Silver Lining?

For about a month, The Wife and I have been talking about how excited we are for next June.  That's when the lease on our current rental house is up.  Things have just not been as easy as we thought it would be with renting vs owning.  The good thing is that we don't have to pay for the repairs that have been done to the washer, dryer, and dishwasher.  The bad thing is that between those three things, we waited about 12 days total for them to be fixed.  And we have yet to hit the three month mark of living here.  Then, I got an email this morning, directly from the owner, saying that he has to move out of wherever he's living, therefore he would like for us to move out of this house, so he can have it.  Good times all around.  We spent most of today panicking and trying to figure out what we are going to do and where we are going to live.  We did get to see one house tonight and we're going to see another on our lunch breaks tomorrow.

In an effort to avoid licensing issues, like the kids getting to have the master bedroom and us getting stuck in the second bedroom, we are the people who are showing up to house viewings with a tape measure.  The windows in the current house are about two inches too small each direction, except for one of the bedrooms, so it's very important to us to find a house where we will be able to enjoy the master bedroom ourselves.

We've also decided that we need to stay in the general area of Leonard and Penny's daycare.  Penny would get along just fine, wherever she lands, but Leonard is just now getting used to daycare and is super happy to go there every day now.  They were really getting settled in, and while we don't believe the move itself will set them back at all, disrupting daycare to move to an unfamiliar place is just something that doesn't need to be done if we can avoid it.

Hopefully I will have an update tomorrow and we'll be able to come home and start packing.  We could have started packing tonight, but why do today what you can put off until tomorrow.  Maybe tomorrow we can start packing and know where it's going to end up.

Catching Up

There really hasn't been a lot going on around our house as of late.  The kids, especially Leonard, are settling in even more than they previously had.  Penny has been settled from the beginning, but he was having trouble with transitions and that sort of thing until the last week or so.  Things slowly got better around the house, with bedtime and bath time, and things have been running pretty smoothly.  Daycare was hit and miss though.  Sometimes he would cry at drop-off, sometimes he would cry at pick-up, often times, he would cry during changes at daycare... things like coming inside from the playground would upset him.  The last few days, the people at daycare have been writing on his daily sheet that he has been all smiles and very happy.

Yesterday, at the kids' visit with their mom, she gave them each a card.  It was from their aunt and uncle and little cousin, just saying how they loved them and can't wait to see them again.  We also received a card.  There was a long note written on the inside, telling us how much they appreciate everything and, at one point, it even said something about how they could not have hand-picked a better place for the kids to stay during this time.  Like I've said in previous posts... this is, in no way, your typical foster placement.

The Healing

It has been 3 days since I posted last.  The longest I've gone since I started this thing over a month ago.  The plague has hit our house.  It went through everyone and I am just now feeling back to (somewhat) normal.  The Wife is still down and out and hoping to recover soon.  Maybe by the weekend, we'll all be back to 100%.

Not much to report on the foster care front.  Leonard and Penny are both doing great for the most part.  They have both been excited to go to daycare every day this week... so far... and both of them have been super busy playing and drawing when I've picked them up in the evenings.  Of course, it remains to be seen if that will hold up for a week.

We're all looking forward to this weekend.  Other than a trip to the grocery store that we would avoid if we could, the plan is to stay at home for the entire weekend and just relax.  It's Wednesday though, so the plans could change a few times before the weekend arrives.

Potty training attempt #2 will be occurring this weekend... I really think he can do it!!!

Sunday Fun Day

More or less.  The Wife was at home sick, but I took all three kids to the baseball game.  We still aren't sure if they've ever been, but they definitely have now.  By the time we got there, it was the second inning, due to some unforeseen circumstances with the DVD player in the car.

We let the kids skip their naps today, since we thought that would be better than a super early nap that wasn't long enough for either of them.  Turns out, that was a good approach.  I had hoped that we would get to see a couple of innings of the game.  I was wrong.  We stayed until the last out.  There wasn't even a single question related to, "can we go home now?".  They were awesome all day.  Leonard was even clapping and cheering until the very end of the game.

Other than about fifteen minutes in the car, he made it the entire day without sleeping and/or crying.  Don't get me wrong... it was only fifteen minutes of sleeping, not crying.  After we got home, we cooked some stuff in preparations for the week of work and then they had some pancakes for dinner.  Then it was bath time, books, and bedtime.  And not a tear was shed.

