It was the week before christmas.....

Baby b stayed the night at lollis sunday night because Monday Morning started with a health dept well baby visit for baby c. She did fabulous with no sleep for hours!!
She did have 99 temp and bilateral crackling in lungs ( which has been constant for months now) that lead to us having a visit at pediatrician office same day. Everything checked out fine which I was pretty confident in because she was cooing and laughing and in a great mood all day!

Monday night we celebrated our 4th anniversary a few days early with a dinner at Houston's! The salmon was amazing! Thanks to a client of Matt's at the gym, we had a cheap dinner out!
Thanks to lolli and pop for watching babies for us!

Tuesday morning we had a visit from baby cs case worker. She slept peacefully the entire time she was at the house and b was a little ham for her.
We updated her on baby's cs mother and what we knew. She gave us surprising news about jan court date.
As we understand the jan court date is mainly targeted at the mother. DCS is hoping to get neglect and abuse for her decisions during pregnancy. If judge decides this is the case then DCS can proceed with terminating mothers rights based on abuse and no longer work with the mother ( no more weekly visits required)
Unless judge grants custody back to mother, Baby c will not be going anywhere in jan because the attorney would have to file another petition to have her moved to aunts home because the last one was dropped.

At 12 I picked up SS from children's home and took her to house to love on babies and help with baby bs party invites.

Auntie Linds came by and brought invitations to finish and christmas presents for the babies! So thankful for all her hard work on invitations! She went above and beyond!

Tuesday night Matt grilled out and we had coffee groups with our favorite ppl! Ss made her first homemade powered donuts for the men group.
Tuesday was my brother in laws bday so Jane took baby c to have birthday dinner With the family!
Happy birthday jay! Wish we could have been with you to celebrate.

Wednesday we had foster care review board for baby b. neither mother or illedged father showed up for it although knew about it.
Jan court date for him is to ratify his goal change to adoption from return to parent. The mother had already requested an appeal court date in feb.
Seems this may drag out longer than expected.

Jane took babies to visit pop at work downtown.

Ss and I went shopping and to run some
Errands.

Wed afternoon we relaxed and took naps. I made a new recipe of enchiladas (at ss request) and they were really yummy!

Thursday was our actual 4th anniversary!
we relaxed all morning while matt worked and then Matt came home. I went running which is a rarity these days and made cinnamon rolls for Matt and ss!

Thursday afternoon we had a blast at sky zone! Ss loved it----she was a cheerleader for 7 years and enjoyed to flip!
We went to missional community, had chicken and dumplings which i love,
and then went home and crashed!

Friday morning we met up with baby cs aunt for a day visit!!
Had a quick drop in from Nason brother and his wife.
And off we went to Nashville after picking up baby c!

BIGGEST NEWS OF ALL: Baby b is taking several steps unassisted! What an awesome Christmas gift! Hes been acting so shy and bashful with ppl which is the cutest thing! Such a precious gift in our family.

I'm so thankful for family both mine and Matt's this holiday season!
We could not be doing all of this without them!

Sweet Country Christmas

This weekend we celebrated Christmas with my grandmother, great grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and my family!

On Thursday evening, the girls of the family attended my Aunt Cindy's church in Olive Branch, where she is the women's ministry director. My aunt asked my sister to come share her testimony at a ministry dinner emphasizing the women in her life who has mentored her throughout her Christian faith.
My sister did an excellent job displaying the importance of having women pour into and disciple other women.
Disciplining other Christians is not an option by the Bible's standards. The Bible calls us to invest in other's lives and to be intentional about it.

Matt took baby C to missional community Christmas party where she belly laughed for the first time!! Sad I missed it but had opportunity to witness it on Sat evening!

Friday my mom, sister, and I (along with the babies) headed to MS to spend the afternoon with my grandmother.
It was a relaxing afternoon and so thankful for my grandmother's honesty and love for her family as well as her cooking/baking skills. She made caramel pie, choc pie, choc treats, red velvet (One of Matt's favorite), banana bread etc!!!
Baby B had many firsts this weekend: spaghetti, banana bread, muffins, homemade biscuits, etc and many diff sweets thanks to his aunt Bri!ha :)   Of course he loved all of it and still eats baby food so im not complaining.

