Missing Baby A

Baby A has left so that he can be cared for in the same home as a sibling.  It hasn't quite sunken in yet that he is gone, but I miss him already.

New Placement = So Many Appointments!

Having had a previous foster care placement, I was definitely more prepared for all the appointments involved with a new child coming to live with us.

A Long Break & New Changes!

After a 2 month break we have some exciting news!

A Big Change in our Foster Home

It has been a busy couple of weeks, full of changes.  We are trying to fugure out our new normal.

Having to Say No to Foster Care Placements

We had a couple of placement calls on Thursday and had to make some tough decisions.  

Foster Care: Back to 2

We had some big changes over the last couple of weeks.

Foster Care Update: A new little Sweetheart!

Little Sweetheart has been here 48 hours and we are all adjusting to a zone defense!

Foster Care: Plot Twist!

I have no more words.  I'm too nervous for what is about to happen.

Foster Care: Potty Training & Court Ordered Visits

Potty training Little Guy while dealing with all of the appointments required for a little one in foster care has proven interesting, but not super messy (thankfully!).  He was definitely ready to ditch the diapers, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Foster Care: Colds, Crockpots, and Cloth Diapers

Plenty has happened this month, including lots of colds, appliances dying, cloth diaper issues, etc. Good thing we had 6 grandparents around!

Foster Care: Learning to Accept Help

We are starting to settle into a routine, just one that utilizes more outside help than I thought we would need.

Foster Care: Lots of New Experiences!

There is a steep learning curve regarding all the different services that are available to foster children and how to sign them up.  At least Little Guy is enjoying some new experiences that are a bit more fun than the paperwork I have been living in!

Foster Care Journey: So Many Appointments!

We are starting to realize just how many people are involved in each foster care case.  Most of them end up coming to our house!  Our schedule is currently being dictated by all of Little Guy's appointments.

Foster Care Journey: Little Guy - Week 3

It was a big week!  Having Little Guy here is becoming more comfortable.  It is easier for me to figure out some of his emotional needs.

Foster Care Journey: Little Guy - Week 2

Last week was definitely rough.  We knew there would be tough times along this journey, but there have also been plenty of heartwarming moments.

A Week with our First Foster Placement

Little Guy has been staying with us full time for a week.  We are still waiting until he is officially placed with us, so we are working closely with his current foster parents until the legal documents are processed.

Getting to Know our Foster Son

Little Guy has been with us full time for the past three days.  There have been some bumps (we're definitely still figuring out this whole family of 4 thing!), but the transition is going smoother than I expected.

2 Kids + 1 Me = Toy Explosion!

Little Guy was over for 6 hours today. We had lots of fun, but the floors look like a toy store exploded everywhere!

Nervous about this First Foster Care Placement

We've spent time with Little Guy twice now, and he has explored the house.  Things were a little rocky on Friday, hopefully they smooth out because I'm going to be outnumbered, and maybe a little bit over my head come Monday.

Meeting Little Guy & Paw Patrol

We had our meeting with the case manager this morning, and got to meet the little guy!  He's adorable!

Getting Ready to Meet the Little Guy!

We have a meeting with the case manager tomorrow and get to meet the little boy then!

WE HAVE OUR FOSTER CARE LICENSE! And a placement?

Our foster care license came through and we received a placement call all in 10 minutes!

The Foster Care Room is Done!

We did it!  The house is ready for foster children!  We still have a few more weeks to wait while the agency writes up the homestudy and processes the license, but we are all done on our end.  That means Doug can finally catch up on some sleep (if Teresa approves) after the all-nighter he pulled in order to finish the bunk beds.  Want to see how to bedroom turned out?  I'm pretty fond of it myself!

(Can you count how many times I say "um"?  I guess I'm not used to making videos!)

Getting the House Ready for More Kids!

Doug and I have been working every evening to ready the house for our final home inspection on Tuesday.  There are quite a few projects currently in progress so I recorded a video so you could see some of the major changes we are making!

Chugging Along

Our foster care licensing process is moving along.  We have about a month left.  I've been completing paperwork like crazy and working on getting all the stuff that is needed for a second child and nursery.  At the same time, Doug has been readying the house from the massive checklist we were given.  This includes covering all of our outlets throughout the house, installing extra smoke detectors, and setting up a home phone line.  He is also building a set of bunkbeds with a full on the bottom and a twin on the top incase a sibling group is placed with us.

Besides paperwork and prepping the house, we have had a few more meetings with our licensing specialist, including our individual interviews.  We also got our medical checks completed, basically saying that we are physically capable of taking care of more children.  

Once we have the house ready and complete our education hours in February, we should be good to go!