Thursday, September 9, 2010
It has been a while since I posted anything - we have been busy with the round of doctors, therapists, a dental procedure, starting school and playing!
X and Jack started to school on August 23rd. This was actually X's first day of pre-kindergarten. He was excited to meet new friends and adores his teacher. I think it was much harder on A, who spent the first few days crying when we dropped him off and would spend the afternoon walking around saying school, school, school. Jack started school as well. He has 5 prep classes (which is a bit higher than normal) and has spent the last few weeks getting his room in order, ordering supplies and getting to know his students.
We made it through the first round of doctors appointments. I absolutely adore the folks at Children's Medical Center both downtown and in Plano. X had a dental procedure at Children's Medical Center in Plano and they were able to put crowns on 12 teeth that had cavities.
We were in Nacogdoches last weekend visiting both of our folks. The boys really enjoy Nanny and Grandma Nelson and Papa. What a surprise that my sister Christi drove up on Saturday to meet the boys. KiKi was a huge hit as well as a wealth of information. It doesn't seem that long ago that Chance and Courtney were little. The boys also got to meet fun Auntie Norm, which is always a special treat.
We were lucky that both Alex and Erich were able to meet us at the farm. Jack and Erich even brought some toys down from the barn and cleaned them off with bleach so X and A could play with them. We headed back to Dallas on Sunday night. The boys woke up just in time for us to stop in Kaufman for pizza (always a huge hit).
Monday was spent running around - farmer's market, grocery store (twice) and enjoying a day with just the four of us.
Our anniversary is this weekend, can't believe it has been 11 years. We haven't made plans yet, but plan on celebrating in style.
I will be much more proactive on our blog. As always, we thanks our family and friends for their love and support.
Melinda
Foster Children A and X Join "Team Nelson"
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Life is so unexpected and wonderful. As we continue to mourn the loss of our special C, we received a few calls about more children. We now have 2 brothers with us. X is 4 and A is 21 months. They arrived last week and we have spent the past week getting acquainted with each other, learning new routines and playing. Jack was at camp when the boys arrived so the first 5 days I spent with them alone.
They are very, very busy boys. We are trying to bring a little structure into their lives and get them away from the television and into some more productive and educational activities.
X is a huge fan of dinosaurs, we attempted to go to the Museum of Nature and Science on Sunday only to be disappointed when the power was out and we were turned away, he was a great sport about it and we will make another attempt next weekend. We were able to have our picnic by the lake though.
We begin the round of doctor’s appointments at the end of the week. Thankfully Jack will be able to attend a few of them.
We have had such kind and encouraging words over the past few weeks. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many loving friends and family.
Best,
Melinda and Jack
Life is so unexpected and wonderful. As we continue to mourn the loss of our special C, we received a few calls about more children. We now have 2 brothers with us. X is 4 and A is 21 months. They arrived last week and we have spent the past week getting acquainted with each other, learning new routines and playing. Jack was at camp when the boys arrived so the first 5 days I spent with them alone.
They are very, very busy boys. We are trying to bring a little structure into their lives and get them away from the television and into some more productive and educational activities.
X is a huge fan of dinosaurs, we attempted to go to the Museum of Nature and Science on Sunday only to be disappointed when the power was out and we were turned away, he was a great sport about it and we will make another attempt next weekend. We were able to have our picnic by the lake though.
We begin the round of doctor’s appointments at the end of the week. Thankfully Jack will be able to attend a few of them.
We have had such kind and encouraging words over the past few weeks. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many loving friends and family.
Best,
Melinda and Jack
Losing Our Little C
Monday, July 19, 2010
On Friday morning the court awarded custody of our precious C back to his mother. While we are devastated by our loss we find some peace that he is with someone that truly loves him and worked diligently to get him back. As Jack and I played with him Friday afternoon, singing his favorite song “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and swimming in the pool, we were reminded what a special gift God gave us for the last several months. C left a footprint on our lives and he will forever be our precious little boy in our heart. We hope and pray that we provided him with the love that he needed during this transitional time in his young life and gave him the foundation to grow into the wonderful, smart and vivacious child we know he can be.
As Jack and I started the foster to adopt process we knew there was a chance of loss and heartache, however we would not change the month we had with L or the 4 months we had with C. We have a lifetime of memories with both of them. Initially in our classes we were told that adoption starts from loss, so we are grateful that C will not have to face that loss.
For those of you that had the wonderful opportunity of meeting C, bless you and thank you for loving him. We hope that his adorable smile and infectious giggle with sustain you over the next few days and weeks. We are forever grateful to our families for opening up their homes and hearts to him. No one could ask for a more loving Nanny or Grandma and Papa.
We believe that someday we will find our child(ren) and we will become a forever family. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Melinda and Jack
On Friday morning the court awarded custody of our precious C back to his mother. While we are devastated by our loss we find some peace that he is with someone that truly loves him and worked diligently to get him back. As Jack and I played with him Friday afternoon, singing his favorite song “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and swimming in the pool, we were reminded what a special gift God gave us for the last several months. C left a footprint on our lives and he will forever be our precious little boy in our heart. We hope and pray that we provided him with the love that he needed during this transitional time in his young life and gave him the foundation to grow into the wonderful, smart and vivacious child we know he can be.
As Jack and I started the foster to adopt process we knew there was a chance of loss and heartache, however we would not change the month we had with L or the 4 months we had with C. We have a lifetime of memories with both of them. Initially in our classes we were told that adoption starts from loss, so we are grateful that C will not have to face that loss.
For those of you that had the wonderful opportunity of meeting C, bless you and thank you for loving him. We hope that his adorable smile and infectious giggle with sustain you over the next few days and weeks. We are forever grateful to our families for opening up their homes and hearts to him. No one could ask for a more loving Nanny or Grandma and Papa.
We believe that someday we will find our child(ren) and we will become a forever family. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Melinda and Jack
Crazy Days of Summer
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
It has been a while since I posted a blog. The Nelson Household has been busy keeping up with our C. Following our exciting Memorial Day weekend the Osowski’s came for a visit. C loved playing with Owen and his little brother Warren. We swam, ate ice cream, went to our favorite store Buy Buy Baby and played, played, played. Owen tried to teach C to ride his choo choo train and the 2 of them laughed and giggled while playing. We were able to capture a lot of this on video. Jack and I have promised ourselves to go to Houston more often so the boys can continue to grow to know each other. Plus we enjoyed visiting with Jennifer and James. It had been much too long.
With Jack home from school for a few weeks he was able to go with us to several doctor’s appointments. He agreed with my analysis of Children’s Medical Center – that it is awesome. The staff, the doctors and the facilities. We had appointments with C’s asthma doctor, pediatrician as well as an MRI. Besides daily breathing treatments – everything else was normal. Thankfully!!!
Jack’s time at home was very brief as his summer camp activities began on June 18th. He is at the University of North Texas Mean Green debate Camp thru July 9. He is then home for a week or so before going to Tyler for Project Lead the Way for 2 weeks. While at camp we enjoyed Nanny, KiKi (my sister Christi) and Courtney.
C is a HUGE fan of Nanny. They played, went swimming (Nanny even got her hair wet) and shopping. We were lucky that Courtney’s National Dance Competition was held in Mansfield. We were able to make all of her dance days and C enjoyed clapping and dancing in the back. Nanny and I took turns on C duty. KiKi and Courtney were able to spend her non-dance days with us. Courtney was a great play pal. They built a fort, played in the playroom, read, and she even taught him some new tricks in the pool.
We have tried to capture as much of these activities on video as well as with pictures. C loves looking at himself in pictures. He is growing like a weed. He LOVES swimming, reading, talking to his favorite friend “Spot” (a stuffed Dalmatian that he talked Nanny into buying). Spot goes everywhere with him. We are working on sign language and teaching C to communicate with us.
C and I leave for Nacogdoches later this week – we will enjoy spending time with Nanny, Grandma and Papa and a visit to the bay to meet and enjoy the 4th with the Burgess family.
We continue to appreciate all of our family and friends for their love and support on what we refer to as Jack and Melinda phase 2. C is a true joy to be with and we are grateful every day that he is in our lives.
It has been a while since I posted a blog. The Nelson Household has been busy keeping up with our C. Following our exciting Memorial Day weekend the Osowski’s came for a visit. C loved playing with Owen and his little brother Warren. We swam, ate ice cream, went to our favorite store Buy Buy Baby and played, played, played. Owen tried to teach C to ride his choo choo train and the 2 of them laughed and giggled while playing. We were able to capture a lot of this on video. Jack and I have promised ourselves to go to Houston more often so the boys can continue to grow to know each other. Plus we enjoyed visiting with Jennifer and James. It had been much too long.
With Jack home from school for a few weeks he was able to go with us to several doctor’s appointments. He agreed with my analysis of Children’s Medical Center – that it is awesome. The staff, the doctors and the facilities. We had appointments with C’s asthma doctor, pediatrician as well as an MRI. Besides daily breathing treatments – everything else was normal. Thankfully!!!
Jack’s time at home was very brief as his summer camp activities began on June 18th. He is at the University of North Texas Mean Green debate Camp thru July 9. He is then home for a week or so before going to Tyler for Project Lead the Way for 2 weeks. While at camp we enjoyed Nanny, KiKi (my sister Christi) and Courtney.
C is a HUGE fan of Nanny. They played, went swimming (Nanny even got her hair wet) and shopping. We were lucky that Courtney’s National Dance Competition was held in Mansfield. We were able to make all of her dance days and C enjoyed clapping and dancing in the back. Nanny and I took turns on C duty. KiKi and Courtney were able to spend her non-dance days with us. Courtney was a great play pal. They built a fort, played in the playroom, read, and she even taught him some new tricks in the pool.
We have tried to capture as much of these activities on video as well as with pictures. C loves looking at himself in pictures. He is growing like a weed. He LOVES swimming, reading, talking to his favorite friend “Spot” (a stuffed Dalmatian that he talked Nanny into buying). Spot goes everywhere with him. We are working on sign language and teaching C to communicate with us.
C and I leave for Nacogdoches later this week – we will enjoy spending time with Nanny, Grandma and Papa and a visit to the bay to meet and enjoy the 4th with the Burgess family.
We continue to appreciate all of our family and friends for their love and support on what we refer to as Jack and Melinda phase 2. C is a true joy to be with and we are grateful every day that he is in our lives.
Happy Memorial Day
Monday, May 31, 2010
We had such a fun Memorial Day weekend. Grandma and Papa came for a visit Friday afternoon. This was their first to our home in Richardson. We played Friday afternoon and went for a visit to see Jack's classroom. On Saturday morning we went to the Original Pancake House for breakfast and then went to the Nature and Science Museum (part of the Children's Museum was closed Saturday due to flooding). After a tour of the museum we headed to Denton to visit with Jack's grandmother (Mamaw) and other family members. We had a delicious dinner at Aunt Janice's house before heading back to Dallas.
Sunday we went to church and went swimming in the afternoon. C loves swimming and is learning to blow bubbles and put his head under the water.
Monday Jack and C went to Lowes to pick up some mesquite for some of his famous Jack burgers. They came back with a flag to put in the yard. After a nice long nap, Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Stephen came over to swim and eat burgers. C loved playing and swimming with both of them. He laughed and laughed with Uncle Stephen. We hope to spend more time with them - they live so close to us.
It was a great weekend, our only regret is that we were unable to go to Christi's lakehouse. Nanny was spending time watching Chance and Courtney ski. Oh well...next time. We will get to see them in a few weeks during Courtney's dance competition.
This is Jack's last week of school and the Osowski's are coming for a visit on Thursday. Should be a fun and exciting short week.
We had such a fun Memorial Day weekend. Grandma and Papa came for a visit Friday afternoon. This was their first to our home in Richardson. We played Friday afternoon and went for a visit to see Jack's classroom. On Saturday morning we went to the Original Pancake House for breakfast and then went to the Nature and Science Museum (part of the Children's Museum was closed Saturday due to flooding). After a tour of the museum we headed to Denton to visit with Jack's grandmother (Mamaw) and other family members. We had a delicious dinner at Aunt Janice's house before heading back to Dallas.
Sunday we went to church and went swimming in the afternoon. C loves swimming and is learning to blow bubbles and put his head under the water.
Monday Jack and C went to Lowes to pick up some mesquite for some of his famous Jack burgers. They came back with a flag to put in the yard. After a nice long nap, Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Stephen came over to swim and eat burgers. C loved playing and swimming with both of them. He laughed and laughed with Uncle Stephen. We hope to spend more time with them - they live so close to us.
It was a great weekend, our only regret is that we were unable to go to Christi's lakehouse. Nanny was spending time watching Chance and Courtney ski. Oh well...next time. We will get to see them in a few weeks during Courtney's dance competition.
This is Jack's last week of school and the Osowski's are coming for a visit on Thursday. Should be a fun and exciting short week.
A Weekend Together
Monday, May 17, 2010
The past few weekends we have been so busy, it was nice to enjoy a weekend at home - together. Jack had a robotics demonstration at Barnes and Noble Saturday at 1PM but we were able to take C to the park on Saturday afternoon. He had a ball. It was fun to watch him figure out how to climb on the jungle gym. Jack worked with him as he climbed and climbed and climbed. I was put on camera duty because I was so nervous watching him and afraid he might fall. C was quite proud of himself and I finally relaxed when we made it to the swings!!! I took lots and lots of picture.
Sunday was Erich's birthday. 20 years old - where did the time go? That cute little boy who loved dancing at our wedding is all grown up. Jack had his first volunteer job working the camera for both services and C and I went to the 11 AM service. After a nice Sunday nap we jumped in the pool to wrap up a nice weekend.
We are counting down the days till Jack's school is over for the summer. He is busy with several camps which means he will be tied up for several weeks, but it will be nice to be able to spend time together. We hope to catch up with friends and family this summer.
The past few weekends we have been so busy, it was nice to enjoy a weekend at home - together. Jack had a robotics demonstration at Barnes and Noble Saturday at 1PM but we were able to take C to the park on Saturday afternoon. He had a ball. It was fun to watch him figure out how to climb on the jungle gym. Jack worked with him as he climbed and climbed and climbed. I was put on camera duty because I was so nervous watching him and afraid he might fall. C was quite proud of himself and I finally relaxed when we made it to the swings!!! I took lots and lots of picture.
Sunday was Erich's birthday. 20 years old - where did the time go? That cute little boy who loved dancing at our wedding is all grown up. Jack had his first volunteer job working the camera for both services and C and I went to the 11 AM service. After a nice Sunday nap we jumped in the pool to wrap up a nice weekend.
We are counting down the days till Jack's school is over for the summer. He is busy with several camps which means he will be tied up for several weeks, but it will be nice to be able to spend time together. We hope to catch up with friends and family this summer.
Apollo Ultimate Robotics Team
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Congratulations to Jack's Robotics Team winning the Unite Award at the World Championship.
One guess who the clown in front is!
And We Are Walking...and Walking...and Walking...
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
C has been taking "sets of steps" for a few weeks and he is quite proud of himself when he does. This morning he actually walked from the kitchen to the media room (which is quite an accomplishment). He celebrates by clapping and dancing. He has learned to wave and say "hi" and "bye" although sometimes he waves to himself! I am learning that these moments are precious.
Mother's Day
We spent Mother's Day in Nacogdoches (Friday night with the Nelson's and Saturday night with my mom). C traveled well and partied late into the night each night - going to sleep at 10PM on Friday and 9PM on Saturday. Needless to say we all had a great time. On Saturday morning we enjoyed a ride on the golf cart looking at cows, ducks and swans on the Nelson's farm - C loved the bull. Saturday afternoon C enjoyed playing with his Nanny. "Auntie" Norma and Mrs. Ferguson came over to play and eat pizza Saturday night. For Mother's Day we all received webcams, now we can see Nanny, Grandma and Papa on a regular basis. Although a 14 month old doesn't like to sit still everyone is working to try to keep him entertained. My niece Courtney has used Skype to talk to him. He loves her bright pink nail polish.
