Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Second Hearing for Little Man

We went back to court today to finish what we started a couple weeks ago.  We still have Little Man (henceforth referred to as LM) with us.  Our next court date is late January so we will have LM with us at least until then.

Google is a very interesting thing for finding out all kinds of info you wished you didn't have to know about someone.  I've been able to find out quite a bit on most of the players in this situation and it's not been pretty or comforting.  It's made me very sad, to be quite honest.  I'm very much the "play by the rules" kind of gal and don't get it at all when people totally go against what is right.  This is a situation where I'm feeling very torn on exactly how I'm supposed to feel.  On one hand, I'm super glad we finally have a child in our home and that we're able to make a difference to him for whatever time we're allowed to have him.  On the other hand, I'm so sad about what all has gone on in this family for YEARS!  It is generational sin on display.  I'm praying the cycle will be broken with LM!

As for how LM is doing and how we're doing - oh my GRANNY it's a challenge having a 9 month old at my age!!  Especially since I've been thrust straight into it!  I'm right now taking about 15 times longer to type this than normal because I'm having to check on LM every 2 seconds to make sure he's not into something he shouldn't be in to.  And the diapers.  God helps us all - the diapers.  Wow.  This kid can POOP!  And he's not sleeping through the night every night.  I like sleeping through the night.  Once I'm out, I'm out. And I don't like to be getting up during the night.  Not so with LM.  Oh no.  He likes to be up at, oh, say 1am or 2am.  Oh yes.  I think he's doing it just to torture me sometimes.  But last night he slept long and hard and I was so grateful! He's cutting some teeth, which any mother knows is never a super fun venture for eating, sleeping, or pooping. :)  But over all, he's doing fantastic!  He's such a good little kid!  He loves to explore, to eat, to play peek-a-boo, and to snuggle and give "kisses".

I'm excited to know for sure that we'll have him for his first Halloween, his first Thanksgiving, his first Christmas, and his first birthday!  I'm a planner.  I like to know things way in advance.  I buy clothes at the end of one season preparing for the next year.  That's just how I roll.  The last couple of weeks with LM have been a challenge for me simply because of the uncertainty of the future of it all.  For now, I know I can prepare for the next 3 months.  It's not a lot, but it's something.  And several fun somethings to plan for in the next 3 months!  And for those of you who haven't seen this GORGEOUS little dude, I will be happy to email pictures, because those of you who HAVE seen him can testify - he is FABULOUS!! :)

Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Our Foster Child

Yeah, eons since my last post, I know.  Been a bit busy. :)

To make a super long story as short as possible... with more details to come later....

We have our first foster placement as of Friday, September 30.  It's a little 9 month old boy.  He is honest to Pete one of the cutest things I've ever seen!  We're already completely in love with this little one!

Mike is out of town this week on a business trip, so I've been a single mom for a few days. **And let me just interject here that if you are a single mom with more than one child, GOD BLESS YOU and I have no idea how you do it!!  I can handle one for sure.  Two is a bit more demanding, but still doable.  THREE, with that 3rd being an infant, and doing it without my husband.... shoot me now!!  My hat's off to any single mom.  Those are brave souls there, folks!! ** Trying to learn a baby who I just got  has been more challenging than I was prepared for.  When you are pregnant, you have 9 months to prepare for a baby to arrive.  Once the baby is here, at least a woman gets some maternity leave.  Not so with foster care.  Nope.  I had less than 18 hours notice that I was getting an infant and was back to work in 48 hours.  And thank the good LORD that this kid has decent sleep habits!  He's gotten even better over the past couple of nights.  That is a blessing for SURE!  You would think after doing this twice with my own that I would have some sort of memory of what to do with a 9 month old.  Yeah - I didn't.  It's been a learning process for sure, but we're doing well.

Today was the first court hearing.  We didn't get to go full out into the adjudication hearing today.  They had to reschedule for a couple weeks from now.  I'm here to tell you, this straight and narrow girl doesn't do well in those sorts of situations.  I have been a nervous wreck since I found out just yesterday that I had to be there with our little guy.  I have been an emotional basketcase since the hearing.  So many thoughts have run through my brain, I can't even articulate any of them well enough to do them justice here.  I know after today how I will specifically pray over the next couple of weeks.  I can't go into a lot of detail, but if you're reading this, please pray that the judge presiding today would remain the judge over the whole deal.  There's a chance another one will be requested, but I'm praying heaven down that this one stays.  Pray our little guy will get to stay with us.  I know I need to pray that whatever God's will is, that is what will come to pass and ultimately I know that's what needs to happen.  However right now, I can't get past my selfishness of wanting to keep our baby.  Pray that I can see these people involved how Jesus sees them and not how my flesh wants to see them, because after today, I need the eyes and the heart of Jesus more than ever before.  Pray that someone will be able to reach this family with the Gospel.  It breaks my heart to see people so far away from the Lord.  I don't understand it at all.  Today just reaffirmed all the more that Jesus is the ONLY way to have any hope or joy in this life.

I hope to update this blog a bit more now.  I need an outlet to get out some of this info, and some of you may want to follow along on out journey, so I will do my best.

Pray for our family.  We will have our baby at least until October 18th.  We have a long road ahead of us.  None of the steps are easy.  We will need Jesus to walk very closely by us all in the days ahead.  Any time you think of foster families, adoption, the justice system, anything like that, pray for us. We are desperate for the Lord to show Himself might in our family.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Old Testament Thoughts & Questions

I'm reading through my One Year Bible.  I've tried doing this for the past few years and other studies have come in from time to time and the poor little One Year Bible has been laid on the shelf and the other, bigger one has been brought out for my quiet time or bible study stuff.  I really want to make it my goal this year to read through the entire Bible.  I've never done it.  I'm pretty sure at some point I've read every verse in the Bible, but not straight through, knowing for certain I've read every single verse.  So this year I'm going to try again.

However, I must say, as I'm reading through the Old Testament, I have about 17,000 questions so far.  You talk about not going into detail (or at least the detail I want)!  Wow!  Take for instance today's reading about Lot leaving Sodom.  Hello!  Why in the world did Lot offer his daughters to the creeps at his door?!  Seriously?!  And then there's like one sentence about Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt.  ONE SENTENCE!!!  What was Lot's wife thinking?  What did Lot and his daughters think or do when they saw here as a pillar of SALT!! Really?  There could have been a whole chapter about just that one incident.  But it got once sentence.  I find myself thinking, "And then what happened?" every time I open this book.  I guess maybe I'm supposed to think that?  Maybe I'm supposed to search more on my own.  Maybe I'm not supposed to know any of this until I get to heaven. Who knows.  All I know is that if the Bible had all the info I wanted, that dude would have been about 12 times thicker than it is now! 


Sometimes it makes me a bit sad, too, when I get to stuff like this where I have several questions about the Bible and want to go deeper, I think "I could ask Rich..." (my stepdad).  Oh how I wish I could.  He always knew the answer to whatever question I had.  He lived in his Bible and I think he knew that thing backwards and forwards.  I loved talking to him about anything to do with the Bible.  He went to be with Jesus 3 years ago and now he REALLY has all the answers.