Sunday, November 20, 2016

Bursting Heart

This Momma Heart is FULL!

Three days ago I got to visit with my Baby Bug (who is actually 4.5 years old!) and today I get to visit with my Baby Tugboat who is 22 months old!

While both have graduated from my care, I love that I get to maintain a relationship with them.

God is good!

Watching my baby girl grow and develop over the past 14 months is amazing. I am literally in awe that I get to maintain a relationship with her and her momma. I love that I get to take my baby girl for afternoons and just love on her. She and I share a special bond.

I've heard so many foster care stories; both of birth parents keeping in contact as well as parents wanting nothing to do with the foster parents.

One of my goals as a foster parent is to foster a relationship with birth parents where we can stay in contact during care and after reunification. I don't have much experience in that, but God guides me.

So today I will hug my baby girl. I will squeeze her tight and love her with all I've got. We get to visit my family today so they can all love on her to! She has such a huge extended family that loves her to pieces!

I love this aspect of fostering. I love that I witnessed firsthand "the system" working to bring a family back. I love that I get to continue watching this sweet baby grow and become a little girl. I am excited for her future!

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

This Next Season

Where do I even begin? What hasn't happened since I last wrote?

The past two days have been weird. I had a random lady come up to me after training tonight and say that my last placement - who went to live with family - is now with her. That threw me for a loop.

Last night I got a random phone call asking if I would take in a medically fragile toddler. I am not equipped nor trained for such needs. One day I hope to be, but this is not that day.

My momma heart is broken.

So much need, and I can only fill so many needs.

This is a season of waiting. A season of quiet. A season of learning and growing and new things.

I had my 4 year old for 8 months. They were the longest 8 months I've ever counted but somehow they passed by in something as short as a blink of an eye. So here I am. Going on 6 or 7 weeks of quiet. It is weird.

This next season is really unknown. I wait and I trust in the Lord. I feel led to do respite/subcare for other foster families. I have a family that I am "assigned" to and just today I received word that they have a little! So it won't be too long now before I have occasional weekend and weeknights filled with the joy filled noise of a child.

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In this season of child-free-ness I have taken all the classes I need for my upcoming licensing renewal at the first of the year! I can hardly fathom that it is almost 18 months that I've been licensed. It felt like I would never get licensed as I went through the process! And here I am, 18 months, 2 children, and some experience later!

Who would have thought? I never envisioned that my journey into foster care would look like this.

I am all signed up for classes in January. I have some word ahead of me and some deadlines to meet. All in all, I plan to pursue a degree in social work. I only have a few classes to take prior to starting in the Social Work program and I have to apply to the program prior to completing those programs since the college I plan to attend only accept fall admissions. If I miss the 2017 admission, I'll have to wait a whole year before starting my actual declared major. I don't anticipate it being an issue, but sometimes deadlines are daunting.

How fostering and school and working will all mesh together, I don't know what that looks like. I trust that it will all come together. God has called me to this; He will find a way. That I am sure of.