It dawned on me tonight while I was rocking my baby to sleep that maybe I complain to much about the difficulties of being a single foster parent. I know the last few weeks have been hard for me. There has been a lot going on personally with me. I'm pretty sure it has clouded my ability to find the joy in the ordinary.
So instead of talking about the hardships, I want to share how far we've come. I've had the girls 6 months now. Wow! It seems like I've had them forever, and yet it seems like they just arrived. When they first came to me, I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep for eight weeks. I literally was either sitting on the floor next to the bed of one child or rocking back to sleep the other child almost all night. I was averaging four hours of sleep each night, and they weren't consecutive either. Now, they sleep in separate rooms; and if they do wake up, it is once and back to sleep in a reasonable amount of time. I call that progress! :)
These little girls have blossomed so much! I love watching their personalities unfold. They love music and dancing. It cracks me up to see them "dance". It is usually a lot of bouncing, jumping and falling down. If a song comes on the radio that they don't like, they feel free to voice their opinions.
I remember the very first night. The baby woke up and looked at me with huge eyes. I could tell she was confused and scared. She didn't know who I was or why she was there. Now, she calls me "mommy" and runs to greet me every day. She tells me that she loves me. Those eyes are now filled with love and joy. She has stolen my heart.
The older child struggled with expressing her needs/desires. For the first couple of months, it meant meltdowns and very long tantrums. Now, she has learned to use her words to let me know how I can help her. She has come soooo far! We are still working on not whining when asking for things and using proper tone of voice, but I'm happy with the progress she has made.
They are both incredibly smart! I love watching them learn new things. Their vocabulary increases all the time. In six months, songs of ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus have filled our car rides and bath tub times. Of course their version is adorable and not always accurate. :)
It is fun to watch these little people make friends. They talk about their friends every day. They greet their friends when we arrive at daycare. The older one will occasionally insist that she sits by her "best friend" at meal time. Naturally, her best friend changes almost daily.
Books are a big things around here. Certain ones I've read enough times they will both start quoting it with me. :)
Jesus is becoming part of their lives and speech. I'm asked to pray for their family members every night.
They are growing in every way. I enjoy seeing them change and become themselves. I love them dearly. I can't imagine life without them. They make me laugh and smile.
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