Adoption update!

[Gargoyle]

It has been a long time since I have been active on CA (and most other things for that matter) since the adoption process has started. Deciding to take on such a large group of kids was definitely a choice made with a fair amount of idealism, ignorance and wishful thinking!!!!

Three of the four kids are now with us, with the last joining us just 10 days. It has been wonderful and completely mentally & physically exhausting at the same time. We are settling into the mom & dad roles ok and learning on the job with some bumps & scrapes along the way.

The most difficult part has been learning backwards through the age range... we started with the oldest and are getting progressively younger as we re-introduce the siblings into the family. A newborn requires physical attention for food, warmth, cleanliness, etc... We started parenting with a 4 1/2 year old that needed physical, emotional, intellectual and active playtime attention -- and he could critique your efforts and blunders!!!! Talk about a challenging opening into the world of parenting!

Day by day we are getting the hang of it and are getting better at things... at which point a new child would be introduced and totally disrupt things again. We have just one more and then can finally start to settle in and get some stability.

My man cave in the basement is all but gone... replaced by toys, toys and more toys. Metallica, Cradle of Filth, NIN and System of a Down have been replaced by endless reruns of Dora the Explorer, Diego and Little Bear. It is awesome though!

The four year old is fascinated with farts & poops... and speaks endlessly about them, which is a constant source of amusement. The three year old is doing great and transitioning from a pristine china doll into a little kid that likes to run, play and get dirty -- she's coming out of a shell. The two year old is a funny little personality that is fascinated with everything and enjoys doing little things like rubbing beans, jelly and peanut butter in his hair. So many simple joys everywhere to be found!

I'll post up some pics once we get further along the adoption process... we are still in pre-adoptive foster care right now and that will hopefully change in the coming months.