Remember That Roller Coaster I Talked About?

Well, we've hit the loop de loop, my friends..

This past week we found out that JuneBug has family that has stepped up for her. It's a wee bit complicated (there's a shocker, right?) and it could take several months to get their approval (home check, background checks, etc) completed. The county is shooting for 60-90 days and is working diligently towards that goal. You never know what's going to happen but, from what we've been told, they sound like a stellar family.

That eases our hearts greatly. She deserves nothing but the very best.

So now we change gears. We're wrapping our minds around embracing them and doing what we can to make this go smoothly. Our worker asked how I would feel about phone contact with them.. I said no. In a previous case a family member (whom the county thought was stable but found out later, not so much) was given our number and totally abused it. Talk about violating our space, right?

Baby steps..

I told him I would be happy to start off with email correspondence and work from there. First and foremost I want them to know JuneBug is safe, beyond loved and wants for nothing. We foster parents have a bad wrap and I want to alleviate any anxiety they may have (to the best of my ability, anyway).

Yes, we were initially crushed but again, happy to hear how wonderful the family is. Shoe on the other foot.. if she was your niece or grand daughter, would you be falling all over yourself to get her back? Go above and beyond? Drop everything and focus on her?

We would, too.

Adoption Angles Replay With Ruth!

Missed last night's show, eh? Well here ya go..



We actually went longer than the hour .. to catch the last bit
CLICK HERE ~~~>

and then click "Replay", Menu, View Movies then "Ruth Part 2" to see the last bit. Heck, while you're there you can watch any of the past shows!

Thanks again, Ruth, for sharing your journey! It was a pleasure meeting you!!

Tonight On MomTV's Adoption Angles..

CLICK HERE ~~~>

Join me tonight on Adoption Angles with my very special guest, Ruth. She is a Mommy via fost/adopt and boy howdy, does she have an awesome journey to share!

Let me tell ya, it's crazy easy to join the live text chat fun... just click on: "Click Here To Enter Chat" and either use your member log in OR type in a chat name and VIOLA.. you're in like FLYNN! We loooove questions and comments!

We're on live tonight at 9PM EST (that's 6PM for all my west coast besties!!)... come join us and BE INSPIRED!!!

Being Human

Thank you for all your kind comments and emails from Sunday's post. Ya'll are just too sweet.

However, I do want to set the record straight.

As saintly as I may of come off, that's certainly not the case. We do our very best to be compassionate, understanding and "team players" but believe you me, I can get very upset. My blood pressure boils when idiotic drama occurs, social workers turn a blind eye and the politics of the system that manage to grind everything to a halt. Above all, what absolutely slays me is what our kiddos endured at the hands of the people that should always of been their greatest protectors.

THAT burns me right up.

Needless to say, I'm far from perfect.. like.. light years away. And then some. What keeps us plugging along is the tenacity, sweet innocence, strength, appreciation, sense of humor and moxie shown by the little angels we are blessed to know. They are my heroes and make me strive to be a better person.

Every.Single.Day.

Perfect Moment Monday

Not long after JuneBug's own time out I came upon these little ones (in her naughty spot, no less). They were being warned it is not nice to hit..

Apparently, they didn't listen..

Then, after the appropriate amount of time has passed, you have to get down on their level, explain why they were put in time out..


You get an apology, give hugs and loves (of course, some of it was in 2 1/2 year old babble but her message was loving and clear). Then you just get on with whatever you were doing. Drama over.

She gets it! Perfect.

I Capture
Perfect Moments.

Who Am I ...

... & Why Am I Here??

I've had many people ask lately exactly what our status is in the world o' foster. Enough that I thought I would address it, anyway. So, what's the deal? Are we solely foster parents? Fost/adopt? What's the scoop?

Here's the low down..

We are a certified fost/adopt family. When we started this journey, it was with the intent to adopt. From the get-go, the county was straight up that their goal is to reunify children with viable family or friends of family. They are not an adoption agency. Period.

We totally get that and agree.

But what happens when there is no viable family or friends? What if family is incarcerated or not willing to step up? That's when it ends up going to adoption. Relinquishment is not taken lightly and no stone is left unturned. We have come to realize that adoptions are few and far between (in our county, anyway).

