something she didn't even though she was here. One of the other things we have to juggle is that in addition to our family, they each have their own biological families and none of the rest of us are technically part of those. I have to say how impressed I've been with how each family has welcomed the other girl, with Nia's grandma bringing extra treats so Mara and Nia could have the same when we met her at a park downtown and Mara's dad compliments both of them on their tumbling and dancing and pats them both on the head when we see him. Mara has a sister who's four months older than Nia and while we haven't done as much as I'd like with all three girls together, that's a connection all three find special. In fact, three  of Mara's siblings were with us for Mara's birthday party and the kids played well together. You've always been an advocate for birth parents working their case plan to reunify. Why is this important to you? I can be general about this or specific and I'm not sure which version is more honest or accurate. Taking on the job of fostering means recognizing that except in drastic circumstances, family reunification is going to be the initial goal. To me, there's the added piece that I don't want to end up adopting a child whose parents were cheated out of custody. In Mara's case, neither parent made any steps toward reunification,