We made our first trip to the park with the boys today and they loved it! Big brother was eager to follow the older (much older) girls around. He seems to have a thing for girls 8-10 years older than him - lol! He also made friends with some older boys and a boy around his age. He and Trent had fun playing on the playground. Slides, ladders, monkey bars - nothing was off limits for either of them. =) This was the perfect end to a great year and we are excited to see what 2012 brings our way.Saturday, December 31, 2011
More...
It was nice to have a quite relaxing day at home with the boys. We had no appointments, no trips to the store, and no state visitors. It was just us and it was amazing! The boys have fully adjusted to schedules and are amazing little kids. Both sleep and eat like champs! We worked with big brother trying to teach him how to sign. During lunch every time he wanted more of something, we would say the word and make the sign. After a few times modeling the movement for him and helping him mimic the movement he mastered it. From then on, and throughout the day, he signed "more." More apples, pears, oranges, water, etc.
We made our first trip to the park with the boys today and they loved it! Big brother was eager to follow the older (much older) girls around. He seems to have a thing for girls 8-10 years older than him - lol! He also made friends with some older boys and a boy around his age. He and Trent had fun playing on the playground. Slides, ladders, monkey bars - nothing was off limits for either of them. =) This was the perfect end to a great year and we are excited to see what 2012 brings our way.
We made our first trip to the park with the boys today and they loved it! Big brother was eager to follow the older (much older) girls around. He seems to have a thing for girls 8-10 years older than him - lol! He also made friends with some older boys and a boy around his age. He and Trent had fun playing on the playground. Slides, ladders, monkey bars - nothing was off limits for either of them. =) This was the perfect end to a great year and we are excited to see what 2012 brings our way.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Soo much in such a short time...
We have had the boys for four days now. In that short period of time, we have made so much progress on all levels. We have just about solidified their daily schedule/routines, scheduled all of their doctor appointments to get them caught up with everything, had all of our "first" meetings with everyone involved in the foster care system, and most importantly we have bonded as a family!
Big brother is starting to refer to us a "mama" and "dada." He doesn't always use these terms, but their frequency is increasing. He also mastered waving, blowing kisses and clapping (the right way). He loves hugs and started giving kisses today. =) His first kiss made my heart melt! His favorite toys are anything he can make music with. He loves his little xylophone and tries to make a drum out of the center pole of the ring stacking toy. He and Fiona (our littlest dog) have finally bonded and they talk to each other throughout the day. I am so glad to see she finally warmed up to him! Big brother is also starting to "read." Trent read to the boys two nights ago and they passed out in his arms. At that time, it was clear he had know idea what a book was, how to hold, or what to do with it. However, this morning, he picked a book off the shelf, held it properly, turned the pages slowly, touched the pictures on each page, and "talked" while he was on each page. I know he doesn't understand what the book says, but the fact he's showing interest and taking the initiative on his own says A LOT!
Little brother has been teething. OMG has he ever been teething! The poor little dude has had a rough couple of days (last night being the breaking point for us and probably our neighbors- lol). Thankfully, two of the teeth broke through and he has been a much happier baby today. Trent has discovered he is not a fan of teething. I am not sure who was more frustrated with the experience, little brother, or daddy. That helpless feeling is nothing any parent wants to experience, nor is the constant high pitch squeal of a baby in pain, and he got his first experience with both of those in the last couple of days. Little brother has also begun roll over and can sit up with minimal assistance - a far cry from when we got him.
Zeus (our biggest dog) has truly become a nurse dog. He makes the dog in Peter Pan look like a wuss. He is constantly hovering around the babies, sniffing diapers, nudging me as soon as one of the boys wets the diaper, whining when the boys cries, huffing and whining as soon as the boys leave his sight. Before the boys came into our lives, Zeus would tap several times a day and was a very complacent dog. Now, he won't nap at all and has become more of a baby than the babies. It's cute at times, but the cuteness wears off very quickly.
