7 Months

I cannot believe it has been 7 months today since I was at the hospital dressing this itty bitty little baby to go home.

I wish I had taken more pictures or been better about writing down every single milestone that was hit. I wish I had kept a journal documenting my growing love for this boy. Most of all I wish I could have shared his pictures, name, and story with all of my friends and family.

What I am thankful for is that foster care has taught us what a gift each and every day is. It has brought us closure in our faith. It has forced us to treasure every single day with this boy because you never know when it will be his last in our home. It has taught me that love is not about DNA.

Some things you should know about A at 7 months.

• He has 2 adorable little bottom teeth.

• He is having a MAJOR sleep regression and may in fact not make it to 8 months. ;)

• He is going to crawl any second! I don't exaggerate. He gets up on hands and knees and rocks and even moves his legs in a forward motion. The second he figures out he needs to move those hands, it is over.

• His is not a fan of peas. This is ok with me because they smell absolutely horrible.

• He absolutely loves the dogs as much if not more than us. If we are on the ground playing with him and the dogs even come in his field of vision, he lights up like a Christmas tree and just laughs and laughs.

• He has started kicking his little legs at swim class when he is on his tummy. This makes mommy very proud because he is the youngest but the only one that does this. Not that it is a competition, but if it was, we are totally killing those other babies.

Top 5 Things Anout Foster Care

One of the most common things I get asked by people who are looking at possibly becoming foster parents is how to you prepare for something like that. Long story short, you don't. No matter how many books you read or how many training classes you take, you will never be able to completely prepare yourself for foster care. 

That being said, I think there are things you can keep in mind to help get you in being ready for this crazy train. 

1. Have a strong marriage. 

Having a baby is not a way to solve any marriage problems. Starting foster care will absolutely not solve any marriage problems. Foster care will actually shine a bright light on any weakness (and strength) you have in your marriage. Don't even consider doing foster care if you and your spouse are not 100%.

2. You will get attached.

My absolute least favorite thing of all time is when I get asked, "How do you do it? I would get attached". REALLY? Of course you get attached and honestly, these kids deserve someone who is attached to them. I have yet to meet a foster parent that could not be 100% attached to their child no matter what the situation. 

The first week we had A I lost nearly 10 pounds because I was terrified that every single call was going to be someone calling to take him away. If they had, I would have been devastated. The reality is, they still could call today and take my baby away. I would be an absolute wreck. I can't even begin to imagine that. Am I going to not love him completely though, no. 

Unfortunately, heart ache comes with the job of being a foster mom.

3. People won't understand.

Even my most supportive friends and family just don't get it. No matter how many times i explain the process or explain why we are doing this, they don't get it. That is ok though. Until you have walked this road, I don't think you can get it. 

For this reason, find yourself other foster parents for support. They don't have to be people you know, or even local. I have mentioned before, my biggest support comes from a group of ladies I found on Instagram. It is approximately 30 of us and not a single one lives within 500 miles of me.  We are able to be open and honest with each other. It is an amazing relationship I hope lasts for years to come.

4. These kids are not like normal kids (in some ways).

Let me preface this by saying, these kids are normal kids who just need love and a safe place, BUT they have also been through things that most other children have not. This can leave marks physically and emotionally. Be prepared for that. 

With A, we got him as an infant so emotionally we didn't have as many issues, but physically our little man was a mess. He was sick, a LOT! I quickly used up all of my sick days and vacation days. Thankfully, it was never anything life threatening. We have made great relationships with his pediatricians office though and have even started ranking our local hospitals by which we prefer. Hopefully, this is not the norm for most 6 month old babies.

5. Be warned, you will want more.

If you go into foster care saying you hope to adopt 1 child, expect to adopt 3. I joke, but I am serious. Mark and I originally wanted to get in and out per say. We wanted to foster until we were able to adopt and then be done with it. We say it as a means to an end to build our family. Boy were we stupid.

