This morning’s conversations with almost-four-year-old Sprout have me seriously thrown. I kind of want to curl up in a corner and cry, honestly. Sprout: “You hate my Mommy [name]?” Me: “What? No! I love your Mommy! She’s so sweet. And I love anyone who loves you like she does.” Sprout: “Really?” Me: “Really really. IContinue reading “Age 4, with Trauma”
Tag Archives: foster care
Reining Things In
For quite some time now Seth and I have been discussing cutting back on fostering. I’ve always pushed to take more kids. He’s always pushed to have fewer kids and is utterly content with the two-ish we’ve got. It’s been a delicate balancing act to negotiate which kids we take, and when. After baby CookieContinue reading “Reining Things In”
Wrinkles in the plan. Or perhaps shreds.
I’ve spoken to a variety of attorneys in the last few days about the potential for making Sprout our legal ward rather than adopting her. Doing so would preserve the legal familial bond she has with her mother and siblings, and would avoid the need for her to get a new birth certificate that erasesContinue reading “Wrinkles in the plan. Or perhaps shreds.”
Sprout’s Little Bitty Voice Matters
We had a home visit by Sprout’s new case worker yesterday, and my brain has been churning with thoughts ever since. For the most part it was a perfectly ordinary home visit. She brought Sprout a new teddy bear and a fuzzy blanket that’s pink with green frogs on it. Sprout was super polite aboutContinue reading “Sprout’s Little Bitty Voice Matters”
Battening Down Life’s Hatches
Alternative title: “I’ve heard people say their bodies start to fall apart in their 40s, but this is a special level of ridiculousness only I could achieve.” I am mentally trying to batten down the hatches for the next month or two. Here’s what’s up: 1. Depression meds 💊 I was long long ago diagnosedContinue reading “Battening Down Life’s Hatches”
Divided Loyalties
I have had a couple of heartbreaking conversations with Sprout in the past week. The first was triggered by a picture we put next to Sprout’s bed of her first family. It’s a cute candid shot of her Mama holding her and all her siblings gathered around them. I printed and framed it and setContinue reading “Divided Loyalties”
Life Books
Lately as I’ve been picking up my house from tornado whirlwinds of kid chaos, I noticed both the kids have been carting around their Life Books and looking through them a bunch. What’s a Life Book? And why make one? Everyone is curious about their origin, their early years, their “story” as it were. ButContinue reading “Life Books”
Little things matter so much
I just finally got Saturday’s mail, and there was a lovey little thank you note from Cookie’s case worker in the mailbox.  No case worker has ever sent us a thank you note before. We already liked Cookie’s case worker, but now I REALLY like her. I feel… appreciated. And that’s rare in fosterContinue reading “Little things matter so much”
It’s never uncomplicated in foster care
It’s a slightly quieter house now in that baby Cookie has gone home to live with his relative. She’s over the moon to have him, and he’s a content little guy with all the holding and doting that’s going on. So it’s a happy ending in my book! It almost didn’t happen, because the relativeContinue reading “It’s never uncomplicated in foster care”
Foster Home Improvements… for the Grownups!
Back in October, I ran out of patience with this. It was the ever growing ever changing mound of shoes that had developed a life of its own inside my back door. With two messy adults and a slew of foster kids who come and go, the pile had existed by the back door andContinue reading “Foster Home Improvements… for the Grownups!”
