Lately

Yes, we're still alive over here! I believe my last update was announcing we were becoming foster parents last fall. Well, I guess a lot has changed because we are now "experienced" (although I use that term lightly, ha!) foster parents. We had a baby last fall who went home the Monday before Christmas, received a new placement the first week in January, and got our third placement a few weeks ago. So yes, we currently have three kiddos at home and let me tell you: it is cray cray.

Just a trip to the grocery store.


It's funny how everything seems so hard when you're a first time parent. Granted, a lot of the hardness comes from having no experience with being a parent and having full responsibility for a new tiny human, but none the less, everything suddenly seems so hard. Then, you have two kids and that seems so much harder. Then, you have THREE kids and suddenly one or even two are looking like a piece of cake! We wouldn't change our situation for the world, but I will say adding a third little to our family has been a bit tough on me. Even small things like going to the grocery store have to be well-planned for because it's an ordeal to make sure we're packed with all. the. things. necessary for an infant and two toddlers, not to mention the fact we've got to work around two nap times, eating schedules, making sure I've had a shower in the past two days so I don't scare people, and then feeling up to tackling the three rear-facing car seats. It's kind of comical, actually. One of the toddlers is in the back row with the other two being in the middle captains' seats. You have to leave the baby outside the car while you climb over the base of her seat with one of the toddlers and get her strapped in, then climb out and put the baby in. Even as much work as it is, I have found getting out of the house essential to my sanity.

We call them our dynamic-duo. They love each other, they really do!

There's so much I could and probably should write about our experience as foster parents. How God is working in me and teaching me so much about what His love for me is like. What it feels like to really try to lay yourself down for the will of Christ in your life. How much I have to rely upon God's grace to get me through the days. But alas, my time to write in quite limited (due to nap times, of course!), and I've been feeling the nudge to sit down and record some thoughts and updates of our daily lives since everything is changing so quickly.

Let's do this bullet-style!

• Will's finishing up his last intense semester of grad school. It's been such a rocky journey getting to this point. Last semester was a bit insane since he had to take several tough classes he normally wouldn't have taken at the same time, but had to due to class schedules. This should be his last hard semester before the summer where he'll take one project-based class, and in the fall he'll be done except his dissertation, and graduate in December! Praise God for being so close to the end!
• In addition to growing our family from three to five in the course of 2.5 months, we've also decided to go ahead and put our house on the market and find a new place to live. We were actually in the process of refinancing our current house when we sat down to really think about our short and long-term future. We decided it would be better to list now, even with how crazy everything is, rather than in a few  years because we don't really have a time limit currently. There is no true need to get out of our current house; it's more that we want to move to a bigger place with more land. Actually any amount of land would be great because our current backyard is laughable. We've been taking our time with doing all the necessary repairs and touchups around the house while we've been looking at what's available. It's a bit disheartening since what we're looking for is a bit specific: something at least 2,5000 sq. ft., room enough for chickens, an older home we can put our stamp on, and character. We've lived in a nice subdivision with this house and while we like it and it certainly has it's benefits, we're ready to try something different. There is one house we like (well, I kind of LOVE), but even though it's a flip house and more or less move-in ready, it still needs some big ticket fixes like foundation, a roof, an new AC. We've been dragging our feet a bit, but we're trusting God's plan and we know if it's meant to be the house it will still be there when we're ready. There was one house we both really liked but it was located too far south in a school district we wouldn't care to put our kids in if/when homeschooling isn't what we're doing any more. 

• Jonah: this kid. He's my whole heart in one little fluffy, sweet, sweaty, adorable little boy. Since he was a baby he has been so sweet. He's affectionate. He loves to snuggle and give hugs. I never want to forget the way he wraps his little fingers around my neck and strums his fingers rhythmically on me. He's got a bit of his parents' OCD in him; when he knows something's supposed to be a certain way or go in a certain spot, he likes to put it that way. The other day he was at Chik-Fil-A with Will's parents and wouldn't leave until he put all the other kids' shoes in the cubbies. Jonah has such a kind heart, but he is definitely growing up and discovery his autonomy. He likes to run away when you ask him to come to you. He can be sneaky when he knows he's not supposed to have something (although he almost always gives himself away because he'll come running up to you with a cat-who-ate-the-canary grin to let you know he did something he wasn't supposed to). We're trying to do a lot of Montessori and RIE-inspired things with him, and so far I have been very pleased. It can be hard to go against what seems so mainstream and how you yourself were raised, but I know it will ultimately benefit him and us so much more in the long run. 