Saturday was Christmas day at Mamaw's house!
Mamaw fixed homemade biscuits with sausage for breakfast, and then we all started to prepare for Christmas lunch.
Menu included meatloaf, honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni, yellow greens, bread, etc! It was super delicious!

After lunch, we gathered around the christmas tree, read the Christmas story because He is the reason for the season, and enjoyed each others company as we opened gifts.

Baby B and C both got way too much, but I am extra appreciative of diapers and wipes these days!

I came home with the tree storage container/bag I have needed/wanted since we got married but too cheap to spend my own money on! Thanks aunt lisa! Matt already got rid of the dreaded tree box this year so guess I didnt have an option but to buy one when it came time for undecorating!

We came home Sat evening and put the babies to bed! They were worn out!!

Sunday morning we met Baby Cs aunt for a day visit with aunt and mom.We had a relaxing morning as a family before taking Baby C to see her aunt. Baby C was not excited about us leaving her this time,,,,puckered up the lip and wouldn't take her eyes off matt. I cried all the way home :(

I made a quick trip to grocery store that turned out to be longer than expected due to my car not starting when coming back out of wal mart. Matt had to get baby B up from his nap to come jump me off. He was the hero once again!

I baked homemade choc chip cookies and sausage balls for Mercy Hill Christmas party Sunday night, went for a run,  Auntie linds and Chris stopped by for surprise visit, Jane picked up Baby B for the night, and off to church we went!

Enjoyed weekend of family and friends!

Our new addition:SS

SS is a sweet 16 year old girl who Matt and I have the pleasure of being a friends family to through the tn Baptist children's home in memphis.
Basically a friends family allows the child/teenager the opportunity to experience true family with unconditional love.
Several weekends and holiday breaks SS will be at our home a part of our family.
She has bonded very quickly to the babies and Matt and I. We are thrilled because she does have attachment issues due to her past.

Her background:
Ss is originally from Texas. She does have Hispanic background but ss knows zero Spanish.
She is a part of a sibling group of 5. Her brother is at the boys ranch in Memphis.
She was in foster care a majority of her childhood (15 homes in 6-7 years) and it was not a pleasant experience. She mainly remembers having visits with her mom At age of 3 but not much more about her biological mom. Both mom and dad had more than enough time to get life back together before rights were terminated.
Her sibling group was adopted by a lady in Jackson tn which is how she ended up in tn! This has Been far from pleasant as well. The kids were actually taken by dcs from the adopted mom at one point but fought in court to get them back.

Her oldest sister has a baby and has moved back to Texas to live with her birth father. Her older brother is 18 and lives at boys ranch. Two younger siblings still live with her adopted mom.

From what Matt and I have been told and gathered from ss, the adopted mom apparently had motives of money behind her adoption of them. But now sees all of them As a burden and even has told SS the 5 of them was why she could not keep a man in her life.
The adopted mother is very manipulative and conniving with even attempting to turn The siblings against each other. Has refused to let SS talk to her older brother and sister after she sent them
Away.
The mother even lied on the paperwork to place SS At children's home. Said she was a threat to Society.

If you have met ss, you immediately know she is not a threat to anyone. She has a sweet caring spirit. She def has hurt in her life but has chosen to be as pos as she can about the situation. She desperately wants the approval Of her adopted mom but i think she is realizing that is not reality. She desires to be loved and cared for unconditionally and Matt and I along with her house parents want to provide that stability and love for her.

She has plans to go to college and as of
Now is interested in social work/case worker. What better person to pursue this career than someone who has lived it her whole life? She knows what a great and a bad one looks like and she has personal experience being on the other side. She would be awesome relating to her kids.

Matt's family and my family have done a wonderful job showing ss the true gospel. Both families jumped on board and immediately treated her as part of the family. She will receive gifts and stockings just like the rest of us!

