Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Christmas.

Well, this post is late :) I left my camera over at my mom's house so I went almost 2 weeks without having a camera. It drove me nuts!

Apparently having 5 kids works out good when you need pictures to post on your blog with no one's face in them. lol

So, here are our pictures from our Christmas at home with our 5 kids.


Joseph


My son, Lizzy, Joseph and the new baby.



Tina, Lizzy, Joseph



My son




My son




Tina



Lizzy and Joseph




Lizzy, Joseph and the new baby



I think you get the picture :) We had such a great time, it was very overwhelming I think for all of us. Everyone was adjusting, some better than Tina & Lizzy others...
I truly enjoyed having a houseful for Christmas. There was no time to think about anything besides what needed to be done, who needed to be cuddled, played with, diaper changed, meal made...it was the busiest I have ever been but there is nothing like watching kids who haven't had much get excited over all the toys they get, eat until their little bellies are full and give you hugs and kisses all along the way.

Going from a family of 4 to a family of 7 (even if only for a few days) did not come without HUGE road bumps in the road, it was quite the adjustment, but we would do it all over again.
It has taken a couple weeks but things are finally getting normal and turning into a routine. Joseph's foster mom (who is a VERY seasoned foster mom - 37 years!) said she always feels like she is drowning the first 2 weeks of a new placement and I would say that time frame ended up being about right for us too.

Christmas ended up being perfect in a very crazy way :)





7 comments:

Rebecca said...

ONLY two weeks of drowning? You adjust more quickly than I do! I would say I always feel like I'm drowning for the first 2 MONTHS at least. However, I am working full time outside the home, so it takes longer for everyone to settle into a routine at home since we're only there 2 days a week really. Also, it takes 2 months to get all of those initial appointments taken care of since we only have the after school hours for scheduling (doctors, ECI, counseling, caseworkers, etc). I'd say you're doing GREAT to be in a routine already!!!

Ruth said...

I always say the first month is the worst!!! I went from being alone to having 4 toddlers in two months time. It was a time of adjustment for sure!

I love love your christmas pics!!! I love the excitement of kids first "real" Christmas!!! Its so worth every moment of pain!

Lynn said...

I feel like I'm drowning until all the "official" new placement appointments are done (doctors, dentists, blood tests, etc.). Then I breathe a little easier.

And then I always get stressed just a bit before/during/after appointments with social workers. And court. Just not a fan of court.

Diane said...

Oh my goodness! Joseph does look a lot like an older BB from what I can see!

So glad you enjoyed your holidays and now your busy home. Any idea when Joseph might transition?

jendoop said...

Looks like a wonderful Christmas!! Seeing the kids surrounded with gifts and comfort is wonderful!

I'm bracing for our next placement and those first few weeks transition. Our last one was relatively easy, no extreme issues and attended pre-preschool so I didn't even have to manage him 24/7.

Unknown said...

could you PLEASE email me at pipsersmom@Gmail.com? i just came to your blog for some encouragement. definitely feel the drowning over here...

Unknown said...

The kids all look great - happy and healthy! Routine is a blessed thing. I felt that the stages went from drowning to treading water to swimming.