8 weeks and counting

"It should be a short term placement since her bio parents want nothing to do with her." After hearing that we prepared for such a situation with a few unexpected twists of course. Then, in between the feedings and diaper changes and quiet moments of watching her sleep, we dreaded the phone ringing. Anyday we would be getting the call that County would be picking her up to take her to her Forever Family.

It's been 8 weeks and 2 days since we picked up "Baby Girl" from the hospital.  She has changed so much since we brought her home. She has chunky baby rolls where she used to have old person skin wrinkles. Just last week I got her to smile while she was awake. What a moment for me!! She has already proven to know my voice. She calms down when I pick her up and wakes up from tiny naps if I start talking loudly. But I had yet to get her to respond to my attempts at making her smile. Erwin has claimed many giggle fits and smiles while she has been in and out of dreamland. I was jealous. My turn -- after her 2 month old check-up I fed her a bottle in the waiting room. Ethan was with me watching a movie.  After a few minutes I put her in her carrier and she spit up immediately. I grabbed a rag and dabbed her mouth saying,"gross gross gross!" There it was! A little twinge of her lips. She was looking straight into my eyes. So, I did it again and BAM! Cheeks galore and her eyes lit up! I hurried Ethan over so he could be my witness -- She did it again and we both giggled!! It's so sweet. So sweet! Daddy has been trying to find his little way of making her laugh this week. Nothing yet, but we all know how determined he gets. I suspect this week he will prevail!

We all can't believe we have had the blessing of "Baby Girl" in our lives for 8 weeks. I think we were all ready for the here and gone part. We haven't heard from the County in 3+ weeks. No concerns on their part I presume. I just keep thanking God that she is in my home and not in a County Foster Home that has 4 other children vying for love and attention.  This little one has all the love and attention of the 4 Macalaguims in this home. And in addition to that abundance of love, every one she comes in contact with, her Volleyball big sisters, her neighbors, her grandparents, her big sister and brothers friends, etc. have showered her with love and hugs and kisses! This little village is going to have a hard time saying goodbye one day.

Nite Nite! - Amy

"Baby Girl" is 2 months old!!

 "Shots Suck!"

Time Flies

I wouldn't exactly say we've been having fun, but time sure does fly. It's been 10 days since my last post. Technically, as Ethan puts it, it's been 11 days. There have been busy days with errands and pool visits and sleepovers and movies. And there have been kick back days in our pajamas the entire day! Yep, I said it. ALL DAY!  Those days were usually prefaced by a long night with Baby Girl. I thank God every morning when Erwin gets back from workouts. He takes over and I get an uninterrupted nap. He is amazing!!

Nothing new in Foster Land. We are talking a lot more about our Good-Bye Day. Oh, I like that. I think that is what I am going to call it now. Anyway, we are talking a lot to the kids about having to say good-bye to Baby Girl.  The second we bring it up, their smiles fade and their heads drop. They are going to miss her terribly. We are going to miss her terribly. Erwin and I are trying to make a plan of what to do as a family after the day has come and gone. Nothing huge. Spend some solid one-on-one time, quality family time. No phones, computers, etc. This is one thing I hope to get some advice on from seasoned Foster parents. There is a family who has been doing the same thing Er and I are planning on doing for awhile with Angel's. I can't wait to sit down and chat with them. I think the only one who can tell me how it feels on the Good-Bye Day will be someone who has actually gone through it. We shall see.

Kids are more interested on how many vacation days they have left before school starts. From today it is just a week and a half. A 6th grader and a 3rd grader. Wow! Weird. And as every year approaches I make the same goal of walking the kids to school. This year the goal is set. Initially I will just be taking Baby Girl in the stroller. We'll add Ruby the following week maybe. This year is going to be a little different not only because of our sweetie but because it will be a must to save money by not driving. All the teachers in Erwin's district will be getting a HUGE pay cut. HUGE! So, we need to keep every penny we can to continue our life here. Wish me luck! The weather has been awesome in the mornings so as long as that holds steady, I've got this man! And as long as Baby Girl continues her morning feeding at 6ish, we are set. Oh Boy! That will be SO GOOD!!

Off to bed! Baby Girl is growing and holding her is no longer like holding a feather. ;) The arms are getting tired and the typing with one hand is done too.

Nite! - Amy

                         My absolutely Bee-utiful girls are in this pic. Just Bee-utiful!

Maybe a while longer...

Today was a busy day that ended with the most nerve-racking moment in our Fostering Journey! Holy Moly!! This afternoon Erwin, Abby, Baby Girl & I met Baby Girl's biological brother. I should say one of her many siblings. The county contacted the ones that had been adopted and Big Bro's family responded with interest in meeting her and possibly moving forward with adoption. We met at Angel's offices where I felt most comfortable even though we both live in Chula Vista.

I had spoken briefly with Big Bro's older sister to set up the meeting. Mama doesn't speak English, so this was easiest.  I did have Ethan leave a message in Spanish when playing phone tag. Pretty Cool huh? Anyway, older sister's name is Abigail. I couldn't believe it when she left the initial message. I looked at it as a good sign. Super sweet girl.

I didn't know what to expect. My biggest fear was they were going to want her right away and we would be left with a few days time for packing and saying goodbye. I was sweating like a pig and my heart was racing when they walked in. Big Bro is barely 2yrs old and he was escorted by Mama, Papa, Big Sister and Bigger Sister Abigail. He looked exactly like his little Baby Girl sister. It was crazy. And for a 2yr old who just walked into a room of strangers and toys, he was so focused on Baby Girl. He was gentle and loving and so sweet.