Just Some Pictures Really

We have an awesome camera and we take pictures all of the time, but for some reason, I just never post them on here.  Here are some from Friday evening.  The girls were being girly and painting their nails in preparation for the baseball game today.  Leonard was being a boy by playing baseball and just having a good time in the dirt.

 

We had some more super cute pictures, but between the ones that we can't post on the internet and the ones that are covered in a haze of dirt due to Leonard's playing, these are the best ones.

The Ol' Farmstead

Yesterday, we took all three kids to a local farmstead/petting zoo kind of place.  Along with all of the animals (goats, pigs, prairie dogs, etc) there are hayrides, pony rides, and you can even go fishing in the catch and release pond.  We bought a season pass, which is actually good for one calendar year, so yesterday was just the first trip of many, I'm sure.  We spent about two hours there and then the afternoon started slipping away into naptime for Leonard and Penny, so we headed out for the day.  The Kid had been there before, but to our knowledge, Leonard and Penny had never been and they seemed to really enjoy everything.  At one point, the children's hospital near where we live landed their life flight helicopter in the middle of the farmstead, just so all of the kids that were there could see it.  It was definitely the closest I've ever been to a helicopter landing or otherwise.  I'm also pretty sure that's as close as I will ever need to be to a helicopter.  Before we left for the day, all of the kids played at one of the playgrounds and then we had a little picnic lunch just outside of the front gates.

The plan for this afternoon is still on for the baseball game.  We've got one kid down with a little earache, but we imagine she'll bounce back in the next 3 hours before the game.

Not Enough Sleep

When Leonard didn't go to sleep for at least an hour after bedtime last night, we knew that was going to be a problem when tonight rolled around.  The added bonus of only a one hour nap today at daycare didn't help either.

The visits went off without a hitch today.  When it was over, we got in the car and went back to daycare.  They knew that The Wife was going to pick them up to go get The Kid and all was well.  I dropped them off right in the middle of naptime and headed back to work.

When I got home from work this evening, The Wife was out back with Leonard, Penny and The Kid.  The Kid was painting Penny's nails for the baseball game on Sunday and Leonard was kicking and carrying clumps of dirt and occasionally taking the time to play with his new tee-ball set.  Pictures will be coming of these activities, but I am not using the correct computer in order to post them now.

Then it was time for a bath...

We let them share a bath, because they like it and it usually goes perfectly fine.  Tonight was the exception.  Leonard decided that he needed to be in the exact middle of the bathtub and not move down so his sister could have more space.  After my third request for him to move, in addition to two requests from Penny, I informed him that he could either slide down a few inches, or I would be moving him down a few inches.  He declined, so I moved him.  Then the tears started.  I was able to wash his hair and body and get him out of the tub in record time.  After his pajamas were on, he got to go to bed extra early... I'm sure that was real fun for him.  We could really tell how much he was enjoying it by the screaming.  All seems to be calm in the upstairs region now... unless someone is just being a lot sneakier about not sleeping.  

So much to say... it feels like I'm rambling...

We got some more stuff from the kids' mom today.  An entire trashbag full of winter clothes actually.  Along with one brand new pair of shoes for each kid.  This is no where near a regular placement for foster care.

And one more thing...

The Wife was spelling to me, because Penny was standing there and she spelled out "eat skittles", informing me of the plan that The Kid had for after the little ones were in bed.  Penny turned and looked at The Wife and said, "what is she gonna eat?".  So yeah... smart kid apparently.

Four Weeks

Today, we hit the four week mark for Leonard and Penny being with us.  We've made it through the first, however minor, sickness also.  Leonard is still coughing a little, but we're pretty sure it was just a little summer cold.

Visits with the parents are tomorrow.  Dad is first and that usually goes fine, but then toward the end of the visit with mom, Leonard starts to break down.  She has been walking them out to the car and strapping them back in ever since the second visit.  He cries right up to the point that he is strapped in and then it stops all of a sudden.  Normally The Wife drops them off and picks them up, but tomorrow, like last week, I will be doing the picking up.  Unlike last week when we came home after the visit, tomorrow they'll be going back to daycare.  I have to go back to work and The Wife will already be working.  We have told the kids the plan, so there aren't any surprises waiting for them after the visits, but it could still be rough.

