Our Foster Family 5 for Friday...one day late! Vol. 2

Summer days seem to blend together and it is difficult to distinguish between last week and this week. You would think with visits being on certain days of the week I would be able to keep better track but I found it took a lot of effort to come up with 5 things that I was sure happened this week and not last week or the week before.

Here are our family's 5 for this week...I am sure of it!

1. First let me revise the comment last week that "Carson's" transition into his toddler bed is not exactly the "smoothest transition in toddler history" but perhaps the nearly smoothest. Such a rookie parent mistake to claim something during the first week. All veteran parents know you don't claim a title without waiting at least two weeks! The first week the toddler bed was new and exciting and should be used with caution. The second week the toddler bed is old and boring but has the potential to be exciting again if he gets out of bed anytime he wants, jumps on it or realizes no one can make him lay down. Lucky for us, we aren't the average newbie parents and we moved the video monitor from "Maggie's" crib back to Carson's room. Paul says Carson is way more entertaining to watch than 6 month old Maggie. Between the voice activated video monitor and closing the hallway door Carson has been staying in his bed and laying down while in bed.

2. My favorite mental picture of this week was when I walked in to see Paul standing holding Maggie in the Ergo Baby Carrier (See last week's 5 for Friday) and he had a comb in his hand and was combing her hair while using the hall mirror to check his work. He did this on his own, I had not asked him to Ergo her or comb her hair! It was pretty much the most adorable thing I've seen in a long time. :)

3. On Thursday morning Maggie and I went to greet Carson good morning. He was standing looking out his window and didn't even notice us standing right next to him for about 10 seconds. He was too busy watching his uncle digging for tree roots in the front yard. (We removed a tree and are in the process of re-landscaping). He kept saying "diggin'." The way he says diggin' is so cute I kept asking him what his uncle was doing just so I could hear him say it over and over. Paul did take him out diggin'. Here he is taking a water break, notice his hands that are "all dirdee" as he would say.

 4. We received an email from Carson's worker that he will begin the process of overnights with his parents in a couple of weeks. He will begin with 2 nights a week and his stay will increase as the months progress. This saddened me more than I thought it would. It is the final step before reunification and the thought of him leaving for good made my heart ache. Of course, there are a number of months before he actually reunifies, but there is an end in sight. I know our goal is reunification and I am ultimately thankful his parents are on the right road and making good choices, but the emotions are real and this boy who was once a stranger is now one of my favorite people in the world and I miss him when his naps go longer than expected. You can't really prepare for him leaving months from now because that requires a step back, an emotional, physical, mental removal in order to protect my heart from the pain that is inevitable. But he's still here and he still needs love and care and it is just impossible to protect myself from the pain without him reaping negative consequences. So I will continue to give him 100% of me and enjoy every moment we have together as family.

5. We had our first date night in over a month. We went out to dinner, ate ice cream, and went to the theater to see Disney/Pixar's Monsters U. It took me until the movie started to actually relax and stop thinking about the next thing that needed to get done and that helped me realize we really need date nights more often! Here's a scene from the movie I felt I could relate to: