First Meeting

It has been really crazy busy around here.  Not unusual for us, but hings have really picked up.  I feel like my house has been hosed down in pepto.  Honestly, I have never seen so much pinky cuteness around here.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled.  It is just so weird after years of blue, green, and brown to have so much estrogen unleashed in a matter of a week!  I am girly myself, but this tops it all! 

So this means yes baby is coming home!! All those months of hair pulling, crazy insane moments.  Cary will arrive on this coming Tuesday at 11am.  Eastern Standard Time.  And yes, we are thrilled. 

But I really want to back up to our first meeting with our new little one.  This meeting was a lot less stressful than Marvin's meeting.  I really came prepared. I had extra tissue for tears, camera, water bottle (when I am really nervous I get extra thirsty), mints, you name it I probably had it in my purse. 

I was early at the DSS and spent about five minutes trying not to have a nervous breakdown.  I kept busy by watching parents scream at little kids and little kids climbing on chairs, hitting people, all the good stuff you find waiting at a DSS office.  I did find a nice quiet family to sit by.  The kids had hand held video games and were excited that they were getting into really high levels. 

Then Shannon and Ms. J. walked in.  Shannon was carrying a car seat.  In that car seat was a snoozing baby.  Apparently, he had gotten there at the same time.  We went upstairs to the cafeteria and Shannon plunked down a little pink bundle on the table.  (Sorry no pics.  I can't get them to upload.  I'm going to have to get Shannon to look at this!  It is really irking me!) 

Cary was placidly snoozing away.  I looked around for a foster mom and there was none in sight.  In answer to my questioning glance J quietly said that the foster mother refused to come.  In one way that was good.  I could just focus on loving up Cary and not have to worry about upsetting her.  In another way I felt really bad.  I wanted to hug her and thank her so much for taking such good care of Cary.  I also wanted to know her schedule, what she liked to play with, type of formula, that sort of thing.  But since that was not going to happen I just decided to focus on Cary. 

Which I did.  I scooped her right up out of her car seat while she just kept on sleeping.  I kissed her little head, and just commenced extreme love time.  After a while J scooted on out of there so Shannon and I could just spend time with her.  By then she had woken up and Shannon was holding her.  He resisted holding her claiming he didn't know how but I made him and he caught on pretty quick.  She really liked Shannon.  Then I claimed her again and J had come back. 

Cary really started coughing at that point.  She was turning purple and I know that that is not a good sign.  So we went down to J's office and Cary stopped coughing.  She became very busily employed on chewing through my shirt at that point.  J showed us Cary's drawer filled with over , wait for it, 5,000 pages of medical history.  Yup. 

That is a little scary.  But Cary was in the hospital from her birth till May.  So a lot of the pages are just what time she ate, that sort of thing.  But there are definite delays. 

Cary is just about one, but she is functioning at about the level of a two month old.  She also had trouble with her eyes.  She kept trying to look at us but they would slide down and she would flutter her lashes in annoyance (yes she was peeved) while she tried to look at me.  But after about the 15th person stopped in the office (there are not many babies in care so a baby is a very exciting thing) and told me how much better she was doing than her older brother (yes she has a six year old brother who has been adopted) and what a little fighter she is, I started feeling better. 

Then J's supervisor came in and told us about how he thought we were the perfect family.  He said so many nice things.  He thought that we would be strong advocates for Cary and that we were just the best fit.  I ended up feeling really good.  So did Shannon.  About then Shannon went back to work and J walked him out.  Cary and I were having a blast.  Then J came back and Cary decided that she needed to hurl.  On me.  Oh joy.  Let's just say it was gross and I was really thankful that I had a change of clothes in the car.  J and everyone else thought it was pretty funny. 

Then Cary had to go home.  I was sad that the meeting was over, but happy that I got to spend two hours with her.  Plus she was going to be coming to us in a week and we had a lot to do.  The first thing I did (after changing) was call my worker.  She invited me over to raid the closet at Children's.  The closet is a big room full of items for babies.  I was a little timid about taking stuff, but the women who worked there weren't.  I got some cute clothes, a little vibrator seat, and some rattles.  It was great and I was thankful. 

It was such an amazing day and now we are just counting down the hours until our angel comes home.  We are so blessed to get two very young children from foster care.  That is a miracle in itself.  Someone asked me if this was it the other day. I told them that every time I make plans they end up changing.  So I am just taking it one day at a time and enjoying the journey!