We're asked how we can be so blasé .. why don't we freak out when things don't go "our way"? Bottom line: It's not about us.. not even in the slightest, remotest way. It's about what is best for the kids. Cases are like roller coasters and all the twists and turns can make you sick to your stomach. Thanks to our time with the twins we've learned to try to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Because the reality is she could be gone just like that.

Forever.

What never occurred to us when we had Jack and Jill is that once they left, we may never see them again. Although they now live across town, we'll most likely never cross paths. If we did, trust me, we would be a pool of tears and joy. That knowledge alone makes us really try to enjoy the moments we have with JuneBug and cherish them. To pour our love over her, keep her safe, healthy and happy.

That's our job.

Will we be devastated if and when she goes? Absolutely. Crushed beyond words? Without a doubt. However, it is not in our hands and we must trust in Him. Easy? Hardly. Necessary? Absolutely.

Because we love her.

News From The House of Pestilence...

Don't worry, I'm no longer contagious.. no need to back away from your monitor..

We're pretty much over the tummy issues but still fighting the bronchi crud. Personally, I'm okay with that. I would much rather go to work and be achy, stuffy and blow my throbbing nose all day than.. well, you know.

JuneBug continues to flourish. Every day she does something new and sweet.. totally out of her shell and blossoming into an amazing little chicklet. We're obviously in the dark about the case but (from what we can gleam) her visits with mom are getting better and things are going well on that front.

Court came and went but no one called to give us any info. With all the cutbacks, I believe the workers are under even more pressure and I try not to bug them unless it's absolutely necessary. Apparently nothing came up that would affect us one way or another.

Err, we think.

Once again, not knowing how much time we have, all we can do is just love on JuneBug and enjoy every moment we have. 2 1/2 is such a silly age (although the diva melt downs are a sight to behold). She never ceases to amaze and crack us up.

Bottom Line? JuneBug is a little gem and we love her dearly!

Lori & Crystal ROCKED on MomTV's Adoption Angles!

Missed Lori and Crystal's awesome show on Adoption Angles last night? No worries, I've got our O.A.D.D.'s (Open Adoption Dynamic Duo's) episode right here for you viewing pleasure..



A big THANK YOU to all our friends that were able to stop by!! CloudMaster, I'm glad you gave logging in another whirl and were able to join us this time! :)

And for the record no, I'm not in my pj's nor am I hopped up on NyQuil.. uh huh..

MomTV's Adoption Angles ~ De-Freakifying Open Adoption!

It's a BIG SHOW tonight, my friends!!!

CLICK ME ~~~~>

Lori from Weebles is back .. joined by Crystal (the first mom of Lori's daughter, Tessa). They met 9 years ago this month, when Crystal was 8 months pregnant and when Lori and her husband, Roger, had been waiting a whole week since turning in their adoption profile.

Crystal ended up delivering early, meaning that the three had known each other about a week when Tessa was born. The relationship between their two families, which has been close ever since, was recently featured in Adoptive Families magazine.

Lori and Crystal teach classes in Denver on how to have a successful open adoption. They also coach people over the phone if they have questions about building a healthy birth-family/adoptive-family relationship.

DO NOT MISS this opportunity to log in and chat with Lori, Crystal and me! 9PM EST TONIGHT!! Not only will they share their awesome journey and answer your questions.. you may even get to hear a few Grease ditties (or we might even shake things up and throw in some West Side Story-ya, we're wild like that)...

IT'S MUST SEE TV, YA'LL!! BE THERE!

I Fought The Crud..

.. And The Crud Won..

No lie.

In the weeee hours of Monday morning I was hurling my guts out. On top of the flu-like thing I had going on all weekend.. yep, I was a mess. The good news is I'm feeling better and back at work (infecting coworkers).

HA!

Okay, I'm no longer contagious.. ya'll can come back into the room now..

On a brighter note.. Princess JuneBug started PrePreschool today. We've got her signed up at the school we had Jack, Jill and Mannie in for a few hours a couple days a week. She needs to hang with kiddos her own age and it's a wonderful environment for her to be in. The county has yet to approve her attendance (due to cutbacks) so it very well could be out of pocket. We'll see..

Nantie dropped her off and was delighted to report she stomped in like she owned the place. Not a single tear. Yay JuneBug! When she went to pick her up she didn't want to leave. The kid loves school... Yay, again!

(P.S. In response to Sheri's comment... yes, I did lose 5lbs in 24 hrs.. LOL)