Actually, we're a little over one week into our continued adoption journey with the kiddos! And boy have we experienced parenting! I posted just a few days ago about day to day life. We are definitely in the swing of a normal routine and Clif and I are less emotionally and physically exhausted with each passing day. Our bodies are beginning to develop an understanding that we have three children that need to be cared for each and every day.
Last week Brian developed a rough cough that just wouldn't go away. So, we decided that a doctor's visit was necessary. I braved a doctor's visit with ALL THREE children! It was interesting for sure! Thankfully, we were the only ones there as we waited in the lobby area. Of course, I had to fill out about 8 pages of paperwork while we waited (which probably looks to the receptionist like one of the kids had completed instead of me). It was a new office that had not even ONE toy or children's activity. So what's a kid to do when there's nothing to play with? Run, of course, hahahaha! And that's exactly what my children decided to do. I tried to bring in a couple of toys from the van, while still managing to watch the children AND fill out paperwork. But, who wants familiar toys in such a new environment where there's space to run? And water fountains to play with? Ha! Whatever, mom! ;) We finally went back and got settled into a room and the nurse probed Brian, who was pretty cooperative, but curious about all of the interesting little gadgets. The doctor who came in was fantastic- patient and playful with the kiddos, thorough, and honest. His diagnosis: congestion. Good to know that we've been doing what parents should be doing with congested kiddos :). He is completely over his cold and has the energy to show it!
A few days later, Hayden began running fever. He is teething right now and chewing on EVERYTHING (I have bruises to prove it), and a slight fever is normal. Two days ago, the fever increased and he began coughing with a runny nose to follow. Clif took him to the emergency room Sunday evening. After breathing treatments, a couple of antibiotics, and some tender love and care, he is almost back to normal. Just sleepy, grumpy, and still teething :).
I have been running a slight fever for at least 4 days now. A soar throat has come and gone here and there, but overall, I'm making it through the days- tired, of course. Hailey also has caught the fever and cough, but is getting better.
Perhaps we are all experiencing some sort of stress as we transition into our new normal. I'd like to think that we are being broken down and rebuilt in a way that will mold our family to what God has intended it to be. We are learning to trust each other in times when we are not just sad or lonely, but in times when we are truly sick. And when we feel better, we are all there to bask in the joy that comes with healthiness.
We are still continuing to pray for restful sleep and continued bonding experiences.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Day to Day Life
We've been here at home with the kiddos for one full week now! Things are going really well- not easy, but well :). So many people ask the really important question, "How are they sleeping?" Why is that important? Because if they're not sleeping, neither are we. We are blessed to have three children come from a fantastic foster home that had them on a consistent bedtime routine. All three go to bed without too much complaining and sleep through the night easily. In addition to that, they also take naps without question (for the most part). It has been fairly easy to determine a daily schedule, but of course not as easy to stick to or conquer :). The first couple of days were simply an extension of what our weekend was like when they had their first home visit- but we weren't nearly as exhausted. Of course, I like to think that the two of us make a pretty awesome team when it comes to parenting. As the weekend passed and the work week approached, I began thinking about what our weeks would look like when Clif went to work and I became a "stay-at-home" mom for the summer. Yes, I have to admit, I was pretty anxious about my first day with the kiddos without Clif's help. Our first day alone went surprisingly well... okay, well, that's excluding the hassle of trying to lure Sampson out of the van before leaving for the park, and Brian's unfortunate potty accident at the park (let's just say that he has one less pair of underwear haha!), and our return to dirty diaper trash shredded across the floor by our dog. Yes, other than those things, the day was surprisingly easy. I now have a daily-ish schedule and we're rockin' and rollin' with it- for the most part, ha!
The kiddos are all adjusting so well. Hailey (4) has called us "Mommy" and "Daddy" from the first weekend we met. She tested limits the first couple of days she was here, but is slowly beginning to see that our "No" means no. She is also opening up more when we have serious discussions with her about certain behaviors. For example, the first few times I would ask her to stop doing something (minor things like "Don't slam the door") she would stand there and stare at us without saying anything. I coached her to simply say, "Okay" and follow through. She is doing just that now! She is full of random "I love you"s and is so proud to be the big sister who is clean and follows rules and takes on as much responsibility as she can- like feeding the dogs. Hailey pants is smart and catches on to things SO quickly. She has only brought up her biological family a couple of times over the week as she is trying to figure all of this out.
