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 ;).