Countdown has begun!

3 1/2 weeks from today.  The 18 month hearing will be taking place and I will be sitting in the room.  I was asked if I wanted to be there and I jumped at the chance. I thought about it afterwards, but said yes immediately when she brought it up. I was told I have invested our families lives in this little boy and his mother and deserve to be present when the judge makes his next decision.  Thinking about it, I realized I want to see what the judges face looks like when he hears all the "progress" BioMom has made. NOT! I want to see and hear how he addresses BioMom. Is he genuinely concerned about her as a Mom or is he tainted by the criminal aspect of her life, especially since she had revisited her juvenile delinquent status recently.  What I am really afraid of is the judge treating her like a case number. If I knew that is how the hearing would be going I honestly wouldn't want to be there. It will infuriate me! Not because I am involved and this "case" is about the well-being of my son, more so because I would be sitting there not able to say anything. Not able to tell the judge that he has no clue what he is talking about. That the county system is the reason this girl is sitting here in this situation.  Maybe I should get a T-shirt made with "Little Man's" picture on it. lol... Fine, I won't.
I'm really not interested in how the next 3 1/2 weeks are going to play out.  I'm so done with visits and the joke of the county workers decision making. Clarifying of course that I do like my SW as a person.  She is very sweet.  I know she has a good heart.  I just don't understand how she is all connected with that heart.  It's almost like she turns it off when she makes the decisions.  I mean, the decision to recommend Termination of Rights is a hard decision to make but then why follow that up with a referral for more services for BioMom?!  I don't get it!

Boo Boos Galore

Hate this part of the foster parent gig. Having a toddler boy who runs every chance he gets. If he's not running he's climbing anything or sharing his skills of walking backwards or spinning in circles, conveniently taught by his big brother. He hasn't even mastered the walking with balance piece. It's all setting up the perfect BooBoo! And why is it always on his face? It's because he knows that I love having to pin him down for a picture.  Then, I immensely enjoy writing the report of how he hurt himself... when, where and who was there. I have to send it to my Angel's worker along with the picture and if the BooBoo is bad enough then she must write a report and send it to the SW. This immediately pings the Licensing Dept. and we have to hope they don't decide to do a surprise investigation visit. Makes me nervous but my Angel's worker always reminds me that BooBoo's on toddler boys are normal. It is odd though, how the title of Foster Momma changes how I feel about bruises from falling on some blocks. I will say that "Little Man" is a tough little boy. He stumbles, trips and falls like other little ones learning to balance and walk, but he gets right back up. Such a good boy!


It's Friday!
Amy

I'm sick and tired

No for real... I'm sick and tired. Erwin is back to work in full force with school and the Club Volleyball. That means that I see him for about an hour and a half after his workouts with the high school volleyball girls.  Then he is off to the Boys and Girls Club to organize, coach, collect money and run his club.  I get him back around 9pm some nights and 1030pm on other nights. I do get a pseudo nap when he is home the first time. Thank goodness.  It recharges my batteries to take care of the kids and their activities for the rest of the day.  And of course it gives me the energy to chase my "Little Man".




I'm not sure where the icky sickies came from. We are diligent about washing hands in this house. Especially after school. But darn, it got me first. It's wearing me out! My head feels like it's going to implode. "Little Man" doesn't seem to think anything of it. Ripping up the foam letters that protect him from the ceramic tiles which he knows drives us all batty is much more fun than watching Momma lie down on the couch.  Even more fun is when I scoot over quickly to stop his games and jets over to my laptop trying to yank it off the table.  Can you guess what happens when I run over to catch the laptop before it hits the ground? Oh yes, the little nut runs right back to the foam letters to pull them up.  He is so ridiculous we can only laugh right along with him. He has taken to this running thing quite quickly. And the boy can stop on a dime. lol... He is so darn cute! Wish I could share his pics.


Till next time -- Night!
Amy

Back to Work I Go

She's out and wouldn't ya know she gets her visits back. With a nice 4 week break we will begin seeing Mommy for 2 hours twice a week. And yay I get to supervise! That means I sit there in the vicinity, in our case at the park about 20 yards away, and watch how Mommy treats "Little Man". How much she is on her cell phone... How many times she comes over to me to chat... How long she keeps him in the swing instead of letting him wander through the playground... Can't you hear the excitement in my words? We meet in the morning so it's a little cool in the air.  I have to bundle up with a blanket and bring a few different activities to keep me from falling asleep. Some crocheting, some digi-scrapping and some reading on the iPhone. BioMom thinks we will only be in this visit mode for a visit or two.  I happen to think otherwise.  I can feel that the wheels of the system are grinding away and things are about to change. Now, that is all I know and yes it's a feeling. Not even a fact.  I'm back to visits and I'm back to waiting for the calls to come through from the county.  Kathleen is making her emails and calls to the SW hoping to hear back.  It seems that the county is slow right now in the foster kid dept. Angel's has 6 or7 families waiting for babies. One family has been waiting for 3 months. So that should mean my SW should have some time to get on this case. Get on with it lady! Is BioMom a "No" or a "Go"?