Again!

My husband pretty much took over the pottying today and was incredibly diligent. The kids spent more time on the potty than off. Little Miss was really doing her best... and her brother was kind of enamored with the little potty outside and shooting cheerios

BUT it felt like complete and utter failure when once again,
tonight,
minutes after he had been on the toilet,
he really filled his pants...
He said he had to go
but he said it after the fact.
It was so bad Vanessa was heaving and freaking ...
Last week I was the one heaving and screeching and she helped me ...
and tonight I couldn't even go in to help her.

Steve and I just looked at each other in utter dismay and discouragement.
We could not have tried harder.

Oh, did I mention we are baby sitting a dog for 10 days and he is pooping and peeing all over the garage?

*sigh*

It's so


NOT FUNNY!

Let us not be weary in well doing : for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

For the Record

This is not going to be a good post to read... it's just for the record.

The bowel issues have not made as good of progress in moving things along as I had thought. About 96 hours ago Little Miss ate something that is just coming through now. That's means there are 11 -12 full meals on top of that.
This child EATS!

Can you spell U-N-C-O-M-F-O-R-T-A-B-L-E?

I bought a mini-potty - and I mean mini.
Did you know they don't make training potties for 6 year olds?
Truly, I purchased the biggest one I could find.

I bought it because every time we go out to work in
the gardens and at the barn
we have trouble getting back up to the house
in time to use the ceramic bowl.
Well, okay, if we are standing by the bathroom door
we still have trouble making it to the toilet,
but
running up the hill to the house from the lower garden
and making it in time is completely out of the question.
I won't be guilty of giving them an excuse.

She thinks it's cute.
He thinks I'm nuts.

Have I mentioned how good my girls are about helping with the potty training?
They are Fabulous!!!
Couldn't do it without them!

The favorite new game around here is bean bag toss calling out the alphabet.
Every time the bean bag hits the floor we have to start all over again.
This is great for eye-hand coordination,
cementing the alphabet in their minds,
and for entertainment.

I'm already sick of time-out. I have NEVER been a fan of time-out but it's nearly the only tool allowed foster parents...
Today we changed things up a bit.
I told the kiddos instead of time-out we would find a little chore to do.
They are quite happy with that.
They do it with a smile and I'm teaching them to do useful things.
It is actually working better than fussing on a chair.
Little Man has learned how to clean a toilet thoroughly.
He's also learning how to use a broom in the garage
and how to run the dryer, and empty the lint, and measure the laundry soap.
Little Missy is learning to sort laundry colors and wash dishes.
I'm actually getting something done around here, now.
It's way more productive than me making sure they stay in their chair
and it's a great distraction - which is what they need right now.

The last bit is a brag about Little Missy.
We shoveled manure and mulch for several hours the other day
and I needed to call my husband
but I didn't want to quit working, so I ask Little Girl if she could do a very, very BIG job for me.
I asked her to run all the way to the house,
then get on her hands and knees and crawl down the hall to my room
and then unplug my cell phone, get back on her hands and knees and crawl back to the door
and run the phone to me.

SHE DID IT!
And I know she followed every detail of the instructions
because if she had not
there would have been very muddy telltale footprints all down the hall
and there were none.
She couldn't untie her hiking boots and put them back on to walk down in her socks.
Risky business, eh!

I'm now using that story to remind her that
she CAN do what mommy asks.
It works wonders for motivating her to do other simpler things.

STRIDES

My husband asked me last night if I was documenting the progress made with the children. Where's he been? Obviously he hasn't been reading my blog!!

I decided that I would make a list on this 30th day of the positives I see in the children.

Little Missy:

* Bonding is happening and growing with each day.
* Displaying Trust
* Calls us Mommy and Daddy
* Gets excited when Daddy comes home from work and runs to greet and hug him
* Knows the correct response to requests by me is "Yes Mom" and will remind brother
* Eats all her food
* Likes to help and can do a great job
* Enjoys playing outside
* Likes to pray and is willing for me to pray with her in a stubborn moment
* Is open to the Spirit in her life
* Will generally go potty in the toilet if we catch her in the right moment (THAT's progress)
* Laughs easily
* Tries to repeat words she doesn't know
* Has learned to sit through a story without interrupting with irrelevant facts and questions

Little Guy:

* Bonding is slower to grow but possibly stronger, better established
* Is now calling us mom and dad
* Is excited when Dad comes home from work
* LOVES story time
* LOVES music - it calms him, is a great teaching tool (more about that another day)
* Is quick to say he is sorry
* Has learned to eat bananas :-)
* Appreciates routine
* Enjoys quiet play like puzzles, trucks, felts, polly -pockets (YUP! )
* Dresses himself without fussing
* Knows the correct response to my requests is "Yes, Mom" and knows to use a pleasant voice
* Uses please and thank you when he is happy
* Likes to have his bath outside in the giant plastic tub with lots of bubbles and hot water
* Will pee in the toilet if caught in time. (I know, small blessings!)
* Is spontaneously giving hugs to his twin at night (used to only hug us after prayer time, but now makes a point of hugging sister, too)
* Excited to practice sign language alphabet (replacing some hand signs not appropriate for our family and it's worked)
* Really excited about learning memory verses for Sabbath School

This week's verse:
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. Psalm 32:8
Thank you, LORD! We take this promise literally.

Okay... must run. Someone is fussing about pottying!!

Outside

I spent the entire afternoon outside with the twins. I mowed and mulched my garden and they worked along side or played. I didn't have the energy to fight the potty issue. Little guy hid and pooped and I let him know that I knew what he did but since he refused to go the bathroom with me I told him he could wear it, so he did and it didn't bother him a lick. He doesn't have the same physical issues that Missy has, at least, not to the same extent. He mostly just doesn't want to! It's discouraging. We had such a nice afternoon - even if he stunk. They are so good and happy when I don't make them go potty. If they were only potty trained!!!!! I honestly don't know what to do. I just cringe when well-meaning people say, "You mean you haven't trained them yet?"

Oh, we did have a couple of tantrums Sabbath afternoon. Nothing unusual, his was pretty short lived and hers was 2 hours. I told her to change her clothes and underwear and she told me to change her. It was the battle of the bullheads and I came out the bigger bull. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) she missed out on the afternoon hike because everyone left before she gave in. Poor child. She and I went for our own walk but it wasn't quite the same.

The church where the girls and I work had a nice little party for the twins. They were given soft teddy bears that they just LOVE. They carried them around all day and slept with them last night. We were also blessed with a money tree.

Missy pulled the pedal harp down on herself. It's the first time in all the years we've had a harp that anyone has managed to knock it down. Lucky for her the table caught it. The kid is fine, the harp is fine and the table has a big ding in it.