These kids and their stories will change your life. You will love this crazy ride. Don't get me wrong, you will hate it at times. You will wake up some days and ask yourself why am I doing this. Then that story comes on that news that breaks your heart and you hear the child is in custody of Child Protective Services and you know, what you are doing is making a difference. 

With that being said, Mark and I would like to officially announce we are opening our home in May to a second foster child. We are going on the placement list for a child 1-3 years old. Yes we are crazy, but who ever had any fun being sane?

A Love Letter

Dear Instagram and Hashtag,

Our relationship started simple with just another social media app. I posted the occasional picture and the exact same people from Facebook would comment. It was really totally pointless.

Then I discovered the world of hashtags (yes I am one of those people). What I discovered was the power of #fostercare. Yes, that one thing would change my life (not exaggerating). #fostercare introduced me to my new family of foster parents.

My new Instagram foster family spans North America (ok just U.S. and Canada) and is made up of the greatest women. Most of us have never and will never know each other in real life (although we would love to change that), but our bond is real. We are in the trenches fighting for these children. Children that have had to suffer for whatever reason. Children that others have turned their backs on.

We celebrate each others successes, pray for each others needs, and cry with each other at our defeats. We are able to be open and honest with each other and relate in a way that only another foster parent can understand.

Today I want to say thank you Instagram and thank you stupid hashtags. I thought I was a bit too old and silly for both of you and boy was I wrong. You helped me find my people... my #fostercarecrew.

Love,
rhenderson09

Life Will Never Be the Same...

Today marks a week since I have become a momma!

For those who don't already know, within hours of being added to the placement list, Mark and I became parents. It is the most amazing feeling. I always knew I wanted to be a momma, but I never realized how great it would be.

Since we received our first placement, my views on what will and won't get shared has changed significantly. Where I am at right now is that, I just don't know what I can and should share. My number one priority is protecting this miracle baby. That being said, I do want to continue to post to the blog and share our experience. If nothing else, I just want to share this process and how amazing it is in hopes that I covert some of you do be foster mommies and daddies.

So I am going to be in touch with my licensing worker and review my thoughts and feelings on the issue. I will definitely be back in some form, I just want to be able to share with you but in a way that protects this baby.


P.S. He is a newborn baby boy. :)

LICENSED FOSTER PARENTS!!!

From my less than cryptic message you may have guessed that we are officially LICENSED FOSTER PARENTS!!!

 

This morning we are filling out our final paperwork and then we go on the list to accept children. It is absolutely crazy!

 

We have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. We are told to expect a placement VERY soon, but we have been told similar things before. Something makes me think that the states definition of soon varies from mine. All I know is to expect the unexpected....

Pin-tober Died

So I am crunched for time and I will make this short. Pin-tober lasted a whole day before it got cancelled. Why? Because we got word from our licensing worker that our file is being reviewed and we are literally expecting a call for licensing any minute!!! So as much as I LOVE Pinterest, my need to be prepared for babies wins. :) Hopefully I am back soon with pictures! :)

Collecting dust

As of this week, I got word that AZ currently has 53 babies in a shelter because they don't have foster homes for them to go to. What breaks my heart is knowing that and having this view from my hallway...

Killing Time...

I have been absolutely dreadful at keeping up with this blog at all. Not to make excuses, but without being licensed for kiddo's we are painfully boring. This weekend for example I cleaned and hung around the house on Saturday and watched football on Sunday. I know, I should have warned you with news that exciting.

We do actually have a few updates since we last spoke. First off, we were submitted to the OLCR for licensing 8/30! That is great news because as soon as that is done we are officially licensed foster parents and will have a child shortly. They are averaging anywhere from 2-6 weeks. I am hearing more of the 6+ week range, but every once and awhile someone will have a random quicker process.

