Fostering... times 3....!! Holy Cow!

Can they run IV drip of anti-anxiety meds?  I'm j/k of course, but you're not gonna believe what we agreed to do yesterday.

We got another call from our social worker for a placement. I cried. This tiny 3month old baby girl (OMG A GIRL!!) has apparently been beaten by her parents.  She has fractured ribs, swollen arms and a mass on her brain.  She's in the hospital now and they hope to release her today.  They have already got emergency removal approved and are apparently investigating to arrest the parents. (Ya think?!)

My husband and I had 15 mins to decide. Take her - or Not.  If we didn't already have 2 kiddos, we would, of course not hesitate.  Kelly and I had a placement of 2 toddlers in the summer and it was just too much. I think we've got it in our heads that we can only handle 1 child, at the most.  People raise 2+ kids every day.

We agreed to take her. This means we are going to have 2 babies (a boy and a girl), 3 months old. They are a few weeks apart in age. The boy we have, belongs to his momma, who is also with us.  I'm getting myself confused.  Let's call teenage mom, T and her son J.  New baby girl, let's call V.  (goodness!)

So, T and J live with us as foster kids.  Mom is a great mom, her visits with J do not have to be supervised.  She basically takes care of him.  My husband and I help.  We transport them wherever, make sure they have what they need, etc. Mom is really really good with him. We just kind of support and help her.  She's graduating highschool the end of December, and my hopes are that after the holidays she can be independent enough for the two of them to move into an independent living facility. We'll see. I have a feeling that where she's been cooped up so long, I'm not sure how focused she will be when she gets more and more freedom.

If mom doesn't stay focused and get her crap together, stay on plan and stuff, she will be removed and J will stay with us.  It's too early to tell what path mom will take.

Isn't it wierd how things come together?  We actually have an extra baby carseat, that someone gave us ages ago and we never used it.   One of our main issues - transportation. I have a Toyota Corolla. Hubby has a Nissan Sentra.  Not necessarily good baby/family cars.  With J, the passenger in my car already sits with their knees in the dash.   Last night we got the second carseat installed. WOW, it was awesome! It's actually smaller! I can drive, with it behind me, and not have to move my seat!   ALSO, my daycare is the best ever.  I called the day we got J, they had an opening (which NEVER happens).  Then, I mentioned the second placement to them yesterday...they're gonna fit us in! OMG, I'm near tears with how everything is falling into place!

Down to earth time - I must stay focused.  This new placement, the family is from a different state. I'm pretty much ready for a relative to be located in the next week or so and the child be given to them.  There is so little they know about the family, becuase they just moved here recently.  So, she may not be with us forever, or she may. It's still too early to tell.

One thing that we have to be prepared for is the damage done to this tiny baby.  Will she be delayed? Will she need surgery? Will the mass in her brain worsen or cause other major issues?  It's too early to tell at this point, but we're prepared to take on whatever comes out way.

My husband and I totally believe things happen for a reason.  The way things are falling into place, we're confident this is the path we are to take and will approach it head-on!