Happy Gram and Happy Birthday(s)

Whew, it is Saturday morning and I am hoping for a few minutes to catch my breath before the boys get up. They are off to the races the minute they sit up in bed! I make it sound like a bad thing but truly I love it!

We have had a really good week. D got a Happy Gram from school on Wednesday thanking him for using good manners at breakfast and lunch. It was his first Happy Gram from school this year. E copied it and took it to their mom for her to see. She was pleased. Thursday night when I got to my in-laws to pick up the boys my MIL said she had to talk to me. My heart sank, I thought it was something bad. She said when she went out to get D off the bus the driver wanted to talk to her. The driver told my MIL that D is a totally different boy. That he is talkative and engaging. Before he came to stay with us he was withdrawn and quiet. She said he is turning into a confident little boy and that he needs to stay with us. Huh...this came from his bus driver! I cannot wait to talk to his teacher! My MIL said she teared up talking to his driver. We all just adore these boys and want them to succeed in every possible way. They have been with us just 3 weeks. Can you imagine what they can become with positive role models and a strong family structure for the rest of their lives?

I talked to C's dad last night on the phone. We are doing 2 10 minute phone calls or 1 visit and 1 10 minute phone call weekly. C talks to his dad for about a minute and then E or I talk to him. His dad is filing a petition to get his son. He wants him with him really bad. I don't blame him a bit as C is a great little guy. Very busy and hungry little guy but very charming all the same. His dad sounds really nice and he sounds sincere. We talked about C's unending appetite which appears to be more emotional than physical and his lack of a bedtime or nap routine. His dad seems to have a pretty good grasp on these things. C was down there for a month before Thanksgiving and according to his dad it went really well. They are going to have a visit next Friday at one of the agency's offices mid-way between where we live and where his dad lives. A transporter or our CW will take C and possibly D to see their dads if D's dad can get it together.

D has not seen his dad since he was maybe 2. He turned 4 in October. So far dad does not seem real vocal about wanting his son. Not like C's dad is. It is sad, really. I would be moving heaven and earth for these kids and he cannot return calls for a week or more. I don't get it.

Well, I had better run. Today is my birthday I have to go bake my cake. D is allergic to eggs so I am baking an egg-free cake and decorating it myself. I let the boys pick my decorations and we are having a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake and party. This may be the only birthday they are here for so we want to make it a good one!

Oh, and on another note, the baby that we were hoping to adopt was born yesterday! He is a healthy little boy at 6lbs, 5oz and 21 1/2 inches long. His birthday is the day before mine!!

Still with us

E worked the weekend so I haven't had to time to finish this post I started Friday night. It was all boys, all day and night!

You've got to love our judicial system! For the prelim that was supposed to start at 2:15 on Friday the judge appeared at 2:45. Then he had to meet with the attorneys in his chambers for 20 minutes. Then they actually started the prelim. It lasted about 25 minutes. I was so glad my new phone has a kind.le app because I sat there and read until things got rolling.

The boys will be staying with us for a while longer. CPS is working on home studies for the fathers of the two boys we have. If things are okay the dads may be able to get custody. Or, maybe not. I was listening to the two of them talk to the CPS worker. My, what a couple of shady pasts! I was really upset when C's dad was talking to the prosecuting attorney about his previous "case" which was all a mistake, even though it involved a gun and shots being fired and him using his son as a shield. Yes, I can see where that could be a mistake and that he should be able to raise his child now. Right.....And D's father is in some sort of half-way house and the CPS worker said their is no way to do a home study in that situation. His minister (yes his minister who did not look like any mnister I have ever seen) piped up and said there is an apartment over the church that he could move into with his son. Great....enable him.

I may sound really negative but just by listening I know these guys are not fit parents. They boys are safe with us. Mom now knows who has her boys and she is happy they are with us. E took her a few pictures we have taken since they have been here and they show smiling, happy boys. Her termination trial will be taking place sometime in the next 90 days. We should have the boys with us at least until then. Maybe longer.

Seriously, I am not trying to take these boys away from their family. I am trying to keep them safe, happy and well adjustment little boys. I have seen amazing things from them in the last couple weeks and I would love to watch them grow up and become productive members of our society. I am afraid their family can not do that as they themselves are not productive members of our society. They are going to be horrible examples to these boys. I have seen some negative behaviors that are obviously learned somewhere. We are working on it all, all the time.

I love these boys and I hope whatever happens is in the best interest of them and their future.

