Georgie NO! Say It Ain't So...

Thanks to A Little Leaven for this video. Oh Mr. President, I still love you. The majority of the time...

"It's A Small World After All"... Everybody Sing!

We had a visiting nurse come today and evaluate our little Iggy. He is now 8 lbs. and 10 ounces, up from 7-15 on Wednesday! He is growing really fast. We call him Iggy only on the blog, otherwise we use his given name which is quite unique.

Yesterday I was at a baby shower for a friend and another friend who was also there asked me his name. I had to repeat it for her. As I did another guest behind me said, "Did you say his name was (insert real name here)?"

"Yep", I replied, thinking she must have met another "Iggy" and I was quite impressed.

"Is he a foster?" she asked cautiously. This got my full attention.

She went on to explain how her brother and sister-in-law are fostering Iggy's older sister and she only knew his name because the foster sister had told her all about him. Crazy! It is definitely a small, small world.

I Miss My Nissan

Checking my favorite blogs today I saw that Susie posted a funny Super Bowl commercial. This one below is my all time favorite (don't forget to check out her's too, it is funny!). Enjoy...

Because My Brain Needs A Break

I would have said closer to 1928 than '58, but this sums me up (somewhat). Although I would have probably been hanging in the juke joint, not the diner!

You Belong in 1958

You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Wordless Wednesday

Lazy Parents, Lazy Kids

I have been extremely lax in my job of instilling work ethic into my children. K.Z. is a trooper when asked to do a chore, usually, but there is nothing consistent I have taught them they must do. I never grasped the concept as a child either. I would have chores I had to do, but was quite lazy about them and got them done only because I thought my mother would kill me when she got home from work if I did not. Besides, as far as I was concerned, isn't that what a housekeeper was for?

Last night we sat down as a family and outlined the day and every child's responsibility throughout. Before bed I told them what I expected done in the morning after they got up and before breakfast. It happened. Without prompting from me. I was dumbfounded.

I think we constantly underestimate our children. I know I constantly underestimate mine. What chores do you expect from your children? I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Some Thoughts On "Iggy"

A lot of friends and relatives have asked us some questions about Iggy and the whole foster thing, so I thought I would address some of them here.

First thing to know is that I am really rooting for his biological mother. That may seem odd and I never thought I would even feel that way, but if she can pull it together, I think that Iggy should be with his biological family. Due to confidentiality I cannot really disclose a lot about her, but she is just clueless. Dad is not in the picture. There are no drug or alcohol issues, just poor parental skills and choices. Think of the first two lines of, "The Old Woman In The Shoe",

"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;"

...and there you have the situation. Minus the shoe of course. And the fact that there are no longer any children in the shoe. Enter 4 different foster families and, there you go.

So, I am praying for her. On February 6th Iggy will have his court date and it will be ordered that he either go home with his mother (or a relative) or stay with us for six more months. If he is to go home, I certainly hope it will be on the 6th and not after six more months or even a year, as that would be much harder. Which brings me to my next thought.

We came into this foster thing basically to adopt. We wanted to adopt and be able to help out in the foster care system and that was our goal. We would still like to adopt, but now our focus has changed a bit. We are here to serve, in whatever capacity, even if it means we never adopt and are simply a safe haven for children for short periods of time.

So if Iggy needs a forever home, then we are here for him with loving, open arms. For some reason (lack of sleep perhaps?) I do not get the vibe he is here permanently. Maybe the Lord is preparing my heart, but I have a feeling we may not be his future, just his present. I could be dead wrong and would be quite pleased if I am, but only the Lord knows for certain. I will say that I do have a peace about the thought that he may leave in just a few short weeks. There is no anxiety or sadness whatsoever as I would have expected. I will miss him a lot, he is an amazing and sweet little baby and I adore him, but I really want what is best for him, not just my own selfish desires. That is new!

We never really wanted to foster an infant and that is one of the reasons we did not have any more of our own. We love babies and nothing is better than snuggling a brand new babe, but are mentally out of the newborn/baby stage. If Iggy does go home, I doubt we would foster another infant unless that baby needed a legal risk home (foster parents willing to adopt) right off the bat. Then again, when I released control of this "mission" we are on, I did indeed submit total control to God, so who knows what will happen next.

I am just so grateful that we got to be in his life, no matter how long a period.

I Should Be Teaching, I Should Be Teaching...

I should be teaching right now, but I am listening to the sounds of three siblings playing together harmoniously without the aid of the television, toys, or the best part, Momma. I told them about an hour ago that they had ten more minutes to play.

But they are playing so nicely together, so who cares if they can actually read or write or recite the "Gettysburg Address". Okay, maybe I do actually care, but the mood in the house is so nice.