Home

We are home. The kids are fine. Not one outburst or even a hint of trouble despite the fact that they went to bed late, the visit was stressful and chaotic, and they had upset tummies from all the food/ treats they were fed on top of the meal I had given them. Steve and I thought we would sit there and wait for 4 hours for the visit to end, but in reality we were as busy as ever. The tw*ns insisted on going potty every 15 or 20 minutes - showing off that they were being trained, and also checking to see if we were still there and to get a hug and to ask if we could go home.... so it was one child after the other accompanied by a SW or bmom the whole entire time. Steve and I did all the pottying for consistency and it gave us a chance to reassure them and to talk to them about their siblings. It also gave me a chance to talk to SW quite a bit and to get a real feel for the bmom and her issues. I met the siblings, too.

The kiddos did really well in the morning, traveling, shopping, etc... but come time for the visit they were messing their pants over and over, even though we were in the bathroom half the time. I nearly ran out of underwear.

We came home and they quietly went potty, cleaned themselves up, scrubbed out their current pair of underwear, showered and got in pj's without the least bit of a whimper. We are making progress even if it doesn't feel like we'll ever get control of the poop thing. They woke up cheery and are ready for Sabbath school.

FYI

Got a message. They aren't going to keep me out of the building. I'll be in the next room. I'm praying for a no show...

Junior Monopoly

Big sister playing Monopoly with the kiddos. It pretty much amounts to her making ALL the moves. They love it. That is what counts. I'm hearing a ton of cheering and animated play-by-plays from Christina. She'll be exhausted ;-)

My Day

It's very good to get feedback from those of you who leave comments. I take each suggestion seriously and I appreciate the various perspectives and the ideas from people who have been-there-done-that. It's been a full day and I'm tired, but it's only 1:40.

Each and every time we have taken the kids to the bathroom today has been a battle. Right after breakfast they sat for about 10 minutes and whined about not wanting to go poop. Finally I showered the boy and soon as he was out with a towel I put her in... I went in search of a clean pair of underwear and came back to find him peeing on the carpet and her pooping in the shower. They were both whisked to the toilets and told in no uncertain terms they would not be getting up until they had pooped. They were silent and knew they were in deep... In less than 5 minutes they both had gone potty!!! They were quiet and good for quite awhile after that. Little Missy took a long time cleaning the tub.

I dressed them and sent them outdoors while I cleaned house because at 11 AAI came for a follow-up visit. Before the lady arrived I was on the phone to the sw and this is where I really felt discouraged and defeated. Tomorrow we are taking the kids to yonder city for what we were told was a sibling visit - with the other families. I found out it's actually a visit with the biomom and the siblings (remember she was suppose to make her way to our distant city for her visit!!!) and it appears we are not allowed in. We are to drop them off for FOUR hours. I didn't say anything, but I'm really upset about it. I made it clear that there were to be absolutely NO swear words in the children's hearing and I expect them to be taken to the potty at regular intervals and that they WILL mess themselves and someone WILL have to clean them up.

I'm upset because everything we have accomplished the last three weeks will go down the drain because I have been promising them I WILL NOT LEAVE THEM and thanks to ss I have to leave them with the very people they don't feel safe with. I tried to tell little Girl that she would be seeing her sw tomorrow and she said, "NO" and put her head down. It's just too soon. Three weeks is not enough time for them to feel like we won't get rid of them or there is some new unhappy surprise around the corner. Remember no one told the kids that we were going to be their new parents until it was obvious. They just had to go along with whatever happened, whenever it happened. I find it terribly upsetting - what about them?

B mom has said she will relinquish on April ** at the hearing and so her last visit would be April **, apparently - if ....

Our AAI visit went fine. The tw*ns were insecure about it. They figured it was about them and it was supper unsettling. Little Missy plagued me about not leaving her in a constant stream of half intelligible words. We sent them out to play with Christina and they behaved badly and had to be in time out, etc... all through the visit. It could have been enjoyable otherwise.

It's going to be a very LONG and trying day tomorrow.

Someone asked: the tw*ns are 6 years old.

Fairly Calm

We've had a busy, but calm two days.... Well, I say that having just finished putting both the tw*ns to bed and them missing out on going to Prayer Meeting. They wanted to go in the worst way, but neither one of them wanted to go potty before we left and when I quietly directed them to the toilet they burst into disrespectful talk and wild crying. That was the end of all chances of going out tonight. How very sad. I showered them both to calm them, dressed them in pajamas and held them. I gave them a choice of stopping the crying and having a story, or continuing their wailings and going straight to bed. Thankfully, they chose a story. The rest of the family left.

There is a real fear of being left behind, or alone. I'm constantly reassuring them that I will not leave them alone. They go with me or dad or I stay home with them. They are terrified of being left.

Last evening we went to the first part of a concert. Vanessa was playing her harp in the high school chamber orchestra. Even though she is homeschooled, she is invited to participate in the music program and she really enjoys it. Their chamber orchestra had participated in adjudications earlier in the day and they were rated SUPERIOR PLUS! Anyway, enough of the bragging, I'm getting back to the tw*ns. They really loved going and seeing Vanessa up on stage and they enjoy the music. We only stayed for the first 4 songs. It was just enough to peak an interest and not long enough to bore.

I direct a children's choir and a youth choir, and normally my husband is home to take care of the tw*ns, but today there was an orientation for Running Start (college for high schoolers paid by the government) and so I had him take Vanessa and I had to take the kiddos to choir. They were mesmerized! They sat in one spot without fidgeting the whole time. Choir was a little odd today because Vanessa is our pianist and since she was gone I had to play the accompaniment. . . Anyway, we are exposing the kids to new things all the time. They even had a visit to the orthodontist today to see one of the girls have her adjustment.

Today we completely enrolled in speech and occupational therapy at the little school down the road. The people there are VERY nice and I think this is going to be a good thing. We even ran into the principle who is a good friend of ours (also adopting ).

Potty training is still a challenge. They fight going in the bathroom, however, they will poop in the toilet now.... but they still poop a constant trickle in their pants.Today he was pretty good about going in and going pee on his own and she fought it every single time. She gets discouraged because she can't be successful about keeping her panties clean. I put them in diapers to go to choir and she cried in shame, but I knew I could not be taking them down to the restroom for two solid hours so she had to wear it. If anybody has some tips on training older kids please share. I've worn out my stash of tricks.

One thing that she does that is a little tiring - but I understand it, - is she tries to control everything that she possibly can. Just little stuff like - in the morning she will tell me "Tonight I take a bath". Come evening she says, "Tonight I take a bath. Morrow I take a shower".

In the morning she will insist on taking a shower. Or like last night.

"Morrow I have waffles breakfast."

I said, "I'm not promising anything."

In the morning she wakes up and says "Breakfast I have waffles."

I responded with, "Well, I don't have any (could have made them from scratch, but I'm in charge of my mornings) and so I think we are having hot cereal and shake."

