Well, we now have a streak of two weeks of family visits. I don't know if I should be enthusiastic and feel like this is a family that is getting their lives together or if I should be the skeptic that says this is just because court is looming in a week and half.
Today we tried a new tactic. After every visit we deal with behavior issues. Some because the kids are confused and others are because our rules do not apply in a family visit so they get away with pure chaos. We can't take away the chaos of the visit, but we can start offering the anchor to help them with their confusion. Sissy is a planner. She thrives on knowing what will happen in the next hour, next day and even next week. As an example: Tuesday night we told her she had an "appointment" the next morning to find out how she is growing. The following morning she was up, getting dressed and ready for her appointment. On Friday nights we tell her there is no school the next day and she wakes up the next morning and knows that she does not need to ready herself for school. Every Friday when they are dropped off at school they know that in the evening we will have tacos. They expect to be picked up in the truck and don't like it when I come in the car. They thrive on plans.
Today when I took them to school we talked about dinner. We have both enchiladas and spaghetti leftovers to eat. I asked what they wanted and they both wanted spaghetti. We made the plan. I told their transport worker when she informed me that the visit would happen that we would have spaghetti for dinner.
After the visit... they were ready for their spaghetti. They understood where they were going, they knew the next thing in their day. Bug was a little clingy after the visit, but there were no behavior issues. Giving the kids the plan for the evening helped them focus and know where their home is tonight. This is going to force me to meal plans, but the anchor for the kids will be worth it.
In other happenings: while the girls were playing with their kitchen tonight they decided that they would call Squirrel "mommy". They have learned that "mommy" is more than a name, but it is also a role that one plays in the household. There has been a lot of role play at school and it is happening more at home. Bug is really into imitating.
We had a WIC (food assistance) appointment the other day (as I said earlier). Squirrel had to take the girls so that their progress can be monitored. They also had a blood test to check their iron. The WIC appointment was actually more helpful than the Dr. appointment they had 3 months ago. Bug needed 2 more shots (poor kid). Both girls have a good iron count now. Apparently they were low at their last appointment (6 months ago). The folks at WIC are not concerned, but it seems like our Bug is a bit small. We knew that, but now we have more perspective. She is in 18 month pants still! When compared she is in the 4% in height and 23% weight. The 4% concerns me. It is small on its own, but her family is not made up of tiny short people. The weight does not surprise me as I feed her very well and she is not a picky eater. I am responsible for giving her a little round belly. On the flip side, Sissy is at 80% height and 88% weight. Most of Sissy's 5T pants are fitting her well. The folks at WIC took a lot more time to talk with Squirrel about the girls' health than the Dr. did. We have to go back every 3 months to renew the food benefits, but the girls go back in 6 months.
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