Success and failure

Tuesday night as I was trying to settle C down to sleep for the 15th time in 45 minutes the following thought popped into my head. I thought to myself "this would be so much easier if this was my kid". Oh, instant guilt! I am treating having these boys as a temporary situation but if it isn't and I get to keep them forever will my thoughts change? Will I keep remembering that I did not give birth to these boys? And, would challenges be less if I had birthed them? I think not. I think we would still have challenges on the same scale. Right now, bedtime for C is our biggest challenge. Many things have improved in the almost 2 weeks they have been with us. Bedtime has been a slow process.

We are trying to do quiet, calm things the hour or so before bed. We only do a bath every other day because of C's eczema. We get jammies on early and read a book or two. I have no trouble with D. He is so ready for bed every night. C is just a different boy, the complete opposite of his brother. He never wants to go to sleep.

Last night, Wednesday, was a huge success! It didn't start that way as the boys were fighting terribly. I thought I was going to have to check their anatomy because they were pinching and pulling each other's hair. I swore I had two little girls instead of two little boys. At 7:45 I was done with it. We put on jammies, read a story and put both boys in bed. I laid in my bed for 15 minutes or so. They were both out in 5. Wow! Parenting success! They slept straight through until 6:30 this morning. Awesome! But, every parenting success is usually coupled with a failure. In my haste to get those two crabbies to bed I forgot to fill the humidifier in their room. D woke up with blood on his pillow. Another nose bleed. Ah, well, we can try to redeem ourselves tonight!

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Tomorrow is Mom's prelim hearing. I am attending but E cannot. He is working tomorrow and unless he transports her to the courthouse he cannot go. Neither of us are comfortable with him doing the transporting of their mom so I will go alone. I'll let you guys know how she pleads but I anticipate a not-guilty plea. She has done nothing wrong in her own eyes.

In-laws and bedtime and such

My little man D gets to go back to school today! CPS didn't get their act together with all our paperwork until last Wednesday so D couldn't go to school. Well, he could go to school but he couldn't be released to us. We didn't want to send him for just one day Thursday and with yesterday being Martin Luther King Jr day there was no school. So, today is day 1! He is getting on and off the bus at in-law's. They will watch C during the day and D after school. They will be his bus stop even when E is off because we thought it would be too confusing for the school with how E's schedule rotates.

Have I mentioned how wonderful my in-law's have been? They have taken these boys into their home almost every day and are treating them as if they were born to me. They are treating them as if they will be with us forever. How special is that? They are both retired now but my MIL is a LPN and she worked for a pediatrician when her boys were younger. Then she was hired into our local ISD and worked as a para-pro and aide for almost 20 years. I could not ask for better hands for my boys to be in. My FIL is a Vietnam vet and was a supervisor in a local plant. He is gruff and strict but very loving all the same. They balance each other out.

I am pleased that these boys have 2 very strong male figures in my hubby and FIL because they have had so many men in and out of their lives I don't think they take men very seriously.The first time E gave the boys a bath D looked at him like, seriously? you're going to try to do this thing? We both laughed but realized after it wasn't so funny. They are listening better to my FIL and E but both boys turned a deaf ear at first to anything they would say.

Any tips for me on bedtime? D goes right to bed and maybe chatters to his stuffed dog for a few minutes. This kid likes to sleep so much he could be mine. C, on the other hand, fights us tooth and nail. At nap time and bedtime. I think he was just left to his own devices before and they let him crash whenever and wherever. Not in my house! When we lay him down he's good for about a minute. Then he starts calling my name. Then he says he's not tired. Then he whimpers and cries. Then he plays. Then he's out of bed. Then I put him back in bed. Then he whimpers. Then he cries. Then he says he's not tired.......This lasts a good hour. Meanwhile, D is saying C won't let him sleep and he needs to sleep so he can do good in school tomorrow. I don't know what to do other than to keep doing what I am doing. We have a calming bedtime routine but he just does not like to settle. He is a goer. I hate to separate the two into different rooms because they do well otherwise.

I had better run. I appreciate all your comments and prayers so very much! They are uplifting to me because I am so afraid I am going to screw these kids up more than their mom! You help me build my confidence so much!! Thank you!!!

Saturday already?

Wow, is it really Saturday already? Yes, I have been very busy! I want to thank you all for your words and prayers. They mean so much to us!