Swimming or rather floating
We have introduced C to the swimming pool. After the initial shock he loves floating around and holding onto the water balls. We are ready for the weather to corporate so we can enjoy the pool more. The pictures of him are adorable. His favorite game is to float between Jack and me.
Jack and I are having so much fun with him! Thank you for your constant love and support.
Melinda
C has been taking "sets of steps" for a few weeks and he is quite proud of himself when he does. This morning he actually walked from the kitchen to the media room (which is quite an accomplishment). He celebrates by clapping and dancing. He has learned to wave and say "hi" and "bye" although sometimes he waves to himself! I am learning that these moments are precious.
Mother's Day
We spent Mother's Day in Nacogdoches (Friday night with the Nelson's and Saturday night with my mom). C traveled well and partied late into the night each night - going to sleep at 10PM on Friday and 9PM on Saturday. Needless to say we all had a great time. On Saturday morning we enjoyed a ride on the golf cart looking at cows, ducks and swans on the Nelson's farm - C loved the bull. Saturday afternoon C enjoyed playing with his Nanny. "Auntie" Norma and Mrs. Ferguson came over to play and eat pizza Saturday night. For Mother's Day we all received webcams, now we can see Nanny, Grandma and Papa on a regular basis. Although a 14 month old doesn't like to sit still everyone is working to try to keep him entertained. My niece Courtney has used Skype to talk to him. He loves her bright pink nail polish.
Swimming or rather floating
We have introduced C to the swimming pool. After the initial shock he loves floating around and holding onto the water balls. We are ready for the weather to corporate so we can enjoy the pool more. The pictures of him are adorable. His favorite game is to float between Jack and me.
Jack and I are having so much fun with him! Thank you for your constant love and support.
Melinda
Fort Worth Zoo Fun!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Today was beautiful and Jack decided it was the perfect day to take C to the zoo. The Fort Worth Zoo is amazing, we secretly love to go ourselves. We had so stop by our favorite store Buy Buy Baby and pick up a duplicate super cool stroller that Mom had and then we were off. It was "family day" at the zoo so it was much more crowded than usual, but C seemed to enjoy watching the people, he didn't get too excited about the animals, but seemed to enjoy the fish and sea turtles as well as the snakes. Watch out Nanny, we know how much you like snakes!
We packed a picnic lunch and had a fun day together. Both C and Jack slept on the way back from Dallas. Both were tired from a few exciteing days. After a quick stop at the grocery store it was off to eat some Vietnamese food froma neat little restaurant Jack stumbled upon. C was content with Cheerios and Nilla Wafers. After dinner we walked around the Vietnamese market and had some frozen yogart. C loved it.
It was a glorious day spent together.
Monday C has his first dentist appointment and Early Childhood Intervention will be come over for C's regular playdate.
Today was beautiful and Jack decided it was the perfect day to take C to the zoo. The Fort Worth Zoo is amazing, we secretly love to go ourselves. We had so stop by our favorite store Buy Buy Baby and pick up a duplicate super cool stroller that Mom had and then we were off. It was "family day" at the zoo so it was much more crowded than usual, but C seemed to enjoy watching the people, he didn't get too excited about the animals, but seemed to enjoy the fish and sea turtles as well as the snakes. Watch out Nanny, we know how much you like snakes!
We packed a picnic lunch and had a fun day together. Both C and Jack slept on the way back from Dallas. Both were tired from a few exciteing days. After a quick stop at the grocery store it was off to eat some Vietnamese food froma neat little restaurant Jack stumbled upon. C was content with Cheerios and Nilla Wafers. After dinner we walked around the Vietnamese market and had some frozen yogart. C loved it.
It was a glorious day spent together.
Monday C has his first dentist appointment and Early Childhood Intervention will be come over for C's regular playdate.
Nanny, Nanny, Nanny
Monday, April 26, 2010
C and I (Melinda) went to Nacogdoches to visit Nanny while Jack was tied up with the VEX Robotics World Championship. Congrats go out to his team as they won the UNITE award.
C was the center of attention at Nanny's house. Several friends stopped by for a visit including crazy "Auntie Norma" or "Auntie Mame" as she decided she wanted to be called. We ate lunch with BB one day and they both had fun clapping and laughing with each other. Then it was back to Nanny's to play, play, play. C is standing by himself and almost to the point of walking. Nanny had lots of new fun toys to play with and bought an adorable choo choo train at Wal-Mart while we were there. You know you are in Nacogdoches when you run into Grandma at Wal-Mart, we were excited to see Mrs. Nelson shopping too.
Nanny bought a super cool umbrella stroller and we went on several walks. C loved to wave at the other walkers and joggers as well as just being outside BUT most of all I think he enjoyed being with Nanny. His face would light up when she entered the room and he would scream when she left or at least try to follow her around the house. We are already planning our next visit - soon.
Mom, thanks for everything.
C and I (Melinda) went to Nacogdoches to visit Nanny while Jack was tied up with the VEX Robotics World Championship. Congrats go out to his team as they won the UNITE award.
C was the center of attention at Nanny's house. Several friends stopped by for a visit including crazy "Auntie Norma" or "Auntie Mame" as she decided she wanted to be called. We ate lunch with BB one day and they both had fun clapping and laughing with each other. Then it was back to Nanny's to play, play, play. C is standing by himself and almost to the point of walking. Nanny had lots of new fun toys to play with and bought an adorable choo choo train at Wal-Mart while we were there. You know you are in Nacogdoches when you run into Grandma at Wal-Mart, we were excited to see Mrs. Nelson shopping too.
Nanny bought a super cool umbrella stroller and we went on several walks. C loved to wave at the other walkers and joggers as well as just being outside BUT most of all I think he enjoyed being with Nanny. His face would light up when she entered the room and he would scream when she left or at least try to follow her around the house. We are already planning our next visit - soon.
Mom, thanks for everything.
Losing Our Girl - LP
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
We just found out yesterday afternoon that our nineteen-month-old girl is going home with relatives tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. We are heartbroken, but we also feel good that there were so many family members (four sets -- from both sides of the family) that have been working hard to get her into their homes. She will be loved and cared for by her family there.
She will be forever etched in our hearts. We never held back one ounce of our love. It is especially hard because she is the daughter that we have been wanting for many, many years (not to take anything away from my two great, adult sons). For a short while, she was "my girl" and it brings tears to my eyes just writing it. She was going to be Melinda's little dancer and daddy's girl. She even called us Mama and Dadda for the last month. She will be deeply missed and I am sure we will grieve more after she leaves Wednesday.
This comes just two weeks after losing our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Scarlett, so it has been particularly rough for Melinda.
We still have our thirteen-month-old happy-head boy, CO -- at least for now and are happy to have more time to bond with him.
We have already told Covenant Kids (our foster and adoption agency) to wait on placing any more foster children with us right now unless they are cleared for adoption already or "low legal risk" placements (see earlier blogs for what this means). Since we have a happy baby boy right now (and maybe forever), we are looking for a birth to eight-year-old girl for adoption.
Again, while we are sad about her loss, we are excited that she appears to have lots of family that loves her.
We just found out yesterday afternoon that our nineteen-month-old girl is going home with relatives tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. We are heartbroken, but we also feel good that there were so many family members (four sets -- from both sides of the family) that have been working hard to get her into their homes. She will be loved and cared for by her family there.
She will be forever etched in our hearts. We never held back one ounce of our love. It is especially hard because she is the daughter that we have been wanting for many, many years (not to take anything away from my two great, adult sons). For a short while, she was "my girl" and it brings tears to my eyes just writing it. She was going to be Melinda's little dancer and daddy's girl. She even called us Mama and Dadda for the last month. She will be deeply missed and I am sure we will grieve more after she leaves Wednesday.
This comes just two weeks after losing our beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Scarlett, so it has been particularly rough for Melinda.
We still have our thirteen-month-old happy-head boy, CO -- at least for now and are happy to have more time to bond with him.
We have already told Covenant Kids (our foster and adoption agency) to wait on placing any more foster children with us right now unless they are cleared for adoption already or "low legal risk" placements (see earlier blogs for what this means). Since we have a happy baby boy right now (and maybe forever), we are looking for a birth to eight-year-old girl for adoption.
Again, while we are sad about her loss, we are excited that she appears to have lots of family that loves her.
Date Night (M&J ONLY) / Church / Tapestry Foster Care Support Group Meeting
Friday, April 9, 2010
Date Night
Valley View Baptist Church in Coppell (a mega-church not too dissimilar from Fellowship Church -- where we attend) began a new ministry offered to all Covenant Kids (CK) foster parents. Friday night from 6:00 - 10:00 they provided free babysitting exclusively for CK kids so the foster parents could have a date night. When they sent out the invitation three weeks ago, we quickly signed up.
Since we started this journey with our respite child over a month ago, Melinda and I have not had a single night alone (a huge switch from the last several years)! After dropping our thirteen-month-old boy CO and our nineteen-month-old girl LP promptly at 6:00 PM, we went to see the nearby mall, quickly ate delicious Panini and visited the 30-screen multiplex theater to see the action-packed Matt Damon movie, "Green Zone."
While the dinner and movie were great, so was the free time together. Melinda and I recalled that we had not seen an entire movie without falling asleep since our respite child. This would be quite a change since prior to this journey, we regularly watched DVD's at home our entertainment center and we keep falling asleep exhausted during every attempt since then. That being said, there is no way we would trade our Melinda and Jack version 2.0 Life for the old, less animated one. We love these kids.
Date Night (which the church is now considering doing once a quarter - yea!) meant new socialization for LP and CO. They did great and stayed up until we arrived right before 10:00. Needless to say, they were exhausted and slept late on Saturday (which was basically chill out and run errands day).
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Fellowship Church
With all the excitement over the prior three weeks (including the Easter weekend), we had not been able to get organized enough to get to our own church until this Sunday.
The first thing we have to do (and had to do with our respite child, too) is get them registered in the youth area. This means filling out a form that then gets entered into a computer and name tags and unique code stamp labels are generated and printed. One set goes on the back of the child and the other goes with the parent. We then take them to their respective classes and we go to the main service. If there is major problem with a child, their unique code is flashed on sign in the main service auditorium and you need to come to their room. Usually a very efficient system, but it took nearly 20 minutes to get them both entered due to some computer glitches. Next time, it will take just a few seconds to pull their names up and print out the tags.
This gave us more socialization for both kids (who cry for us for only 20 seconds before starting to play). Both kids again were reported to do very well. Yea!
Tapestry Foster Care Support Group Meeting
Irving Bible Church (IBC) has, as its mission, adoption and foster care support through a ministry it calls Tapestry (see http://tapestry.irvingbible.org/). This is a HUGE resource of materials and personnel offered free to anyone considering or active in foster care or adoption (either through CPS or private adoption). They work closely with all 35 foster / adoption agencies in the area and come highly recommended as a support service by CPS. No matter what your religious affiliation, anyone considering foster care needs to look over these great resources. Evidently, their reading room is huge and they have a large staff supporting all these things.
Once a month they have a foster care support group. We have been wanting to go, but just could not seem to schedule the time until this Sunday. Fortunately, IBC also offers free, on-site child care while you are in the meeting. They have the exact same computer registration system as Fellowship Church did, but there were no computer problems this time.
The meeting was interesting as we heard about the victories and heartaches in this very informal, round table discussion. Like most support groups, we listened, contributed and asked questions -- getting first hand information and experiences. They are offering a Tuesday night, 8-week, intensive training class for which the two of us just signed up.
Once again, the kids did great - three events in a row! Woo Hoo!
Date Night
Valley View Baptist Church in Coppell (a mega-church not too dissimilar from Fellowship Church -- where we attend) began a new ministry offered to all Covenant Kids (CK) foster parents. Friday night from 6:00 - 10:00 they provided free babysitting exclusively for CK kids so the foster parents could have a date night. When they sent out the invitation three weeks ago, we quickly signed up.
Since we started this journey with our respite child over a month ago, Melinda and I have not had a single night alone (a huge switch from the last several years)! After dropping our thirteen-month-old boy CO and our nineteen-month-old girl LP promptly at 6:00 PM, we went to see the nearby mall, quickly ate delicious Panini and visited the 30-screen multiplex theater to see the action-packed Matt Damon movie, "Green Zone."
While the dinner and movie were great, so was the free time together. Melinda and I recalled that we had not seen an entire movie without falling asleep since our respite child. This would be quite a change since prior to this journey, we regularly watched DVD's at home our entertainment center and we keep falling asleep exhausted during every attempt since then. That being said, there is no way we would trade our Melinda and Jack version 2.0 Life for the old, less animated one. We love these kids.
Date Night (which the church is now considering doing once a quarter - yea!) meant new socialization for LP and CO. They did great and stayed up until we arrived right before 10:00. Needless to say, they were exhausted and slept late on Saturday (which was basically chill out and run errands day).
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Fellowship Church
With all the excitement over the prior three weeks (including the Easter weekend), we had not been able to get organized enough to get to our own church until this Sunday.
The first thing we have to do (and had to do with our respite child, too) is get them registered in the youth area. This means filling out a form that then gets entered into a computer and name tags and unique code stamp labels are generated and printed. One set goes on the back of the child and the other goes with the parent. We then take them to their respective classes and we go to the main service. If there is major problem with a child, their unique code is flashed on sign in the main service auditorium and you need to come to their room. Usually a very efficient system, but it took nearly 20 minutes to get them both entered due to some computer glitches. Next time, it will take just a few seconds to pull their names up and print out the tags.
This gave us more socialization for both kids (who cry for us for only 20 seconds before starting to play). Both kids again were reported to do very well. Yea!
Tapestry Foster Care Support Group Meeting
Irving Bible Church (IBC) has, as its mission, adoption and foster care support through a ministry it calls Tapestry (see http://tapestry.irvingbible.org/). This is a HUGE resource of materials and personnel offered free to anyone considering or active in foster care or adoption (either through CPS or private adoption). They work closely with all 35 foster / adoption agencies in the area and come highly recommended as a support service by CPS. No matter what your religious affiliation, anyone considering foster care needs to look over these great resources. Evidently, their reading room is huge and they have a large staff supporting all these things.
Once a month they have a foster care support group. We have been wanting to go, but just could not seem to schedule the time until this Sunday. Fortunately, IBC also offers free, on-site child care while you are in the meeting. They have the exact same computer registration system as Fellowship Church did, but there were no computer problems this time.
The meeting was interesting as we heard about the victories and heartaches in this very informal, round table discussion. Like most support groups, we listened, contributed and asked questions -- getting first hand information and experiences. They are offering a Tuesday night, 8-week, intensive training class for which the two of us just signed up.
Once again, the kids did great - three events in a row! Woo Hoo!
Wild Easter Weekend
Friday, April 2, 2010
We got up before 4:00 AM to get on the road by 5:00 AM, but it took us until almost 6:00 AM to get the kids in the car and actually get on the road. The kids made the transition from asleep in the bed to asleep in the car seats with 10 minutes (so, that went perfectly).
Leaving at 6:00 AM meant that we got to my parents’ house later. We were right to assume that they would wake about 7:15 AM, so we had about 1 hour and 15 minutes to try to entertain them. It went pretty well, though we had to resort to giving them some toast to fill their “starving” bellies. Our goal was to get them there just in time for breakfast (which they gobbled up when we DID arrive).
Mom and Dad had plenty of toys for them, some cute clothes and a "Pack 'N Play" for our room so that CO (the one-year-old boy) could sleep in there. We brought another Pack 'N Play for LP (our 18-month-old girl) -- no, wait... that isn't a Pack 'N Play that we packed ... it is a pair of folding lawn chairs! Oops!
