This week is the week I take back a little bit of my self-control! In 2003 I was diagnosed with PCOS after one round of the Depo Provera shot. Since then I have been in an uphill battle with weight loss and that is about to change. I know the one thing that will make me a happier person no matter what is to feel in control of my weight again. Tuesday I am meeting with a doctor in my area who is helping me formulate a diet and exercise plan that will specifically target my PCOS problems. The big goal is to focus on my insulin resistance, and then weight loss will ultimately follow.
Thankfully, I stopped drinking anything aside from water (and the occasional glass of wine) on January 28th, the same day I had my physical for becoming a Foster Parent.
To me it doesn't matter if we get pregnant, adopt, foster only, I just HAVE to take better care of myself and my health. At 26, I shouldn't feel like I'm 40.
Today I cleaned out my pantry (most was past its due date anyway), fridge, and freezer. I was happy to rid myself of the not so healthy foods. I mean, I wasn't eating them anyway, they had expired!
So wish me luck, I will keep everyone posted on my progress, and I hope to see some positive results very soon!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
I will not obsess....
So we submitted for the girls less than 24 hours ago, and I PROMISED my wonderful husband I wouldn't obsess or get my hopes hung up on being considered for them. Well, of course last night, every freakin' dream I had surrounded those two girls being in our lives. Thankfully, when I woke up this morning I was able to think of things other than the girls. It was just so weird how vivid and real my dreams were. We were at a swimming pool in one of them and I was freaking out because my husband wasn't using enough sunscreen, then he said "Honey, they're Hispanic, they don't need sunscreen". It was weird! I'll be sure to tell my husband tonight that you don't have to be "white" to get a sunburn! :)
The nice thing is that I am going to Florida May 28-June 7, so that will distract me from all of this waiting and such.
So, I suppose I should actually do some work now. Or, maybe I will just go and surf adoptuskids.org
***Edited to Add*** this was my horoscope today on my iGoogle home page. It felt it was appropriate for this blog post:
Taurus
It's one thing to anticipate the future so you can be ready for all contingencies. It's quite another, though, to be so wrapped up in what might happen that you lose control of the present moment. Even if you are already thinking ahead, you may need to slow yourself down today or your frustration will soon outweigh your enthusiasm.
The nice thing is that I am going to Florida May 28-June 7, so that will distract me from all of this waiting and such.
So, I suppose I should actually do some work now. Or, maybe I will just go and surf adoptuskids.org
***Edited to Add*** this was my horoscope today on my iGoogle home page. It felt it was appropriate for this blog post:
Taurus
It's one thing to anticipate the future so you can be ready for all contingencies. It's quite another, though, to be so wrapped up in what might happen that you lose control of the present moment. Even if you are already thinking ahead, you may need to slow yourself down today or your frustration will soon outweigh your enthusiasm.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
"Expressing Interest"
Well, yesterday I was browsing around the various "Available Children" websites I have bookmarked over the last few months, and I stumbled across a new site to me. On said site, I found a listing for two little girls (sisters) ages 3 and 5. They are beyond adorable! I e-mailed my social worker to be sure my home-study was signed for good, and she said it will be on Monday, May 17th. These girls are in another state, therefore I had to have an approved home-study to register and express our interest. Since it's not "technically" approved, I wrote the agency that the girls are listed with to see if I could go ahead and express interest knowing that all I am waiting for is a signature from the supervisor who is out until Monday. They wrote back quickly and said "YES! If you wait until Monday they may not be listed then".
So, we have officially expressed interest in our first children. Obviously it's a long way to even having a shot at adopting, but I am excited that we took that "leap" to begin our family.
That's all for today. I will keep you posted if I ever hear anything back.
So, we have officially expressed interest in our first children. Obviously it's a long way to even having a shot at adopting, but I am excited that we took that "leap" to begin our family.
That's all for today. I will keep you posted if I ever hear anything back.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Happy Mother's Day and Stuff!
WOW! I can’t believe it’s been a month since we completed our PRIDE training. Last week on Tuesday I received a call for a respite placement, sadly the dates lined up with my Florida vacation to visit my mom, so I had to turn it down. Then I received another call for respite Thursday, for Friday night during our Foster Parent Appreciation dinner, but my husband and I really wanted to attend the dinner, so we said “no” to that as well.
The dinner was very nice. It was at the fanciest hotel in our town, and there was a remarkable turn out. We were able to reconnect with some of our PRIDE folks and found out that none of them have placements or have had calls for respite yet. That is mostly due to the fact that they have had to do their fingerprints THREE times for the women in the couples. I am so happy ours were prefect on the first try! At this dinner I also found out that one of my co-workers has two boys that he and his wife adopted from FC. They were straight adoption placements because TPR had already occurred. When they came home to my co-worker they were 3 and 5 (boys). Now they’re teenagers!