D has had only the one nosebleed last Sunday. We have a humidifier going in their room 24 hours a day and I believe that is helping. I discovered Tuesday that C's skin issue is severe eczema. (I may be repeating myself) We are struggling to get it cleared up. It starts to get better and then one of the patches gets really inflamed and starts to look infected. It is horrible! I am hoping their doctor will test C and retest D for food allergies as some of you mentioned the eczema can be triggered by allergies. Last night C started coughing during the night and ended up vomiting. I was afraid it was the flu but I believe it was his gag reflex from coughing. That was a first for E and I! Cleaning up a kid and changing bedding at 3:30 in the morning.

Now, I feel like I need to clear something up. I feel unworthy of your admiration. I'm dealing with this whole situation the only way I possibly can. Honestly, I want to grab these kids, get on a plane and fly them far, far away. That is what I want to do. What I have to do is my job. I understand that reunification is the goal right now. That could change any time but for now I am taking care of someone else's children.

That does not mean I cannot love them, hug them, kiss then and tell them how happy I am they are here with us. I tear up a little when C says he wants to go home and that he misses his mommy.I force myself to tell him convincingly that mommy loves him and misses him too. It his hard to hear him talk about how they hurt him and still have to say they love him very much. It is very hard when one minute he says he misses her and the next he says she hurts him.

I am teaching these kids something that they have to learn. That living with adults should not be scary or painful. That they should feel loved and secure and warm and comfortable.

I don't know what is going to happen with these boys. They could end up with some other family members or back with their mom. Or, they may end up becoming available for adoption. I just can't see what is going to happen. What I do know is that if they leave I will cry. And, if they can stay with us forever, I will cry.

Yesterday's meeting

I attended the placement permanency meeting yesterday and let me tell you, it was interesting to say the least! There are 5 children, 4 fathers and 1 mother who is incarcerated. Mom's concern is that her kids should be with family. Understandable. She does not like the youngest 2 being with strangers. The other 3 kids are with their dads but the youngest boys dads could not be reached on Friday. Thus, they came to us.

The father's are all going to file for permanent custody. Mom does not want the youngest 2 split up but they have different fathers. There is a great aunt and uncle who are willing to take they boys but now all the interested parties need home studies and inspections. The aunt and uncle need to get a foster license to take the youngest boys because the boys are now in the state's care.

What a mess! I have never attended such a circus of a meeting. There were 5 DHS workers, me, the aunt and uncle, a father, a step-father and the boys attorney all present at the meeting. Attending via phone conference were mom, 2 dads, an aunt (the one I went to school with), a grandparent, and 2 of the workers from our agency. Every one wants the kids! I sat back and kept my mouth shut. I know the primary goal is reunification, I knew that going in. Yesterday confirmed that firmly.

Our new agency case worker is coming for a home visit tonight. He is brand new and very excited to have a case. We are also going to have a visit from the boys attorney soon. We just found out yesterday who the boys doctor is so we'll be setting up an appointment for physicals very soon.

E came down with the stomach flu yesterday morning so the boys went to my in-law's. My MIL told me she loves her bio grand babies but these 2 behave so much better! My heart swelled. When I walked in their door last night both of the boys ran to greet me with hugs and kisses. Strangers, indeed!

I had an interesting conversation with both boys in the car driving home. I told the boys we were almost home and C said he didn't want to go home. I asked if he didn't want to go to my house or his parents house. He said his house. He said they are mean to him there. I asked him who was mean and he said Daddy. He said Daddy hits him. And Mommy hits him. D piped up like he always does and collaborated C's story. I don't know what to believe. I don't see how small children can really make that up. It must come from somewhere. I wrote down the conversation when we got home and I'll talk to our CW about it tonight. I know it's not my job to compile evidence against this mother.

I had better run and get myself ready for work. The boys are going to the in-law's again today. Eric is taking today off but he is still feeling pretty crappy. MIL has been just super supportive and has so much fun with those two!

Born to be a daddy

I have failed to mention how awesome my husband has been through all of this. Truly amazing! His schedule rotates so he works every other weekend. This week he has Monday and Tuesday off, works Wednesday and Thursday, and has Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Next week the only days he has off will be Wednesday and Thursday.

He was on his own yesterday with the boys. We got them up together a little after 7 and got them breakfast. I laid out their clothes, kissed them all good-bye and headed out for work. He got their teeth brushed, their hair settled down and then got them dressed. He had some errands to run so they got to go to the courthouse to change his payroll deduction and then to the department for a car-seat check (which the woman wouldn't do, boo to his co-worker). The boys got to meet so many people that E works with and they each got a sucker at the courthouse. They he brought them to see me at my work. The members that were in the lobby were so thrilled for me!

