Friday, July 22, 2011

Here We Go!

We welcomed our first foster children into our home on Tuesday. We got a shipment of two toddler boys and a 6 (almost 7) year-old girl. We will not be taking any further deliveries for a while. We weren't planning on accepting any children older than Ella, but because of a glorious miscommunication between my sweet husband and myself, here we are!

I would like to say that the transition has been completely smooth, but it seems that instantly increasing your family's size by 75% is a wee-bit challenging. Of course, I knew that it would be, but knowing and experiencing are two different things.

It hasn't been bad, but it has been a whole new kind of difficult. Here are a few things that I have learned in the last 2 days:
  • Boys are different. I don't care how progressive you are, gender matters! Climbing, bumping, running, colliding, pulling, and breaking are just a few of the special gifts that these little fellas have in abundance.
  • Parenting a child who has been in a different home for the first year, two years, or 6 years is a whole different ball game from starting from the beginning.
  • Sorry to be so shallow, but cute really helps.
  • This is going to take more ability than I have, more patience than I can muster, and more love than I have to offer, so it's a really good thing that it isn't about me. My God has all that Edwin and I need, all that the foster kids need, and all that the girls need. And He's really good at sharing, which is good because no one else seems to be.

7 comments:

Rachel @ daily dunmore said...

What an incredible addition to the Attaway house. Praying for ALL of you. :)

Leigh Anne said...

What a wonderful and loving thing you are doing! I pray for a smooth transition. And yes, boys are soooo different than girls!

Rachel said...

Wow - that's awesome! You're quite brave.

Kelly B. Pate said...

We've been praying for you since Tuesday night when your mom told us about the kids. Having been in a similar circumstance when the kids were small, I feel your pain, and you're right--cute does help tremendously. About boys, you might find later that they're so much easier than girls, especially when they come in bunches. Love ya!

book and cook tips said...

gr8 stuff that ur doing! Praying 4 you!

His Jules said...

What a wonderful and God-honoring adventure you have begun! The Attaway family will definitely be in our prayers. And although right now you the different between boys and girls may be a little stressful, you will find as they get older the boys are MUCH easier.
Prayers going up right now....

Anonymous said...

What an amazing family! I'm inspired by your generosity and selflessness. All of your children are blessed to be in such a loving home!