Jessica has asked me a question which I'm going to answer in just a sec. Before I do, though, questions are a great idea - if you have a question for me, please feel free to ASK AWAY!!! :) Let's see what kind of questions we get! :)

Here's what Jessica asked: I was wondering how Brayden and Olivia do with Liam having visits with his bio mom. How do you handle that with them. I may have forgotten but I don't believe they have contact with bio parents.

You're right, they don't have contact with bio parents.

For Braeden, he doesn't know his bio parents at all. I got him so young (3 days!!!) that he had visits, but doesn't remember them. For his situation it was unfortunately not safe for us to keep up a relationship. I never even met or saw them actually. From day one I was told not to and for many reasons I can't go into, it was for safety of both Braeden and myself. Braeden is curious. He asks my parents if they knew his dad. And wonders about them. He says he misses them. We talk about them from time to time. But he doesn't truly understand, yet. AND, he doesn't yet know of Liam's visits with him bio mom. That will definately be something we talk about before he joins us on a visit. I'll think he'll be ok.

For Liam's first visit, I took him alone. That way his mom and he and I had time together. She did come with her boyfriend, but that was fine. :) Then this time I brought Olivia who did real well. I had talked to her a little today prior to going. She's one I can't talk to about many things much ahead of time. It's hard to explain but if she may have a hard time with something, she might sabotage it in a way, if it's something exciting she often doesn't sleep well and is miserable, it's just much easier to wait. So we processed some before, and then some after.

With Olivia, I had hoped to have a similar relationship with her birth mom as I'm trying to have with Liam's. Unfortunately, at her next visit the caseworker was going to ask about us sitting down to meet, and it was at that very week that she dropped out of sight. That was in January of 2006. We later found out, in August, that she had had a baby. One week prior to her rights being terminated with regards to Olivia. That's why she dropped out of the picture and unfortunately doesn't have contact with Olivia today. She wanted to hide the fact she was expecting from the state. She did, and yet when they found out, they did nothing. As far as I know, unless she has moved away, that little girl is now 2 1/2 and living with mom.

For her it's complicated. She doesn't really remember her birth mom much. She had moved in with an aunt at 18 months of age. Although she had visits and sort of remembers who her birth mom is, she really remembers her aunt. I continually answer questions or rephrase something she says because she gets it mixed up often and thinks her aunt was/is her bio mom. She doesn't miss her much. It was not a great place, which is why she was moved to my home.

What Olivia does have a hard time with is missing her brother. He lived with us for a short time but had SUCH a hard time behaviorally and emotionally he was eventually moved. She misses him like crazy and that bond is what she rages over at times. What she is often confused about. What she wants "fixed." We occasionally revisit the same conversation over and over. She doesn't understand that I can't just get in the car with her and drive her to him. His parents have not shown that they want to continue a relationship. It is so hard to explain to her, because I don't get it myself. It kills me. And it is so hard for her.

So while she did well today and I explain the best and as honestly as I can, she will have a hard time. I'm waiting to see what the next couple days will bring and whether or not she'll join us the next time. Tonight was little silly things from her that were starting to drive me nuts. Questions about where to put her spelling list (umm... the same place it's gone since the beginning of the year!) etc. :) Not fun when it's quite a few in a row. :( But the next two days will be the test.

So, that's where we're at right now. I know this went into a much longer answer than you probably wanted!!! Sorry!!! Hopefully it got to some of what you were looking for? And we play it by ear as we go along! :)

OK, so what other questions do people have???