There are up sides too ....

My last post was pretty riddled with complaints. I was just so mad with that lady, but really, I shouldn't have been so surprised that she would do that. She doesn't really have a record of rational behavior.

Anyway, there are so many good things about being a foster parent, and being a parent in general for that matter. I have been amazed at how Hannah and Addison have handled all of this. They have been amazing big sisters to all these boys. I try hard not to make them responsible for taking care of the boys, I mean Nathan and I are the parents, Hannah and Addison are the kids. There are times where I need their help holding someone while I make a bottle, or I need them to run and find a pacifier while I change a diaper, but as a general rule, I don't make them help take care of the boys. That being said, both girls do so much for their little brothers. Just this morning, Hannah made breakfast sandwiches for the boys after she was finished making her own. I didn't ask her to, she just saw something that needed done, so she did it. Addison is great at providing entertainment when someone is being fussy. She does that all the time, and can usually pacify whoever is crying until I get the problem taken care of. Both girls have handled all the change and craziness we have thrown at them remarkably well. They have had to learn to share Nathan and I with needy boys. They have adjusted to a busy routine after having a pretty quiet one. And they have moved into the role of being foster sisters to whoever has come along and needed them. I'm just so crazy about those girls.

Then there are the boys. Just this morning I woke up to a little voice beside my bed saying, "mom". And when I picked him up into my bed, Z reached over and gave me a big hug and laid beside me until we were ready to get up. Then there was little W, he greeted me with a big smile when I got him up a little while ago. G squealed with laughter as Nathan was getting him out of his crib this morning. All of the boys have transformed from scared, skinny, developmentally behind kids to healthy, growing, on target little boys. Its been amazing to watch.

So, even after all that griping, I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet. At least not as long as the rewards keep rolling in.