Our Z has been about the same this week. He's been getting mad at me some. It turns out he has a temper. It's hard not to get mad right back at him, but being a mature adult :) I have tried to calmly talk to him and help him calm down. I also try to remember that he is 2 1/2 and the saying "terrible twos" is around for a reason.

The upcoming court date has been continued until April 5, so we have a few more weeks of waiting. After talking to our caseworker this week, I'm not totally sure what all will be happening during that hearing, but I know the caseworker is expecting the judge to be unhappy with all the parents. G's dad failed that drug screen, so he's in trouble. G and Z's mom has missed several visits after he specifically told her she needed to be at every visit, so he won't be happy with her. And Z's dad hasn't done any visits or even made an attempt to contact Z or anyone involved in the case since Z was removed from his home in November, so I can't imagine what the judge will say about that. Of course, G's dad hasn't had any bad drug screens since the one, so that will help him. This judge is known to feel strongly that kids should be with their biological families when at all possible, (which I agree biological family should be the first choice in most cases) so I'm guessing he will give G's dad a good tongue lashing and then move on. We will see.

A team meeting was held to decide how to proceed with W's case. It was decided that visits will be increased slowly, building up to overnight visits a few weeks from now. Another meeting is scheduled for the middle of May where a trial home placement will be discussed. So, if everything continues to go smoothly, W will be home in the middle of May. W's mom seemed excited about how things are going. I'm happy for her, which I told her the other day. I hope she knows how I feel about her. I think she might, too. The other day when I was dropping W off for a visit, she asked me to come in for a minute. She said she needed to ask a favor of me. She asked if I would be willing to write her a letter that she needed as part of her substance abuse rehab program. I agreed to do it for her, not knowing what on earth I would say. In the letter I was supposed to tell how her substance abuse had affected my life. Since the only reason she is in my life is because of her substance abuse, I had to say it had a pretty big and direct impact on me. It was a hard letter to write, but I did it. --Another way she has managed to get me way out of my comfort zone!! Anyway, I was supposed to seal up the letter so she could give it to her instructor. He then read the letter in front of her and the rest of her class, then they had a discussion about it. It was hard for me to write that letter, but I can't imagine what it was like for W's mom to hear it, not knowing what it would say, in front of a group of people. She thanked me the other day for writing it for her.

Our house is moving along. The basement is done and framing is supposed to start this week. If things continue along as planned, it is scheduled to be done in the middle of July. Let's just hope building a house moves along more smoothly than foster care!