I took him to a play place earlier this week and he LOVED it!

He both loves slides and fears them. He's gotten brave enough to go down them by himself most of the time.

 Always taking off his socks (or other clothes!)

Super in to shoes right now. He'll find mine or Will's and try to walk around in them.

Too cute for his britches! He picked out his own shoes. Also, Mama needs to weed!

Part of his sweetness- sometimes when he wakes up and comes to find us he'll bring his stuffed animals with him.

This child could eat " 'nacks" all day long! This particular incident occurred when Will left the pantry door open while I was in the restroom. I heard a crash and came out to see that he had pulled his snack bin off the shelf to help himself to some apple chips.

And he loves to be a big kid and push.

His other most-favorite thing right now is climbing. I try to give him ample opportunity to safely climb, but we mostly have to keep all the chairs in the house against the wall so he doesn't climb on top of our tables. He climbed all the way to the top of our friend's play set many times earlier this week and was so proud of himself!

The other big news around here is that our newest placement, the baby, will hopefully be in our family forever. I'm not sure exactly how much information I can share here on the Internet while she's still in CPS custody, but I can say we are smitten and praying she will be our next forever child.

She's working on rolling over.

Tired. Blurry. Oh well.

Super Dad with all three kiddos

That's about all that's going on around here. We're tired. We feel like we're running on empty most days. But we're also so incredibly happy and blessed. Our hands are full and our hearts are even more full. Our village has surrounded us with support by bringing us meals a few times a week and paying for a house cleaner to come do a deep clean before we list our house. Hopefully I'll be back here sooner rather than later to keep the updates coming. 

Welcome Home

Sometimes, God asks us to do God-sized things. You know, the crazy whisperings in your heart that are easy to hush because they're so crazy they don't make any sense to us. I've had to work really hard over the past many years to tune my heart to be receptive to those callings; I always find myself worrying about whether my "heart whisperings" are from God or from my own selfish desires. Of course, as we grow and mature in our relationship with Christ I find our own desires become more closely aligned with what Christ desires, so perhaps that's not the question we should worry about.

Anyway. Will and I started having those quiet, crazy heart whispers early in 2015. We had known since high school this was something we would eventually do, like when we were finished having our biological children. So this year when we discussed these fleeting thoughts, casually at first, it was always a talk about what we would do in the future. After all, we had a 7 month old child at home; it would be the definition of insane to open our home to other kids with one so little, not to mention the fact that we aren't done having our own biological kids yet. God's funny, though. His plans are so much bigger, scarier, and better than our own. Something kept pushing us to do a bit more research. We reached out to some people in our community who are foster parents, and I talked to a cousin who also fosters. It became clear that this was something God had in plan for us, and he was urging us to follow his timeline, not ours.

Which is how, the first first week of my summer vacation, we found ourselves sitting in an office talking to the Foster Parenting Coordinator at what has become our agency. 

Long, arduous, tedious- these words about sum up the process to becoming licensed. We were pushing to get everything completed before Will started grad classes again in the fall. We officially received our foster parenting license on September 30th. We were originally told we would likely receive a placement very soon, as (unfortunately) we live in a busy county. Our specifications are a bit narrow because we want to stick with young children for now, but we were quite surprised when one, two, three, almost four weeks passed and we had no placements.

All that changed this Wednesday, when we finally received the call we had been praying over for so long. That evening, a precious 10- day old baby girl came to stay with us.

