The call we've been waiting for so long:'There's a baby for you. “After an intensive procedure for foster care, we finally get the green light to become foster parents. Becoming a foster parent is one thing, but now we have to wait for the next exciting moment:the phone call.
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I really walk on clouds during that period. There is finally certainty that our nursery will be filled and that we will become a foster parent. I'm all set for sleepless nights, dirty diapers and lots of bottles. It is also now done with those vague answers when people around us ask about our desire to have children. No, from now on I will speak clear language:'We cannot afford to have a child of our own, but we will soon be able to give all our love to a foster child!'
But going wild in the baby departments while shopping is not an option yet. We don't know yet if we're going to have a boy or a girl, and more importantly, we don't know the age. Becoming a foster parent brings a lot of insecurities. We are on the list for a child from 0 to 12 months. The layette you need for a newborn baby is obviously very different from the layette for a one-year-old toddler. So I have to hold back for a while. The big question is of course:how much longer?
It is November 24 and I am working at the cash register of the shop where I am a saleswoman. It is already 5 pm so my working day is almost over. Suddenly Bert steps into the store… 'Huh? What are you doing here?” I ask in surprise. “Nurse care has called.” I hear a slight panic in his voice, which immediately makes me feel stressed. "What did they say then?" He replies that he doesn't know. They have left a message on his voicemail that he should call back, but he does not dare to call alone. My colleagues who have sympathized with us all the way to this moment are enthusiastically saying that we should call back soon. “Go and stand in the warehouse, both of you.”
With trembling knees we walk towards the warehouse at the back of the store so that we can 'calmly' call the foster care service. They immediately hit it off:'Lindsay, you can really become a foster parent now, there is a baby for you.' Tears quickly roll down my cheeks. I don't know what to ask first, but apparently they don't have all the information themselves either. "It's a girl, but to be honest we don't know the name yet. It is important that you pick it up within 4 days and you can think about it for 24 hours if you want to go for it.
wow! Now it goes very quickly. We went through the selection procedure to become approved foster parents barely a month ago and now there is already a match! We can hardly believe it.
I do have one more question:"How old is the baby?" "She's from November 11." She replied. “Uh what year?” I ask confused. The foster care woman heard the absent-mindedness in my voice and laughed, "Ma'am, November 11th of this year hey, she's only 13 days old." Oh a newborn baby, how wonderful! "She's in the maternity ward and it might be a stupid thing to say, but she's in the way there." That's why it's necessary to pick her up as soon as possible. I promise we'll call back the next day to let you know our decision. As I put the phone back down and look at Bert, we both know at that moment that there is no doubt:this little girl is coming to us! We are going to be a foster parent and this girl is very welcome!
Shutterstock photo by Ramona Heim's Little Baby