Yesterday was both my 26th birthday and Mother’s Day. It’s crazy for me to think that next year, I could be a mother.
Although we are foster parents and are very open to adopting through foster care, my husband and I are also discussing trying for a bio child too. I am going to begin a new weight-loss program this month that is targeted at helping my PCOS. It’s a low-glycemic diet that is also based around organic foods. I really hope to see success because up to this point I haven’t had any success loosing weight no matter what I do.
I think that if I can loose 50lbs over the next year, I will not only be in better shape, but I will also return to a normal cycle that should allow me to conceive.
So we will see. I want to be a mom, but some days, I just do not know how people do it. Usually it’s on a Sunday when I’ve laid around all day watching TV. I know life is going to change, and I am ok with that.
So happy Mother’s Day to all of my mother/soon-to-be mother friends and to my mom.
My mom is one of the strongest, focused, and laid back people I know. She became a single mom at 26 to four kids. She really was a single mom before then, but legally she was a single mom at 26. She did her best to provide a loving stable home for us kids despite my father not being in the picture aside from financially. She always expected the best of us, but when we made mistakes, she helped us learn the lesson and guided us back to better decisions. She listens more than she speaks, which is a virtue I could only hope to one day possess. I love you mom for being my mom! I know you see the beauty in all of your children, and I want you to know I too see the beauty in you!
The dinner was very nice. It was at the fanciest hotel in our town, and there was a remarkable turn out. We were able to reconnect with some of our PRIDE folks and found out that none of them have placements or have had calls for respite yet. That is mostly due to the fact that they have had to do their fingerprints THREE times for the women in the couples. I am so happy ours were prefect on the first try! At this dinner I also found out that one of my co-workers has two boys that he and his wife adopted from FC. They were straight adoption placements because TPR had already occurred. When they came home to my co-worker they were 3 and 5 (boys). Now they’re teenagers!
Yesterday was both my 26th birthday and Mother’s Day. It’s crazy for me to think that next year, I could be a mother.
Although we are foster parents and are very open to adopting through foster care, my husband and I are also discussing trying for a bio child too. I am going to begin a new weight-loss program this month that is targeted at helping my PCOS. It’s a low-glycemic diet that is also based around organic foods. I really hope to see success because up to this point I haven’t had any success loosing weight no matter what I do.
I think that if I can loose 50lbs over the next year, I will not only be in better shape, but I will also return to a normal cycle that should allow me to conceive.
So we will see. I want to be a mom, but some days, I just do not know how people do it. Usually it’s on a Sunday when I’ve laid around all day watching TV. I know life is going to change, and I am ok with that.
So happy Mother’s Day to all of my mother/soon-to-be mother friends and to my mom.
My mom is one of the strongest, focused, and laid back people I know. She became a single mom at 26 to four kids. She really was a single mom before then, but legally she was a single mom at 26. She did her best to provide a loving stable home for us kids despite my father not being in the picture aside from financially. She always expected the best of us, but when we made mistakes, she helped us learn the lesson and guided us back to better decisions. She listens more than she speaks, which is a virtue I could only hope to one day possess. I love you mom for being my mom! I know you see the beauty in all of your children, and I want you to know I too see the beauty in you!
Friday, April 16, 2010
I'm beyond words.
I just read this story on CNN.com and it literally made me want to vomit.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/15/michigan.child.torture/index.html?hpt=T2
I just can't for the life of me, understand why ANYONE would ever do something this brutal to any child, better yet a 4 year old.
As foster parents, we know that children control what they can control and one of those things is their bodily functions. I would guess in this case, this little boy wet his pants due to abuse that already exsisted.
I'm pretty speechless, and I hope Michigan has the death penalty!
Poor little angel. You're in a safe place now. How sad that your last hours here on Earth we're painful and tortured.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/15/michigan.child.torture/index.html?hpt=T2
I just can't for the life of me, understand why ANYONE would ever do something this brutal to any child, better yet a 4 year old.
As foster parents, we know that children control what they can control and one of those things is their bodily functions. I would guess in this case, this little boy wet his pants due to abuse that already exsisted.
I'm pretty speechless, and I hope Michigan has the death penalty!
Poor little angel. You're in a safe place now. How sad that your last hours here on Earth we're painful and tortured.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
And the wait begins...
