A doctors appointment and a baby

The day I check up with my gyn-oncologist is always stressful.  You are waiting to hear if you can continue on with life as usual, or if your world will be turned upside down again.  This past Thursday was especially stressful.

While we were home getting ready for my appointment we received the phone call we've been waiting for.  The state placement worker called and had foster children for us!  My heart jumped and I called for Greg to come in the room so he could hear all of the information as well.  (Thank goodness he was home for this!)  They had two girls, one was almost two years old and the other was seven.  For privacy reasons I am not able to go in to detail about their situation.  We spoke to the placement worker for about 20 minutes getting as much information as we could and asked if we could discuss it privately and call him back soon.

We were still in the process of making our decision when we arrived at my doctors appointment.  The nurse took my blood pressure and heart-rate and then asked me if I was in any pain or under any stress.  Stress!  Yes!  This is stressful!  My heart-rate and blood pressure were both elevated to prove it!

After discussing it together, speaking to our family and praying, we decided to pass on this placement.  Greg and I thought really hard about our placement criteria (age 0-4) and felt that another family would be better equipped to handle this older child.  Although this was a very difficult decision, we truly felt it was the right one.

My check up went great, my CA-125 is still less than 5 and my physical exam was "perfect" according to my doctor!  I will have scans scheduled in a couple of weeks and I will follow up with her again.  AND she is putting me on a medication to help control my hot flashes, thank goodness!

The very next day, on Friday, we received another call from the placement worker!  This call was for a two year old little girl and she would be a "concurrent placement".  This means it is more likely that she will not go back to her birth parents.  Again, discussion, thought, and prayer, this one felt like a no-brainer.  We said YES!  Her case worker called to let us know she would be bringing her by our house soon.

We ran out to the store to pick up a few things we thought might make a two year old girl feel better after just being taken from her home.  A soft fuzzy blanket, a stuffed animal, and some stickers to play with.  Along with a few essentials; pajamas, diapers, and an outfit for the next day.  We ordered pizza to have an easy dinner ready for her arrival.  Then we waited.

Greg waiting for the worker to arrive to our house


When they finally arrived this sweet girl we so timid.  She was clinging to her worker, obviously upset and scared.  She came with only the dress she was wearing.  No shoes, no socks, no change of clothes, no lovey or special toy from home.  We showed her the things we had gotten for her and it took about 30 minutes for her to warm up to us and begin playing with some of the toys.  Her worker was able to sneak away and we officially had a foster child!

This sweet girl is one of the best behaved two year old's I have ever been around.  She loves to color and play with blocks.  She's fiercely independent but also listens well.  She has a big appetite and sleeps great!   She loves to snuggle and give hugs and she quickly became my shadow.

This Tuesday, just four days after she came into our home, her worker called and said they found a biological family member to take her.  We needed to bring her to the office so the worker could drop her off to her new home.  We knew it was a possibility that she would not be with us forever, her worker initially told us there was a vary large family and they would be looking for additional relatives.  The state strongly believes that children belong with their biological family if at all possible.

We went home and packed up her new things, drove her downtown, and dropped her off with her worker.  Its amazing how hard and fast you can fall love with a child.  With such a short time with us, Greg and I already miss her deeply.  While we are sad that she is no longer with us, we feel grateful that we were able to help make this difficult time in her life a little easier by providing her with a safe and loving home for those few days.

Now we are back to waiting on the next phone call.  Wondering, will the next placement be a child that can stay in our home forever?  Or will we have another situation where our time will be limited?  I know that whatever child comes into our home will be loved, even if that love is only meant to be short-term.











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