The last few days have been very chaotic with people coming and going all day long. Anyone in foster care can attest to chaos of the first week. Thankfully, we have three days without any badged-state workers showing up at the house. We are hoping to take the boys to their first library trip, watch some fireworks, go to the park, and maybe check out the zoo if we have time. I will try to post some pictures in the up coming days as soon as I have a few free moments. =)
Big brother is starting to refer to us a "mama" and "dada." He doesn't always use these terms, but their frequency is increasing. He also mastered waving, blowing kisses and clapping (the right way). He loves hugs and started giving kisses today. =) His first kiss made my heart melt! His favorite toys are anything he can make music with. He loves his little xylophone and tries to make a drum out of the center pole of the ring stacking toy. He and Fiona (our littlest dog) have finally bonded and they talk to each other throughout the day. I am so glad to see she finally warmed up to him! Big brother is also starting to "read." Trent read to the boys two nights ago and they passed out in his arms. At that time, it was clear he had know idea what a book was, how to hold, or what to do with it. However, this morning, he picked a book off the shelf, held it properly, turned the pages slowly, touched the pictures on each page, and "talked" while he was on each page. I know he doesn't understand what the book says, but the fact he's showing interest and taking the initiative on his own says A LOT!
Little brother has been teething. OMG has he ever been teething! The poor little dude has had a rough couple of days (last night being the breaking point for us and probably our neighbors- lol). Thankfully, two of the teeth broke through and he has been a much happier baby today. Trent has discovered he is not a fan of teething. I am not sure who was more frustrated with the experience, little brother, or daddy. That helpless feeling is nothing any parent wants to experience, nor is the constant high pitch squeal of a baby in pain, and he got his first experience with both of those in the last couple of days. Little brother has also begun roll over and can sit up with minimal assistance - a far cry from when we got him.
Zeus (our biggest dog) has truly become a nurse dog. He makes the dog in Peter Pan look like a wuss. He is constantly hovering around the babies, sniffing diapers, nudging me as soon as one of the boys wets the diaper, whining when the boys cries, huffing and whining as soon as the boys leave his sight. Before the boys came into our lives, Zeus would tap several times a day and was a very complacent dog. Now, he won't nap at all and has become more of a baby than the babies. It's cute at times, but the cuteness wears off very quickly.
The last few days have been very chaotic with people coming and going all day long. Anyone in foster care can attest to chaos of the first week. Thankfully, we have three days without any badged-state workers showing up at the house. We are hoping to take the boys to their first library trip, watch some fireworks, go to the park, and maybe check out the zoo if we have time. I will try to post some pictures in the up coming days as soon as I have a few free moments. =)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Crash Course in Parenting
Today was a whirlwind. I woke up after only fours of sleep and have been non-stop all day long. The boys did wonderful on their first night. We only had one waking each and they both went back to bed quickly. The averaged about 10.5 hours of sleep through the night (thank God!). Our morning began with both babies running temps and one of them teething something fierce. We quickly schedule doctor appoints and made our first trip to the doctor. Neither of the boys enjoyed the experience. We had two screaming babies the entire time. I felt bad for the other patients, but I guess every parent faces those situations from time to time. We discovered the boys love going for rides in the car and little brother passes out every time. After our doctor appointment we were off to Walmart. I never liked Walmart to begin with, but with two crying, sick babies in tow was not easy. After returning home we had dinner, baths, and story time and the boys passed out half-way through story time.
We are trying to get the boys on a solid schedule and start potty training big brother next week. In just 24 hours he has mastered so much. These boys are very bright and fast learners, I am sure that in just a few weeks they will be on par with where they should be.
On a sadder note, we received notification from CPS that the biological mother was granted weekly supervised visitations by the court and that CPS is actively looking for relatives who might be interested in taking the boys. We know we will have the boys for at least a month, but if a family member steps-up and passes all the checks, we may not have the opportunity to adopt the boys. We knew there was a slight chance of this happening in any fost-adopt situation, but we were not expecting it so soon. Everything is still in the air, and we really won't know anything more until next month, but for now, we ask for prayers that everything works out. We know God has a plan for us and these little boys, we just do not know what that plan entails just yet. Hopefully, it will be uniting as one family in a few months. (Keeping our fingers crossed!)
