A Baby!?!?

Getting used to a baby in the house was exciting and stressful. We had never had any children, and had really not wanted a baby so we had no baby stuff. Besides the fact we had no baby stuff, we also had not a lot of ideas what to do with her! I mean, I knew how to take care of a baby in general, how to feed it and change a diaper, I have always loved babies but taking care of one full time, well that is a little different. Now, I know everyone with first time babies goes through a change but I think ours may have been a slight bit easier if I had the past nine months to prepare and read everything about babies and talk to people. We didn't really work up to this exciting moment, it was just dropped in our laps. Luckily, baby Kristen was adorable! She was the sweetest, happiest baby. We were always laughing at her, because she was so funny. My mother-in-law told us the reason she cried when we put a onesie over her head was because it reminded babies of the birth canal (I have no idea if this is true, but it is funny none the less). So my husband began of screams of terror, yelling "oh,, no, not the birth canal, helllp!!" every time I tried to dress her! We had a lot of fun helping her learn to sit up, and of course I had to get every cute baby thing I could find. We went to the beach a lot and she loved to watch her brother play in the water. Her first steps were very exciting, we loved each new thing she could do! Although she was wonderful, she could be a trouble maker. One night at dinner, she made a huge mess (not unusual) so I put her in the bath and washed her. While I was cleaning up the dining room, in her clean pajamas, she walked over to a candle (that had been sitting there since we got her) and decided to destroy it, getting red wax all over her - back to the bath tub it was! As soon as she was washed and ready, she continued her fun by taking my husband's phone off the table (right next to him) and dropping it into the glass of Dr. Pepper, spilling the pop all over her and ruining the phone! Well, needless to say we had one more bath and I was so happy it was bedtime for our little terror! :-) Kristen was our first baby but not the last. We found out the as soon as CPS knows you will take infants they will keep giving them to you, they have a hard time finding placements for babies. Luckily, I love having them!

Goodbye AJ and Kristen

This was our first time saying goodbye to our children, it was very hard.  We had Aj and Kristen for a year. We did not feel like their mother had really listened to CPS. She continued to party and not follow through on positive parent behavior. Unfortunately, the very hard lesson I had to learn was, it doesn't matter what I think! I am not their lawyer, their CASA, their CPS rep, I am their mama and I can't make legal decisions. . . only mama ones. So, their legal decision was made and my sweet ten year old and one and a half year old would be heading home. We got them all packed up and drove to meet their family at McDonalds (why is this always the meeting place, I have no idea). We packed in a year of new clothes, toys, books, games, and even his bike. The entire trade took about two minutes and I tried very hard not to cry. After a hug,  AJ climbed into the truck, sobbing, and reached for my hand. He told me he loved me and I repeated it to him. This sweet boy, what would lie ahead for him? I cried. I had made a scrapbook with pictures and lots of writing about his time with us. It told him how proud we were, what a strong young man and great big brother he was. He held it tight in his lap and drove away.

AJ and the TAKS test

AJ and Kristen were our first foster children (see post "The Start"). When AJ came to us, he was nine years old and in the third grade. He had already been held back once but was still only on a first grade reading level. We soon learned that he was dyslexic and worked with the school to get him extra help. He was truely an amazing boy, as soon as he got positive reenforcement for school work he wanted to do well. As soon as he wanted to do well, he did! He worked very hard.  At the time, in Texas, if you did not pass the TAKS reading test you had to repeat third grade. This was going to be very hard for AJ, but he worked and worked. His teacher copied all of the practice tests available and we did them at home. I thought this was going to be miserable for him but he actually enjoyed it most of the time, someone giving him attention and feeling success were things he had not had before. After he took the TAKS test we went out to celebrate (we did not know if he passed, but he worked hard and did his best - cause for celebration) he was so excited that he was the center of attention, I don't think he even ate any of his food! After much anticipation, the principal called me one day saying she had the TAKS scores back. She started crying - AJ had only missed one question on the entire reading test! He passed with flying colors! In less than one year, he had gone from the lowest in his class to being third best on the TAKS test! He was so excited when we told him, and of course, more celebration was to follow! Later, after he went home, he called me to tell me he had passed his TAKS test again! It's amazing how far they can come in such a short time. When I feel like I can't do something I have friends and family (and God) there to support me, AJ had no one. Thank you,  God, for showing me that a little hard work and attention go a long way.

The Start

We have been foster parents for almost five years, and have had twenty-four children in our home, but since this is the start of the blog I thought I would start from the beginning.

My husband Jordan and I were married for about a year when we decided to become foster parents. My family did foster care when I was a child growing up and we had talked about it many times. We decided we were in the "perfect" place to start this journey. I worked at a daycare center and the director said the child could come to school with me. I was so excited! Many meetings and packets of paperwork later, we were ready for our new life! We had decided we would get a child between the ages of three and six (so they could come to school with me). We had everything ready and then waited. One night, while we were at our small group (from church), CPS called. They had a nine year old boy. WHAT? This is not what we were looking for, we were 23 years old and not ready to take on a preteen boy! There is one problem, CPS is very convincing, telling me he has no where to sleep tonight! So, we accept and rush back to our house. On the way, CPS calls again (maybe next time I shouldn't answer) and says "by the way, there's a baby." WHAT? We were certain we did not want a baby! Once again, CPS is very convincing, saying they were already in the car and the boy loved the baby. Well, we get to the house and within minutes a car pulls up. Out steps a boy with pants down to his ankles, a shaved head and three inch bangs! The lady hands me a baby with only a shirt on, tells me where to sign, and leaves. This is not what I expected! We soon realized we had no formula, no diapers, no crib, and not even a car seat to go to the store to buy these things! God has a way of making me feel completely unsure before He provides, but provide He did! Our small group had gone straight to the store and purchased everything you could need for a baby and boy! Our next door neighbor walked over, dragging her port-a-crib behind her. Somehow, God is always there, blessing us even when we have no idea where to look. This first night was very scary, we sat there for a quite a while, the kids as stunned as we were but very soon we fell in love with the sweetest boy and baby girl ever. Although this did not fit into my "perfect" plan I now know that God's plans are better than mine and when I look to Him for them they always turn out better than my dreams!

Why?

Why am I starting a blog? Well, truly I am not sure! I am not very eloquent and I certainly am not the most interesting person in a crowd. What I am is passionate. I love being a foster mother, and I feel many people don't really understand why. I have had people from all walks of life, from people I just met to my very own father ask that question. Why? Why on earth would you want to do foster care? Well, now I will answer! :-)

You can join us on our journey and maybe get as much joy out of our life as I do. If you don't, at least maybe you will see the wonderful children in our nation's system need us. They need our love, our care, and our willingness to step out of our comfort zone and help them.