Since we were short one place to sleep for the kids, that meant that Mom and I had to run to Wal-Mart in town to get a set of bed rails for the bed (which actually worked out better than the Pack ‘N Play would have). We also needed teething rings and some bath toys (the sponge letters that stick to the walls with water). Of course, she could not resist getting one more toy for them. We also had to go into town to get a laser printer for Dad. He wanted to print from his netbook, but the old printer was so out-of-date that the printer drivers were no longer available.
That afternoon we went on an Easter Egg hunt at John Bob Cody's house (along with about 40 kids and plenty of adults). CO successfully ate grass and dirt. LP kind of figured it out, but kept popping open the plastic eggs and wanted all the candy inside (which we were determined to severely limit). Both kids seemed a bit out of place since we knew almost no one there and they definitely knew no one. Also, CO was just too young. They looked cute though. We had to leave very soon after the hunt because both kids had missed their nap and were getting grumpy. Fortunately, the kids slept pretty well at night.
Saturday and Sunday (April 3 & 4, 2010)
Melinda took the kids to Elaine's house Saturday morning. I followed several hours later because I needed to set up Dad’s new printer and I also had to work on the end-of-the-month paperwork for Covenant Kids and we were a bit behind.
She had filled the living room with toys. LP had her side and CO had his side of the room. Melinda said that was the case under the Christmas tree, one side was for Melinda and one side for her sister Christi. The kids immediately ran and played and Nanny was in the middle of all the fun. Nanny sang songs, had a tea party, and had both kids mimicking her actions. Shortly after I got to Elaine’s, our good friend Norma came over to visit and all of us enjoyed the kids giggling and laughing.
Elaine had plenty of toys, a Pack 'N Play and a small child's bed for LP (which she loved - just her size). The kids went through diapers like crazy this weekend and LP had some serious diaper rash, so I made an 8:45 PM run for diapers, Maximum Strength Desitin and Bar-Be-Cue (we were starving!)
Sunday morning we did Easter eggs again, but this time LP really got into it and had a blast. CO still ate dirt, grass and added small roots to his diet. We got plenty of pictures and video. We left late Sunday morning, Nanny cried as we left (something Melinda said she always did when Chance and Courtney left Nanny's house) and headed home. There was some screaming for a while since their car naps were pretty short so we stopped for Taco Bell and they ate some grilled chicken from a burrito.
We got home, did our usual walk, ate and prepared for bed - an exhausting day that took us until Monday night to finally clean up.
Lessons Learned
We got up before 4:00 AM to get on the road by 5:00 AM, but it took us until almost 6:00 AM to get the kids in the car and actually get on the road. The kids made the transition from asleep in the bed to asleep in the car seats with 10 minutes (so, that went perfectly).
Leaving at 6:00 AM meant that we got to my parents’ house later. We were right to assume that they would wake about 7:15 AM, so we had about 1 hour and 15 minutes to try to entertain them. It went pretty well, though we had to resort to giving them some toast to fill their “starving” bellies. Our goal was to get them there just in time for breakfast (which they gobbled up when we DID arrive).
Mom and Dad had plenty of toys for them, some cute clothes and a "Pack 'N Play" for our room so that CO (the one-year-old boy) could sleep in there. We brought another Pack 'N Play for LP (our 18-month-old girl) -- no, wait... that isn't a Pack 'N Play that we packed ... it is a pair of folding lawn chairs! Oops!
Since we were short one place to sleep for the kids, that meant that Mom and I had to run to Wal-Mart in town to get a set of bed rails for the bed (which actually worked out better than the Pack ‘N Play would have). We also needed teething rings and some bath toys (the sponge letters that stick to the walls with water). Of course, she could not resist getting one more toy for them. We also had to go into town to get a laser printer for Dad. He wanted to print from his netbook, but the old printer was so out-of-date that the printer drivers were no longer available.
That afternoon we went on an Easter Egg hunt at John Bob Cody's house (along with about 40 kids and plenty of adults). CO successfully ate grass and dirt. LP kind of figured it out, but kept popping open the plastic eggs and wanted all the candy inside (which we were determined to severely limit). Both kids seemed a bit out of place since we knew almost no one there and they definitely knew no one. Also, CO was just too young. They looked cute though. We had to leave very soon after the hunt because both kids had missed their nap and were getting grumpy. Fortunately, the kids slept pretty well at night.
Saturday and Sunday (April 3 & 4, 2010)
Melinda took the kids to Elaine's house Saturday morning. I followed several hours later because I needed to set up Dad’s new printer and I also had to work on the end-of-the-month paperwork for Covenant Kids and we were a bit behind.
She had filled the living room with toys. LP had her side and CO had his side of the room. Melinda said that was the case under the Christmas tree, one side was for Melinda and one side for her sister Christi. The kids immediately ran and played and Nanny was in the middle of all the fun. Nanny sang songs, had a tea party, and had both kids mimicking her actions. Shortly after I got to Elaine’s, our good friend Norma came over to visit and all of us enjoyed the kids giggling and laughing.
Elaine had plenty of toys, a Pack 'N Play and a small child's bed for LP (which she loved - just her size). The kids went through diapers like crazy this weekend and LP had some serious diaper rash, so I made an 8:45 PM run for diapers, Maximum Strength Desitin and Bar-Be-Cue (we were starving!)
Sunday morning we did Easter eggs again, but this time LP really got into it and had a blast. CO still ate dirt, grass and added small roots to his diet. We got plenty of pictures and video. We left late Sunday morning, Nanny cried as we left (something Melinda said she always did when Chance and Courtney left Nanny's house) and headed home. There was some screaming for a while since their car naps were pretty short so we stopped for Taco Bell and they ate some grilled chicken from a burrito.
We got home, did our usual walk, ate and prepared for bed - an exhausting day that took us until Monday night to finally clean up.
Lessons Learned
- Don't pack the lawn chairs
- We don't need to take a Pack 'N Play now that both parents have beds for the kids
- Leave at 5:00 AM, not 6:00 AM so there is more sleeping going on during the travel
- Don't pack toys (since the parents have plenty)
Easter Weekend Plans
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
This will be interesting. This Friday around 5:00 AM we intend to take the kids to my parents' house -- A.K.A., "The Farm."
Of course this was a huge hit with our respite child CL, but two smaller kids will be much different. We are leaving very early because we want them to be asleep for most of the drive. When we arrive around 7:30 they should be getting hungry and waking up - that is when we arrive for breakfast.
Friday afternoon we have scheduled a big Easter egg hunt. I am not sure how much they will figure out about that, but we will see. We will also attempt to sleep for the first night away from home. My mom and dad have a Graco "Pack 'N Play" that CO will sleep in while in a nearby room. LP will be sleeping in our room (since she sleeps though the night) in OUR Pack 'N Play that we are bringing.
Saturday night we try this all at Melinda's mom's (Elaines's) house and attempt going to church on Easter Sunday.
We head back home Sunday immediately after lunch.
This will be interesting. This Friday around 5:00 AM we intend to take the kids to my parents' house -- A.K.A., "The Farm."
Of course this was a huge hit with our respite child CL, but two smaller kids will be much different. We are leaving very early because we want them to be asleep for most of the drive. When we arrive around 7:30 they should be getting hungry and waking up - that is when we arrive for breakfast.
Friday afternoon we have scheduled a big Easter egg hunt. I am not sure how much they will figure out about that, but we will see. We will also attempt to sleep for the first night away from home. My mom and dad have a Graco "Pack 'N Play" that CO will sleep in while in a nearby room. LP will be sleeping in our room (since she sleeps though the night) in OUR Pack 'N Play that we are bringing.
Saturday night we try this all at Melinda's mom's (Elaines's) house and attempt going to church on Easter Sunday.
We head back home Sunday immediately after lunch.
Drive-In Disaster
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Want to know what NOT to do with two kids under two? Go to the drive-in..
A favorite family pastime with Scarlett, Melinda and I will now be put on hold after a disastrous night at the Galaxy Drive-In last Saturday night. We went to see Alice in Wonderland (yes, we know it was a Tim Burton film - we knew the kids would never see it anyway - we wanted to see it). They managed to scream through most of the movie and just would not get to sleep until -- you guessed it -- the rolling credits at the end of the movie.
Once we had arrived on this beautiful evening, we had removed the car seats, dropped down the seats flat and let the play with a wide variety of toys while enjoying lots of snacks. I guess it was too small of a space. There was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. I thought I saw the horseman of the Apocalypse coming for a moment there because surely this was the end of the world.
This is one trip we will not be making for a few years.
Want to know what NOT to do with two kids under two? Go to the drive-in..
A favorite family pastime with Scarlett, Melinda and I will now be put on hold after a disastrous night at the Galaxy Drive-In last Saturday night. We went to see Alice in Wonderland (yes, we know it was a Tim Burton film - we knew the kids would never see it anyway - we wanted to see it). They managed to scream through most of the movie and just would not get to sleep until -- you guessed it -- the rolling credits at the end of the movie.
Once we had arrived on this beautiful evening, we had removed the car seats, dropped down the seats flat and let the play with a wide variety of toys while enjoying lots of snacks. I guess it was too small of a space. There was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth. I thought I saw the horseman of the Apocalypse coming for a moment there because surely this was the end of the world.
This is one trip we will not be making for a few years.
Life with the "Almost Twins"
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
With kids 12 months and 18 months, we suppose this is what life must be like living with twins. It has been anything but boring the last 10 days. LP is very attention-seeking and very possessive of toys which means whatever CO is playing with, she needs to play with at that exact moment. Fortunately, CO is very laid back and usually does not mind giving it up since he can grab something else (which, of course, LP will THEN want).
Health-wise, I have been doing pretty well the last few days, but Melinda is still very slowly recovering from all the chest congestion. She is now just coughing early in the morning and late at night.
Here is our routine:
5:30 I wake up, take a shower and get ready. I then clean up the kitchen and the kid’s playroom from the night before.
6:30 I wake up Melinda so she can get ready for the day BEFORE the kids get going.
7:10 LP wakes up and pulls and pushes on her bedroom door with the child-proof lock (sounding like she is slamming it). That is her way of letting us know she is up. She is usually very happy.
7:20 CO wakes up, gurgles and entertains himself for a few minutes. If we don't get him soon though, he starts yelling and crying loudly. Overall, he is very much a “happy head.”
7:30 I am trying to get out the door to get to school (which, fortunately, is 1.4 miles away). A month ago, I was arriving to school anywhere from 6:00 to 6:45 every day -- those days may be over. Today I made homemade strawberry juice (following the "Sneaky Chef" recipes) for later use, plus some eggs for all four of us to eat. I quickly ate mine and handed off the rest to Melinda to feed to the two munchkins now sitting at the table in booster chairs. They will have these eggs, some whole-grain, whole wheat toast, apple juice infused with blueberry juice (for their immune system, brain power, etc.) and fresh pear puree that I made two days ago. We are working very hard to create from scratch the vast majority of things they eat. I am totally against nitrates, added sodium, preservatives and overly-processed foods in general.
During the Day Melinda will do whatever she needs to do (today it was take the kids to the doctor - a major disaster from what I understand). She will also play with the kids in the playroom. The kids may take a nap sometime late in the morning (especially CO). There is usually some snack happening.
Lunchtime means chicken I recently grilled chopped up, maybe some fresh apple puree, green beans (flash frozen), possibly some Gerber rice or oatmeal with added fruit. Add in some blueberry milk and we got a meal.
Early afternoon might see a nap (especially if there was no morning one). Both kids are put down for this -- so this is the only time Melinda has all day (before nighttime bed) that she can get anything done.
When they wake up it is snack time again and then playing (unless they need to go somewhere).
When I get home around 4:15 to 5:15 we may play a little more then go for a 1.2 mile walk around the neighborhood. This will be replaced by some serious backyard swimming pool fun when the weather gets warmer.
Dinner is close to 6:00 with maybe pork chops, fruit chunks, some veggies and more juice.
Bath around 7:00 with both kids - always a laugh-riot!
7:30 they get into pajamas and may play another 30 minutes or they may be tired enough to proceed to bed.
8:00 to 8:30 we put them down for the night without too much of a problem.
8:30 - 9:00 we clean up some of the house, do a load of clothes, do dishes, etc.
Go to sleep promptly afterwards since we are so exhausted :-)
CO will wake up at 1:00 and 4:00 (give or take 30 minutes) and expect his 4 oz of warm milk and to be tucked back in. She will sleep through the night (thankfully)
With kids 12 months and 18 months, we suppose this is what life must be like living with twins. It has been anything but boring the last 10 days. LP is very attention-seeking and very possessive of toys which means whatever CO is playing with, she needs to play with at that exact moment. Fortunately, CO is very laid back and usually does not mind giving it up since he can grab something else (which, of course, LP will THEN want).
Health-wise, I have been doing pretty well the last few days, but Melinda is still very slowly recovering from all the chest congestion. She is now just coughing early in the morning and late at night.
Here is our routine:
5:30 I wake up, take a shower and get ready. I then clean up the kitchen and the kid’s playroom from the night before.
6:30 I wake up Melinda so she can get ready for the day BEFORE the kids get going.
7:10 LP wakes up and pulls and pushes on her bedroom door with the child-proof lock (sounding like she is slamming it). That is her way of letting us know she is up. She is usually very happy.
7:20 CO wakes up, gurgles and entertains himself for a few minutes. If we don't get him soon though, he starts yelling and crying loudly. Overall, he is very much a “happy head.”
7:30 I am trying to get out the door to get to school (which, fortunately, is 1.4 miles away). A month ago, I was arriving to school anywhere from 6:00 to 6:45 every day -- those days may be over. Today I made homemade strawberry juice (following the "Sneaky Chef" recipes) for later use, plus some eggs for all four of us to eat. I quickly ate mine and handed off the rest to Melinda to feed to the two munchkins now sitting at the table in booster chairs. They will have these eggs, some whole-grain, whole wheat toast, apple juice infused with blueberry juice (for their immune system, brain power, etc.) and fresh pear puree that I made two days ago. We are working very hard to create from scratch the vast majority of things they eat. I am totally against nitrates, added sodium, preservatives and overly-processed foods in general.
During the Day Melinda will do whatever she needs to do (today it was take the kids to the doctor - a major disaster from what I understand). She will also play with the kids in the playroom. The kids may take a nap sometime late in the morning (especially CO). There is usually some snack happening.
Lunchtime means chicken I recently grilled chopped up, maybe some fresh apple puree, green beans (flash frozen), possibly some Gerber rice or oatmeal with added fruit. Add in some blueberry milk and we got a meal.
Early afternoon might see a nap (especially if there was no morning one). Both kids are put down for this -- so this is the only time Melinda has all day (before nighttime bed) that she can get anything done.
When they wake up it is snack time again and then playing (unless they need to go somewhere).
When I get home around 4:15 to 5:15 we may play a little more then go for a 1.2 mile walk around the neighborhood. This will be replaced by some serious backyard swimming pool fun when the weather gets warmer.
Dinner is close to 6:00 with maybe pork chops, fruit chunks, some veggies and more juice.
Bath around 7:00 with both kids - always a laugh-riot!
7:30 they get into pajamas and may play another 30 minutes or they may be tired enough to proceed to bed.
8:00 to 8:30 we put them down for the night without too much of a problem.
8:30 - 9:00 we clean up some of the house, do a load of clothes, do dishes, etc.