In addition to that, when we came upstairs at 8:25pm tonight, Leonard was still awake... even given their 7:30pm bedtime.  That, along with the fact that naps occur at noon at daycare and the visits are from ten to noon in the morning... we already decided that all signs are pointing toward a very early bedtime for a couple of kids tomorrow night.

We have a fun weekend planned with the kids and The Kid.  We're planning on going to the farmstead/petting zoo type place on Saturday and then a baseball game on Sunday.  The weather has finally cooled down enough for outdoor activities, at least for this week, so that will be nice.

Hopefully there will be some good pictures to post over the course of the weekend.

The Feline Three

We have three cats.  They have yet to make an appearance in the blog, so this is their big moment.

 

I brought one cat into the marriage.  Her name is KC and she is grey and white and about 13 years old.  She's been mine for about six years and previously lived at my parents' house.  She enjoys the back of couches and laying in the sunshine.  

The Wife brought two cats into the marriage.  They're orange and white, 4 year old brothers, and their names are Percy and Herc.  Percy is quite the attention hog and would prefer that someone always be touching him.  Herc is the opposite.  He stays in the basement and we see him wander by on occasion if the house is very quiet.  He will make appearances when The Wife is working from home and no one else is here.  I got some pictures of them tonight... Herc's picture was taken with the help of the camera flash, as he prefers the dark of the basement and cowers under things when the lights come on.

In terms of the kids, Percy and KC don't mind the kids being around at all because it just means more hands to pet both of them.  Herc minds people as a general rule, so kids would be included in that obviously.  He also seems to be scared of ceiling fans.

Perseus

Hercules

KC

Our First Monthly Meeting

We had our first meeting with the kids' caseworker and our FSC (family services coordinator) tonight.  They were just coming over to check in on how things were going and decided to make it one meeting, rather than spreading it out over two separate nights.  Nothing super exciting was really said, since these kids are so sweet and well-behaved, minus the random crying of a certain two year old... but hey... he's two.  Their caseworker had told us after the first court date two weeks ago that he expected this to take "longer than usual".  But who could tell us what that meant really?  So tonight we asked.  They both agreed that, given the way court went and the way everything has been going, it's looking like a year... or more specifically, their worker said "it could be well over a year".  That's about nine months longer than we even imagined it could ever possibly last.

We also learned that Leonard and Penny's mom emailed their case worker about us.  Sure... you would assume it was some sort of complaint against us... but nope... it sure wasn't.  She wanted to know if she could buy us gifts.  He is going to say no, obviously, but still... how many parents would even suggest that?  We told him that if there was anything she wanted the kids to have, she was more than welcome to buy it and send it with them after their visits, but we definitely don't need gifts.

Good news though... those Halloween pajamas that we bought for them last weekend are good to go.  We were a little afraid that we were planning too far ahead.  Now it sounds like some Christmas pajamas are gonna be needed before too long.

Afternoon Entertainment

We have a sand & water table.  Up to this point, it has only been used a couple of times, just with water.  We made a stop at Home Depot today and picked up some sand... 200 pounds to be exact.  After naps were over, I filled the table with the sand and Leonard and Penny played outside for a while.  As far as I could tell, there was only one incident of throwing sand.  Once the threat of no more sand table was unleashed, the throwing stopped.  They stayed out there for a good 30 minutes, staying entertained with just a few plastic storage containers.  We immediately decided that we must order some sand toys.  They'll be here Wednesday.  The play therapist at the agency said that sand is soothing for the kids.  I'm not sure why it is, but we decided to go with it anyway.  Even though you can't see it in the pictures, Leonard had sand behind his ear within the first three minutes of playing and Penny's chin was covered in sand before they came in the house.

Just an Update

I had really good intentions of taking and posting pictures last night.  That didn't happen though.

Leonard claims to not be sick, just to avoid getting his temperature taken I think.  He has now had three doses of cold medicine to help him breathe and not cough so much.  Not a single time has he hesitated for even a second to take the medicine.  Who knows what goes through a two year old's head.  Maybe he has a bad memory associated with getting his temperature taken?  Or maybe he's just two... hard to say.  Good news is that his nose is no longer running like a faucet and the coughing has been cut way back. (Side note:  He does not enjoy the nose sucker thing.)

