Henry had a good nap today (Monday), or at least seemed to if noise is an indicator. The house was quiet from about 10:30-2PM. He was very insistent about watching pics around 3:30PM, which I obliged b/c I knew we wouldn't get to it in the evening. We watched the Peanut's "Lucy is the Boss" clip, which has become one of his favorites from o-tube.
As we drove to Grammy and Poppy's house in the afternoon, we missed the light near the highway underpass where the train often comes (much to Jeff's frustration as the trains seem to sense when Jeff is coming and make him wait). As we waited for the light to change, Henry said "train." Apparently, he knew what usually comes by.
Jeff and I had our last foster/adoption training class. All in all, we felt pretty good about the process.
Tonight, there was a panel of recent foster parents. One couple had a very cute baby boy (10 months actual, 3 months adjusted) whose mother had been picked up on an arrest warrant from Missouri where she is currently serving time. The clock for severance from the child won't start until after she is out of prison. Perhaps a flaw in the system. If the point of the clock is to give children the opportunity to find and attach to loving parents, why should their needs be put on hold b/c mom landed herself in jail? It's not like the child's psyche gets put on hold while parent is serving time. Sigh. Anyway, the boy was very cute. The couple have had him since mid-December. His file didn't contain much information, but they did find his original pediatrician who was able to fill in some background information for them. I showed foster mom some photos of Henry from the NICU so that she could see what things looked like there. The boy had some issues similar to Henry's (e.g., hernia repair, lung issues and is currently on Synagis, etc.). Another foster mom (single) took care of 2 girls from a meth house until their aunt got the rights to take them. And, another couple are currently taking care of 3 and 5 year old siblings (from a group of 5) who have some behavioral issues (although things are improving). Bio mom's rights to the children have been severed. It is unclear whether bio father's rights will severed yet (to be determined in April). That couple just graduated in December, so they are very recent foster parents.
Our training is complete. Our home inspection takes place in about 11 hours from now. Then, all our paperwork will be sent to the state.
Jeff offered to take me to Pastiche after class (one of my favorite restaurants) as it was graduation and my b-day. I opted for a quick stop at Lovin' Spoonfuls for a cup of soup and then back to the grandparents' to see our boy. Henry was cuddling with Grammy on the couch watching a replay of the Eagles lose to the Cardinals. Henry had spent a lot of time outside in our absence. Grammy and Poppy had spent a 1/2 hour outside in the dark with him looking at the moon at his request shortly before we arrived. Poppy said that he and Grammy were cold but stuck it out as Henry wanted to be outside. Henry was dressed in his warm PJs and was comfortable there.
On our way home, Henry got to see the train at the crossing, much to his delight. He wasn't asleep when we got home but close. It took several minutes for Henry to settle down. I snuggled with Henry until 3AM when Jeff got me up.
Jeff had been cleaning in preparation for our home inspection. I'm working on a manuscript, which should be done in a few hours. In his cleaning, Jeff found my grandfather's service medal from Korea and his money clip. I have been looking for them for awhile, but they had gotten lost in the shuffle. These are two items that I really want Henry to have some day, so they were a great cap to my b-day. They are now in a very safe place.
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