Secondly, we have made a big decision in regards to our foster babies. After an insane amount of research and discussion, we have made the decision to go cloth... as in cloth diapers! I NEVER imagined myself using cloth diapers, but alas I am.

My reasoning's for cloth diapering are:

1. The price. Yes I have had to invest a bit up front (yes, I bought some already and so I will share that with you below), but nothing horrible. I have made the choice to go with used diapers. I am extremely picky about the condition they come in, but I have been able to save a TON by going this route. For example, I purchased 24 one size pocket diapers, 24 microfiber inserts, 12 bamboo inserts, and 1 large wet bag for $70.00! The best part was that only 4 of these diapers were ever even used! These were from a fellow foster momma and so she gave me a smoking deal! I currently have 30 one size pocket diapers and have spent only $130 (including shipping).

2. They are gentler on babies behind than real diapers. Foster babies have a higher likelihood of coming to me with some not so pleasant diaper rash. These diapers will be nice and soft on those raw behinds.

3. Convenience. People laugh at me when I say this because they are like, "you think washing them every 2-3 days is convenient?!?". Well yes, I do. I think it is more convenient than having to have a range of diapers on hand for any age child we get, and running to the store weekly (or more) to buy more diapers. I think it is more convenient than getting up at 3 am when we get a call for a baby and needing to run to the store to buy diapers. I can handle washing my diapers every 2-3 days and having them on hand and ready to go instead of always having to run to the store to pick up diapers.

4. They are CUTE!!! I am that person that is totally a sucker for something cute. These diapers are just about the most adorable thing ever. They come in almost any color imaginable and a whole slew of prints. Even just a plain white diaper is still cuter than a disposable for me!

These particular diapers are Sun Baby. If you would like a full review on them once I start using them, let me know. I also purchased some Fuzzibunz, so let me know if you want to know about those too. 

Waiting is hard...

So I haven't posted anything in awhile and it is not only because I am lazy, but honestly I have nothing new for you. We are still just waiting for home study to be completed so that we can hurry up and wait on the OLCR to approve our license. We realistically have another 4-6 weeks. It is just hard because as one point we were told we had just a couple weeks if not days. I guess the phrase "expect the unexpected" is our new mantra.

How darling is this! If things work out this will be in our nursery!

We do have a small piece of news that I have debated on sharing, but finally decided we should. We heard about a little man that is in need of a set of adoptive parents and Mark and I are actually being considered! I know that doesn't sound like a little piece of news, but honestly, I am just trying to not get my hopes up. His name is baby A (obviously not his real name, but for privacy reasons it is A). Last I heard he is about 7-8 months. Mark and I have meet him before and just fell in love, but that was awhile ago.

A lot needs to happen for this to work out, and honestly the chances are larger that it won't work out vs. working out, but it is still something we are praying hard for! Most of all, I just want this little man to find an amazing home whether that is us, or another family. So if you could PLEASE be praying for us and for baby A, it would be appreciated.

I will update when I know more!

** UPDATE on baby A 9/9/2013**

The agency that has baby A currently has said they would prefer to keep him with the agency and adopt him out to one of their families. We are not with there agency currently so unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to adopt him, :(

Intervention...

The first step to overcoming any addiction is admitting you have one. So here it goes.

Hi. My name is Renee, and I have a baby carrier addiction. 

Let me jump on my soap box for a minute. I am a huge fan of using a baby carrier whenever possible instead of throwing a baby in a car seat. Reason for this is because with foster babies in particular, I think it is crucial to develop that bond. Many of these kiddos have not had the love and attention they need. They may have been left alone in a crib and/or car seat for extended periods of time without that interaction between mommy and baby. This will allow me to have that closeness and still be able to live my life and get things done around the house.

So this addiction all started harmless enough and before I knew it, I was the owner of 4 baby carriers. That is right, 4 carriers. The sad thing is that I have never actually used a carrier, so I don't even know how much I will use them or what I am looking for in a carrier. It is a small problem.

