It's A....

It's a...........BOY!



There is our cute little fellow who checked out as healthy and thriving.  The ultrasound was done last Friday when I was 19 weeks and 2 days along so just about half way there!  Our due date of April 9th still stands but Brian is pushing for 3 days early so he would have a birthday buddy.  We are so excited to add this little one to our family and are so blessed.  At this point we have told everyone as it's not something that can be very hidden any more as our minion keeps growing and making himself more and more known! 


This was Baby E's reaction when we told her it's a boy!  She seemed happy, shocked, and a bit outnumbered.  Mama knew it would be a boy so it came at no real surprise.  Brian last minute switched to thinking girl but we would have been happy either way girl or boy.


So what have we been up to since I last blogged?  Well Brian as of last week has completed his out of town project.  This means mama now has nightly help, hence why she can blog!  He isn't up for another out of town project for some time so we are keeping our fingers crossed the only projects he gets will be local ones. 


We also had our first family hibachi experience and boy did N eat!  This kid can pound food big time.  His favorite surprised me as he ate a lot of shrimp and then we were happy to see he is not allergic to seafood which was an after thought!


We spent a weekend at the land


The boys built and hung the fireplace mantle!


We've been using and loving our carrier


We've cuddled up with the pups to keep warm as snow came and went.


N's made many peace treaties with the dogs.  The two just adore him as he seems to be the never-ending treat giver.  We have been forced to put the dogs either outside or cage them while N eats because otherwise he feeds them right from his tray!




Baby E has been sporting some crazy hair-do's each day.  It seems after her morning bath she is always testing out a new look!


We got serious with more permanent baby gates.  Seeing that these will be up for the long haul we went with nice metal decorative baby gates with a walk through door.  This pregnant mama has greatly appreciated the walk through door as no longer do I have to be hurdling all day!


N has continued to bond with the pups and it is a mutual love they all share!  Well sort of mutual, not sure if they do indeed like having their whiskers and ears pulled but it's N's way of showing affection right now as we teach him gentler ways of loving on them!


Uncle Brandon came for the night to visit.  His mad reading skills were much appreciated by N!


Baby E has found a way to continually Houdini her way out of her sleep sack but hey whatever is comfortable!  


N continues to find enjoyment in going around helping everyone blow their nose with tissues.  Even Tucker seemed to need a good nose blow!


Our affinity for dogs has gone beyond just our two at home.


We've especially been working on building up the kids sibling bond.  The first week N was oblivious to his baby sister E.  The second week we had him he became more aware of her and would often point to her.  We have since worked on gentle touches and giving soft kisses and hugs.  If asked where E is he will now point at her or go right over to check her out. 


Their little kisses melt my heart every time!


Of course big brothers can share in loving moments but quickly turn into a sock thief in the blink of an eye!


Yup no more socks but still lots of love!


Tummy time has helped baby E strengthen her core body and neck.  For being only 2 months old this girl has awesome head control.  Her preferred position is to be held up sitting so she can look around and track people and things.  She has become quite the little chatterbox much like her brother.  She loves to be held in a sitting position facing you and hold ongoing conversations back and forth. 


We've been treasuring the little moments such as a peaceful sleeping baby.


We've been slowing down and enjoying the little things and trying to memorize every little detail as these moments slip away.


We are reminded every day is a blessing that we try not to take for granted. 


We also took our first family trip to the zoo and came to find out N had never been before.  Since we got N at 14 months old there were 14 months prior of things we have missed out on.  His first bath, his first smile, his first time sitting up, his first tooth to break through his gums and those fussy sleepless nights that came along with those chompers, his first steps, and many of those firsts that come within the first year of life.  To have moments where his eyes light up as he experiences something for the first time with us reminds us of the many things he has experienced with us for the first time that we aren't missing out on.  His first real table food, his first on command kiss/hug, his first few comprehendible words (go, good, woof woof, tickle tickle tickle and just yesterday he said thank you!), his first zoo trip, his first pumpkin patch and carving experience, his first Halloween dressing up and trick-or-treating, and the many other things.  We have many new things to look forward to experiencing in the near future and we will see for how many continual firsts in his life that we will be blessed to experience with him.


The zoo was a big hit and we are happy to have a membership so we can visit whenever.


All the animals excited N especially the monkeys and surprisingly the wild birds that seem to be everywhere.  He enjoyed chasing the birds throughout the zoo arguably more than he enjoyed the exhibits!  Baby E slept through her entire zoo experience.  She woke up momentarily to drink a bottle then back to sleeping she went.  All the fresh air and comfy covers kept her happily asleep! 






While baby E drank her bottle the two boys played peek a boo around the poles.  It is shocking to us that not many families are open to fostering a child over the age of 1.  At now 15 months old, N's zest for life, intense cuddling, cheesy smile, and funny quirks and personality we couldn't imagine any family turning down!  He is downright adorable and such a comic!  We are double-y and soon to be triple-y blessed without a doubt :)

Finally Some Time to Update!

To say life has been hectic here would be a total understatement!  With Brian still traveling for work out of town Mon-Thurs it's just me and the two littles.  The past two weeks he has been gone through Friday so my partner in crime help has only been on the weekends leaving one busy mama during the week!   



Halloween came quickly and flew by just as quickly.  Of course N decided the day of that his bug costume was just not going to work so a last minute trip to the store and he became Superman!  N as of Tuesday is now officially in our care as foster parents so we officially now have two kiddo's therefore our home is full so we will not be taking any more placements.  Everything with their case is up in the air and going to court so we are taking it day by day unsure of what the future may be for the two. 