Brian (3)... oh Brian :). If a child's attention span could be any shorter, it might be nonexistent haha! He is energetic, FULL of love!!!, and wants to be heard. He can move from one activity to the next in a matter of seconds and needs complete eye contact before he truly listens to what you are asking of him. He can hear you, of course, but he definitely may not be listening. Brian is a "momma's boy"! And this momma LOVES it! I'm a sucker for him :). Today he ran up to me and said, "Wanna give you a kiss momma Casey". :*) UGH!!! Does it get any better than that?!?! He repeats everything, and I mean everything! Sometimes he will come up to us and say, "Momma Casey/ Daddy Clif... gasdlkfjwoeijfafjd". Nope, we don't know what he's saying either lol. He just wants to know that we're listening.
Hayden (1) is... there are no words to describe. I could just eat him up! He has been AWESOME! He sleeps through the night and takes naps on a relatively normal schedule. He eats, eats, and then eats some more. He's crawling like a maniac and is SO close to walking. His bright blue eyes stare at me just as he's falling asleep and I just can't imagine my life without him. The past few days he's been a little cranky because he's teething :/. But I don't care- I'll take a cranky baby any day over no baby at all. And when he's happy, smiling, and laughing, it's all worth it.
Yes, we are EXHAUSTED! Our bodies are definitely adjusting right now to this huge life change. But, that's to be expected. Not only that, we also have many things on our minds and are praying that these children stay in our lives permanently. Just the thought of having them taken away is devastating. So I will spend every minute cherishing them and pouring into them, even if just for a while. Thank you, God, for these children!
The kiddos are all adjusting so well. Hailey (4) has called us "Mommy" and "Daddy" from the first weekend we met. She tested limits the first couple of days she was here, but is slowly beginning to see that our "No" means no. She is also opening up more when we have serious discussions with her about certain behaviors. For example, the first few times I would ask her to stop doing something (minor things like "Don't slam the door") she would stand there and stare at us without saying anything. I coached her to simply say, "Okay" and follow through. She is doing just that now! She is full of random "I love you"s and is so proud to be the big sister who is clean and follows rules and takes on as much responsibility as she can- like feeding the dogs. Hailey pants is smart and catches on to things SO quickly. She has only brought up her biological family a couple of times over the week as she is trying to figure all of this out.
Brian (3)... oh Brian :). If a child's attention span could be any shorter, it might be nonexistent haha! He is energetic, FULL of love!!!, and wants to be heard. He can move from one activity to the next in a matter of seconds and needs complete eye contact before he truly listens to what you are asking of him. He can hear you, of course, but he definitely may not be listening. Brian is a "momma's boy"! And this momma LOVES it! I'm a sucker for him :). Today he ran up to me and said, "Wanna give you a kiss momma Casey". :*) UGH!!! Does it get any better than that?!?! He repeats everything, and I mean everything! Sometimes he will come up to us and say, "Momma Casey/ Daddy Clif... gasdlkfjwoeijfafjd". Nope, we don't know what he's saying either lol. He just wants to know that we're listening.
Hayden (1) is... there are no words to describe. I could just eat him up! He has been AWESOME! He sleeps through the night and takes naps on a relatively normal schedule. He eats, eats, and then eats some more. He's crawling like a maniac and is SO close to walking. His bright blue eyes stare at me just as he's falling asleep and I just can't imagine my life without him. The past few days he's been a little cranky because he's teething :/. But I don't care- I'll take a cranky baby any day over no baby at all. And when he's happy, smiling, and laughing, it's all worth it.