Her, "WHY!"

Me, "I told you I don't have any waffles."

Her in an accusing tone, "My grandma (fostermom) have waffles."

Me, "That's nice. Are you having breakfast with Grandma this morning?"

Her, "Uh, no."

She ate her cereal.

She decides what she will wear "morrow" and eat and how she will bath and if she'll go for a hike or ride her bike. All for naught . . . I give her choices on the spur of the moment; lots of them, and I try to tell her everything I know about how the day is planned out before she tells me her plan.

I'm having more success with time-outs now that they are learning to follow my direction. If they sit quietly and behave the time-out is short. If they cry and scream and lose control it lasts until they calm down and sit quietly and behave. It's finally sinking in. Steve was not able to go to work all week because of his back and it was helpful to have him around to back me up all the time, every time.

Little guy has not been grouchy since Monday afternoon. Whew! Oh, and he's actually getting it that I don't want his fingers in his mouth or his coat collar all chewed up. He needs reminding, but he's learning.

Little Missy's hard, bloated belly is gone. She doesn't have that pot-belly look anymore, but she's a bottomless pit. I have to tell her when she's had enough. Her brother doesn't eat half what she puts away.

A Reason or Two NOT to Visit Our House ...

I think I can say that we have accomplished goal number 1.
It's safe to say the twins are no longer backed up to their tonsils.

OH, my dear! BOTH at the same time ! POOP everywhere.
They are now in diapers for the rest of the afternoon.
He thinks it's great. She's ashamed.

Brianna was a good sport and helped me out. She threw the clothes outside to hose down and when she was not looking the dog ate the underwear....

Can it get any worse? I'm thinking there are more pleasant weight loss programs out there. Gag!

To the Top of the Mountain

Little boy is tired. His system is getting used to not being medicated so he's out of sorts and crabby. His left eye is visible evidence of his struggle. It's turning in making him look half cross-eyed. We've spent several hours climbing to the tippy top of our mountain this morning. It's so warm and sunny and the flowers are popping up everywhere. The strenuous physical exercise is good for the both of them and there is less to fuss about up there. If you don't walk you get left behind. If you race ahead you find yourself needing help and so, whine or not, he did very well and whether he admits it or not, he enjoyed it. He looks just like my nephew when he wears my Australian Outback Leather hat. He loves that hat... Steve went with us and that made it easier for me. He took one kid and I took the other. Lucky me - I took Little Missy. She's a trooper and quite a hiker.

Ummm... this would be the moment where he decided he couldn't walk and let himself slide off the path.

Okay... so I'm assuming Little Boy is crabby because of getting off the medication, I don't really know. I wonder, too, if he's trying to sort out the reality that he's here to stay. For the first time yesterday, while having a tantrum he said he wanted his mom and he didn't mean me. Later, our not so considerate teenage neighbor, had his horrible music turned up really loud in his truck while he worked on his tractor (You know it had to be really loud!!! My fear is that he is moving back into that house.) and Little Boy said, "My mom has that music". It was the first day he had even spoken of her. He refuses to talk to "grandma" (foster mom) on the phone while sister gabs away in gibberish. . . .Or is he just testing our love? . . . Or is he really just a crabby kid? If he's a miserable kid we've got our work cut out. Only time will tell. Lord Help Us.

Incremental

Little Missy is making progress. It's incremental, but each day there is progress. I've come to the point where on short trips about town or church or to the River, etc... I tell the kids when they get in the car, "We are not bringing extra clothes, or panties/underwear and no diapers or wipes, so you need to stay dry and clean". It's a funny thing - they can do pretty well most of the time. She almost never wets anymore, except when she is playing outside. Night time pull ups are usually dry. She even used a friend's toilet and left a rabbit pellet and the rabbit pellets at home are becoming more frequent.

Little Boy had a No-good-very-bad-day yesterday. He was hauled home in the middle of church in a very defiant mood. He unbuckled his car seat on the way home so I had to pull over and re-buckle. He raged on his time-out -chair for a LONG time. He missed out on a lot of things because of it. I called Steve and told him not to come home with the girls. Good friends took them home for lunch... and they didn't come home for several hours. I worked with him and prayed over him and ignored him and worked over him and prayed and sang and read my Bible aloud... He has quite a vocabulary!

Little Missy was VERY clingy when she got home. She was gone from me a bit too long, but she seemed to get back to comfortable on our walk at Blackbird.

The invisible ties to the bedposts are gone. . . that didn't last long. They sneak into our room in the morning and into our bed if we don't get up fast enough to suite them.

Steve is taking time off of work due to his incapacitated back and he is behind me on the 100% obedience and respect requirements. Little Boy's defiance doesn't stand a chance. Right?

Question: does anyone know of any tricks to stimulate imaginary play? She's in the bathtub at the moment. She doesn't do a thing but sit there. If I throw in some toys she just looks at them. I gave her some cups and spoons and containers to pretend with and she doesn't know what to do with them. It's like a blank.

To make you smile: This morning I gave Missy her miralax in water (they don't like juice much) and she asked why she had to drink it. I told her it was medicine from the doctor to help her go poop. She sat on the toilet and pooped a rabbit pellet and says "there, I pooped" and shoved the cup away. HA! Not so fast little girl. She also spilled most of it - whether or not it was on purpose, I have no idea but I refilled it for her.

Don't tell me these kids don't know what's going on!

Cleaning House

Since you are all just sitting on the edge of your seats wondering how goes the "poop parade" - so coined by my dear sister-in-law, I just had to post to keep you all informed.

Oh? You are tired of it already? Yeah, well, I don't blame you.

I'm tired of it TOO!

People keep telling me - "This too shall pass" and "They won't be pooping in their pants in college", etc... but to be honest, it feels very much like we'll be doing this for a LONG time, But as my husband tells the kiddos, "You will learn. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow but you will learn - someday."

I just had to clean my house today. It's a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. All the windows are wide open. Christina took the kids outside and played with them for awhile, then I told her to go work on her math and I actually made the little kids stay outside unless they needed to go potty. They have thought that we would entertain them all day, every day and have not been very good about playing on their own at all. I worked hard at disinfecting the house and everytime they came to the door I asked them if they needed to go potty. That was enough to make them run the other way. I even packed a picnic lunch and two of the girls took them up the hill to eat. It only lasted so long when one of the girls came running to tell me Mister was throwing a fit. He's now sitting on the time out chair while the rest went for walk to look for wild flowers. The nice thing about him in time-out is he doesn't cry much. He only says "I being good" every 30 seconds which translates into "let me off this chair". Unfortunately for him, he has to respect everybody, not just me, and somehow he hasn't figured that out.