Go to sleep promptly afterwards since we are so exhausted :-)
CO will wake up at 1:00 and 4:00 (give or take 30 minutes) and expect his 4 oz of warm milk and to be tucked back in. She will sleep through the night (thankfully)
Our Beloved Scarlett
Monday, March 29, 2010
After 9 1/2 wonderful years, today we had to euthanize our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Scarlett. She had been feeling ill for the last two weeks, but was still very happy and always a waggy tail. Friday she took a turn for the worse. She had trouble standing or walking. She had yellowish eyes and skin. She stopped eating last night and refused even a treat this morning. The vet said that she had massive organ failure including liver failure -- probably due to fast-acting cancer. She was every bit a part of Team Nelson and we will miss her terribly. We love our "happy head" Scarlett. Thank you to all those who have sent condolences.
After 9 1/2 wonderful years, today we had to euthanize our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Scarlett. She had been feeling ill for the last two weeks, but was still very happy and always a waggy tail. Friday she took a turn for the worse. She had trouble standing or walking. She had yellowish eyes and skin. She stopped eating last night and refused even a treat this morning. The vet said that she had massive organ failure including liver failure -- probably due to fast-acting cancer. She was every bit a part of Team Nelson and we will miss her terribly. We love our "happy head" Scarlett. Thank you to all those who have sent condolences.
Part II – Late Monday Surprise / Not One, But TWO!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Tonight around 9:30 we got a call from our agency, Covenant Kids (CK) asking if we would take an 18-month-old Caucasian girl for foster care. Of course we jumped at the chance. They asked if they could bring her over the NEXT DAY! We will refer to her as LP.
As was mentioned last Sunday, Debbie did indeed show up Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM to go over the paperwork for our OTHER foster child, CO. He and his CPS case worker arrived around noon.
CO is from El Salvador and has beautiful, lightly-tanned skin, big brown eyes, and big, curly dark brown hair. He weighs 23 pounds (we needed to know for the car seat) and is very cute! He has a very large, bubbly personality. Other than asthma (which we have not seen ANY problems with – even with our dog Scarlett all around), he is a physically and psychologically healthy little boy. He crawls at lightning speed, can easily stand on his own and can walk well with a little help of our hands or table or wall.
At 5:30 CL’s mom (remember our 3-year-old from respite that we still had) picked him up.
At 6:00 our CK Case Worker, Erin arrived, followed shortly by the CPS Case Worker with LP. LP has a fair complexion, big brown curly hair and steel blue eyes. She is a very happy child once she gets past her initial shyness. Her speech is somewhat developmentally delayed, though she is clearly very bright, other than her speech, she is a very healthy child. She also looks out for her new foster brother and tries to help us around the house. She is a very fast runner!
Scarlett is not very happy about our new additions. She is not getting petted as much and, more importantly, she is getting poked in the eyes and all over the face. She generally avoids CO as much as she can.
We got both of them with plenty of clothes (very rare with foster care placement) with some even new plus some toys. CO came from Jonathan’s Place, which is a “’home-style’ emergency shelter for abused, abandoned and neglected children...” See http://www.jpkids.org/ for more information on it. It took five full loads of laundry to wash all their clothes. Remember, they are only 12 and 18 months old, so everything is already small!
It took 1 ½ hours to get CO down to sleep the first night and almost 45 minutes to get him back to sleep when he woke up (I got up 5 times the first night). LP was not much better. Fortunately, Melinda and I work through things and figure out what does and does not work. Even after 15 minutes of pure excitement in the bath, it now takes us less than 15 minutes to get them both asleep, LP sleeps through the night and CO only wakes up one time a night now (and I can get him back to sleep in 5 minutes).
CL needs to be rocked for 10 minutes, a white noise generator, one blanket, a night light and likes to curl up in a little ball. He also is the one who needs warm milk at 1:00 AM while changing his diaper. LP needs no lights, lots of blankets, repeated patting on the back, white noise generator and I need to stay in the room until she falls asleep (or gets close). She now sleeps through the night. Trial and error!
We also went from utter chaos at meal and bath times to very organized and happy times.
Even with three meals plus two snack times the biggest challenge now is just to fill up the day with enough activities. They are too young to sit still and watch a movie and even with a lot of toys it can get a little tiring engaging them all day.
Of course, all of this trial and error would have been much easier had Melinda and I had not been sick all week!
Tonight around 9:30 we got a call from our agency, Covenant Kids (CK) asking if we would take an 18-month-old Caucasian girl for foster care. Of course we jumped at the chance. They asked if they could bring her over the NEXT DAY! We will refer to her as LP.
As was mentioned last Sunday, Debbie did indeed show up Tuesday morning at 11:00 AM to go over the paperwork for our OTHER foster child, CO. He and his CPS case worker arrived around noon.
CO is from El Salvador and has beautiful, lightly-tanned skin, big brown eyes, and big, curly dark brown hair. He weighs 23 pounds (we needed to know for the car seat) and is very cute! He has a very large, bubbly personality. Other than asthma (which we have not seen ANY problems with – even with our dog Scarlett all around), he is a physically and psychologically healthy little boy. He crawls at lightning speed, can easily stand on his own and can walk well with a little help of our hands or table or wall.
At 5:30 CL’s mom (remember our 3-year-old from respite that we still had) picked him up.
At 6:00 our CK Case Worker, Erin arrived, followed shortly by the CPS Case Worker with LP. LP has a fair complexion, big brown curly hair and steel blue eyes. She is a very happy child once she gets past her initial shyness. Her speech is somewhat developmentally delayed, though she is clearly very bright, other than her speech, she is a very healthy child. She also looks out for her new foster brother and tries to help us around the house. She is a very fast runner!
Scarlett is not very happy about our new additions. She is not getting petted as much and, more importantly, she is getting poked in the eyes and all over the face. She generally avoids CO as much as she can.
We got both of them with plenty of clothes (very rare with foster care placement) with some even new plus some toys. CO came from Jonathan’s Place, which is a “’home-style’ emergency shelter for abused, abandoned and neglected children...” See http://www.jpkids.org/ for more information on it. It took five full loads of laundry to wash all their clothes. Remember, they are only 12 and 18 months old, so everything is already small!
It took 1 ½ hours to get CO down to sleep the first night and almost 45 minutes to get him back to sleep when he woke up (I got up 5 times the first night). LP was not much better. Fortunately, Melinda and I work through things and figure out what does and does not work. Even after 15 minutes of pure excitement in the bath, it now takes us less than 15 minutes to get them both asleep, LP sleeps through the night and CO only wakes up one time a night now (and I can get him back to sleep in 5 minutes).
CL needs to be rocked for 10 minutes, a white noise generator, one blanket, a night light and likes to curl up in a little ball. He also is the one who needs warm milk at 1:00 AM while changing his diaper. LP needs no lights, lots of blankets, repeated patting on the back, white noise generator and I need to stay in the room until she falls asleep (or gets close). She now sleeps through the night. Trial and error!
We also went from utter chaos at meal and bath times to very organized and happy times.
Even with three meals plus two snack times the biggest challenge now is just to fill up the day with enough activities. They are too young to sit still and watch a movie and even with a lot of toys it can get a little tiring engaging them all day.
Of course, all of this trial and error would have been much easier had Melinda and I had not been sick all week!
Busy Week Part I - Goodbye CL / The Fence / Erich & Michelle / Sickness / Big Snow
Monday, March 22, 2010
So much has happened in the last week (since Sunday, March 14th) that we have to break it up into two parts. The first part will cover Goodbye CL, The Fence, Erich and Michelle, Sickness and Big Snow.
It was Spring Break last week, so I was was at home.
Goodbye CL
CL (see older blogs) left us on Tuesday. We didn't do much exciting with CL on Monday or Tuesday since he was in day care all day and Tuesday night went home. We were sad to see him go. We hope he and Cynthia will come and visit when the weather gets warm and we can all play in the pool.
The Fence
Edison and I started tearing down the old fence and put in a bunch of new posts. That meant that we had to dig two feet into the ground and rip out the old concrete and posts (not fun and took a long time). Then we put down new posts, put in the cross beams (that hold the fence posts) and put in every other slat all the way around. We also got one of the two gate doors built. We ran out of time because we each had some other commitments and also we ran into some bad weather. We will probably finish it by next Sunday, but at least it is secure enough that no little kids can wander into the pool. The eight-foot-high cedar panels look absolutely beautiful.
Erich and Michelle
They came up Wednesday. Evidently they were freezing most of the night. I gave them more covers for the next night.
Thursday they went to Six Flags, which turned out to be a bad idea since it was Spring Break. Erich said they stood in very long lines for two big rides then gave up on the whole idea. The lines were just too long. Afterwards they went to the Northpark Mall (very large and very nice). They returned the evening of Thursday.
Friday they went to the Fort Worth Zoo and left from there back to home in The Woodlands. We did not hear how that went.
Sickness
Melinda and I were sick all week (cold / flu-like symptoms). She was much worse off that I was and ended up staying in bed for half the day of Saturday and lived in bed all day Sunday just trying to fight it off so that she would be well when I went back to work today. At one point, we thought she was going to have to taken to the hospital. We were worried about bronchitis. She is much better this morning.
Big Snow
We had a big snow storm last Saturday night and early Sunday. We got at LEAST 8 inches and I think more like 10 inches. I was out in the worst of the storm at 3:00 AM coming back from Wal-Mart for certain baby items and food. It very quickly started to melt Sunday morning, so it was too slushy to really get to play in.
See Part II for the rest of what happened this week.
So much has happened in the last week (since Sunday, March 14th) that we have to break it up into two parts. The first part will cover Goodbye CL, The Fence, Erich and Michelle, Sickness and Big Snow.
It was Spring Break last week, so I was was at home.
Goodbye CL
CL (see older blogs) left us on Tuesday. We didn't do much exciting with CL on Monday or Tuesday since he was in day care all day and Tuesday night went home. We were sad to see him go. We hope he and Cynthia will come and visit when the weather gets warm and we can all play in the pool.
The Fence
Edison and I started tearing down the old fence and put in a bunch of new posts. That meant that we had to dig two feet into the ground and rip out the old concrete and posts (not fun and took a long time). Then we put down new posts, put in the cross beams (that hold the fence posts) and put in every other slat all the way around. We also got one of the two gate doors built. We ran out of time because we each had some other commitments and also we ran into some bad weather. We will probably finish it by next Sunday, but at least it is secure enough that no little kids can wander into the pool. The eight-foot-high cedar panels look absolutely beautiful.
Erich and Michelle
They came up Wednesday. Evidently they were freezing most of the night. I gave them more covers for the next night.
Thursday they went to Six Flags, which turned out to be a bad idea since it was Spring Break. Erich said they stood in very long lines for two big rides then gave up on the whole idea. The lines were just too long. Afterwards they went to the Northpark Mall (very large and very nice). They returned the evening of Thursday.
Friday they went to the Fort Worth Zoo and left from there back to home in The Woodlands. We did not hear how that went.
Sickness
Melinda and I were sick all week (cold / flu-like symptoms). She was much worse off that I was and ended up staying in bed for half the day of Saturday and lived in bed all day Sunday just trying to fight it off so that she would be well when I went back to work today. At one point, we thought she was going to have to taken to the hospital. We were worried about bronchitis. She is much better this morning.
Big Snow
We had a big snow storm last Saturday night and early Sunday. We got at LEAST 8 inches and I think more like 10 inches. I was out in the worst of the storm at 3:00 AM coming back from Wal-Mart for certain baby items and food. It very quickly started to melt Sunday morning, so it was too slushy to really get to play in.
See Part II for the rest of what happened this week.
Respite Update with CL / Getting Our Own Foster Child on Tuesday / Erich and Michelle Coming to Visit
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Respite Update with CL
We had a blast Friday, Saturday and Sunday with some very long days. Everything went as planned so far (see Thursday blog for details of what we expected).
Update on Friday Fort Worth Zoo
We rode the train three times and the carousel twice (obviously it was a highlight). He especially loved the turtles, feeding the Koi fish, feeding the parakeets with seed sticks and feeding the white tiger his sunglasses (oops!).
Update on Saturday Nelson Farm Visit
Erich came up to meet him and played with him. Highlights were getting to actually drive the golf cart. With him in Jack’s lap, he went “fast, fast, fast!” He also liked sitting on all the big farm equipment and was fascinated by the cows.
Update on Sunday Church and Dallas Nature and Science Museum
Since he loved the train so much on Friday, we took the DART mass-transit train from a nearby “park and ride” to the Museum and back. We got to play with lots of water, make five-foot bubbles and played in a sand box (plus saw a bunch of cool things).
A Busy Monday
CL will be in day care all day, but we have games and movies ready for Monday night.
Monday at 9:00 AM, my friend Edison and I will be tearing down the existing old pine fence and will start building a new, 8-foot high one with 6-inch wide overlapping beautiful cedar slats. This should take several days. We planned it for this week – Spring Break a while back and got all the materials dropped off Saturday. Monday afternoon at 4:00, we finally meet our Covenant Kids (CK) case worker, Erin. This is a general, “get-to-know-you” meeting as far as we can tell. Ironically, we have had this planned since before getting a call from Debbie from CK…
Big Tuesday - Our Own Foster Child, but "Goodbye" to CL
While at the Zoo on Friday, we got a call from Debbie at CK informing us that we are indeed getting a one-year-old Hispanic boy we will refer to as CO “early Tuesday morning.” She said CPS would bring him over. It appears that Debbie will be here and we assume Erin will be as well. It is our understanding that this can take a while for all the paperwork – especially because this is our first foster care placement (since the respite care paperwork was almost non-existent).
Sadly, Tuesday night is when we say “goodbye” to our new friend CL. I am SURE we will see more of him and we have no doubt he will be playing in our pool this summer. He loves the water and we have had a great time so far. He will once again be in day care most of the day with his foster mom picking him up Tuesday evening.
Later this Week – Erich and Michelle Come to Visit!
Erich and his longtime girlfriend, Michelle will come and visit – arriving late Wednesday night. They plan to visit Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington (25 minutes away) on Thursday by themselves (Jack will still be working on the fence) and then on Friday all FIVE of us (including CO) will go the Fort Worth Zoo. Melinda and Jack hope to spend a bit more time in the Museum of Living Art (MOLA) -- the brand new reptile and amphibian exhibit that just opened March 6th. There were lots of small animals that clearly CL was less interested in, so we had to move through quickly. This will also test us out in public with a one-year-old. Since Erich and Michelle will be going home to The Woodlands straight from Fort Worth anyway, we will take two cars and can head back early if the new addition does not fare well.
What an exciting week this will be!
Respite Update with CL
We had a blast Friday, Saturday and Sunday with some very long days. Everything went as planned so far (see Thursday blog for details of what we expected).
Update on Friday Fort Worth Zoo
We rode the train three times and the carousel twice (obviously it was a highlight). He especially loved the turtles, feeding the Koi fish, feeding the parakeets with seed sticks and feeding the white tiger his sunglasses (oops!).
Update on Saturday Nelson Farm Visit
Erich came up to meet him and played with him. Highlights were getting to actually drive the golf cart. With him in Jack’s lap, he went “fast, fast, fast!” He also liked sitting on all the big farm equipment and was fascinated by the cows.
Update on Sunday Church and Dallas Nature and Science Museum
Since he loved the train so much on Friday, we took the DART mass-transit train from a nearby “park and ride” to the Museum and back. We got to play with lots of water, make five-foot bubbles and played in a sand box (plus saw a bunch of cool things).
A Busy Monday
CL will be in day care all day, but we have games and movies ready for Monday night.
Monday at 9:00 AM, my friend Edison and I will be tearing down the existing old pine fence and will start building a new, 8-foot high one with 6-inch wide overlapping beautiful cedar slats. This should take several days. We planned it for this week – Spring Break a while back and got all the materials dropped off Saturday. Monday afternoon at 4:00, we finally meet our Covenant Kids (CK) case worker, Erin. This is a general, “get-to-know-you” meeting as far as we can tell. Ironically, we have had this planned since before getting a call from Debbie from CK…
Big Tuesday - Our Own Foster Child, but "Goodbye" to CL
While at the Zoo on Friday, we got a call from Debbie at CK informing us that we are indeed getting a one-year-old Hispanic boy we will refer to as CO “early Tuesday morning.” She said CPS would bring him over. It appears that Debbie will be here and we assume Erin will be as well. It is our understanding that this can take a while for all the paperwork – especially because this is our first foster care placement (since the respite care paperwork was almost non-existent).
