visits

The Winding Down

I took Sunny to the pediatrician this morning. She was just due for a routine checkup, but I of course informed them that she is being discharged from our county’s care and moved to a relative a few hours away. They made it a discharge appointment, where they gave her shots a little ahead ofContinue reading “The Winding Down”

Struggling to Parent Sunny

I’ve written before about how Sunny is a difficult kid to parent. I’m not sure I’ve really emphasized that enough, though. Folks, I’m struggling with parenting her fairly. Sunny has learned, through no fault of her own, to be manipulative and pushy. Those were attributes that got her needs met when she was home withContinue reading “Struggling to Parent Sunny”

Life Carries On

It’s funny. I’d been longing to adopt Sprout for so long, and so worried it would not happen, that when it did actually happen I was a bit gobsmacked for a day or two. Could it really have taken place?! Finally?! But then, life just carried on, as it has a way of doing! NothingContinue reading “Life Carries On”

Fireworks in Court

We’ve been in contentious foster care related court hearings before when Gronckle was returned home. In that instance, the child’s attorney disagreed vehemently with the agency and judge, but the appearance was brief and everyone managed to avoid taking things personally. I left and cried, but the attorneys shook hands afterward and all was okContinue reading “Fireworks in Court”

Sunny’s Need to Belong

The subject of belonging came up for me recently when I listened to a We Can Do Hard Things podcast called “Being Left Out: Navigating that Lifelong Ache.” In the episode, Glennon, Abby, and Amanda talk about the need for feeling like we belong, and how fundamental that feeling is to our survival. In essence,Continue reading “Sunny’s Need to Belong”

How it’s Going

A few updates for y’all: 🎡 State Fair Time! I’ve taken 2 out of 3 kids to the fair so far. One was Sunny and one was a family friend who is 13. A good time was had by all except me, and I survived, so that’s really what matters. The highlights of it wereContinue reading “How it’s Going”

Foster Parent Life Hacks

A post about foster parenting hacks went up on one of the many foster parenting Facebook pages I follow. It gave me the inspiration to do my own list, as follows: Preparation prior to placements: Get waterproof mattress covers for ALL beds. They make ones that don’t make annoying crinkly noises now. They go onContinue reading “Foster Parent Life Hacks”

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”

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”

Odds and Ends

Visit Fallout I wrote last about the visit last Saturday being especially hard on the kids. What I should have predicted was the continuing fallout. On Sunday, the girls woke up late and were just off somehow. So I asked them if they needed hugs and they both exclaimed “Yes!” and rushed over to me.Continue reading “Odds and Ends”