We are approved!!

Today I got the official letter that we are approved for a baby!! We were officially on the wait list on July 22, 2011. So excited! I wonder how long now till we get the call......

Today my mom came into town to see us and my sister's baby.

Yesterday we cleaned the house and the older two went to dance. The teacher let me know that my oldest was a natural tap dancer and she wanted to talk to us about more advanced classes. Exciting but I know it means more money.......

Yesterday my son received his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He's worked so hard over the last two years. It was so exciting to see him test and then receive it from the Grandmaster.

We went to dinner to celebrate and then out for ice cream. What a great day.

My sister found out that her oldest dog has congestive heart failure. UGH. I hate it when animals are sick. I don't know which is better, the way my dog had to die or the diagnosis of hers. The hardest part for me, other than losing her, was not saying goodbye. I wish I would have known that she was going to die before I left for my mom's house. She too had a diagnosis two years ago and we treated her. Since then I knew life with her was precious and we spent those two years well. Still I wish I had more time and time to say goodbye.

I keep thinking about baby "B". Still not sure if I should call the social worker on Monday to ask her advice. Or should I just wait and see what happens.

The kids got their teeth cleaned today. No cavities for anyone!

Then we ran a ton of errands.

I had to work. It went by quickly .

Now I am going to watch Drop Dead Diva on Netflix.

Tonight was the busiest night I have worked so far. Can't say it was the most fun, but time did fly.

Didn't get a chance to call the social worker. Thought I might wait and see if we are approved by next week. I sure hope so. I hate waiting. I hope it is over soon and the answer to what I should do about Baby "B" is clearer.

Tomorrow all three boys go to the dentist for cleanings.

So while I wait to find out if we are approved for our homestudy, I can't help but think the child that may be waiting for us is doing just that....waiting for us and growing and we are missing time with her. She will turn two next month and I just don't want to miss another birthday of hers. Yet at the same time, she is not ours. All I can do right now is pray that she is being taken care of and she is getting the care she needs to take care of her medical issues.

Today my oldest is not feeling well. We stayed home all day. My second son went to dance, but other than that we are hanging low. I cleaned the house a little since my mom is coming down soon. Can't wait to see her.

Today I called to inquire again about the baby. They found her in the system and said that she is available for adoption. We have a few major hurdles in the way now. The first is that she turns two next month and we are only approved for children 0-2 years. Second of all, our home study is not yet approved and they need that as soon as possible. Third, the baby is in a different county then we are in and it might be harder for us to be approved for her. The fact that she is on this website means that everyone in her county has either said no to her or they weren't a match for her. It's hard enough for me to think of her being in a foster home let alone never being adopted.
We haven't even head her presentation yet so maybe we are not a match for her either. I am just not sure which route to take. Should I call my social worker and ask her if she is almost done with our home study because I am interested in a child in another county and we need to hurry because she is turning two next month or do I just sit back and pray and wait and whatever happens, happens. Not sure what to do.

Today we went swimming and the little one went to dance. My oldest had tae kwon do and will be testing for his black belt this weekend. Should be exciting.

Today we went swimming with friends. The little one is getting really good at swimming. Then we had dance and dinner. So glad they are liking the dances they picked.

I was searching the fostering photo listings and came across a little girl back in February or so that I thought I may be interested in adopting. I remember mentioning it to a few people and everyone just told me to be patient and wait. That I would get a baby. One person even said that someone else would adopt her, that I shouldn't be the one to take on all of her issues. She was around 1 year at the time. Well I saw her again in a different photo listing with a different picture and a new name. Before they just referred to her by initials. I've been checking in on her picture since May and now it is July and I feel like I just can't sit back any longer and wait for her to be adopted by someone else. Maybe there is someone else out there. But anyhow I made a call today to the number listed and was told that they couldn't find her information. She said that she would give me more info. about her but then couldn't find it. I don't understand how this happens, but I guess it does. Maybe she was adopted. That would be great. She was supposed to call be back at the end of today to let me know what she found out but she didn't. So I guess I will wait till tomorrow afternoon and call again. I don't know what to pray for. I guess the most important thing is that the child is safe and is hopefully either still waiting or adopted.

