What’s that show called… 8 is Enough??

Well, I have to say that for us (or, more specifically, me) five is enough.

This week we have extra little ones at our house. We are doing respite (fancy word for babysitting) for a couple of foster kiddos from our agency. I’ve been open to doing respite since our last kiddos left. But, this was the first time that it worked out. I think it will be the last as well. Six kids is just too many. There are too many snacks, dishes, accidents… and even getting out of the house doesn’t calm it down anymore.

I’m so proud.

 

And I know that I promised photos. Sorry, I’ve been slacking!

We’ve been back nearly 2 weeks and I’ve yet to get a blog post done. What’s worse, I had my laptop with me and could have been blogging all along. Like I said, sorry!

So, we took off for California on Memorial Day. I thought it was a great plan. I was wrong. We hit tons of traffic in Palm Springs. The traffic was even enough to talk me out of the required stop at the Coach outlet on the way out.

Tuesday we hit Disneyland right as it opened and did a Character Breakfast. If you are going to Disney, this is the way to see characters. They all came to the table and chatted (well, the ones that talk chatted) with the kids and took time for photos and autographs.

We spent the rest of the day at the park lasting until the early evening.

Wednesday, we went back bright and early. But, we didn’t stay long… Bethany was a mess this day. She didn’t get much sleep and wouldn’t ride on *anything*. I learned on this trip that while Bethany loves rides, she doesn’t like the ones that are inside and dark. She’ll gladly take on any roller coaster though.

After lunch, and naps, just the older 2 boys and I headed out. We hit California Adventures for a couple rides & cool Disney Mr. Potato-Head parts… then it was back to Disney. We didn’t mean to, but we didn’t end up making it back to the hotel until nearly 11 that night!

Thursday, we hit the beach… Newport Beach to be precise. The day was totally overcast, but very comfortable and the kids had a blast playing in the sand and surf.

Friday we went back to Disney for a long day of fun.

However, Friday hit me hard. I ended up getting sick on Friday night so Saturday I spent the day recovering. The kids and Brian enjoyed the pool and went to see How to Train Your Dragon at the Imax theater.

And Sunday we headed back home.

I *think* a good time was had by all. I know that I had fun.

 

I think that I have procrastinating down to an art form. I started working on my craft at a very young age. And I worked hard at it, very hard.

Young kids these days don’t know how easy they have it. When I wanted to avoid work in school, I had to find a friend to play with or go outside or talk on the phone. There weren’t a million games on facebook… there wasn’t an internet full of infinite time wasters. I had to be more creative.

But, now that there are all of those great time sucks out there, I’ve happily let myself fall into each and every one of them today.

Tomorrow, we leave on vacation. Packing for 6 people for 6 days is quite the task. So, I should be started. Heck, other trips I would have been ready to go by now. But, instead I’ve logged record hours on the computer, left my mark on the couch and just not gotten it done.

Wish us me luck! Time to get in gear…

Mama has a new toy!

If y’all don’t know about woot (www.woot.com), then you are missing out. Basically, they offer one item a day at a great price.. typically electronic goodies. Every so-often they have a woot-off and sell item after item.

Anyhow, I bought a Sony E Reader from Woot a week or so ago and it *finally* got here today.

I’m so excited!

I’m now looking for sites that have good low price or free books and any recommendations for books that I should read. The e-book that I bought is a pocket edition–it’s about 5 x 7 and maybe half an inch thick. So, it’s very portable. I’m sure that it will make many trips with me this summer!

Please, send me your favorite recent reads!

One of the things you don’t ponder before you think about foster care and adoption is likely dental care. It’s not that it wouldn’t cross your mind, but there’s no way that you’d know what issues possibly lay ahead for you and your future child.

It’s not uncommon for kids to come into foster care with an illness or lice. It’s pretty typical for them to only have the clothes on their backs–ill fitting and dirty is the typical condition. If a parent is struggling to meet the needs of the child (neglect) or is fighting continually with the child (abuse), it’s likely that there just hasn’t been a lot of effort and attention paid to their health. And, if health isn’t a concern, teeth won’t even make the chart.

It’s very easy and tempting for all moms to allow babies to eat overnight. I know that I was guilty of letting the Bean fall asleep with a bottle more than once. Young, inexperienced or uneducated mom’s don’t often know that juice and soda don’t ever belong in a bottle. And, babies love the sweet!

When babies and toddlers sip all day and night without attention being paid to their dental health, baby bottle rot can occur. And it’s a mess!

The real damage actually comes a few years later. The baby teeth will fall out years before they’re supposed to and the gums will get tough from all of that time with no teeth. When the adult teeth come in it can be painful and difficult for them to break through that layer of scar tissue.

