One step closer to adoption

Yesterday marked a very important day for us in the Croom household. We are officially one step closer to adopting K! Thomas and I both made it up to court late in the afternoon for the proceeding. In summary, the state asked the judge to terminate parental rights, the guardian ad litem asked for termination of parental rights, and K's biological mother's lawyer quickly stated she had no defense. It has been about 2 months now since anyone has heard from her mother ... we each have our ideas about what happened, but no one knows. The next court date is July 8th. This is an advisory hearing to basically spell out the finality of the event and let her biological parents know they should probably have an attorney. If they find her mother and are able to serve her papers and she doesn't show for court - her rights will be terminated by default. If she shows up for the advisory hearing then the next court hearing is required to be held in 45 days. And if they can't find her, then my understanding is that a notice has to be published in the newspaper for 30 days before her rights are terminated.

In the meantime, Thomas and I will be pursuing her adoption. Yesterday after the hearing, the lady with the state department responsible for adoptions spoke with us about finalizing all our paperwork. She said they would be in touch shortly. Basically, the plan will be for us to make sure we have everything done in the next couple months so that we can file the adoption paperwork as soon as parental rights are terminated. So, we are looking at a few months at most.

Other things have also been happening. Thomas is now Professor Croom, or at least that is what I call him along with about 50 students that he is teaching this summer. This week is his first week teaching classes. Yeah! I couldn't be more excited that he is gotten to this point. It was a lot of hard work.

Also, my hard work for the year has ended ... the Legislative Session is over. To welcome the summer, I took a cruise with my sister for her big 40 birthday. This was a great trip for me, and my husband once again showed that he is top notch. He stayed at home for about 5 days by himself with the two little ones.

And also, I have decided to work a more part time schedule for the rest of the year to give myself more time with my new expanding family.

The children are fantastic. There is not much to say that hasn't already been said. We are by far their biggest fans! S. is learning new signs everyday. He also sometimes repeats words ... not as often as we would like. He is extremely smart. He understands most of what we say, follows multiple step directions, and learns quickly. He just isn't talking very much. Which isn't that big of a deal at his age, however, he is now in speech therapy twice a week. This a really good time for someone else to challenge him with words and sounds. Plus his therapist is teaching and reinforcing sign language. Thomas and I need to take more time to learn new signs on a regular basis and hope to take a class sometime soon. Yesterday he smiled for the first time for the camera ... and it was a big smile!



S. is going through what I hope is the worst of the terrible twos. He gets the opportunity to sit in time out a few times a day for either throwing, hitting, or some variation. As you can see in the photos below, S. loves his little sister. He also gets quite jealous of her. Usually this translates into wanting to be held at the same time. Luckily, she is now big enough to withstand his weight when he lays or sits on her.





K. has started to eat big kid food. She has been barely eating cereal for about a month now. So we decided to move her forward with some vegetables. Below is how she first felt about peas. But, its getting better. Tonight she did really good eating peas and carrots.



Today, we went swimming with the children for the first time with the children in the back yard. They were both OK with it. But Silas did get a little cold and was clutching us kindof hard around the neck for a little while.



And here are a few more pictures you can enjoy of Thomas and K chilling on the sofa one evening.

5 Month Update

Can you believe it has been five months already? It is absolutely amazing how much the children have grown in the last five months, even in the last three months they have changed drastically. I was looking back at some Christmas photos of S. this past week, I didn’t realize until I saw the photos how much he has actually changed. This week marked K’s fifth month, and S. will be 19 months old very soon.

Everyone is good. I know Thomas and I are both tired. He’s in the last week of school for the semester; which translates into exam week. And I’m in the last two weeks of session – THANK GOD! I can not wait for it to be over. I feel like I miss so much of what the children are doing each and every day. Either because I’m at work and not at home, or I’m too tired to really notice anything, or because I get home so late each night that I barely have time for a hug and kiss before it is time for bed. On top of that, I’m sick, of course. As soon as my work ends, Thomas will be heading back to teach 1^st semester of summer school. So, I’m not sure he is going to get much of a break. But based on what I know of my job, I will be pulling my hair out due to boredom very soon.

