Wow - bad blooger. Our Intent to Adopt Letter

Wow - I am a bad blogger.

Lil J's case was changed to adoption. It really does not mean a heck of a lot, since bio still can work her plan. But with this change, we get another caseworker, and the time in our house then counts towards the minimum required time before adoption.

We had to submit a letter, basically putting it on record that we would like to adopt him.

Here is my letter. I did not delete the things that are specific to him, as it really does not have anything to do with his case (there is a lot more that I did not include in this letter, but in previous letters) I did delete the things that have to do with his mother.

I tried to keep it half "formal" and half casual - but not too sappy

We, the undersigned, are resource parents for Lil J . Please accept this letter as our official request to be considered as adoptive parents of Lil J.

Lil J was placed with us on March 11, 2009. On that day, he not only became part of our home, but part of our family. Therefore, we are requesting that the courts legally declare what we have felt in our hearts since day one.

At the time of his placement, Lil J had some behavior problems. One of which was severe food issues. He would eat large amounts of food and would cause himself to choke after almost every meal. Lil J was also climbing into cabinets, attempting to eat food out of the trashcan, taking any food within his reach, and eating anything he would find on the floor (crumbs, dirt, hair, etc).

Since he has been in our home, we have worked very hard to resolve Lil J’s food habits. He has come to understand that he will be fed on a regular basis and are pleased to say that he has made major improvements in this area.

In addition to the food issues, when Lil J was first placed with us he would throw a fit if you asked him to say please. When asked to say “Please”, he would scream, “NO” for about 15 minutes and would throw himself on the floor. It was very clear that, prior to living with us, he had some bad experience with this request.

Since in our care, we have used positive reinforcement with all manners and now Lil J is becoming a very polite child. It is something that we are committed to reinforcing throughout his life, and plan to teach him how to be a true gentleman.

We thoroughly enjoy having Lil J as part of our family. We have included him in all family activities and celebrations. Lil J loved meeting our VERY large extended family. In fact, we have almost 100 aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, nieces, and nephews that have welcomed him with open arms.

We have also taken trips to amusement parks, zoos, museums, and even spent some time on vacation at the New Jersey Shore. We plan to continue these excursions in the years to come and look forward to having Lil J make lasting memories with our family.

Our 15 year old son, Colin, really embraced the new role of big brother to Lil J. Lil J counts the minutes until he comes home from school and runs into his arms each and every time.

We also have an infant daughter, Cora. Cora was born in September 2009 and Lil J loves her very much. He had no problems giving his love and affection with the newest family member. He is very sweet towards her and never expressed any jealously issues at all.

Our family, including Lil J, has made so many changes since March 2009, and we would not change one minute of it.

If reunification with his mother is not possible, we would be honored to be considered as a permanent, adoptive home for Lil J.

Enclosed with this letter are several pictures of taken since his placement in our home.

Respectfully submitted,