So far, she has been a total dream baby. Everyone always said Jonah was such a good and easy baby, but compared to our little Sweet Pea, he was rather difficult. We are savoring her newborn snuggles and enjoying the rare opportunity to go through this stage of life without the other, less glamorous half (i.e., post partum hormones, recovery from childbirth, breastfeeding struggles, etc.) 

You know how surreal it is when you bring your first baby home, and you feel like, "wait, I'm in charge?! I'm being trusted with this tiny, fragile human who can't fend for herself?" Well, we pretty much are feeling the same way, but it's a bit different this time because she didn't grow in my womb. I don't feel like we have a "right" to her. Nonetheless, she, like each child that will hopefully pass through our home, is just as much "ours" as any child that forever stays in our home. 

There are always lots of questions folks have when we talk about our Foster parenting not adventure. I've taken the time to answer some of them: 

We are licensed for kiddos aged birth to 7 years old, although we plan to only accept kids under that's of four for now. When our biological kids are older, we can change our license reflect the new ages or kids we will accept. 

We are licensed for two foster children, which would most likely be a sibling group. 

We are not fostering with the end goal of adopting. We are by no means opposed to or closed to the idea of adopting foster children, and truly the opportunity will most likely arise at some point. However, the ultimate goal of most foster cases is reunification with the family. 

Yes, you can see a picture of our precious Sweet Pea. If we see you in person. Even though these kids are "ours" for a while, they still have the right to privacy and it's our job to protect that privacy. We can't post pictures of their faces or post their names, tell you their life story or why we have them. 

Speaking of, sometimes we will know why they're in foster care, but other times we may not know. No, we can't tell you. 

We know there are always questions, as people are naturally curious. Please don't ever hesitate to ask Will or me; the worst that could happen is we either don't know the answer or we can't tell you for privacy's sake. 

Before I wrap up this giant post, I feel the need to address the white elephant about foster parenting. Be cautious to say that you could never do what we do because it would be too hard to say goodbye. We haven't experienced this yet, but after only 48 hours with our little Sweet Pea we have an inkling that when the day comes it will be more difficult than we could ever express. It is going to be "too hard" every. single. time. But what's harder is knowing how many children there are in our city, our county, our state, our country, and our world that have no one. No one to quiet their cries. No one to calm their fears. No one to push them to reach a goal. No one to support them in the tough years of adolescence. There is a real need for people to love these kids, and that need is greater than my personal and selfish need for the security that comes with taking no risks and quieting the heart whisperings that come from the Almighty one Himself. We were not put here on this earth to live safe, quiet lives centered and focused on our own goals. I'm not saying everyone should become foster parents, but I encourage you to tune into your heart whisperings. Pay attention to the things that might only be a fleeting thought for "someday" and examine why it has to be someday. God sometimes asks us to do God-sized things (like becoming foster parents when you have a perfectly lovely baby at home who already takes all your time and patience, and you know you'll get too attached to every dang child that walks through your door and it will mean your heart gets broken again and again and again), but He won't ask without providing a way. He is faithful, and He will mend our hearts and give us strength when we have none left of our own. 

     (Two babies under 18 months!) 

Annnnnnnnd I'm going to end this post there because our newborn eats every 3 hours, and this Mama is feeling the burn from the past two nights. 

Peace and love, 

Abby

A Better Place

There's no doubt that a  baby's first year is incredibly difficult for the parents, especially if they're first time parents. While I felt totally prepared and ready to have a baby and make the switch from being a young woman to "mom," I don't think there's ever really words to prepare you for the complete identity shift that occurs when you have a little one.

I'm still me in many ways, but other parts have had to fade away and new strands have emerged. And it's good. I like who I have become. I've always known I was meant to be a mama. I feel like I am really basking in the place God had prepared for me. It's taken Jonah's 13 1/2 months on this earth to finally feel like I've (kind of) arrived at this point.

Jonah's birth was traumatic. I think it took me almost two or three months to shake off the newborn delirium and finally realize just how traumatized I was by it. I started writing a few posts on it here on the blog but I never published them because I couldn't make the time to wax my true thoughts and feelings into written words, but also because it was hard to try and iterate something that is not culturally recognized and talked about.