Penny was super helpful at the grocery store today.  She helped unload the cart at the checkout lane and then she picked up the bags and put them back in the cart.  She even carried a bag or two into the house when we got home.  When the kids first arrived she was, often times, mothering Leonard a lot.  In the past week and a half or so, she has toned that down and left it to us.  She just has to know that she's a kid and that's what she needs to spend her time doing... rather than worrying about what he is doing all of the time.

A little over three weeks in and all is well.  At least once we get Leonard's cold and Penny's four cavities taken care of, I suppose.

Lazy Days

That's our plan for the weekend.  Minus a trip to the grocery store, we don't plan on doing a whole lot of anything today and tomorrow.  The kids just woke up from a three hour nap, so that was a nice break during which I was not watching cartoons.  For the first time in almost 48 hours, I have actually felt like moving, so that's an added bonus for the day as well.

It's 4:30pm and we're all still in our pajamas... exactly the way we planned it last night.  Leonard and Penny are playing in the playroom and staying fairly calm (for now).  The Wife is reading a book and I am finishing up watching the last few minutes of the gold medal game for women's basketball in the Olympics.  I'm also considering taking some pictures to post of the kids.  I suppose those will appear later if I decide to take them.

Sick

Actual conversation with Leonard after getting back from Walgreens with a temple thermometer.

Him:  "I'm not sick. I'm just choking."  (after coughing and then sneezing)

Me:  "You don't choke when you sneeze."

Him:  "I'm not sick."

A few minutes later...

Me:  "I'll just take your temperature while you're asleep."

Him:  "I sleep all night."

Me:  "I know."

Good times with a kid that insists that he's not sick.  When he does get sick, I can't imagine this being much fun at all.

You Know What's Awesome?

The combination of gummy worms, kettle corn, and McDonald's on a two year old's stomach.  Especially a two year old that has been eating pretty healthily over the last three weeks.  So we'll be cleaning that mess up once he wakes up from nap time.

You know another thing that's awesome?  An almost four year old going to the dentist for her first ever cleaning and finding out she has four cavities.  FOUR.  I have to believe that the stuff that upset Leonard's stomach has a lot to do with Penny's cavities as well.

All in all, it's been a rough first half of the day.  Visits are tough for the little one... he cries all the way to the car.  Once his mom straps him in though, the tears stop and he's all smiles.  He screamed for about 15 minutes at nap time, while Penny laid down and went straight to sleep.  Because that's what she does.  We're sure that she's just used to the screaming by now, but he's so loud, it's still impressive that she can sleep through it all.

We Survived

9th birthday party for The Kid was a success.  The final tally was seven kids and seven adults... so at least we had a 1 to 1 ratio.  The kids were all fairly tame and had a lot of fun.  There were tons of pictures taken, but only a few that are able to be posted publicly without some editing.  After some professional style editing from The Wife, I will be able to post more.

The kids ate really well and Leonard took it upon himself to eat three hot dogs, a bite of watermelon, a whole lot of chips, then he turned around and had some birthday cake.  It was an impressive feat of eating... especially for a two year old.

I spent most of my evening feeling pretty sick.  Once I'm feeling better in the morning, I'll be sure to post some more details and pictures.

Best Laid Plans

So... we decided to leave the house today in order to pick up a bracket to keep the leaf from falling on Leonard again.  We also had to swing by the store for a couple of things.  Total time that should have taken... about 15 minutes.  After about eight stops and five hours of driving around, we made it home.  We got The Kid and Penny matching dresses for the birthday party tomorrow.  And then we picked up some other things for the little kids... namely sunglasses for each, shoes for each, several shirts for Leonard and a couple of outfits for Penny.  So all in all, it was a very successful day, even though it was four and a half hours longer than any of the three of us had imagined that it would be.

When I got to daycare this evening to pick them up, Penny ran to me immediately, as she does every day.  We walked over to the classroom where Leonard was.  I saw him through the window and he was happily playing with a couple of little girls, so I opened the door.  He looked up, then burst into tears and wanted me to pick him up.  I carried him over to wipe his nose and eyes from the grossness that came with his spontaneous meltdown.  Once he was informed that we'd be staying at daycare until he got it together and stopped his crying, he was fine.  In summation... I'm on to his little game.