It all started when I bought a car seat off a friend after her son outgrew it. When doing so, she found her old baby carrier and asked if I wanted it. It was a Baby Bjorn Classic. Never having a baby before, this was the one carrier I had ever even heard of. Of course I said yes, and I went on my merry little way not thinking a thing of it.

Baby Bjorn Classic Carrier

Well then I got really into Goodwill's 50% off Saturdays. I found amazing baby gear for pennies on the dollar. This next carrier was no exception. This thing is in amazing shape. Honestly, I think it is brand new. I can find no signs of any use or wear and tear. Plus, I found it for $2.50. People, if you haven't tried Goodwill's 50% off Saturdays, you have to do it!

This isn't the color, but the model is the same.
Chicco Ultra Soft Baby Carrier

Then the shower came. I got my most favorite carrier yet, the Ergo Baby. It had amazing reviews, several positions to use it, and has a great weight range I can use it for. This one will be in our family for years! Thank you sister for one awesome carrier. It wasn't on my registry, but she is officially ALWAYS allowed to shop outside the registry.

Ergo Baby Carrier

 



Lastly, it is the Baby K'tan. This is a carrier I actively went searching for. It all started when I learned that for my Ergo baby carrier, I would need an infant insert for little ones. When I found this one I loved that it was easy to use and was a hybrid between a wrap and a carrier (in my mind). It gives that super close snugly fit I want for those infants! When a friend approached me saying she knew of a friend of a friend selling one, I was sold. :)

Baby K'tan

The smart thing to do would be to pick one or two and sell and/or donate the remaining. Where it stands now is that I am ABSOLUTELY keeping the Ergo Baby carrier, but without purchasing the infant insert, it isn't made for little little babies. For this reason I think having one additional would be OK. I am leaning towards Baby K'tan, but I just can't decide. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. 

The struggles of a baby carrier addict...

Foster Shower Pt 3 (The Last, I Promise)

So I know you are so sad, but this is the last and final installment of the foster shower! Yes I know I dragged this out for a ridiculous amount of time, but really don't rain on my parade! 

So this is all about the items that we bought using our gift cards from the shower. It was items we didn't get, but still needed/ wanted. Luckily we had a lot of people give us gift cards and so we were really able to get a lot of items and saved ourselves a TON of money. 

So after my big post about the car seat we had registered for, I ended up getting a totally different seat. You see this one was awesome and on clearance and yea...

See how nice and gender neutral the pattern is.

Here is the pack and play. Again, not what we originally registered for. Really I cannot resist a Target clearance section.

Fun little lion on the pack and play.

This little item is again one of my favorites for the baby room. Honestly, I kind of want one for our room. It is a sound machine and projector in one. It has 3 different discs for projecting on the wall and 6 different sounds! Until the kids arrive, it may find itself in our room.

Now I know that pacifiers are really an item that varies from baby to baby, but I couldn't pass these babies up. Too cute. Plus whether our child is a boy or girl, they will like football...

Well there you go. A summary of everything. Now clearly I didn't include every item we got or every gift we received in this post, but you can get a good idea of what we got. This was just intended to share with those of you who couldn't be there. 

If you saw anything you want a review on or opinions on, please let me know. 

Foster Shower Pt 2

As promised, here is the second installment of the foster shower. This will be covering the items we received as gifts from our amazingly generous friends and family. 

This drying rack is actually Mark's number one requested item on the registry. He saw it and thought it was the coolest thing ever. The branch and flower accessories for hanging items on make it even more fun. So much more appealing than a traditional drying rack on the counter.

This activity table was one of the awesome gifts my sister got for us. It is great for sitting or standing because the legs are easily removed. 

This has to be one of my absolute favorite gifts from my sister. The Ergo baby carrier was actually not on my registry, but I had my eye on it for some time. Using a baby carrier is a priority to me so having a quality carrier is going to make things so much easier. 

