Where do I even begin?!?!?
There have been some HUGE changes in our home lately. First of all, our two kids (3 and 5) went home to their mom last Thursday. As hard as it was to say goodbye to them, we have high hopes that they will do well back at home with their mom. We became very attached to them and asked their mom if we would be able to keep in contact, but they have some adjusting to do at home before that should happen, of course.
We were slowly adjusting to being a family of three again when I got a call from Children's Hope (our foster agency we work with) on Thursday. I was headed from the park to have lunch with my best friend Emily and our two boys when I saw Patty calling from the office. I thought to myself..."Why is she calling me? I'm going to say 'no'...I'm just not ready."
It's hard to open our home and hearts up to these sweet children, just to have to say goodbye to them. Rich and I knew that we needed time to heal, so we had decided to take a few months off of fostering before committing ourselves again.
So, I answered the phone and Patty said, "The county called and requested you and Rich specifically to take a lil' one. It's a newborn baby girl." I said, "How newborn are we talking?"...knowing that babies that are removed are often removed due to abuse. I just wanted to know what I was getting into and how extensive the situation might be. She told me the baby was born the day prior and the county social worker was on her way to the hospital to pick her up. I called Rich to discuss it with him.
Now, he is usually the more guarded decision maker when it comes to our fostering decisions. I'm usually the one saying, "But it's a 3 year old!...but it's an abuse case!"...and he talks some sense into me and helps me to realize what OUR family is capable of and what is too much for us to take on. When I told him about this baby girl, he said, "It just feels right."
SO, long story even longer...we got a newborn baby girl on Thursday. She is now 4 days old and we are (okay, I am) quickly adjusting to the sleepless nights again. Her name is Lily and she is the most adorable, sweet little baby girl in the world! She is quiet (for now) and sleeps a lot (for now). She was quite jaundice when she came, so we are having to wake her up to eat every two hours to keep her blood sugar up. She has another check-up tomorrow to make sure she is getting better.
In speaking with her county social worker, it seems as though she may be adoptable. We need to follow the rules to a "T", so that no one has anything they can hold against us if we have to go to court, so I will not be posting pictures of her online (however, those are pictures of her sweet little hand and foot above).
Zack is adjusting well and LOVES acting as "big brother". He constantly asks to hold the baby and gently kisses her on the head all the time. I think he likes being the older one in the house...maybe this will better suit him.
I will keep you posted on what's going on. Like I've said before, we may not be able to keep her forever, but we will love on her as much as we can while she's here. She is a precious little girl who holds so much promise...please pray for her.
