Yesterday was a VERY important day in our foster/adoption case with baby girl. It was her 60 day hearing, stating whether or not we were going to stay on track with everything that we are doing at this time. I chose to go to this with my parents and it was SO good for me to be there.
The entire team was there:
- baby girls mother and her lawyer
- baby girls father and his lawyer
- the legal worker (that communicates with both us and the parents)
- baby girls lawyer (even though she was stuck in SA traffic, she stayed on the phone during the hearing and spoke when it was her turn)
- baby girls caseworker (who sat with us in the visitor section)
- the Judge
At first, the Judge asked each person to state who they are and who they are representing. Then he went on to let the legal worker answer some questions that the court was asking about the case, and he answered them straight-forward to his best ability. Then each lawyer said their cases, and what each the services that each parent is suppose to be going through (drug treatment, domestic violence classes, parenting classes, etc.). It was baby girls(I so wish I could say her name sometimes, it would make the sentence writing, a LOT less confusing, lol) lawyers turn next (and she was still on the phone), and she stated the importance of baby girl to be fed properly, to make sure that they are aware that there are risks with their baby when feeding (aspiration, choking, etc.), that she cannot be around people who smoke(mom denies doing it.. even though I see in my rear-view mirror after every visit), that she still has two holes in her heart that we have not gone to the appointment yet to verify if they are indeed still open. She stated the importance of not spreading infection, because her little body may not be able to fight it off (like an average, healthy baby), and tons more. Let me just say that I am SO happy that God sent this amazing lawyer in our life to protect the best interest of baby girl. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a lawyer in the San Antonio area! The faces mom and dad were giving during this time (eye rolling, head shaking, whispering in their lawyers ears) basically showed that they were not happy with what was being said.
**The moms lawyer did try to bring up the fact that baby girls aunt did try to step up in the beginning for baby girl to be placed with her initially instead of in a foster home, and the legal worker had to state to the court that the aunt is MIA and won’t respond to any of his calls, so aunt is now out of the picture and no other family members have stepped up yet**
The Judge ended the hearing by telling the parents they have 3 things to do:
- Follow ALL of the services.. not a single one can be missed.
- Review and sign ALL documentation saying that they are aware of the situation and why their baby is in foster care.
- That if they choose to NOT do #1 or #2, and fail at following any and everything, their rights could be terminated by the court of law.
As of right now, things are going to stay the way they are with her in our care at this time, with weekly visits with the parents for one hour.
The next hearing is in January, and we will know more information, by that time. Her trial is in April and that is when rights will be terminated, or reunification will happen with the parents.
After all was said and done, God definitely answered our prayers. He put the right people in her case, and in our life. We have been praying over baby girl and the situation at whole, and we know that God is trying to prepare our hearts for what’s to come in the next few months with her case, and that we must listen and open our eyes and our hearts to receive His message.
Thank you for all of the prayers for baby girl and for our family. We greatly appreciate it!
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