Saying Good-Bye

The State took custody of (A) at a court hearing yesterday morning. Later in the day, he was transferred from our family (Safe Families/short-term crisis care) to another family who will be providing long-term foster care. We miss him like crazy!

In the middle of our heartache, we praise God believing He has a future plan, a GOOD plan for our family and for (A). We are thankful for the joy which was ours as these plans intersected the past 111 days.

Egg Hunt OR 100-Yd Dash?

Last year's Easter Egg Hunt at the local YMCA was rained out so this year was Alexander's official debut at hunting eggs -- albeit in a wide open grassy field. Blake answered his many questions while they waiting at the starting line (see first image). Our little guy is all about the PROCESS. Finally, the signal was given to GO!

I think the X-man was a bit confused. He burst from the starting line with his sight locked on a plastic egg about 25-yards away! He sprinted past hundreds of pastel-colored orbs (and frantic children) only to land with a perfectly-executed, grass-stain inducing slide onto the egg within his sights. I was laughing too hard to capture a picture of his victory pounce! Check out the pure concentration on our the face of our little egg-hunter!

My Handsome (Growing) Boy!

Sometimes Alexander tires of my taking pictures (imagine that!) so the other day I told him if he showed me how handsome he was (instead of acting all silly), I would stop. He immediately struck this pose; I got my wish & he got his! What a buddy!

Spring Break 2012: Childrens Museum

These pictures are from several weeks past, when we spent time with my family during (preschool) Spring Break. We took the six youngest cousins (six under age 4) to a nearby Childrens Museum. Their favorite exhibit? The agricultural stuff -- tractor, combine, beans/corn -- just like grandpa's farm! The kids loved playing together! And we only lost sight of them a time or two...or maybe a few more times than that!

drew didnt like A.christine taking pictures, so this is the best I got :) isaak & xander inside a compost pile (exhibit) showing off all three of his teeth-ers! miss brooke and her newly acquired skill at saying 'HI!'

Sometimes It's Just Plain Hard

Motherhood is a choice you make every day.To put someone else's happiness & well-being ahead of your own.To teach the hard lessons.To do the right thing. Even when you're not sure what the right thing is. And to forgive yourself. Over and over again. For doing everything wrong.

Isn't It Obvious...

...someone is excited 'bout her play date!

Update: Little (A) Still Here!

For those reading from a distance who might be wondering -- yes, little (A) is still with us. Based on a court decision earlier this week, it is projected he might be with our family until the end of May. Of course, there are a gazillion variables which could impact this, but we are so glad for the opportunity to watch him continue to grow & learn new things.

He and Xander have become quite the buddies and like typical brothers, there is lots of screaming, wrestling, giggling and tackling going on around here. Although he has not gained weight very quickly, he is stretching out. 12-month clothes are becoming too short but almost impossible to keep up. The poor little guy often grunts at me, pointing to his pants which have meandered down around his ankles.

Speaking of clothes, he loves to get undressed. The other morning, I opened the door to retreive him from the crib, and spied a naked baby. At first I thought Blake forgot to put PJs on the night before, until I rummaged in the blankets and found his sleeper. He was quite tickled at himself :)

After some early intervention evaluations, he scored as severely delayed with expressive/receptive language (equivalent to 9-12 months) and mildly delayed in the social/emotional category (14-15 months). That means, we will be working with some therapists in the coming weeks in an attempt to give him a chance to catch up. He is in good hands, though, with a personal in-home speech therapist; Xander is convinced he is going to teach (A) to talk.

Little (A) has certainly captured our hearts. Last week was especially tough. As I cried and expressed my fears regarding (A)'s future, Blake reminded me about Moses. If you or I saw a child floating in a basket of reeds, we would not imagine he would someday lead God's chosen people away from slavery & thru a vast wilderness. I was reminded that God has a plan for each of His children. And that includes (A) -- praise God! I am learning to trust Him for (A)'s future and it has challenged me to continually surrender Alexander (and our future child) to Him, too. I imagine I will need some practice with this & lots of patience from my heavenly Father, too.