Yes, we are EXHAUSTED! Our bodies are definitely adjusting right now to this huge life change. But, that's to be expected. Not only that, we also have many things on our minds and are praying that these children stay in our lives permanently. Just the thought of having them taken away is devastating. So I will spend every minute cherishing them and pouring into them, even if just for a while. Thank you, God, for these children!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Home at last
Last Friday we went to the Dallas area to sign, sign, and then sign some more- all the papers required to move forward with the adoptive placement. We left our house at 7am, began the meeting at 11am, started home with the children at about noon and finally arrived home at about 4:30. Looking back now, it was a super fast day. But in the midst of it all, the time seemed to pass by SO slowly!
The foster mom, along with her own mother and daughter, met us at the CPS office with the kids after the meeting had finished. The whole gang came into the meeting room to greet all who were there with smiling faces and happy voices! We were ecstatic to see them again and we were anxious to get them home. At the same time, we knew the following minutes of transferring their last few belongings from the foster mom's van to ours would be difficult. We got everything into our van and it was time to say good-bye's. Christina (foster mom) hugged my neck tight, probably already noticing the tears I was desperately trying to hold back. It didn't work- we both just couldn't resist the tears. How bittersweet this moment was! It was a moment I will NEVER forget and cry about just writing this post. I wish I could explain it better, but it just cannot be explained. She and her family will forever be a part of our lives, the children's lives, so we know that it was not the "last" good-bye. The children did well, but I'm sure they're seeing this as just another "visit" at this time, although they've been told many times by us and others that this will be their forever home- "forever" is an extremely abstract concept for young children. The children's caseworker followed us home, checked out our home and observed the children in this environment, then went on her way back north.
The evening was as smooth as it could have been in their new home with all of their original belongings stacked around the house waiting to be unpacked. Hailey and Brian will soon begin to test limits (as they have already somewhat done so). We are prepared for these moments and know that they will help us and the children understand one another better and will also help in the bonding process.
I told several people that this had been a very emotional day on all levels. We experienced happiness (of course), joy, anxiousness, sadness, and unfortunately, fear...
In short (very short), we were told that some immediate family members had expressed thoughts about pursuing a lawyer. Now, from the time the parents' rights were terminated, immediate family had/ has a year to petition for custody of the children. The last date to make that stand is May 24- this coming Thursday. We had no idea if this immediate family member would try to make a stand for custody or perhaps just visitation rights. CPS and other workers within the system stand behind us 100% and seem to have little concern about this legal action going anywhere. Regardless, the adoptive placement would happen (and did happen). Now, as one can imagine, the unknown behind it all was VERY nerve wrecking! But, our God is bigger than this and has a particular path paved- be it a path we enjoy or not... we're enjoying this path because it has three beautiful children walking down it with us :).
They have been with us for several days now, making each day an interesting one. We are already making moments that will always be remembered. More posts to come about our first full week with the kiddos :). I'm sure at some point another blessed person will adopt a sibling group and may find these blogs helpful or at least encouraging in some way.
The foster mom, along with her own mother and daughter, met us at the CPS office with the kids after the meeting had finished. The whole gang came into the meeting room to greet all who were there with smiling faces and happy voices! We were ecstatic to see them again and we were anxious to get them home. At the same time, we knew the following minutes of transferring their last few belongings from the foster mom's van to ours would be difficult. We got everything into our van and it was time to say good-bye's. Christina (foster mom) hugged my neck tight, probably already noticing the tears I was desperately trying to hold back. It didn't work- we both just couldn't resist the tears. How bittersweet this moment was! It was a moment I will NEVER forget and cry about just writing this post. I wish I could explain it better, but it just cannot be explained. She and her family will forever be a part of our lives, the children's lives, so we know that it was not the "last" good-bye. The children did well, but I'm sure they're seeing this as just another "visit" at this time, although they've been told many times by us and others that this will be their forever home- "forever" is an extremely abstract concept for young children. The children's caseworker followed us home, checked out our home and observed the children in this environment, then went on her way back north.
The evening was as smooth as it could have been in their new home with all of their original belongings stacked around the house waiting to be unpacked. Hailey and Brian will soon begin to test limits (as they have already somewhat done so). We are prepared for these moments and know that they will help us and the children understand one another better and will also help in the bonding process.