So far we have taken her to a crafty arts fair where she got earrings, eaten at Muddys, taken her to Mexican restaurant which she loves, spent time with Matt's family at thanksgiving and my family in MS, made tacos, hung out and made smores with stiglers, played with babies a lot(she's a huge help), attended mercy hill, decorated for Christmas with me so matt didnt have to, has made me two drawings, played catch phrase at stiglers home, went shopping at wolf chase mall (she had never been), etc

We are looking forward to picking her up on dec 18th and she will be with us until 27th. We have many Christmas activities and family gatherings to attend. Hope she's ready for it! Ha :)

WIC AND HEALTH DEPT.

These two words were foreign to Matt and I before fostering babies and In some regards still are.

For many, HD and wic is a survival means. It is a part of the culture . They know the ins and outs and how the system works. Matt and I have a lot of learning to do.


To be honest our experiences with both have been far from pleasant.

Things we've learned:
1. Wic vouchers must be picked up the beginning of every month or they only give you partial.
2. You must have an appoint to pick up wic vouchers but be prepared to be called 1.5 hrs post appointment time.
3. At milestones, the babies have reassessment with nutritionist which takes over an hr.
4. Vouchers provide more than enough formula but only about 2 weeks of baby food if you eat as much as baby b.
5. You can only use wic vouchers for single entity baby food such as green beans but not apples+bananas
6. Kroger is much more efficient when checking out than wal Mart from our experience.
7. Well baby exams must happen at HD, which the state requires, only happen in the morning at the one we take babies to
8. If there is a true health concern for baby then you must also take baby to pediatrician because only nurse practitioner works at hd.
9. You must fill out a form in the back of the hd before you ever go to front desk to let them know you are there.
10. Only specific formula brand is provided by wic. Some stores keep this brand locked up due to high steal rate.
11. You become one of those people at the registers who are backing up the line due to each baby as well as formula vs baby food must be rung up in seperate transactions.
12. Rice cereal and oatmeal are also provided through wic so you learn real quick to mix baby food with one of them
To make it go further and fill baby up!

This whole adventure is a learning process and we are doing the best we can! I don't know if we will ever know the ins and outs but we will be experienced at it sooner or later

SAVE THE DATE: BRAYDEN TURNS 1

SAVE THE DATE!
I am planning to have a "Very Hungry Caterpillar" themed birthday party. 

Eric Carl is one of my most favorite children authors. I grew up reading his books. My family has still kept a majority of the books from when I was a child.

There are tons of a cute ideas all over the internet...Im not very crafty but hoping to pull it off with some good help from friends :)
If you have any ideas or been to a party with this theme, I am open for ideas!

Pinterest ideas

RETURN FROM BLOG HIATUS

I have not blogged in quite some time; mainly due to the busyness of our lives. As days, turned into weeks, so many memories were not recorded and each day seemed harder and harder to blog due to feeling so behind.

This is going to be a bulleted list of memories (in no particular order) over the last few weeks:

1. In October, Matt, my parents and I camped for one evening in East TN to white water raft the following day. All I can say is FREEZING! I had started a blog entry about this adventure and never finished it. Seemed too late now...

Brianna got some one on one time with B this weekend

Baby C had her first overnight visit with her aunt this same weekend. Props to lolli and pop for helping us get her there.

2. We have battled several ear infections as well as runny noses in both babies over the last couple of months. :(

3. Baby C has had a GI study done to determine if her excessive/abnormal spitting up is due to abnormal anatomical structure. Thankful this was not the case; however the spitting up continues even with rice and ranitidine twice daily.

4. Baby B and C had their first weekend visit with Aunt Linds and Uncle Chris, as well as Lind's parents. We appreciated the entire family being willing to keep them to allow us to attend several weekend commitments, including overnight camping trip with our missional community group at Shelby Forest. Ate at Aldos Pizza pie for the first time when we did baby hand off with the Arnolds. 

5. I spent a month at Le Bonheur and a month at St Jude. I truly love everything about St. Jude. The atmosphere and environment is beyond any other hospital I have stepped foot into. Walking away from the rotation sicker than I have been in years was not a pleasant experience. It was only severe sinus stuff but it resulted in losing my voice for several days.