Big Bro's Mama and I compared little pieces of information, like sleeping habits and personalities, dimples and hair styles. We also figured out, and are 90% sure, the kiddos have the same Bio-Papa and Bio-Mama. Pretty excited for the kiddos if this is for real.

All ended sweetly. Big Bro's Mama shed a few tears when Big Bro caressed Baby Girl. He held her and hugged her ever so gently. I think he knew in his soul this was his sister, whether his mind understood it yet. For now, Mama relayed, they are not interested in adoption. They would just like to make sure that Big Bro and Baby Girl have a relationship. I think this will be a great thing for all and I will do my part happily.

We may have our sweet Baby Girl for a while longer. Feels good that this road is still filled with much more promise than bumpity bumps. ;)

Nite Nite!
:)Amy

p.s. Happy 4th of July! Be safe!!

6 HOURS!!

Oh yes! All caps baby!! 6 HOURS!!! Baby Girl gave us 6 hours of FABULOUS sleep! I had to take a double look at the clock when I woke up this morning. I couldn't believe she hadn't woken up and the light was already shining in the window. I even checked the cooler to see if there were 2 bottles in there. Maybe Er was SuperDad and changed her and fed her without me knowing. Nope. Baby Girl slept! So cool! Crossing fingers for tomorrow night.

Er and I are headed out tonight. We were invited to one of Er's first Eastlake students weddings. This one is a great story that I can't wait to hear more of. Boy and Girl go to same highschool and end up having same Math teacher, different classes. Boy is your less than average student and Girl is your above average student. Both run in completely opposite crowds. Cut to a few years after graduation, Boy meets up with Girl and the rest is history. They will marry and have changed each others lives, continuing to be complete opposites. Funny thing is they didn't realize till making the guest list that Mr. Mac was both of their favorite teacher. Both held a special place for him their lives for making a huge difference in how they viewed their future. Now Er and I get to share this awesome day. It will be hard leaving Baby Girl, but she is left in capable hands with a more recent former student. One of our "daughters" that we have watched grow into this amazing young lady! She is truly the only one we are having fingerprinted to assist us in this amazing Fostering experience. She has been just as excited as we have about having these Angel Babies as part of the family. 

Time for a nap and then errands with Abby.
:)Amy

1 month old

I can't believe we have been a family of 5 for 3 weeks already. It sounds so little but it feels like it's been forever. Maybe that is the lack of sleep. lol... Baby Girl is doing great! Dr.'s have given her a clean bill of health for now. Waiting for some test results as usual. Many nurses were in and out of the room ooo'ing and ahh'ing at this little miracle baby. The people at this office were just unbelievably nice and super sweet! The Dr's were crazy attentive and answered every question with ease and confidence. I wish I could do the same. Dr. M asked my full name and I smoothly said, "Amy Rochel Bernwanger." WAAIIITTT!! lol... "No, No... my name is Amy Macalaguim! My Dad is in the waiting room and his name is Bernwanger. Gosh, I've been married for 13 years! I can't believe I did that!" I actually can since the night before my sleep was but a few hours. It was pretty funny!

Baby Girl is officially 1 month old! Er and I decided since we never really know when she will be leaving us, we will make sure we celebrate her monthly birthdays. The kids were excited too! They made sure to clarify a few times that day..." Baby Girl can't eat ANY cake right?!"

Baby Girl is 6lbs 15oz. Abby and Ethan are still the best big sister and big brother EVER! Ethan was awesome this afternoon. I needed to change my clothes and Dad and Abby ran some errands. He didn't hesitate to hang out with Baby Girl for a few minutes. He is pretty funny too. I know any day he will make this little angel laugh!

Baby Girl, Abby, Amy, Ethan, Erwin & Ruby too are all doing good heading into our 4th week of Summer Break! I need a little more sleep tho. Maybe a good nap is headed my way tomorrow. Fingers and Toes crossed!!
:)Amy

Back at the Farm...

We are ending our 2nd week of summer break. Still 5 weeks left, which is good. We got out to the Chula Vista Nature Center this week. Erwin and my first time. The kids have done summer camps here and gone on multiple field trips. It was a great couple of hours. They had an amazing display of trash found in the waters off our coast. It's CRAZY!! I just thought for how long people have been aware of the littering in the waters and the effects it has on our eco-system that there would be some dent in the waste found out there. I was dead wrong. One of the facts we read was "1 out of 6" plastic water bottles are recycled. REALLY? People come on! There are recycling containers everywhere. There are more of those receptacles than there are mailboxes! The center had some sculptures built out of the trash found. It's super cool and super sad. People need to wake the heck up and pick up after themselves!!

We all got there just in time to see the sharks fed and the Bald Eagle, Franklin, be fed too. I had to turn away since Franklin's lunch of choice happen to be baby chicks. Yep... yellow fluffy ones. BLAH! It was pretty cool to see an eagle that close.

 Next week we hope to be able to do something else out of the house. lol... We do have a few appointments with Angela. Attorneys and Doctors. New experiences for her and I. Ones that will get us a few more steps closer to her permanent home. This little Angel is going to make a family so so happy.
Night Night!  :)Amy

Teeny Tiny...

Baby Girl's Feetsy and Daddy's Hand.

Her entire foot is no bigger than Er's thumb. :)

Baby Girl in her first dress, chillin' in her Boppy.