Priorities Please

When was the last time I said anything about how "Little Man" was doing without bringing up the drama which is aka "BioMom"? I think it's over due. I'm about to get my priorities straight for a bit.
Things are going to be changing in the next few weeks. That means "Little Man" is going to be going through stuff he has never had to deal with. Nor have I. Now that he is used to his schedules and knows whose keys are jingling at the front door, when he doesn't get to see BioMom like he is supposed to, it will be interesting to see how he handles it.

"Little Man" is doing amazing! As of this evening, he has 5 teeth! He can crawl and is steadily starting to cruise the furniture! I didn't remember how this stage actually keeps my living room cleaner since they pick up and grab onto everything in their sight. We can actually have people come in the house now. BUT... they can't go past the gate into the rest of the house. Just an FYI.

He is hilarious and he knows it. Loves to be involved in whatever is going on around him. If we are telling a funny story while he is playing, all of a sudden he laughs out loud. Most of the time it's a fake laugh which makes us laugh even harder. I just hope he doesn't understand what he is laughing at. (not always PG) Oh Boy!

Ethan has continued his hunt for things to make "Little Man" giggle. It's his favorite thing to hear. Everything Ethan does, "Little Man" laughs at. If he trips, if he gets in trouble and especially if he tries to "get him", there are hysterical baby laughs! Nothing compares to that!

He loves almost all FOODs! Not a fan of Green Beans or real Bananas. After a bite of either he shivers as if he instantly got the chills. lol... we all crack up! He tweaks his neck and shakes it off. Green Beans have permanently left the menu but we are still trying to hide the nana's in anything and everything. His favorite thing to do while I'm cooking or working in the kitchen is eating big chunks of fruit. The kid takes small bites, chews and swallows. It's so unreal. Sometimes he puts too much in his mouth but he grabs it out and starts again. Trying to grow up way too fast!

He has learned to clap his hands and some days he does it ALL day!! But he is so cute when he does. He still calms down or will totally stop what he is doing when I start to sing the ABC's in Spanish. English has no affect on him. Crazy! I do love it though. I wonder if he will always have the link with me through that song. That would be so cool!

:)Amy

She's Baaack!!

Not really, she is actually leaving. LOL.... It just didn't sound the same to say She's Leeeeaving!!  As of last week she is leaving the house the first week of September. Let me clarify a bit more. SHE says she is leaving the house after giving 2 weeks notice in August. Nope, don't understand either. I will for sure be asking what the heck that means at my next group. I had no clue you had to give notice to leave a place you were court ordered to be. But then again, I don't have many friends ordered by the courts to recover in a sober living home. If only...

Waiting for a call back from the county SW. As this has become the usual the last month.  Kathleen is having to work harder for us and "Little Man". Seems she is having to call the SW every week with some kind of clarification question. Last week it was verifying BioMom asking for extra visits on the weekend at the house. Not so fast chica!! Looks as if she thought we weren't paying attention. No passes from the house + No permission from the SW = No more house visits. She got an extra one at Erwin's expense a few weeks back. I don't think that move is going to help her out very much! This weeks question is where is BioMom going now??

Now if she only would have made it to the drs appt on time!!

:)Amy

Wednesdays

Sticks in a bundle cannot be broken.

Bondei Proverb

 

So there you go. Thank God I have my other Angel Mommies and Daddies! We are such a strong support for one another. I meet with a group of them every Wednesday! I truly look forward to this day! Even on days I'm mentally and physically exhausted. Somedays I want to hear how much worse their case is than mine. Horrible, I know. But come on! It makes me feel better about my situation with "Little Man". No one ever says that. Even I don't say it AT the group. But it's true! Hearing about other Angel's visits and schedules helps me feel normal. We talk about withdrawals from Meth and how screwed up our Angel Babies minds and days get after leaving BioMom's visit. And of course the all too often subject of "What the heck is that judge/social worker/attorney thinking?!?!"  That sentence gets said at least once every Wednesday!! Through it all, as a "bundle" we can't be broken! Angel's has wrapped us tightly with support that is unmatched. Now if only they could read our minds so we didn't have to call or email them. 

 

:)Amy

BioMom is not going to like this...

Time to check in with the County worker and my Angel's worker.  Quarterly, Angel's collects my notes, my receipts and medication logs. We also meet with the County worker to get a feel of where the case is headed for the next three months. This is where new details are thrown at us after thinking for the last few months that we know what is going to happen. HAHAHA - we don't know anything.

After the latest check-in meeting with the SW, BioMom got a surprise visit from her with "Little Man". I just dropped him off at the county office and picked him up a few hours later.  The SW needed to discuss some of the things BioMom was reporting from her Attorney's. (per my notes) You know, like "If the SW asks, don't tell her the fathers name. Just act like you don't know."  The SW was also going to put some pressure on BioMom to really get involved in doing more than what was expected by the judge. I knew Monday's visit was going to be tough. The things she was told by her SW are going to bring out some kind of emotion. Especially the one about moving "Little Man" to a concurrent home. I was a nervous wreck. I almost cancelled the visit. "What if she lashes out at me?" kept going through my head. What made it worse was the SW instructed her to call me and I didn't get any calls.  For sure she is holding it all in to give it to me on Monday!

I walked into the house and it was as if last Thursday didn’t happen. Like it was a normal run of the mill visit from the SW.  She didn’t seem phased at all. She said she was very nervous because the SW didn’t talk much, just watched and took notes. She did say she wanted her to call more. I asked if she had the privilege of as many phone calls as she wanted or if there was only a few allowed a day since she very rarely calls me to check on "Little Man".  Turns out she has as many as she has money to use the Pay Phone. She was so excited about the possibility of an overnight/unsupervised visit. Which by the way isn't even close to happening in the real world. It was as if that was the only thing she got from the visit.  A possibility.

I completely over thought this visit. I could of sworn she was going to have some kind of emotion or more interaction with "Little Man". Neither. Just when I think I understand how she works, I'm stumped.

:/ Amy

Note Taker - Hat #5

A yucky part of my job is to watch BioMom's every move while with "Little Man". After the visit I have to document anything that I feel was inappropriate or that may have a positive or negative impact on the case. I can only document actual things said or done.  No feelings, no assumptions, no thoughts. BioMom's visit notes are either super boring or full of stuff! Lately, she has been very talkative. She does know I take notes to be turned in. We occasionally talk about how the other women in the house are warning her about me, "the foster mom". Things are said like "she is going to take him from you." "You better not talk to her. She is probably saying bad things about you." It's all good. BioMom knows I am not like that. First of all, I don't take notes at the visits. I scrapbook on my laptop. Duh! Secondly, BioMom knows Erwin and I are not looking to take "Little Man" from her. We are not going to adopt. We want to help. I am on her side... for the most part.

Well, the last few visits BioMom has been telling me things that might have an impact on her case and I have to report them to the SW. I think this is one reason I haven't blogged in awhile. It seems to be so serious and I don't want to say something I shouldn't and give something away. (completely over thinking things) At just about every visit she mentions something about getting "unsupervised visits". Those are exactly what you think they are. For me, it's a horrific thought. "Overnight visits" are my nightmare. She wants to know when and how and when and how and when. Constantly comparing herself to a few others in the house who are getting these visits with their kids. What she forgets or doesn't understand is these other women have been in their case for years or at least more than 9 months. But BioMom won't stop asking. Forget about finishing her parenting classes or asking questions about the development of her son. Wait, I'm sorry. Every visit I hear, "Is he crawling?" Forget about asking how does a mom raise kids, work full time and have a life? These are things I would think she would be thinking. I sometimes forget she is not like me.

:l  Amy