I'm being a stickler for them using words to express their needs. Grunts and facial expressions don't cut it. Communicating by crying means NOTHING at all to me. I know I'm a meanie, but that just the way it is. I'm oaky-dokey with trying to figure out what their mangled words mean so long as they are trying. Sometimes they don't want to try so they don't get what they want. Life is so tough.

As far as the potty training goes, we are celebrating the small victories. Little Missy is giving us a teaspoon of poop in the toilet on occasion and we have a party over it! The fact it she isn't in control of it herself, so it's a process and we have to keep that in mind. Her brother is a different story and I'm not sure I know what the story is, yet. We've seen a lot of poop these days and that in itself is a victory because I know they were backed up to their tonsils and all that fiber is doing it's work. We've taken to watching dvds in the bathroom on potty breaks on the laptops. Good thing we have two laptops and three bathrooms.

I've lost my appetite pretty much . . . I have this "aura of ickiness" about me :- / My husband brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers last night and a friend brought over three loaves of fresh bread and an entree and some have called or emailed to say they were praying. It all means a lot. . . mostly that people recognize that this is hard work and that they are interested.

One thing I am learning is that praying with the kids and asking Jesus for a change of heart during bad attitudes is very helpful. It keeps me focused on the important thing, and Jesus truly gives them a new outlook. Sometimes they don't want it, but eventually they give in.

To the Doctor

We had our visit with the doctor this morning.

We have a prescription for a laxative to work with the constipation and to help with a routine.
We are completely taking the kids off the sedatives.
Little guy has tubes in his ears that are coming out on their own, soon.
Little Girl has hearing loss in both ears to be investigated further with an audiologist.
Little guy has vision issues and it is suspected that he will need glasses.
An appointment is being made by the clinic for Children's to see about Little Girl's clef palate.
The clinic is willing to help me get the kids in speech and occupational therapy if I don't get into the place I chose here.

I am pleased with the clinic. It was extra special that the nurse is a friend of ours.

The day started off rough. Little Man would not cooperate with getting dressed or going potty, etc... I've been working with them to dress themselves and get their shoes on, etc... and they have really done well. They dress quickly and run and play.... but if they chose not to do anything they can pretend pretty well that they can't. He put his underwear on sideways twice on purpose. Consequently, we didn't have time for breakfast before we left. Little girl ate, but Little Guy and I were doing well to get in the car. I'm not the most patient person in the world. That's a fact! So, it was pretty trying to me.

When we got home the twins switched places and she started tantruming and he was good as gold and really using her naughtiness to his advantage. - You know, "What a good boy I am!" So, while she hollered in time out he ate and went on the zip line and went for a hike with Brianna. She managed to throw herself off the chair and bruise her back. I'm thinking I need to use a lower stool, or something where she can't hurt herself. I have to say her tantrum was not so bad - as far as what she did that first day, but she cried a lot and was not willing to work with me so she stayed there until she was done with the obstinacy. I had never heard "You, FAT BABY " as an insult before. It was almost hard not to laugh. If that's the wost she can think of to say then I have a lot to be grateful for. She was finally willing to let me pray with her and take her potty and all that, but she's not exactly cheerful. It's a funny thing - he was really frustrating this morning, but I felt nothing about this shenanigan with her. Maybe it's because I'm not under a time constraint and most likely because I did a fair amount of praying on the drive to and from town.

Oh... DH went to the doctor, too. He's in severe pain. Vanessa's driving him around to his appointments. He moves like a old, old man.

Another Day

I'm trying to celebrate the small victories; like the fact that in the middle of my transaction at the Bank of America Little Girl started saying she needed to go potty. . . and in every other building we entered after that. I remember the girls doing that. It was like they had to see every bathroom in town . . . She went every time and I made her brother go every time, too - but he still managed to have wet undies between. They did really well until after lunch when the pooping started. We managed to plug the writing teacher's toilet. I was very grateful to find the plunger hidden in the bathroom and avoided a disaster.

I'm trying to learn from my mistakes; like the mistake of eating burritos at our favorite (the only) fast food joint, Taco Bell, with these two. A near utter calamity.

The girls were trying to be cheerful and make light of their smelly situation by cracking jokes about the suburban actually being the sewer truck. The two oldest are handling things in a mature and kind manner. Christina had a total melt down last night and cried in self-pity. All this poop is not what she had in mind when she agreed to our family adopting.

We came home to bathing and changing first one child then the other, and then starting back at the first child and redoing it over and over. I couldn't even make supper... Missy was tired of it all and started to have a tantrum. She ended up in on the time-out chair with only a towel... however, it was a half-hearted tantrum and she soon agreed to get cleaned up and dressed again (after we washed the poop off the chair.) The next time around she was quite cheerful about it. Little man got grumpy and decided not to talk to me - only mumble and cry and whine. I held out on him until he decided to use words - about half an hour.

I was whipped by the time hubby came home. The kids were not even in bed yet, because I couldn't get them cleaned up long enough to complete story time. He took over and I just vegged on the couch.

I can't wait until the doctor's appointment tomorrow am. NOT that I think she can work any miracles... I know it's rather pathetic, but it's something to look forward to. Little man's cough has gotten way worse and I don't know what to do because when I tried to give him a cough drop he just swallowed it and the hydrotherapy treatments I would normally do on my children would make him think I'm out to kill him because of his fear of water and heat and cold.

Our friends left for Ethiopia despite the fact that their embassy date was canceled just before they left. Our other friend's child passed court yesterday in the same country. Our other friend's adoption in China has been delayed - yet again.

It's morning... here we go... Steve's home and he planned to help me, but he threw his back out and now he's flat on the floor totally incapable of doing a thing.

The Three P's

I had to have some fun today so I called up my friend who was packing suitcases for her family's flight to Ethiopia to pick up their new family additions - (a boy and a girl, like us, only younger) and asked her if she was really sure she wanted to go through with this. I proceeded to expound on the three P's in all their gory details. The three P's are, of course, Pee, Poop and Puke. She's a good sport and laughed with me. . . but she is surely going to have her share, but I assume not to the same degree as me.

It's a funny thing. . . I'm collecting followers all of a sudden. Who'd a thought that a daily dose of the three P's would be attractive? I, honest to goodness have more of my share of the yucks than anyone I know at the moment. This evening the kids wanted to hold their little pets so I suggested they bring them up to the kitchen and sit on the floor in a circle so that the kiddos could be supervised with them and wouldn't you know it!! One by one those critters pooped on shirts, pants, socks, floor, and dresses. They would barely be cleaned up when the rounds would start again. Duck poop stink ranks right up there with Little Missy's pants. Oh, and did I mention I caught little Guy blowing his nose on my pretty wool throw that I bought in Tanzania? What's another word for snot that starts with a P?