I told several people that this had been a very emotional day on all levels. We experienced happiness (of course), joy, anxiousness, sadness, and unfortunately, fear...
In short (very short), we were told that some immediate family members had expressed thoughts about pursuing a lawyer. Now, from the time the parents' rights were terminated, immediate family had/ has a year to petition for custody of the children. The last date to make that stand is May 24- this coming Thursday. We had no idea if this immediate family member would try to make a stand for custody or perhaps just visitation rights. CPS and other workers within the system stand behind us 100% and seem to have little concern about this legal action going anywhere. Regardless, the adoptive placement would happen (and did happen). Now, as one can imagine, the unknown behind it all was VERY nerve wrecking! But, our God is bigger than this and has a particular path paved- be it a path we enjoy or not... we're enjoying this path because it has three beautiful children walking down it with us :).
They have been with us for several days now, making each day an interesting one. We are already making moments that will always be remembered. More posts to come about our first full week with the kiddos :). I'm sure at some point another blessed person will adopt a sibling group and may find these blogs helpful or at least encouraging in some way.
Monday, May 14, 2012
First Home Visit and More
It has been almost two weeks since I last posted! I believe the last thing I posted about was our first physical meeting with the kiddos. Two weekends ago, after our first visit in Fort Worth, the kids came for a home visit for the weekend. They stayed Friday night through Monday morning. It was a crazy awesome weekend! We didn't really know what to expect for the weekend- who would, though?! We planned for their stay as best we could with the little amount of preparation time we had- meals were planned out and the children had places to sleep :). We knew that there would be many more things we would learn we needed as the weekend progressed.
When they first arrived, they immediately roamed the house wanting mostly to see their own rooms. We visited with the foster mom and her kids for a while, she gave us a run-down of administering meds and a few little bits of needed information, and then we were left alone with our three children in our home. To say that the weekend was a breeze would be completely false. To say that it was amazing would be completely true. There really is no way to describe how it felt... But I'll try :).
They arrived here Friday evening, so there was only enough time to relax, eat, bathe, and attempt bedtime. Of course, when you've never parented one, much less three, attempting a routine for these things in one weekend is next to impossible. But we managed to get it all done by 8:00-8:30ish; whether it was "pretty" or not didn't really matter :). We played outside A LOT over the weekend, watched movies together, ALL took naps each day, and towards the last day, of course, began to see what a "normal" day might look like in the Watts' household.
And, yes, we were exhausted throughout the weekend. Everyone I mention that to seems to say, "Better get used to it!" or, "Welcome to parenthood!"... Well, yes, we know in full that parenthood will be tiring. But this was a different kind of exhaustion. It was full of the newness of routines. Although, how do you expect three children to understand your routines or follow them when they are headed back to their own "normal" within two days? It was packed with Clif and I determining how to divide and conquer without getting frustrated with one another. It was piled with notes and reminders to ourselves about what we still needed before their permanent arrival. And the weekend was immediately followed by an 8 hour trip to Forth Worth and back- a trip that meant we had to leave our children again for another week! So, physically exhausting? Yes, a little. Emotionally/ mentally draining? Yes, a lot! There's just so much to process in a short amount of time. Saying that we're ready for "normalcy" in our lives with our children is an understatement (maybe "consistency" would be a more accurate term).
This past weekend was spent in Fort Worth again. The children's foster parents went camping with their family and offered for us to stay in their home with the kids! Yes, we are tremendously blessed! These foster parents are outstanding. We felt at home the entire weekend. The children were accustomed to this environment and this weekend actually was "a breeze", even in trying times (because the 'honeymoon phase' is slowly beginning to wear off, haha! If you're a classroom teacher, or foster parent, you understand all too well the honeymoon phase. As great as it may be, I'm always ready for that phase to end so that "normal" can take it's place.) We didn't do much outside of the home or city, but rather spent lots of time playing and relaxing together. It was incredible! Every moment I spend with them, I wonder how I could love them more... Is it possible to love someone more than this??? Gosh, how does God feel???!!!