Dinner was once again a hit... crab rangoon and egg drop soup.  So far we haven't had a meal that they didn't enjoy.  Surely there's something they don't like, right?  Obviously we hope to never find out.

Could It Be A New Trend?

No tears at bedtime last night.  And for the third night in a row, no crying through the night at all.  There was a brief moment at about 11:30pm last night that Leonard cried briefly... but that's because the decorative leaf hanging over his bed fell on him.  He was never really awake and when I asked him this morning, he didn't even remember me coming in to check on him.

Penny was SO excited last night.  We already had a towel that is some undetermined animal for Leonard, but Penny has just been using a regular towel... until last night.  We got her a duck towel and she absolutely loves it.  It also helps that she's been singing the only two lines of "Rubber Ducky" that she knows in the tub for the last few nights.  While they were watching their 15 or so minutes of cartoons before books and bed last night, I put Penny's hair in two little braids and she was very excited to show everyone.  She ran up the stairs and into our room to show The Wife.  She was also very concerned that her braids would come undone while she was sleeping.  I assured her that, if that happened, I would be sure to fix them before daycare.  They did come undone and, of course, I fixed them this morning... and she was still super excited to have them.  Leonard informed me that I didn't need to braid his hair, "because it just doesn't need it".

No tears on the way to daycare or when I dropped them off... hopefully this will be an on-going trend.

One Thing That We Learned Recently

Is that, when dealing with foster care, you can't really count on a schedule of any kind.

Some nights, Leonard cries.  Some nights, he goes to bed without any tears.  Most mornings, other than today, go off without a hitch.  The kids get up, get dressed, brush their teeth and hair, and then it's off to daycare.  Today there was a minor meltdown somewhere between the bottom of the stairs and the car that sits maybe fifteen feet away from said stairs.  The rule, as Penny stated, is "only the animals (meaning his lion and her giraffe stuffed animals) can go with us on the way to daycare... our cups have to stay here".  This morning, Leonard decided to take exception to the rule and just start crying... for whatever reason.  It's not lack of sleep, as they got about twelve hours worth last night.  Yesterday, he apparently spent the second half of the day at daycare crying on and off, which hasn't happened in several days, but is pretty similar to the first week or so that they were there.  Once we got to the car and he was strapped in, the crying subsided and it was like it never happened.  He walked into daycare under his own power and went right into the classroom like normal.  Can't WAIT for whatever is in store for us tonight at pickup.

Back to the matter at hand though... a schedule.  I realize now that I just wrote a whole lot that was more of a tangent than a story.  Anyway... we were supposed to have a busy week this week.  Play therapy was scheduled for tonight, a visit from our lady from the agency combined with the kids' agency guy tomorrow night, then a birthday party for The Kid on Thursday night.  Well, the play therapist called and had to reschedule for Thursday late afternoon (good thing we're off this week), the agency people emailed and said they needed to reschedule for next week, and so far, the party is still on.  We went from having a nice, quiet week at home on vacation, to a super busy week, to a somewhat busy week, with an especially busy Thursday thrown in there.  So yeah... who knows what's next.  At this point, we're hoping that the weekly play therapy sessions don't last a real long time and after a few weeks, we can be done with that... at least as a weekly meeting.  When we work until 5pm and the kids go to bed at 7:15pm or so, scheduling an hour and twenty minutes of play therapy and, oh yeah, feeding them (a healthy) dinner become more of a juggling act than anything else.  The rough part comes when the weekend rolls around and we're so wiped out from the week that we just had, that even with two full days off, we don't want to go anywhere.

I suppose my hope is that once everyone has had their meetings with Leonard and Penny and things have truly settled in like we thought they already had, that we'll have more time to choose the things that we use our free time for, rather than being told when and where we need to be.  I don't want this to sound like we absolutely detest having them here, we really enjoy both of them, particularly when he isn't sobbing hysterically for no reason.  I assume this is just the way it is in the beginning of a placement.  We're learning how things work as we go, so we'll see.

About Us

Nothing much to report on the kids today... so I figured this is a good time to fill some people in on our lives and who we are.

