Foster2Forever

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Why Am I Thrilled About Medicaid?

Because Stinkpot didn’t have Medicaid coverage!

We adopted our foster son, Stinkpot, at 2 years old in 2009. He wasn’t eligible for adoption subsidies as a healthy (relatively), Caucasian foster child under the age of 5.

And we didn’t care! We were thrilled for Stinkpot to officially be our son after a year and a half of him being a part of our family.

However, at age 3, our precious Stinkpot began having uncontrollable rages!  So much so that he got kicked out of THREE daycares for injuring other children and staff! We even began medicating our explosive child after visiting a psychiatrist. One diagnosis, in a list of many, was Reactive Attachment Disorder.

However, Stinkpot’s psychiatric care was getting expensive — We were becoming increasingly frustrated with what the health care facility was charging and what my insurance wouldn’t cover.  For example, the psychiatrist is a specialist requiring a $40 co-pay – but since his office is located in an outlying building on the hospital grounds, any office visit was billed as an outpatient hospital visit that required us to pay $60 out-of-pocket until our deductible was met! Geez! $100 a visit!

We could see that these were long-term issues we were dealing with. Our Stinkpot would need Medicaid assistance.  But we had already adopted him as a healthy child.

We discovered that we had the option to “appeal” the State’s decision to deny Medicaid subsidies for our adopted child through a “Fair Hearing” process.

We began the process in January.  Yesterday, we signed and delivered our Adoption Assistance Agreement to the State office!

The process is long (and bumpy)!  First, there was the long wait in the queue before the Austin attorneys even looked at Stinkpot’s file. Then we were requested to obtain documentation from a physician about Stinkpot’s condition.  The psychiatrist had to write a letter explaining that Stinkpot had these serious issues at the time of adoption, but the disorders couldn’t be diagnosed since he was too young. That was May 10th.

The letter was sent to the State’s attorneys, and then we were denied.  The letter had to have EXACT wording (Legalese).  Another $100 visit on August 9th to the psychiatrist to request the letter – again – this time with the EXACT words the State attorneys required!

The State attorneys reviewed the second letter and sent their letter of finding that Stinkpot would be eligible for foster care adoption subsidies last month.  The adoption assistance negotiator called last Thursday so I could detail all the costs associated with Stinkpot’s care.  We received the Adoption Assistance Agreement this weekend.

Our Stinkpot will now have Medicaid coverage! First on the list is a tonsillectomy, then food allergy testing…

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Why This Meltdown? Identifying Emotional Triggers

Does your child randomly throw a tantrum for no reason? There could possibly be big reason for the tantrum…

trauma-triggers-tantrums

For those of you who follow on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you may have read this update–

What was the trigger for this emotional outburst?

The 5-year-old who had been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, had had a GREAT morning! We rewarded him with choosing where we would have lunch after church. He decided he wanted to have lunch at “Bo King” – Great!  Hubs ordered our lunch when the child decided he wanted some Cinnabon rolls.

FosterDad’s reply: “After you finish lunch.”

And then the tantrum started! There was not a “NO” said to the little tyke. But, regardless, he fell to the floor immediately, in full-tantrum mode.

Anything we said to him, only agitated him more. So we left him there. In the order line at Burger King.  With other customers stepping over him.

Anytime I went to check on him, it only inflamed him more – to the point where he was kicking the display signs. So I left him there.

The rest of the family was in the play area eating. Then after a few minutes, he began peeking to see what we were doing. Eating. That’s what we were doing. Not paying attention to him.

Then he stands up, one hand on the napkin dispenser, daring me to notice him, so he could pull out all the napkins and throw them on the floor.  I moved to where he couldn’t see me.

A few minutes later, he peeked into the play area.  My response:

“Oh boy, you look hungry! Is my little boy hungry?”

He then hopped into my lap and enthusiastically ate his lunch!!! MY SON WAS HUNGRY!!! (Low blood sugar can trigger the fear response in a neglected child)

I did acknowledge his poor behavior by discussing it while rubbing his back. “Does throwing a fit get your way? No? Let’s try harder next time!”

Afterward we had the best Sunday afternoon at home as a family in a month!

I’m currently reading The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family (are you reading along with me?).

I’m now on Chapter 3 (“Solving the Puzzle of Difficult Behavior”) which discusses how a child’s emotional trauma and difficult background can trigger difficult behaviors in everyday situations.

