Family of 4!

Last week we welcomed a second foster babe into our home.

Baby J is 7 weeks old and a doll! We don't know a lot about his situation but are enjoying getting to know him.

Sweet S has totally taken on the role of being a big sister. She wakes up wanting to know where he is and says "Baby Baby Baby" until she gets her morning hug and kiss.

He is a sweet baby and we are getting used to not sleeping through the night. This is a first since we've never had a babe this young - but things are already better than they were. Last night I got to sleep for almost 4 uninterrupted hours!

This is the first time we've had two kids at a time that weren't siblings. Its an adventure for sure but we're glad we said "yes!"

Eight Months!

Sweet S,

It has been eight months since you came to live with Bubbie and me. You just turned 15 months old! We've had a VERY busy month!

You are talking more and more and are making more words we can recognize. For a couple of weeks you called me something that sounded like "Debbie" but haven't been saying that as much lately. You are saying "dog," "tree," and "keys" and shaking your head for yes and no. And you're fiercely independent. You even try to put on your own clothes.

You are officially walking! You're getting more and more steady on your feet. You're also using this new found movement to get into more! You're starting to climb and figure out how to get where you want to go. Recently while you were playing in your super cool piano toy from Aunt Missy, you pulled this doll stroller to you and used it to stand on and try to escape!

This is one of my favorite pictures from this month. Here you are sleeping so peacefully and soundly but this picture is actually evidence of your getting into everything you can! When we were ready for bed we checked the monitor one more time to make sure you were safe and sound and we saw that you'd filled your bed with clothes! You stood on your tiptoes in your crib and reached all the clean laundry on the bed next to yours and pulled them in the crib with you! When I went to get them out I was able to capture this sweet moment.

We got to go to a family picnic with Aunt Missy at the company where she works. You got to meet new friends and dogs, have a popsicle and popcorn, AND see fireworks. I love this picture of you and Bubbie.

We celebrated Father's Day with my family and you got to go swimming with Steve after lunch!

Here you are with Mae Mae snapping green beans (and sampling some too).

You also tried to feed Steve a green bean - or at least his picture!

And here you all are hanging out after you'd been swinging with Steve. I am so glad you're getting to know and love my parents and they are getting to know and love you.

We got to go to Jacksonville for Memorial Day! We loved getting to see Henry and his mom and friends.

 We had a lot of fun swimming in several different pools and making several trips to the beach. Suzanah took some great pictures of you on the beach. You loved the water and sand but especially LOVED watching all the people!

Here are some fancy pictures we took all dressed up.

The very next weekend after the beach we got to go to the mountains! Bubbie's cousin got married and we went and helped celebrate. We stayed in a really fun little cabin and went to the wedding which was in a beautiful field at the foot of Mt. Pisgah. It was a perfect day. Your favorite part was the music and dancing after dinner.

After the wedding Bubbie wanted to take the scenic route home on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was gorgeous! We stopped at the top of the mountain to look and walk around. Here you are sitting and looking.

When we got closer to home we stopped at Camp Pinnacle. Mae Mae went to this camp when she was little and then worked there and I went when I was little and then I worked there. Its is a special place. Its where I made some of my very very best friends. God is everywhere and God can talk to you anytime but there are special places in this world that make us feel like God is closer and talking louder. Camp Pinnacle is one of those places. I am glad I got to introduce it to you and be there with you.

You've had an ear infection again this month and have been getting some serious teeth. We've been to the special doctor about getting tubes in your ears but he wants to wait. He thinks maybe the summer will be better for your ears than the winter was. I've enjoyed the snuggles when you haven't been feeling good - but I hate to see you not feeling your best.

You got to go to a birthday party this month! Crosby is your nursery buddy and he celebrated his birthday at a church with a super cool playground. Its the first party you've been to where you could really play on that stuff and you had a blast!

We also had fun this month with other friends. We went to Macon and stayed with Parker and Patrick and their mommy. And last weekend Sarah and Kristen came from Macon and stayed with us. You have lots of friends, kid.

Your hair is getting really long and you have so much of it. Last night we went out with Aunt Missy and I gave you pigtals. You are too stinkin' cute! We had dinner at the Japanese steakhouse and you loved watching the chef cook our food but were a little frightened of the big fire!

We've seen your mom two times this month. We're still getting ready for the meeting on July 2. There will be lots of people there who care about you and want what's best for you.

We are enjoying watching you learn and grow. You're so independent and strong. You are a gift. We love you and can't wait to see what the rest of the summer holds for us!