I'm 33.  The Wife is 30.  We live in the Midwest and both work full time jobs.  Her in insurance and me in computers.  We've been married for almost 2 years, but known each other for more like 9 or 10.  A lot of people ask the obvious question of... "what made you want to do foster care?"... and we give varying answers.  There really isn't one thing that made us want to do it.  The Wife's brother and sister-in-law started their classes at the end of the summer in 2010 and had a placement before Thanksgiving.  We heard their stories and it just got us really excited to be able to help out some kids in need.  So we signed up for MAPP classes and started preparing for the kids that would surely be coming our way.  It's a sad thing when kids are taken from their parents and placed in another home, but, as foster parents, it's our job to make sure that they have a place to go where they know they will be safe and someone will take care of them.  We have both worked with kids at different times in our lives and really enjoyed the work.  The Wife was a nanny for a while, as well as worked at a couple of different before and after school programs.  I went to school (briefly) for elementary education and I also worked at a preschool for a while.

When we filled out our paperwork for the agency, we listed that we would be willing to take children, boys or girls, from birth to eight years old (The Kid just turned 9 and we want her to stay the oldest).  We did rule out taking kids with any major medical issues, just because we are not in a position to be able to take them to the necessary doctors appointments and such.  If we were ever in that position, we would definitely change our criteria.

We were so excited to get our first call and then we did.  For a three month old baby.  We had a toddler bed and a regular bed, along with everything else, including clothes up to size 8, except a crib.  We unfortunately had to say no to the first call, but less than two weeks later we got the first call that we were able to say yes to.  It's been a great experience so far, better than most from what we've heard, and we hope it continues to be everything we hoped it could be.

We don't know where this fostering life will take us, we do know that we're excited to be doing it together.  It could be adopting, it could be fostering a lot of kids over a few years... who really knows... we just know that we're here to help.

Just Another Manic Monday

Not really.  And I don't really find myself wishing it was Sunday either.  It's pretty quiet around here today with just the three of us here.

Leonard and Penny are at daycare for the day, so we could get some time in with The Kid.  We got the necessary grocery shopping done for the party on Thursday and we also picked up the last gift for The Kid.  We came home, watched some Olympics from last night, started watching some more Olympics that are supposedly live, and we are now playing a new game that we bought while we were out today.

The Completion of a Full Sunday

After the naps, the kids had some manicotti for late lunch (or early dinner) and then we packed up and headed to the park down the street.  They all had quite a good time.  The Kid and Penny ran around the little play town, while Leonard kicked dirt for about 15 minutes straight.  All we saw was dust blowing from behind one of the buildings and once we figured out it was him, we didn't have to worry about where he was.  The Kid spent a little bit of time on the big kids playground, but Leonard and Penny had a great time on all of the little kids' stuff... climbing and sliding.  This entire entry was just so I had a reason to post more pictures.  I'd like to be able to post a picture of Leonard's dirt mustache that he was sportin' on the way home, but alas, that would be against the rules.

Penny even spent some time picking up empty plastic bottles and recycling them... such a good kid.



Mid-Day Sunday Update

So we made it through the zoo.  The kids were all troopers and walked the entire way.  We only did half of the zoo because it was getting late in the afternoon and there were a couple of little kids that were past their nap times.  Just the distance that we walked was a little over a mile and neither of them had any interest in riding in the stroller... so it made for a good diaper bag/camera bag holder.  The Kid pushed it most of the way, so overall, it was a pretty easy day trip.  Leonard's favorite part was the lions and, while Penny wanted to see zebras most of all, she still had a good time.  As soon as nap time is over, we're thinking that it's a good day for an early dinner and to go to the park.  We'll see what kind of mood everyone is in after some naps.

Saturday Recap

Saturday was a fairly good day.  We went to the clown show... which included magic and juggling... so that was fun for the kids.  They got little red clown noses to take home even.
After we got home and some naps were taken, The Wife's parents came over to see The Kid and meet Leonard and Penny.  They definitely got a face-to-face with Penny, as she is super out-going and hasn't ever met anyone that she doesn't like.  At the birthday party we went to a couple of weekends ago, she turned to someone that The Wife and I have never even met and said, "Good party, huh?".  So that pretty much sums her up.  Leonard sat on the stairs, then had a snack, then broke into a tearful, yet stationary, tantrum for no apparent reason other than he didn't get his regular two and a half hour nap.  He earned an all-inclusive trip for one to his bedroom for that one.   After her parents left, The Wife went upstairs, read him a book and he was good to go for the rest of the day.  Other than a little wetness on our trip to see the clowns and then again during the crying fit, Leonard managed to keep his pants dry all day.  Seems like progress to me... but who knows really.


