about time

This post could be totally dedicated to time and how I feel like I DON'T HAVE ANY! But it isn't.

What it is about is the fact that there are some of you out there who are apparently interested in what is going on with our little ones and I really do want to honor that and keep you up to date better. But again... I feel like I NEVER HAVE ANY TIME to sit down and THINK about a post that updates you on all the littles and their little lives. So if anyone wants to find me a childcare provider that I TRUST please... by all means! :)

I snuck away for some alone time for about 15 minutes. Sorry I wasted the other 2 hours getting all 4 new tires on the Sequoia, an oil change, and eating dinner. Now here I sit at Schlotzky's using their free Wi Fi and getting a bit of calm before heading to Starbucks to meet the Ladies group that will be meeting in 15 min.

Yes I know... I just used up a whole 5 minutes to tell you about that! HA! Okay so what you are really here for...

Which by the way, for "anonymous", yes, the reason I blog about Bear most is b.c he is OURS now.. and mainly b.c we are not supposed to "publicize" our foster children. STINK! They are WAY too adorable to keep them to myself!

I mean I have posted pics and facts here and there of/about Moe and Miley BUT it is so hard to pick and choose what I can give you all without giving it all away (seeing that my blog is not set to private... I am debating doing that so we can be a bit more open ... AND not sharing pictures is KILLING me!)

Moe is easier to share about b.c we have a great relationship with his father and he does not mind... SO that is simple. Miley Bird is a bit more touchy... but I will do my best.

*****************************************UPDATES***********************************

Moe Baby... He is now 18 months old and a booger bear these days. :) He has such personality and he is learning that he can use it to manipulate BOTH "sets" of parents in his life.

He has been having unsupervised visits with his father and they are going great!

Both father and son are adapting so very well and they are loving being a "couple" :). I have talked to Daddy F several different times about how this is making him feel; having a bit more freedom. He has expressed that it is so strange to be with his son and nobody be around "hovering". I can only imagine the new realm of freedom that opens up in that aspect.

Daddy F has been coming to church with us and attending Life Group with us. He has expressed how much he enjoys it and feels like he is getting a lot out of it. I am so beside myself at how this ministry has extended beyond the children! So amazing, God's plans!

He has also been coming out to our home so that I can help him learn to cook and do many things he would otherwise not have a chance to learn. He has come out and I have showed him how to bathe Moe and lead him through his bedtime routine... brush his teeth, read to him, pray over him etc..

He has learned how to get him to the restroom "on time" and how to wipe him afterwords. I mean these are things he just does not know and has no reason to "know" them. He has never been a father before. All I can say for him is that he is WILLING and READY to learn and is digging in deep and secure in learning these things for the best interest of him and his son.

Moe was removed at 6 weeks old (only 2 weeks after the mother dropped him off with him and left) so he has not really had a chance to do much with his son other than what CPS has allowed. Now that we have had these more leanient rules with CPS we have felt God tugging on our hearts to go a step further (as HE usually does... and we USUALLY obey)... "invite him out... have him for dinners, games, breakfasts)". We are to show him the LOVE of a FAMILY and what it should look like. What his son NEEDS is not a "full" family, but LOVE like a family. AND believe me when I say his father LOVES him! NO reservations!

So anyway... we have been seeing this new adjustment take place and it is kind of scary, and freeing all at the same time. Scary in the sense that I have NO IDEA where "my son" is when he is with his father. But freeing in that I can TRUST him to know that he will take care of Moe AND I get a small break from one more toddler.

Not that I don't LOVE Moe; I couldn't love him more if he were my own. It is just that here lately he has been a bit .... difficult. I believe his 2 year molars are already surfacing. Or at least in the beginning stages. He has been VERY moody and VERY irritable lately and I am just so tired of NOT KNOWING what is defiance and what is "he really doesn't feel good". So when to punish and when to medicate and love on is VERY confusing to me right now.

On top of Bear is being a toot as well these days so they spend their days ARGUING about everything and screaming at the top of their lungs when things are tense (which here lately they just ARE).

I am also convinced that Bear is also cutting his molars. Not saying that my children cannot be bad unless it is due to teething. NO they totally have that capacity! It is just that they always teeth at the same time. Moe is an early teether, he cut his first tooth at 5 months old and Bear was 9 months. So they are side by side.

Bear has had a couple nights that he would just cry in his bed. Like a painful cry. I was baffled until I thought about the teeth. I took him some orajel and some motrin and he fell asleep almost immediately. As I was applying the orajel (in between trying to not get my finger bit off) I felt some pokies back there.

Tonight I did the same to Moe; I orajeled him and felt the same hard pokies in the back of his gums. SO BOTH MY TODDLERS ARE TEETHING RIGHT NOW! And they are NOT NICE!

We are dealing though and it is getting a bit better with every day that goes by. Just stressful in the moment to say the least!

But on a positive note, Moe is one little boy with a lot of personality. He loves learning and is into EVERYTHING destructive :).














He loves to just tear paper. I recently bought a book of Toddler curriculum and one of the activities that it talks about in there is a tear box. Get a box and put just scrap paper in it. Like old magazine pages, just old gift tissue paper, wrapping paper etc... in it and let them stand/sit by the box and just tear paper. It is a normal thing for a toddler to do and it helps them in some developmental way (I cannot remember specifics but I can look at the book if anyone really wants to know).













He loves playing with rocks and putting things into other things. Like rocks into jugs and dirt into a pail or a cup. Just so long as he is trying to figure out how it gets in there he is good as gravy.

*Now for our Miley Bird. She is so very precious to us and we enjoy her smiles and laughter everyday. She is starting to figure out that she doesn't HAVE to sleep just because we lay her down in her crib. She is starting to voice her concern about sleeping during the day :). She is still doing great on her schedule and is still only drinking 4 ounces every 3 hours.

Miley is now 3 months old. She is growing developmentally and physically at a very fast pace and we are so thrilled to be entering this new phase of her life. She is still a petite little girl but can hold her own against the wobbly brother that she happens to have.



She is now rolling from tummy to back and trying very hard to roll from back to tummy. She is a very talkative little miss! We love listening to her and imagining what she must be talking about. Her "brothers" can make her smile at the drop of a hat and laughter is always soon to follow. She has been trying to "sit up" when she is lying back like in her car seat. She leans her little head forward as far as she can.

She is very observant and such a social butterfly. If there is ANYTHING going on around her she will forfeit drinking her bottle to pay close attention to what is going on. We typically have to feed her in her room so that she actually eats.

We still know nothing further on her case really. It is kind of a tough case and many intricate details that will need to be looked over and worked out.

We are VERY open to adopting our little bird but we will see what GOD's plan is. We are adding some prayer in there though. :)