We returned Sunday evening. I began my "family leave" this week and we are preparing our home/ ourselves for their permanent arrival to take place this Friday, May 18!!! We go to the Dallas area to sign papers, etc. and bring them home with us. 6 months later, the adoption will be finalized and they will take on our last name. But a name is just a name- they are OUR children now by the grace of God and papers will show this later :).
When they first arrived, they immediately roamed the house wanting mostly to see their own rooms. We visited with the foster mom and her kids for a while, she gave us a run-down of administering meds and a few little bits of needed information, and then we were left alone with our three children in our home. To say that the weekend was a breeze would be completely false. To say that it was amazing would be completely true. There really is no way to describe how it felt... But I'll try :).
They arrived here Friday evening, so there was only enough time to relax, eat, bathe, and attempt bedtime. Of course, when you've never parented one, much less three, attempting a routine for these things in one weekend is next to impossible. But we managed to get it all done by 8:00-8:30ish; whether it was "pretty" or not didn't really matter :). We played outside A LOT over the weekend, watched movies together, ALL took naps each day, and towards the last day, of course, began to see what a "normal" day might look like in the Watts' household.
And, yes, we were exhausted throughout the weekend. Everyone I mention that to seems to say, "Better get used to it!" or, "Welcome to parenthood!"... Well, yes, we know in full that parenthood will be tiring. But this was a different kind of exhaustion. It was full of the newness of routines. Although, how do you expect three children to understand your routines or follow them when they are headed back to their own "normal" within two days? It was packed with Clif and I determining how to divide and conquer without getting frustrated with one another. It was piled with notes and reminders to ourselves about what we still needed before their permanent arrival. And the weekend was immediately followed by an 8 hour trip to Forth Worth and back- a trip that meant we had to leave our children again for another week! So, physically exhausting? Yes, a little. Emotionally/ mentally draining? Yes, a lot! There's just so much to process in a short amount of time. Saying that we're ready for "normalcy" in our lives with our children is an understatement (maybe "consistency" would be a more accurate term).
This past weekend was spent in Fort Worth again. The children's foster parents went camping with their family and offered for us to stay in their home with the kids! Yes, we are tremendously blessed! These foster parents are outstanding. We felt at home the entire weekend. The children were accustomed to this environment and this weekend actually was "a breeze", even in trying times (because the 'honeymoon phase' is slowly beginning to wear off, haha! If you're a classroom teacher, or foster parent, you understand all too well the honeymoon phase. As great as it may be, I'm always ready for that phase to end so that "normal" can take it's place.) We didn't do much outside of the home or city, but rather spent lots of time playing and relaxing together. It was incredible! Every moment I spend with them, I wonder how I could love them more... Is it possible to love someone more than this??? Gosh, how does God feel???!!!
We returned Sunday evening. I began my "family leave" this week and we are preparing our home/ ourselves for their permanent arrival to take place this Friday, May 18!!! We go to the Dallas area to sign papers, etc. and bring them home with us. 6 months later, the adoption will be finalized and they will take on our last name. But a name is just a name- they are OUR children now by the grace of God and papers will show this later :).
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Meeting OUR Children=AMAZING!
Last Friday, April 27, 2012, Clif and I physically met our children for the very first time. There aren't any words to describe the way it felt. I imagined that tears would be pouring from my eyes upon just seeing them. But there really was just too much excitement and smiling to be able to cry. We walked in the door of the foster home and immediately saw Hayden crawling around on the floor in the distance. He stopped, looked at the strangers in the hallway and grinned. That's the moment that tears started forming- "That is MY child sitting there grinning at me," is the first thought that came to mind. WILD! He came to us easily and seemed as though he had no cares in the world :). Hailey and Brian came in from outside and immediately ran to us and jumped in our arms with the sweetest hugs one could ever imagine. It hurts my heart now to think about those awesome hugs, only because I can't get them right this moment! The kids were so excited to see us and wanted to show us all of the things that are important to them- like Thomas the Train haha! We spent the evening playing with our kids, watching them play, and getting to know the foster family with which we already feel connected.