Love,
Meggie

Month seven!

Sweet S,
Its been seven months since you came to live with Bubbie and me! We can't believe you're already 14 months old...twice as old as when we met you!

We're still enjoying being outside with you. Eating in the yard is getting to be a regular thing.

You LOVE to dance. Your favorite music seems to be light rock...but usually any music will do. Yesterday we went to a concert in the park and you danced along with the band and even found sticks to wave like the band conductor waved.

You say "Bubbie" regularly and clearly but haven't yet mastered "Meggie." Your favorite name - and probably favorite person right now - is my dad. You call him "STEEEVVVVEEEE" and you love to see him. Every time I've buckled you in the car seat for the last week you've said "STEVE" like you're asking to see him. We do go see him often - so that's lucky for you!

You love to swing with him at his house! (Yes, the swing is hanging in the carport!)

You also say "keeeys" and "shoes."

One of the funniest things you do is make a clicking sound with your mouth when you see a dog. We're not quite sure where this comes from but it is pretty funny!

When you hear a phone ring you hold your hand up to your ear like you're answering and if you do get your hands on a phone (or remote) you hold it up and pretend to talk.

We got to celebrate Easter with you this year. We dyed eggs in shaving cream!

You had a pretty purple dress you wore to church and then a different dress with bunnies on it you wore at my parents house for our Easter meal. You also had a bunny outfit Bubbie's parents bought you. You're one well dressed kiddo. In this picture you're holding eggs we dyed together with Aunt Missy on Saturday.

Here you are with your Easter pjs and Easter "babies" as you call all stuffed animals.

And the Easter Bunny came to see you!

You found some eggs in the backyard and Steve and Aunt Beck had a photo shoot!

Not long after Easter I had to go out of town for a whole week! Bubbie (and a small army of helpers) took good care of you while I was gone. It was the first time I'd been out of town for longer than one night without you since I met you. It was hard! You got to take a bath at Steve and MaeMae's house while I was gone!

Right after that trip we went on a trip with the teenagers Bubbie and I work with in a leadership program. We went to Alabama to learn about Civil Rights. We saw some pretty cool things and met some cool people. We got to spend some time with Susan and Stacey while we were there and that good times. You loved chasing their dogs.

We also celebrated Mother's Day this month. This is the first Mother's Day I've been a mother! I am thankful for you and the other three kiddos I've gotten to care for since this foster adventure started. I am especially thankful you were with me on that day. We did think about your birth mom some and hope she had a good day. After lunch with my family at Grandmama's house we got to go swimming. The water was a little cool...but we had fun anyway! I can't wait to swim some more with you this summer!

This month we also got to go to Atlanta and see and spend some time with Aunt Audrey and Sig. You enjoyed getting to play with them and their dog Spud. Bubbie and I really appreciated this time with them!

We found out we have a special meeting on July 2 with people who will learn all about your situation and make a recommendation to a judge about what will happen. We are already thinking and praying about what will happen after that day.

We love you, Sweet Girl and are enjoying taking care of you. You bring us joy - and not just me and Bubbie - so many others! You are a gift! You are loved.

Love,
Meggie

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was a strange one and even as I write about it I'm not totally sure what to say.

It was the first Mother's Day I've been mothering.

But it almost still seems too good to be true sometimes.

Sure, I am caring for and loving and teaching and nose-wiping Sweet S right now and have "mothered" 3 other kiddos in the last nine months but the reality of being a temporary mother makes celebrating harder I think.

I got several messages on Mother's Day affirming my motherhood and celebrating my First Mother's Day but still most of the time I feel like I am faking it. Or faking it isn't the right word...but I'm not sure what the right word is.

Anyone else?

Six months!

Dear Sweet S,
You've been with us for six months today and more and more I am seeing how you're no longer a baby! A couple of days ago you turned 13 months old. You'll learn soon that eventually people stop counting your age in months and that's when you REALLY aren't a baby anymore. (Plus people would just look at me like I was crazy if I started telling them I was 369 months old!)

You're changing so much! You're not walking yet by yourself yet but you'll take lots of steps holding on to our fingers or furniture or toys.

You will however stand up by yourself for a few seconds. You especially like to do this if you can see yourself in the mirror.

You seem to have no fear...of water, falling, people, dogs, anything. I hope you'll always be brave. (I also hope you don't bust your head open doing things like this...)

