Happy Baby

Baby A contines to grow & thrive- he is active, curious, and most of all, happy! After weeks of teething, he seems to trading whining for laughing.

He wakes up happy, joyous, grinning and mugging for us from changing table to high chair.

He's delighted to gobble up bananas, pears, Cheerios, you name it! And then squawk and bang his tray for more!

He giggles with glee to see his teachers at Daycare and they are happy to see him too.

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Although, by the end of the day, when I pick him (& Miss M of course) he's pretty much done. He'll play for a bit, but the closer it gets to six, the crankier he gets. Bed by 7,7:30 & he's down for the count.

A solid 12 hours & he's good to go!

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I love to tickle his feet to get a smile.

Bench press him to the sky to get a shriek of glee.

And snuggle him tight to get a delighted squeal.

He's a curious, easy going, generally happy kid. We're so lucky to have him around.

Bath time!

The last few weeks have really not been worth talking about: lots of gross illness, not limited to but including Strep, Hacking, Coughing & Vomiting, randomly assigned to various family members, including me.

I do have a Halloween post upcoming, but just wanted to share a moment if pure joy. They have been few and far between the past few weeks!
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I tell you what, Baby A sure loves taking a bath.

He loves splashing in the water, grinning at the baby reflected in the spout and tonight he was mesmerized for several minutes by the water slowly dripping from the spout.

So funny. So joyous.

I got caught up in watching him splash & shriek, lost in his cheerful spluttering and squawking.
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Here he is in his Dino towel!

Splashasorus Rex!

Torn

Many of you no doubt laughed when I proclaimed our new placement "easy".
And the kids ARE pretty easy--Baby A is happy & busy, except for when he's hungry. Lady M is wonderfully lively & chatty, vocal about her likes & dislikes & demands things her way. But she is easy to redirect & frankly, easier than either of The Boys in terms of behavioral issues.

What is not easy about this placement are the circumstances. What was supposed to be a temporary respite visit has, due to health issues, turned into the kids needing a new foster family. And although we agreed to respite care, we felt enormous pressure (mostly from the foster parents, an assumption almost) to take the kids as a permanent placement.

And it's tempting.

And heart-breaking.

But it's not what we signed up for- in terms of some of the kids' issues & their situation (which I obviously can't disclose here).

So, we still have them. And will take them to daycare (in Collinsville), and will read them stories (2, in a rocking chair), go for walks & paint fingernails until their new "Momma & Daddy" can be found.

Respite

It has been 6 weeks or so since DaBoys went home. In that time, we've seen them twice- once to drop off their bikes & once because they needed picked up from day camp unexpectedly. I'm just really thankful that their mom considers me someone she can call in an emergency; it's a good sign.

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Today brought an unexpected situation: we were asked to provide respite care for another foster family, for the weekend. I got a call about 3:30, while I was wrapping up my first full week at my new job (woo!).

The worker explained the situation (foster mom health issues), the kids' ages (4 & 18 mo.) & asked if we could help out. I immediately wanted to take the kids (their situation is very sympathetic), but thought maybe I should consult with Mr. Greg first.

Of course, easygoing guy that he is, he said yes. Before I know it, I'm getting the foster dad's info and arranging a drop off.

They showed up around 7; high chair, pack n play, Barbies & booster seats in tow.

The foster dad had very kindly written down bedtime instructions & helpful hints, and even left his cell number.

The kids settled in pretty quickly. The girl, 4, who I'll call Lady M (very pretty, witty & wise), played with Lola & explored the whole house, while I sorted through Baby A's diaper bag, in search of a changing pad. Finding none, I used an (old, forest green) towel & soon set him to rights.

We played for a bit, then I fed Baby A a bottle & put him in the Pack N Play to sleep.

He wasn't having it, so Lady M "read" him a story & we tried again.

Success!

Lady M drew for another little while, then put on her jammies & brushed teeth; then I read 2 books & rocked her (per instruction sheet) & put her to bed. She was out, stuffed unicorn tucked under her arm, in 10 minutes.

Hope the rest of the weekend is this easy!