The Takeaways About Emotional Triggers:

  • Keep a journal of your child’s daily activities and behaviors to try to decipher the emotional triggers
  • Learn everything you can about a child’s background and trauma, i.e. sexual abuse, prenatal drug or alcohol exposure, neglect
  • Watch for patterns (i.e. transitioning from one activity to the next)
  • Be alert to any triggers that may cause your child to lose control of their emotions.

Read the shocking truth about how I discovered the trigger behind this child’s outbursts.

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I’m Treating my Kindergartner Like a Baby – And It’s Working

For those of you with children that may have Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) or other attachment issues, you can understand the disruption it causes in your family. The sheer exhaustion of it all.

Many times I am overwhelmed by the reaction that my child has sometimes. And nothing seems to work. However, after so many of you recommended it, I finally began reading The Connected Child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive familyby Dr. Karyn Purvis of TCU.  (Read about Feeling Hopeless from Chapter 1. Are you reading along?)

Chapter 2 of The Connected Child is “Where Your Child Began” and describes all the sensory input your adopted child may have missed to be able to form normal attachments in life. Chapter 2 of the companion study guide, Created to Connect, focuses on feeling compassion for your child.  I do feel compassion for my child – I love him – but sometimes when he turns into possessed devil-child, I just want to lay down the strict law to get his little butt to straighten up!

However, there was one small sentence in the book that hit me: “Your job, as parents, is to help these children get what they missed…” Then the study guide expanded on this concept about “Returning to the Beginning” discussing how children may actually be required to “go backwards” in order to move forward. When I read the illustration about the older adoptee wanting hot tea with her mom many times a day and her mom’s comparison to bottles and sippy cups, it struck a chord with me.

Although we received our child as an 8-month-old foster baby, do we need to somehow go backward and makeup for those first 8 months of neglect?

One night, our child had another horrible episode. He wanted to go outside and play football but was refusing to eat supper. He even attempted to throw his plate across the room. FosterDad was clearly in discipline mode.  I intervened with another approach.

reactive-attachment-disorder-therapy

As I scooped my little one up in my lap, he first fought me, but in a soft baby-toned voice, I began saying: “Oh! My little baby needs to eat supper, but this food is for big kids. Let’s mash this up and put a bib on this baby! Oh, here’s a bite. Open wide, baby…”

Would you believe, he began playing like he was a baby and anxiously took bite after bite until he was done?  Then he got down and went outside to throw the football with Daddy.

Whoa! Crazy, huh? But it worked!

Then the next night again, he was throwing a fit about wanting some candy, but we had Pediasure for him to drink. I picked up the squirt bottle it was in, acting like it was a bottle, and put my child in my lap in the rocking chair. “Oh, look at this baby needing his bottle!”  He drank it quickly and the evening went well after all that drama.

This is nuts! But it’s working!

Now, I don’t want my child ruling the roost, so to speak, but by “going backwards”, he is getting something that he missed, and we, as parents, are getting him to mind (in a weird kind of way).  Is this approach the right approach?  Who knows?

There will be someone that will criticize me for “giving in” to his fits, but it’s working right now for our family right now.

Hopefully, I won’t be picking him up and treating him like a baby when he’s a teenager – THAT would be awkward!

Are you reading The Connected Child along with me? What may your child have missed? How can you go backwards to help heal your child?

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Easy DIY Disney Mickey and Minnie Mouse Costumes

We love Halloween and will be celebrating this year with the Mouse himself on a Disney Cruise out of Galveston, Texas!!!

Here is an easy Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Homemade Mickey Mouse Halloween Costume that I put together for Stinkpot a few years ago. Our foster daughter, Blondie, was to be his Minnie, but she moved a few days before and so…

Here are the items you will need:

Black Turtleneck

Red Shorts

Black Stocking Tights

Yellow Crocs

White Gloves

Mouse Ears, of course!

Other Miscellaneous Supplies: Yellow Felt & Glue Dots to add yellow felt “buttons” to Mickey’s red shorts.

Mouse Makeup: I found that Black Cream Eyeliner with a brush is much easier than using a pencil eyeliner! Color in the nose! Smile and outline the cheeks, then add a line from the sides of mouth to cheek lines. Viola! A mouse!

Easy-peasy, Mouseketeers!

DIY Homemade Minnie Mouse Halloween Costume

I became my Stinkpot’s Minnie Mouse date on Halloween…

Here I am with Blondie before she left…

For Minnie Mouse costume you will need the items listed above: Black Stocking Tights, Yellow Crocs, White Gloves, AND..