The children are doing excellent. S is starting to try to repeat words we say, which is a very good thing. He also now points to the dogs and says “daw” or basically dog without the “g” on the end. Sometimes we notice he repeats the words we say, but you can only tell because of the inflection. It basically sounds nothing like the word, except maybe the same tone and number of syllables. He had a doctor’s appointment for his 18-month-old shots this last week. And finally he placed on the height chart – at the 3^rd percentile. It was quite an accomplishment. We bought him some summer clothes and new shoes over the last few weeks. His is quite independent these days. He largely goes into the house and to the truck on his own with a little assistance. He is absolutely hilarious these days. Quite the comedian, he has us in laughter most of the time we are together. He is also at that age where he likes to run away from you instead of toward you – laughing the whole time of course. Everyone who meets him is absolutely amazed at how well he moves for his age and how strong he is. He is running, pulling, climbing, and eating crayons and play dough, and doing just about anything else you can think of. This includes pointing and speaking jibberish; and feeding himself with a spoon.

He loves live music – and was out dancing recently at our local Brewster’s (ice cream) in front of a nice size crowd. This is really during the middle of a head bob, so it didn't look quite so funny in the motion.

Did I ever mention that S loves shoes. The first pair I put on him I think may have been his first. At just 13 months old he looked at those things like they were sent from heaven. He still loves to look at his shoes in delight, especially right after you put them on and he starts walking in them. And the first time for any pair is the best -- which may be why I keep buying them for him.



One of S's favorite past times when we go outside is to pick all the blooms off the flowers. Here is a great series of him picking one, handing it to me, and then laughing in glee as he takes off with half of it.

Well, let me talk a little bit about K. She is by far the most adorable baby in the world. This of course, is not a biased opinion. Since she is a foster child, I am removed enough from the situation to make sure this is an accurate judgment, plus since she is not my own flesh and blood, I am allowed to make these remarks. She is far too cute to be related to me. She is doing everything a 5-month old should – laughing, screaming, grabbing, holding onto toys, and more. She can even hold her bottle some now on her own. Yesterday, she literally pulled the bottle out of my hands and into her mouth and held it for several minutes. She coos and oohs and aahs. She puckers her lips out so far when she says “ooo” – it is hilarious. Whenever she sees Thomas she literally lites up; this goes for Silas also. In fact the past two days he nearly has fallen out of his seat in laughter and pure exhileration at the site of "dad." Tonight I kissed on her feet and had her laughing out loud for minutes. Luckily we got it on video, but I also got this great photo.

Neither one of the children understand to make pretty and happy faces when the camera is out. K looks at it like a creature from outer space, and S completely ignores it usually by looking down and putting his thumb in his mouth. So to get a good picture of either of them is very difficult. For some reason, we never really notice that K makes funny faces, but more than half the photos we take of her turn out a little funny looking.

She looks like Shrek, don't you think?



And here are a couple more shots of us holding K. For those of you who may not know, we work on about a month to month knowledge of what is happening with the children and their families. Both the children have had regular visitations with their moms. S's mom just started visiting with him twice a week. K's mom was up to 2 hours a week also until about a month ago. Both of the children have court dates now in May. These are very big court dates where decisions should be made about their futures ... and we have some idea of what we think will happen. We think, that there is a very good possibility S will go to live with his grandmother. We met her and she is very nice ... and young. We expect this to take place early June possibly. Or we could be wrong. And with K, we expect that she will be staying with us a little longer, possibly permanently. It's too early to tell for sure, but her mom hasn't been seen or heard from for more than a month now. And we were told from the beginning it would be her mom or adoption.

