Recertification

During our social worker visit this week, I was reminded that our recertification is due. That basically means we have hours of training that are due as well as some updated info and forms to submit. It means we need a new home eval. ::enter panic attack here::

After the initial panic of having to reprep the house for someone to come look through, I realized that a recertification being due means that we have been certified for a year now. We have been licensed for a year! It seems so recent that our little man was placed with us.

It got me thinking back to the 6 days we waited for a phone call. It is so odd to wait for someone to call you and tell you that you have a child. So scary to know what may come your way. What trauma your future child may have endured.

I remember the thoughts that ran through my head when we were officially certified. Were we ready for this? Were we really prepared for what God called us to?

Looking back on my fears, my excitement and all other emotions that ran wild I thought about the question "Is this what we expected it to be?"

My answer is not a clear cut yes or no. In so many ways I look at what we were taught and think that we were prepared for the worse and came out with the best case scenario. In other areas, I see that I could never have prepared myself for where we are.

There are days I forget I am a foster mom. There are others when the blatant reminders crush me. There are times that I think we are ready to quit (without returning little man of course lol) and there are days that I just know we will do this forever.

But is it what I expected when we signed the first form? I don't know. I don't know what we really expected to begin with. We came into this with faith and a calling. That's basically where we still stand. Answering God's call and waiting for Him to point us where He wants us to go.

Will we continue fostering after Little Man? Only God knows. We were called to adopt a child through foster care. We are hoping that child is Little Man. If it is not, we will move forward. If it is, I don't know where we will go. We may foster more. We may just advocate for foster children. It is scary being so unsure. It's scary not knowing where our family will go from here. There is comfort in Christ though. Comfort in knowing that God has it all figured out.

For now, we pray. We take is one recertification at a time. We strive to be a voice for the child who does not have one. And we run to get our house together in time for our social worker. Ahhhhh!!!!!

Come back tomorrow for a recap of our first year.

When I Grow Up Event

Pretend City. I've mentioned here quite a bit how much we love it. It's definitely on our list of favorite places in Orange County. It's so high up there that this month when I asked Talon what he would like to do on his actual birthday, offering Disneyland, Knotts, Soak City, Parks, the beach, the works, he was set on Pretend City.

Done. Mama loves it too. You can imagine how excited I was when I got an e-mail of this months events and there was one on Talon's special day. It gets better. The event: "When I Grow Up". How perfect for our little guy who is growing before my eyes.

At When I Grow Up Day, Pretend City will have professionals from the community for the Pretenders to interact with. There will be people from all sorts of professions. The birthday boy is extra excited about the Firefighter and Lifeguard. His sister on the other hand cannot wait to see the manicurist and children's book illustrator. There are so many more too.

The event looks like a ton of extra fun. Pretend City is offering $1 off admission. And we will be there celebrating. We would love to see some of your faces and meet some of our followers in real life!

If you are able to make it, please say hello. I will be the crazy lady wearing a baby and chasing a 1, 3 and 4 year old while trying instagram it all. Ha. But seriously, we hope to see you there!

Event Info

August 23rd

10am-2pm

Pray for Luke

There are people we meet or come across that "just have something about them". Something that draws people in. They bring joy. They radiate love.

There's the little old lady that brings cookies to everyone she knows. The man in the store who looks just like Santa and will even make a grand story for your child. There is the kid with the contagious smile and laugh that melts you.

The kid in this instance is Luke. Without even meeting him you love him and want to squeeze him, right?

Luke is the perfect example of "there's just something about him".

He brings joy everywhere he goes. You just know that he is destined for great things. To move people with just his smile. 

In this moment though, Luke needs us. He needs our prayers. 

This past Sunday, my sweet friend Chelle took her precious 2 year old to Urgent Care for a fever that lasted 4 days. She needed him better for her sisters wedding this weekend. 

Luke and Mommy, Michelle

Instead of being prescribed antibiotics, within 24 hours, this sweet child was diagnosed with AML. A rare form of leukemia that will require 6 months of aggressive chemo.

A diagnosis and treatment that no child should have to face but sweet Lukey is still showing his smile on his Facebook page. 

