Sunday, October 19, 2014

Month Seventeen - Halloween Costumes, Saying Goodbye Part 6, and New Baby Update


I decided to get the kids in their Halloween costumes the other day so I could take some pictures, I figured I wouldn't have the energy to do this two weeks from now since I'll be full term at that point! Ivy chose to be Princess Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony, of course:) A full body pony costume is out of the question for an Arizona Halloween but thankfully that's not what we found anyway. The little figure she is holding is the character she is "dressed up as" with the sparkly dress, ears, and wings. And see all those sparkles on her hand? Yeah our house will be covered with it by the time November rolls around!


She is one happy girl dressed up as her favorite pony, although who her favorite is changes frequently.


Goodness I wish I could show you his adorable face in this costume! Bubba is going as the Ninja Turtle Michelangelo. The orange band tied around his head really makes the costume, you will just have to trust me:)


We are excited to spend Halloween this year with both kids, it's crazy that just a few months ago we didn't think we would be spending any more holidays with Bubba. Well, now it looks like we will also be spending Thanksgiving and possibly Christmas with him. It has been a little over a month since the new case worker gave me the plan and no surprise really that the plan is not going as we were originally told. Now it will be a longer time period before Bubba goes back to his mom. Two months from now (maybe???) because the past month not one thing has happened. Visits have stopped because an extension request was not sent before the parent aide was finished with the the amount of visits he was scheduled to supervise with this case. I don't know why it takes a month to get those starting up again but the timing of this is just awful. At this point Bubba should be having multiple visits with his mom every week so they can begin to bond even more, instead there have been zero. So until that begins to happen I know that we are not close to him reuniting with her. It's honestly just crazy to me that everything (and I mean everything) takes so long, and it seems to be mostly paperwork issues.

So, no progress has been made on the reunification but Bubba has started daycare and he really enjoys it. It only took him a few days to stop crying when we drop him off, and I think that is mostly because right when he gets there he gets his second breakfast:) I feed him a little something before Jake takes him and then he eats right when he is dropped off which he loves of course! Now with his new schedule he is only taking one nap a day which has been a bit of a struggle (because as you know this boy loves his sleep) so he ends up going to bed pretty early without a fuss because of it. It's been nice to be able to relax with Ivy at school and Bubba at daycare since my energy level is very low these days. It has also been good for me to transition from being Bubba's full time caregiver to letting someone else do it part time since that is what is ultimately going to happen, except he will be gone for good.


Lastly, an update on the new baby! My goodness look at that belly (and this was a week ago...). Baby is scheduled to arrive on November 13th although I would welcome anytime earlier at this point:) I am extremely warm at all times and it is supposedly due to the extra fluid in my belly. My doctor doesn't think the baby is too large but believes that I am carrying an extra amount of fluid which has made me pop out more than normal. I measure 1 to 2 weeks ahead at each appointment. I have pretty much spent my days indoors under a fan in order to keep my sanity. This little one has definitely been more active than I remember Ivy being, all those wonderful kicks and punches have constantly startled me becuase of how strong they are! I am extremely thankful for a healthy pregnancy (even with all the discomforts that are involved) and pray that this little one arrives soon!

We have Bubba set to be in respite care (staying with another foster family) the week our baby is scheduled to arrive. If the baby decides to come early I am thankful we have lots of family and friends who are willing to help us out. Now that we know Bubba is staying longer with us it is going to be another adjustment for him when the new baby comes. Please pray that everything goes smoothly. This poor boy has so much change coming his way the rest of this year. Our whole family does, some very exciting and some sad, but we are learning to just take it one day at a time.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Mills Family


I recently met up with this sweet family of four to take their pictures. The last time I saw the Mills family was about a year ago after their youngest had recently arrived. Brothers Nixon and Noah are very close in age which is going to be so fun for them as they grow! My sister and I are 15 months apart and it was so great to always have a best friend around as a kid:) Brad and Annie were so awesome during the shoot getting the boys to smile and giggle. Love how these turned out!