Easter 2008

I've been excited about Easter for weeks. But then it got here and I wasn't too sure why. So I thought long and hard about why I was looking forward to it. And there was the obvious, it was Easter, it was a holiday, and that is almost always a wonderful thing. Plus it has always been a time that I have been able to spend with family. But then there were other things, it was the first time I had little ones to dress up on Easter. That seemed pretty important. And I will never forget having Easter when my nephews and nieces were itty bitty - we have a great photo of three of them in the front yard on Easter day. So I was looking forward to having a cute Easter photo of the children. And of course, there are easter egg hunts.

The problem was that Easter came without any preparations and without any plans. I had bought two outfits (minus the shoes), and had planned to finish shopping for easter baskets, bathing suits, sunglasses, and shoes on Saturday. I had also planned to dye easter eggs on Saturday with S. That all changed. Saturday morning came with a vengeance ... or the stomach flu to be exact. So none of it got done. And no other plans were made. And no family came down this year. By Saturday afternoon Thomas was also sick. So on Sunday, what I had was two cute outfits for Easter. While, it wasn't the best prepared day, and we were too sick to go to church. I will say that I was thrilled to be feeling better, I was absolutely ecstatic that I felt well enough to dress the children, and it was even more exciting that I was well enough to try to take some pictures of them in the yard.

I did throw some plastic eggs in the yard, each filled with two jelly beans. It was not the usual sport like the past few years where we tried our hardest to find difficult places to hide eggs - like we had with Josh - but more of a throw them all in one place so that the little one doesn't have to toddle all over the yard game. Of course, he didn't hunt the eggs, he hunted the candy. Every time he picked up an egg he had to stop, sit down, and eat the candy. Then he would throw the egg back down and start over.

Thomas and I have actually been amazed at how much S. is learning. His behavior has definitely changed. He is copying us more and signing all the time. At the store I told a stranger "thank you," and I looked down and he was signing "thank you." At home, its the same thing. He is constantly signing "daddy" these days. (I'd like to add a personal note that tonight Silas was crying and chasing Thomas around rather than myself, it was wonderful relief). And he will sign just about anything that he knows regardless of whether we show him first. In addition, if we show him a sign, he will copy it, or at least try to. Now if only we could get him saying more. Thomas did have him repeating: "blah, blah, blah" earlier this week. But words are definitely more of a struggle ... the experts tell us to encourage any sound or repetition. So I feel comfortable that it will come in time. I think I heard him tell the dog to "stop" this weekend, but I couldn't be sure about it. It was so muddled.



It was also really cute this weekend when he realized how good he was at walking backwards. He was quite impressed with himself. He is moving well these days but he is also getting in more trouble. I'm worried his new habit of hitting comes from day care. He has been hitting much more frequently if he doesn't get his way. This has resulted in time out quite a bit for him lately. I was a little worried he was enjoying time out too much, or not understanding it, but by the end of the weekend when I told him to stop or he would have to sit in time out, he stopped. So I think he probably comprehended it enough.

K went in for her 4 month old shots on Friday. She weighed 13.5 lbs and grew about 1 inch in the last month. She was pretty groggy Saturday from the shots. So, we've been thinking for a week or two that she might be showing a little more spunk or attitude lately. Well, I would say that is confirmed. She is hollering something fierce when she gets mad at one of us. Usually that means we put her down and she is not happy at all about it. She can have quite a fit and throw out some pretty large tears very quickly.

But overall, the children are very happy and very easy. Bedtime is not at all a chore. We can usually lay K down while she is still awake and turn on her mobile. Within a few minutes we can lay S down and close the door. It is very quick and simple. And its great to know that by 7:30 or 8pm at the latest they are both in bed, and the house is quiet.

The Children are GROWING

Well, I often think about posting ... and think about these fantastic and wonderful things I'd like to share. I just don't have the time. Things are too busy to post very frequently. I have been trying to squeeze in more quilting time. I'll post a photo of a baby quilt I just finished in the next couple days.

I was asked for photos - so there are lots in this post.

The children are absolutely a joy to have in our home. We couldn't have asked for a more. And we are so very thankful that God has led us to this point. We could not imagine living life without experiencing life as foster parents. There are so many wonderful and loving children that need a home and care. We are very thankful to be part of it and feel confident this is what God wanted for us.

