Two Years...

Exactly two years ago today,

this two-toothed, happy baby boy

came through my door and changed my life forever...

I was Booger Bear's mommy

for 10 amazing months,

and I am very, very blessed

that his parents have allowed me

to be such a huge part of their lives today!

Mimi loves you, Booger Bear!!!

=)

"New Girl" is Frustrating Me...

So I just sent a polite, yet "I mean business" email to New Girl at my agency.  It's been about a month since she came to do my Quarterly Inspection, and still...  NO PLACEMENT!!!  Not only have I not had a placement since Thanksgiving, but I've only received one potential placement call in the two months that New Girl has been at the agency (and it wasn't even in my age range!).  She can't honestly tell me that there has not been a single infant entering into foster care in two months.  Especially not where I live!

So I asked her (ever so politely, of course) to please make sure she is calling me for potential placements in my neighboring county (which happens to be even larger than mine) because I am right on the border, and I increased my age to 24 months because I have finally started stocking up on 24 month clothing.  I also let it "slip" that I had been getting 2-3 potential placement calls a week when the last Program Director was there, and that I've never had to wait this long for a placement before.  I'm hoping that will help spur her on and get her behind in gear a little bit.  Nothing like a little friendly competition with your predecessor...

I will give New Girl a month.  One more month...  And if I don't start getting at least one potential placement call a week, I'm outta there!  I'm considering going straight through CPS and eliminating the third party agency altogether.  They are (well, were) great when it comes to getting things taken care of when I had placements, but if they can't get me a placement, what's the point?!?

It's just very frustrating when you have the desire and the means to love and care for these kids, and you're still not given the opportunity.  Hopefully something will come up soon.

"Foster Friday" Panel Preview...

Since announcing my plan to begin "Foster Friday" last week, things have really taken off nicely.  I am soooo excited about the way the panel of Foster/Adopt parents and family members is coming together!  We're up to 11 panel members so far (my goal was 12, so I'm thrilled silly at how quickly the group developed!), and I'm so excited to have put together such a wide range of people who have been touched by Foster/Adopt Land.

Quick glance at who we have:

• Single & Married foster/adopt moms
• Experienced and Newcomer foster/adopt parents
• A foster/adopt dad!!! 
• Foster grandma and my personal respite provider
• And a long-time foster sibling

I can't wait to read about everyone's experiences and get their thoughts on different foster/adopt topics!

I was also very happy to have an official "Foster Fridays" logo created by my good friend, Lori, owner of Happy Daisy Designs.  I knew I wanted a logo for the panel...  But not having the patience to sit down and figure something out myself, I thought I'd ask Lori to come up with something for me.  The only idea that I had was, "maybe something to do with butterflies?"  I thought that would be nice because I always think of my kids as my little butterflies.  What Lori came up with was perfect!!!  My little butterflies coming from a piece of my heart...  I love it!!!  In fact, I love the concept so much that I think this might be the idea for my next tattoo.  And I'll add butterflies for each of my foster kiddos as they come into my life (I think I might be in a world of hurt if I end up fostering dozens of kids though ;-).

And so...  It seems that "Foster Fridays" will be taking off as scheduled!  Stay tuned Friday, May 27th for an introduction to each of our panel members.  And I'm still looking for one or two additional members if anyone is interested!

"Foster Friday" Panel

Over the past 2 1/2 years since I began navigating my way through Foster/Adopt Land, I've been very blessed to have developed a fantastic support system of family, friends, and fellow foster parents.  For me, the support and encouragement that I've received from my online foster parent friends has been invaluable!  There's just something about being able to share in the lives of other people who are going through (or who have gone through) the same things you are that offers a sense of "normalcy" and calm to an otherwise crazy life.

Last week was the two-year anniversary of my first placement, and I've been thinking a lot about how much I have learned over these past two years.  I'm also reminded daily about how much I still have to learn about this crazy world that is Foster/Adopt Land! 

So I started thinking...

I would like to start a blog segment called "Foster Friday."

It would be a panel of foster/adopt parents (current, former, just beginning) posting on different foster/adopt topics every other Friday...  I know it is always helpful and interesting for me to see other parents' experiences and opinions on different topics, and I'm sure it would be an eye-opener for others as well. 

I would email everyone with the topic of the week two weeks ahead of time so parents would have plenty of time to send in their posts.  I'll probably also send a list of topics that I plan to use at a later date just so they'd have a heads' up.  My hope is that the "Foster Friday" panel can be another support system for other foster/adopt parents and help answer some questions that newcomers or others considering fostering might have.

Here's where you come in!  If you are a current or former foster/adoptive parent and would like to be a member of the "Foster Friday" panel (or if you know of someone who might be interested) please let me know!  Just comment here or email me at the email address in my profile.  My hope is to get a dozen or so parents so there is no pressure to submit on every topic.

I know that I love sharing stories about my fostering experiences, and I hope that my online foster mama buddies wouldn't mind taking a little time to share their experiences on "Foster Friday" with me!

Who Are You, and How Do You Know Her Name???

When I first started fostering, I never even dreamed about accidentally running into a member of one of my kiddos' bio families out in public.  That is, until the day I had taken my Immobile Munchkin on a walk around my apartment complex and a complete stranger called her by name!

My first instinct was to go all "Mama Bear" on the lady.  "Fight or Flight" mode kicked in, and I was prepared to protect that little girl by any means possible.  "Step away from the baby, lady!"  I kept my cool though, and waited to see how the situation played out. 

The woman didn't seem to really know her, and the Munchkin didn't seem to recognize the woman.  The lady just seemed genuinely concerned about the sweet baby in the hot pink body cast.  But who the heck was she, and how did she know my baby's name?!? 

That's when it finally occurred to me that the Munchkin's name was actually one that is commonly used as an endearment, and the woman just happened to choose that endearment when talking to her.  Kind of like, "Oh, Honey...  What happened to you?!?"  But "Honey" was the baby's given name... 

I kind of felt like a moron after being tempted to maul a complete stranger for speaking to my baby, but it did get me thinking...  What would I do if I did accidentally run into a member of one of my kiddos' bio families while running around town?  Fortunately, I was on really good terms with Angel and Booger's families, and Little Miss and Itty Bitty's family lived in another county so the chances of running into them were slim.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what I do if the situation ever comes up.  I am perfectly capable of being nice...  But I can also go totally "Bipolar Girl" on anyone who appears to pose a threat to one of my kids.  :-)

What about you other foster/adopt parents out there?  Has it ever happened to you?

(Happy 3rd Birthday, Munchkin!!!)