I began writing this post after our official meeting with the parents and social workers two days ago, but due to changes needed to change the title, tone and information that I was sharing.

The meeting with the birth parents went really well. When she opened the meeting, the placement worker told us that this is the first time in the hundreds of placements she’s facilitated she’s ever been at a meeting in which the two sets of parents met in advance.  After the meeting, she exclaimed a few times with delight at how very smooth the meeting was and told me it was a really good thing that we met on our own!

I’m going to fast forward and delete a bunch of things I wrote that are no longer immediately relevant.

After this meeting we got a clear go ahead with an anticipated homecoming date for the baby (for now to be referred to as Baby R) in the coming week.  I was told to cancel my plans for a trip to the north, which I did, because Baby R would either be here by then or the placement would take place on one of the days that I would be away (Tue/Wed/Thur).

We also scheduled a visit together with the birth parents to take place on Friday to see Baby R and speak with his doctors.

I went directly home, very happily informed my kids Baby R would be here within a week and went out to buy a crib.  Ds14 and I converted it to a cosleeper and set it up next to my bed.  I requested a refund for the conference I had planned to attend, and posted a request on our local group for donations of mother’s milk for Baby R.

Yesterday I went out to shop for a stroller.  On my way home, I got a call that there has been a significant wrench thrown into the plans.

When I was first told about Baby R, I learned that his parents aren’t Israeli citizens.  At that time I asked if there was any legal concern that could delay the process and was told that there wasn’t.  That’s what the social worker believed until two days ago.

In fact there is a problem.  A significant problem.  There is a hearing to be held regarding his status by the higher ups in the government on February 20, and nothing can happen until then.  That doesn’t mean he can come to us then; it means that depending what their decision is, whatever process is necessary will begin at that time.

The social worker told me this is well beyond the realm of social services, and they are trying to find someone with proteksia (pull) to get the date of the hearing moved up.  (Why was this scheduled for Feb. 20 when the paperwork was submitted over a month ago and this is regarding a tiny baby waiting in the hospital?  That’s government timing for you.)

Although the hospital has authorized our visit on Friday, we have been asked to cancel because the social worker doesn’t want us to meet Baby R until after this hearing has taken place.  The placement definitely won’t take place in the coming week and today I will be making reservations for the conference that I cancelled a couple of days ago.

So….it’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster.  None of us expected this; we all thought the biggest variable would be if there would be a meeting with the birth parents and how it would go.  None of us thought that there would be any delay once that was over and the jubilant and optimistic tone that we all left that meeting with has been replaced by disappointment and caution.

I say it’s a bit of a roller coaster and not more because it’s completely clear to me that the timing of all of this is in the hands of G-d.  Technically we shouldn’t have gotten to this point, based on the constraints that were in place regarding our availability.  And everything has proceeded in spite of that.

I don’t know what will happen, and I don’t know when it will happen.  I don’t even know for sure that this placement will happen.  We all (our family, the birth parents and the social workers involved) all want to see this happen very soon.  So we’ll have to continue to wait and see how every unfolds.

Avivah