Nelson Party of 5

Good big sisters

Little did we know just a day after Ada's birthday our family would be growing by +1.  We received a call at about 11:00pm and a tiny 3 year old girl was brought to our house around 12:30am.  A bit of a surprise for Ruby and Ada to wake up to a little sister in the house.

Sweet little Sunshine jumped right in to the Nelson family doing oh so much better than I would have if I'd been thrown into an unfamiliar life.

Sleep has been the most difficult part of the experience so far for all involved.  Sunshine has a very hard time falling asleep and staying asleep.  We are two months in and have seen some really amazing progress in many areas, but we are definitely still sleep deprived.

sweetness

Our days are filled with appointments, visits, appointments, visits, and appointments and visits.

We've spent a lot of time in waiting rooms.

The most commonly asked questions so far:

Do you know her story?  Yes.  And it's private.

Is this a long term placement?  We don't know, but it will likely be at least several months.

Are you going to adopt?  The primary goal is always reunification with birth family.  The secondary plan is for her to be placed with extended family.

How old is she?  3, close to 4

What does she do when you go to work?  She goes to daycare full time because we both work full time.

She loves "school"

and her "pake-pake" (not pack-pack)

How are Ruby and Ada doing?  Amazingly great!  There are certainly adjustments for everyone and some sibling jealousy as there would be if you added to the family any way, but I am so proud of how well they have welcomed S into our family.  At times they have more grace and compassion than I do.

What does she call you?  She started calling us mommy and daddy the minute she walked in the door.  We are working on Mommy-Sheri and Daddy-Steve to avoid confusion.

What's she like?  She's crazy smart.  She picks up things you tell her just once.  For example, I taught her to cough into her elbow one time and she does it every time.  We've read books to her once or twice and she can recite them and she's a puzzle master!  She loves to dress up.  If you stop by she will likely be wearing and old dance costume and fairy wings.  Her favorites things are dolls, flowers, horses, butterflies and anything pink!  She likes to look at books, sing songs, color, dolls, kitchen set, and play outside.  She's a super picky eater (comparatively) and only likes a few things.  She's very polite and sweet and also dealing with a lot of trauma, confused and angry.

This is likely the most difficult thing we have done as a family.  It has challenged us in so many ways and will continue to challenge us in many many more ways.  The lack of sleep is horrible.  The unknowns are difficult.  The patience and love required are immeasurable.  But she needs us to be her family right now and we have been blessed in so many ways.

My mom was able to come at the drop of a hat and help while Steve was out of town for a week and we were right in the thick of the transition.  We couldn't have done it without her help and she went above and beyond helping with bedtimes, school pick-ups, morning routines, cooking, cleaning, and love and support!

We've also been incredibly blessed with meals from so many people wanting to support foster families.  Not only has our church set up a meal calendar, but we have had meals delivered by several people we have never met.  So humbling and helpful!