Now I know I am clearly not going to be breast feeding my foster kiddos, but I am a huge fan of the Boppy pillow! They are great for those kiddos that are just learning to sit up and even for tummy time!

World's softest blanket. Hands down!!!

I saw this and fell in love with it. The kiddos are going to need a security blanket type item. I thought this was perfect because it is a blanket and stuffed animal in one (similar). Now I should probably invest in multiple of these to send with the kiddos when they return home.

Now I didn't actually receive this at the shower, but my bosses daughter had given it to me to use. It is a video baby monitor. We have just played around with this a bit, but so far, I love it! 

Just a sample of a few of my favorite boys clothing items from the shower!

Same with a few of the favorite girls items!

The most common gift of the shower BOOKS! This bin is completely full of books along with several shelves full of books. I joked that our kids would be reading to us by the time they were 2! 

So this is another favorite from the shower. I saw this diaper bag and fell in LOVE! My co-workers went in and bought this for me. This silly little bag brought me SO much joy!

So now you know more about my gifts from my shower than you ever wanted to know! I am sure you will sleep better at night seeing what I got. I am sure you are holding your breath in anticipation for part 3... the spending of the gift cards. ;)

Foster Shower Part 1

After weeks of anticipation, I have finally had our foster parent shower! Let me start by saying my friends Lauren and Erin (the hosts) did an amazing job and I am overwhelmingly grateful for them stepping up and hosting this for me. I actually even cried at my shower when I was thanking them for hosting. It was very embarrassing.

Because I have so much to cover I am going to break this down into three parts. The first part is going to be the actual shower itself. It will tell you about the theme, the decor, and all the activities. The second will be the gifts. The third and final will be how we spent our gift cards.

Saturday was an absolutely wonderful day for me. I got to sleep in a bit. Slowly get up, straighten up the house a bit, and relax. It was a very un-rushed morning which is exactly what I needed with all the excitement that was soon to be coming my way.

Once my Mom and Dad came in from Las Vegas I took the chance to show them the nursery and some of the things we had accumulated already. Then Mark and my Dad were off to the Arizona Cardinals pre-season training while my Mom and I went to the quilt store. My mother is a very talented quilter and I had a couple projects I wanted her to make that we needed fabric for. After a successful fabric store run, we were off to the shower.

I am not even kidding when I say I walked in and was blown away. The little details they had put into the shower were amazing! It was themed after a book called A Blessing From Above.

Here is Amazon's description:

 Every night before she goes to sleep, a kangaroo prays under the stars for a baby to love and hold. One day, as she rests under a tree, a baby bird falls out of its crowded nest—plop!—right into her pouch!

Can you think of a better theme for a foster/ adoption shower? I swear those girls should go into the business of party planning. It was beautiful! They even created a hash tag that everyone could link there pictures to from the shower. They really thought of everything. One look at the pictures and you will see.

**Note: I am a total genius and forgot my camera so these photo's are all taken with my cell phone camera. I just knew you were going to ask about my amazing photography skills!

These were on the dessert table.

How adorable is this sign?

The beverage table.

Just a view of some of the guests during game time.

So this does a horrible job of showing the worlds most adorable sugar cookies that my sister in-law got for the shower. They were an assortment of birds, bird houses, and this cookie in the center of the platter. 

Ok so this is not the most flattering picture of me or Mark, but at least you can kinda see our amazingly awesome and cheesy foster care shirts! While Mark didn't attend the shower, he did show up after the fact in this. :)

If and when some "real" pictures show up from the shower that were not taken on a camera, I will be sure to add some of those. For now, enjoy these beauties. I know, I know, I really should look into photography as a career choice. 

Glitter Eye Liner and Cupcakes for Breakfast

So I know I promised pictures and all kinds of fun stuff from my foster shower on Saturday, but you can wait one more day. Why?

 Because today is my BIRTHDAY!