I'm not sure that I'll try to go back and talk about it to the extent that I truly want to. I will say, though, that Jonah's birth- my process to become a mother- consumed pretty much my spare thought. The what-ifs. The I should'ves. The I wonder ifs. The if  onlys. Of course logically I know you're not supposed to do that, and you can't do that to yourself, no matter how much I fought it I couldn't escape. Will was my rock through those dark, dark months, but no matter how patient and understanding he is there comes a point that really no one else can truly understand. I kept waiting for my light at the end of the tunnel. I prayed it would come soon.

Finally, around the time Jonah was 9 months old I began to feel the vice grip of his birth lessen its hold on me, if ever so slightly. No longer consumed, however it was always still there, like a tide lapping at the edges of my mind. Life swirled on around me. People long ago stopped asking how I am, but rather, it was and is always about my child. This is not to say, of course, that people should not be interested in Jonah or ask about him or coo over him. However, hello, I'm still here too. This subject has been written about many times by other moms- the loss of personal identity because all anyone sees anymore is your cute little kids. This is something I've really been feeling a lot recently, though. At first it's fine because, yes, my kid is adorable and yes, I love talking about him. But then there comes a point when no one asks about you. No one truly wants to see you; they just want you to come to bring the baby so they can see him. No longer can you have conversations about anything you think or about things going on in your life, because either your conversation partner steers the conversation to the baby or is distracted by the adorable baby and you can't even finish your sentence.

So, anyway, coming out of that rabbit hole. Will and I had always planned for me to be a stay at home mom eventually. Probably after our second kid was born. But then I went back to work when Jonah was five months old and it was the worst seven months of my life. It's hard to go to college and get a degree for something only to realize not even three years later it was all for waste, because I was not born to be a teacher and take care of everyone else's kids. I was born to be a mom and raise and nurture my own children. Many moms can do both, and I salute those superwomen. But I could not do it. I wasn't doing a good job at anything- working or at home. Will and I discussed and prayed about our options. And then one day I was talking to a coworker who was pregnant with her second child. They use the same daycare we did, and I asked if she was planning to stay home or come back to work (I had assumed she would stay home because paying for two children in that daycare would be approximately 2/3 of our paycheck, and to me, it would totally not be worth it. Teaching is too stressful and hard to only bring home 1/3 of a paycheck). Now, this lady is so incredibly sweet and I respect her and in way judged her decision. She kind of laughed and said no, she wanted to finish decorating her house before she quit her job.

Something clicked for me when she said that. This is totally not about her and her personal decision, but when she said that I saw my own life in front of me. The only reason I was considering going back to work next year was because of the money. So we could pay of student loans. Put some more into savings. Set us up to not have to live quite so frugally. To make things easier. And yes, because there are still a lot of things we want to do to our home. Crystal clearly, I saw that I was choosing things and my house over my child. And I could not do it. That night Will and I decided I wasn't going back to work.

Then the race to the end of school was on and it felt like we would never make it. Of course, we did and suddenly, like a breath of fresh air, I had time. I had breathing space in my head that allows me to concentrate on things like my family and my home and cooking and laundry. All mundane things that are enough to make some women cry, but this is my place at this stage in my life. I am so happy. I am content.

I saw both of my midwives right after school was out and each of those visits was the most healing I've had in a year. Though neither of them said anything particularly profound, being in their presence again and talking about my feelings; finally having someone (other than Will) acknowledge what I went through. Acknowledge and affirm my feelings. Acknowledge how hard it was. Acknowledge that I had every right to feel like I do. THAT was like the proverbial balm on my scar I never realized I needed. I'm still working through a lot of my feelings, but I feel so much lighter and healed than I was three months ago.

Of course this is not to say everything is easy and a breeze now! Oh, no I don't think any mother could say that. Jonah still fights almost every single nap. I'm really struggling to get back to a healthy place with my post-partum body. The normal wear and tear of motherhood and raising a baby. Laundry piles up on my couch. My kitchen floors are proverbially sticky. I fight the cat and dog hair on my floors constantly. But the dark cloud that's been hanging over me is much less like an ominous storm cloud, and more like a wandering puffy cloud. It's there, but not so scary. I'm in a much better place now.

