Great support - thank you all, it is very much appreciated. MALMASON, thank you your kind words are much appreciated. ANN, thank you for all your helpful advice. I do not know if I can get in touch with the Judge, though, I would like to, believe me. My former lawyer is sending the whole file back to me. I have received another helpful letter from him laying some recommendations out to me and finishing off with "I wish you well with your applications. I believe they are well supported and I would be making the same types of applications if my grandchild was at risk. Please contact me to let me know of the outcome". Ann you gave me some really good advice which reminds me to constantly be in touch with the authorities etc. In fact I am going to communicate with the case worker on Monday. She certainly has taken on a lot of power and I know does not believe in separating the siblings, but we do get along and is quite easy to talk to. The foster mum though has become a friend and we can discuss things amongst ourselves which we do not share with the case worker, and we are in touch with each other more than once a week. I do have contact information for all the other lawyers, who now are obliged to include us in all notifications. I already have a very large file of my own and have been diligent in saving all e-mails and printing when relevent, infact anything to do with the case, Our huge affidavit, as well as our police records, home study report and anything that we have from the ministries, and our lawyer. Our son who has been involved but in the background, we believe will be more visual on our lawyer's recommendation as he is the birth father. Even though his job as a tree faller makes it impractical for him to parent Ryan, he has made affidavit to the fact that he wants and trusts his parents to do this. Thanks again. ATHENAINWI, thank you so much. Very appreciated. KATHY, thanks again dear friend for your kind words. ROSE NUTTY, you are so right, so many people believe that. If she has not changed in the last seven months the children have been in foster care, what are the chances. Obviously the children being apprended had made no difference to her. Though she says they are her life. Thanks for your encouragement, much appreciated. ROSELVR, thank you so much for your response. Firstly I want to wish you the very best in your own legal matters too. Yes, cost is phenominal. I think we are up to $20,000, but not had the final account yet, there may be a little left from the original retainer. This would have cost us easily another $10,000 if we had retained counsel for the next JDR and trial, I am sure! Anyway, in the end I trust it will not be a complete waste of money, if only to do with the knowledge that Ryan knows we were there and stood up for him, but I am hoping for a little more than that. Roselvr, I need to organize my files like you, I am sure that will be a big help. Similarly, I have one with everything and then another one with the important material I need at the time. When you talk about a binder with plastic sheets, are they attached to the binder so that it really is in book form and they keep the pages clean, or is this something where you can grab the material easily when you need it, sorry I am not sure I understand? Your last sentence is so true, and we hope and pray too. Thank you so very much. ZEFFY, Just an explanation here. Sorry for any confusion. I refer to my son-in-law a lot because he is a lawyer in Vancouver. Though he practices corporate law, he has still been helpful to us, though he does not profess to know a lot about family law. He was thinking we had no rights as grandparents, where in actual fact that is not the case when the children are in a foster home, grandparents and extended family also, do have rights! In our case there are obstacles. Anyway Florence thanks for your response, you are very kind. I do hope it turns out like your friend's situation, that would be great. Situation seems almost the same, it is, where we as grandparents come from, our grandson is important like theirs, unfortunately we have two extra things to deal with, the issue of the half sibling who is years apart in age and the geography, two provinces apart.:SIGH All of you have been great and supportive and I will keep you updated. Roselvr, good luck to. I will be thinking of you on Monday. Florence, lovely to have you back in full force and "walking" around your garden. Hope you have a great season and your daughter comes on in leaps and bounds too! Pauline - Vancouver Island

So sorry to hear he is in such discomfort. Wishing the best for the change in treatment. Last year around this time, my DD's good friend was going thru the same thing and due to an infection while her system was so low, we almost lost her. Many people on this forum were wonderful in their support at that time and I really believe all the positive energy helped her pull thru. She is now back at school (part time) and talking about taking part in a 24 hour relay fundraiser for cancer in the spring. Life is never the same for these kids, but their strength and resilience is amazing. I will pray for the best for your grandson.

mmrox, had to lol...I have 4 kids also...3 had majors...the 4th spent so much time in community college (had 63 credits) when he did graduate from mi state, his bachelor reads liberal arts pre-law...they had to sort of make it up, lol..he called it his 7 year plan...and then? ended up at another local college assessing and dispensing grant monies to engineering dept! never had one acct class! now he's back at msu, but working in the agricultural dept...go figure! I wish though, that more kids would try getting lower division classes thru local community college and save money...we applied for grants, ect and even with 4 in college , we didn't qualify for anything. they had to pay their own way...glad to say they paid off the loans asap....

T'was a great visit but with changes. PJR arrived saying he was starving, being as he had worked out with his dad at the gym, at 5 am, and had not eaten since dinner the night before. So that eliminated the white chili prep. He was just as pleased to go to the nearby Cajun Poboy Restaurant and enjoy great shrimp poboy and gumbo. He was quickly satisfied. We did get in a wonderful one on one visit, no pictures though. He'll be home for 20 days and I'll definitely have pictures at some point. Visit was shorter, Wed, as there is someone in his life, that he was anxious to get with and spend as much time with. She's been in his life, off and on, but has taken on a new level. That's why I haven't met her. Now he wants me to meet her, and have family dinner at my place. THANKS EVERYONE for showing your kind thoughts and interest. You all are special.