Yes, I am one of those obnoxious people who makes sure EVERYONE knows it is my birthday and celebrates for almost the entire month.

So today I am not going to worry about getting the post about the shower together. Instead, I am wearing my gold glitter eyeliner for work (which is definitely more of an evening look, but I like it)and eating cupcakes for breakfast! See you tomorrow.

Update

UPDATE: I will start with the update because lets face it, foster care is the point of this blog, not all the other random thoughts that go through my head.

We got a call today and we officially have our first licensing interview scheduled! This will take place August 1st and will last approximately 3-4 hours. Yikers!!! I cannot imagine an interview lasting that long. Besides, what on earth do we have 3-4 hours worth to talk about. I feel like we have answered every single question we possibly could.

The good news is that I really like our licensing worker. I am going to refer to her as L for privacy reasons. She seems very nice and it sounds like we are going to get along great. I think as much as it can get annoying at times, she appreciates my over prepared and on top of things attitude about everything.

The bad news is that after L comes out and completes her home study and submit it, we are looking at 4-8 weeks because of how backed up the Office of Licensing, Certification, and Regulation (OLCR) is. The is depressing because I thought we had days, until we got a kiddo. Boy was I wrong!

In other news, my FOSTER SHOWER is tomorrow!!! That is right folks, just one more sleeps. I am so incredibly excited! I cannot wait to share pictures of the event, and then a haul of all the things I got and all the things I bought with my gift cards (I already have a few from guests that couldn't make it).

The great debate...

To keep me from going absolutely insane while waiting for "the call", we have been slowly but surely putting the nursery together. It started because we realized things were moving much quicker than we anticipated, but then I got a little over excited and now, the nursery is practically completely finished.

 

One thing that we went back and forth on and couldn't decide was whether or not to have a glider or rocker in the nursery. Yes, it is was really a big debate that spanned several days. Ok, who am I kidding! It was really just me talking in circles to myself with Mark standing in the room. Don't get me wrong, Mark is very involved and is always helpful with opinions when I need them. He just didn't think this was as big of a decision than I did (nor does anyone else I assume).

 

Let me explain, I know a glider or rocker is great for those late nights of trying to get baby back to sleep. Plus they are super comfy. My issue is that every single nursery I see looks adorable with them, but once that adorable little baby grows up to a toddler, they are rarely used. Then inevitably they go to live in the garage until they are sold in a garage sale or given to a friend. I wanted something that I would use for much longer.

 

So I found a solution!



 

 This is our new nursery chair (we got the matching ottoman too). Now yes, I realize this doesn't have the rocking motion that a glider and rocker offer, but it does still provide an incredibly comfy place to kick up our feet and sit and cuddle/read to our little one. Plus with the neutral color and classic design, this piece can easily transition from the nursery to any other room of the house. I am thrilled with it and it is SO comfy that it is already Mark and I's favorite spot in the house.



Nursery Decor

For the nursery, I was really on a mission to support other foster parents of charities for children in any way possible. This ended up being a lot more difficult than I expected. Well via the wonderful world of hash tags on Instagram, I found a wonderful community of fellow foster parents. One of which was this wonderful lady. Now I do not know this woman other than Instagram, and I am no way being paid, sponsored, or anything else to post this, but I absolutely loved reading about her story and supporting her in any way possible. 

This amazing lady is a foster mommy who is on a mission to adopt a little girl from girl that she fell in love with while traveling abroad. She has come to be known as little E. Now I don't know much about her (like I said I am a crazy stalker lady), but I totally support the cause. For that reason I was all over purchasing these printables for the nursery walls when I found them in her Etsy shop!

Please excuse these absolutely horrible pictures! It was late and I just grabbed my camera and started shooting. It wasn't pretty! I promise you though, they look amazing! I am so happy with them.

Here is a little peak at our whole arrangement on the wall. Yes I didn't use a level or even attempt to hang the frames straight. I suck... I know!