Sadly, Tuesday night is when we say “goodbye” to our new friend CL. I am SURE we will see more of him and we have no doubt he will be playing in our pool this summer. He loves the water and we have had a great time so far. He will once again be in day care most of the day with his foster mom picking him up Tuesday evening.
Later this Week – Erich and Michelle Come to Visit!
Erich and his longtime girlfriend, Michelle will come and visit – arriving late Wednesday night. They plan to visit Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington (25 minutes away) on Thursday by themselves (Jack will still be working on the fence) and then on Friday all FIVE of us (including CO) will go the Fort Worth Zoo. Melinda and Jack hope to spend a bit more time in the Museum of Living Art (MOLA) -- the brand new reptile and amphibian exhibit that just opened March 6th. There were lots of small animals that clearly CL was less interested in, so we had to move through quickly. This will also test us out in public with a one-year-old. Since Erich and Michelle will be going home to The Woodlands straight from Fort Worth anyway, we will take two cars and can head back early if the new addition does not fare well.
What an exciting week this will be!
Respite with CL / Possble Foster Care in our Immediate Future
Thursday, March 11, 2010
For obvious reasons, as long as the State of Texas is the guardian of a child, there remains a high-level of confidentiality. That means that we cannot post pictures of any foster children, nor can we reveal their names.
Sadly, we cannot post the super-cute pictures of the foster child we will refer to as CL that we got for respite (basically specialized babysitting) today. He is a very active blonde three-year-old. His foster mother brought him by at 5:00 PM this afternoon. He was placed with her just two weeks ago and she already had big Spring Break plans with family out-of-state. We were thrilled that she chose us to watch him. We will have him until Tuesday, March 16th when she returns. We have big, fun plans for the next several days.
Tomorrow (Friday) we head out to the Fort Worth Zoo – the best zoo in Texas! We plan to see lions, gorillas, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, meerkats and much more. We also plan on taking the little train at the zoo and riding the carousel. This should be a very full day.
On Saturday we go to my (Jack) Mom and Dad’s farm. There we will get to see cows, chickens, ducks, geese, swans and other animals – also another busy day.
Sunday we go to church at Fellowship Church in Plano in the morning and then head to the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas (where we are members). We will go on the Dino Trails, learn all about dinosaurs and see much of the rest of the museum. Some areas are geared toward older kids, so we will skip those.
Monday is daycare all day until 5:00. His foster mom wanted him to go Monday and Tuesday to keep up with the socialization. Evidently, he does not enjoy going to it, but has lots of fun once he gets there. Monday is the day that Edison and I tear down the existing fence and start building a nice cedar one. We also meet with our case worker for Covenant Kids (CK) at 4:00 and Melinda has to take care of some things during the day that have been planned for a while. Once home, we will hang around the house, play games, color, read books, watch movies and have lots of fun.
Tuesday until early afternoon we plan to take him back to daycare. On the last afternoon with him we will take him the Children’s Museum (a special part of the Museum of Nature and Science just for toddlers) and have lots of fun before heading back to deliver him to his foster mom.
There could be one wrinkle in all these plans…we could be getting our own foster child.
Wednesday afternoon we got a call about placing a one-year-old boy (that we will refer to as CN for now) with us for foster care. Early yesterday evening, after being removed from his home, it looked like he might have gone with a relative. However, Melinda got a call from another CK case worker this afternoon saying that it looks like we might be taking him after all. Now, according to this case worker, “it could be tomorrow… or next week.” Timelines in the foster care / adoption world vary wildly and are highly unpredictable. That is the nature of the complex system that always seeks the best possible situation for the children at any given moment. If we do get little CN, we will still try to do everything with CL, but may have to alter the timing of some of the activities. We are trying to keep our anticipation down since things can change in a blink of an eye and we don’t have CN until we have him.
Regardless of what happens, we still have lots of fun planned for the next few days! Stay tuned…
For obvious reasons, as long as the State of Texas is the guardian of a child, there remains a high-level of confidentiality. That means that we cannot post pictures of any foster children, nor can we reveal their names.
Sadly, we cannot post the super-cute pictures of the foster child we will refer to as CL that we got for respite (basically specialized babysitting) today. He is a very active blonde three-year-old. His foster mother brought him by at 5:00 PM this afternoon. He was placed with her just two weeks ago and she already had big Spring Break plans with family out-of-state. We were thrilled that she chose us to watch him. We will have him until Tuesday, March 16th when she returns. We have big, fun plans for the next several days.
Tomorrow (Friday) we head out to the Fort Worth Zoo – the best zoo in Texas! We plan to see lions, gorillas, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, meerkats and much more. We also plan on taking the little train at the zoo and riding the carousel. This should be a very full day.
On Saturday we go to my (Jack) Mom and Dad’s farm. There we will get to see cows, chickens, ducks, geese, swans and other animals – also another busy day.
Sunday we go to church at Fellowship Church in Plano in the morning and then head to the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas (where we are members). We will go on the Dino Trails, learn all about dinosaurs and see much of the rest of the museum. Some areas are geared toward older kids, so we will skip those.
Monday is daycare all day until 5:00. His foster mom wanted him to go Monday and Tuesday to keep up with the socialization. Evidently, he does not enjoy going to it, but has lots of fun once he gets there. Monday is the day that Edison and I tear down the existing fence and start building a nice cedar one. We also meet with our case worker for Covenant Kids (CK) at 4:00 and Melinda has to take care of some things during the day that have been planned for a while. Once home, we will hang around the house, play games, color, read books, watch movies and have lots of fun.
Tuesday until early afternoon we plan to take him back to daycare. On the last afternoon with him we will take him the Children’s Museum (a special part of the Museum of Nature and Science just for toddlers) and have lots of fun before heading back to deliver him to his foster mom.
There could be one wrinkle in all these plans…we could be getting our own foster child.
Wednesday afternoon we got a call about placing a one-year-old boy (that we will refer to as CN for now) with us for foster care. Early yesterday evening, after being removed from his home, it looked like he might have gone with a relative. However, Melinda got a call from another CK case worker this afternoon saying that it looks like we might be taking him after all. Now, according to this case worker, “it could be tomorrow… or next week.” Timelines in the foster care / adoption world vary wildly and are highly unpredictable. That is the nature of the complex system that always seeks the best possible situation for the children at any given moment. If we do get little CN, we will still try to do everything with CL, but may have to alter the timing of some of the activities. We are trying to keep our anticipation down since things can change in a blink of an eye and we don’t have CN until we have him.
Regardless of what happens, we still have lots of fun planned for the next few days! Stay tuned…
Assigned Our Case Manager / May Get a 3-Year-Old for Respite
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Certified!
Like we mentioned last Thursday, February 25th we got officially certified by Covenant Kids for Foster / Adoption on Friday the 26th.
Handbook Training
This Monday we had our Foster / Adoptive Parent Handbook training by Travis over the phone. This hour-long training covers just the highlights of the brand new 2 1/2" binder that we got in the mail on Monday. Melinda actually made it through the whole thing in one day. I got through about 80% of it before our meeting (can you say, 3:00 AM reading!). Fortunately, we have seen almost all of this during the months of training, so it was an easy read.
Case Manager Assigned
A few hours ago we were assigned our official case manager, Erin. She will get to know us VERY well since we will see her very often throughout the foster and adoption processes - at least once a month.
Respite Care
Cynthia, an acquaintance of ours that we have gotten to know well through e-mail and a mutual friend just got "placed" with a 3-year-old. That means she got a new foster child. It is one week away from Spring Break and she already had set plans before receiving the foster child. We, on the other hand, are staying here and rebuilding the entire fence in Cedar (one of last of our backyard projects).
Cynthia contacted us about possibly being a respite home for her for the week she is gone. We are working out all the arrangements between her licensing agency and ours. There are very real contractual agreements in these situations. Fortunately, CK and her agency think they can work it out.
What does this means for us?
1. We get to "test-flight" a week with a three-year-old (been there and done that 17 years ago, but it will be different with Melinda and hopefully the lessons we have learned).
2. We will quickly get to see if we really got everything we need to take care of / entertain an infant. (I can hardly wait to try out all the audio books, real books, puppets, games and Disney and Pixar DVD's).
3. Under a new rule, we are required to respite or foster care for a minimum of 30 hours before we can be placed with a "moderate level" child. This should provide us with that documented time.
Certified!
Like we mentioned last Thursday, February 25th we got officially certified by Covenant Kids for Foster / Adoption on Friday the 26th.
Handbook Training
This Monday we had our Foster / Adoptive Parent Handbook training by Travis over the phone. This hour-long training covers just the highlights of the brand new 2 1/2" binder that we got in the mail on Monday. Melinda actually made it through the whole thing in one day. I got through about 80% of it before our meeting (can you say, 3:00 AM reading!). Fortunately, we have seen almost all of this during the months of training, so it was an easy read.
Case Manager Assigned
A few hours ago we were assigned our official case manager, Erin. She will get to know us VERY well since we will see her very often throughout the foster and adoption processes - at least once a month.
Respite Care
Cynthia, an acquaintance of ours that we have gotten to know well through e-mail and a mutual friend just got "placed" with a 3-year-old. That means she got a new foster child. It is one week away from Spring Break and she already had set plans before receiving the foster child. We, on the other hand, are staying here and rebuilding the entire fence in Cedar (one of last of our backyard projects).
Cynthia contacted us about possibly being a respite home for her for the week she is gone. We are working out all the arrangements between her licensing agency and ours. There are very real contractual agreements in these situations. Fortunately, CK and her agency think they can work it out.
What does this means for us?
1. We get to "test-flight" a week with a three-year-old (been there and done that 17 years ago, but it will be different with Melinda and hopefully the lessons we have learned).
2. We will quickly get to see if we really got everything we need to take care of / entertain an infant. (I can hardly wait to try out all the audio books, real books, puppets, games and Disney and Pixar DVD's).
3. Under a new rule, we are required to respite or foster care for a minimum of 30 hours before we can be placed with a "moderate level" child. This should provide us with that documented time.
Our Family Book
Thursday, February 25, 2010
We are at the end of the pre-service process and Jack and I just signed our Foster and Adoptive Parent Agreement. CK told us today that we should be certified tomorrow. As many of you know we have been working on our Family Book. I have attached a link so you can see it.
http://jacknelson.net/CK%20Family%20Book.pdf (6MB)
Thank you to everyone that helped. Enjoy!
We are at the end of the pre-service process and Jack and I just signed our Foster and Adoptive Parent Agreement. CK told us today that we should be certified tomorrow. As many of you know we have been working on our Family Book. I have attached a link so you can see it.
http://jacknelson.net/CK%20Family%20Book.pdf (6MB)
Thank you to everyone that helped. Enjoy!
A Family Tradition - Chance and Courtney's Crib
Saturday, February 13, 2010
I made a quick trip to Houston this past week to pick up a crib from Christi. Chance and Courtney both slept in this bed when they were babies. I was so very touched when Christi told me that she saved it for me. I jumped at the opportunity to use it for our children.
My drive back from Houston was quite interesting. The drive was a bit longer than usual, because you typically don't see that much snow in Texas. It was certainly different scenery.
With the Snow Day yesterday, Jack and I cleaned up the crib with Murphy Oil Soap, (it has been in the attic for over 10 years) oiled it down and then buffed it dry. It now looks brand new. We rearranged the bedroom to make access to the crib easy and bought a new mattress and all the necessary accessories. The pictures don't do it justice. Hopefully everyone can visit soon and see how fabulous it looks.
If you read an earlier blog from Jack, you know he washed the new curtains for one of the rooms per the instructions on them. After ironing the wrinkles out, it was apparent we needed to return them since they shrunk over 4 inches. I will pick up new curtains on Wednesday.
Our next project is to create the Family Book. Jack eluded to this in his last blog. We have lots of family helping us out on this project and I hope to complete it this week. I'll post it on the blog so all can see. With the home study behind us the next step will be that our file will be audited to make sure that the agency has all of our necessary paperwork. We will then meet with Covenant Kids to receive our license and sign necessary paperwork. Immediately after that, we will be entered into the official database. All of this should happen within the next two weeks. Once in the State of Texas database, we immediately become eligible for foster care, respite care or adoption.
Till next time,
Melinda
I made a quick trip to Houston this past week to pick up a crib from Christi. Chance and Courtney both slept in this bed when they were babies. I was so very touched when Christi told me that she saved it for me. I jumped at the opportunity to use it for our children.
My drive back from Houston was quite interesting. The drive was a bit longer than usual, because you typically don't see that much snow in Texas. It was certainly different scenery.
With the Snow Day yesterday, Jack and I cleaned up the crib with Murphy Oil Soap, (it has been in the attic for over 10 years) oiled it down and then buffed it dry. It now looks brand new. We rearranged the bedroom to make access to the crib easy and bought a new mattress and all the necessary accessories. The pictures don't do it justice. Hopefully everyone can visit soon and see how fabulous it looks.
Our next project is to create the Family Book. Jack eluded to this in his last blog. We have lots of family helping us out on this project and I hope to complete it this week. I'll post it on the blog so all can see. With the home study behind us the next step will be that our file will be audited to make sure that the agency has all of our necessary paperwork. We will then meet with Covenant Kids to receive our license and sign necessary paperwork. Immediately after that, we will be entered into the official database. All of this should happen within the next two weeks. Once in the State of Texas database, we immediately become eligible for foster care, respite care or adoption.
Till next time,
Melinda
Surviving the 7-Hour "Home Study"
Friday, February 12, 2010
After a bit of discussion between the two of us, Melinda and I have decided NOT to publish the specific questions asked, but rather discuss things in generalities. We want to respect the integrity of the process and appreciate the sensitivity that our Home Study Interviewer, Corrine, displayed throughout the process.
We felt that Corrine did a great job of making us feel comfortable, thus creating a very open and safe environment to answer the tough questions (including a few things we had never much thought about before) and keeping the interview moving along. We discussed this morning that people like Corrine must like autobiographies and must have inquisitive minds like a good news reporter (think “Barbara Walters”).
Clearly she had not only read every word of what we had answered in the volumes of information that we had submitted, she also keyed into the specific life-changing events where individually Melinda and I had experienced trauma, pain, separation, etc. If you know either of us, I am sure you can figure out our big events. While displaying a great deal of empathy and tact in the questioning, she probed hard into those areas and we surmise the goal was never to find out what was “wrong” as much as it was, “how did you deal with it” and more importantly, “have you resolved the issues” and “are you now whole again.” She never point-blank asked that, but that seemed to be the line of questioning.
Other areas that were interesting included past childhood discipline; affection shown in the house between our parents and toward us; discipline that we used with my kids; personal childhoods; what “social and economic class” we perceived ourselves while growing up; EVERYTHING about how Melinda and I met, dated, fell in love, our engagement, up to the marriage and more!
We accepted that she had to ask questions about when and how we found out about “the birds and the bees” (although with more direct language) and how and when Alex and Erich were introduced to the concepts. While were asked about other “significant personal” relationships, there was nothing that seemed lurid in the questioning.