The balance of the day was spent at E's parents. They went sledding down the hill and got to be pulled back up the hill behind the snowmobile. They each got to ride the snowmobile with E and then play on the big swing-set, too. My MIL sent me pictures, I so wish I could share them with you!

E said this is so much easier than he thought it would be. I think it helps that we have such great boys. My MIL said they are better behaved than her bio grand kids!
Oh, and he changed his first poopy diaper yesterday, too!

A little update

The meeting was postponed until today at 3. C's dad contacted E via FB and said he is trying to get C back. He thanked E for taking care of C and said he knows C is in a good home. They know each other via E's work. Dad was housed there at one time.

Mom's prelim is January 20th. No one has any idea how she'll plead so it may or may not go to trial. This weekend the magistrate had given her 15 days but the judge overturned that Monday and gave her 30 for her probation violation.

It sounds as if there are people stepping up to take the boys. Mom wants their step-dad to take them but that is where she will go when she is released. We'll just wait and see. It is all in the experts hands.

We took the boys out for dinner last night at our favorite restaurant. They were so good! These little guys just amaze me several times a day. I cannot imagine anyone ever wanting to hurt them or scare them or be mean to them. Seriously, they are a perfect first placement for us!

I'll keep you posted when we learn more. It sounds as if we'll have a home visit Thursday with our new foster care case worker. He is brand new to our agency and very excited his first case is a brand new set of foster parents!

Finding our rhythm

So yesterday morning while I was down here writing my post D was upstairs having a nose bleed. A pretty bad one, too. He was so calm about it all. I went in their room and C was awake, lying quietly on his bed. I started talking to him and started changing his diaper when D started to stir. I looked over at him when he sat up and my heart just sank. He noticed right away because the blood dripped on his arm and he said "I have a nose bleed". Just like that, all matter of fact. I grabbed some tissues and had him hold them on his nose while I finished C's diaper. Poor little D was a mess. I ended up calling my MIL because the bleeding wasn't stopping. She was an LPN and a para-pro at the ISD school. She said I was doing everything right, pinching his nose and having him breathe through his mouth. Finally it stopped. I was calm, cool and collected but inside I just wanted to cry!

He said he gets a lot of nose bleeds. After I got him all cleaned up and got them both dressed for the day and breakfast was on the table my hero arrived! My MIL was at the door. She stayed for several hours while I soaked all the bloody bedding and jammies and got the humidifiers going upstairs and down. I am hoping the dry air is what caused the nosebleed.

My MIL stayed until just after lunch and as she was getting ready to leave my mother came over. I am so blessed to have both of them! They played with the boys and read to them and just watched them and hung out while I was going laundry and making beds and all that work that needs to be done.

I feel like we are finding our rhythm. We'll see tomorrow when D goes to school and Wednesday morning when I am on my own getting all 3 of us ready. They were in bed last night by 8:20 and they were both asleep when I crawled into bed at 8:30. I just couldn't stay up any later. It worked out good because today I got up just after 4 and did some work, showered and was ready for work by 6. The rest of this morning will be devoted to the boys. I think I'll wake them at 7 so they get used to this schedule. E has the day off today so he's hanging with the boys. They are going to my MIL's while we meet with DHS.

E found out a bit more about their mom. Seems she dropped the kids off at one of her ex's and then went on a bender. She tried to kill herself by taking a whole bunch of pills and that combined with the alcohol put her in ICU for a few days. She went to jail on Saturday (the magistrate charged her with a parole violation) and she spent the weekend in the detox cell. E said she was a terrible pain in the u-know-what all day yesterday.

I don't know her record. I don't know how many times she has had her kids placed with CPS. I know she has 5 children with 4 different men. 3 of the children are with their father's or their father's family. C and D are with us because one of their father's hasn't been located (as of Friday) and the other father has a no-contact order. I don't think any of mom's family will step forward to take care of these boys. I remember when we were in high school Grandmother could not take care of her own kids so I doubt she's any better now.

I pray the boys get to stay with us. I pray for their mom that she can straighten herself out some. I really don't think she is in any shape to take her kids back. I know she has 15 days in jail but that could change. We'll know more today!

