"Can we go to the zoo today?" Levi asked during breakfast the first weekend of his summer vacation after finishing first grade.
Amy shook her head, "We can't go today, but maybe tomorrow. Someone is coming to talk to us today. Her name is Amanda and she's probably going to ask to see your room and ask you some questions about living here."
Abandoning his cereal bowl, the seven-year-old inquired, "What kind of questions?"
"We don't know," chimed in Sheldon, "But it might be things like if you like staying with us, or what your favorite thing we do together is, or what you like to eat for lunch."
"Why?"
"Amanda is a social worker and her job is to make sure that kids are safe and happy," Amy calmly explained.
Levi took a moment to think about this, "Me and Theo like it here. Why does someone need to check on us?"
Taking a breath, Sheldon questioned in a way he hoped his nephew would understand, "Remember how we talked about Amy and I adopting you and Theo so we'll be your mom and dad forever?" Silently, Levi nodded. "It takes a long time for that to happen and there's a lot of paperwork for us to fill out. Amanda coming to talk to us and see our house is one of the things we need to do before we can be your mom and dad forever."
"So, my dad really isn't going to be my dad anymore?" the boy quietly asked.
Sheldon sat in the empty chair next to Levi, inching closer to the boy, "He'll always be your dad, just like your mom will always be your mom. Your dad decided that he won't be able to be the kind of dad your mom would want him to be or the kind of dad that he needs to be to take care of you and Theo."
"We can keep things the way they have been since you and Theo came home with us. We don't have to go through with the adoption if you've changed your mind," offered Amy, wanting to remind Levi they agreed to leave this up to him.
"But you won't be my mom and dad if we don't. I want you to be my mom and dad, I just don't want my dad to not be my dad anymore."
"Your dad will always be your dad. Except you won't be waiting to know if you're going to live with him in Texas again. He's going to be more like Uncle Georgie. You'll be able to see him when we go back to Texas and he can visit you here; he'll still be a part of your life, I promise."
Quiet for a minute, Levi noticed the look Sheldon and Amy exchanged, before shrugging his shoulders and stating, "Okay. I guess I'll talk to the lady today."
Levi and Theo ran toward the front door when the bell rang not long after they finished lunch. "I open it?" Theo asked, looking back at Sheldon as he approached.
"I have to unlock the door. You can't reach it," Sheldon reached over the two-year-old's head to flip the lock and crack the door for Theo to pull it fully open.
The boys who had been excited about their visitor were suddenly shy when she was standing in front of them. Kneeling to their level, the woman on the porch introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Amanda. You must be Levi and Theo. Have your aunt and uncle told you why I'm here today?"
"Uh-huh," Levi nodded. "You have to know that we're safe and happy here so they can be our mom and dad forever."
"That's right," Amanda stood, adjusted her jacket, and held out her hand to Sheldon and Amy, who had joined the group in the foyer. "It's nice to finally meet you in person after speaking on the phone and emailing for the past year and a half."
Amy stood back and welcomed the woman into their home. "Please come in. Would you like water or something to drink?"
Shaking her head, Amanda declined the offer, "I'm okay, thank you, though. Would it be okay with you if I start with speaking with Levi and Theo alone, then the three of us can talk? I've found the kids can get a bit squirrelly if they know I'm going to be talking with them, but make them wait." When Sheldon and Amy nodded their heads in unison, she continued, "Can I speak with them in their room? They can play and I can see how comfortable they are in your home while we talk."
"Our room is upstairs. Do you want to see it?" Levi interrupted, pointing at the stairs. "I can have my own room if I want, but Theo gets scared when he's alone at night, so we share. We keep a lot of our toys in the room that was supposed to be mine."
"I would love to see both rooms."
Playing tour guide, Levi pointed at each room on the second floor, "This is dad's office. I do my homework there and we watch movies sometimes. The couch is really comfy. Leonard got it, but let dad have it when we moved here. That's mom and dad's room. They have their own bathroom. The bathtub is really big, like a hot tub. Mom and dad said this is going to be the babies' room. Me and Theo are gonna have two little sisters. They said I have a really important job and have to teach Theo how to be a good big brother. Mine and Theo's rooms are all the way at the end of the hallway." Pointing at each room, he questioned, "That's where we sleep and our toys are in there. What room do you want to see first?"
Rejoining Sheldon and Amy downstairs about an hour later, Amanda sensed their nervousness, "You can relax. Everything I've seen looks amazing. Both Levi and Theo have thrived in your home over the past eighteen months. It's obvious they love you and love living with you. Levi told me many stories of trips to the park, the zoo, Disneyland, and spending time with your friends who seemingly welcomed them with open arms into the family you built here."
"Do you need to ask us anything?" Amy asked, not sure what the normal protocol was for these visits.
"I don't think so," Amanda shook her head. "Ricky has signed over his rights and I'd be happy to sign off on the adoption if that's what you want with one condition."
Unsettled, Sheldon was afraid to learn what that condition was. "Is something wrong?"
"Levi has been through a lot in his young life. He referred to the two of you as mom and dad, but he seems to be struggling with the fact that Ricky will no longer be his father. It might be best if he visited a therapist to help him work through those feelings. I have a few family therapists I've worked with that have a lot of experience with these types of situations. I can refer someone that can do group sessions for all of you. I think Levi needs some extra reassurance that you're in this forever and not going to abandon him like he feels Ricky did."
Amy nodded, "Okay. We can do that. Is there anything else you need from us?"
"I don't think so. I can email you the names of those therapists and start on the paperwork you'll need from me for the adoption when I'm back in the office on Monday." Amanda picked up her jacket and began to make her way to the front door.
Sheldon followed her out, quickly returning to Amy, still waiting in the living room. "I know they've been ours for months, but they're going to be our sons now, not just our nephews. Nothing can take them from us."