Middle Boy and I were just talking about this yesterday.  The conversation started like this.  "If I wouldn't have had to go to the juvenile center where would we be in the adoption process now?"  It made me a little bit sad when I had to tell him TODAY would have been the last possible day it could have happened, because we could have filed on St. Patrick's Day.  He looked at me and said quietly, "Another major thing in my life I have totally screwed up."

I talked to him about it.  I don't see it that way.  You see, as much as it stunk to have him in the juvenile center, the time showed him I will never leave...no matter what.  I'm not sure he would have understood without it.  It is a tough way to learn a lesson about trusting your caregiver, but I think the message got through.

Here's where we are in the process...with some corrections and additional steps:

1. Adoption home study interview - Mom
2. Adoption home study interview - Middle Boy
3. Adoption home study interview - family
4. Fingerprints - Mom
5. Adoption study paperwork - Foster Care Specialist - waiting for the results of my fingerprinting...which by the way has been done SEVEN TIMES in the last two years.
6. Determine monthly stipend - Service Coordinator/Mom - This will be done at our FTM in June.  I am going to have to figure out how this works.
7. File stipend collateral paperwork - Service Coordinator
8. Select adoption attorney - Mom - I can do this.  I just have to find the paperwork I got from CASA with the recommendations.
9. Prepare adoption paperwork - Adoption Attorney
10. File adoption paperwork at courthouse - Adoption Attorney - Ideally this would get done on June 21, 2012, the first available day it can happen.
11. Wait 30 - 90 days - Everyone  Wait 4 to 8 weeks.  I was wrong about the days.
12. Adoption hearing - Everyone - There will probably be two of these, because the boys have different judges and are on different court dockets.  The boys really want them to be on the same day, but I don't think we have much control over that.  Ideally they would at least be in the same week.
13. Big party - Everyone - no details yet, still wondering what this should be.  Younger Boy will want a big party...Middle Boy will want to be a small family celebration, because he doesn't like the attention drawn to him.

Praises for a pretty quickly moving process....as far as governmental processes go.