Adjusting to our new life

Thank you so much for all your comments! Life has turned a 180 on us and it is so awesome! If anything exciting happens or prayers are needed in our community please e-mail me. I have no time to read and I don't know when I will again.

The boys are both still asleep. The first night was a late one and they didn't get to bed until 11. They slept until 9. I know, 10 hours! Last night they were in bed just after 10 and it us just after 8 now. Another 10 hour night. I doubt this will last many more nights. I think they have been overwhelmed by their life so far and being in a warm, safe environment they are catching up on their lost sleep.

We are going to work their bedtimes back by an hour each day over the next few nights. My goal is to have them in bed by 7:30 or 8 because mornings are going to come awful early around these parts. D will need to get on the bus about 8:15 and then I will take C to my MIL's on my way to work. The bus picks up the neighbor boy and I see it every morning when I go out to start my car.

This is assuming they are still with us after tomorrow's permanency placement meeting. We meet at 3 at DHS with CPS and any interested parties they may have found. I highly doubt there will be any. We hope to be able to keep these boys for as long as we can. I am praying forever but prepared if that is not the case. We will do the best we can by them for the time they are with us.

Their aunt sent me a FB message yesterday asking if the boys we had were her nephews. We were friends in high school and became FB friends just a few weeks ago. She had seen my FB posting about fostering two boys ages 2 and 4. That matched her nephews ages and she knows where we live. She said she had found out yesterday her sister had her children removed from her care. (Mom is actually in jail but I didn't say anything. She is in E's facility.) Auntie went on to write that she cried her heart out when she found out the boys had been removed and she prayed to God that they would go to a good home. She cried tears of joy when she read my post. She knew it was God's way of reassuring her that her nephews were safe. She thanked me and thanked God. She wrote that I have no idea what those boys have been through. I'm not sure I want to know.

C has a sore on his right arm. It was a bit blistered and looked a little infected so Friday night after his bath I put some cream on it and a band-aid. He said his mommy hurt him. He said she burned him. He is 2. Where would that come from if it wasn't true? I wrote it down and I'll bring it up at tomorrow's meeting. My MIL changed his band-aid yesterday and he told her that mommy hurt him. He didn't tell her that she burned him just that mommy hurt him.

D hasn't really said anything. He hasn't mentioned mommy or anyone else in his life. he did tell me that he had 3 dogs at home but that one was missing. He couldn't remember their names. C cried at bedtime and nap time yesterday that he wanted to go home and that he missed his mommy. I just told him that mommy loves him and she misses him but that he is going to stay with us for a little bit. I keep reassuring these boys that they are wonderful little boys and that we love having them stay with us. I keep telling them that we have always wanted little boys just like them to come and stay with us. I don't know what else to say to them. Will that ease their troubled hearts?

They are outgoing little guys. D is a little pleaser. He tries to hard to do the right thing and his smile rarely leaves his face. C is the more dominant personality and is a bit more challenging and a bit of a daredevil, too. They play very well together and entertain each other. I have been working very hard to get this house in order with all the extra stuff and toys. Diapers and wipes, all that is so new to me. C is still in diapers but we are going to start working on potty training today. D wears pull-ups at night but he was dry Saturday morning.

Speaking of morning I had better get those 2 up. E is working so I am on my own today. My mom is coming up sometime today to meet the boys and I've got more laundry to do. If anything is wonky in this post forgive me. I am pretty tired and kind of spacey. I know it will get easier and honestly it hasn't been too bad!

There are children in my house!

This will be a real quick post to share my happy news with my prayer warrior women!

There are children in my house!! I got a call last night at 4:50 about an emergency placement. Two boys ages 2 and 4. Brothers. C is 2 and D is 4. They were at our house 2 hours later. I have never had such a whirlwind shopping trip through Wal.mart. I bought the bare necessities like pajamas and baby wash. I bought toothbrushes and booster seats. Holy cow.

It may be short term, it could be long term. We'll know more Monday at 3 when they hold the placement plan hearing. I'll let you know more when I have time. Right now the little buggers are still asleep. It was a late night last night and they were exhausted. Me, I hardly slept a wink! I still have so much to do. I still have all my Christmas decorations up for Pete's sake!

Thank you for all your prayers! They truly work!