I’m sure that everyone reading has taken care of the teeth of their little ones. If you are going to foster, take all of your children to the dentist as soon as you can. Some say that you should wait until they are two or three years old. If they have teeth, you should take them in.

Not all dentists will see infants and toddlers, it’s imperative that you find a pediatric dentist. They’re amazing. They know how to work with kids and they’re prepared for the special issues (behaviors) that come with treating young children.

Our dentists have been amazing. We’ve seen several of the Doctors at Kid’s Dental Center (http://www.kidsdentalcenter.com/)  over the years. They’ve helped us through caps and cavities and right now are helping us get the boys’ mouths ready for all of those adult teeth.

Today is that one day of the year when we take care of the women who spend the rest of the year taking care of us.

I’ve always been pretty independent. I think that it comes from being kid #2. Your mom has her hands full… And I guess you’re never lonely, so you don’t worry about being alone. Anyhow, there have been several times this year that I’ve been in need. And it’s funny, what I wanted each time was my mom.

I am pretty sure that she knows that I love her (love you, Mom!). But, one of the things that they say you should do with kids is tell them specifically the things you appreciate. So, here’s a short list of some of the things that make my Mom the best.

• You reading to my kids over the computer.
• The mad shopping skills you passed on to each of your girls.
• Your love of games and playing in general.
• The fact that you see things and think, “That says Amanda,” and you’re always right on when you think that.
• Your smells… No, you don’t stink. But, there are certain scents that I smell that take me right back to my childhood. Usually it’s your perfume that I smell and it takes me back to sitting and watching you get ready to go.
• The amazing costumes you created for Halloween.
• The cool decorating you did in my room when I was growing up. I wish I can photos to share on that one…

The list could go on and on and on. The bottom line is, that I love my mom!

I would be remiss if there wasn’t one other woman I mentioned… My other mom. When I married a few years ago, I really did gain another family. Janice, thank you for taking me into your family with open arms. You raised such an amazing man and you continue to be a wonderful Mom to him and to me.

There are all sorts of other “moms” who had a hand in my upbringing. Some of them realize it, my Grandma, my Great Aunt… some of them probably don’t, my college professor, my former co-worker. I am just glad to have had so many amazing women in my life.

Thank you to all of the Mom’s out there today, especially *my* Mommy!

One of the things that you *must* have to be an adoptive parent is patience.

For us, it was waiting for our classes to start. Then we had to wait for them to end. Then, we had to wait for the state to process our papework and approve us. Then we waited for a call (although, I can’t say that it was much of a wait). The next wait was one of the hardest. We waited for our boys to finally be moved to our home.

Then, the wait became harder. When you start the wait, you haven’t given up your heart. When you start waiting on court dates, when you start waiting on “forever”, the wait changes. Once the notion of adoption was in mind, my heart would break a little with each set back.

One of the craziest decisions of this whole family building process, was the decision to foster again. Once we’d been foster parents and found out what that really meant, we still decided that we’d still do it again.

Right now, we’re at the end of the wait. We have done the challenging stuff. Little V is already legally free for adoption. Now we just wait. I spoke with our lawyer and his caseworker this week. Neither had news for us. So, the wait continues. What really stinks about all of this waiting is that I don’t have any control over any of it!

If you have patience to spare, please send it my way.

So, I really want to get into the details of all of the fertility stuff. I really do. I feel like I’m on an island through all of this and I want to share. But, I know that it’s too much information. And while I’ve been known to over-share in the past, I am going to try to keep this stuff to myself.

Just think of us this weekend. And think “grow”. No, I’m not pregnant (I wish!).

As far as other happenings (as if I can think of anything else when were going through this cycle), big D is on his first sleep over tonight. I felt a little nostalgic when I dropped him off. It was hard to let him go. I just still see him as a three year old sometimes. He misses me/us, too. He called home about half an hour ago just to chat. He just kept saying that he loves me and that he misses me. I really hope that he doesn’t get too homesick to enjoy the time there. With all of his energy, it’s easy to forget how sensitive he is. He just seems to always be going and always be “on”. But, he is a very caring little boy.

Oh, V has glasses! And he’s adorable! I’ve never really thought that he looked like his brothers, but the glasses have kind of changed that. I had all three boys with new glasses and new haircuts get their photos taken the other day. And seeing them side by side made me really realize how much V looks like both of them. He has David’s ears, and the same facial shape as Dan. V has also already lost his glasses once. Ugh!

Sigh.

Nada.

No date. No updates.

We are still in a holding pattern.

I am a sore, hormonal mess.