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Choo is home from the hospital and has been placed on seizure medication. Hand, foot & mouth is running through our house full force now. Choo is home but the girls have fevers of about 103.

We had a trip planned this weekend (just to Chicago) to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday. Now I think we'll be bunkered in with three sick kids. Any suggestions for a romantic celebration in that context?

In the midst of this I'm trying to formulate a post on the new Donaldson report....BBL.

More Seizures

Choo Choo has been admitted to the hospital for tests and observations. It seems that typically febrile seizures don't repeat in the same illness and Choo has had 3 in 48 hours now.

Scared

As a parent one of the scariest things is seeing your kids get hurt. We've been through a major emergency but I wasn't prepared for this.

Last night Choo Choo had a febrile seizure. It was the longest two minutes of my life. His little body was completely tense and twitching, he was gasping for air-his lips turning blue and his eyes were rolled back into his head. I thought the ambulance would never come.

After being discharged from the emergency room we came home at 3 am to try to get some rest. At 5 am he had another one. This time only about a minute but just as scary.

The main indicator if a child will be prone to febrile seizures is family history. Something as foster and adoptive parents we have very little access to.

Didn't happen

Placement did not happen today. There is still a chance he might come with us but for now they chose to place him back with the accused abuser. Yikes. Keep your thoughts with him that he will be kept safe until this is resolved. It's killing me that we have no control over this process.

Alright now God/Allah/Buddah/Higher Power

So it's been almost a year since we decided We're Done. We got rid of all baby stuff and I just said a few posts ago that we're done having babies and I'm good with that. I've said that they can call with any situation and I will say no.

Boy, oh boy. Alright God/Allah/Buddah/Higher Power you found a loophole.

Later this afternoon we will go to family court with my niece. My 3 year old great nephew will be placed in the custody of the Children's Division with us as the foster home.

Meme of Five

I'm doing the Meme of Five that was posted at Peter's Cross Station not because I was tagged....but just because today has been a stressful day with the kids. DP is giving the kiddos a bath and I have a moment to myself. Ahhhh

What were you doing five years ago?
Five years ago I was getting ready to get married next weekend! I was hoping for a sunny day and counting and recounting my RSVP's. I was fretting over my dress and my hair and was in general a ball of nerves. I was a year into the Interior Design program and working a part time job at a custom drapery center that I found tedious and boring. I spent more time shopping and planning projects for myself than anything else. The one thing that stands out most about that job is how much it made my feet hurt standing around all day.

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
1. Do Lili's hair
2. Post kitten ad on Craigslist
3. Weed in the garden
4. Call Mom about cleaning on Wednesday
5. Have a glass of wine

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Fruit (fruit doesn't last in our house)
2. Yogurt
3. Smoothies
4. Orville Redenbacher's Kettle Corn (made with Splenda!)
5. Sugar Free York Peppermint Patties

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Travel - Far and wide. I would see other cultures, beautiful landscapes, different foods. I would live globally and hopefully teach my children to be citizens of the world and give them a greater appreciation of the diverse viewpoints of the many cultures of the world. Heck even though we're not billionaires this is a life goal for us, exploring the US while the kids are young and saving the big trips for when they are older and can appreciate it.
2. Give - Who really needs billions of dollars? Not one person that's for sure. I would give personally to those I knew needed help and through charitable organizations trying to do so much without enough resources.

3. Educate - Coming from true white trash I would set up scholarship funds for anyone in my family at any age wishing to further their education. I would set aside funds so my children at any age could go to any trade school, university or cooking class that they ever dreamed of. I would invest in the community I lived in by providing educational resources at the local schools and universities.

4. Create- I think I always wish I had more time to create, to paint, to sew, to garden.....photograph the kids, scrapbook, decorate, write. I would spend more time nurturing my inner artist.

5. Hire a Chef I love to eat lots of different foods. But I don't necessarily like to cook. I am challenged to figure out proper nutrition and make everyone happy at the same time. So if I had a billion dollars the only real difference I think I would make to my everyday life is that wonderful, healthy meals would appear magically.

What are five of your bad habits?
1. I curse and three kids later I still haven't stopped
2. I start projects and don't finish them.
3. Late night TV watching-snack binging -damn those salty chips!
4. Cracking my knuckles, and ankles and back and....well you get it.
5. Expecting things my way. Is that really too much to ask? LOL

What are five places where you have lived?
1. Tower Grove Neighborhood -St. Louis City
2. Dutchtown Neighborhood -St. Louis City
3. St. Louis County
4. South of St. Louis County
5. My mom's house South of St. Louis County

I don't get out much do I?

What are five jobs you've had?
1. Waitress
2. Door-to-door vacuum salesperson
3. Corporate Trainer
4. Custom framer
5. custom drapery designer

Fostering of a different sort

Lately we've been doing some more fostering...of a different sort. It's kitten season and we been fostering a mama cat and her kittens that found her way into our friends basement when they were moving. My DP had never seen a newborn animal before and the kids were just as amazed with the new little additions that moved into their bathroom. After six weeks they are ready for new homes, I hope the kids will understand when they leave us. Josie has grown especially fond of them. I'm really glad now that we were a fostering family before our kids were really old enough to understand that their sisters (Vivi & Eckida) were leaving them forever. I know how it breaks my heart as an adult I can only imagine as a kid how it must feel.

Last night we were musing at our life over the past five years: we've gotten married, had five kids and bought two homes. I think we're used to stress now. No wonder my blood pressure and blood sugar have been out of whack. I'm beginning to look forward to settling in and NOT having a major change for a while.

But if you're in the St. Louis area and would like a cuddly kitten let me know!

I lost some weight

Unfortunately it wasn't on my hips. This past weekend we had a huge yard sale. Besides providing my budget for my mini backyard makeover we also lost about 200 pounds of stuff. Mostly infant and toddler supplies. All the baby bottles are gone, the Amby baby, the crib, the co-sleeper, the high chair, the infant car seats, the boppy, the miracle blanket....all......gone.

I'm officially done having babies. I thought I might be sad about this moment, but five babies later I can say "been there, done that....and don't want to do it again" and actually mean it.

I would say that I'm happy that I'll eventually be sleeping through the night....but here it is quarter to one and everyone is asleep but me.