I'm not listening

I sent an email to our caseworker Wednesday inquiring about actively fostering infants and toddlers. It seems to us that the people adopting through our agency are fostering the kids first and then choosing to adopt them. We have had 5 referrals and have not met a single child. In 4 of the referrals the foster parents have decided to adopt. The other one had grandparents choose to parent. Our caseworker forwarded my mail to the agency foster licenser and his response was not real positive. One of his issues with us fostering through our agency is that they are based an hour away and we would be responsible for transporting the child to parent visitation. He also stressed that the goal for fostering is reunification not adoption. He made it sound like we cannot do both fostering and adopting through our agency.

He didn't answer the other question I had asked. Is it possible for us to continue the adoption process through our agency but foster through our local DHS? We have to do something. This sitting around and waiting is driving us crazy. E stopped in at our local DHS office today. He told the receptionist what we wanted to do and she had him fill out a form. She said she'd give it to a social worker. And now we wait some more. Our local office retired 5 social workers at the end of the year and they are not hiring any more at this time. They are hiring one clerk. Can you say case overload?

What good is that foster license hanging on the wall just 4 feet away? What good is that bedroom all set and ready and empty upstairs? In the attic I have an empty crib, an empty toddler bed, an empty twin bed. We have the space. We have the hearts. We have the love and security and stability to give these kids a safe place even for a little while. Let's put it to good use!

I am so frustrated by this process. Every night I see commercials on TV about fostering and adopting waiting children. I just roll my eyes. This is not happening the way I expected it to but what does in this day and age? We're now past the 9 month mark. Paper pregnant with no due date.

I am trying so hard to trust God in all this. I keep thinking to myself that the child he has chosen for us is not ready for us yet. I keep telling myself that. My family keeps telling me that. My credit union members keep telling me that. So far, I am not listening!

You won't believe it

Well, maybe you will. I seem to have the worst luck. And my bad days are really bad.
Today was pretty rough.
But, you gals just get it! You feel what I feel. Wait until you read this:

E sent me a text on lunch saying "our kids" were off the site. He thought it was because we had been matched with them. I had to break it to him that it meant the kids were matched with someone else. I told him we have to actually meet the kids before we are considered for adoption. He got it then. The foster parents have decided to adopt. Sigh. How nice that we find out from seeing the children removed from the list rather than our caseworker, who we have not heard from in almost a month.

Then, I get back from lunch and hear the girls all talking. From the gist of their conversation I deduce that our new coworker is pregnant. Great. I now work with 3 pregnant women. Please, just shoot me now! One is due the end of February, the next is due mid March and the new one is due in June. Yay...lucky me. Keep in mind, there are only 7 employees in our office. Two have had hysterectomies, 3 are pregnant, 1 just graduated high school and then there is me. The infertile one. The one that gets to hear all day long from our members, "be careful...it might be contagious, har,har". Yuck, yuck. I want to punch someone.

Just for Leila.....

Here's an update. Nothing. Temp is up, down, up, down. I don't think I am pregnant. I may have miscarried or I may be very wonky this month. Like I said, it's in God's hands. I am not thinking about it and whatever happens happens.

E is feeling better although he took yesterday off too. Last night was the first night he was able to stay in bed. I am so glad he was able to sleep in bed because I slept in our one recliner. I kept coughing and coughing and could not lay down. I caught a cold. Thank goodness, I don't have what he had!

John made it home on New Year's Eve. They still have not figured out what caused the seizures. He is off work for awhile and will not be able to drive for 6 months. He is on anti-seizure medication and will be having more tests done. It's just a weird thing. He is so lucky he was not driving when it happened. He said he pulled into his parking spot, put the truck in park and got a blinding pain across his forehead. He got out of the truck and that's the last he remembers.

I am hoping to hear from our agency this week. The foster family was going to make their decision after the holidays whether they are going to adopt the 2 children we have been picked for. I haven't heard from our CW since December 6th when she told be that the birth mother was going to parent and that we had been picked for the boy and girl. We'll see if I hear anything.

I'm waiting for the "big changes" to take place at work. I have decided to stick it out at the credit union. I honestly love what I do and I have too much time invested to give it up now. We are starting a mortgage program early this year and I need the experience and training that will be offered. A senior loan officer with mortgage lending experience? Now, that's what I'm talking about! Then I would feel better about leaving for a financial institution that has their lending officers in an office full time and not squeezing loan work in between cashing paychecks. But, I digress.

Speaking of work, I had better get ready. We have our temporary teller starting today. She'll be working to cover the 2 maternity leaves in late February, March and April. Thank goodness, I don't have to train her. Tummy-rubbing mommy is going to be doing the training. That will keep her occupied and keep her out of my space.