With Love, Mommy

Whenever anyone asks how we are doing, I always reply that we are trying to settle down and establish a routine to get things back to normal.  Well, that's not entirely true.  A more accurate response is that we are desperately trying to get used to our new routine, our new normal.  Having 3 kids under 3 years old is not for the weak!  Having two 2-year olds is just the most hectic thing you can imagine (thank the Lord we never had triplets).  When Cuddle Bug was first placed with us as a newborn, it took 3 months to really get settled and to get Little JT used to his new brother role.  I fully expect that it will take at least 6 months to get us all used to our new family dynamic this time.  Sweet Pea was placed with us 4 months ago.  So, we have 2 months to get our act together! ;)  Every little thing we do, from breakfast to outings, is about 10x more difficult.  Here are just some of the things that I have learned with three young kiddos: -Getting in the mom taxi takes about

I decided that I need to use the kids naptime for some projects that also might be fun and might relieve some stress for me.  So I made some activity bags for the kiddos!  Turned out pretty cute, I think!  Under $7 a piece and it took me an hour to do both.  Score!  I hope to do an update soon about our foster care journey.  Obvious by my lack of posts, it has been crazy.  Apparently life gets pretty hectic when you have two 2 year olds and a 7 month old.  Who knew?  Until then, asking for prayers and positive thoughts going our way.  I have an outpatient procedure next Monday to hopefully fix some of the health problems I have been having for 3 months.  Not a big deal, but going under anesthesia is always makes me a little nervous.  There are going to be some changes in our lives coming up too and I will make sure to update you all about that too.  Mostly, this will mean a change in my employment.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers in our lives!  We could not be where we are today without the love and support of our moms.  We are so excited to celebrate the wonderful moms in our lives. Mother's Day as a foster parent is a little different.  It's a difficult blend of emotions.  On one hand, all foster mothers are fully and completely moms, with everything that comes with being a mom.  Foster moms deal with tears, dirty diapers, potty training, owies, rocking to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, homework, and everything else.  However, many foster mommies do not feel they can celebrate mother's day.  It can be a time of mixed emotions since many birthmothers try very hard to remind foster parents that they are the "real mom."  It can also be difficult for foster moms with older children.  The children may be sad as they are reminded that they are not with their mom.  Although not all of these apply to me, I just wanted to shed

It looks like I will get to see how services are established for foster kiddos. We talked to CPS about behavioral health services for Sweet Pea and she put in a referral. Someone called today to set up an intake for a high needs caseworker. During the intake, someone will come over and ask questions and observe her at home. Then that caseworker will determine if they have a therapist that can help. Most likely, this will mean play therapy since she is so young. Even though this is one more thing to add to my very busy week, this is great news!  Sweet Pea is finally going to get the help she needs to start the healing process. Speaking of our busy schedule, this month is probably the craziest yet. 2 court hearings, 2 CPS visits, 1 licensing worker visit, 1 behavioral health intake, 1 Foster Care Review Board, 2 toddler dentist appointments, twice a week visitation for Cuddle Bug, and at least 1 child's doctor appointment. Not to mention, I am a working mom and trying to figure out

Yes, that's right. I am updating the blog to let you all know that we have no new updates. Some say that the system is broken, or that it lets children just "sit" in foster care. Maybe there is truth to that. From what I can tell, they are moving on our kids' cases, but it's hidden under layers of rules and red tape. What I mean is that every step takes about 1,000 little steps. For severance to happen, there have to be a million other things that go through court. For a family reunification, even more. There are so many things that happen that we cannot share, so we are just waiting the time when we know what our children's future is for sure. We can guess based on what we have been told. But we also know that nothing is final until the judge says it is. If a CPS worker tells a family that something definitely will happen, I never believe them personally. Just because they do not have the final decision and things change all the time. So here we sit, taking c

Today, I had an Aha moment when it comes to parenting Sweet Pea.  I told myself I would always take into consideration the past trauma while parenting these children.  It's so difficult when they are so young, and even more difficult when one is the same age as our own biological child.  This two year old that we have brought into our home sounds very mature when she speaks, and has a knowledge of certain things that you would not expect.  And yet, she has major trauma in her past. I don't know the full extent of her history, but I know that even one move to a new home with new parents, toys, clothes would be traumatizing. She has been broken down.  She has thought about things that a 2 year old should never have to think about.  Frequent moves may have caused her to wonder where she will sleep tonight, or if she will get to take her favorite pillow if she moves this time.  She may wonder who she will call "Mommy" tomorrow or if this mommy will come back from work tod