S. is doing wonderful. Thomas, S. and K. all had the flu about 2 weeks ago. That was pretty hard. I never got it - thank God for the flu shot. But we figured out during that time that maybe S. was allergic to milk. He was having about 6 "dirty" diapers a day since he's been with us. We cut out the milk and he's having about 3 a day that aren't nearly as bad. Plus he's gained another pound and had grown about 1/2 inch. He is learning and doing more each day. He's nearly running around, climbing, tonight he was spinning in circles getting himself dizzy. He's also following directions much better. He is still sleeping through the night, and is just generally fun loving. Tomorrow we visit the geneticist.




K. is growing fast! We haven't weighed her lately, but she is probably right around 14 lbs. She is moving, wriggly, cooing, etc. She is also shaking a rattle. She hasn't turned over yet, but she will turn to her side and get really close to turning over. She is very sweet still, and is quick to smile at you.


I'm attaching lots of photos from the past month. One is of S. dancing. Another of K playing peek-a-boo with Thomas. We also had ice cream recently together at Brusters - S's first time!

Business Ventures

Most of you have seen the burp cloths that I love to make and carry around. Well, I wouldn't say that I love to make them - I find them tedious.
Well, my best friend Jenn has upped me once again and is doing a fantastic job making and selling beautiful burp cloths. Be sure to check out her new website and tell your friends.

Child Invasion

Our lives are so completely different now that we have children. Not only do we have two little people to dress, feed, and bath. Not only do we have tons of baby gear and clothes. Not only did we lose all our free time. But our food choices have also changed.
How do you know when your life has been truly been overcome by your activities with children?
The answer: When you start adding teddy grahams to your oatmeal. This is what I saw this week in my husband's breakfast bowl.


We have had an incredible month so far. We are so busy at work , school, and home - that time is just flying by. The weather is warming up and I wish I had more time to clean and garden. This week we had some time outside in the yard with the children. S loves to watch the dogs play fetch. In general, S. is learning so quickly. He is following directions. He is starting to walk at a fast pace. He is such a wonderful, sweet, older brother. In the car him and K smile and laugh back and forth at each other. And he often leans over and holds her hand for long periods of time.

K is gr0wing fast. She seems nearly as big as S now. She can smile nearly on cue these days. We've been having a little trouble with a cold or allergies. She just can't seem to shake the congestion. She's been to the doctor about 4 times in the last month. Plus, she's been diagnosed with asthma and we have to give her breathing treatments twice daily. Her mom met us at the doctor this week and was very considerate of me and my role with her. She also sent both K and me a valentine's day gift. She is still a very easy baby. Mostly likely to be held when she is awake, but still sleeping quite a bit. At night, she usually can go 6 hours or more without food, so that usually gives me plenty of sleep if I time it right.

At this time, we haven't heard anything else about either of them leaving. We expect S to leave around the end of March. And K sometime in May. Its hard to imagine them not being here, because they are so happy and doing so well. I pray that regardless of where they go, that will continue.

Our Family

Well, I've been pushing off posting information and pictures about the children. But have since decided they are just way too cute to not post.

They are both doing great. S just got a hair cut. Check out the photos. It has been an incredible experience to watch him develop each week. He recently had a 3-hr screening to check out all the developmental milestones and did great on every part. He scored at or near his age on every item. Despite his great improvement there are still medical concerns. Last week he was tested for Cornelia de Lange Syndrome - or CdLS for short. We aren't sure when the results will come back; but are continuing the same as always regardless.

And K is getting really good at smiling and cooing. And you can tell in these photos she is growing. At her 2 month check up she was 11 lbs. So she has about doubled in size since coming home from the hospital. She is also a great sleeper. Sometimes going 9 hours at night! woo hoo! I love talking to her and watching her face light up.

We have also just about finished the nursery - thanks to a wonderful gift we were able to purchase a changing table, a glider rocking chair, and a rug for the room.