We are asking now that you all join us in praying for Luke. Pray for a complete healing. For strength and for comfort. For his parents and big brother Jeremiah.. Pray, Pray and Pray some more.

If you would like to follow along with Luke's journey, his mama has set up a page where you can hear the latest news and specific prayer requests. To visit, Click HERE

A Baby Story: Corbin Grey

You write up a birth plan. You plan out the details. Discuss and confirm every thing with your doctor. It's going to be beautiful and perfect. Until it isn't.

That's how this labor went.

We decided to go all natural this time around. No epidural. No drugs at all. I was going to experience the real deal. I was actually pretty excited about it.

Then for numerous health reasons, after a lot of consideration and prayer we (doctor, hubby and I) decided that an induction was the best option for baby and I.

With the decision for an induction, came the decision to have an epidural. It was not an easy decision but the thought of no pain meds during the intense labor induction brings terrified me.

The decision to induce and have an epidural threw my loved birth plan out the window. Bye bye birthing ball, showers and ability to rock and walk the halls. Hello being locked down to a hospital bed. Sadness. But a good decision for my baby and I. 

Plus side, at least it'll be pain free, right? Right? Someone tell me epidurals always work! Or don't, you'd be lying. We'll get to that though. 

Induction day came. Family was on call. We knew it would be quick. My first labor was 9 hours, second was 6. This would be 3, right? Wrong!!

We arrived at the hospital. Got checked in. Waited about an hour and were in the room by 11am. They checked my cervix and I was at a three. Booyah!!! I'd never been dilated before labor in the past. This was gonna be over in an instant.

Pitocin was started and my first contraction came at around 1:30. I toughed through what the nurse called intense contractions for about 2 hours. It wasn't too bad. We walked the halls, I rocked in the rocking chair for a bit. It was the best part of any labor I've had because I was doing it! The nurse informed us that if I wanted an epidural in the next few hours I needed to do it now.

The epidural was placed and my water was broke. With the other two, after my water broke it was about an hour. It was go time. 

After about 5 minutes, I wasn't feeling well. Like really bad. Nauseous, light headed, room spinning. The epidural caused my blood pressure to drop. They gave me something in the IV and instantly I felt fine. It was really go time now.

About an hour later, I was still in labor. Instead of feeling the urge to push like I expected, I felt nauseous again. I felt like I was going to pass out. From what everyone in the room says, my eyes rolled back in my head, the bottom of my feet were blue and I was pale white. My blood pressure had dropped to 60/58!!! More ephedrine in the IV and I was fine. 

But why couldn't I feel my legs. Epidural was settling in them. My contractions were not being picked up by external or internal monitors. Had they stopped? Sure enough my labor would not stick. It went off and on for 13 hours where I stayed dilated at a 4 the WHOLE time. 

All of a sudden, horrible contractions. I let the nurse know I was in pain. Yes, in pain despite an epidural. For some reason the epidural was only working from my waist down. I felt everything from this point on...everything except my legs. My legs felt like logs, heavy logs that I could lift on my own. But things were progressing.

I was at 7. After 20 minutes I informed her I was feeling the pain and a little pressure. We were almost there.

Doctor was called and we kicked my family out of the room. As the doctor was prepping I had the urge to push, so we started. 1 push and there was his head. Within 4 pushes he was here. The labor from hell turned into the easiest delivery ever.

This precious baby was placed on my chest and I have been in love ever since. 

Corbin Grey was born on July 23rd at 3:23am. He was 9lb 11oz and 21.5in

He is growing quickly and is the sweetest little guy.

First picture as a family of 6. It's cuter without Little Man's disguise but it'll do :)

Introducing...

On July 23rd, after 14 long hours of labor, we welcomed our newest little guy into the world. My labor was a nightmare but the end result was a perfect gift from God. I will be posting the whole birth story this week or next. I just couldn't wait one more second to introduce you all to baby boy.

So here he is:

Corbin Grey. Born at 3:22am on July 23rd.

 Our big boy weighed in at 9lb 11oz and measured 21.5inches.