Red Polka Dot Dress

Minnie Mouse Ears

Easy-peasy, Mouseketeers!

handmade costumes for adults

Do you have plans for Halloween? Do your kids already know how they will dress? Or do they change their minds a million times before?

 

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Feeling Hopeless

Hopeless (noun) – Having no hope; despairing; bleak; incurable; impossible.

That same emotion that overwhelmed me during our journey through infertility.

But now I have that child I dreamed of!

That child that was conceived in November 2006 as the fertility doctor told us our prognosis.

That child that was in God’s plan all along.

That child that was placed in my arms on March 4, 2008, and smiled at me.

That child that became my forever son in August 2oo9.

My dream of motherhood came true!  How in the world can I feel hopeless? Do I even have that right?

During my short parenting journey with 5-year-old Stinkpot, there have been numerous times when I’ve wept and cried out, “God, please help my little boy!”

I’ve felt hopeless when he would have HUGE meltdowns that would last an hour and nothing I could do would comfort him.

I’ve felt hopeless that after taking him off of allergy medicines known to cause aggression – that he would still have these meltdowns.

I’ve felt hopeless when his daycare called at noon one day (after numerous days of meltdowns) and asked me to pick him up and told me that they wouldn’t care for him anymore and to find another daycare.

I’ve felt hopeless when his second daycare called at noon one day after only three weeks to pick him up and told us to find another daycare.

I’ve felt hopeless when his third daycare called before noon because he was having a meltdown – they called his meltdown state a “possession.” He lasted eight weeks at his third daycare.

I’ve felt hopeless that he couldn’t handle his third daycare, even after being prescribed medications by a psychiatrist.

I’ve felt hopeless that even now he still has major meltdowns that last over an hour (yesterday because we didn’t go out to eat a lunch buffet).

Will my little boy ever be able to overcome his neglected past and handle rejection and disappointment appropriately?

This is my fear as my little boy grows up.

After reading Chapter 1 of The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family and especially the study guide, Created to Connect, I realized that I have to shift my focus from his meltdowns to my child as a whole.  These meltdowns are not who my child is. The meltdowns are the feelings of rejection that overwhelm him. He doesn’t understand the emotions and can’t control them.

As I look at my “whole child”, I see an incredibly bright, athletic, and determined gorgeous little boy!

That determination will be the death of me as a parent! However, that incredible determination will keep him motivated to complete whatever goals he sets in life.

This is what I need to remember to keep my grip on hope! (And also that he is only five years old.)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

My child has a future full of hope!

What challenges have you faced in parenting your foster children? What are the beautiful qualities in your child that you might overlook during the challenging times?

UPDATE: We discovered that my son suffers from hypoglycemia – his tantrums were caused by hunger that he was unable to express. Hallelujah! {Don’t give up hope for the answer!}

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5 Tips to a Calmer Bedtime

Bedtime, ah, sweet bedtime! That precious time when our little ones quickly hop into bed and lay down with a smile on their face.  A kiss on the forehead. Lights out. Then, do you hear that? Quiet!


Excuse me, but that does not happen at our house! That’s a fairytale that might as well have unicorns and pink elephants.

Getting our rambunctious boys to settle down for the night is a huge undertaking! Depending on Stinkpot’s mood, his bedtime can rip every last ounce of life out me at the end of a long day. (My bedtime usually comes about 5 minutes after the boys’, and quite honestly, sometimes before…oops!)

Here are some things that we do to help our preschool boys wind down for bedtime.

1. Take a Warm Bath

This is an integral part of our nighttime routine that helps our boys transition from active play to bedtime. I wash their hair with Johnson’s Baby Shampoo with Lavender. Lavender – with all its calming aromatherapy effects – maybe for some – but probably not much for my preschool boys. 🙂

2. Give a Back Rub 

Getting in bed and stopping activity involves a back rub. My sensory-seeking preschooler, Stinkpot, LOVES a back massage!  It’s encouraging to hear Stinkpot say: “Ahhh, that feels SO GOOOOOOODDDD”

3. Sing Songs or Play Soft Music

Singing songs can have a calming effect on our boys. I’ve made the mistake in singing songs with motions: “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and “I’m in the Lord’s Army” are NOT songs to sing at bedtime.  We sing songs like “Rock-a-Bye, Baby” and “Jesus Loves Me” while lying in bed. One of my favorites is Laurie Burkner’s “Goodnight“. I add other animals to the song and let them sing the animal sound. Fun!!!

