Caleb quotes

Caleb has been reading the book, "If You Give A Pig A Pancake." It starts with, "If you give a pig a pancake, he'll ask for some maple syrup." Yesterday at supper, Caleb said, "If you give a Cardale a pancake, he's going to throw it up." We started laughing so hard. You can probably figure out why Caleb said that, yes, Cardale did throw up after we gave him a piece of pancake. He has a very sensitive gag reflex.

It is fun watching Caleb develop a sense of humor.

Last weekend Nate's parents came for a visit. The boys always enjoy seeing them. On Saturday, they took the boys to the beach. Caleb doesn't like Lake Michigan and Isaac kept eating sand, but overall they had fun!:)

We also had our annual college friends get together last weekend. We went out for a kid-free dinner on Friday night. It is so nice to have uninterrupted conversation! On Saturday afternoon we went to one of our friend's house and hung out. Originally we had planned on going to the beach with all of our kids, however there were 6 babies added to the group over this past year. Babies and beaches do not mix well, so we wisely nixed that idea. It's always fun to see everyone again!

Fun Times

I thought I would post some new pics of the boys. I pulled out the kiddie pool this week and the boys loved it! Isaac mostly enjoyed getting in and out of the pool repeatedly. Caleb enjoyed having a playmate in the pool! I put Cardale's toes in as well, but I couldn't get a picture of all three boys-Isaac doesn't sit still for long and he goes under easily. Cardale was happy sitting in the stroller and observing the mayhem.

Another exciting development is that Isaac is walking! He has been practicing taking steps on his own. The farthest he has gone is about halfway across the room. I love watching babies learn to walk. They look like little Frankensteins with their arms straight out in front of them.

Today is a rainy day here, but that is ok. The last picture is of the boys "watching" golf together. Isaac only sat there for the picture and then wanted down. My Mom was here for a couple days which was a huge help. We always enjoy having visitors!

Fourth of July

Going for a bike ride with Dad!
Caleb went fishing for the first time and loved it.

We had a very nice holiday weekend. We went to my grandparent's cottage in WI and my sister rode along with us. The trip out there was so long! Traffic was horrible and it took us 7 hours. Cardale is a champion traveler though! Isaac doesn't like being confined for any period of time.:) We had a relaxing time there. Some of my extended family was there and they helped out alot with the kids. The weather was perfect! I went waterskiing for the first time in a couple years. Last year I was pregnant and couldn't go. It was such a great feeling. It was like all the responsibility fell off my shoulders. I wasn't a mother of three anymore- I just felt like I was 16 again! We also did some kayaking and dragged Caleb on a boat ride. He was pretty much scared the whole time and kept asking when the ride would be done. Maybe he'll like it more next year.

Yesterday we went to a foster care picnic that Bethany put on. I'm glad we went. It was encouraging to talk with other foster parents. To be reassured that we're doing a good thing, that no our kids are not going to be scarred for life, and that it's ok and normal to not always like being foster parents. There are definitely moments when Nate and I say, "Can you imagine how easy life would be right now with only two kids?" But, we just have to look at Cardale to realize that we wouldn't want to change anything.

Steph's Visit

Over the weekend my sister came to visit! It was so great to have her here. It was good to catch up and she was so helpful! Visiting our house is always good birth control for her.:)

Caleb had some funny comments this week. Steph mentioned the movie "Sex and the City." Caleb overheard her and said, "I love sex!" Steph and I were good and didn't overreact. I just changed the subject. We laughed so hard after he left the room though!

The other comment happened when I was nursing Isaac. Caleb walked up to me and asked, "Is he chewing on your chest? Why is he chewing on your chest?" I couldn't help but laugh. How did we go 10 months of breastfeeding without this coming up?! I just explained that God made mommies special and they can feed babies milk from their chest. He was happy with that and went off to play. These questions definitely catch you off-guard!

How about some positive news!

Cardale chilling in his stroller
Grandpa keeping Isaac happy with food

Diaper changes wait for no one!