We are all loving having him here. He is the perfect addition to our family and everyone is so happy to have him here. Until I get the chance to post again, here are a few pictures to make your ovaries quiver.

 

Isn't he the sweetest? Yeah. I think so too ;)

On another exciting note, we are ready to announce the winner of the Target Giftcard Giveaway. Drum-roll please......

Jennifer Bryson!!!

E-mail me ASAP at Vesselhandmade{at}gmail{dot}com 

with your mailing address. 

Congrats!

Huggies Slip-Ons {Our New Way of Diapering}

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Huggies, but all my opinions are my own. #HuggiesSlipOn #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

In the past few weeks diaper changes have become so rough. Little man HATES to lay still. So when a friend told me about the Slip-Ons she was having her son wear, I was thrilled. A diaper change while still standing, Little Man and I had reached an agreement.

All I was looking for was an easier way to change the boys diaper but the perks just kept on coming. Little man has more energy than he knows what to do with. From the time he wakes up until he falls asleep, he is running, jumping and wiggling his little self around. Since using Huggies Slip-Ons Diapers, our little mover is less likely to leak.

They fit perfectly around his bottom. Although baby booty cheeks hanging out the side of a diaper can be super cute, it is not exactly good for preventing leaks. The awesome fit and stretch sides have made a huge difference in the amount of wet pants we take the boy out of.

In a lot of ways Huggies Slip-Ons remind me of a Pull-Up; easier changes and more flexible for a little mover. The difference is, a pull-up lets your kids know when they are wet and are not super absorbent. The absorbency on the Slip-Ons is amazing. Little man is able to sleep through the night without being changed. With a brand new baby in the house, this is a huge deal. I'm already lacking sleep. Not having to wake a sleeping baby to change his booty is enough to bring tears of joy to a mama's eyes.

When we first purchased our Slip-Ons,  I must admit I was worried about diaper changes while out and about. After opening the package, I was so excited to see that there are tabs, making it easy to remove and put on a new diaper. Granted it's not as easy as just slipping them on our runner but no more challenging than your usual diaper. Do you see what I mean about how "the perks kept on coming"? These Slip-Ons have been such an improvement in diapers for our Little Man.

And just wait, I have some perks for you as well.

First of all, a coupon, so you can try out these diapers on your little ones. The diapers are already a great price, they were $9.49 for the smaller pack and the bigger box (64 pack) was only $24.99. Click here for a $2 off coupon at Target and you are getting quite the deal!

Don't leave yet, I have another perk for you. It's a good one. How about a free $25 to Target? You can use it to buy a pack of Slip-Ons or anything else on your Target wish list! I know I am not the only one with a mile long list dedicated to Target, so go ahead and enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Corbin's Quilt

Well, we are about a week out from having baby #4 and this mama is in full blown nesting mode. The nursery is just about complete. We call it Corbin's Corner. That's basically what it is, about a third of Rhiannon's room that is all his own.

When we first looked at the space, I was super sad, just too little room for a baby. After moving things around and decorating a little bit I am happy to say that it does not look like we are putting the baby in a corner.

There are still a couple of things that need to be added to the room but I was so excited to finish his quilt before he actually got here that I decided to just do that before the whole room reveal.

I knew I wanted something simple for his blanket. He will only be in Rhiannon's room until Little Man is adopted or goes home, so at 10-12 months. Then he will move into the boy room where his theme will change.

We went with colors that we pulled out of Rhi's uber girly room. To save money on both the quilt and the baby shower, we made table runners for the shower and then cut them up for the quilt when it was over. Also, being the cheap person I am, decided to use bed sheets for table cloths...because.. well fabric table cloths are way too expensive. So I cut one of those up and used it for the border. Two birds, one stone...or is that three birds?

For the front, just basic geometric rectangular strips and a border. Simple, bright, fun. Done.

Looking at the picture, it clearly needs to be ironed. Eek.

 The back, we found a totally comfy and cute Chevron minky that matched the blue on the front.

I love the quilt. He can hang onto it for quite a while because of the simplicity and it only took a day and a half to make. On a very low budget.

Pay no attention to the half naked toddler...comes with the job.

What projects are you working on this week?


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