This Thursday is going to be a bit sad for us. For the last two and a half months we’ve been in PRIDE training every Thursday. This week though, we’re finished and waiting for our first placement to come along. We’re really in no rush, but we’re here with open arms whenever it happens. We’ve been going on motorcycle rides and we’ve planned some trips to local vineyards throughout the month.
I found an amazing site this week with podcasts for and about foster parenting. There are podcasts from new foster parents and experienced parents. I like the Q&A’s that they do, as well as some of the more specific shows about abuse, attachment, etc.
The couple that is new to fostering is located in Michigan where there is a huge need at the current time. They seem to be getting many calls for babies and younger children.
Their site is: www.fosterpodcast.com
The podcasts made me want to focus more on WHY we want to be foster parents.
I will be honest, when we started this process, we just wanted to “have a kid”. Now after training and reading various books, my view points have really changed.
Over all, we have had a lot of support from our family and friends, all have voiced their concerns, both positive and negative. The biggest thing we get asked is about becoming “too attached”. I am certain this is common for anyone considering becoming a foster parent. My answer, as I am sure my husband’s is, is yes, we probably will get “too” attached. That, in my eyes, is what being a good foster parent is about. If I can’t become attached to the child, how can I expect them to become attached to me? If the concurrent planning means that we are called on to adopt the child, how can I expect to parent a child that I am not attached to for the rest of their life?
The negatives are usually surrounding the children, their pasts, the unknowns, etc. To those people, I usually respond by saying “They and I don’t have any control over that, all I can do is love them and show them that there are good, loving, people in this world that will care for them.” Which is EXACTLY how I feel.
I’ve enjoyed listening to the podcasts, I think that anyone considering or currently acting as a foster parent, should certainly listen!
That’s all for now… maybe the phone will ring soon!
I found an amazing site this week with podcasts for and about foster parenting. There are podcasts from new foster parents and experienced parents. I like the Q&A’s that they do, as well as some of the more specific shows about abuse, attachment, etc.
The couple that is new to fostering is located in Michigan where there is a huge need at the current time. They seem to be getting many calls for babies and younger children.
Their site is: www.fosterpodcast.com
The podcasts made me want to focus more on WHY we want to be foster parents.
I will be honest, when we started this process, we just wanted to “have a kid”. Now after training and reading various books, my view points have really changed.
Over all, we have had a lot of support from our family and friends, all have voiced their concerns, both positive and negative. The biggest thing we get asked is about becoming “too attached”. I am certain this is common for anyone considering becoming a foster parent. My answer, as I am sure my husband’s is, is yes, we probably will get “too” attached. That, in my eyes, is what being a good foster parent is about. If I can’t become attached to the child, how can I expect them to become attached to me? If the concurrent planning means that we are called on to adopt the child, how can I expect to parent a child that I am not attached to for the rest of their life?
The negatives are usually surrounding the children, their pasts, the unknowns, etc. To those people, I usually respond by saying “They and I don’t have any control over that, all I can do is love them and show them that there are good, loving, people in this world that will care for them.” Which is EXACTLY how I feel.
I’ve enjoyed listening to the podcasts, I think that anyone considering or currently acting as a foster parent, should certainly listen!
That’s all for now… maybe the phone will ring soon!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
PRIDE IS OVER!
This was a terrible roller coaster of a month. I think that maybe it was a test to see how well I do under stress… I’m not sure who gets the results, but I would appreciate if they could give me notice or warning before the next test.
So my husband lost his job abruptly and the job hunt lasted much longer that it ever had in the past (thank you awful economy). Thankfully though he starts a new contract position on Monday, and he is also interviewing for a few other full time positions in the mean time.
As for our journey to becoming foster parents, well I feel like I can finally get excited again. For a few weeks there, we thought that we may have to relocate out of state to make money. Now that he will be employed locally, we can concentrate back on our efforts to foster.
Tonight is our final PRIDE class. Hopefully we will get a placement soon. We really want to adopt, but for now we’re open to foster only placements.
Hopefully I will be posting about our first placement soon and a FULL TIME job for my husband!
So my husband lost his job abruptly and the job hunt lasted much longer that it ever had in the past (thank you awful economy). Thankfully though he starts a new contract position on Monday, and he is also interviewing for a few other full time positions in the mean time.
As for our journey to becoming foster parents, well I feel like I can finally get excited again. For a few weeks there, we thought that we may have to relocate out of state to make money. Now that he will be employed locally, we can concentrate back on our efforts to foster.
Tonight is our final PRIDE class. Hopefully we will get a placement soon. We really want to adopt, but for now we’re open to foster only placements.
Hopefully I will be posting about our first placement soon and a FULL TIME job for my husband!
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