Lewis is a very active 3 year old. Simon says he is very cheeky and veery active too. Probably very much like Spencer. Faith has down syndrom. She has the mental level of a 3 year old. She is beautiful. We have seen video of both Faith and Lewis and they are lovely.

So WHY BITTER SWEET? We were out as a family yesterday. Yep Lee, Myself and our three beautiful Children. and it got me thinking. See Faith and Lewis have been in foster Care since Lewis was 5 months old. The age of Siena. He is now the age of Spencer. I am sure that his whole life his foster Parents have explained to him that they are not his parents and that someday he will likely be adopted. But that hasnt stopped him from calling his foster mom, mom. Or his foster dad, dad. As I looked at Spencer day. I started to get really upset. Ok Im his real mom so maybe my attachment to him is a little bit stronger than Lewis' foster mother is to him, but probably not much. And the other but? There is no way that Spencer is more attached to me than Faith and Lewis are to their "mom" even if she is a foster mom. If all the sudden someone showed up in our home, expected Spencer to call them mom and dad and started telling him that in a few days he was going to leave the only home he evere knew and go live with strangers I dont know what that would do to him. Even as I type this I am crying because I know how scared he would be. Scared wouldnt even begin to describe it. He would be terrified. I can invision him holding onto my legs, screaming while I tried to tell him that this was the best thing for him. That these "strangers" were now going to be his "mom and dad". The adoption process is gradual over a week and a half. Simon and Lisa were introduced to the children last Monday and this Thursday they will take the children home for the first time. They will have new beds, New toys, A new home and more importantly New parents. Yes I am so excited for Simon and Lisa because this is what I have been praying for. Them to have the opportunity to raise children of their own, again because I know what wonderful parents they will make. But since yesterday I have found myself not praying for Simon and Lisa anymore. I have found myself praying for these two beautiful children. I have been praying that the transition will be easy, that they wont be scared, and that Simon and Lisa will have the patience that these children need as they are taken away from the only parents the only home they have ever known, Never to go back. Never to see them again. The system is unjust. It is wrong. This kind of stress should not be placed on 3 year old children. And Simon and Lisa should never have had to wait 5 years to become the amazing parents I know they will be.

Again I hope this doesnt offend anyone. It is not my intention. It is just something I have been feeling and something I cant get off my mind.