Actually, we had a really good day despite the fact that I changed a poopy pair of underwear every hour all afternoon and evening. Missy had a fantastic attitude all day. She was sweet and funny and loving and had a great outlook on cleaning up her messes. She getting good at helping me and she has decided showers are far preferred to baths. She'd never had one before she came here, but they are quick, fun, and get the job done well and actually cleaner for her than a bath.

Little Boy managed to keep supper. I think he's okay. He is trotting off to the bathroom on his own and doesn't need help.... which is annoying to his competitive twin who announced she was going to do it all by herself, too. She started to and then faced with a full mess decided she didn't need to go that bad. Of course, I took over.

We worked on our ABC's and writing numbers and coloring in the lines. We did several puzzles and went for a good walk this morning. The girls took them up the mountain for an hour this afternoon. Brianna commented that they seem to be better coordinated already. They are still klutzy, but they have been doing a ton of hiking every day and seem to be tripping less and running more freely. They have scratches from the sage brush and bruises from all the stuff they've done to themselves. They sure like the zip line. I'm thankful the harness fits well and is safe.

We have a Pediatric appointment made for this week, a Children's Hospital visit scheduled for May, a visit with their siblings planned for later this month, the agency visit scheduled, and real hiking boots ordered. These were all goals my husband had set out for this week and they are all done. The only thing not accomplished is a schedule for the speech therapist. She never called back.

I'm just very thankful that we had a calm, happy day. We are no where near the goals, but we are on the road with a smile and that's what matters. I thank God. I'm sure someone was praying for us.

Adding to the Nasties

I really thought I was in for a continuation of yesterday when we started off the day with puking at the breakfast table... But the morning went fine and then he up-chucked all over himself at lunch. = / He wants to eat and doesn't complain of anything. (We later learned this is totally a control issue!!) I don't quite get it since he is only coughing a bit. He is making progress in the big-boy underwear department. He is even catching on to understanding the urge to go. Found him on the pot all by himself. Hasn't figured out that one needs to fully empty the bladder before you move on, though.

Little girl woke up with her will pointed in the right direction. She wanted that butterfly lollypop and managed a dime's worth in the potty and that, she says, is ALL she's giving today. She has kept dry and has made an effort at being happy, though she's pooped in her pants. I didn't write that she had two major tantrums in the time-out chair and missed out on a lot of activities late in the day, yesterday. She woke determined that today the big girls will take her to the places they took her brother while she was having her conniptions . The day is moving on and she is getting tired and I am thinking her resolve may crumble.

I'm praying a lot!

TIRED!

We are moving things.... thanks to the smoothies.

Plugged the toilet solid.

No progress in the training at all. None whatsoever.

Everything smells like poop to me.

Claiming the promises in Isaiah 41 and 58.

Not discouraged, just tired.

Little girl is still promising tomorrow she'll poop in the toilet... I'm thinking tomorrow she'll still be saying tomorrow.

LOL! Forget Everything I said this Morning

Well, okay, maybe not everything, but for one thing, Kelly - a mom with 9 children, pointed out that some of the things I thought were good qualities are actually signs of insecurity and for two, things have kinda gone South since that posting.

Little Gal has had a screaming fit in the bathroom today - not once, but twice.

She flatly refuses to try and go poop in the toilet. She doesn't have a problem with keeping dry for the most part, but there's something psychological as well as physiological going on that I'm not quite getting about going poop. Why is it so much safer to go in the pants? I made these really cute carob-peanut butter lollypops tied with ribbons. There are frogs and ladybugs and bumblebees and other smiley critters. I explained they are for whoever goes poop in the toilet and she just said "NO". I just left them on the counter and she wanders over there for a look every once in awhile. She has since decided that maybe tomorrow she'll try. Yeah, right!

I want to keep the potty training spirit as positive as possible, but you can't escape the fact that it is downright hard work and she's starting to hate it. Brianna is good at making the bathroom experience fun. She sings and chants and practically dances to keep it all fun. Vanessa is BORING in the bathroom - but she makes up for it in other ways. I've needed their help since I started with brother.

Little Guy isn't quite as on the ball about being dry, but he is giving it his best and has had some successes.

Good Qualities

I have to say they are pretty good kids.

When I put them in bed at night they do not get out of it until I tell them to in the morning. It's like they have some invisible ties to the bedpost. At first I was the only one who could tell them it was time to get up, but they have now learned that if the big girls say it's okay to get up, then it's okay.

They can hike a mountain without crying and fussing to be carried. We had other good hikers with us yesterday and amazingly none of them had trouble going up the steep parts. They motivated each other incredibly.

In Sabbath School they sit in their chairs and do exactly what the teacher tells them to do. They love the songs.

When they cry they cry quietly. I can hardly hear them. They might balk at something they are asked to do, but eventually they do it and give me a big grin when the task is accomplished. They want to please. They like to pray. They are cuddly.

Pray for us. Today we start potty training brother.

(Reading this some months later.... Boy, did I have the wool pulled over my eyes or what!! They just weren't comfortable enough to be themselves yet.)

Reporting Live ....

Sorry about the play, by play! Just remember this is my journal of a journey and we are in the thick of it...

There are TWO things to Celebrate this morning!

One is a completely dry night time diaper! I don't believe it was a coincidence, either, because she really had to go this morning.

Two is the breakfast appetite displayed this morning. Oatmeal with milk, "shake" and Brianna's wholegrain toast were devoured by Little Man with gusto. The appetite has been growing, but this morning took the cake! He finished with a satisfied smile - pleased with himself.

Unfortunately, one chick was quite ill this morning (it actually was sickly to begin with) - to avoid watching it die a slow death it went to the hospital with dad this morning. He'll return with a new Blackie this afternoon. The children are learning to handle the chicks with care and always under supervision.

Critters In the House

Steve came home with a little box of spring babies from the feed store for the kids. It's been the best thing ever. Each of the tw*ns have their own baby chick and they love them. They are very attentive and learning to care for them and hold them gently. Steve named Little Girl's Pancake because of the way she holds it, squishes it and kisses it. I'll be amazed if they survive - but I need them to. The dormant interest in nature is surely being awakened. Little Guy is so intrigued. Brianna, our household bird expert, shared a lot about chickens with him and he asked a lot of questions. He was even willing to look at her "chicken manuals" with her. He's thanked daddy for his surprise over and over all day. He says he loves his baby and he named it Blackie. Christina helped him make a little fleece basket to carry it around in.

Brianna and Christina have 3 day old ducklings. Personally, I think they are much more interesting than the chicks. They are enjoyable to watch, but probably less content to be held and so the chicks prove a better choice for the little people. We've had to make it absolutely clear that only ducks SWIM!

On Poop Patrol

Literally!

But hey, she hasn't wet her pants once today so we celebrate the victories.
She is quite proud of her accomplishment... and being a competitive little creature she is throwing it in the face of her tw*n who, actually, could care less.

