First Sibling Visit

Sam had his first sibling visit with his 21 month old brother, Tony.  Overall it went as well as can be expected for such young children.  I was called into the visit about five minutes after it had started because it was too much for the supervisor to hold the baby and chase the toddler around.  I did my best to move Sam over near his brother and talk with both of them.  Every once in awhile they played with the same toy together for a brief period of time.  It was nice to be in the visit and see the boys and get to know Tony a tiny bit.

The other mom was supposed to have a transporter bring Tony to the visit, but she refused the transport and drove him herself.  It has been months since I have seen her, so to me it was a little awkward but nothing I couldn't handle.  It was kind of strange not having the supervisor call her into the visit as well since she was present on the campus.

The sibling visits will occur every other week (twice a month) at least until court.  I am not sure if they continue if the parental rights are terminated.

I must say Sam and Tony looks so incredibly similar!  You can totally tell they are related.  Tony's mom showed me a picture of Tony when he was about Sam's age, and they almost could pass for twins. 

Proud of my Little Man!

We went on a hike this weekend with my in-laws to celebrate my MIL's birthday.  We had James start off walking, and he was so excited using one of the hiking poles and trekking along.  It was so cute to watch!  Amazingly, James walked about 1.25 miles all on his own...according to our best estimate.  James really wanted to keep going, but he was too exhausted, and we had to call it quits for him and load him into the backpack carrier.  He was not happy but quickly settled in and enjoyed the short remainder of the hike.

Then this morning I took the boys to a local park that is a good walking distance away.  Usually it will take me fifteen to twenty minutes if I keep a brisk pace the whole way there.  James wanted to walk himself, so I allowed him to do so.  He walked the whole way to the park all on his own!  Granted it took much longer...stopping to pick up sticks or study the spider webs, but he did a fantastic job!  

On the way home I loaded both boys into the double stroller.  James passed out within the first five minutes, and Sam stayed awake almost the whole way home. 

I am so proud of all of the hard work James is doing!  You can see the sense of accomplishment and pride in his face when he succeeds at these type of pursuits.

Bike Accident

The dreaded call..."I'm okay, but I've been in an accident..."  Those words just make your heart pound and your mind go a million miles. 

Yesterday my husband got in a wreck on his bicycle.  He will usually ride his bike into work each day (about 45 minute bike ride).  Well...while he was turning a blind corner, a bicyclist in the other lane was over their line, and they collided.  Fortunately, because of my husband's experience with contact sports, he knew to tuck and roll as he fell off his bike.  This allowed him to lessen the overall impact of the fall.

Unfortunately, the other man, flew head first onto the ground and smashed his face up pretty good.  Both my husband and the other man were driven in ambulances to the hospital to get themselves checked out.  My husband chose to just go to the closest hospital; whereas, the other man wasn't given a choice...they took him to the hospital with the best trauma unit.

Thankfully my husband does not have any broken bones or other serious concerns.  He did smash the right side of his body up pretty well, though.  It is difficult for him to use his right arm (his dominant hand).  The first night (last night) horrible pain shot through his right arm after sneezing!  Today has been much better, but there is still more improvement needed.  One of the hardest parts is my husband not being able to interact with our boys as well. That is killing him!

On that token, the thought of the other man and the condition he is in also kills my husband.  He is racked with guilt about the situation even though technically my husband is not at fault.  I know I would feel the same way if I were in my husband's shoes.

If you are the praying type, please pray for my husband...mostly for all the conflicting emotions he feels as well as quick healing.

Baby Update

Awhile ago I mentioned doing the homemade baby food, and I haven't talked much about it since.  Sam is doing great on his baby food!  So far he has been introduced to rice cereal, oatmeal, avocado, butternut squash, peas, and sweet potatoes.  Sweet potatoes seem to be one of his favorites!  I am following the 4 day wait rule for introducing new foods mainly because I do not know any of his family's possible allergies.

Sam is also rolling and scooting all over the place now!  That is fun to watch, but at the same time, I have to get myself back into the mindset of baby proofing again (just looking for smaller items on the floor and predicting possible dangers).  It has been awhile since I have had any of those worries with James.

I cannot believe how quickly babies grow up...especially when you have a toddler in tow as well!  I love both my boys dearly and will miss these starting years where so much is learned and explored.

