Tuesday was just one of those days. Our family was still very tired from traveling throughout the state of Texas for the Easter holiday weekend. Last week, our foster home licensing caseworker had to reschedule her quarterly visit for this Tuesday. When I agreed to Tuesday, I didn’t check my calendar, and the exterminator would be there too. I didn’t think too much of it since he would be doing his own thing…
However, that afternoon, I received a call from our foster baby’s caseworker, who also wanted a last visit with Lil Bit before his case was transferred to the State’s adoption unit. I told her that our caseworker was coming that afternoon. She said, “Great! I’ll see you this afternoon.”
So at 4:00 p.m., the exterminator knocks on the door. No problem….except…earlier in the day, I accidentally gave our hyperactive 3-year-old, Stinkpot, an antihistamine, which can make him a bit excitable and aggressive. OOPS!
Stinkpot was driving the “BugMan” cRaZy – following him around, asking a million questions, and talking, talking, talking. Poor man was just trying to kill a few bugs.
Then, ding! dong! 4:30 the doorbell rings and Lil Bit’s caseworker is there. As we walk in, my husband arrives in the house exhausted from TAKS testing, balancing Lil Bit in one arm and a large Diet Coke in the other. Just as our home caseworker drives up!
Wow! What was I thinking?
Stinkpot was OUT OF CONTROL! Acting out in the worst way! He hit the baby twice. At one point, he walked up to the baby and just kicked him!
I took him back in his room for a minute, while I distracted the caseworkers with the luscious chocolate-covered strawberries from Shari’s Berries that my wonderfully thoughtful husband had delivered to me as an Easter gift. {bribery?}
My husband then took Stinkpot outside to talk to the BugMan while I finished the visit with the caseworkers.
The visit itself went well.
- Lil Bit’s case will be officially transferred to the State’s adoption unit today.
- Since he is a citizen of Mexico, our 20-month-old, Lil Bit cannot be adopted until he is certified as a U.S. citizen. {we are harboring an illegal immigrant}
- He is now on the INS waiting list for a “certificate of naturalization“, in which scheduling the ceremony can take MONTHS! So we are in another “holding pattern” before the adoption of our Lil Bit can be finalized.
What a visit! BUT we had another visitor later that night!
photo courtesy Lisa Jane Stewart - not me!
The kids and I hunkered down in the bathroom clothes hamper until late in the evening. {FosterDad was glued to the television} I was keeping up with tornado alerts and friends through Twitter and Facebook. I admit it, I was scared!
We were all blessed by God’s protection that night! Have a blessed weekend with your family!
Hugs! ~penny
