Our First Week . . .

Well, we have our first week as a family of seven under our belt.  It’s amazing how challenging it is to go from a family of five with three self-sufficient teenagers to a family of seven that now includes a preschooler and a toddler.  The main adjustment comes with the addition of two little ones that aren’t use to us let alone the house rules, restrictions, expectations, and structure. 

We don’t know how long these little ones will be with us, but I am sure I will be blogging quite a bit about them and our experiences as a family of seven.  So, I would like to introduce them to you.  First, we have RL; he is a twenty-two month old little boy with attitude, sometimes not in such a good way.  He is truly adorable and a little love bug, but he can be hard headed and stubborn at times too.  He fits in quite well with our family.  Plus he shares his birthday with Jay.  Then there is NR.  He’s four and full of energy.  He definitely has a mind of his own, and sometimes is very vocal about what he does or does not want to do, but what four year old isn’t. 

This was a very busy week for our family and probably a little stressful for all.  The week started out with activities outside the home every day.  Monday we took the little guys to the park so they could run and play. It was an opportunity for them to get out some of their energy.  They wore us out!!  Then on Tuesday evening, we took a short trip to the zoo.  You see, all three of our kids were working shifts and Mackenzie and Zack got off an hour earlier than Kassi did.  So we spent some time at the zoo waiting for them to all get off work.  Unfortunately, Jay & I didn’t plan very well and all the food areas were closed by the time Zack & Mackenzie got off, so we had some hungry kiddos to get fed.  It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if two of them weren’t little tikes. 

The biggest challenge was Wednesday night.  Mackenzie had her orchestra concert at Ohio State University, and we all went.  We tried to prep NR and we talked about how we’d have to sit and sit quietly.  Well, that didn’t go over very well.  Kassi spent the concert time in the lobby area letting RL run around and play.  The concert was well over two and half hours long – almost too long for the big people, but definitely too long for a four year old!  NR just didn’t understand he had to be quiet, so he was in and out, well out more than in with Jay. 

Thursday was a busy day too.  The county case worker came to the house to check in on the boys. Then Jay took all the kids to Sam’s Club to do some much needed grocery shopping!!  It sounds like it was a pretty successful trip – no major meltdowns. J  On Friday, I met my in-laws at the police station so they could get their background checks/finger printing done so they can help babysit the little ones.  Then we took NR shopping.  We were told to go shopping for the boys.  This was more of a challenge than we ever could have imagined.  The girls and I took NR so he could help pick out his clothes and try on things.  Believe it or not, we were in Target for three hours trying to comply with the county’s purchase orders for these boys.  Less than an hour there, NR had to have a time-out, but then he was fine and listened.  I know we were all very happy once we were done!  Now the boys have plenty of personal items for their stay with us. 

Yesterday, the boys spent the day with Jay.  Mackenzie and Zack were both at the zoo for seven hours.  Kassi and I delivered papers/weekend shopper bags for seven hours and then we went up to my brother-in-law’s to pick up Mackenzie & Zack. Jay took the boys to our church’s VBS pre-registration party where they met some new kids and played.  They must have played hard because they were in bed by 8:30 p.m. and slept till after eight this morning. 

This morning we had church.  We weren’t sure what to expect.  Last Sunday, RL didn’t even make it to the beginning of the service before he was taken down to the nursery.   Today was awesome!!  We took over some dry cereal snacks, coloring books, and sippy cups.  I never had to leave the sanctuary with RL, I would just have to leave the pew and stand at the back of the church.  NR sat quietly in the pew and when Jay mentioned him in his sermon, he was so excited. 

I will be honest, the week hasn’t been perfect.  WE have had some challenges.  Being less than two, RL doesn’t talk much so he has other ways of showing his frustration or anger.  When he first arrived, his first reaction to not liking something was to either hit, kick, or pinch.  Mackenzie and I both got pinched pretty good.  Matter of fact, I felt so bad when it happened to Mackenzie because I knew how bad it hurt – he double fisted pinched – I cried because she got hurt.  I don’t want our kids to get hurt in this process.  I know our kids understand these kids come from a different environment and we are going to face many challenges.  Our kids also know that we are going to have to spend a lot of time redirecting, or as my father-in-law best said it “undoing” a lot.  It appears these little ones had no structure, and some of their habits are not age appropriate.  Some of the little things we take for granted, these little guys don’t understand.  We will continue to show them attention and love, and we will hopefully teach them what is acceptable for their ages and how to be respectable youth.