Mother and son share their adoption journey

{}Right now around 250 children in foster care in Alabama are hoping to find a permanent family.The Children's Aid Society is hosting an adoption orientation to answer questions and help those wanting to adopt start the process.{}"I like to play sports." Triston Bittner is a typical teenager. "I just want a car!"His mother, a typical parent, thinking twice about that.{}Liesl Bittner and her son share a lot of laughs something they missed out on the first ten years of Triston's life. "We met Triston in July six years ago and he was 10 years old. "Triston's grandmother says she thinks ten years before we met him, there was a plan for him to end up in our family."{}Triston says "I knew right away I was staying in the house, I wasn't going to be moving anymore."{}Triston was in foster care several years. He was removed from his birth parents at a young age. "From school to school, I didn't know if I would stay with a family or move."{}Liesl and her husband wanted a second child and chose to pursue adoption. They went through a training course and home study process through the Children's Aid Society APAC program and learned a lot."They have a 10-week orientation program and it's really to just inform you. They don't expect you to just show up and say you're committed to adopting a child."{}The Children's Aid Society says the average matching wait time is 6 to 18 months. The state covers most of the adoption costs a family could incur 100 to 200 dollars out of pocket total.{}"I think another anxiety is a child will be taken away. We didn't have that fear from the very beginning. We were told the only children that would be match with out family were children whose parental rights have been terminated through the legal system."APAC is focused on adopting children who are 8 years or older, have 3 or more siblings and special needs..{}Liesel says it's a process she would consider doing again "Once these heartstrings are pulled, then you will easily fall into how do we do this, how quickly can this happen and get excited. Anticipation will replace anxiety because you know what a great experience it will be."{}Triston says "The adoption process will be great."{}The meeting is from 6 to 8 on 2141 14th Avenue South.{}You can click on this link at www.heartgalleryalabama.com to see the children waiting for a forever family.