Catching up

[Note: if you read my private blog, a more detailed post can be found over there*]

I can't believe Christmas is over and 2012 is around the corner. Time is flying. Wasn't it just Halloween? That said, I owe you all an update! Still don't get that now I am actually fostering, I rarely post. I guess I just get busy in the day to day stuff and this foster care stuff, well...I'm living it. I'm not on the outskirts anymore, searching for some kind of connection to those who are foster and adoptive parents. Not sure if that makes sense. I do try to keep up with other blogs I used to comment on regularly and I recently discovered podcasts. I've had an ip0d forever, and I've listened to podcasts from my church or from different ministries, but never thought to search for topics. One day, I was board and searched "foster care" under podcasts. Low-and-behold...I found this *awesome* podcast called ::drumroll:: [you'll never guess the name]... Foster Parenting Podcast! Who knew such a thing existed. haha. The cool part is, this podcast is run by two foster/adopt parents and has been around for several years. They actually started when I started the foster process..in the fall of 2007. Wish I had known about it then. Anyway, check it out. They have a wealth of information tucked into each podcast. Some episodes are just the two of them talking through an experience, others involve interviews with guests or they have other foster parents take the mic for the night. Currently, they are up to episode 112, but I've been trying to listen in order...and I'm only up to episode 92. Makes for great listening on the way to and from work. You should check it out, either through their website, Foster Parenting Podcast, or by searching "foster parenting podcast" in iT^nes.

After listening to their show for several weeks, I was reminded that, oh yeah, I have a blog. Maybe I should write in it sometime... Heh. So, here is my update!

Yes, Jade is still with me. :) If you are keeping count, it has been a little over 19 months. Overall, Jade is doing pretty good. She is still with her boyfriend, and for the most part that has been going well. Her friends keep changing on a day-to-day basis, I can't keep up! lol. She's gotten into a grove with school and her grades have improved majority in the last year. She's taking more responsibility for herself and seems to have settled on a career path [she's stuck with this one for a few months now!]. She is looking at living on campus at a different university in the next year or so,. That said, she will likely be with me at least through next Christmas. Technically, Jade could stay with me until she's 21, but her plan is to move on campus and use the Independent Living Assistance Funds [ILAF] to help pay for a dorm. She also receives assistance with tuition and other living expenses from both the state and the government. I think it will be wise of her to make this transition as she will age out before she finishes school. Moving out before that happens will allow for a smoother transition. Plus it is the natural progression for many young people her age...move away to college and then become independent from there. The dorm she found has summer housing, and we are working on figuring out what to do for the short breaks between semesters [if I have a placement, she won't be able to stay with me]. Most of the kids go home to their families...but where do you go when you don't have a family to go to?

Christmas was good, just wish it hadn't come so fast. Looking at our pretty Christmas tree as I type this...it makes the house so warm and cozy...I don't want to take it down! Well, I probably won't take it down for another two weeks. All that work involved with putting it up and placing the ornaments just right. Not about to put it away! This year, instead of a bunch of clothes and gift cards and random junk [that added up fast last year], I got Jade one big thing, and a few useful other things. Last year I spent a ton of money...I was thinking in the moment, not the whole picture. I wanted to give this girl a really nice Christmas, after-all, the last one really sucked for her. What I wasn't thinking was "she'll be with you for a few years, so lets pace ourselves." Hah. I still spent too much, but not as much, so that was good. I was trying to be good and not get a ton of useless filler gifts to make up for less gifts. The list she gave me had some pretty expensive stuff on it! Wasn't sure what to think of it. Did she really expect to get it all? Does she think I'm made of money? Was it just wishful thinking? Did she hope I'd at least pick one thing from her list? I wasn't sure. In the end, Jade was happy with what she got and I think she'll actually get a lot of use out of her main gift. I was proud of myself for not overdoing it. It was really hard not to keep buying stuff she doesn't need just because it "looks pretty" or it's "cute!"

Oh, and have I mentioned that I am loving the fact that she now has a car. It is a huge relief…not driving her all over the place like a taxi cab. Now she can be on "Jade time." And wow, it is amazing how when a teenager is responsible for driving themselves to school, how they manage to get up and out the door on their own, just fine. And on-time too! If I ever take another teen, this girl has certainly taught me some lessons. I let her get away with murder sometimes! Speaking of which, I'm excited to be on a committee at DSS to focus on teens. Not exactly sure what we will be accomplishing, but hopefully we'll see some changes. We will have our first meeting this winter.

Let's see…what else…? Oh! I did overnight respite for a two-month old baby, aka Rocco [not his real name] back in October. He was the most adorable little thing. He only cried briefly for a few minutes when I couldn't make his bottle fast enough...though he didn't let me get much sleep. Anyway, he was a cutie and it was worth it. Then last month, I had him over again for a few hours one evening [but not overnight]. He grew so much in a month...such a little butterball now! His foster mom sends me pics now and then and we talk online.

Well, that's all for now. I'll try not to let so much time pass between posts. "Try" is the keyword here. :) Anyone have any questions they want me to address…about anything?

*[You must be "invited" to read the private blog. Feel free to request an invite by emailing me!]