We were prepared for most, but not all of the questions of the type of child(ren) we were willing and interested in being placed with us including race, ages and numbers of kids and their religious beliefs. We discussed in detail possible major physical, medical and psychological make-up of these kids and what would best fit for us. We had three choices, “yes,” “no” or “case-by-case basis” (which is what we usually agreed to). Topics included ADHD, autism, mental retardation, depression, suicidal, reactive detachment disorder (RAD), self-abusive, feeding tubes, wheel chairs, HOMICIDAL (which we ruled out quickly), plus much more. Melinda and I agree that we are mature enough to handle kids with “issues.” We don’t expect a “perfect” child(ren) – that just does not exist – rather we want a child(ren) that we can love and are capable of eventually loving us back.
For those planning to go through this process, be prepared to name every surgery or major illness you ever had including years and recovery from those events. Also, you need to know every single move your family made, what year it was and WHY you moved. I had moved a lot, so it took a while. Melinda has not moved as much.
This whole process took a while. Corrine arrived at 2:45 and interviewed Melinda by herself until 4:15. I got home at 4:05, changed clothes (due to some of the slush of record snowfall – 12 inches!) and had to wait only a few minutes until I got to come in. We then got most of our “group” interviewing questions out of the way. That lasted until roughly 6:00. Then Melinda went into the bedroom and watched two “Law and Order” shows on the DVR and I finished my section about 7:45. Melinda was called back in and we did a little more questioning plus the whole home inspection. We finished everything up and signed the paperwork for the inspection at 9:30 – almost seven hours later. Of course, we passed the inspections. It was only then that we got to eat. We were starving, especially Melinda who hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We were in bed by 10:30 and crashed until this morning.
We feel like we conveyed what we want to. We covered “Team Nelson” and what that meant to us. I think she saw a 50/50 relationship with lots of love between us and the desire to have one or two more kids to love. We felt very satisfied with the process. Thank you Corrine and Covenant Kids!
After a bit of discussion between the two of us, Melinda and I have decided NOT to publish the specific questions asked, but rather discuss things in generalities. We want to respect the integrity of the process and appreciate the sensitivity that our Home Study Interviewer, Corrine, displayed throughout the process.
We felt that Corrine did a great job of making us feel comfortable, thus creating a very open and safe environment to answer the tough questions (including a few things we had never much thought about before) and keeping the interview moving along. We discussed this morning that people like Corrine must like autobiographies and must have inquisitive minds like a good news reporter (think “Barbara Walters”).
Clearly she had not only read every word of what we had answered in the volumes of information that we had submitted, she also keyed into the specific life-changing events where individually Melinda and I had experienced trauma, pain, separation, etc. If you know either of us, I am sure you can figure out our big events. While displaying a great deal of empathy and tact in the questioning, she probed hard into those areas and we surmise the goal was never to find out what was “wrong” as much as it was, “how did you deal with it” and more importantly, “have you resolved the issues” and “are you now whole again.” She never point-blank asked that, but that seemed to be the line of questioning.
Other areas that were interesting included past childhood discipline; affection shown in the house between our parents and toward us; discipline that we used with my kids; personal childhoods; what “social and economic class” we perceived ourselves while growing up; EVERYTHING about how Melinda and I met, dated, fell in love, our engagement, up to the marriage and more!
We accepted that she had to ask questions about when and how we found out about “the birds and the bees” (although with more direct language) and how and when Alex and Erich were introduced to the concepts. While were asked about other “significant personal” relationships, there was nothing that seemed lurid in the questioning.
We were prepared for most, but not all of the questions of the type of child(ren) we were willing and interested in being placed with us including race, ages and numbers of kids and their religious beliefs. We discussed in detail possible major physical, medical and psychological make-up of these kids and what would best fit for us. We had three choices, “yes,” “no” or “case-by-case basis” (which is what we usually agreed to). Topics included ADHD, autism, mental retardation, depression, suicidal, reactive detachment disorder (RAD), self-abusive, feeding tubes, wheel chairs, HOMICIDAL (which we ruled out quickly), plus much more. Melinda and I agree that we are mature enough to handle kids with “issues.” We don’t expect a “perfect” child(ren) – that just does not exist – rather we want a child(ren) that we can love and are capable of eventually loving us back.
For those planning to go through this process, be prepared to name every surgery or major illness you ever had including years and recovery from those events. Also, you need to know every single move your family made, what year it was and WHY you moved. I had moved a lot, so it took a while. Melinda has not moved as much.
This whole process took a while. Corrine arrived at 2:45 and interviewed Melinda by herself until 4:15. I got home at 4:05, changed clothes (due to some of the slush of record snowfall – 12 inches!) and had to wait only a few minutes until I got to come in. We then got most of our “group” interviewing questions out of the way. That lasted until roughly 6:00. Then Melinda went into the bedroom and watched two “Law and Order” shows on the DVR and I finished my section about 7:45. Melinda was called back in and we did a little more questioning plus the whole home inspection. We finished everything up and signed the paperwork for the inspection at 9:30 – almost seven hours later. Of course, we passed the inspections. It was only then that we got to eat. We were starving, especially Melinda who hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We were in bed by 10:30 and crashed until this morning.
We feel like we conveyed what we want to. We covered “Team Nelson” and what that meant to us. I think she saw a 50/50 relationship with lots of love between us and the desire to have one or two more kids to love. We felt very satisfied with the process. Thank you Corrine and Covenant Kids!
Almost Twins / Home Study Happening TODAY!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday afternoon was VERY interesting for Team Nelson!
Covenant Kids (CK) Development Director, Travis, sent out an urgent e-mail calling for respite help for twins whose foster mother was ill with the flu. Respite care is something I have not explained in prior blogs, but it affects us as foster parents.
According to Covenant Kids, “Respite/Alternative Care is a scheduled time for foster children to receive care by a trained caregiver for the purpose of rest and relaxation for the foster parent and foster child.”
Respite care cannot be weekly scheduled times, but is really for occasional use only and normally must be scheduled two weeks in advance. Of course, emergencies like this sometimes arise. One of the six-month-old twins was on oxygen and their health was a concern. Responsibilities for respite are basically the same as foster care other than the fact that it is usually only for a few days at the most.
We were being processed to take them (Melinda literally turned around while driving so she could get home to receive them) and almost had the opportunity to enjoy them for a few days, but at the last second a caregiver that had worked with them before stepped up and helped.
While it was a rollercoaster of emotions for a few hours, it gave us a glimpse of what we imagine might be how we get our first Foster Care child(ren). There was a flurry of back and forth e-mails, text messages and phone calls. Decisions needed to be made rapidly and from everything we have heard from CK and others, that is what emergency placement will be like.
We were a bit behind because we still had a few outstanding issues left to resolve (although Covenant Kids was jumping through hoops to get us certified for respite even with these shortcomings).
Here is what we needed:
Another note was that we realized that we must get the car seats. We have been avoiding this because it really does make a difference how old the child(ren) are when we get them. After checking out more than 100 models of car seats over the last month, we determined that we don't particularly care for the birth to 12-year-old, multi-everything options (although they certainly exists in abundance). We wanted to buy for the exact age when we get the kid(s). CK suggested we might be able to use the foster parent's car seats for the short haul, but it made us keenly aware that it was not the ideal situation. We are re-thinking our strategy.
Also yesterday, we got in the curtains for the kids’ rooms and I hung them up. They need a bit of work because they came straight out of the package. The tag on them said they are machine washable on gentle cycle on warm (although I didn’t trust warm water – only cold) and it said machine tumble dry on low. The tag lied! Fortunately, I only washed and dried one pair. They are now three inches too short. They also need ironing. HOWEVER, once they are ironed (after we survive the Home Study) and I move down the rod, it should look great. The other pair we may choose just to iron. Melinda knew I was washing them, but does not know they shrunk (I discovered it late last night while re-hanging them), so if you read this don’t tell her…yet.
The reason she does not know is because Wednesday she left early, headed to Nacogdoches and picked up her high school and college transcripts. This is the last of the paperwork we need. She had requested them a while back, but they just could not seem to get them to her. Unfortunately, she missed seeing her mother, Elaine, while there.
She then traveled from Nacogdoches to her sister Christi’s house near Houston to pick up a great crib that Melinda’s nephew and niece used and Christi had saved for Melinda.
Melinda also got a photo with the Rickel family holding a giant letter “O.” It is a surprise what we are doing with it. As a small hint, Alex is making a giant “A” that he and Leigh Anne will use and Erich and Michelle are making a giant “E.” We have plans for many other letters to be made very, very soon thanks to supportive family and friends.
Muhahaha ....What will the creative Team Nelson come up with? Stay tuned for more!
I have to stop writing now and clean up the part of the house that I messed up last night. Melinda should be back around 1:00 PM to do any final tweaking, but everything looks pretty good since she cleaned it all and took video of everything yesterday. We will be posting that sometime soon on this site.
We hope to have a great blog for tomorrow morning. This Home Study starts at 4:00 PM and should last until 8:00 or 9:00 tonight. I am sure we will be mentally exhausted afterwards.
Keep us in your prayers, keep your fingers crossed or at least send us good Karmic vibes for this evening.
Go Team Nelson tonight!
Tuesday afternoon was VERY interesting for Team Nelson!
Covenant Kids (CK) Development Director, Travis, sent out an urgent e-mail calling for respite help for twins whose foster mother was ill with the flu. Respite care is something I have not explained in prior blogs, but it affects us as foster parents.
According to Covenant Kids, “Respite/Alternative Care is a scheduled time for foster children to receive care by a trained caregiver for the purpose of rest and relaxation for the foster parent and foster child.”
Respite care cannot be weekly scheduled times, but is really for occasional use only and normally must be scheduled two weeks in advance. Of course, emergencies like this sometimes arise. One of the six-month-old twins was on oxygen and their health was a concern. Responsibilities for respite are basically the same as foster care other than the fact that it is usually only for a few days at the most.
We were being processed to take them (Melinda literally turned around while driving so she could get home to receive them) and almost had the opportunity to enjoy them for a few days, but at the last second a caregiver that had worked with them before stepped up and helped.
While it was a rollercoaster of emotions for a few hours, it gave us a glimpse of what we imagine might be how we get our first Foster Care child(ren). There was a flurry of back and forth e-mails, text messages and phone calls. Decisions needed to be made rapidly and from everything we have heard from CK and others, that is what emergency placement will be like.
We were a bit behind because we still had a few outstanding issues left to resolve (although Covenant Kids was jumping through hoops to get us certified for respite even with these shortcomings).
Here is what we needed:
- Proof of insurance on the house (which I had JUST received a copy of earlier that day and CK now has)
- TB test results (which Melinda had just received, scanned and send in)
- “Respite Home” forms filled out (which Travis sent us promptly and we scanned and sent back)
- A home visit (we only needed a quick home visit, but today we are doing the big HOME STUDY that will more than suffice! Travis was even willing to drive out himself to help make this happen)
Another note was that we realized that we must get the car seats. We have been avoiding this because it really does make a difference how old the child(ren) are when we get them. After checking out more than 100 models of car seats over the last month, we determined that we don't particularly care for the birth to 12-year-old, multi-everything options (although they certainly exists in abundance). We wanted to buy for the exact age when we get the kid(s). CK suggested we might be able to use the foster parent's car seats for the short haul, but it made us keenly aware that it was not the ideal situation. We are re-thinking our strategy.
Also yesterday, we got in the curtains for the kids’ rooms and I hung them up. They need a bit of work because they came straight out of the package. The tag on them said they are machine washable on gentle cycle on warm (although I didn’t trust warm water – only cold) and it said machine tumble dry on low. The tag lied! Fortunately, I only washed and dried one pair. They are now three inches too short. They also need ironing. HOWEVER, once they are ironed (after we survive the Home Study) and I move down the rod, it should look great. The other pair we may choose just to iron. Melinda knew I was washing them, but does not know they shrunk (I discovered it late last night while re-hanging them), so if you read this don’t tell her…yet.
The reason she does not know is because Wednesday she left early, headed to Nacogdoches and picked up her high school and college transcripts. This is the last of the paperwork we need. She had requested them a while back, but they just could not seem to get them to her. Unfortunately, she missed seeing her mother, Elaine, while there.
She then traveled from Nacogdoches to her sister Christi’s house near Houston to pick up a great crib that Melinda’s nephew and niece used and Christi had saved for Melinda.
Melinda also got a photo with the Rickel family holding a giant letter “O.” It is a surprise what we are doing with it. As a small hint, Alex is making a giant “A” that he and Leigh Anne will use and Erich and Michelle are making a giant “E.” We have plans for many other letters to be made very, very soon thanks to supportive family and friends.
Muhahaha ....What will the creative Team Nelson come up with? Stay tuned for more!
I have to stop writing now and clean up the part of the house that I messed up last night. Melinda should be back around 1:00 PM to do any final tweaking, but everything looks pretty good since she cleaned it all and took video of everything yesterday. We will be posting that sometime soon on this site.
We hope to have a great blog for tomorrow morning. This Home Study starts at 4:00 PM and should last until 8:00 or 9:00 tonight. I am sure we will be mentally exhausted afterwards.
Keep us in your prayers, keep your fingers crossed or at least send us good Karmic vibes for this evening.
Go Team Nelson tonight!
Saturday and Sunday Cleaning and Reading
Monday, February 8, 2010
Both Melinda and I finished off our second books and wrote our book reports that we have to turn in. Both were good books and listed several times in this blog.
From 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday I (Jack) was at school working with our robotics teams. We had about 30 students who where there most of the day. In two weeks we have a big competition and this coming Saturday is three-day weekend for the students (district staff training) -- so we could not do practice then. While I was at school, Melinda (when not buying and delivering our pizza and snacks) was busy cleaning the house. Among many other things, she cleaned the two wall-mounted lights (that look like mini-chandeliers) that we have in the living room. It looked amazing afterwards. When I noticed the lights on Sunday, it set off a five-hour long diversion from our sacred "to-do" list as we decided to clean EVERY ceiling-hung light and fixture in the whole house -- including disassembling, cleaning and reassembling the 300+ piece living room chandelier! That alone took three hours. It looks brand new now and fixtures throughout the house that we thought were one color turned a completely different shade after a good soap and water scrubbing and polishing. We had just not done a thorough cleaning since we moved in last September.
Also on Saturday and Sunday we:
At the end of a long day Sunday, we took time out to grill burgers and chicken plus watch the Super Bowl. It was only after the Super Bowl that we got to finish our reading.
Today Melinda exchanges the curtain rod, gets more cabinet locks, scans all the last of the paperwork (including the insurance paperwork we just received via fax) and e-mails it to Covenant Kids.
Tonight we hang the last rod, install the last locks, put up a very few things up in the attic.
Tomorrow I put in all the rest of my grades for school for our three-week progress report that goes out Thursday. Melinda will do any last minute cleaning tomorrow since Wednesday she goes to her sister's to get her crib and won't return until right before the Home Study!
So close to being State-certified foster and adoptive parents!
Both Melinda and I finished off our second books and wrote our book reports that we have to turn in. Both were good books and listed several times in this blog.
From 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday I (Jack) was at school working with our robotics teams. We had about 30 students who where there most of the day. In two weeks we have a big competition and this coming Saturday is three-day weekend for the students (district staff training) -- so we could not do practice then. While I was at school, Melinda (when not buying and delivering our pizza and snacks) was busy cleaning the house. Among many other things, she cleaned the two wall-mounted lights (that look like mini-chandeliers) that we have in the living room. It looked amazing afterwards. When I noticed the lights on Sunday, it set off a five-hour long diversion from our sacred "to-do" list as we decided to clean EVERY ceiling-hung light and fixture in the whole house -- including disassembling, cleaning and reassembling the 300+ piece living room chandelier! That alone took three hours. It looks brand new now and fixtures throughout the house that we thought were one color turned a completely different shade after a good soap and water scrubbing and polishing. We had just not done a thorough cleaning since we moved in last September.
