Today turned out to be SO much fuller than I thought it would be! I had a really lovely hour coffee in the morning with Cher while the kids played well 💜 It was pretty peaceful, and as always, it was really nice to be together 💜 She had to head out to an appointment mid morning, and right around that time I needed to feed the babies. So I did that, and once they were done, I hauled 6/7 kids over to Rae’s for the bulk of the day! What a huge blessing that was to all of us, in more ways than I can really explain on here 💜 It is just REALLY amazing having such beautiful people willingly putting into our family.

Kids were delivered, save for the one that I brought home to nap, and then I got to work! I warmed up some leftovers for lunch around 10:30am, which is bonkers, but also, I just never know when I’ll have time to eat next, hahaha! So while I did that, I did a bunch of computer work that absolutely HAD to be done today. And it was! Win!

Time did catch up to me, however, and soon enough I found myself scrambling to get out the door and to the city in time for an appointment. I made it to the appointment on time, and then began a wild goose chase for an item or two that I had NO IDEA were basically obsolete now! Crazy how things change!! Anyway, I was in the city until around 3:00 when I headed to Warman to continue the chase. I finally found the main thing I was looking for, and then made a quick stop at Coop. And they didn’t have what I needed! Ack! So I HAD to go to Martensville to check their Coop, but I also had to fill up with gas. Whew! I felt like the energizer bunny, and I did not care for it 🙅‍♀️🐇

I finally made it back to town and brought the first load of my children home, hahaha! I went back for the second round, and once everyone was home, they helped me get the babies and my purchases into the house.

I worked hard, and fast, until Brady got home. He, too, was dragging with exhaustion. We were quite the pair. Once he was home, of course, I realized something I had missed, so I bailed on him and ran down to the grocery store for another thing or two. *sigh* My brain…

We ate, a little later, so the evening was short, which worked out.

I still had computer work I had to get done, and I am happy to say its FINISHED! But I have scrambled from thing to thing absolutely all day long and I am TIRED. It is indeed bedtime.

Tomorrow will also be a big one! A good one in so very many ways 💜 But I can’t think too much about that yet. First, we SLEEP.

🥱🌙

Theres a heck of a lot I can’t show you about this week so far, which is disappointing. Thats been a weird part of blogging since we started fostering. There’s so much I can’t share. I know I could share more on social media, but the blog is so so public. I don’t even like to use the baby’s pronouns if I can help it. I’m just doing my best. Thats all. Yet it feels so strange to just casually leave such a huge thing out of our records. Its strange. Anyway.

The last few days have been pretty relaxed. We’ve tried to get some work done around here, as you’ve seen. Got the sink installed. Got the pantry mapped out, though not built yet. Picked up a new island top. Got some laundry shelves and closet shelves up. Got the video doorbell hooked up. Front door keypad and garage door keypad. Not to mention all the regular life stuff that goes on over here.

With all that busyness, we did enjoy some restful moments.

Laela colouring in the sun ☀️

Watching trash tv while crocheting a hammock for the girls’ stuffies 💜

And breakfast, a la Dekker. And yes, I WILL eat a bowl full of pickles when my kid insists on finding me some food in the morning. Even if my tummy is not ready for vinegar that early.

It has been a good few days off. Not without bumps, of course 💜 But whats a ride without some bumps in the road?

The next few days promise to be equally as full, but just as rewarding I’m sure.

One more job done and off the list! Thank you, Brady, for your efforts to get this place running as smoothly as humanly possible!

A quick refresh! Our previous sink was fine, but really only fine. It was a double basin stainless steel sink. Likely original to the house. The faucet for sure was original. One side had a disposal, and the other side did not plug. Like I said. It was fine. It definitely wasn’t good. So I started looking, and I quickly found a really good deal online at Costco for a much deeper stainless sink with a faucet included. And a little soap pump! Win! So yesterday, Brady got into it!

First, he assembled as much of the sink as was humanly possible before actually installing it. Good thing our place is still a mess and we haven’t moved this little freezer out of here yet, lol!

Then we pulled out the other sink. That seal was OLD.

Brady cut the hole for the sink a bit larger, though his multitool coughed its last breath halfway through. Still, he made it work and got it dropped in place. Then the plumbing stuff actually began.

Its pretty!! 😍

I only just drenched him the one time 😬 He definitely mentioned to me that he was going to look for the flow restrictor, and I definitely heard him and acknowledged him. And then I definitely came to the sink and attempted to fill a pot with water, turning the tap on full blast. Which definitely gave him a face full of water. 😳😩 Lucky he still loves meeeee! Sorry Brady 💜

Aaaaand when the time came to do dishes, the sink was usable!

