Blogging Bandwagon

     If everyone else was jumping off a bridge I probably wouldn't do it. However, everyone else is writing on a blog, and I have decided to as well.  This is one bandwagon on which I think I will be glad to have jumped! I have always loved writing, but have been so busy the last few years that I really only wrote when I had to help John with his papers for seminary.  Fortunately, I believe that life is about to become slightly less busy, and I will have time to catch up on missed writing.  Some of my writing will jump around quite a bit on the timeline of our lives as I think of things. Mainly, I want to remember my time as a teacher, as a foster parent, and soon to be a house parent. Above all, I want to share what I believe God has done in our lives as He is leading us ever closer to Him.  I will start with a typical experience with the two girls we have right now for just a little while longer. I will have to change the names of our foster kids so that this blog can be public.

These family pictures were taken by a wonderful friend at seminary in early July. 

     
     Mary is 20 months, Madilyn is 10 months, and Jonah is 3 months. It is the beginning of August, back to school life is in full swing, and for the first time since I went to Kindergarten, I am strangely NOT going back to school. I am being a mommy instead, and we are preparing to move. John and I have been packing boxes all day, and John just picked up the girls from daycare because I was feeding Jonah.  Mary toddles in the door and immediately points to the TV and asks, "Dowa?" When I say, "No, no Dora" she counters with the baby sign language of raising a glass to her mouth followed by making a circle in front of her chest and says, "Joooooose? Peese?" This request is reasonable.  I put Jonah down in one of his favorite spots - the inside corner of our big cuddler recliner, and I pour 1/3 of her sippy cup full of juicy juice and fill the other 2/3 up with water. She smiles as she reaches for it and says loudly "Taaa Choo!" Her version of 'thank you' is sweet.  Meanwhile, Madilyn speed crawls over to where I have propped Jonah.  She pulls herself up on the end of the chair and stands there trying to reach his little feet.  She smacks her lips together saying "Meh Meh Meh Meh!" as he squirms just out of her reach. I really think she wants to taste his toes.  She does like to suck on John's toes, and she has realized that mine never taste good.  Jonah has just begun to have enough core strength to sort of rock himself forward a little, and it looks like he is studying her, but also wondering what she will do if she ever does manage to grab his foot.  John says, "Who pooped? It smells awful in here already!" That's nothing new. We go on the search, scooping up the girls and sniffing their behinds, and I am lucky enough to have hit the jackpot with Mary. "Shew! Stinky!" I tell her, and she repeats in her broken baby speech "Sue! Sinky!" mimicking my scrunched up nose. As I carry her back to the bedroom, Madilyn drops to her knees and crawl chases us to see what interesting thing we could be doing.  She finds one of her shoes on the way, and stops to chew on it. John has recently appropriately nicknamed her "BillyGoat Baby" and I don't even bother to take away the shoe.  When I lay Mary down on the top of the dresser we have turned into a changing table she says, "Biper!" I stick my nose inside my t-shirt to help block the smell and talk to her muffled through my shirt, "Yes, diaper. Stinky poopoo, we have to change your diaper." She points to the monkey decal on the wall and says "Oooo Oooo Oooo?" "Yes, monkeys say 'Oooo Oooo Ah Ah." Her diapers lately smell like a mix of old man halitosis bad breath and horse manuer.  I hide my nose inside my t-shirt. Such a deep conversation we're having as I feel Madilyn jerk on my pants to pull herself up to standing, leaning against my calves, and then open the drawers right in front of my legs, so the drawers hit my shins and won't open all the way. It only hurts a little.  Mary's diaper is changed and I slowly take the first step so Madilyn can let go and not fall, then they both follow me back to the kitchen.  Madilyn pulls out the baby food plastic containers from a low shelf and Mary pulls a knife out of the dishwasher. I take away the knife, put it back in the dishwasher, close it, grab the baby food from Madilyn, put it back on the shelf and bring them both out to the living room. Mary drinks her juice and finds a toy to play with.  Madilyn cruises along the edge of the entertainment center and slaps buttons on the DVD player, and the disc changer slot pops out.  She is furiously grabbing the plastic trays, as Jonah is toppling over to one side.  I set Jonah back up, and turn the DVD player off.  John put tape over the disc changer part, and suddenly Madilyn realizes she can't open it anymore.  Triumph! That was all in about five minutes.  That's our life right now. Yes, it is all one big paragraph because that's how fast it happens in real life, there is no nice punctuated break until we put them to bed.