Also on Saturday and Sunday we:
- Loaded all the songs and audio books from early Saturday onto an iPod and put a stereo with iPod dock in the Nelson Playroom
- Put locks on 90% of the cabinets that needed them (ran out and have to get more today)
- Took down the old drapes and sheers in both kids rooms, reset the sheers on new rods and installed one of the two rods for the new curtains (due to arrive Wednesday) -- the other rod was too short
- Hung pictures and small shelves
- Put up the few blinds that we got for super-cheap on Friday
- Did our "Consequences" and "Rewards" statements for Covenant Kids (my original submission was evidently not specific enough)
At the end of a long day Sunday, we took time out to grill burgers and chicken plus watch the Super Bowl. It was only after the Super Bowl that we got to finish our reading.
Today Melinda exchanges the curtain rod, gets more cabinet locks, scans all the last of the paperwork (including the insurance paperwork we just received via fax) and e-mails it to Covenant Kids.
Tonight we hang the last rod, install the last locks, put up a very few things up in the attic.
Tomorrow I put in all the rest of my grades for school for our three-week progress report that goes out Thursday. Melinda will do any last minute cleaning tomorrow since Wednesday she goes to her sister's to get her crib and won't return until right before the Home Study!
So close to being State-certified foster and adoptive parents!
Home Study Scheduled / Fun Audio Books and Music
Saturday, February 6, 2010
On Friday Melinda turned in almost every last piece of paperwork that was needed. We are waiting for Criminal Background Check forms returned from three family members, our high school and college transcripts and one form from our insurance company. Melinda and I need to finish off our books and do our book reports, but that should be it!
Also yesterday, we used a gift card from a returned Christmas gift to get new curtains for both kids rooms plus curtain rods (and we STILL had $9.58 left on the card due to a massive sale on curtains). We also bought a Mrs. Potato Head to keep Mr. Potato Head company and got a fun floor lamp. We originally wanted overhead canned lights for the playroom, but the quotes came back too high. With the unplanned cost of the landscaping (we were going to wait until late Spring, but it was such an incredible price now) and the creeping costs of all the thousands of little safety things, we decided to cut lights and this was our compromise. It is not as much light, but it is still very cool. We love it.
Next Wednesday Melinda will drive down to Houston to pick up the baby crib from Christi. She will need to leave early Thursday so she can polish up anything that needs last minute touch-ups for the 4:00 PM Home Study!
In case you are new to the blog, it is Home Study that we have been preparing for over these last several months and it is finally here! Getting the home study scheduled basically means you are done with all the preparatory paperwork (which is immense). The Home Study is scheduled for 4 to 6 hours Thursday. They talk with us together and separately and re-inspect our entire house, covering everything that the Health Inspector and Fire Marshals have covered, plus much more.
We have talked with every adoptive / foster family that we know and asked them what all their Home Study covered. Every one of them was different. Of course, there are the questions that we already expect, but there seems to always be curve balls. It appears that most agencies (like Covenant Kids) keep these questions a closely guarded secret.
Today we also picked some audio books and music. I had a bunch of credits I had been saving from Audible.com (a site that I subscribe to for "New York Times" highlights each morning).
For the youngest children, we got an hour long narration of "The Best Known and Loved Mother Goose: A Collection of Favorite Mother Goose Rhymes Set to Music"
For slightly older, over 3 hours of Dr. Seuss!
Plenty of books and music to fill our fun days ahead!
On Friday Melinda turned in almost every last piece of paperwork that was needed. We are waiting for Criminal Background Check forms returned from three family members, our high school and college transcripts and one form from our insurance company. Melinda and I need to finish off our books and do our book reports, but that should be it!
Also yesterday, we used a gift card from a returned Christmas gift to get new curtains for both kids rooms plus curtain rods (and we STILL had $9.58 left on the card due to a massive sale on curtains). We also bought a Mrs. Potato Head to keep Mr. Potato Head company and got a fun floor lamp. We originally wanted overhead canned lights for the playroom, but the quotes came back too high. With the unplanned cost of the landscaping (we were going to wait until late Spring, but it was such an incredible price now) and the creeping costs of all the thousands of little safety things, we decided to cut lights and this was our compromise. It is not as much light, but it is still very cool. We love it.
Next Wednesday Melinda will drive down to Houston to pick up the baby crib from Christi. She will need to leave early Thursday so she can polish up anything that needs last minute touch-ups for the 4:00 PM Home Study!
In case you are new to the blog, it is Home Study that we have been preparing for over these last several months and it is finally here! Getting the home study scheduled basically means you are done with all the preparatory paperwork (which is immense). The Home Study is scheduled for 4 to 6 hours Thursday. They talk with us together and separately and re-inspect our entire house, covering everything that the Health Inspector and Fire Marshals have covered, plus much more.
We have talked with every adoptive / foster family that we know and asked them what all their Home Study covered. Every one of them was different. Of course, there are the questions that we already expect, but there seems to always be curve balls. It appears that most agencies (like Covenant Kids) keep these questions a closely guarded secret.
Today we also picked some audio books and music. I had a bunch of credits I had been saving from Audible.com (a site that I subscribe to for "New York Times" highlights each morning).
For the youngest children, we got an hour long narration of "The Best Known and Loved Mother Goose: A Collection of Favorite Mother Goose Rhymes Set to Music"
For slightly older, over 3 hours of Dr. Seuss!
- "Green Eggs and Ham" read by Jason Alexander
- "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" read by David Hyde Pierce
- "Oh the Thinks You Can Think!" read by Michael McKean
- "I'm Not Going to Get Up Today" read by Jason Alexander
- "Oh Say Can You Say?" read by Michael McKean
- "Fox in Socks" read by David Hyde Pierce
- "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut" read by Michael McKean
- "Hop on Pop" read by David Hyde Pierce
- "Dr. Seuss's ABC" read by Jason Alexander
- "The Cat in the Hat" read by Kelsey Grammer
- "Horton Hears a Who" read by Dustin Hoffman
- "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" read by Walter Matthau
- "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?" read by John Cleese
- "The Lorax" read by Ted Danson
- "Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories," "Gertrude Mc Fuzz" and "The Big Brag" read by John Lithgow
- "Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose" read by Mercedes McCambridge
- "Horton Hatches the Egg" read by Billy Crystal
- "The Cat in the Hat Comes Back" read by Kelsey Grammer
- "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" read by John Lithgow
- "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" read by Michael York
- "Prince Caspian" read by Lynn Redgrave
- "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" read by Derek Jacobi
- "The Silver Chair" read by Jeremy Northam
- "The Horse and His Boy" read by Alex Jennings
- "The Magician's Nephew" read by Kenneth Branagh
- "The Last Battle" read by Patrick Stewart
Plenty of books and music to fill our fun days ahead!
Pictures of the House
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Pictures By Melinda
New Playroom
New "Oklahoma Stone" pathway from the pool sidewalk around to storage shed.
Safety Window Decals
Resting after a long day of "honey do" projects.
Update on the Big Home Inspections
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Finally, the Week of Inspections!
Monday we had the Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal's Office do the "Foster Family Home Fire Safety Evaluation Checklist."
The Fire Marshal made a few suggestions that we intend to implement, was impressed with the evacuation floor plan that Melinda and I spent so much time on and then remarked, "you didn't need to make a map of the house, you just needed to write the directions on what you were going to do to get out of the house." THAT, we had NOT done. Of course, in our Covenant Kids paperwork it said we had to do the whole map, but, like CK reminded us, there is no "locked-down standard" for the fire or health inspections. So... Melinda quickly wrote up a description and faxed to the fire department before the end of the day. One inspection down!
Finally, the Week of Inspections!
Monday we had the Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal's Office do the "Foster Family Home Fire Safety Evaluation Checklist."
The Fire Marshal made a few suggestions that we intend to implement, was impressed with the evacuation floor plan that Melinda and I spent so much time on and then remarked, "you didn't need to make a map of the house, you just needed to write the directions on what you were going to do to get out of the house." THAT, we had NOT done. Of course, in our Covenant Kids paperwork it said we had to do the whole map, but, like CK reminded us, there is no "locked-down standard" for the fire or health inspections. So... Melinda quickly wrote up a description and faxed to the fire department before the end of the day. One inspection down!
The City of Richardson Health Department did their "Foster Home Checklist" on Wednesday. We did great on it, but Melinda had to run down and register Scarlett with the City of Richardson (we had done this when we lived in Dallas, but, of course, now that we are in Richardson, we needed to register her here). We also have to replace a cracked window. It is in child's bedroom and we noted that it was cracked when we moved in last September, but had forgotten about it since it was behind sheers that we never open. Since then it has cracked across the whole window. We are getting if fixed by a professional on Monday (these are unusual windows). The only true mark against us was the outside fence. It is very old, run down and needs to be replaced. Technically, it needed to be replaced because of the "splinters." We knew that we needed to replace it when we got the house and have always had that scheduled for demolition and rebuild this Spring. We wanted to wait until we did the landscaping done (which we just did) before dealing with the fence.
In a weird turn of coincidence, at the very end of the inspection when Melinda and the ladies were making small talk after the approval was done, Melinda discovered that the inspector was from Nacogdoches (our "hometown"), a friend of Christi's (Melinda's sister) and had graduated with Christi in 1988! As Melinda said, "Small world!"
Another inspection down!
In a weird turn of coincidence, at the very end of the inspection when Melinda and the ladies were making small talk after the approval was done, Melinda discovered that the inspector was from Nacogdoches (our "hometown"), a friend of Christi's (Melinda's sister) and had graduated with Christi in 1988! As Melinda said, "Small world!"
Another inspection down!
Other things that have happened:
I got my TB test results back - of course Negative and I got my physicians signature saying I am reasonably healthy and have no communicable diseases. Melinda got her test done yesterday and will get her results checked today. She also had to have blood work done (I have had so much blood work done recently, I was already cleared). She should be able to get the official TB test clearance, blood work clearance and physicians signature today. YEA!
I got my TB test results back - of course Negative and I got my physicians signature saying I am reasonably healthy and have no communicable diseases. Melinda got her test done yesterday and will get her results checked today. She also had to have blood work done (I have had so much blood work done recently, I was already cleared). She should be able to get the official TB test clearance, blood work clearance and physicians signature today. YEA!
We are waiting on some proof of insurance paperwork to come in and that should be ALL of the outside paperwork we are waiting on. The ONLY thing we think we have to do before the "Home Study" is that Melinda needs to finish off her two books (I am almost done with the second of mine) and she needs to finish up her "Adoption Packet" paperwork (see examples from a few days ago of my adoption packet). As a reminder, most of the paperwork is done individually -- NOT as a family. The idea is that they want to make sure both parents are on-board with foster care and adoption.
We did get the landscaping done and I have a picture on my phone, but have not figured out how to get it to the computer. We will try to take a photo soon with our real camera, but it is due to rain the next few days. They worked hard on both Monday and Tuesday. The floors and bathroom looked great from the cleaning, as well. The health inspection ladies (one was in-training) remarked on how neat and clean the house was and that it "looked like a museum."
I replaced the door knobs on the laundry room to ones with key locks. This allows us to store medicines or "keep out of reach from children under the age of..." bottles in a secure area. It is on a different key than the rest of the house.
Finally, Alex (our oldest son who graduated from Rice and now working for Princeton Review as a teacher for the LSAT) arrived at 4:00AM today as a pit stop (and sleep station) for his move to St. Louis, MO. There he will get to be with his girlfriend of over four years (we consider them a married couple) as she works toward becoming a physician. He will continue to do the same thing up there, but just out of their St. Louis office.
This weekend we need to finish off all the cabinets and drawers -- some with simple "child-proof" devices and others with full-fledge locking mechanisms that keep out the bigger kids or teens. It should take a half a day. Saturday I am doing robotics practice for my teams from 9:00 - 3:00, so it will have to be after that or on Sunday.
Tomorrow Melinda takes in the mound of paperwork to CK (although she has been scanning most of it and e-mailing it, so it can get processed).
Next stop (hopefully) the Home Study!
I replaced the door knobs on the laundry room to ones with key locks. This allows us to store medicines or "keep out of reach from children under the age of..." bottles in a secure area. It is on a different key than the rest of the house.
Finally, Alex (our oldest son who graduated from Rice and now working for Princeton Review as a teacher for the LSAT) arrived at 4:00AM today as a pit stop (and sleep station) for his move to St. Louis, MO. There he will get to be with his girlfriend of over four years (we consider them a married couple) as she works toward becoming a physician. He will continue to do the same thing up there, but just out of their St. Louis office.
This weekend we need to finish off all the cabinets and drawers -- some with simple "child-proof" devices and others with full-fledge locking mechanisms that keep out the bigger kids or teens. It should take a half a day. Saturday I am doing robotics practice for my teams from 9:00 - 3:00, so it will have to be after that or on Sunday.
Tomorrow Melinda takes in the mound of paperwork to CK (although she has been scanning most of it and e-mailing it, so it can get processed).
Next stop (hopefully) the Home Study!
Surviving the Weekend and Preparing for a Big Week!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Melinda noted last week that you can tell which of us posted the blog just by the length of the blog. Yes, I am the more verbose.
See Thursday for a list of what we wanted to do between Friday night and Sunday night. We got the vast majority of it done plus some minor items that were not on the list including going through 5 cans of "Great Stuff" expanding foam to insulate all the tiny spaces like where the water pipes come into the kitchen sink and dishwasher. That took two hours just by itself!
I was right. Installing the child-proof locks on the sliding glass doors was the most challenging thing. We ended up with a simple solution that left only a 1/2" hole in the metal railing on the inside of the door, but that took a lot of creative thinking between myself and a good friend of mine, Edison.
Edison and Stella Chiu have become good friends of ours and, in fact, we ate traditional Chinese food (definitely NOT the "Americanized" version) over at their house on Friday. I cannot tell you exactly what everything was, but it involved a boiling wok filled with water, oil and seasoning that sat on the center of the table (similar to the boiling chicken broth fondue we had just last weekend at "The Melting Pot" but without the chicken broth). Using one set of chopsticks and a little wire net, we individually put in several different types of carefully prepared fish dishes as well as steak, beef, shrimp and lots of vegetables. Stella did a wonderful job and the setting was divine. It is always a cultural treat to dine with Edison and Stella. We enjoyed the meal and, as always, the wonderful conversation.
It took over seven hours Saturday and Sunday with three VERY hard working guys from our landscaping company (the guys who normally just mow our yard) to do major cleaning up outside including getting rid of all the weeds, reshaping all the bushes, pruning the trees, cutting the grass very short and ripping out all the dead or very weak plants out of two of the gardens. A third small herb garden we took back to just St. Augustine grass. We don't do well with herb gardens. Tuesday the crew returns in-force with a truckload of river rock, "Oklahoma Stone," several large bushes and ornamental grass (for edging around the pool). We hope to have pictures on here by Wednesday. We got an incredible deal on all of this, in part because this is definitely off season (yet the perfect time to plant bushes). We are excited!
Here are the only things on the old list that are now moved to the new list.
More excitement to follow!
Melinda noted last week that you can tell which of us posted the blog just by the length of the blog. Yes, I am the more verbose.
See Thursday for a list of what we wanted to do between Friday night and Sunday night. We got the vast majority of it done plus some minor items that were not on the list including going through 5 cans of "Great Stuff" expanding foam to insulate all the tiny spaces like where the water pipes come into the kitchen sink and dishwasher. That took two hours just by itself!
I was right. Installing the child-proof locks on the sliding glass doors was the most challenging thing. We ended up with a simple solution that left only a 1/2" hole in the metal railing on the inside of the door, but that took a lot of creative thinking between myself and a good friend of mine, Edison.