It has been now 3 weeks that we have had N in respite with us and the adjustment has been short of miraculous.  For being 14 months old we expected to have to really work on bonding and attachment.  It was obvious from day one that he knew how to bond as he had several healthy significant relationships already built in his previous foster home which was assuring.  Bonding and attachment are super heavy words in the foster care/adoption world that are not to be taken lightly.  With multiples moves and trauma that comes from each move it is not unusual for children to regress and have trouble trusting and bonding including babies and toddlers. 



With baby E we got her right out of the hospital and she bonded beautifully from day one.  In honesty, it took me a few days to get over the shock and have the full mama instinct kick in.  To go from getting a call to having a baby suddenly in your arms a few hours later is the most surreal thing.  We did the feeding routine and loved on her and in a matter of a few days it became instinctual and gazing into those big blue eyes she truly captured my heart. 



With N I expected him to have more of an adjustment to make but I am happily surprised to know he is crazy about his mama, poppy (or dada), and his new life!  From the moment I met him he came right up to me ready to let me into his on the go world.  What was to just be baby E and I going over to meet him suddenly became bringing home child #2 by the end of our meeting.  Again so surreal but good we are go with the flow people that are use to sporadic changes. 



N has fit in perfectly and has strongly attached to us.  All the guards we expected him to have up have melted away or were never there.  He was very loved by his foster grandma and it shows and has aided in his ability to attach to us.  With his foster grandma she even said he had that grandmother love but was missing the maternal love which he has now.  He comes to us seeking cuddles and comfort and has thrived with the stability in our home. 


(Our daily life....baby E in the carrier and N flying around on his car!)

We had a semi-annual review for the kids on Monday so they had to go into a day care program at the social services building during our meeting.  After when we went to pick them up N came running 100 miles an hour with his arms in the air huffing and puffing into my arms.  For me it was one of those moments that I almost melted onto the floor in front of everyone.  Those who saw it were all amazed and spoke happily to see how he has really bonded.  It was one of those pivotal moments in my life that I will forever treasure because my heart stopped at that moment as I saw him genuinely running to me with so much joy and excitement showing how attached and loved he feels.  Of all the other people there he ran past he came to me and when I picked him up he threw his arms around me and melted into a hug.  I was on the verge of tears and while I felt that mothering instinct for him before it was that moment that sealed my heart as his mama.  He is such a super happy easy going guy (as long as he gets his two naps a day!) and we are so blessed to have him with us.



I'm also keeping it real and will say going from 0 to 1 kid was an adjustment and I treasure the 4 weeks baby E and I had together.  I know the time with just the two (and three when Brian's home) of us set up a perfect foundation for early bonding.  Then going from 1 kid to 2 kids was another major change and adjustment.  We are lucky both are pretty easy going kids, however being pregnant and running after a toddler and keeping up with a babies feeding schedule and care can leave this mama exhausted by the end of the day.  I will admit I have shed my tears of stress and frustration but that's what two little kiddo's and pregnancy hormones mixed with every day life can do to you! 



We also had an interesting past almost three weeks with N being on antibiotics for a nasty double ear infection he came with and a terrible runny nose leftover from a cold he was getting over.  Ended up his 10 days of Amoxicillin wasn't enough so we had to step it up to a stronger 3 day antibiotic and again to keep it real lets just say the tissues, diapers, and wipies we went through was astounding!  It was N's first time on any type of antibiotic and it really ran through his system and often led to multiple wardrobe changes and baths throughout the day.  Oh the joy of parenthood we got flung into right away :)


(All three enjoying the heating duct)

N is finally over the cold and we go tomorrow for his follow up to make sure his ears are clear.  He is such a ham and gives the biggest hugs.  He almost always has a smile on his face and has that twinkle in his eyes.  I have had it commented that both baby E and N look so much like Brian and I.  Everywhere I go we hear that even from those that do not know they are our foster children.  Even at the social services office I was told by three different unrelated workers that it is unbelievable how both kids could pass as our biological children which is interesting and not something we expected. 



As for baby E she is now officially out of newborn clothes and into 0-3 month clothes as of today.  Some of her newborn outfits she can still squeeze in but any with footies she is too long for :(  At her last appointment on Halloween (where she got a vaccine shot and an oral vaccine) she was up to a healthy 10 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21 in. long.  She is growing leaps and bounds and has great head control.  She is finally on normal newborn nipples instead of the preemie nipples and she is filling out newborn diapers so likely can go to size 1 once we make it through the rest of her newborn ones. 


(Using our curtain as a cover!)

As I said before and we are commonly asked by everyone what will be happening with the kids all we know right now is that we are loving them each and every day and praying for God's will to be revealed.  We came into fostering intending on sending kids home to their parents or relatives.  In our kids case the county is going to court for possible permanent custody shortly because N has been in the system for a while which will sever parental rights and lead to them needing a new permanent home.  As we sit now after much discussion we would pursue adopting them if the possibility is there.  Again we have no idea how their case will play out, they may end up going back to their birth mother or a relative, we honestly have no idea.  Knowing that the county is currently pursuing permanent custody likely means they have enough of a case to take away parental rights but it will be up to the court system and then up to the county where they will be placed permanently if the case goes that direction.  So when we are asked and shrug our shoulders and say we do not know we are being honest and upfront in the fact that indeed we have no idea.  Your guess is as good as ours and all we can do is pray that the children's best interest is upheld.


(We have an acrobat on our hands and for sure a serious climber of anything!)


(Morning feeding cuddles)


(N's new favorite location where he can even watch tv from!)