The rare great day

Every once in awhile you get that rare day that everything seems to go well.  Today was that day for me with the kids.

Bug is usually the happy go lucky and Sissy difficult.  Today Bug was a typical two year old and a bit cranky, but Sissy was good all day.  Days like today make you feel like you can do it.  We spend a lot of time feeling defeated and questioning if this was the right decision.  Most days you feel like an underpaid and overworked babysitter.  We have inherited all the issues, but don't get anyone else to help fix them.  Quite the opposite, we have to do a reset up to three times a week when the kids have their family visits.

Deep down we really believe that this is not a permanent placement.  These girls will most likely go home.  We also have already started talking about the prep for that even though it may be two years down the road.

When the girls arrived we had to pull all our toys out to see what the girls liked and start to get items specifically for them.  Now we are reassessing things and looking what to get them and what we should pull and put away so that when the day comes we can easily send them with the things they love and play with.  It sounds silly, but I haven't pulled my farm animals from my childhood out as I know that I want to keep them (and that they chew on everything).  I also have taken a stuffed animal that I let them play with when they arrived and carefully tucked that back away as I have had that forever as well.  Some items as they are done with them will also be taken back up to the foster closet.  It is only fair as they started us with a pretty good set of starters.  Last week we took some clothes there as well.  Most of the clothes that Sissy outgrows go back to the closet.  The few things that we or others have bought new specifically for our house we have put away for when Bug gets big enough.  In the end we probably will tuck away some pajamas in each size for a potential future placement.

Feels strange knowing that on the horizon there will be other little feet in the kid room.  Probably only one next time, but I do think this was the right thing for us.  No matter how most days go it is the day like today that reassures you that it will be okay.  Honestly if all days were like today we wouldn't be thinking that only one next time!

Here is how smooth today went.
7:00 - Duo gets up as Squirrel is leaving for work (ugh), but I decide to not jump right up, but to allow myself to relax and see what happens.  All is quiet
8:30 - I think that I probably should see what they are really up to.  They are playing quietly in the living room... Sissy is dressed, but wearing Bug's pants.  I ask Sissy to go put her own pants on and she does without a fuss.
9:00 - Breakfast - they help put everything on the table
10:00 - Play outside - we were doing so well that I put our toys on the neighbor's lawn and I was able to mow our yard (while they were out!)
11:30 - Lunch - ate like champs and helped clean up
12:45 - Both picked out a book to read for rest time and they both read and napped with no arguements
2:30 - Up and come downstairs to play - they don't fuss and need kid TV
4:30 - Squirrel comes home
5:15 - Squirrel and girls go play outside and I finish dinner
6:00 - Eat without fussing
6:45 - Walk
7:30 - Bath (minimal fussing)
8:30 - Bed (neither one challenged and got up)
Throughout the day I did not change Sissy's diaper once!  I reminded her often to go potty and when she was wet I had her go up and change her own pull-up.  Not once did we pretend we were a baby today.  Too bad there is a family visit tomorrow as that always seems to trigger baby play where we babble and try to be a baby for attention.

This next week will be a challenge as there is no day care (closed for week) so the kids and I get almost every day together (I have to work Thursday so Squirrel gets Thursday).  We also have a legal counsel visit and 3 family visits so that will stir things up a bit.