Nachos and chicken wings for dinner were a hit... as pretty much everything we've made for them has been.  Risotto will be the dinner of choice tonight... but who doesn't like rice?


We are going somewhere with animals today... we're leaving in about 15 minutes and we haven't decided which place we're going yet.  Either the zoo or the farmstead/petting zoo place...

Too Early for a Saturday Morning

So much for sleeping in the first day of our little vacation... Leonard was up and crying at 6:30am.  He wasn't awake... he was just having a bad dream or maybe it's just his process... who knows really.  He stopped and restarted twice and then, on the third time, I decided it was time to try to let The Wife and The Kid get some more sleep and bring him downstairs.  We're giving potty training another attempt to see how it goes today... he does really well with #1... as you may recall from a previous post, #2 was a fail.  So far though... two successful trips and still dry underwear... in less than 30 minute... man that little guy pees a lot.

Summer Vacation

The Kid has arrived and we are officially on our "vacation".  We're not going anywhere, so it's not exactly a vacation.  Basically... we're just not working for a week, which is good enough for us.


Leonard and Penny had their second visit with their parents today.  The Wife picked them up from daycare and when she asked if they were ready to go see their mom and dad, Leonard just said, "I want to go home" (in reference to our house).  Once at the visit, Penny informed the supervisor at the agency that she had a big sister... in reference to The Kid.  So yeah... they're settling right in.  After not napping at daycare due to the visits, the three of us were fully prepared for a major meltdown from Leonard, but The Kid was able to keep him entertained enough that dinner, bathtime and even bedtime went smoothly.  Even The Kid was in bed at 8:20 tonight.

Like I posted the other day, we have a big week planned and we intend on having the camera with us every step of the way.  Lots of pictures to come... or at least that's the plan.

One More Day

Tomorrow is the last day of work for The Wife and myself until August 13th... and we're ready for it.  The Kid will be joining us for the week that will include a birthday party, at least one trip to the swimming pool, some sort of clown show, a trip to the zoo and/or a trip to a local "farmstead" that is sort of like a petting zoo.  And all the while, we're going to squeeze in some play therapy for Leonard and Penny, some visits with their parents, and Penny's very first dentist appointment.  So... vacation... not really the word for it.  But it will be a welcome break from work that we haven't had in a long time.


Not much to report with the little kids today.  After a fairly big cry fest last night, due to less than an hour worth of nap at daycare, Leonard slept all the way through the night and never made his usual crying noises in his sleep.  We think he's probably just having a reaction to a bad dream, so we hear him crying some.  Every time that we've gone in to check on him, he has still been asleep.  No tears at drop off or pick up from daycare and none at bedtime tonight either.  After two weeks of being at our house, it seems as though the positive effect of a routine has caught up with them.

8 Days Until Sheer Insanity

The Kid's 9th birthday was on Monday, but we won't see her until Friday.  Due to people being in and out of town for vacations, her birthday party at our house is  next Thursday.  As of right now, those who are scheduled to appear at the party are the two of us, The Kid, Leonard, Penny, The Wife's parents and grandmother, The Wife's brother and sister-in-law, their three kids, and Teapot... their fosterling.  So yes... if you're all counting at home, that's seven adults and seven kids aged 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9.  We haven't figured out where everyone will be sitting, so it's looking like a finger food kind of dinner that night.  There's a good chance that we're on the verge of seeing every single toy in the entire house played with in a single evening.


Penny told The Wife the other night that since it's The Kid's birthday and the gifts will be for her, she will just watch her open them and will not be helping.  We thought that was pretty good self-restraint for a 3 year old.  Have I mentioned how well-mannered and behaved these kids are?  If not, I'll say it now.  This is SO MUCH better than we had ever anticipated our first placement being.  Expect the worst and hope for the best I suppose.