Today marks our first full year of being a foster family!
In the last year, we have had five placements, four children, and currently, we are caring for three. Plus the five we started with!
We spent months furthering our training to become a level three home!
We have navigated a mountain of medical needs that none of us expected, including tube feeding, helmet therapy, surgeries, scopes, scans, swallow studies, blood work on poor veins, feeding therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy. We’ve been in contact with geneticists, respirologists, paediatricians, dieticians, therapists. We’ve spent time in the NICU, navigated medications, and found ourselves on a first name basis with multiple specialists and medical professionals, as well as pharmacists who have started to make house calls.
Believe it or not, that stuff ☝️ is the extras! We have met and worked with many social and resource workers. People shift positions constantly, so they are ever-changing. We have met and worked with many birth families, building real relationships where possible, while keeping at a respectful distance with others. I have come to find myself in all kinds of new places for visits, events, drop-ins, etc. I know the city SO much better now, and if I don’t know, I’m braver to find my way around.
We’ve experienced new placements, as well as placements leaving. The children have navigated through those things as well, which is a pretty huge learning curve, but we have been well prepared thus far, and nothing has come as too big of a shock to them. We have been able to celebrate with our young ones as they make positive strides, and to love them even deeper through the inevitable sad steps backwards.
In the midst of all the new territory, you may or may not have heard, but we’ve had some really big unrelated stuff going on! 🏡 🧠
It has not been easy. Not for a second. But goodness, I have NO regrets. Not even ONE. This feels like truly answering a calling, not only for me, but for our family 💜
The number one question we get is how long our placements will stay. And we simply never, ever know. But it really makes no difference. They are with us for a time, as long as they need us, and we love them dearly.
Any strength you see is from God. There is no way we could come through all the challenges without Him. Thank you Lord for bringing these amazing kids into our family 💜