1 Year Old

Earlier this month, my tiny squish turned 1! I'll save all my feelings and reflections for another post; for now I wanted to share his party.

We went with a nautical theme. I figure he has the rest of his life for the theme to be what he wants, so the first party gets to be what Mom wants!

I made this "chalkboard" from a black foam core poster and metallic sharpies.

About twenty minutes before the party started our power went out. We quickly lit all the candles and it was fine. The heat started to get pretty oppressive but the power came back on just before things got too bad.

 We served hamburgers and chicken kabobs with sides; Jonah got some chicken and steamed carrots.

Jonah does this adorable bashful clapping when he gets excited and sense the attention is on him.

Jonah's "cake" was watermelon cut into a cake shape covered with coconut "icing." You take a can of full-fat coconut milk and stick it in the fridge over night. The cream will rise to the top, and you can use that to mix with vanilla and honey if you'd like to make a paleo icing. I didn't add anything to it, and he didn't seem to care much for the taste. He's never had anything like it though, so I wasn't expecting too much from him.

He liked the texture, though!

My mom and two of my brothers drove down for the party. It was so nice to see them!

Try to feed Poppa.

 Grammie and Gramma serving the cake.

Unfortunately the best family shot we got the whole day. Oh well.

Friends from our small group.

Without all the food.

It was a great day to celebrate our sweet baby's first year!

Snippets

I have a few posts in drafts right now; it seems every time I finally sit down to write I end up taking so long, and then I never finish the post. Maybe some day I'll go back and finish my thoughts. For now, though, here are some snippets.

We went on a cruise over spring break! We went with Will's family to Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, and Cozumel.

We were on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas.

We've been planning this vacation since before I was pregnant, and it was so worth the wait! Jonah did awesome.

Seriously, everyone who looked at him on the ship commented on how cute he is. (Not that I disagree.)

He wasn't too sure about the ocean, but he did love having all his favorite people dote on him 24/7.

Will's parents watched Jonah in the evenings after he went to bed so Will and I could go catch some shows. We were truly impressed with the quality of all the performances on board the ship. Overall, I would recommend a cruise for a family vacation, even with a super little one, especially if you have grandparents willing to go and help babysit.

Jonah is ten months old and started crawling about 3 1/2 weeks ago. He is extremely mobil. He will crawl everywhere and likes to walk while holding onto your hands. He pulls up onto things and lowers himself back down without any issues.

He continues to be one heck of a happy boy. He got sick again earlier this week with a fever one night. We went to the pediatrician the next day because we were worried about his ears, which have had fluid in them for over two months now, but the doctor said his ears look good and we don't have too much to worry about. None the less, we can't wait to get him out of daycare. He hasn't been 100% well since Thanksgiving.

I officially turned in my resignation letter to my principal on Monday. It was hard because as far as teaching goes, I know I have it as good as it's going to get (at least around here in the district I would want to teach in). I love my school and coworkers and kids, but nothing has ever felt so wrong as going back to work and leaving my little fella with other people to take care of him during the day. It will be definite change of lifestyle for us for me to not be working, but Will and I are ecstatic for the change.

Will's in tapering part of training for his second marathon. He's running the Oklahoma City marathon at the end of this month. Jonah and I are supposed to run the 5k; I suppose I should start running again if I actually want to be able to finish!

In other news, I've started my Trim Healthy Mama journey. I lost all of my pregnancy weight within two weeks of Jonah's birth, but like many new moms find, my body looks completely different. I was trying to loose weight when I got pregnant (and had recently lost almost twenty pounds), but I'm ready to break free from this body that I feel trapped in. When I first started I did really well and lost 11 lbs in four weeks, but then we went on the cruise and it's been extremely difficult to re-commit to staying 100% on plan. Maybe posting more about it here will help keep me on track.

Anyway, those are a few snippets of our lives right now. I hope to be back soon!