Parenting Secrets

No, it's not what you think. These will not be parenting secrets as in, things you should do like me. Oh no...these are the secrets as in, how the heck can there be so many things you have to hide or give up as a parent???

We have to hide the strangest things from our Little Lady...

- Our toothpaste. She likes to come into our bathroom to get "our toothpaste and floss" from the counter. Yes, we've had to resort to hiding our actual hygiene supplies for fear that she will spread the contents of the bottle all over her towel, the counter, and anything else standing in her path, just as she has done to the bottle formerly known as our toothpaste.

- CANDY.  If you know me at all, you know that I used to have candy within arms-reach everywhere I went in my child-less life. In my car door, in my purse, in my drawer at work. It's currently stashed in a basket behind our bed and in the back of the pantry. It's only a matter of time before she finds our remaining hiding spots. 

- Soda, ice cream, and pretty much all-things deliciously unhealthy. Let's just say we're going to have to eat out more during lunch (while she's at school) so she doesn't discover our weakness for fried food and carbonated beverages. 

- My guilty pleasure that is talk-show and reality TV. I'm not exaggerating when I say that my DVR currently holds over 250+ hours of The Ellen Show, The Voice, American Idol, Dance Moms (don't judge), among many others. Quick question...will I EVER watch TV EVER again? LL's been here for 12 days and I don't think I've watched more than nine minutes of TV since she stepped through the door. (Scratch that...we've watched our fair share of Austin & Ally.)

Part of me longs for the day I could sit in my sweats, watch reruns of Ellen, eat ice cream all afternoon, and then use my own toothpaste, but I think we've traded it in for the best things in life - wasting the afternoon away at the park watching this little girl learn what it means to be carefree and childlike, arguing over how much hair product I decide to use so we can dress up together at church, and my favorite part...eating dinner together at least 6 nights a week, at our dinner table, to hear about her highs and lows for the day. Knowing that I get to play a key role in her life in such an uncertain, tumultuous time means more to me than being able to leave open candy bags around the house. 

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Today was LL's first court hearing and her second visit with her family. Both went well, but she (understandably) missed her mom a little bit more after she left this time. 

The hardest part was picking her up from the visit and hearing her yell at the top of her lungs, "I want you to meet my mom!!!" Knowing that her mom could probably hear her tiny, precious voice from the other room. I mumbled something like, "Oh maybe next, uhh another time?" This stuff is hard. 

LL's quotes:

- "Have you ever had a kid here before?"

- What was your favorite thing you did with your family tonight? LL, "Skyping my papa and playing piano!"

Dancing with Lucy.

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About Us: 

We began our foster journey in mid-August 2013. We finished our classes in October, had our home study in early January, and we were licensed on February 7, 2014. After seven calls from CPS, we received our first placement, a 7-year-old girl (our Little Lady, or LL for short) on April 3, 2014. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our journey through the craziness that is foster care. Most importantly, thanks for your prayers, love, and support. We hope to encourage fellow foster/adoptive parents as we document our ups and downs each day. 

Key Posts:

We are Facebook-Official!

Saying goodbye to someone I've never met

Will you get a white one?

Yup, it's gonna hurt.

Day 1 with our Little Lady

Oasis