First Time

Today was the first time that James did not cry when we dropped him off at Sunday school.  The teachers said he didn't cry the whole class time.  We really talked church up all day and let him know that he would be going.  We also talked about how he would have fun making an art project, hearing a story, playing and singing songs.  Then we went on to explain that we will always come back for him.  I am not sure if that helped James process everything or if he is just finally feeling more comfortable in his new classroom, but I am sure all the preparation didn't hurt.  I am so proud of him! 

Toddlers Amaze Me!

It is amazing how much information and knowledge toddlers pick up without you even knowing it.  I haven't started any structured type of educational instruction since James is still quite young.  However, I will count items, go on starfall.com to learn about the alphabet, sing songs, draw pictures, read stories, etc. with James.  Already James can identify several of the letters in the alphabet, and he will often point out some of his favorite letters when he notices them on a sign or papers.  For awhile now, James has been on a counting craze; however, his counting always consisted of "1, 2, 3" and if he were to continue it would be something like this "1, 2, 3, 2, 3!"  Well...the other night in his high chair randomly James counted from 4 to 11.  My husband and I just looked at each other in shock.  This morning James was playing with a jar of pennies, and he stacked some on his semi truck.  I asked him how many were on his truck and he replied "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8...8!" and he was right!  I gave him lots of praise and a high five.  He was so excited.

Then, of course, James is picking up on words and expressions like crazy!  I am thankful sailor talk doesn't fill my house because it would be horrible to have a 2 year old walking around cursing.  

I think James has been hiding some of his skills and now he is pulling them out to impress or something.  I am so proud of my little guy!

Court Ordered

I just found out today from my worker that the judge has ordered sibling visits to take place twice a month.  In order to make sure there is no basis for appeal when they terminate parental rights, these visits need to happen.  I am grateful to say the visits will be supervised!  Before I would meet the other mom, hand over baby Sam for two hours and then return to pick him up.

Sam is 5 months old...his brother is almost 2 years old.  I am not really sure how much interaction will truly take place.  Don't get me wrong...I have nothing against sibling visits...I think they can be really healthy and good for children who are not raised together.  I just think perhaps they are more appropriate at an older age when the boys can play together and form a bond and friendship. 

I wonder what that means for the future as well.  I am willing to keep the boys in contact...I have said so since the beginning...I think it will be good for both of them.  However, I think it should be at appropriate intervals depending on their ages and how well they interact and influence each other.

It's a lot to think about...  I hope this doesn't affect our ability to adopt Sam.  Sam is such a vital part of our family, and all of us would be heartbroken if he were to leave.  The other day when the transporter came to pick up Sam for his visit with birth dad, James started saying "Baby Sam come back? Baby Sam come back? Sam cry."  I had to reassure him that baby Sam would return in a little while, and yes, Sam may cry when he gets loaded in the car, but he would be okay.  Whenever James wakes up, and he cannot see Sam, he says "Where's baby Sam?".  Usually I will explain that Sam is sleeping, and then the world is better again.  This didn't used to happen, but the visits have created an uncertainty for James.  James definitely is bonded and in love with baby Sam.

Anyway...enough rambling already.

So Sad...

Sam's case has been moved to the adoptions unit.  Once cases move to the adoptions unit, the visits with the birth parents get reduced.  Instead of weekly visits, the birth parents will now get twice monthly visits, and instead of the visit being two hours, it will only be one.  On top of that, birth mom and birth dad had some big dispute recently (domestic violence type) where police reports were filed and everything.  That is really the sad part...that Sam's birth parents keep getting wrapped up into these type of issues.  Because of this dispute, birth mom and birth dad are no longer allowed to have visits together with Sam.  Today birth dad had a visit, and it went well.  Next week will be birth mom's visit, and the visits will continue that way...every other week alternating the birth parent.

It just saddens my heart that Sam's birth parents have so much going on, and they do not either have the skills and/or the services to help them work through it.

Birth dad has been asking about pictures of Sam, so I plan on printing some off and sending them to the next two visits (some for birth mom and some for birth dad).  I guess he has been asking the transporter for quite some time (since the last time I sent him pics).  I don't mind sending in some pictures...after all they are in the process of losing their son, and the pictures may help in some way.  However, at the same time, I don't want them to expect pictures at every visit they have.  I am thinking once a month is quite sufficient for this point in time, and once TPR (termination of parental rights) occurs it will be much less than that...if at all.  We will see how it all works out.

Organic Food Co-op

Recently I signed my family up for a Organic Food Co-op...or at least I think that is what you would call them.  You pay a certain price, and you get fresh, organic fruits and veggies delivered to your door.  There was a special going on at Groupon, and I have always wanted to try out one of these companies, so we went for it.