" I a big girl. My panties dry. J's a baby! He wear diapers."

Alas, she is tired of washing poop out of panties with me and sitting on the toilet in hopes of a real job well done. It's all a great big process of cleaning up the mess and carrying the washed out panties down to the washing machine in a little bucket and taking another little bath or shower. She's even feeling a little ashamed and doesn't want me to see that her underwear are messed in. She managed the morning pretty well, but the longer the day went the more tired she felt and the less she could control her bowels and the less she felt like dealing with the problems it caused her. Well, hey, she ain't the only one! Anyway, she still went to bed happy about being dry all day. A little sleep will do her wonders and me. too. She's pretty funny - even when she doesn't mean to be and I'm glad she isn't fighting the process.

As for the Little Guy - we've found a solution for the fruit avoidance issue. Someone suggested smoothies and I brushed them off, because I was sure it was about taste.... however, I finally decided to try it and I called them milkshakes. I blended soy milk and fruit - apples, banana, frozen mango, etc... with a few flavorings and a heaping tablespoon of flax meal into a smoothie tonight and he drank two servings! Now I believe it's about texture and not likely about flavor. I was getting desperate since he hasn't had a bm since last Thursday. It's poop patrol one way or another - and there's no getting around it!

We Didn't Wait

We didn't wait till Sunday... the opportunity presented itself in a teaching moment and potty training began for the little Missy Tuesday evening. She's quite proud to be wearing panties like a big girl! She owns three pairs... which have been in the washer more than she is wearing them. She can manage to keep them dry pretty well. I think she had two accidents that way yesterday, but she cannot keep them clean. I feel sorry for her...she can't help it. Everytime I put her on the toilet her little bum is smeared with just enough poop to make her underwear dirty, but can produce nothing more. She can pee on command which is hilarious... but she makes the most of it. She gets a treat for each time she pees and she can go twice in one sitting!!!!

This kiddo is easily motivated by praise, hugs, treats, - and don't forget staying dry so she could go to the baby shower in panties like a big girl! Going to the "party" - which sounded all the world like "potty" to me WAS a huge deal! Food and candy is not motivating for her brother and so we have not started with him yet. I'm hoping that he will be motivated by his sister's successes. He doesn't appear to care or have any desire towards change at this point and I can hardly keep up with one right now, anyway.

The baby shower was for our friends adopting from Ethiopia. They fly to get their children in less than a week. They received some really nice gifts last night. Some of the things were no surprise to them as they were much needed items. Little Girl was very, very quiet and happy to be at the "party" and much to her surprise there were gifts for her and her brother, too. Our church friends bought us a brand new set of My Bible Friends story books. I love that set of books. They are so colorful and attractive and the Bible stories are written so well that kids really enjoy them. I had a set for my girls and then gave them away when they were too big. I recently found one at Goodwill and so morning and evening that is the book the tw*ns have asked for for worship time. Now we have the WHOLE set. There were two packages addressed specifically to the kids and since Little Guy was upstairs with dad we dragged him down to open it . Inside were beautiful nature books with intricate pop-ups, flaps, and a magnifying glass that revealed more information, etc... There are 4 of those books total - from Jeanne. They also came home with nice blankets from Peggy. Little Guy was great opening the gifts. I thought he might be shy in front of all those people, but he was very animated and used of lot of "WOWs and THANK YOUs". He's always very grateful for everything. He wanted to specifically know who gave him the books so he could go and thank her himself.

It was heartwarming to see the love and acceptance of our new little ones at the shower. I was blessed. I now know that all will be well and any concern I might have had for their integration into our community was for naught.

Stage III

As far as I can tell we have hit stage three of the new kids adjustment to our family. The first stage included a high level of excitement and intense activity and a short attention span. Stage two consisted of two days of utter exhaustion during which I did my best to keep them fed, exercised and clean, if nothing else. Stage three is a leveling out towards normal, I think. Familiar with the routine, they know what to expect and how to respond. They seem calm and comfortable enough to try a few tricks just for the fun of it, or perhaps they are finally at ease enough to be themselves? I'm not sure, but whichever, they have found their match! This Mom is not easily fooled, does not pass over disobedience lightly, or ignore character building opportunities. Crying in this house never turns a "no" into a "yes". In fact very much crying out of self -pity and anger or for any other reason besides pain or real sorrow could land a little person in a "time-out". Cuddly and hug-able, the tw*ns follow me around all day chattering about anything and everything. The conversation doesn't delve very deep... the vocabulary is limited, the ability to express their thoughts confined to 3 and 4 word sentences.

"I go walk, Mommy?"
"Which way?"
"Why?"
"This woad?"
"Why, Mommy?"
"I see boggy 'morrow? Dead boggy?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why, Mommy?"
"Mommy! Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!"
"Wait for me!"

You get the drift...

Yes, we saw dead "boggy" today at the girl's biology class. The poor frogs were being carved for dissection and not my choice of learning material for their age, but somehow the big girls weren't thinking when they announced the plan for biology lab. For a whole day I heard about the dead "boggy" and how they were going to see it and the disappointment would have been too bitter had they been forced to stay out. Duly impressed, the kiddos could not tear themselves away, but I wanted to show them something else and Little Girl put up such a fuss she found herself in the car before she even knew what had happened.

I see that Little Guy has ways to entertain himself but Little Girl does not. He can play with hotwheels or puzzles, etc... but she rarely finds something to entertain herself. She is quite happy to put on her apron and "help" or play if someone will play with her. I'm finding that she has been allowed to be mentally and intellectually lazy. She is capable of learning things that excite her, but she hasn't developed very many interests.

I'm teaching the kids to dress themselves, and to put on their own shoes. Our nature walks have turned into major adventures as I have seen the need to push them to try new things and overcome their fears. They are walking in the dry irrigation ditch, ducking under bridges, climbing banks, jumping over logs, crawling over boulders, running down steep hills and finding out they don't have to be carried, held and coddled the whole time. Whining is not rewarded, but new achievements are praised and cheered. I'm right there the whole time, talking and walking them through it. They are finding they LOVE it.

Potty training starts Sunday - provided they don't get sick before then. (It's still going around. Vanessa is sick today.) I'm preparing myself big time. I bought treats, even. We're still working on getting them into the doctor. Missy sneezed rice and apple out her nose after supper all over the couch. There's got a be a hole somewhere in that cleff palate - you think?

"Parents should reflect and pray earnestly to God for wisdom and divine aid to properly train their children, that they may develop characters that God will approve. . . Much prayer and study are needed for heavenly wisdom to know how to deal with young minds, for very much is depending upon the direction parents give to the minds and wills of their children." Child Guidance pg 189

Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

From BOTH

How come I didn't remember this part?

Testing the Boundaries

Forget what I said about avoiding the trauma today....