Also, just turning out the lights and playing songs on my iPhone, can make my boys STOP.  We love to listen to Jewel’s Lullaby. Her angelic voice is so incredibly beautiful. Another favorite is Renee & Jeremy’s It’s a Big World.

4. Engage in Meaningful Conversation

Just sitting and talking at the end of the day can have a calming effect on my boys. Sometimes we review everything that happened that day (and sometimes the poor choices that were made, along with other options).

But sometimes having a talk needs to be more light-hearted and like a game.

We engage in conversation with a storytelling component to encourage critical thinking. We explore Stinkpot’s interests in where he wants to travel and what he wants out of life.

Our favorite is “I’ll tell you a story about when I was little.”

Stinkpot anxiously anticipates hearing tales of me with my little black dog, Pepper, that would walk me to and from school every day.  “I LOVE Pepper” is a phrase I hear often.  We are creating an incredible connection through storytelling of my childhood.

Using storytelling as part of your bedtime routine with new foster children, would help create a safe sharing environment for them. Giving them an opportunity to open up and engage in conversation.

5. Read with Your Children

Especially now that Stinkpot is in Kindergarten, reading has to become an integral part of our bedtime routine. But getting my hyperactive preschooler to settle down and STOP can be a real challenge sometimes. Again, I have to make reading a game.

Thanks to Christopher!

Christopher is part of Hallmark’s Interactive Story Buddy line. Christopher is a bear that can’t sleep. During the story when I read “Christopher was feeling really sleepy”, Christopher, in his childlike voice responds with “Yawn! But I’m not sleepy.”  There are other key phrases in the story, and Christopher’s response isn’t always the same, which makes it more interesting for my boys.

The boys love Christopher and argue over who gets to hold him. Enter Hallmark’s brand new Scooby-Doo Interactive Story Buddy!

Our Lil Bit just LOVES Scooby-Doo (pronounced “Toomy-Doo)! I’m excited that I already know what Santa is bringing Lil Bit this year!

There are other Interactive Story Buddies, such as Nugget, Cooper, Watson, and Bigsby. Also, there’s Abigail, the acrobatic bunny, that little girls will adore! Story Buddies (and additional StoryBooks) are only available in your local Hallmark store.

Disclaimer: Hallmark provided me with Christopher and Scooby-Doo for review. There are also links to Amazon music that I get a couple pennies commission from Amazon if you buy from the link.

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How a Drug Made My World More Colorful

Our 3-1/2-year-old was out-of-control. He had been kicked out of THREE daycares for explosive behavior. I had to take family leave from my career to stay at home with my emotional disturbed little boy.

My heart was breaking!  We finally made the difficult decision to see a pediatric psychiatrist. Maybe this is the help we need. On the day of his appointment, he was running through waiting room in his underwear – just screaming.

The doctor prescribed Tenex to help calm him down. His explanation is that it was the most conservative treatment to begin with.

Our son adjusted well to new medication after a period of adjustment; however, after nearly two years, and with the beginning of all-day Kindergarten last month, the doctor decided it was time to try a stimulant for his ADHD behavior.

I was hesitant to begin giving my 5-year-old little boy a psychotropic medication. However, after a month on the ADHD stimulant, Vyvanse, it appears that he sees the world in a whole new way.

Check out the top photo of Spiderman – brown scribbles is how our little boy colored before.

And then all of a sudden, as if Dorothy opened the door from her home into the colorful land of Oz:

Our son’s mind has now been opened to the world of color. Even monkeys and mice are a RAINBOW OF COLOR!!!

AND…

our son has had twelve days of perfect behavior at school!!!

I am giddy, happy, thrilled with the transformation of my little boy!!!

Vyvanse is a stimulant – amphetamine – so it is highly regulated. Every month, we have to travel to the psychiatrist to pick up a written prescription to be filled within seven days.

The best quality of the Vyvanse: slow time-release – it doesn’t give the feeling of euphoria that other stimulants do so it doesn’t have the same addictive effect.

Noticeable Side Effects (besides a colorful world):

  • Our son doesn’t take naps anymore.  Good in that there is no more naptime for Kindergarteners; however, sometimes he can get quite grumpy in the late afternoon without a nap. (But when I say: “Oh, it looks like you’re grumpy since you didn’t have a nap” – he straightens up immediately, afraid he will have to take a nap)
  • Our son has a severely decreased appetite. He won’t eat breakfast, and will eat only 2 bites of his lunch. He will eat during school snack time (but that’s not enough of the food we want him to eat).  He will then eat a late lunch after school but then won’t be hungry for supper. Frustrating!!!