Yesterday our first box arrived.  Upon first look, I was disappointed by the amount of food (I thought there would be more).  However, we weighed the box, and it was 15 lbs. worth of fresh produce.  With our special Groupon price, that amounted to $1/lb which is a great deal!  In the future with our reduced price, it would be about $2/lb which is still a great deal if you consider the food is organic and mostly locally grown.

Our First Shipment:

Veggies: 2 Corn on the Cob, 2 Sweet Yams, 1 Celery bunch, 1 head of Butter Lettuce, 1 Bundle of Rainbow Swiss Chard, 2 Red Onions

Fruits: Small bunch of Grapes, Pint of Strawberries, 4 Bananas, 2 Pluots, 2 Nectarines, 1 Cantaloupe

Freebie Item (each shipment includes one freebie...technically they are trying to get you hooked on their add-ons):  A small container of organic oatmeal

We figure will continue to get deliveries every other week unless we become unsatisfied with the quality or the quantity of the goods.

Sunday Hike

Originally we were supposed to go for a hike on Saturday, but some plans got rearranged.  Friday night at the dinner table, my husband asked me if I would like to go for a hike on Sunday as a family.  Before I could even answer (I was going to say yes, by the way), our son, James, shouts from his high chair "A hike! YEAAAA!".  With a reaction like that, how could you possibly decide not to go hiking.  I am amazed and grateful at how much James loves hiking and camping. 

It took about 1.5 hours in the car to reach our hiking trail.  Once there we fed Sam a bottle and James also had a snack.  Then both boys were loaded up into their backpack carriers and off we went!  There were a ton of cars in the parking area, so we dreaded how many people would be hanging out around the lake; however, most of the people were coming out as we were heading in. 

The hike was 4.8 miles round trip with a couple log crossings.  I will say crossing a log with a backpack and a baby inside makes me a little more nervous, but it all worked out fine.  Sam slept in the backpack carrier almost the whole way in as well as on the way out. 

We had the lake almost all to ourselves, and it was divine!  James had a great time climbing up the large granite rocks and laying down on his belly to peer into the water.  He also enjoyed throwing rocks into the water and making big splashes.  We had a late lunch together, explored the surrounding area and just relaxed in all of God's magnificent nature.

The hike encompassed most of our day...we left our home around 10 a.m. and returned at 7 p.m.  Thankfully we had put a roast in the crock pot, so we didn't have to worry about dinner.

This morning James was already walking around the living room with a hiking pole in his hand proclaiming "I'm hiking!".  His excitement is so delightful!  We have another hike planned for next weekend (to celebrate Grandma's birthday), so I am sure James will be stoked about that.  James is very much an outdoor enthusiast at this point in time.  I hope he maintains that spark of energy throughout his entire lifetime.  I also hope Sam will grow to love the outdoors too as he gets older and has more of an opinion.

Vanilla Bean Homemade Ice Cream

Okay, so last night we put together some homemade ice cream again.  My husband made bananas foster, and we had some delicious, creamy vanilla bean ice cream to pour it over. 

I used the recipe from this site: http://bakedbree.com/cookies-and-cream-ice-cream#axzz1R62bYRH3

In the past (for 4th of July to be exact) I made the Cookies & Cream recipe, and it was divine!  I got so many compliments from family on that ice cream.  Well...the vanilla bean recipe is also just as tasty if you are looking for a little more low key...ice cream without all the extra add ins.  Using fresh vanilla bean in ice cream is just so wonderful!  It tastes a plain vanilla ice cream and adds the extra goodness to make it oh so delicious!

This recipe is most definitely a keeper!

Brotherly Love

It has been amazing to see the bond between James and Sam grow into a loving relationship together.  This didn't happen overnight, and we definitely did not start off with a toddler happy to welcome a baby brother into the home.  However, at this point in time, a bond is being formed that will hopefully carry the two of them through the crazy journeys of life together, hand in hand, as supportive and loving brothers.

James is the only one that can get Sam to crack up laughing with the most adorable belly laugh.  All James has to do is make funny noises or jump around, and he has Sam melting into giggles.  And, boy does James love attention for his antics!

Lately since we have started feeding Sam baby food, James will climb up into my lap when he sees the baby food come out, and he will insist on helping feed Sam.  I don't mind as these moments where James wants to be involved are so completely precious.  Granted the feeding takes on a much messier form, but James feels so proud of himself for helping feed baby Sam.