Bedtime for the kiddos came too quickly that night! I watched and helped Hailey go through her nightly routine. Clif had the task of putting Hayden to bed and also helped wind Brian down, which meant watching a little bit of Thomas the Train and playing with his new Thomas book. Hailey and I laid in her bed, me reading bedtime stories and her throwing in questions and thoughts completely unrelated to the books. She wanted to know why my hair was shorter than in the pictures in our Life Book, and if she could wear her bangs like mine, and who got me the earrings and necklace I was wearing. She asked when she could come see her new room. Many questions I could answer. Some I could only respond with, "I don't know," or "Very soon." She asked to call me 'Mommy' instead of 'Mommy Casey'. And she also wanted assurance that our family would now be Mommy, Daddy, Brian, Hayden, and Hailey. So we assigned each of the five fingers on one hand a name to match the members of our family. Holding her small hand to mine, she said, "For ever? For-really-ever?"....... Best moment EVER! Of course, she wants her bracelets in her room to be hers and only hers for-really-ever as well lol.
Brian also responded to us well. He, unlike Hailey, didn't hold too much of a conversation about our forever family- not because he wasn't excited (because I think he is) but because he is a three-year-old BOY who wants to be loved and recognized. Once those things are accomplished, he is content :). Brian gives the most firm, yet gentle hugs. And his "I love you" is like listening to the sweetest lullaby! He is an energetic and curious little guy! Did I mention that he loves trains??? We went to an inside play area at a mall Saturday where he climbed on top of the toy trains and yelled, "All ABOARD! Choo-Choo!!" So, our phrase to get him in the stroller at the ZOO was, of course, "All aboard!" The best moments were hearing him shout out "Daddy Clif" every now and then, sometimes for what seemed like no reason but to get Clif's attention. And at a park we went to, he went across monkey bars with help and ran to me EVERY time to hug me or give a high-five because I was so proud of him. In fact, when he, Clif, and the other boys of the foster family came back from their adventure to a park, Brian ran straight to me and said, "Momma Casey, Momma Casey!" as if there was SOMETHING I should have been proud of him for accomplishing :). He is a cuddly thing, too. He took my arm and wrapped it around him while winding down Saturday night- I almost went straight to heaven!
And Hayden, OH MY! He is the happiest baby in the world! As I said, he came straight to us with no fuss at all. It was like he had known us forever! He loves to be outside. He loves to be held. He loves to eat. He loves to bathe. He loves to sleep. He does NOT enjoy getting buckled into a car seat or having his diaper changed :). But hey, I don't think I would enjoy those things either! He responds to Hailey's voice with loud coos and yells. He gives those open mouthed kisses that only babies can do without grossing you out haha! I could just stare at him for days on end in amazement that his beautiful eyes will be looking to us to meet his needs.
How blessed we are! Thank you, Jesus!
We did all kinds of things over the weekend- jumped RIGHT into parenting and had many "first time" experiences. Went to our first t-ball games, fit three kids in car seats in our truck (which was a task, I cannot lie), attempted a mall with three, went to a family bathroom (which was pretty cool), ate at a restaurant- and not just a fast food place, a real restaurant! It was tiring, awesome, fun, and filled with learning about each other and parenting... And it was extremely difficult to leave them. I held onto Hayden for a bit before heading out and the tears came. I managed to somewhat hold it together as we walked out of the house, but as soon as I got in the truck, I couldn't help the flow of tears. Luckily, this week has passed fairly quickly and we now have two more days before we get to see them again! This time, they will be in their new home for the weekend! No, the house is not near being ready (as ready as I'd like for it to be). But, they have beds to sleep in and the basic things to take care of their needs for at least a few days. When they return for their permanent stay (hopefully May 19th!!!), things will all be in place and ready for our new family of five!
There is so much more from the weekend that I could share... But I've taken up enough space and time for now. In a nutshell- there's nothing like meeting your kids for the first time and there's nothing like jumping into parenting head first! Not even jumping into a pool head first compares ;).
