Frustration and Questions

I’m not in the business of badmouthing anybody, but I figure an update is appropriate as I have followers who are now – or who are thinking of becoming – foster parents who want to know what this gig is really like. I think I mentioned previously that our last case worker left the agency.Continue reading “Frustration and Questions”

The joys of chronic illness

How it’s been going: As most of you know, I collect autoimmune diseases. I’ve been diagnosed with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. Who knows which of those diagnoses is accurate, but the upshot is that my immune system likes to run amok and damage healthy tissues. The result is pain, stiff swollenContinue reading “The joys of chronic illness”

We’re done fostering other than the family we’ve got with us… right?

We got a call last week for a 4-year-old little boy with feeding problems and behavioral challenges. I’d sworn we were done fostering except for Sunny and Sprout and maybe other family members of theirs. We got rid of all of our fostering stuff – clothing and cribs and toddler beds included. But. Feeding problemsContinue reading “We’re done fostering other than the family we’ve got with us… right?”

Hair Day Catchup

I’m sitting with Kiddo as she gets her hair braided professionally by a Black woman for the first time. I screwed up to start with by not buying enough hair for braiding in, and Seth had to rescue us by going to the store to buy more. But aside from that glitch, it’s going great!Continue reading “Hair Day Catchup”

The Winds of Change

The girls just got back from a visit with their Mama. Once a month, the case worker takes the girls to meet Mama at a city halfway between where we live and where Mama lives. They get to see their siblings usually at these visits too. When they got back, the case worker, who hasContinue reading “The Winds of Change”

My kids are little people, and are starting to discover what that means.

After the visit with their family, we took Sunny and Sprout to a Buffalo Bisons baseball game with the Finger Lakes NY Chapter of Little People of America. The chapter does regular events. We missed the last event because one of the girls was sick, but finally on Saturday we got to go! There wereContinue reading “My kids are little people, and are starting to discover what that means.”

Hidden Burma

Today we had a visit with Sunny and Sprout’s family. Instead of being cooped up in an apartment they suggested we meet at a park nearby. It was a gorgeous day, so why not? We put the address they gave us in the GPS, then got spectacularly lost. Eventually Sunny saw something she recognized andContinue reading “Hidden Burma”

How does trauma affect behavior?

On Thursday, I packed up Sunny and Sprout and went to Boston with my Dad for my niece’s graduation weekend. Seth had to work, and doesn’t yet have the kind of seniority he needs to take off his weekend shifts. So it was my Dad and me and the girls. To say I was apprehensiveContinue reading “How does trauma affect behavior?”

Gorgeous Brown-Skinned Girls

Yesterday, I prepared everyone for the parade by demanding they apply sunscreen in case we were facing 3 hours of unabated sun. It didn’t go well. I had picked up a spray-on sunscreen by Babyganics, but dayum. It’s the most whitening mineral sunscreen I’ve ever applied. I put it on myself which was fine. NoContinue reading “Gorgeous Brown-Skinned Girls”

Solo Momming Challenges

Parade going while autistic Today is Memorial Day. It’s parade day in my household! I naively planned not one, but two parades with the kids today – one in the next town over and one in our own little village. Bright and early, we all (3 kids and I, Seth is working) piled into theContinue reading “Solo Momming Challenges”