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.
So we had our home study/ interview with our licensing worker. I am not going to lie, it was rough. It was 3 1/2 hours of straight questioning with no breaks. It wasn't easy questions like your name and favorite color. These were in depth short answer questions regarding childhood, parenting style, and discipline. These are all things Mark and I have talked extensively about, but they just are so difficult to explain and put into words in an interview format. When the experience is over I was completely mentally exhausted. It was also a lot of heavy material so it wasn't probably the joyous moment it should have been.
All and all though, we survived and it is now done. We should be hearing the results in the next week or so. From that point we will find out if they are requesting additional tasks be completed or if we are finally going to be submitted to OLCR for final approval and licensing. Once the OLCR received it, who knows what could happen.
The biggest frustration we have at this point is absolutely the lack of any sort of expected timeline. We are just sitting and waiting. We have a completed nursery that just sits empty while so many children are in need of a home...