Right at pajama time Little Girl decided to run away instead of coming when called. She tried it a couple of times. I brought her back, but on the third time it was clear to me she was testing to see what I would do if she went the opposite way when I called her. She ran clear downstairs and turned around and laughed when I caught up to her - as though it were some fun game. I picked her up and explained that when mommy calls you must come or you are disobeying. I told her that she was going to bed right away (a whole 15 minutes earlier than brother) so that she would learn to come when I called.

Oh, the heart rending sobs!! So far she's been the good little girl and brother is the one who gets into trouble for this very thing. She was so heart broken. I prayed with her and sang to her and held her while the big girls carried on the story time with Little Guy. She cried for a long time. I asked her what she was going to do when I called next time and she said she would come. She absolutely understood. She called out "mommy!" several times and I went back and reassured her. The last time she said her throat hurts. Oh, dear! Just what we've been dreading. This sickness is really going around.

I am grateful to say both littles are asleep. Now for a minute for my newly displaced "youngest".

Learning

I'll just start off by saying I'm exhausted. I'm headed to the gym tomorrow to cancel my membership. I don't need it anymore. . . and I certainly don't have time for it anyway. Don't worry - I'm getting my exercise. In fact I just came down off the mountain behind our house 10 minutes ago. A certain young man was getting a little miserable and frustrated with everything and I decided to give him a change of scenery (or at least give him something different to think about). He had been playing with his hot-wheels for quite awhile and had turned to drawing on a huge piece of paper. Sister came along and drew something on HIS picture and he was NOT happy about it. Brianna kindly cut him a new strip to draw on and apparently it wasn't the right size. . . They both woke up tired and dragging so this was actually my second hike. We hiked the irrigation ditch for an hour this morning. My goal is to get through the day without any trauma and to physically wear the kids out so they will go to bed early and wake up more rested. They have been here close to a week and the high level of excitement is dwindling down to utter weariness.

Brianna has been teaching Little Girl how to play dollies. She had no idea. She came with several little dolls and my girls have some really nice German dolls and there is a set of dishes, but in the week they've been here Little Girl had not even touched them until today. She finds it hilarious to treat the dolls like real babies, but she's enjoying it. Brianna has made a big deal of taking the dolls potty and Vanessa has helped her to make a fleece blanket for them. My garden baskets have been turned into bassinets.

Both kiddos love to help in the kitchen. We have to have eyes on all sides of our heads... They are into stuff so quick! The stirring spoon goes in the mouth faster than you can blink. "Wash your hands. Please, don't wash the celery with dish soap - plain water will do. Wash your hands. Don't touch the hot stove. Wash your hands. Stir slowly so it doesn't all spill. Wash you hands."
I sounds like a broken record, but those fingers have a way of going in and out of the mouth, you understand...

These kids have missed out on so much in their 6 years. They don't know what a porcupine is. They have never heard of a skunk let alone a marmot. They call deer kangaroos. Robins are just birdies. Our first job it to teach them to observe. They don't notice and don't appreciate what they do see. On our walks I pointed out the first spring yellow bells, the coyote scat, the deer droppings, the apple trees and the view from the top of the mountain. In the world of nature there's not much of a knowledge base established for them to compare the new observations. The first 5 years of their lives they were kept indoors and on sedatives. The last year they have had a backyard in the city to play in. The horizons have expanded considerably and I aim to teach them to observe the world around them with all 5 senses. They aren't dumb. They know what they know....we just have to expand that.

I took the kids to the church (since we had to clean) and let them explore and discover their children's class. I needed to return a key to Delores, so I introduced her to them as their SS teacher. They were very excited to go. They were up and dressed and ready at the crack of dawn. Honest, we were ready an hour early!! They enjoyed the class very much. Jared and Joyanna met them at church with gifts and showered them with attention. Jared was a bit disappointed that Little Guy wasn't quite up to his level (*eye rolling * This kid is a genius - you know the kind that taught himself to read when he was 3 and isn't afraid to write detailed letters to the church board about how he thinks things ought to be done). Little Girl was very grateful for Joyanna's friendship and repaid in kind. Steve was suppose to have the sermon and at the last minute found out about a visiting minister. Yeah for me... It took both of us to contain them during church service.

My services are being required in the diaper realm. Little Girl has been filling them one after another all afternoon. (That's a good thing... RIght? )

Diaper Rash

I have been faithfully changing diapers like clockwork. There has been a little poop in each one - morning and night, until Thursday afternoon. Then they both had a big diaper. Believe it or not I was happy about that. I've taken them off dairy and upped the fiber as much as possible and it took that long to get a proper diaper load. Since then Little Guy has had wet diapers except for one poop today. I think it's progress. I'd rather take care of it once a day then 10 times a day. The Little Girl on the other hand, has continued to have soiled diapers and has trouble even to the point of not being able to control the drizzle in the tub. She has to have a bath morning and evening and even then her little behind is sore. I"m researching encopresis. Apparently, they have been checked for that a year ago, but SW and I are not convinced that they aren't suffering constipation and a stretched bowl to the point the nerves are damaged and they can't even feel the urge anymore. Their little tummies are very round and firm. It could take a year to heal that enough to potty train. I seriously think she's impacted.

A huge load of diapers were delivered to our door free of charge. Half of them are not diapers. What am I suppose to do with adult incontinence pads? There must be some mix up.

We are conquering the vegetables - soup, potpie, savory dishes are being eaten fine. Trying to feed him fruit is a disaster! Yes, the family with the orchard full of every type of fruit, the family that cans tons of fruit to save money during the year, the family that lives in orchard country and can glean all the fruit ever desired... THAT family has a kid who won't eat fruit! He asked for an apple today. I gave it to him. He merely poked holes in the skin with his big tooth. Little Girl ate hers to the core!

I'm working on getting their medical files transferred to the a pediatrician here. I'm really wanting to get them in as quick as possible. I'm concerned about some other things as well. The clef palate, for one, is leaking.

Udate on the Gang at Our House

I was telling someone that when the kids came came to live with us we can expect some of the regular colds and flues to accompany them to our house. We've been pretty much sickness free for the last two years. We had some sickness in Africa, but at home we have had very little. We try to live healthfully and take our vit D and epicore, etc... Well, I was expecting that bringing little people into the house might change that a bit - at first anyway, but I was not expecting it to happen in the first week! Guess what? The tw*ns are completely fine. They'll get it from us if anything! Christina is sick, Steve is fighting and I'm a balloon head.

As they settle in the tw*ns are sleeping better and better each night. The first night was a restless, tossing and turning and much sleep talking kind of night. After that each night has been a little calmer and last night I never once heard any sleep talking and the creaky bed was silent. The children have been playing hard all day outside in the nice weather and that helps to promote healthy sleep.


