Coming up for air

I recently saw a quote by Tolstoy that made me laugh to myself.  It said:  “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”  Well considering the most recent changes in my life (which are NOT tiny) I am certainly living!  Living the life of a chicken with her head cut off.  The life of a marathon runner.  The life of a CEO.  You get the picture.  Our foster daughters have now been with us for 2 weeks and I am sure things will settle down soon (see I still have my sense of humor).  The girls came with a few stuffed animals, books, and blankets.  Pretty much no clothes that fit, no diapers, and no toiletries.  I remember thinking I was prepared and ready for some foster kids.  Boy was I wrong.  Getting clothes that fit them took over a week.  Getting all the paperwork, phone calls, and appointments they need is something I am still working on.  Every day something comes up that seems to be an emergency I have to deal with.  I’m exhausted.  And shopped out.  Clothes, groceries, double stroller, Halloween outfits, potty (for the 2 year old), a princess kitchen and play food, more clothes, more groceries, toothbrushes, and a new car.  All things I’ve had to buy in the last two weeks.  Anyone ever went car shopping with 2 toddlers and a 9 year old?  Meltdown city.  And I am talking about me, not the kids.  Just ask my husband, it wasn’t pretty.  But we are finally getting somewhere and settling into a routine.  The girls are opening us to us more and more and we are finding out how sweet they are.  They both have some anger issues but are handling them pretty well.  They love Friday Pizza and Game night.  So do I.  It is fun to hear their laughter and watch my husband chase them around the house.  It’s been a little hard on Jackson, which has made me cry a few times.  I know he misses his Mama’s 24/7 attention and I miss giving it to him.  I’ve had my moments of missing my little family.  It’s definitely been an adjustment.  But this is what Kevin and I wanted, a house full of kids.  That comes with all the ups and downs we are facing.  Yesterday the woman who has been transporting the girls to their parent visits said to me “You just don’t realize what you have done for these girls.  They are happy, laughing, and talking.  They weren’t like that before they came to your house.”  I needed to hear that.  When fits are thrown and dirty looks are thrown your way it starts to weigh on you.  To hear someone who knew the girls before say that we are doing something right gives me some hope. 

My life is nowhere near what I thought it would be.  I’m a stay at home mom of a child with special needs and 2 foster children, who now drives an SUV.  Life is definitely full of surprises.  Some happy, some not so happy.  The trick is finding out how to respond to those surprises that enables you to move on with life.  Something I am learning, surprise by surprise. 

Check this out!

If you have 5 minutes (you know you do) check out this video.  The little boy, Aaron, has bilateral polymicrogyria.  Jackson has unilateral polymicrogyria.  Aaron is so cute and this video makes me smile every time I watch it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6qAxMXu9N0

Where’s Jackson at?

Lately a lot of people have been asking me how Jackson is doing so I thought I would give you all an update on the kid.  Where to begin?  Well first, Jackson is incredibly adorable (bragging mom moment), as most of you already know.  Other than that, he is still seizure free (yea!).  He hasn’t had a seizure since April 25^th at around 8 a.m.  Now that his brain has had a 5 month break, we have been able to enjoy the little boy that Jackson is.  And let me say he is a silly little boy who is happy and giggly and cuddly.  He is still making progress, although slowly.  I think I had this idea in my head that once the seizures stopped Jackson would just take off developmentally and that hasn’t really been the case.  He is making strides, but not quick enough for this impatient mom.  He is definitely more alert, focused, and active.  But he still has his moments of what I call “blah-ness”.  He’s just kind of in a blah mood and not too excited.  It’s hard to get him to do anything during these periods.  He is doing much better during his therapies though.  Whereas before when he had seizures he would fuss and complain during therapy, now he is much more patient, laughs at some of the things his therapists do with him, and actually participates.  Big improvement.  Jackson is sitting for much longer periods of time also.  He still can’t get into the sitting position by himself.  I, however, think he can get into the position he just isn’t motivated to.  That is one “problem” with Jackson - his lack of motivation.  He is just kind of a laid back kid and I think he knows that Mama or Dada will get him into the position so why bother?  Getting him motivated has always been an issue.  He can also stand very well on his own now (once we stand him up) but you have to keep a light hand on him or he will fall over.  And he is standing for longer periods of time.  His walking is a slow process.  Some days he will walk one foot in front of the other (with support), other days he just wants to jump up and down and won’t take any steps.  He tends to walk pretty well for his physical therapist but not so well for me.  Little bugger.  Sign language has been another progress for us.  He is signing “more” and “eat” and was doing “please”.  For some unknown reason has stopped signing please.  Which has left his speech therapist and I totally perplexed.  So we are working on “please” again.  One thing that has been fun is that he is learning how to drink from a straw.  Jackson is making good progress on this.  Drinking out of a straw may not seem like a big deal but it is.  Not having to carry a sippy cup in my purse when we go to a restaurant or grab some fast food on the run is definitely a bonus.  So that is where our boy Jackson is at.  Slowly, but surely, getting somewhere. 

As for where the Klim family is at, we are currently residing somewhere between overwhelming insanity and ordered chaos.  Last week Kevin and I officially became foster parents to two girls, Lillie is 9 and Vivionna is 2.  Adding two more to our little family has proved to be a tad bit challenging and rewarding.  The fact that the girls came with pretty much what was on their backs and not much else has added a sense of urgency and necessity to our daily lives.  We are finally getting them settled clothes wise and that is helping.  They both seem to be adjusting fairly well and are very sweet girls.  They’ve been through a lot and we are just glad we can provide them with a sense of security, safety, and stability.  Oh and some love.  Jackson has had a little trouble getting used to not having Mommy 24/7 but he is starting to get used to his new household life.  And for the first time since Jackson was born, chicks outnumber the dudes in my house!  Finally!  We have a long journey ahead of us as foster parents, so wish us luck!