Silicone still needs trimming and such, but everything is back to where it belongs. The garburator works. The sink plugs. We are very very happy!

One more big job crossed off the list ✅ Its not over, but we’re moving forward!

Everyone keeps eating. I don’t know what thats all about but man. That doesn’t slow down as they age, hey? Noted. Duly noted.

Yesterday, the morsel woke quiet early, and while the baby was quite the peach, it was evident that the time we’d normally be at church would be the time the morsel would need to be sleeping. So, I decided to stay home with aforementioned morsel, and Brady attended church with our five.

As expected, the morsel easily went down once the house was quieter. This was my cue to click on some true crime and use my time for good. Thus began my bake day. Possibly my biggest bake day to date! And I really really enjoyed it.

I sipped coffee.

I licked my fingers.

I listened to true crime.

The oven whirred and whirred.

It smelled amazing.

I felt accomplished.

Of course, my couple of quiet hours ended abruptly and the day moved forward. I still baked, but it was less zen and more messy. It was still crazy productive. It was around 4pm when I clicked the oven off for the day. I abandoned all the baking at that point and went on with the rest of the day.

The haul is as follows:

2 gigantic batches (about 150) pumpkin bran muffins
42 oatmeal-to-go cups
2 pans granola bars
4 loaves of banana bread with crumble on top

Once most of the kids were down for night, I got to wrapping each item to be a grab and go breakfast or lunch item. That is definitely my least favorite part, but Brady pitched in and helped get things done quicker 💜 I wrap the pumpkin muffins in twos. Everything else is individual. Its annoying, and yes, its a lot of wasted saran wrap. But it works so well for us at this time.

While I’m definitely missing my giant island from the other house, and the space is afforded me on my bake days, that is a small price to pay to be settling into this home 💜 We’ll get those details worked out in time, but for now, I’m just grateful we have this giant table, and kids who don’t stick their fingers all over everything 😅 This absolutely works. We are so fortunate.

Our sweet little girly lost her first tooth yesterday! Yesterday it all came to a head and she was frustrated with it. I walked past her room while Brady was saying goodnight to her, and I hear her inquire if there was anything he could do to help her. I casually offered up a suggestion.

“You could let him pull it out.”

And I kept walking, because no reasonable person would jump at such an idea.

Except Wavy. She was down to clown.

It was the absolute teeniest tooth ever!! But WOW was it clean!!! I was impressed!

She bled for a little bit, but the excitement greatly outweighed the initial ick factor. And this morning, she was beaming while she told everyone about it!

My littlest girly is getting so big, I can hardly stand it. But I also LOVE it 💜 She is a riot. I’m such a big fan of her. And I cannot wait for her to lose more teeth, haha! Gotta love that jack-o-lantern look!!

You’re SO brave, Wavy!

Its pretty cute over here. We have a baby who has finally embraced tummy time, and somehow cut three teeth in four days!!! 😵 That was a pretty nutty stretch, hahaha! We also have a baby who is crawling confidently, pulling up independently, and reaching developmental milestones all across the board! I am SO proud of both beautiful little babies in our care! 💜

Meanwhile, Waverly has her first wiggly tooth!!!! 😁 And she is STOKED!

She’s trying to show off which one it is, which is super not working, but is a super cute effort 💜 Anyway. Its on the bottom.

I’m so grateful for the privilege to witness milestones with these beautiful children. My heart is very full. Thank you Lord.

Ok. This is my call out. I’m on the hunt for this baby toy.

It is a heavy (and I do mean HEAVY) favorite for our morsel. However, it is not ours. It was manufactured a good while ago, and cannot just be purchased anywhere. So this means I will likely only be able to lock it down from a thrift store, or possibly from someone else who is done with theirs.

I’ve also heard there is a Facebook group specifically made for things like this, such as childrens prized stuffies and things their parents are afraid of losing. Does anyone know where to find that group? Help!

This toy was made my Discovery, or Baby Dolittle. It was seen on an episode of Baby Dolittle/Baby Einstein called World Animals in the early 2000s. Its referred to as a rattle, even though I would think a teether is more accurate.

I digress. Help me, friends. I want one of these butterflies. Or, I’d take a handful, lol! This toy doesn’t look like anything special, but it is 💜

The hunt is on!

