July 31st - The M&M Twins are Together

11:01 am - I received a call from my agency and the worker went through a list of CPS emails from placements that morning and started asking me what I might be interested in.  We honed in on the need for an eight-year old girl to be placed in a new home.  I told my agency to let CPS know I was willing to take this placement, possibly, after I got a little more information.

11:15 am - CPS called me and gave me some more details.  I said I would be willing to accept this placement for this young 8-year old girl.  He was excited and told me to expect a phone call from this little girl's case worker.  (Where have I heard that before?)  Before hanging up this time, I got the phone number and full name of this CPS worker and of the little girls' CPS worker and supervisor...just in case.

11:36 am - I called my friend to check that IF I got a placement today would she be able to watch her tomorrow evening during my Meet the Teacher at the middle school.  She said yes and began to pray.


11:40 am - My agency on-going placement worker, V, called to ask me about the placement and if I had heard anything.  She encouraged me to call the girl's caseworker personally if I hadn't heard anything in two hours.

11:44 am - I called my sister to tell her the amazing God-goose bump-provision story that had taken place when I received the little girl's name, age, and birth date (which I can't tell here because it is a public media space - but would love to share in person sometime if you'd like to hear it!)  She began to pray and get excited as well.

12:30 pm - I picked up the phone and this was the gist of the phone call.  "Hi, Maryann.  My name is XXXX and I am a transporter for CPS.  I am on my way over to your house with your new placement, XXXX.  I just wanted to make sure you were home."

WHAT?!?!?!?!  I just went from the step I've gotten stuck at every day to the second to last step of "On my way over".  I hadn't talked with the caseworker and I was supposed to be helping monitor a district training with our staff from 1:00 - 3:00 and then facilitating one from 3:00 - 4:00! I told the worker I would call her back once I talked with my supervisor.

12:33 pm - The transportation worker calls back and says "If it would work better, I could drop XXXX off at your work and she could sit in the back until you are done."  Again, I told her I'd call back in 5-10 minutes.

I rushed around campus trying to find my principal and explained what was going on.  She agreed that I didn't need to really be there for the first training and I offered to come back and do the second one and she just decided to reschedule it.  (HOW AWESOME is she and my staff!!!) 

12:44 pm - I called back the transportation worker and told her I could be at my place by 1:30.  She said they would leave the office and be there by then.

I stuffed a bunch of items from my desk into my backpack and headed out the door.

12:58 pm  - 1:16 pm - I called my two sisters and mom to let them know about my placement and some details that I can't share here.

1:20 pm - I arrived home.

1:22 pm - I called my elementary school (across the parking lot and where I taught for 9 years) and checked that they still had open enrollment in 3rd grade...they did!  Thank you, God!

1:33 pm - I received a phone call from the transportation worker that she was at my place but didn't know which unit was mine.  I walked outside while talking to her and giving directions.  A white van pulled up and I met Miss M.  The worker took out her suitcase, told her to behave, and that was that.

I could go on with our timeline together today since the point she arrived at my house - but I don't have it in me and I'm sick of the timelines.  Here is what we accomplished....

• Unpacking
• Talking, talking, and more talking!  She isn't shy and I am SO thankful!
• Inventory of things we needed to buy - she wrote our shopping list - see below.
• A late lunch together - she helped me make Ramen noodles (her choice).
• Register for daycare for the next three days.
• Met her daycare teachers for the next three days and a few girls she could hang out with there.
• Register for school starting Monday.
• Introduced her to the new school, her new teacher, and where I work so she could picture it tomorrow when I am there all day and she's at daycare.
• Met Patty, where she'll be going tomorrow night, and discussed their plan to swim and play with Patty's dogs.
• Kept her busy with my I-Pod touch while I contacted the doctor and dentist to set up appointments required by CPS within the first days of placement.
• Shopped for her "need" list and allowed her 5 "fun" items from the 88 cents bins at Walmart.  I learned so much about her watching her pick, choose, weed, and change her mind.
• Talked, and talked, and talked some more - about family, about her previous placement, about her dreams, hopes, and fears.  (I LOVE that she LOVES to talk!)
• We went to dinner at Oregano's and we had dessert first (which was one of her roses of the day when we played roses and thorns before bed).
• She took her shower and I realized that I need an uncle to come out and look at my second bathroom's faucet and knobs. 
• Pair read a "Oh the places you'll go" and was impressed with her reading.
• Read a bible story together. (She wanted the one about the guy, the girl, the snake, and the apple.)
• Played roses and thorns.
• Prayed together - as few times - she decided she'd like us to hold hands.
• She said her prayers tonight - out loud - as signed off with "Talk with you tomorrow, Jesus."

Miss M's shopping list after our inventory...we've got a few things left to get, but we survived our first shopping experience together.  And at Walmart, no less!

I don't have any clue what tomorrow will bring.  I know she was in totally shock of the days events today - she told me it over and over many different ways.  She seemed happy and content to be here, but I am sure there is a fear and uncertainty among all of that as well.  Please pray for my Miss M.  Please pray for us as we move forward in these days of transition - especially as she faces three days of daycare before the weekend and then starting a new school on Monday.

Funny story before signing off - Miss M and I both have names that start with M and we both have December birthdays.  A few times today she referred to me as "Mommy" - which I was a little surprised at because she is quite connected with her biological mother and supposedly has weekly visits.  I finally, casually said something, and...as I expected, she was calling me that because she couldn't remember my name.  We nicknamed ourselves the M&M twins because of the above and then I told her to remember that Christmas is in December and if she thinks of that - she thinks of Merry Christmas - and that leads her to Maryann.  :-)  She liked that.

God is good.
God is faithful.
God is my strength.