6. Baby B now has two teeth, received his first flu vaccine, stands on his own unassisted, uses furniture to walk around the room, will be walking soon, loves electronics (remote controllers, phones, computers, mp3 player, etc), has eaten table food (thanksgiving food, pizza/bread crust, sweet tea, crackers, cherrios, many desserts including icing from muddys cupcakes, etc), stands up in his crib and cries when hes ready to get up, smiles all the time, 

7. Had a wonderful 2012 thanksgiving. Matt and I have so many blessings to be thankful for, including our two new additions to the family. Celebrated thanksgiving at my Aunt Cindys home with my dads side of the family, with Matts family at his parents, and Great Gmother Wise's home in MS.

8. My mom and dad took B and C for their first corn maze experience at the Wise Family Farm. Baby B was not too sure what to think about the petting zoo. Matt and I attended a beautiful wedding of our good friends Jamie and Aston that weekend.

9. I attended a career day sponsored by UT, where I met with representatives from St. Jude and Baptist hospital. The catered lunch was well worth going!

10. Baby B had a foster care review board post-poned until the end of December due to the "illeged" father not being given proper notice of the meeting. A court date should occur in January over mother's termination rights. From what we have been told, mother has already been served papers. Mother did not show up on several occasions to sign over her rights; therefore, the state will proceed with court. 

More to come as this unfolds.

11. We have had very personal contact with Baby Cs mother recently. We invited her to church with us at Mercy Hill on Adoption Sunday to hear several families give testimony of why we are fostering and why we would be open to adopting. We took her out for pizza with matts family afterwards. We LEARNED A LOT about her over the course of one evening. A few days prior the mother was victim of domestic violence in which Baby Cs father was placed in jail. Baby Cs mother was without a place to live, paying night by night at a hotel. Very limited contact with the mother since this occurred. 

12. Matt and I have become a friends family for the TN Baptist Children's home here in Memphis. We now have a third addition to the family who will visit on weekends and holidays. SS is 16, sophmore in high school, previously lived in Jackson TN where she cheered and ran cross country, sweet as she can be, LOVES baby b and c, well mannered and polite, could go on and on.............

A whole post about our time with her to come. She will be staying with us a week during Christmas break.

13. Attended a Faith Sunday school christmas party (80s theme) on Nov 30th. Dirty Santa was played and we came home with two nice travel coffee mugs. I was pleased. 

14. Matt ran the St. Jude half in support of the numerous children who are treated at St. Jude; finished in 1:36:48. Baby B and C, Matts parents, Emily and Timmy were all at the finish line to support him. Ate amazing pizza at trolley stop after the race!

15. Baby B and C celebrated their first halloween at the Leatherwood's home. We had good food and then all the kids went trick or treating, including Baby B in his tiger costume (compliments of Uncle Don, Aunt Lisa, and Anna). He had his first halloween candy and first sucker all in one.

16. One of Jane's baby sitting mothers took pictures of B and C. Jane had a few blown up for me, which are now displayed in the living room.

17. Decorated for Christmas on Black Friday with SS POST black friday shopping with my mom and Kaitlyn. Thanks to dad and bri for watching babies Fri morning while Matt worked and I spent Matts money shopping ha :)

18. Baby B and C had their first photo with Santa at Bass pro. No crying, but no smiles either. We will take what we can get.

19. Baby C is FINALLY becoming fun. She will coo, roll her tongue, smile really big, lough out loud on a good day, plays with a blankey, is really good at rolling over from stomach to back, enjoys sitting in a vibrating seat watching TV, very particular about the nipple for her bottle and paci (paci nipple is 4x the normal size), doesnt scream during bath time/changing clothes/changing diaper

20. There is so many people who deserve a HUGE thank you for ministering to Baby B and C over the last few months including gifts, clothes, diapers/wipes, baby food, formula, monogrammed clothes, monogrammed bibs, blankets, gift cards, bottles, nipples, pacis, socks, diaper bags, etc
We could not be doing this without so many who are so willing to sacrifice time and money for "the least of these." Matt and I are truly grateful

I am sure there is many memories I have not recorded and many of the above have pictures to go along with the experience. I may do a separate post of pictures.

It is the Christmas season, one of my favorite times of the year. We only thought we were busy the last few months, December may top them all. We are looking forward to memories to be made with friends and family.
Hopefully the blogging will be more regular so I dont feel so overwhelmed and behind.