I guess I should gather the offspring and start school. Maybe just ten more minutes...

I Heart Ben Stein

I have always loved Ben Stein and not just because he graduated from MY high school, where the geniuses of the world come from (okay, except maybe Sly Stallone, but he only went there for a brief time), but more than likely because of my Alex P. Keaton start in life and the fact that, well... Ben Stein just rocks.

So I was thrilled to see his new trailer posted on Stepping Heavenward this morning and had to follow suit. I will be the first in line for tickets. I wonder if I can camp out?
Anyone care to join me?
Anyone... anyone...

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

Hello From Aduladi Land!

I sat down this morning to try and catch up on my favorite bloggers on my RSS feeder only to find there were 74 entries...sigh! So I skipped the one from news organizations and the like and focused on the blogs I love to read daily. The ones written by other moms and friends and a pastor or two for good measure.

I just want to say that I am still reading even though I have not commented in a while and I am thinking of you!! Tutor, I just miss you in person (sniff sniff); Jamie, I am really praying for you and all that is going on right now; Susie, huge hugs to you! Heather, you keep my mind moving and I really need that right now; Carolyn, keep writing! There are many I love and have not mentioned but to everyone else, thanks for keeping me feeling connected!

I have decided that since we are actually still ahead in school, today will be a "library bag" school day. We went yesterday and took out about 3,000 books and Leap Pad cartridges so we are set for a while. The offspring asked if they could watch television this morning and I allowed them even though we normally do not watch in the mornings. After about an hour they turned it off themselves and went back to digging in the library bag. I am slack jawed and so pleased!

Off to the showers while all is quiet and Iggy is napping. Have a great day!

This Is Not A Baby Blog... I Promise

It seems that Iggy is getting a lot of blog press these days. Simply because he has been what the house has been swirling around for the past 5 days. And he is so darn cute. But I believe life will start to settle down a bit now that Mr. Clean has to go back to work tomorrow and we will have to start school again. Fortunately we were a week ahead in our curriculum. Were. Such is life.

Last night was a bit of a relief. Iggy and I slept in our own beds and fairly soundly. As soundly as a 6 day old can at night. He got up twice, but went back to sleep without any fussing, allowing me to get a couple good stretches of sleep in my own beloved bed. I am still a bit tired today, but it made a world of difference, especially since Mr. Clean took the 7:30 "Iggy call" this morning allowing me to snooze a bit longer.

A doctor's appointment this morning just went to prove he is a happy and healthy baby and now a couple lbs. heaver than his birth weight. His mother did not show up for the appointment which is her right, so that quelled my nerves a bit, but I was a little disappointed for Iggy that she did not come to see him. His first visit with her and his siblings is on Thursday. It should be an interesting experience.

It's Sunday... That's The Best I Can Come Up With

I am still tired. Boy is this parenthood thing work. Iggy is a great sleeper, during the day. He is also a great sleeper at night; if I am sleeping with him in the recliner. Otherwise, he likes to cry in his own bed. So now, my back hurts and I am worn out. The bad thing about not actually giving birth is that I do not get that shot of God given espresso that you get to help you get through the first week after giving birth. Double-edged sword.

Along with the fatigue, is that panicky feeling of, "how do I cope when Mr. Clean goes back to work and I have no one here to help and I need to continue to educate my children?"

I want my Mommy. This is hard work.

I Officially Recant My Previous Statement

I made the bonehead statement to a couple of people that, "since I did not give birth or have a c-section before bringing the baby home, it should be a little easier as I will not be so tired."

Dumb.

I am tired. Bone tired. Iggy is a pleasant baby, and slept great from 9 pm until about 2 am, but that was it. And since I did not go to bed until after his last sleepy feeding at 11:30 pm (and I did not sleep well at that), the 2 am wake up call was expected, but much longer than I had thought it would be.

At 4:30 am I finally gave up having Iggy sleep in his own cozy bed and took him to the family room to cuddle with me in the recliner. Jack (the dog), Iggy and I stayed there until about 8 am when the other kids started trickling down one by one and Iggy wanted breakfast.

Did I mention that I am tired?

I spoke to our case worker this morning and she told me that a family member had popped out of the woodwork yesterday wanting to possibly foster some of the kids including Iggy (he is one of several children). I have no idea if this will happen, since my case worker did not think this person was a reliable resource, but since they are family, they have to at least let them apply and go through the motions (in PA, relatives who want to do "kinship care" have to be approved the same way foster parents are, just more expediently).

Pray that if Iggy does go into kinship care, the relatives have the right intentions and motivation. This probably would not happen until after Iggy's court date in 30 days or so, but we might know more before that.