We are trying to get the boys on a solid schedule and start potty training big brother next week. In just 24 hours he has mastered so much. These boys are very bright and fast learners, I am sure that in just a few weeks they will be on par with where they should be.
On a sadder note, we received notification from CPS that the biological mother was granted weekly supervised visitations by the court and that CPS is actively looking for relatives who might be interested in taking the boys. We know we will have the boys for at least a month, but if a family member steps-up and passes all the checks, we may not have the opportunity to adopt the boys. We knew there was a slight chance of this happening in any fost-adopt situation, but we were not expecting it so soon. Everything is still in the air, and we really won't know anything more until next month, but for now, we ask for prayers that everything works out. We know God has a plan for us and these little boys, we just do not know what that plan entails just yet. Hopefully, it will be uniting as one family in a few months. (Keeping our fingers crossed!)
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
New Additions!
Today we received a long waited phone call from our adoption agency...we were given a very brief description of two little boys and were told our names would be put in a pool for this sibling group. I sat around waiting for the phone to ring again for what seemed like hours. I would look at the phone and was trying with all of my might to will it to ring. When the phone finally rang, it was the call we were waiting for from Child Protective Services. We were told we were selected had about three hours to get organized (yeah right!) and to pick up the boys. We frantically tried to "baby proof" a house that was full of non-baby friendly Christmas decorations and we were off to buy car seats. Buy Buy Baby made our car seat selection easy because they only had a couple of models in stock that would meet our needs. Trying to install two car seats in a hurry for the first time was interesting to say the least!
After meeting with CPS and getting background on the boys, we were off for our first family adventure - Target. The boys (5 months and 17 months) did wonderful in the store. We picked up some of the overnight essentials (beds, sheets, diapers, wipes, food, bathing supplies, etc.) and decided to get the rest later on once we know more of what we need.
By the time we loaded up the car, picked up dinner, came home, fed the boys (feeding an infant baby food with out a high chair was an experience... one I don't care to ever repeat!), introduced the boys to the four-legged kids, and put the kids in bed, we realized we had not ate our dinner yet. So a little after 10pm, Trent and I stood in the kitchen attempting to salvage our cold drive-thru dinner laughing at the fact that this is the first of many dinners we will likely eat cold and after the kids go to bed.
Because the boys are still in foster care, we cannot release their names or photos at this time. However, here is a little information about the two new additions. Big brother is 17 months old has blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes you've ever seen. He is a little sweetheart, well behaved, and very inquisitive. Little brother is 5 months old. He has brown hair and big brown eyes. He enjoys laughing, smiling, and is very observant. The boys are biological brothers. We look forward to starting this new phase in our lives and we appreciate your love, support, and prayers along the way!
After meeting with CPS and getting background on the boys, we were off for our first family adventure - Target. The boys (5 months and 17 months) did wonderful in the store. We picked up some of the overnight essentials (beds, sheets, diapers, wipes, food, bathing supplies, etc.) and decided to get the rest later on once we know more of what we need.
By the time we loaded up the car, picked up dinner, came home, fed the boys (feeding an infant baby food with out a high chair was an experience... one I don't care to ever repeat!), introduced the boys to the four-legged kids, and put the kids in bed, we realized we had not ate our dinner yet. So a little after 10pm, Trent and I stood in the kitchen attempting to salvage our cold drive-thru dinner laughing at the fact that this is the first of many dinners we will likely eat cold and after the kids go to bed.
Because the boys are still in foster care, we cannot release their names or photos at this time. However, here is a little information about the two new additions. Big brother is 17 months old has blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes you've ever seen. He is a little sweetheart, well behaved, and very inquisitive. Little brother is 5 months old. He has brown hair and big brown eyes. He enjoys laughing, smiling, and is very observant. The boys are biological brothers. We look forward to starting this new phase in our lives and we appreciate your love, support, and prayers along the way!
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