Sad News

Just a very quick update so you don't think I fell off the earth. My mom had a stroke recently, and I've been busy with being up at the hospital with her. She is currently in ICU, but they are hoping to move her to a regular room on the neuro floor today or tomorrow. Please pray for her - her name is Vickie. I'll update more as I have time. By the way, Little Guy is doing great, and I'll try to update about him soon. Thanks to all!

New Mobile!

This is the new mobile that has been our lifesaver lately! It's by Tiny Love. Little Guy gets really fussy between 5 and 10 pm - not quite full blown colic, but just general fussiness that you can't quite soothe. However, this mobile does the trick. He can watch it turn and move for quite a while, and it seems to calm him right down. It plays three selections of muic - pieces by Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. He really, really likes it! I purchased it at a big sale put on by our local twins association group. They put on twice yearly sales, all high quality used items. I got this mobile for $12 - quite a steal in my opinion. I also got a diaper wipes warmer for $7 - a godsend for Little Guuy's rear end! Make sure to check out if your town has a twins association, and if they do a sale - you'll find great deals. Or a Just Between Friends sale - I'm going to that tonight.

Another Missed Visit

Wednesday I headed down to DCFS for the normal visit from 10-12. At 9:50, when I was just 4 blocks away from DCFS, the scoial worker called to say that the parents weren't coming in today. But since I was so close, and he hadn't seen the baby since March 14, he said to come down and we would visit about the case. So we spent about an hour talking, and I feel much better about him (the sw) now. When he first took over the case, and I wan't sure what to think - he didn't seem too invested in the situation. But now I know how he really feels. He told me that this is usually the time when the parents start to show their true colors - it's been 2-1/2 months since they lost their baby, and they may be getting tired of all the requirements that they need to meet. He also said that maybe they really don't want to parent this child, but felt they had to "show a good fight" in order to not feel guilty about the state taking their baby away. He said he'd have a nice long talk with them. He said he has been successful in the past with getting parents to do willing relinquishment, and that may be were this case is headed. We're supposed to have another scheduled visit on Monday, but the sw said to wait and talk with him Monday morning about whether to bring Little Guy down or not. So, for now, we just wait, and pray. Maybe this will be over before sooner than we thought!

