A Little Setback?

Well, we may have hit a little setback, depending on how one views these things...

We received an email this morning from Temple's case worker, stating that the agency is reverting to an older policy that would not allow us to travel to Georgia to meet and take placement of the baby until Georgia's ten-day revocation period has passed (the period within which a birth mother can change her mind).

It's frustrating that we just learned of this policy change now, after we are fully packed and ready to leave at a moment's notice. (It's no easy feat getting a family of seven packed and ready to head out the door at the drop of a hat.) It's more importantly, frustrating because Temple has requested our presence at the hospital, and it would therefore be good for her. And it goes without saying that it would be good for the baby and for us to have that bond from the outset.

While I fully understand the concerns and precautions at play in the agency's newly-resurrected policy (hey, we've experienced two fall-throughs; we know gun-shy), I can't help but be somewhat frustrated.

Putting that frustration to good use, I decided to call the director of the agency this morning. Upon speaking with her this morning, I learned that the newly-resurrected ten day policy is a "flexible policy" — one which has resulted from a string of recent revocations occurring after adoptive parents were already in Georgia taking placement of the baby. Given the flexibility of the policy, however, Open Door's director is busy considering today whether to permit us to come down earlier. The social worker and the director will talk, and if there are no "red flags" in this situation (indicating a likelihood of revocation), then they may call back yet today and encourage us to be present as soon as possible after the birth.

So essentially, we are now awaiting a return phone call which tells us we should wait the ten days after birth — or a phone call which says we have the green light to travel as soon as we know Temple is in labor.

Meanwhile, we also await word regarding the outcome of Temple's appointment today and whether an induction has been initiated. If not, we're pressing onward toward that Tuesday due date with hope that we can go down sooner rather than later.