We decided to take a break from getting kiddos for about a month. S had some travel planned, and we needed to reconnect and regroup.
We also decided maybe we jumped a little too deep with 2 kiddos at the same time. When we "opened" our home again, we decided to ask for 1 child under the age of 18 months.
After 3 weeks of waiting, we had a baby girl placed with us in early November.
During the 3 week wait, we got several calls for children needing homes. Some were older (like 2-5), and several were sibling groups of 2-4. It was absolutely heartbreaking to have to say no. I cried every single time. I wanted those babies to have a safe, loving home, Ultimately, I had to recognize our limitations. It isn't fair to the children to bring them to our home, and not be able to be the stable, boundary setting parent they need.
So we waited for what seemed like forever to get a child that matched our abilities.
We finally got The Call on a Monday in November.
She is a great baby. Easy going, happy, well fed, well loved.
We have so much empathy for her mom. It is a hard, sad situation. (I can't and wouldn't share details. Not my story to tell.)
We don't know what will happen with her case. For now, we love her, snuggle her, and kiss her face one day at a time.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Our Crazy Foster Care Life- Round 1
I noticed today my last post was in May! WOW, how time flies! We have been super busy with self-employment, S changed job roles, and we have had foster babies!!
Foster Care is quite the roller coaster of emotions. I have waited so long to write about it, because I really needed to sort out and deal with ALL THE FEELINGS!
We waited for a placement (that means when we get a child in our home) all summer. We got our first call in August 2015. Of course we said YES. The call was for exactly what we wanted. 2 brothers ages 3.5 years and 17 months.
Um, we may have overestimated ourselves just a bit.
Going from 0 children to 2 active, traumatized children was quite dramatic for a Tuesday.
We struggled with the Big Guy's behaviors. That kid has been in and out of foster care his entire life. I was his "4th mom." Seriously, he had 4 placements in less than 4 years. It was horrible. He had endured so much abuse, neglect, and change in his little life. He is a very sweet kid. He challenged everything. We had epic meltdowns daily (him and I).
And the Baby. He was very opinionated, but did respect boundaries as much as a 17month old can. He ate EVERYTHING. I swear he ate like 7 meals a day. He sought out food when he was upset, or didn't get his way. I was his "3rd mom."
It was a challenge having those boys, but we loved them the best we could and provided for them. They were with us for 1 month, and were moved to live with a distant relative.
I think it was for the best. We were overwhelmed, and they loved the people they were going to be around at that placement.
Just as suddenly as they came, they were gone.
Foster Care is quite the roller coaster of emotions. I have waited so long to write about it, because I really needed to sort out and deal with ALL THE FEELINGS!
We waited for a placement (that means when we get a child in our home) all summer. We got our first call in August 2015. Of course we said YES. The call was for exactly what we wanted. 2 brothers ages 3.5 years and 17 months.
Um, we may have overestimated ourselves just a bit.
Going from 0 children to 2 active, traumatized children was quite dramatic for a Tuesday.
We struggled with the Big Guy's behaviors. That kid has been in and out of foster care his entire life. I was his "4th mom." Seriously, he had 4 placements in less than 4 years. It was horrible. He had endured so much abuse, neglect, and change in his little life. He is a very sweet kid. He challenged everything. We had epic meltdowns daily (him and I).
And the Baby. He was very opinionated, but did respect boundaries as much as a 17month old can. He ate EVERYTHING. I swear he ate like 7 meals a day. He sought out food when he was upset, or didn't get his way. I was his "3rd mom."
It was a challenge having those boys, but we loved them the best we could and provided for them. They were with us for 1 month, and were moved to live with a distant relative.
I think it was for the best. We were overwhelmed, and they loved the people they were going to be around at that placement.
Just as suddenly as they came, they were gone.
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