You also love to dance or move to music. Sometimes in your car seat you move your arms like you're conducting an orchestra or choir. You also like to sway or bob up and down in your exersaucer or when you're just playing. Auntie Diana gave you a stuffed bunny that sings "Jesus Loves Me" and you love to make it sing and then sway along. She gave it to you so even if one day we're not around to tell you, you'll have something that reminds you Jesus Loves you. He does kiddo. He really does.

Everything was perfect at your one year check-up. Its really amazing how fast you've caught up with milestones and are exactly where you're supposed to be on all the fancy doctor charts.

Your favorite foods right now are sweet peas and dried fruit. You're a really great eater (something people also stop saying when you get my age) and eat almost everything. The only things you consistently don't like are green beans and beans like lima beans and blackeyed peas. We keep trying them though because one day you might discover they really do taste good. We did have a couple of weeks this month when you threw lots of food on the floor every time we ate. Ms. Shannon at daycare definitely doesn't put up with this so that's getting better. We were about to start carrying a dustbuster or broom and dustpan set to restaurants when we ate out - but you have gotten better.

Bubbie has a friend from her working at Sam's days who is an ice cream man. We stopped one Sunday at the park and visited him. You had your first (probably) treat from the ice cream truck! You ate just enough to make a mess on your face and shirt and then decided you wanted to do it yourself without Bubbie's help and it fell on the ground. We were all ok with that...well Bubbie and I were at least.

We had no trouble at all getting you to stop taking a bottle. We had a one day relapse when you had another set of ear infections a couple of weeks ago but since then you've not seemed interested in one at all. You're a champion of sippy cups with straws. You do call any cup a "dull" (like the end of the word "bottle). Its one of the things we can understand most clearly when you say.

The most clear thing that you say is "HEY." And you probably literally say it 100 times a day. You say it and wave when you see anyone! You also say it if you think you're about to get in trouble to distract us. You say it to the dog, mirrors, strangers, your stuffed animals you call "baby," and sometimes to nothing or no one at all. Its your signature thing at the moment.

You are also saying the word "thanks" when we hand you something. Its adorable. You can also say "more" with your mouth or in sign language. When you see something you want you say "OOOOOOO" and make a perfect "O" with your tiny lips. Also adorable. You're still saying "dog" when you see our dog or my parents and I think you're learning that bigger dogs are dogs too!

Sometimes we think you're saying our names and then sometimes we think you will never say them. You definitely call out for us when you want something but usually it comes out as "deet deet!" You do however say "STEVE" or "EEEVVVEEE" pretty clearly when we are with my parents. They have a swing hung in their carport just for you. It was my swing when I was little so we all like that you're getting to use it. You love going to swing with "EEEVVVEEE" as often as we can. He likes to throw his head back and laugh out loud. One of the funniest things you do is mimic him! You open your mouth as wide as he does and fake laugh. Its so funny to all of us!

This isn't the swing at "EEEVVVEEE's" house but one you like at church.

You did have another set of ear infections that started while we were at Bubbie's parent's house. You didn't feel very good while you were there but you still had a good time seeing people and hanging out with Bubbie's family. Here you are enjoying dinner Bubbie's mom prepared for us and you're sitting in Bubbie's old high chair:)

The weather has been wonderful this month. We've really been enjoying more time outside. We've taken lots of walks and have eaten many dinners outside.

We've seen your mom twice this month. She has a lot going on but is excited when we see her. She thinks you're funny, beautiful, smart, and a good dancer.

You have pooped twice in the bathtub this month. Let's agree to not to that again, okay? One day we can talk about all the reasons why.

You HATE shoes right now. When we try to put any kind of shoes on you you curl your toes up so tightly it nearly makes it impossible.

We've been going to church on Wednesday nights. You really like to be the greeter and tell everyone "hey" as they come in and you also like to help Mr. Scott talk while he's doing the devotional. Last night you seemed to really like the discussion on the difference in the "J" and "P" bible source for the story of Noah. Maybe you'll be a bible scholar one day. Or at least be able to heckle bible scholars as they talk. I just like being in a church where that is the Wednesday night "lesson." Maybe one day we'll talk about those reasons too. (You also seem to like their baked tater tots...4 at a time!)

We have loved this month with you just as we have loved the ones that have come before. We love watching you learn and grow and explore the world. We also love sharing you with the people in our world. You are a gift to me and Bubbie and to so many others who get to enjoy you right now. 

Love you Sweet S,

Meggie

Birthday Party Pictures!

I love our village...and it does take one.

This part weekend Aunt Missy took some wonderful pictures of S outside near the river where she lives. I wish we could show her face!