Baby Shower

Tonight we went to a friends fun baby shower. We try and prep Miss M for everything we do so she isn't caught off guard. Here's how the convo went:

Me: "Miss M, tonight we are going to go to something called a baby shower! One of my friends has a baby in her tummy so we get to celebrate!"

Long pause

Miss M: "A baby shower?"

Long pause

Miss M: "Like a pardy?"

Me: "Yes, like a party! We are going to meet knew people and eat some food and celebrate the baby that will be born soon."

Really Long pause

Miss M: "Like a birdday party?" ...Yes I spelled birthday bird-day because that how she pronouces 'th'.

Me: "Yes! Just like a birthday party! We are celebrating the birth that is to come. And maybe they will even have cake there just like a birthday party."


It takes her a bit to process but she's getting the hang of it!

Life in Toddler Land

The girls are down for a nap, and once again the house is quiet. I never thought I'd enjoy the quietness so much. It's really a beautiful thing. The apartment is a disaster but I think I'll just bask in the calmness right now rather than clean.

I took the girls to Boomerangs this morning for the Watermark Building Blocks Fun Friday. I had no idea that such places existed but it was really fun! It's an indoor bounce house extravaganza! I wish I could post pics of the girls but alas, I can't. Miss M thoroughly enjoyed herself, especially the bounce houses with slides. Miss Z on the other hand was a bit pretentious. I think she was a bit overwhelmed. It seems to take her a while to warm up to new things.

This morning the girls didn't get up until 7:3o! I was able to take a shower, blow dry my hair, put on a little makeup, and do a quiet time all before they got up....it was amazing!

I think the girls are both starting to come out of the honeymoon phase. Many adoptive and foster kids have honeymoon phases where they act a lot better then normal. The meltdowns are getting more frequent and intense and we are beginning to see different sides to them.

I don't think I've said this yet on the blog but I love my job! It's seriously the hardest thing I've ever done...no kids to 2 toddlers overnight...but it's been such a joy and I'm so thankful the Lord has allowed us to do this.

The Joys

The girls are down for a nap so I have a few minutes to write and catch everyone up on our life.

We were on an Apartment Life retreat this past weekend at this amazing log-cabin-style mansion lake house about 2 hours away. I was a little concerned about taking the girls since I didn't know how they would react to seeing 40 people all at once but they did great for the most part. We had a lot of fun swimming, playing in the sand, and taking nature walks. Towards the end Miss Z was getting really really fussy and kept scratching on her ear. I took her to the doc yesterday and sure enough, she has a nasty ear infection. She has been doing better today but still more fussy then usual (but I realize our 'usual' is only based on a week with these girls).

Miss M keeps having some nasty meltdowns. It's really tough to see her go through them. I don't want to go into to much detail about them but they make us wonder what in the world has gone on in her little life.

Miss M sat through an entire book with me last night! That was HUGE because when we got her a week ago she was only interested in one-word-per-page books. The one we read last night was by Max Lucado, called Hermie (who writes THE BEST children's books).

We are working on colors with Miss M. Until now everything has been purple in her world. Today's color is yellow. We've been seeing yellow everywhere and I think she finally has it down...for today at least. I think tomorrow we'll try green.

So far half of today has been spent in the bathroom. Miss M found her big girl panties and has been wanting to wear them. I told her as soon as she goes tinkle in the potty she can wear them and get a special treat. She keeps asking me to go to the potty but then nothing...we just sit there. I'm glad she is interested in the potty because those #5 diapers are EXPENSIVE! If any of you have some wisdom of potty training, let me know! I'm not pushing this on her at all though because of so much change she's had recently. She seems to want this on her own so that's why we are trying this out.

I learned today that both the girls LOVE hummus. I sat them down to eat their yummy toddler friendly lunch today but they were much more interested in my hummus and sprouted tortilla chips. Miss M was literally spooning the hummus. She ate 1/2 of the tub!

I've also learned that I cannot get through the day without a good quiet time. Seriously. I'm at my whits end if I try to do this on my own. Thank you Lord for forcing me to be dependent on you.

