Could You Be My Parent?!

This boy...who turns 9 this month, who always has a smile on his face, who can be a little agitator, who also can be the most caring little boy, who has been an orphan his whole life, who has been on the list for almost 3 years...needs a home. Is it yours? He has been on THREE agencies special focus/camp lists...he was Nathan with MAA. He was Ryder with FTIA. Now he's a dehumanizing number with Hand in Hand. This child should be GAINING a family name...not being given random Western names to be called with a paragraph blurb next to an outdated photo.

This little boy NEEDS a home.

He's also my daughter's foster brother. He's been in a loving home for over 5 years. Nothing is guaranteed, but I can tell you, Big Girl has had one of the smoothest transitions (SO FAR! KNOCK ON WOOD!!!) that I have ever heard of in older child adoption. They were/are loved by the foster parents, the foster parents' older kids, and the extended foster family.

This little boy NEEDS a home.

I have more info on him. More pics, more video. I have more up to date stuff than that file that is 2 years out of date that CCAA has published of him. I have not met him, but I can speak of my impressions of the 20 minutes long video we have shot in the foster family's home. He has repaired cleft lip and palate. My daughter says he speaks clearly, but he will need dental work. She said he would learn quick when the foster mother told her to help him with his homework.

This little boy NEEDS a home.

Please, contact me...contact Hand in Hand...if he pulls at your heart, do something to give this boy a family.

Gimme, gimme, gimme...

Big Girl has had a rough week or two of it. You see, it's been Peanut's birthday, recently. Grandparents have flown in (not that they would have flown in to meet their new granddaughter or anything just cause of that big reason, but I digress), there's been singing, cakes, candles...and gifts. Oh yes, those lucious, tasty, tempting, wrapped-in-goodness presents.

Big Girl likes to tally. I got 4 shorts, sister got 5. I got 3 crackers, sister got 2. She wants to know the score. Always. And we've had lots of tears, lectures, hissy fits (on both sides) etc over it. And I refuse to play a dead man's game...cause I won't win.

She finally did something vindictive towards Peanut. I knew it would come someday, but I didn't expect it this way...Peanut got an extra balloon (gasp! the horror!) from a certain tolerable burger chain with a large red avian as it's mascot. Peanut even shared her ice cream sundae with Big Girl. But that fact wasn't remembered. A few days later, as the boredom of a spring break under grueling conditions of Peanut-illness and cold damp weather set in, the girls decided (well, Big Girl decided and roped the little on into it) to pop a balloon. They couldn't get those buggers to pop. I stayed out of it beyond telling them that once they are gone, they are gone. Finally I hear Big Girl grunt in disgust, so I tell her to bring her balloon to me and I'll get rid of it if she doesn't want it. (I was in the kitchen paying bills). She brings it to me, I take a scissors and pop...gone.

Then the screaming starts. From Peanut. "I MISS MY GREEEN BALLOON". I didn't even look...Big Girl had handed me Peanut's 2nd balloon. Not the red one. Red is Peanut's favorite. She knew better. But blue/green/mom's busy...yup, she screwed me. And I didn't think. I admit it. And I apologized profusely to Peanut...and also pointed out to her she was walking around with a shoe on to help pop said balloons.

I asked Big Girl why she gave me Peanut's balloon. The tears started. I asked her why again. "I dunno." I asked again. "She have 2 balloons."

Needless to say, I was mad. We went over again that they both get all the love we can give, but I WILL NOT tally stuff. Items will be replaced with values, with size, with something. I cannot win. So I will not play.

She also likes to "help" sister with all her new presents. If Peanut offers them of her own free will, that's great. But I am not allowing "helpful coercion" because poor Peanut has not been given ample time to play many times with anything...even so far as being called "always annoying" when she wanted to play with her sister with one of her new toys.

It's something she has to work thru. We know that. But this is where we are at now. We're climbing the learning curve...quickly, and with grappling hooks.