Earlier this year Nate and I made reservations at Yankee Springs Campground to go camping with the boys. Our plans had to change once Cardale came along. No way we could sleep in a tent with two babies!:) So Nate and Caleb went camping while I took the babies to my parent's house. My parents live about 20 minutes from the campground, so we could stop by for an afternoon. Caleb loves camping just as much as Nate. They had a really fun time together. I enjoyed being at my parents and getting some extra help. It would have been hard camping with Isaac. He is crawling, but not walking and puts everything in his mouth. It would have been difficult to keep him happy at the campsite b/c it was kind of muddy. At one point we put Isaac and Caleb in the tent to play. Isaac did not like that and was pressing his face against the screen and screaming. Caleb was yelling at us, "I don't want to be in here with him!" The adults found it quite funny.

Cardale is a completely different baby! Now that he is feeling better he is more content and happy. His appetite is better and he's not as clingy. Thank you for all your prayers! I definitely have the tough moments, but not as bad as last week!

Latest Developments

So can you tell I decompress in the evening by blogging?:) Cardale (and us) had another stressful couple of days. On Monday evening we noticed that he was getting a rash and thought maybe it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin. He slept horribly that night, the rash spread, he was irritable and noticeably itchy. Most of Tuesday was spent trying to see a doctor (that story would take too long). Eventually we saw a PA who told us it was just heat rash and to keep giving him the antibiotic. I didn't agree with that diagnosis and neither did my Mom, so we disregarded it. (By the way, Deb and Renee, I'm not bashing PA's, just this particular one!) Cardale saw the Dr. today and he agreed it was an allergic reaction to amoxicillin.

It has been a rough 10 days for Cardale and our family. We knew foster care would be hard, but you never know what "hard" means until you're in it. I felt like today we are starting to see some sun through the clouds. Cardale is starting to make eye contact with us and he actually laughed a couple times. I wish I had a picture of myself yesterday. I did my first outing with all 3 kids. I had the diaper bag over my shoulder, carried Cardale in the infant carseat, had Isaac on my hip, and Caleb holding onto the diaper bag. I felt like a pack mule!:) I don't think I'll be doing many trips on my own with the kids.:)

Oh, and I forgot to mention last week that we got the results from Isaac's allergy test. He does have a milk allergy. He isn't allergic to any other foods, so that is a blessing. The Dr. said he may outgrow it in 6-12 months, we'll have to see. Now I need to learn how to cook dairy-free!

Improvements

This picture of Isaac cracks me up. His legs are so chubby. Isaac has learned to stand by himself. He has also learned how to walk behind his push toy. He is so proud of himself! He will be 10 months old tomorrow. Isaac is also learning the "limp body" trick. You know, when you try to remove him from something he shouldn't mess with and he goes limp so it's harder to pick him up. He can also be very dramatic when he's upset. He'll bend at the waist and lay his face on the ground and do a fake cry. I think he gets the drama from his Aunt Steph. Just kidding, Steph! You know we love you. He will try to share toys with Cardale but, pulls them away as soon as Cardale grabs for them. He also likes to grab Cardale's hair and pull himself up by it.

Cardale is doing alright. He's had a rough couple of days. He got a really bad cold and was spitting up alot of formula. I thought he had thrush, so I took him to the doctor. Turns out he has a double ear infection! I had no idea. He was sleeping thru the night while my kids always screamed all night. So Cardale is now on antibiotics and hopefully he feels better soon. I am also learning how to care for black hair. I called a neighbor to get some tips. It takes a really long time to pick his hair. His hair needs to be washed once a week and I put coconut oil in it daily. Caleb really likes touching Cardale's hair now because it smells like coconuts.:)

We also experience "The Perfect Storm" sometimes in our house-when all three kids are crying at the same time. That isn't at all stressful.:) Of course, then we have really great moments with the kids. We all went down to the waterfront and had supper while the kids behaved and had a great time. So the good and bad go hand in hand.