There are a few other things to work on with the kids. They have no appetite for breakfast and by lunch they are starved, and by supper they really want to eat. Breakfast should be the bigger meal for health's sake. One should fuel up in the morning and eat lightly at night so the stomach can rest at night, too. I'm learning, how to get the little guy to eat vegetables and fruit. Basically, I have found that one dish meals with no variety facilitates good eating right now. A bowl of vegetable soup means he's getting onions and carrots, yams, potatoes and whatever else I include. I put nothing but that and plain homemade bread on the table and he's hungry enough to eat it without complaining. If there are choices, he'll only eat what he prefers. It's not like he hates and gags on anything really. The girl on the other hand will eat everything. We can't leave anything on the counter and I have to watch that she doesn't just help herself to whatever suits her fancy in between meals.


The kids have been really good, but I have been really firm right from the start. When I say no to something they want she has sometimes responded with "WHY!" a little louder than necessary and with some real irritation in her voice. I absolutely won't allow that kind of disrespectful response to me. I call her name and I have her come right close to me and I explain that she cannot talk to me like that. So far she has nodded her head and has let it go. In time that might not be enough - but for now...


On the other hand, he just cries when he's been crossed. Yesterday I called for lunch and he was down at the bottom of the driveway with his bike with the girls and a few other kids. He immediately started crying. Vanessa tried to figure out why and all that. I just ran down and asked the rest of the kids to go up to the house to prepare for lunch. Since he could not or would not tell me why he was crying, and it's usually that he just doesn't want to stop playing, I told him we would just wait there until he stopped. He stopped immediately. Ten steps up the road he started again and I halted our progress and made it clear we would not be going anywhere until he was done. He decided it wasn't worth it and by the time we were at the top he was chatting happily. I know we are in the honeymoon stage of the transition so I am making it very clear at the outset who is in charge and what I expect.


The "grandpa" (foster parent) asked if the honeymoon stage was over yet. I told him that it wasn't . He said, "Well, don't worry, there's lots of misery coming up yet!" In his late 70's, the poor guy doesn't have a lot of patience for "misery". I laughed and thanked him for all that they did for the kids in the past year. He said, "I do have to admit they didn't know a thing before they came here!" And I believe him. From what I hear, they have come a LONG ways in the last year.


We've decided to call the girl Anna-Joy. It just means taking off the first three letters of her name and hyphening on her middle name. She doesn't quite get it. In her mind she's Brianna Joy and the other gal is Brianna Grace. It will take time. It's kind of sad because the poor kid worked so hard to learn to write her name. She is left handed and writes her name completely backwards from from right to left and the letters turned around. She's very cuddly and has completely accepted us as "mommy and daddy". Her brother will take more time. He's more affected by the bio-family shenanigans. Someone said something to him about me being his mom and he had a little trouble with that, however the next day he was verbally sorting it out with Vanessa. She had said something about "my mom and dad" and he said, "They are my mom and dad, too, right?


That's all I have time for.... until next time.

Whew!

Not used to giving baths, washing other people's hair, changing diapers, doing all the dishes, all the laundry, cooking, baking, vacuuming the whole house and answering 50 million questions, vising the rabbits several times, watching someone ride their bike 50 times, putting on a bike helmet 100 times and tying shoes as often, preparing for a State social worker visit, having a social worker visit, entertaining 100% of the time ALL. BY. MY. SELF! The girls hitched a ride to their music lesson and classes with Cindy. I was glad to see them come home to help me this evening and give me a few minutes break. I haven't worked so hard since the girls were little. I actually could not sleep last night due to a crazy tickle in my throat, and a new little sleep talker in the next room and plain old insomnia, so I'm feeling it!

The girls are now introducing the tw*ns to the zip line. *rolling eyes* I hope the kiddos don't expect me to give them zip line rides all day tomorrow . LOL! One can hear the giggling from a mile away. The kids also climbed to the top of our mountain. It doesn't faze them in the least. Brianna says, "They are perfect kids for dad". ~He's all about hiking and climbing mountains. The first gift he ever wanted to buy them was hiking boots. (I vetoed that!)

The kids have missed dad being at work all day. He called at lunch to see how they were and Little Girl talked to him on the phone. She jabbered away to him. Afterward It was "daddy this, and daddy that. And going to tuck me in 'night and not go work 'morrow!"

All in all, it was a good second day and doubt if there will be any insomnia tonight!

A Good First Day

I hardly know where to start.

The kids are so excited and happy and pleased to be here. They ran all over the mountainside, rode their bikes like crazy, visited the rabbits and the kittens several times, dragged their new big sisters everywhere, ate a good meal, enjoyed story time and cuddles and are quietly laying in their new beds. They chatter all the time. Whatever made me think Little Girl doesn't talk? Of her own accord, she has decided to call us mom and daddy. Little Guy is a bit hesitant - he's gone from using our first names to "hey you". Give him a few days and he'll follow in his sister's footsteps, I think. I wonder if foster mom told them to call us that? I have no idea. Poor lady, she cried when she left, but she said that this move was everything she ever wanted for these two. Interesting, when fostermom told the kids that they were coming here to stay Little Guy's big concern was that he thought we didn't go to church. All our visits have been during the week so even though we have had worship and pray together and say grace, it wasn't church! She assured him that we do indeed go to church and all was well.

Okay... so Little Guy is having a cry in his bed, so, signing off for now.

PS. TAKE a look at my "As it Happens Timeline". Notice the first and last dates!!!!!
Isn't God GOOD!!

Thinking of Going Private

My few and secret readers,
I am thinking of setting the controls so that only those who I approve may read. What do you think? I'm a little paranoid of inadvertantly putting out information that I shouldn't. I'm trying to be careful, but I really don't know what the rules are in my case. I am pretty sure no pictures of the kids, but beyond that?? Anybody know? Tricky, tricky... I can't tell you what State I'm in!

If I lock up - then you may email me so I can approve you.

Angela

Today IS the Day

I expect the children any time now. I called foster mom last night to see if she still planned to bring them. I secretly hoped she would tell me what she knew of the meeting Sat morning. The news was not good. Bio mom lost her cool in front of all the kids and wound up thrown out of the library. Apparently there were other reactions and loud words flying. Little girl didn't react... Little Guy wept. Poor kids! It went exactly as I worried it would and no one told them they were being adopted at the meeting. Foster mom told me that she had planned on having a talk with them last night before bed. I hope she did. She had been hinting loud and clear anyway. This morning I received a call from SW asking if I knew if foster mom was bringing the kids. I told her she was... and she wondered out loud why no one ever told her. ?? I don't know. It's all very confusing. Imagine if you were a kid. The way bio mom acted could greatly jeopardize her chances of having other visits. It doesn't bode well for her.

I made little Girl a dress last night. It's bright red with white polka dots.

I wish I could post pictures of the children, but I cannot.