Adoption Update: No Progress :(

Ok, so I misunderstood my Licensing Worker (LW) on how things were going with getting Certified to Adopt.

The "Certification to Adopt" is the important thing that I need in order to get an adoption date. This is what I've been waiting for.

What needed to happen to get my Certification to Adopt? This process was never thoroughly explained to me and it's a little different since I'm adopting from foster care with a child that is currently in my care. Here are the steps from how I now understand it:

1. Parental Rights needed to be severed.  -Completed in June 
2. Case needs to be transitioned to the Adoptions Unit. - Completed in June 
3. Adoptions Case Manager needs to send a request to my Licensing Agency. - Completed in June 
4. My LW needed to request an "Adoption Certification Number" (AC#) from the court. This takes about 3-4 weeks. -  Completed at the end of July  
5. After the AC# is received, my LW needs to submit my adoption home study and request a "conversion" to the court. AFTER it's submitted, it takes 3-4 weeks to get the Certification to Adopt. - This is where we are held up. Supposedly, they are submitting it this week. I'll believe it when I see it. 
6. After my Certification to Adopt is approved, then I can talk to an Adoption Lawyer and request an adoption date.

So, since Step #5 hasn't been completed and I'm still waiting for them to submit it -- it's delaying the process. Technically, my LW could have completed Step#4 earlier - but didn't, so that's delayed things too. I'll be happier once I receive confirmation that they've submitted my Home Study to the court, as my agency will not really be in the picture after that. 

At this point, I am looking at an adoption date to be at the end of November or sometime in December. I don't even know if I'll qualify to participate in NAD at this point. Ugh. I'm very frustrated. I'm trying not to be annoyed or say, "Geez, just submit the Home Study already!!!" 

I'm trying not to be impatient, but patience has never been my thing. Plus, there is NO REASON for the delay. We just completed my Foster Care mid-year renewal in May. Most of the information is the same for the Adoption Home Study, they just needed to tweak it a bit. I completed the additional questionnaire documents in early June. I just feel like there is no excuse for the delay. 

It's mostly mental for me. I keep thinking, he's turning 2 in December. I want his birthday to be HIS day and not be an "adoption-related" day. I want to celebrate the Holidays with him being my legal son. I don't want him to be in foster care for any longer, adding more and more days to time in care. I've been waiting for a long time and I just want the adoption to happen, so that I don't have to fear that they'll take him from me. Yes, that fear is still there and it's still a slight possibility! I just want some peace of mind. 

In the long scheme of things, I'm sure none of this will matter... But right now, it feels so big to me. He's been in foster care since he was 4 days old - there's no reason he shouldn't have finalization and permanency by now. This is where the system fails the kids and the families wanting to adopt. It really shouldn't take this long. 

Anyways. Just complaining and worried and trying to plan -- makes it so hard! Friends/Family from out of town want to know the date so that they can plan... but I can't give them a date. Just so frustrating. :(