Keeping it PG

If you recall, the reasons for our blog were twofold: To allow us to send updates to friends and family who were interested and to provide a story to Sera about her journey into our lives. Due to the latter, we have to keep this blog PG-rated. Meaning, I need to bite my tongue, watch my mouth, and model appropriate coping techniques. However, I can tell you that I am currently frustrated about our home study situation. I feel that profanity would be justifiable (yet futile) at this point in time. More on that later....

Want some scary math (well, scarier than the typical kind)? It has been 209 days or 6 months and 28 days (or over 5000 hours) since our home study started.  In 209 days, you can walk from New York City to Los Angeles and make this round trip almost three times (without stopping, of course). In 209 days, approximately 236,000 babies have been born in the U.S. alone. In 209 days, McDonalds has served close to 10 billion customers worldwide. We have officially ventured through all four seasons (starting in the Fall and then progressing into Winter, Spring, and now Summer).

Approximately 10 days ago, I mentioned that Craig was going to politely give our HSW one week before demanding answers. We decided to give her until today, taking USPS delays into consideration. Yet, here we are, nearing the 7th month anniversary of our home study and it is STILL not complete. At their last conversation, HSW informed Craig that she would work on our home study during the weekend of the 18th (after telling me something similar the week prior). Craig called her today to inquire about the status of the home study. Same excuse, different day. She's been busy. She's working on it. She intends to finish it this weekend. If you look at our prior post, you will notice that our home study has been "near" completion for the past five months. Meanwhile, our family hangs in the balance, with several important forms and papers (with a definitive expiration date) aging away. Unsatisfied with the response he received from HSW, Craig called the agency. Previously, the agency was unsympathetic, telling us that HSW was only a contractor who was not directly supervised by the agency director. However, today, she was slightly more concerned. Apparently, we are not the only couple who has called to complain with similar problems. Now, there are two families who remain incomplete, held prisoner at the whim of one woman with a dizzying amount of ill-deserved power. The agency director offered to contact HSW to speed along the process and is now calling her attorney. I'm not sure what calling her attorney will do. I don't know if she's worried we will sue or if any rules or laws have been broken. I checked the state statutes for licensed home study and adoption agencies and unfortunately, the only rule she has broken is failing to provide written notice of delays. So, for now, I am awaiting a phone call from the agency director and we are involuntarily stuck in the holding pattern yet again. Hopefully, updates to follow.....

Okay.....4:45 pm (1 hour, 45 mins later). Craig asked the agency director to call me, since I am most familiar with the dates, paperwork, etc. She called a few minutes ago. The agency director called the HSW twice this afternoon with no response. She got frustrated (after a few hours and she's frustrated.....hmmmm..... imagine 7 months!) and sent a text message, demanding an immediate response. She received the same response...."I'm busy. I'm working on it." Our HSW was asked to make our home study a priority and it was implied that it should be done by the end of the week. I also learned one interesting little tidbit of information. Apparently, our HSW submitted her resignation a month ago and we are just now learning of this. HSW has until July 15 to finish everything and history suggests that she will wait until that very last day.

The agency director apologized repeatedly, "I'm very sorry. This is not how we work." Apparently, HSW has been with the agency for 2 years without complaint. However, in the past month, the director has received several complaints about HSW. The director offered us another option. She would redo the home study herself. Of course, I read too much into this.......why? Do you think its going to come to that? Why would you say that? Do you think HSW isn't going to get it done? Do you think we have to restart it?
Of course, I was silently crying throughout this conversation (which is why Craig makes these phone calls. He's my knight in shining smart phone) Ulimately, I declined her option. Our home study has already taken 7 months, which is 2-3 times longer than usual. Starting from scratch adds another 2-3 months to our process and I do not think I could bear that now. So, now we play the waiting game again......for which I have high score!