Thursday, September 22, 2011

Gum



I feel like these kids are a piece of gum being pulled in so many different directions. If I were them, I would have snapped by now. I think I have been doing a good job of buffering a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, so these kids can have a "normal" day. A lot of you probably know, but it's pretty difficult to set up appointments at a time that's convenient for you, especially if you want to get on the schedule in the next month! I've tried hard to schedule around the school day. I'm starting to feel like I have appointments coming out my ears though, so I'm happy that I set up a couple for myself. I guess it's time for me to see the eye doctor, dentist, etc too! :) Hopefully we don't have any major meltdowns while I'm being seen and kiddos aren't getting 100% of my attention. I have to mention that at their therapy visit, we walked by the guy in the entryway who reeked of alcohol and then sat in the waiting room only to find a documentary on suicide playing on the TV. I looked around the waiting room and saw countless faces glued to images of war, jail, etc. So uplifting.



On a happier note, our pastor and his wife have graciously insisted that we go out on a date while they watch our kids, and another lady from our church came to watch TV at our house for an hour or two while we stole away to Perkins. Mom has sent a couple fun filled care packages too. And we joined the gym, where there is usually childcare available. So thankful for tangible support! We are on Skype if you want to connect that way!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wow, 3 weeks!

We have officially passed our "longest time with kids" mark and have had them in our house for 3 weeks now! It's busy but good. Sticker charts seem to be magical. The kids like their school, and the teachers have been gracious about their special needs re: constant trips to the bathroom. I've started picking up one kid about an hour earlier than the other each day so that we can have some 1:1 time. It surprises me that they are so independent from each other even though they're twins. We recently had them start hugging each other goodnight: about as awkward as junior highers, but at least it's a start.
Just found out that their previous foster home was with a Christian family, so that is a blessing. They had lived there for about a year. Also ran into a previous foster dad at the grocery store this week. I feel it's only a matter of time until we run into their parents.
Mom came up last weekend, so Dave and I could do Bike SUX & go out for his birthday. We also got to take the kids rock climbing-fun for everyone! The boy, who I will refer to as Spiderman for the time being due to his climbing ability, is becoming my personal trainer as he continues to bike faster and make me jog faster!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Routine?


I have attempted to create a routine. It currently exists on my piece of notebook paper, but not in real life. I think that's good enough for me. It at least gives me the illusion of some normalcy and control.
I'm quite pleased that the kids have gone the whole week at daycare without having accidents at naptime. (What would you do-oo for a Klondike, er piece of candy?) We have resorted to having them wear double pull-ups at night. Yay for less laundry!
We did get a spot in a pre-school only about a mile away from our house. It's a nice set-up for us where they will have preschool in the morning, but the afternoon is daycare. This allows us to have some flexibility of when we pick them up, which is good considering the amount of appointments we have to schedule for them. I'm also planning to pick up one earlier than the other for some 1:1 time alternating days. I hope this is good for them!
We have been told that they are "honeymooning," but can't help being pleased that their behavior is improving. Sticker charts seem to be pretty effective so far, and setting a timer helps them stay on task. Overall, they're respecting the boundaries we set.
Last night we had a friend over, and they asked if they could please take our plates to the sink. Um, yes please! They were also cute, delivering the pie & ice cream to our guest & Dave.
Oh, and they brought their bikes to our house now. Living on a hill was great for the flood season, but it's less conducive to bike riding. Dave, doesn't seem to tire of running alongside them, ready to redirect a poor steering job.
Overall, they've been a lot of fun & we see a lot of potential in them!