Edison and Stella Chiu have become good friends of ours and, in fact, we ate traditional Chinese food (definitely NOT the "Americanized" version) over at their house on Friday. I cannot tell you exactly what everything was, but it involved a boiling wok filled with water, oil and seasoning that sat on the center of the table (similar to the boiling chicken broth fondue we had just last weekend at "The Melting Pot" but without the chicken broth). Using one set of chopsticks and a little wire net, we individually put in several different types of carefully prepared fish dishes as well as steak, beef, shrimp and lots of vegetables. Stella did a wonderful job and the setting was divine. It is always a cultural treat to dine with Edison and Stella. We enjoyed the meal and, as always, the wonderful conversation.
It took over seven hours Saturday and Sunday with three VERY hard working guys from our landscaping company (the guys who normally just mow our yard) to do major cleaning up outside including getting rid of all the weeds, reshaping all the bushes, pruning the trees, cutting the grass very short and ripping out all the dead or very weak plants out of two of the gardens. A third small herb garden we took back to just St. Augustine grass. We don't do well with herb gardens. Tuesday the crew returns in-force with a truckload of river rock, "Oklahoma Stone," several large bushes and ornamental grass (for edging around the pool). We hope to have pictures on here by Wednesday. We got an incredible deal on all of this, in part because this is definitely off season (yet the perfect time to plant bushes). We are excited!
Here are the only things on the old list that are now moved to the new list.
- Install the rest of the child-proof latches and magnetic locks throughout the house
- Buy and install a new door knob with key lock for the washer and dryer room
- Set up the wireless printer
- Get Mrs. Potato Head
- Get a buoy or safety throw for the pool
- Stop the minor washing machine connection leak
- Wait for the big Fire Marshal Inspection
- Wait for the wife of the landscaping owner (who is a housecleaner) to come by to give us a quote on JUST detail cleaning all the floors and bathrooms on Tuesday (we just don't have time before the City Health Inspection on Wednesday)
- Wait for the two electrical companies to give us bids on installing canned lights in the playroom (formerly the "study") since there are NO overhead lights -- just a switch to turn on a lamp that is in an awkward location
More excitement to follow!
Cleaning and Fingerprinting / "To Do" List for Thursday through Sunday
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Melinda and I got our fingerprints done for our FBI background checks on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Melinda did some serious cleaning up from this weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday she got the "child's room" closet cleaned out (amazingly enough) and scheduled quite a few final appointments that we needed.
We got in the mail our "Finding Nemo" vinyl static-cling stickers for the sliding glass doors that lead to the pool (so no one slams into them thinking they are open - hey, it happens!). Amazon.com delivered our books: "Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control" by Heather Forbes (the first volume that goes with our already purchased Volume II); "Dare to Love" by the same author; "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" and a few other big picture reading books in that same series. We really liked the three we have and will likely get several more.
When talking to the Deputy Fire Marshal, Melinda found out that the fire extinguisher that we just purchased was the wrong type and that we need two MORE smoke detectors (back to the store!). Those items along with many more will be setup, installed, etc. this weekend.
Also on the Team Nelson "To Do" list BEFORE Monday:
Melinda and I got our fingerprints done for our FBI background checks on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Melinda did some serious cleaning up from this weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday she got the "child's room" closet cleaned out (amazingly enough) and scheduled quite a few final appointments that we needed.
We got in the mail our "Finding Nemo" vinyl static-cling stickers for the sliding glass doors that lead to the pool (so no one slams into them thinking they are open - hey, it happens!). Amazon.com delivered our books: "Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control" by Heather Forbes (the first volume that goes with our already purchased Volume II); "Dare to Love" by the same author; "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight" and a few other big picture reading books in that same series. We really liked the three we have and will likely get several more.
When talking to the Deputy Fire Marshal, Melinda found out that the fire extinguisher that we just purchased was the wrong type and that we need two MORE smoke detectors (back to the store!). Those items along with many more will be setup, installed, etc. this weekend.
Also on the Team Nelson "To Do" list BEFORE Monday:
- Clean the garage (actually not as scary as it sounds, we have been chipping away at it for quite some time and it isn't that bad)
- Buy and set up another Black and Decker storage closet in the garage (with a lock) - we need this to lock up ALL the tools that could harm a child
- Install child-proof latches and magnetic locks throughout the house (already taken care of all the electrical sockets, surge protectors, etc.)
- Buy 15 MORE storage bins for all the things we are pulling out of the closets that now need to be stored in the attic (we should have a few of these left over, but we just wanted to make sure we had enough)
- Put all the newly-filled bins in the attic
- Buy a whole new door knob with key lock (and install it) for the washer and dryer room - this lets us store our detergent and fabric softener in the same room; otherwise we would have to lock it up in the garage!
- Remove one hanging light that seems oddly placed in the sun room
- Replace an old ceiling fan with a new one we bought a few weeks ago, but never installed
- Install child-proof locks on the sliding glass doors - this may be the most challenging thing
- Hang the broom / tool organizer in the garage
- Clean the bottom of the pool
- Lay the 8' x 10' black rug that we took out of the study and put it in the media room - this is actually a quite welcome addition to the room since it will match perfectly and make the cold tile (that is across 100% of the entire house) a bit warmer
- Set up the wireless printer again - I had it working fine, then took it to a tournament and now it will only connect when attached with a USB cable (I am sure it is fine, it just needs to be re-synced to our network) - this may have to wait
- Create a floor plan and evacuation plan
- Create house rules
- Check our entire house with a toilet paper tube - if it fits though the tube, it could choke a child and has to be put out of reach of a 3-year-old (yes, that is technically the standard!)
- Buy MORE travel locks to lock everything
- Get Ms. Potato Head (Mr. Potato Head was getting lonely) and other miscellaneous baby-related household stuff
- Get a buoy or safety throw for the pool - we already have a "reach pole" but need another device as well
- Install / fix the fence gates so they automatically close and latch (huge safety thing)
- Get central heating inspection scheduled and done
- Stop the minor (but annoying) washing machine connection leak
Medical Test / Shop / Set Up Playroom
Monday, January 25, 2010
Blogging by Jack:
Finally getting caught up on the blog.
I had a medical test in the morning. I was told that I might have adverse effects from the testing that lasted the whole day, so I took the entire day off instead of the original 1/2 day that I really wanted to take. I am trying very hard not to use up all my vacation and sick days, but these tests can never seem to be after school or on the holidays I need them to be.
SO... when we finished the test (Melinda went with me and was reading our mandatory reading book, "The Connected Child" in the lobby), we decided to look at a baby store that Melinda had been told to check out before heading home to work on the house. We went to a small baby boutique called "Right Start" in Dallas. They had some unique-looking items that we needed anyway, so we got them.
As we were going home, we stopped by "Buy Buy Baby" http://www.buybuybaby.com/. VERY COOL. It was better than Toys-R-Us or Babies-R-Us (which we have visited several times) and much cheaper than either store. It was warehouse prices but with a huge variety and selection of any item. Not one or two brands of bottles and one or two nipple sizes in those brands, but a boatload of options with every size nipple and plenty of them. Additionally, there were dozens of car seats (maybe over 100). We chose the Advent bottle system ("Thank you, Alison") with the 2-minute sterilization cleaning setup. Forget Wal-Mart, Target or any of the other stores. If you see a Buy Buy Baby, stop and check it out.
Some of the things we bought Sunday and Monday include:
Once we put everything in the cabinet (which included vintage books from Melinda's and Jack's childhood), it started to look like a playroom. The BIG thing we need now is a large, fun rug. We have several designs we like. We also eventually need new curtains and built-in bookshelves. We plan to get canned lights installed overhead. This study has a very high arch in the center and no lights -- just plugs that have a light switch on the wall. We had an electrician scheduled a week or so ago, but the electricity went out temporarily with a storm that blew through hours before he arrived and we cancelled him. Of course right after that the lights came back on, so now we have to reschedule him.
We still need lots of wall decorations, a new paint job to more fun colors and maybe some small furniture. Many things may wait until we have a child or two actually there, but we want to be all prepared and make the room inviting.
AFTER we do this room, we will concentrate on the baby's room and the child's room (two different rooms).
Blogging by Jack:
Finally getting caught up on the blog.
I had a medical test in the morning. I was told that I might have adverse effects from the testing that lasted the whole day, so I took the entire day off instead of the original 1/2 day that I really wanted to take. I am trying very hard not to use up all my vacation and sick days, but these tests can never seem to be after school or on the holidays I need them to be.
SO... when we finished the test (Melinda went with me and was reading our mandatory reading book, "The Connected Child" in the lobby), we decided to look at a baby store that Melinda had been told to check out before heading home to work on the house. We went to a small baby boutique called "Right Start" in Dallas. They had some unique-looking items that we needed anyway, so we got them.
As we were going home, we stopped by "Buy Buy Baby" http://www.buybuybaby.com/. VERY COOL. It was better than Toys-R-Us or Babies-R-Us (which we have visited several times) and much cheaper than either store. It was warehouse prices but with a huge variety and selection of any item. Not one or two brands of bottles and one or two nipple sizes in those brands, but a boatload of options with every size nipple and plenty of them. Additionally, there were dozens of car seats (maybe over 100). We chose the Advent bottle system ("Thank you, Alison") with the 2-minute sterilization cleaning setup. Forget Wal-Mart, Target or any of the other stores. If you see a Buy Buy Baby, stop and check it out.
Some of the things we bought Sunday and Monday include:
- Dr. Seuss books (several of the big classics)
- A Disney anthology of 22 stories with plenty of pictures -- all the big movies from Little Mermaid to Mulan to Pinocchio
- Fischer Price Little People Farm (like the classic ones, except all plastic and the Little People are slightly bigger so that kids have a harder time trying to choke themselves on them)
- Mr. Potatohead
- Gund Teddy Bear - gotta have one of these!
- Diaper machine like a Diaper Genie, but, by many accounts, substantially better -- the "bags" are a lot less expensive, too
- An art table (that kids can write on with dry erase markers) and four chairs
- "Sippy" cups, spoons, etc.
- Forehead thermometer that also checks the temperature of food and bath water plus a whole baby medical kit
Once we put everything in the cabinet (which included vintage books from Melinda's and Jack's childhood), it started to look like a playroom. The BIG thing we need now is a large, fun rug. We have several designs we like. We also eventually need new curtains and built-in bookshelves. We plan to get canned lights installed overhead. This study has a very high arch in the center and no lights -- just plugs that have a light switch on the wall. We had an electrician scheduled a week or so ago, but the electricity went out temporarily with a storm that blew through hours before he arrived and we cancelled him. Of course right after that the lights came back on, so now we have to reschedule him.
We still need lots of wall decorations, a new paint job to more fun colors and maybe some small furniture. Many things may wait until we have a child or two actually there, but we want to be all prepared and make the room inviting.
AFTER we do this room, we will concentrate on the baby's room and the child's room (two different rooms).
Cleaning Out the Attic
Sunday, January 24, 2010
This was not a fun day at all, but we were very productive and got done what we needed to do.
We had many boxes in storage for about a year-and-a-half prior to moving to Richardson last August. We had opened the majority of them, but, like most other humans who hate this stuff, there were some 20 or so boxes that we never really got to since they were labeled items for storage (or other unimportant things). When we moved in, we just kind of tossed them in the attic with a mental note to "get back to them."
With the need to put MORE stuff in the attic (which thanks to Dad and Erich we built out a flooring the day before we moved in), we decided we HAD to get up there and take care of everything. We also made it a priority to put everything in large Rubbermaid-type storage bins with lids to keep everything a bit more secure and stack everything a bit better. We had seen tubs on sale for $3.40 each at Wal-Mart, so we bought 22 of those (we had already bought several the week prior for Christmas storage) PLUS we bought five extra large ones that were not so inexpensive, but we knew we needed them.
We cleaned out 10 large (44 gallon), heavy-duty trash bags worth of old papers and stuff we did not need plus several other large boxes worth of stuff that we are donating to charity. We now have almost every single item in the attic in neat boxes! Woohoo! We also put up all the Christmas boxes that Melinda has been very patiently waiting on (since I could not lift them due to surgery December 21st). In actuality, my doctor would have had a fit because I was really lifting items too heavy for this soon after surgery, but I was careful, Melinda did the heavy lifting where she could and we got it all done. We spent most of the day going up and down the attic and living up there (except for a short trip to get MORE storage bins).
After all that, we had no energy to do anything else and just chilled out until we fell asleep. This was a big step in getting everything prepared for the kids.
Mark another item off the never-ending "to do" list.
This was not a fun day at all, but we were very productive and got done what we needed to do.
We had many boxes in storage for about a year-and-a-half prior to moving to Richardson last August. We had opened the majority of them, but, like most other humans who hate this stuff, there were some 20 or so boxes that we never really got to since they were labeled items for storage (or other unimportant things). When we moved in, we just kind of tossed them in the attic with a mental note to "get back to them."
With the need to put MORE stuff in the attic (which thanks to Dad and Erich we built out a flooring the day before we moved in), we decided we HAD to get up there and take care of everything. We also made it a priority to put everything in large Rubbermaid-type storage bins with lids to keep everything a bit more secure and stack everything a bit better. We had seen tubs on sale for $3.40 each at Wal-Mart, so we bought 22 of those (we had already bought several the week prior for Christmas storage) PLUS we bought five extra large ones that were not so inexpensive, but we knew we needed them.
We cleaned out 10 large (44 gallon), heavy-duty trash bags worth of old papers and stuff we did not need plus several other large boxes worth of stuff that we are donating to charity. We now have almost every single item in the attic in neat boxes! Woohoo! We also put up all the Christmas boxes that Melinda has been very patiently waiting on (since I could not lift them due to surgery December 21st). In actuality, my doctor would have had a fit because I was really lifting items too heavy for this soon after surgery, but I was careful, Melinda did the heavy lifting where she could and we got it all done. We spent most of the day going up and down the attic and living up there (except for a short trip to get MORE storage bins).
After all that, we had no energy to do anything else and just chilled out until we fell asleep. This was a big step in getting everything prepared for the kids.
Mark another item off the never-ending "to do" list.
Scarlett even tried to help.
Last FULL DAY Foster and Adoption Training
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Saturday was another all day training at Covenant Kids in Arlington. This is the last day of the mandatory training that is required by both the State of Texas and Covenant Kids. Today's topics included:
On Tuesday or Thursday, we decided that we wanted to celebrate finishing the last mandatory class, so we set reservations for this day at The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant.
Saturday, we enjoyed our fine dining meal, albeit in our t-shirts and jeans, with cheddar cheese fondue (with veggies, bread chunks, etc.), a salad, vegetable broth fondue (with steak, chicken, potatoes, shrimp, etc.) and then the always anticipated "original" chocolate and peanut butter fondue (with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, etc.). They prepare the cheese and chocolate fondues at the table. Very decadent and very tasty!
Team Nelson has completed another milestone on the way to adoption. Still lots of inspections, paperwork, the big HOME STUDY and more that we need to do (like install safety locks on the sliding glass doors).
Saturday was another all day training at Covenant Kids in Arlington. This is the last day of the mandatory training that is required by both the State of Texas and Covenant Kids. Today's topics included:
- Major physical and mental illnesses of foster kids and treatments (medicines, what they do and how to log them)
- CPR and Choking First-Aid
- Other first-aid
- Multi-cultural education
On Tuesday or Thursday, we decided that we wanted to celebrate finishing the last mandatory class, so we set reservations for this day at The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant.
Saturday, we enjoyed our fine dining meal, albeit in our t-shirts and jeans, with cheddar cheese fondue (with veggies, bread chunks, etc.), a salad, vegetable broth fondue (with steak, chicken, potatoes, shrimp, etc.) and then the always anticipated "original" chocolate and peanut butter fondue (with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, etc.). They prepare the cheese and chocolate fondues at the table. Very decadent and very tasty!
Team Nelson has completed another milestone on the way to adoption. Still lots of inspections, paperwork, the big HOME STUDY and more that we need to do (like install safety locks on the sliding glass doors).
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