The last news is that the family ahead of us on the infant list will be getting their infant this week. Our caseworker told me yesterday that they are expecting a birth at the end of the month and another one early July. This means it will be very plausible for us to have 3 under the age of 3 by the end of the month! We are very excited but freaking out just a little bit. But just like everything else with this process, we'll believe it when we see it.

Wild and Crazy

The last two days have gone pretty well. We are all (and I mean ALL...especially our dog Jackson) still adjusting. Miss M had her first big tantrum today. She had to sit in the 'think about it' chair for about 10 minutes. She determines how long she stays there. When she is ready to tell us what she did wrong and how to do it right she can get off the chair. We've been constantly learning about respect. We respect toys, dogs, couches, and especially people. This includes what we say, how we say it, and how we care for those things.

I think Miss Z may have an ear infection...not sure though. She keeps touching her ears and rubbing them. I'm not looking forward to visiting the doctor because I've heard everything with Medicaid takes longer.

So here are a couple of my thoughts on parenting:
-Momma's of 2 or more toddlers are excused from working out in a gym because your working out ALL day. We've got cardio, chasing the girls in the park and dancing, and plenty of weight building, picking them up and rocking them to sleep (we don't have a rocker so this is done manually).

-My house will never be clean again! The only time to clean is during nap time but that time is also used for cooking dinner and maybe squeaking a nap in myself.

-The girls SQUEAL with delight when hub comes home! They race to see who can get around his neck first. It is soooooo sweet! I need to get it on camera soon.

-I LOVE seeing them in the morning. I can't wait to wake them up! Miss Z has the biggest smile on her face and does a little panting thing which is so adorable.

-My apartment just shrank a ton! Something about adding 2 little girls made it shrink overnight. We like to spend a lot of time outside at the park and pool. They love to run and run in the part. It's definitely a 2 man job though so I've had a couple residents who stay home come out with us.

Oh goodness, got to run...they both just woke up SCREAMING!

Sound Asleep

Whew! What a day. First let me apologize if you called or texted me today and I did not return the call or text. The phone was ringing off the hook which was such a blessing knowing people care and love us but we weren't able to answer many of the phone calls with everything going on. It's crazy to think that we woke up this morning with no kids and we're going to bed with 2 toddlers sound asleep in our apartment. Welcome to parenthood!

We spoke the their caseworker for quite a while learning more details of their history and personalities. We found out the story we told when they asked us to take them was not accurate on several accounts. The girls are a lot younger than we were told and we'll most likely have them longer than anticipated...which we don't mind at all! They are so beautiful! I wish I could post a picture of them.

Today went pretty smooth with the older sister...we'll call her Miss M (her name does not start with an 'M' but I need some sort of initial!) She is adjusting really well so far. I'm just nervous this is a 'honeymoon' stage and she'll wake up in a couple days and act like a different girl. The younger girl (we'll call her Miss Z) had some rough moments but we got through them.

Tomorrow night we have an event. Mom is coming over to watch the girls which is such a big help. I hope they do ok with yet another transition as hub and I come and go as we set up.

Thanks for all your prayers and support as we all adjust. It seriously means the world to us!

We have them!

I'll post more about it tonight but wanted to let you know that everything went as planned! Thanks for your prayers.

So far so good!

Well we never got a call saying tomorrow was off so so far everything is going as planned! We are suppose to get them tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know if/when it goes through. We installed 2 toddler car seats in our car this evening. We picked out girly bedding, got a few basics like tooth brushes, a toddle potty seat, hair clips.... I hope it goes through. I don't want to have to return things again.

We were walking through Target and hubby kept asking me if we need to get this and that. I finally looked at him and said, 'I think the only phrase that's going to come out of my mouth for a while is, 'i don't know." That's how I feel right now. I. Don't. Know. I don't know how to parent an infant, much less 2 little girls in 2 completely different stages in life who have had who-knows-what kind of trauma in their precious little lives. We've read some good books but I've never practiced any of this. Yesterday's message at Watermark was perfect for me in many ways. It was on the story of the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. We all know the story, but this time it went a little deeper. I don't know how to love these girls and how to meet their needs but the Lord does. I need to give Him my measly 2 fish and 5 loaves and let Him multiply it into exactly what these girls need.