Today my husband gets to meet his new niece. Can't wait. The boys are excited to see her again. Right now they are seeing the new Harry Potter movie. Hope it is not too scary, but my oldest finished the last book last week. Hope they have fun!

Today I did a ton of laundry.

My sister's baby has reflux. Poor baby. She is miserable. Hopefully the medication will help.

Worked in the evening.

Cleaned out Hammy's cage. My son would like to get another hamster. I am not so sure.

Happy 10th birthday to my son!! Hard to believe you were born a decade ago! We love you so much.

Last night we had to put our little hamster to sleep. He wasn't breathing well. The vet said that he had a large mass. Surgery wasn't really an option. We just lost our dog in January. It brought back a lot of memories. We sure do miss our little Hammy.

It was cold today but the kids wanted to go swimming anyways. Yesterday we had our last swim lessons and went to dance class.

Little one had dance class today. He loves it. It looked like they had a good time.

We also saw Megamind in the theater today for a dollar. Not bad considering movies are quite expensive now. We went to get smoothies afterwards. Went with a friend who has two boys.

Can't wait for my mom to come down here to see my sister's new baby.

Got home this morning from our mini vacation. Went to dance and then tae kwon do. Tired but fulfilled day. Talked to another prospective foster mom today who was a little down since she had not been placed with a child yet. Hopefully I can talk to her more soon.

So today we drove 2 hours to see our friends who were driving back to their home in another state. They were going to stop at a hotel 2 hours away from us. They live 14 hours away from us so 2 hours was a much shorter drive. We are having so much fun. The kids are swimming at the hotel and we ate dinner. She has four kids, two girls and two boys. It feels like we have a lot more when we are walking around outside.

Got my hair done today and am now going to work.

The kids are spending time with daddy.

Nice day here today about 73.

We went swimming today for 2 1/2 hours. It was so much fun now that everyone can swim!

We have baby praying mantis'. We had to buy small crickets and I gave them tuna. My husband thinks I am crazy....

Big Cousins Meet Little Cousin

Today my kids get to meet their 4 day old baby cousin. I can't wait to see how they will react.

Finally an Email

This had to be its own post because today I finally got an email from our social worker letting us know that she is starting on the approval process for our homestudy. I am really hoping it will only take another three weeks and we will FINALLY be on the wait list for a child. I would be thrilled if we were placed with a child by the end of the year but have a feeling it might not be until next year (probably March sometime). It's been 14 months since we've begun this process. I am hoping we are more than halfway there!

Yesterday we ran errands, had breakfast made for us by our out of town friends and went to bed early. Oh, and my youngest had his first jazz class. He loved it. It was the first time I left him with someone I didn't know since he was three. I was a little nervous since he starts Kinder in the fall but he did great!

Today we have swim lessons and dance for the older two boys. Should be fun. It's extremely hot over here though and humid. UGH.

The boys did really well in their swim lessons. K is really good at the breast stroke and butterfly and D is really good at free style and back stroke. B is completely swimming now!

The older two had their first hip hop classes for the season and loved it. Can't wait to see them in the concert next year.

Happy Fourth of July!!

My sister had her baby on the 2nd. I got to spend eight hours with her yesterday. It was so nice. The baby is very beautiful (of course I am biased).

Today we have friends from out of town visiting. We are going to watch fireworks at the top of the hill.

Should be fun!!

Officially in Labor

My sister is officially admitted. She has been contracting since yesterday but wasn't really making any progress. She went in at 2am and they sent her home at 3am saying she was only 1 1/2 cm dilated. Now she is 2 cm. but they can feel the head so they admitted her. Didn't know you could be 2cm dilated and feel the head!! So excited. Can't wait to see the baby girl.

Going to our friend's house to celebrate her birthday. Getting cupcakes from Sprinkles. Yum!

My sister might be in labor!

My sister may be having her baby tomorrow! I am soo soo excited. Can't wait to see the new little one!

We went to the beach again today. The kids are getting really good at navigating the ocean waters.

Boogie boarding is so much fun. We went out as far as we could. The kids were very happy I went with them. My bathing suit only almost fell off about five times. Good times!