Bedtime for the kiddos came too quickly that night! I watched and helped Hailey go through her nightly routine. Clif had the task of putting Hayden to bed and also helped wind Brian down, which meant watching a little bit of Thomas the Train and playing with his new Thomas book. Hailey and I laid in her bed, me reading bedtime stories and her throwing in questions and thoughts completely unrelated to the books. She wanted to know why my hair was shorter than in the pictures in our Life Book, and if she could wear her bangs like mine, and who got me the earrings and necklace I was wearing. She asked when she could come see her new room. Many questions I could answer. Some I could only respond with, "I don't know," or "Very soon." She asked to call me 'Mommy' instead of 'Mommy Casey'. And she also wanted assurance that our family would now be Mommy, Daddy, Brian, Hayden, and Hailey. So we assigned each of the five fingers on one hand a name to match the members of our family. Holding her small hand to mine, she said, "For ever? For-really-ever?"....... Best moment EVER! Of course, she wants her bracelets in her room to be hers and only hers for-really-ever as well lol.
Brian also responded to us well. He, unlike Hailey, didn't hold too much of a conversation about our forever family- not because he wasn't excited (because I think he is) but because he is a three-year-old BOY who wants to be loved and recognized. Once those things are accomplished, he is content :). Brian gives the most firm, yet gentle hugs. And his "I love you" is like listening to the sweetest lullaby! He is an energetic and curious little guy! Did I mention that he loves trains??? We went to an inside play area at a mall Saturday where he climbed on top of the toy trains and yelled, "All ABOARD! Choo-Choo!!" So, our phrase to get him in the stroller at the ZOO was, of course, "All aboard!" The best moments were hearing him shout out "Daddy Clif" every now and then, sometimes for what seemed like no reason but to get Clif's attention. And at a park we went to, he went across monkey bars with help and ran to me EVERY time to hug me or give a high-five because I was so proud of him. In fact, when he, Clif, and the other boys of the foster family came back from their adventure to a park, Brian ran straight to me and said, "Momma Casey, Momma Casey!" as if there was SOMETHING I should have been proud of him for accomplishing :). He is a cuddly thing, too. He took my arm and wrapped it around him while winding down Saturday night- I almost went straight to heaven!
And Hayden, OH MY! He is the happiest baby in the world! As I said, he came straight to us with no fuss at all. It was like he had known us forever! He loves to be outside. He loves to be held. He loves to eat. He loves to bathe. He loves to sleep. He does NOT enjoy getting buckled into a car seat or having his diaper changed :). But hey, I don't think I would enjoy those things either! He responds to Hailey's voice with loud coos and yells. He gives those open mouthed kisses that only babies can do without grossing you out haha! I could just stare at him for days on end in amazement that his beautiful eyes will be looking to us to meet his needs.
How blessed we are! Thank you, Jesus!
We did all kinds of things over the weekend- jumped RIGHT into parenting and had many "first time" experiences. Went to our first t-ball games, fit three kids in car seats in our truck (which was a task, I cannot lie), attempted a mall with three, went to a family bathroom (which was pretty cool), ate at a restaurant- and not just a fast food place, a real restaurant! It was tiring, awesome, fun, and filled with learning about each other and parenting... And it was extremely difficult to leave them. I held onto Hayden for a bit before heading out and the tears came. I managed to somewhat hold it together as we walked out of the house, but as soon as I got in the truck, I couldn't help the flow of tears. Luckily, this week has passed fairly quickly and we now have two more days before we get to see them again! This time, they will be in their new home for the weekend! No, the house is not near being ready (as ready as I'd like for it to be). But, they have beds to sleep in and the basic things to take care of their needs for at least a few days. When they return for their permanent stay (hopefully May 19th!!!), things will all be in place and ready for our new family of five!
There is so much more from the weekend that I could share... But I've taken up enough space and time for now. In a nutshell- there's nothing like meeting your kids for the first time and there's nothing like jumping into parenting head first! Not even jumping into a pool head first compares ;).
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