"Lord help me give you what I see as so little and trust You to glorify Yourself in ways that I can't fathom right now. Help my unbelief."

Toddler update

We are still getting the girls but it has been postponed until Tuesday. I'll let you know if anything changes.



Several times over the last week I've been wanting to bust out and sing "Roller Coaster...."



Chase was really sweet and we had a great date night last night. We went to a resturant that I've been wanting to try for years but it's really pricy. It's called Jaspers and its at the Shops at Legacy in Plano. It was GREAT food! The owner also has a restraut called Abacus in Uptown.

3rd Times a Charm???

Yep, we got offered another placement today. They are 2 toddler aged girl siblings. They are most likely not adoptable but taking them won't prevent us from getting an adoptable infant if one becomes avaiable in the next could months. They are already under Methodists care in another city so everything should work out this time. We are scheduled to get them sometime on Friday.

We would love to provide a loving and stable home for them as long as the Lord will allow us to have them. I'll let you know sometime on Friday if we get them.

Let's talk about fun things

I've been pretty down the last 2 days with the drama that unfolded and then getting so sick. I'm finally feeling much better. I still can't seem to eat much, 7-up and Saltine crackers are my friend right now. I think I might actually leave the house today! I'm excited about that.

I don't really want to talk about the last couple days or my emotions right now so let's talk about some fun things. Next week I've got 2 cake tastings scheduled for upcoming wedding cakes. I'm very excited about this. This is when I'll figure out exactly what the brides want in their design and the 'vision' starts to really come together.

Another fun thing to talk about is how amazing I've been feeling!...well minus the last 2 days. I think this crazy diet thing is really working. My pain level has dramatically diminished. The month before I saw Dr. R I was having 2-3 endo pains an hour. Now, I have maybe 6 per month. BIG difference. I've also lost 16 pounds! Crazy. This stomach virus helped with the last 2 pounds...but I'll still count it! Chase has lost 17 pounds. We went to Ross the other night and Chase picked out a cute outfit for me. We guessed on the size of shorts because I didn't have time to try them on and they fit perfectly. This is 2 sizes smaller than 3 months ago!

Chase and I have been learning a TON about parenting recently. We've been reading The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis, who I've mentioned before, and it has been giving us a lot of great information. It is specific to parenting children who come from 'hard places' but many of the principles are relevant to biological children as well. I would HIGHLY recommend it for every parent.

Twins Update

I wish I could say that everything went as planned and we picked up the twins this morning...but alas, it did not go as planned. Without going into a lot of details, there is a chance we could still get them but it doesn't look good. My biggest concern is for the girls' safety. Please pray for them.

I woke up in the middle of the night and quickly realized I have caught the stomach virus mom, sister, and nephew had. It was/is nasty! I didn't sleep much last night but I was able to read about 1/2 a book while I hung out in the bathroom....productive sickness :) I'm doing a little better this evening but still running a decent fever. Chase is also under the weather...we are pretty pathetic right now.

We ran to Target last night to pick up a few necessities for the twins. We didn't take anything out of their packages and kept the receipts. Apparently that was a smart decision. We are really bummed and sad. My perspective on this entire process is that I'll believe it when I'm holding kids in my arms and taking them home. It's tough though. Nothing is for certain. Oh how I long to be 'normal' and have a 'normal' pregnancy but more then that, I long to be exactly where the Lord wants us and have the family the Lord wants us to have. Sorry for the raw emotions but that's where I'm at this evening.

Kiddo's TOMORROW!

Few! Just got a call from MCH asking if we could take 2...I said 2! 2 yr old twins!!!! And the crazier thing is that we said YES! They didn't know much nor the adoption status but they needed as answer asap. We'll most likely pick them up tomorrow MORNING! I know, I'm using a lot of capitals but that's pretty much how I feel at the moment.

I'll let you know more when I know more...probably tomorrow evening sometime. And again, I can't post pictures which I'm really bummed about. Thanks for you prayers...we could really use them right now.