But even given these side effects, we are thrilled with Vyvanse (so far) and the transformation of our little boy!

Disclaimer: This is our personal experience with Vyvanse, and you should not take our experience as advice from a physician. I am not a doctor, and haven’t even played one on TV! I was not compensated for this review because the makers of Vyvanse don’t know we exist, and we paid the out-of-pocket deductible for the prescription Vyvanse ourselves.

What has been your experience with Vyvanse or other stimulants as treatment for ADHD?

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Our Crazy Merry-Go-Round of Names

Do you change your foster children’s name at adoption?

When our precious Lil Bit came to live with us at 3-months-old as a legal risk adoptive placement, he had a BIG name, an old name – like Ernesto.  (All names have been changed)  Since he was a legal risk placement predicted to be adopted, we were planning to change his name.

It didn’t take us long to decide on his name – Deryl – a family name on my husband’s side.

Changing-Name-Foster-Child-At-Adoption

And here is the amusing story behind our foster children’s name changes after adoption:

  • Stinkpot’s bio-dad’s name is also Deryl.  (When we were contemplating a name change for our Stinkpot, my husband even absentmindedly suggested re-naming our Stinkpot, Deryl, for a moment. However, as soon as I mentioned the bio-dad’s name, we knew the name Deryl wouldn’t be the best.)

But that’s not the end of the same name game:

  • Stinkpot’s bio-brother is also named Deryl.

Yep! Much like the television show, Newhart:

But this isn’t where the same name game ends!

Remember when we received the call that Lil Bit had a newborn baby brother?

I struggled and struggled with saying no to becoming his mom. One reason: The baby actually had my deceased dad’s middle name!  Was that a sign from above?

I’ll flash forward the story of Baby Brother who is now going to be adopted by a nearby foster family. Guess what they are changing Baby Brother’s name to?

That’s right! Lil Bit’s given name: Ernesto!!

Do you change your foster children’s name at adoption?

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Fifth Disease Virus Hits Our Home

On Friday night, it was still over 100 degrees in the evening here in Texas. We loaded our small family of four into our GMC Yukon to have dinner at a restaurant with an indoor playground.  I was hesitant to visit Chick-Fil-A after I was verbally accosted in Chick-Fil-A by a single man for being a bad parent when I was wrangling five small children by myself.

On the way there, Stinkpot became his demanding self, repeating: “I don’t want to go to Chick-Fil-A!”

As I looked back at him to get on to him for making demands, I became immediately alarmed.

Stinkpot’s face, arms and legs were covered in hives!

“Oh no!” I exclaimed. “Pull over! Stinkpot’s covered in hives! It looks like a horrible allergic reaction.”

We quickly deduced that he was allergic to a new flavored drink from Dollar General.  He was breathing fine and his tongue wasn’t swollen so a dose of Benedryl and an early bedtime in our bed is how we began our Labor Day holiday weekend.

In the morning, I woke to check our polka-dotted 5-year-old.  The rash was worse!

A quick trip to the urgent care facility gave us the diagnosis:  Fifth Disease

“What the heck is that?“

From the KidsHealth website:

Fifth disease is actually just a mild viral illness (from a type of parvovirus) that most kids recover from quickly and without complications.

Fifth disease begins with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose). These symptoms pass, and the illness seems to be gone until a rash appears a few days later.

The bright red rash usually begins on the face. Several days later, the rash spreads and red blotches (usually lighter in color) extend down to the trunk, arms, and legs. The rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. As the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-like appearance. Kids younger than 10 years old are most likely to get the rash.

A person with parvovirus infection is most contagious before the rash appears — either during the incubation period (the time between infection and the onset of symptoms) or when experiencing only mild respiratory symptoms.

The rash is the result of an immune system reaction that occurs after the infection has passed, so kids usually aren’t contagious once it appears. Isolating someone with a fifth disease rash won’t prevent spread of the infection because the person usually isn’t contagious by that time.  The rash of fifth disease usually lasts 1 to 3 weeks.  The majority of kids with fifth disease recover with no complications. By the time the rash appears and while it’s present, they usually feel well and are back to their normal activities.

We didn’t notice Stinkpot having any cold-like symptoms before. He has been playing, and his rash is clearing up quickly. And he will be returning to school tomorrow.

Have you heard of Fifth Disease before? What odd ailments has your children come down with?

I’m Clever

Sway