Getting to know...Fostermomwa

I received an e-mail recently ask several questions about myself, and then asking me to forward it on and keep it going. I usually don't participate in these, but I found some time that day and answered the questions and sent it out. So I thought I'd share it with you here, in hopes that you'll get a little more glimpse into who I am.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 3am, 4:30 am, 6:30 am, 8 am finally for good!
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? "Chronicles of Narnia" & before that "Hitch"
4. What is your favorite TV show? LOST, Survivor, American Idol, 24, Project Runway, Next Food Network Star
5. What did you have for breakfast? Bowl of Lucky Charms
6. What is your middle name? Joan
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Good old fashioned comfort foods or Chinese
8. What foods do you dislike? Liver, baked beans
9. What is your favorite Potato chip? BBQ chips
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Lullaby tape in the nursery
11. What kind of car (truck) do you drive? Toyota Camry
12. What is your favorite sandwich? Roast Beef & Cheddar on Wheat with a little BBQ suace
13. Favorite item of clothing? Jeans & a cardigan sweater
14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Fiji Islands or Australian Beaches
15. What color is your bathroom? white & blue w/ seashell accents
16. Favorite brand of clothing? Lee Jeans, Faded Glory Jeans & shirts, Liz Claiborne Sport skirts
17. Where would you want to retire to? Metalline Falls, WA
18. Favorite time of day? Afternoon
19. Where were you born? Spokane WA
20. Favorite sport to watch? Gonzaga Basketball or Figure Skating
21. Who do you least expect to send this back? My sister
22. Person you expect to send it back first? Susan
23. What type of detergent do you use? whatever's cheapest
24. Coke or Pepsi? coke if I have to, but I prefer Mountain Dew
25. Are you a morning person or night owl? used to be a night owl before baby, now I'll sleep just about anytime I can!
26. What size shoe do you wear? 8
27. Do you have pets? Sam, black lab/dalmation mix, 11 years old in May
28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone? We have a foster baby who is 3 months old
29. What did you want to be when you were little? a nanny
30. Favorite Candy Bar? Butterfingers
31. What are your best childhood memories? Saturday nights - Love Boat, a big bowl of popcorn & a big glass of milk
32. Different jobs you have had in your life? daycare worker, admin. asst., day spa manager, receptionist, waitress, fabric store clerk, bookkeeper, now a stay at home foster mom
33. What color underwear are you wearing? white with purple dots
34. Nicknames: Shmeeg, Meegie-Pooh (old one from Gram)
35. Piercing? past or present?....ears, but I rarely wear earrings - I forget half the time and run out of time the other half!
36. Ever been to Africa? no
37. Ever been toilet papered? No
38. Loved someone so much it made you cry? yes
39. Been in a car accident? 4 or 5 as a driver, 1 as a pedestrian hit by a car (yes, ouch is right!)
40. Croutons or bacon bits? bacon bits
41. Favorite day of the week? Sunday
42. Favorite restaurant? China Dragon, Sweet Old Bob's, Prospector
43. Favorite flower? A big bunch of wildflowers or simple daisies
44. Favorite ice cream? anything with raspberries & chocolate together (Raspberry Rumble by Schwann's is excellent!)
45. Disney or Warner Brothers? DISNEY
46. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonald's All American Meal with extra fries!
47. What color is your bedroom carpet? mottled grey/brown burber
48. How many times did you fail your driver's test? none, but I only passed it by one point, and that was after a re-add!!
49. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? A quilt group
50. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Other Mother's or Joanns Fabrics
51. What do you do most often when you are bored? Internet Surf
52. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire???? All of them!
53. Last person you went out to dinner with? My Hubby
54. Ford or Chevy? Ford if I have to choose one, real favorite is Toyota
55. How many tattoos do you have? none
56. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? God created the chicken first

Fostermomwa & Hubby

I decided not to put the picture of James and Little Guy sleeping. Instead, here's a picture of me and hubby, and you can just barely see Little Guy's red head down under my chin. And believe me, I'm working on getting rid of that nasty double chin! Yuck!

Today's Court Hearing

Today was the first review hearing for the parents of Little Guy. My hubby and I both attended, not quite sure what to expect. We'd been told that 9 times out of 10, the judge/commissioner doesn't ask the foster parents to speak - they just rely on the Caretaker's Report to answer their questions. But of course, this was the 1 of 10 - after the commissioner asked for the attorneys to speak and the social worker and the GAL, he asked us to speak. I spoke for both of us, and just reiterated things I had put in my report. I tried, and think succeeded, in not shedding negativity on the parents. Just stated the facts about Little Guy. Of course, in my head were a ton of things I would have loved to have said, but I kept myself in check!

The results of the hearing? Little Guy will stay with us until the next review hearing in July. There was talk about increasing parent visits, and scheduling some supervised visits in the parents home, but nothing has been cemented yet. We'll just wait until we're asked to have him at different places. It seemed like the real issues were glossed over, but when we spoke to the sw after court, he said that typically the first review hearing is that way. He said that his office will still be very diligent in making sure the parents do everything they are supposed to, and that some of the deeper issues are really investigated. He wasn't set in stone that Little Guy will return to parents yet.

So for now, we keep on keeping on. We love on Little Guy as much as possible, and pray over him, and just pray that God's will be done in his life.

Right now, he's sleeping on my hubby's chest. I think I can get a picture to post without revealing Little Guy's identity, so I'll do that and post it. They look so cute together! My husband is from Michigan, and is a HUGE Wolverines fan, and today at Other Mother's we found a cute little Michigan Wolverines outfit for Little Guy. It will be a couple of months before it fits him, but we just couldn't resist!

Thanks for all your love, prayers and support!