Do you remember my post from fall where I talked about some of the medical conditions we’ve learned about since we began doing foster care? It was called Not a Medical Baby, and its probably in my top ten favorite posts I’ve written. We have learned SO much in the last stretch of our life, and while its not necessarily been gentle, its been incredibly enlightening, and not at all as daunting as it sounds.

So if you’ve followed along, you know we’ve fed our morsel through an NG tube. That system has been upgraded to a G tube!! Teaching time! The G stands for gastrostomy, which means its inserted directly into the stomach. Previously, we managed an NG (nasogastric) tube that went in through the nose and ran down into the stomach. I feel like logic tells us that the NG tube is a temporary solve, and a G tube is a longer term solution. A G tube does not have to be forever at all, but the NG is significantly more temporary, and is only really meant to stay in for a few weeks. We rocked one over here for a good six months. Moving to the G tube meant surgery, therefore another hospital admission, and healing a surgical site. However, it has proven to be a significantly nicer situation for the morsel, and we have absolutely NO regrets. Behold 🙌 This is what that G button looks like!

Ok but seriously. Its basically just a beach ball valve.

What is cool about going from an NG to a G tube is that almost nothing changes. We used to screw the end of the feeding bag into the tube that was taped to the side of the morsels face. Now, we attach ONE additional piece of equipment – an extension – to the morsels tummy, and screw the end of the feed onto it. We rock the right angle extension, as it lays flat against the tummy.

Poof. Thats its. Not so scary, is it? Everything else is exactly the same. Besides the obvious health benefits for someone who cannot safely feed, the baby has more freedom and comfort this way. The tube isn’t as buggy, and can be tucked under a high chair tray and out of sight. The baby can breathe better when they have a cold, and they are not constantly re-traumatized, having it get pulled out and put back in constantly. It is altogether better, even though the thought of it scared me at first. Now, its just part of us!

Thank you, Rae, for this BOMB shirt!!! 💜

Don’t be afraid if the topic of tube feeding comes up relating to someone you love 💜 That part of whatever they are going through is going to be SO manageable, and you CAN and WILL learn it. It will be easier than you think. One day, you’ll wonder what you were so worried about. It will feel big, but not forever 💜 Hear my heart in this, please. I don’t downplay anyone’s scene. I just want to encourage others to not be afraid of tube feeding. Its really just not so bad at all 💜 Don’t be scared.

Today is supposed to be a mushy, romantic, Hallmarky day, right? Well I’m going for SPICY! And by “spicy” I do mean that Brady built me shelves for my spices!!! Heyooo!

He took out one wall cabinet, and drilled holes in a million places before reinstalling it, rather than building a separate box. The space in there was so small, this was the best option.

And now, my spices have a home, and my dead space has a purpose.

I know. I know, guys. It doesn’t get better than this. A man who renovates.

For reals though, I love you, Brady, and not just today. Thank you for all you do around here for us 💜

Welp. We took seven children to the eye doctor today. It was quite the thing, I won’t lie. Conveniently, Bradys job is nearby, and flexible, so he joined us and we went in as a group of NINE! Also conveniently, the place was pretty quiet when we got there. Not to say it stayed that way once we arrived, but we didn’t disrupt many others, haha!

Everyone’s vision is quite stable, which is awesome! A couple of prescriptions changed, a couple did not, and some glasses had been through more than others. So. The breakdown is like this.

Dekker and Laela both had new prescriptions, and therefore needed new glasses.

Rowan prescription stayed the same, but his vision is improving! Thanks to this, the doctor met him in the middle with the things he struggles with in terms of his vision. This means a bit more glasses time and less contact time. Aaaaand fewer patching hours!! Rowan is THRILLED, and I’m also pretty happy. The reductions are small enough that I still feel like we’re moving forward, but big enough that Rowan feels validated and seen. Win win! With that said, he will keep the same glasses, since they have very little wear.

Solly’s prescription is stable and doesn’t need changing, but his glasses are pretty beat up and need replacing.

Waverly’s vision is awesome, and she doesn’t need glasses! Yet, haha! Who knows what will happen, but for right now, the eye doctor fed Wavy’s ego by telling her she’s basically perfect, haha!

Babies are glasses-free! For the time being, anyway. One will likely need them later. One probably won’t. And both of those options work great for us, however that looks! We are not afraid of a little one in glasses. We’ve done that before.

All things considered, it was a successful appointment and afternoon. One kid will go back in four months. One in six. And most in a year.

I’ll show you their new glasses when they come in. Because I like the suspense. And also because it all happened so fast and I don’t have pictures 😂 I have this one, though.

So. You’re welcome.

🥸