Just imagine being up late at night with a fussy potentially drug exposed baby and looking up to see these reminders of God's love. I can't imagine anything more encouraging! Add some of my own DIY nursery animals and BAM... perfect nursery wall art. 

Waiting Game

So at this point, Mark and I have been assigned a licensing worker. What this means is that we have completed everything with our agency. Being assigned a licensing worker is the final step before being officially licensed and ready to accept a placement.

The bad news is that we are now just waiting on the system which is at best unpredictable. We could be looking at days or weeks. We just don't know. This is frustrating because I am a total planner. I am climbing up the walls in anticipation!

To help pass the time, my amazing friends Lauren and Erin have thrown me a foster shower! The shower will be this Saturday and I am unbelievably excited. Once we found out that we would likely not ever have our own biological children, I thought I lost the chance to ever have a baby shower. Thanks to my amazing friends, I still get to have one.

We have registered for gifts here, but we decided to also do something different. We encouraged our friends and family to use this registry as just a guide for finding gently used items as well. This way they have options for both new or used items. The response thus far has been positive. I still realize that because we are going to be licensed for such a range (newborn-2), gift giving is difficult, so gift cards will likely be the gift of choice for most. I think this is great because once we do have a need for an item, we will have gift cards to help us with those purchases.

This is one item we have an immediate need for. Like, I will run out and purchase the day of the shower if I don't get it. We have had two friends either sell or donate old infant car seats to us, but this would be much more versatile. Plus, the price is right. Anyone used this model? Thoughts?

What are we going to do with all of this stuff if we can't or don't end up using it (wrong size, too old and/or young)? I am so glad you asked... even if you didn't really. Well if it is new and we have gift receipts, obviously return it for something we can use, but if it used, we plan to donate it. There are several organizations for foster children that would benefit greatly from these donations! We foster families gotta stick together!

Henderson Babymoon

 

For those of you who don’t know, a babymoon is a final getaway for first time parents before kids come. This is typically for pregnant momma’s of course, but Mark and I figured why shouldn’t we have a getaway too?

 

We packed up our truck and our dogs and hit the road for my families cabin in the mountains. Along with a 50 degree temperature drop, we got fresh air, relaxation, and lots of quad riding. It was exactly what Mark and I needed before having our world turned completely upside down!

 

You can check out the whole trip on my instagram account under.

 

 

I am normally not the outdoorsy type, but this was too good to pass up. This was me crawling down into the ice caves! It was something really cool that I hadn't ever seen before. Mark claimed he stayed behind to take pictures, but I think he really was a tiny bit scared. 

 

We even splurged and made the decision to buy quads this weekend! We just bought two of my families old quads, but we love them! Mark is all about the outdoors and jumped at the opportunity to buy anything that would get him off roading.  

 

 

Look at that smile!

 

 

 

Life Safety Inspection

The life safety inspection is when an inspector from the state comes into our home and inspects it according to a list of guidelines we have been given. These guidelines are lengthy and very exact. I have had a lot of anxiety about this inspection. In fact, I have been dreading it since we first found out we had to have one.

Prepping for this inspection has been not only time consuming, but costly. Several nights were spent up late cleaning, organizing, and prepping.

The biggest and most expensive task we had was securing all of our fire arms. Now don't get me wrong, we would have had our guns locked up if we were having our own children as well. We would have simply put them into our gun safe though. For foster care, this is not acceptable.

 

I have a thyroid condition. Because of this condition, I have to take medication daily. Imagine my excitement when I found out that my medication (prescription, over the counter, and vitamins), must be kept under lock and key at all times.

 



 

 

All of the stress was worth it in the end because we PASSED!!!

What this means now is that we are in the home stretch. We are waiting on Mark's fingerprint card to arrive and a final meeting with our licensing worker. After that, paperwork is submitted to the state for final approval. I can almost smell those dirty diapers now. :)