Updating my blog

OK - I'm finally updating my blog. I decided to do several entries, and back date them. This is the easiest for me. I finally figured out how to back date - yay! - so I'll just spend some time with that. Lots to read, so get a cup of coffe or tea or whatever, and have a good read!

Day of Crying!

I had to turn in my Caretaker's Report to the court today. I cried all the way to the courthouse. I'm just so frightened that Little Guy will go back to his parents! I fell like WE are his parents, not them! I know, I know, I'm being selfish, but I can't help it! And of course, by the time my husband got home from work, he could tell I was upset, so that started a whole new cry session! Plus I've been feeling lately that I'm not a REAL parent, just a foster parent, which makes me even more emotional. Yikes - you would think it's that time of the month, but it's not forgoodness sake. I'm just an emotional basket case today! Please pray for strength and peace for me - I really, really need it!

On a somewhat good note, I went to a baby shower tonight for one of the gals in my church. She's just a couple years younger than me (I'll be 35 on April 25) and she's pregnant with her first child. She's had a hard time getting pregnant, too. I took Little Guy with me, and of course all the ladies just oohed and ahhed over him. And then a couple of the gals from church said, "how come there hasn't been a baby shower for you?" I just shrugged and said, "well, I'm not going to TELL someone they HAVE to have a shower for me." But one of the gals said, "well, if you can't, I certainly can!". So maybe they will have one for me. I think that's one of the reasons I haven't felt like a REAL mom - it seems that gals are having baby showers left and right at church, and here I've had Little Guy for over two months, and no one has said a thing to me about having one. I know, it's my slefish side kicking in again (that side is so loud lately!). But like I told my husband, when people ignore the fact that I am a mom, just a different kind of mom, it validates my feelings that I'll never be a REAL mom. Am I making sense? Am I being overly emotion about all of this? I don't know. But it's good to cry it out!

Caretaker's Report to the Court

I stayed up late tonight getting my caretaker's report done for the review hearing on Monday. They sent the form as a hard copy, but not electronically, so I had to re-do everything on my computer, since they ask for it to be typed (who still has a typewriter?). Anyway, it's done. I managed to keep all opinions out of it, and only state the facts. I'm not sure how other states do it, but for me, in WA state, these were the topics I had to address:
Child's Physical Health (state results of medical/dental appointments)
Child's Emotional Health (appointment with counselor/therapist)
Child's Adjustment Today
Child's Visit with Parent(s)
Child's Adjustment with Peers
Child's Adjustment to Home
Special Problems
Special Hobbies/Interests, strengths
Thoughts on Department's Case Plan
They also say you are welcome to attach a current photo of the child, which is a great idea in my opinion. So often, these children are just numbers to all the attorneys, judges, commissioners, social workers, etc. So I made sure two very recent photos of Little Guy were printed on the bottom of my report. Now to just get it turned in at the courthouse. That's on the agenda for tomorrow.

3 months old today!

Little Guy is officially 3 months old today! However, due to his preemie status, he is 1 month old. But he’s getting so big! He’s up past 10 pounds, I’m sure, although he hasn’t been officially weighed since his doctor visit on the 14th. And he’s smiling more. I tried to get his 3-month pictures taken today, but when I arrived at Walmart, it was 10 minutes before they closed the photo studio for lunch, and I didn’t feel like wandering around Walmart for an hour. Little Guy fell asleep 15 minutes later anyway, so I guess it was best not to try and do pictures. I made an appointment for Friday, though, so we’ll try to get them done then.

Parents made it to the visit today. First thing mom said was that she had called on Monday to cancel the visit due to illness, but apparently the message never got to me. I’m not sure whether to believe her or not. I’m still not certain about her. I honestly tried to be pleasant, but I was so put off, it was hard. I’ve got to keep trying to put my feelings aside. Not an easy thing to do!

Our friends from church said they finally got their foster care license! Yay! I’ve been trying to give them all the ins and outs that I’ve learned since we started that isn’t taught in the classes. Hopefully we’ll be able to be a good support for one another.