Watching the boys play together brings joy to my heart as well.  James will purposefully lay down on the floor next to Sam and roll around with him.  Every once in awhile James will actually share his most precious teddy bear (the one he sleeps with) with Sam as well.  James won't allow Sam to have the bear for very long, but it is sweet that he is willing to hand the bear over to Sam.

When Sam gets upset and starts fussing or crying, James will run over and give him kisses to make him feel better.  Then James will say "Baby Sam happy!" and hand him a toy to play with or try to make him laugh.

I know the transition from only child to older brother has been rough on James...especially since there wasn't much preparation...we got the call about Sam at 12:30 p.m. and picked him up around 6:30 p.m. that same day.  There are still moments where the jealously comes out, but that is to be expected with all siblings regardless of where they fall in the birth order.  However, I cannot imagine a greater reward than witnessing the transformation of James into the loving older brother he has become.

I Don't Understand

Sam had a visit with his birth mom and birth dad today.  When the transporter brought Sam back, she informed me that birth mom flat out refused to hold Sam the entire length of the visit.  I cannot wrap my mind around this!  How can a mother have her adorable five month old baby boy in front of her and not even want to touch him or hold him!?  If it was my baby, I would be spending every possible moment holding my son...then again, if it was my baby, I wouldn't find myself in that situation to begin with. 

Then usually the visit ends because Sam falls asleep, and the birth parents tell the transporter she can take him back now.  Once again...wouldn't you want to hold that precious sleeping bundle the entire amount of time you were allowed?  I sure would!

There are some things I will never understand...

I love my food processor!

Last year for my birthday, my mom gifted me with a food processor because I had mentioned in the past how I would love to have one.  Well...I love my food processor!  I doubt it is top of the line or anything like that, but it sure does make life easier for me.  It is a Hamilton Beach food processor with an on, off and pulse button option.  I love how the processor can hold a decent amount of food inside it. 

Before I had a food processor, I would throw graham crackers into a freezer bag and make crumbs using a rolling pin.  Although that worked out alright...it was a lot of work, and I usually couldn't get the finest of crumbs for my cheesecake crust or other baked yummies.

Lately I have been using the food processor to help with my homemade baby food, and boy, does it make life easy in that department as well!  This morning I cooked some butternut squash and then pureed it in the processor, placed it in the ice cube trays, froze it and then emptied the butternut squash ice cubes into a freezer bag marked with today's date.  I am interested to see what Sam thinks of the butternut squash tomorrow morning.  So far the rice cereal and avocado have been hits.  Sam was not a fan of peas...I think they are perhaps too bitter...Sam would make a displeased face and then sort of shiver.  After a couple bites, he would shut his mouth and refuse to open it anymore.  I did find if I mixed the peas with some rice cereal Sam had no problems eating it and even seemed to enjoy it.  I couldn't imagine making all this baby food without my food processor!

Off the Beaten Path

We went on a camping trip this weekend...just one night.  When we go camping, we like to find a camping site off the beaten path...not your normal campgrounds, but a place out and away from all the people...where you are able to enjoy God's beautiful nature a little more and have to worry less about how your children may affect other people's camping experiences.  We had a great time!

The best part is James just loves camping!  He thinks it is great excitement!  He talked about it the whole way there, and then upon our return home, he wanted to go camping again.  There is a lot of nature exploration and time spent going for walks.  James was able to be the leader on our family walks together.  We went on a walk after dinner and were able to see the sunset.  Then after breakfast the next morning we went on a nice, long walk together.  Also being able to stay up later and watch the stars light up the sky also adds to James's sense of enjoyment.

My husband and I managed to get both boys asleep and laid down in the tent, and we were able to spend some time by the campfire together making smores and talking.  I called it our "smore date" just because with two young children, it seems it gets more difficult to find that time to really connect and communicate as a couple. 

This time the sleeping went a lot better than our last camping trip a few weeks ago.  This was only Sam's second camping trip.  I didn't end up needing to pull Sam into my sleeping bag with me because he stayed plenty warm enough.  Also James slept much better...he still woke up a lot, but he didn't cry out "Daddy!" each time he woke up which is an improvement to last time.  We expect the boys to wake up or get startled because they are not home tucked away in their cribs, and there are all kinds of unusual noises.

Anyway...I am glad we take the boys out and enjoy these experiences together.  James already has a love for camping and hiking, and of course, that may change as he gets older, but hopefully since we have managed to instill that love already, it will stick with him.  Maybe the same will be true for Sam as well.  Only time will tell as with many of life's mysteries...