feeling better

Well, we are all feeling a little better. I'm still hacking a little, but not to much. I am well on my way to recovery. BAB is feelng much better too. We are all finally sleeping through the night and having good nap times. I am even taking naps! My house has imploded due to me napping instead of cleaning, but who cares! BAB had a little bout with some asthma issues, but no bronchitis! So her lungs are slowly getting better. I'm so happy! Hopefully she will grow out of it all together. I've heard that it could happen. Got my fingers crossed.

Tomorrow is Halloween. I always have my friends and their little kids out to have a little fun. I have snacks and hot chocolate ready for all. Its fun. I will have to send Pilot out with BAB to trick or treat. I don't really like it anyways. I like to yell at the rotten teenagers that come trick or treat with no costumes. I mean seriously! I even had one girl (at least 16 years old) ask if I would give her candy for her grandma that was driving the car to each house! That was just wrong on so many levels!

I'm sii..iii.....iiii.....ck

I am sick. I am whiny. I can't breath. I can't stop coughing. BAH!! The only thing that makes me feel better is that Pilot is sick too. But he is not home so that is worse. I hate being gone and sick. So poor babies to him. I can't take any medicine so I think that redeems my poor babies for that one.

finally some answers

A friend of ours is a dietitian and also studying to be a nurse practitioner. She came out last Saturday and gave us some hope. She said that BAB has an emotional attachment to food. Which I knew this. However, I was glad to hear a professional say that as well. She said that ALOT of kids in the foster system do have that. I'm guessing the story on why BAB does is this-
When BAB was in her biomom's care her mom would give her a bottle whenever she cried. This is the only thing BAB could count on. BAB was very over weight when she came. She had acid reflux from eating to much as well. So she thinks food is comfort. She does not know when to stop because food is comforting. She will literally eat until she pukes. She has no shut off for food either because she doesn't know when full is because she was just fed all the time or because she feels that it is comforting. (side note- most foster kids have problems with food because they were not given enough)

Skip to now. She is doing so much better then before. She is on zantac for her acid reflux and does not puke. The only time that she does is when someone else has fed her to much. For a normal child to want more food is great so people think she is ok with more food. Also she eats so fast, and by fast I mean she does not chew, people do not realize that she is over eating. This is a great struggle with me. It is hard for people to understand that even though BAB looks normal and acts normal her eating problems are not. People think that she is just a normal child and for the most part she is. I do not sense much emotional problems and no physical problems at all. Who knows as far as long term because she is 16 months we really don't know all that much. However, I do not think that there will be either.
So starting today she is going to have a set schedule for eating and sleeping. Ok the sleeping is going to be hard because she does not like to sleep and will sit up in her crib for hours. But we will try this. It is going to be a little hard to enforce some of the rules that I will have for her. To a normal child they may seem overbearing and wrong. One rule that I have a hard time explaining to people is that she does not get anything to drink in between meals. (She literally eats every 2-3 hours. She is not going to dehydrate.) She needs to learn again when she is full. Also she needs to learn that food is for nutrition and not a comfort. When I let her have a drink when not in her highchair she will carry it around in her mouth. As in she will literally just put it between her teeth and carry it there like she would carry a blankie or something. (ok not the blankie in her teeth, but you get the implication!) This is the hard part. I have to put my foot down and just say this is how it is. This is what is good for BAB and I have to be her advocate as hard as it will be.

goats

So I'm a little more queesey latley. A friend, a nurse practitioner, told me it may have been a surge in hormones. It was like the 1st trimester all over again. I was getting sick in the morning and everything. Watching Winney eat was making sick again and different odd things like that. Also I believe I heard the words "Why do you hate me?" come from Pilot's mouth a few times..... So today we went to a petting zoo. Pilot let BAB feed the goats which she thourghly enjoyed. I however was barely peaked. Have I also mentioned that I am trying a new and relaxed attitude. I am not going to freak out at things and start letttng things go. I think that it is going to be better for the baby and after wards when I can't be all over BAB any more. So in laeu of this I was 'letting it go.' Things were going ok I was relaxing. I realized this wasn't killing her nor was she being harmed. Until.......... she put her hands that were dripping with goat saliva IN HER MOUTH. I promptly gagged and nearly threw up a little in my mouth. Then I was embarressed upon realizing that there was a nice little family all dressed up nice about 10 ft away looking on me in horror. I just booked it to the car. That is after demanding Pilot wash BAB's hands with soap and water while singing Happy Birthday 3 times. Pilot was less then enthused, but pacified me non the less.

3rd Trimester

So I am finally in my 3rd trimester. YAY!!!!! Everything seems to be going pretty good. I have been getting the leg cramps and the heartburn, but I can't complain that much yet. Although she is now sticking her feet in my ribs and planting a arm squarely in my bladder so I feel like I have to pee all the time....... :) But I am so happy to just be able to be pregnant that I refuse to complain.

The Hearing

Well, BAB's 9 months hearing was Wednesday. It went very well........for us. We have 3 more months of biomom around and then we will have what they call a permanency hearing. This will determine her long term well being. Basically what is the next step if termination is going to happen or not. If it is then where will it be in BAB's best interest to be. This will most likely be with us since we have had no problem's with her and we are interested in adoption. The way things are working out is that BAB will most likely not see her biomom again. I believe they do allow a visit if her rights are terminated though.

Think twice

The other day I was walking into the health and fitness center were I work out. It is part of the Hospital and has many physical therapy patients there too. As on many occasions an elderly man was slowly making his way to the door on the other side. I walked up to the door and opened it so he could come through. I smiled and said "Hi, how are you?" He says "Well, I'm walking and able to eat." I almost started crying. (OK, you can blame it on the pregnancy hormones!) I thought 'Wow, what a good attitude! Here I was complaining because I couldn't get my iPOD loaded right.'

Christmas Music?!?!?!?!?

So I was listlessly driving to town to get some much needed groceries. I fear Pilot might have shriveled away or gotten to grouchy to handle... At any rate, as I was saying, I happened to catch what the DJ was saying and started listening. All that he said flew out the window when to my alarm a CHRISTMAS SONG came on the radio. I about careened off the highway. I searched for my phone thinking somebody could surely stop this madness, but I realized it had flown to the floor of the passengers side when I almost careened off the highway afore mentioned and I was to pregnant/fat to reach it. I had to do something quick. I suddenly realized in my pregnant stupor that all I had to do was switch the station. So I did. I slowly started breathing and all settled down. I was so distressed by this atrocity that I momentarily forgot where I was going. Poor Pilot almost withered away due to some careless DJ who put Christmas music on the radio on Oct. 2.