on being the mother of one baby

i have had an unusual parenting experience thus far.

alex and i tried to adopt before having biological kids.  originally we were just going to take in one child, but pretty early on in our foster care classes we learned that there is a big need for families who are willing to take in sibling sets, so we decided we would be open to two children, ages two and under.  some people thought that this was a bit ambitious, but we figured that we are young, so we can keep up with two young kids like others would not be able to.

soon after we were certified, two children were placed in our home- a baby girl almost 6 months old and a baby boy almost 18 months old.  they had two older brothers, ages 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 who were placed in another home.  after a couple weeks,  the older brothers needed a new foster home, so we decided to take them in as well.  at this point, people decided that we weren't ambitious, but rather crazy.  fast forward 10 months and a judge ruled for the kids to go back with their birth mom.  four months later esther was born.

so, in a nutshell, if you are keeping track, we went from zero kids to two to four to zero again and then to one.

and i am really enjoying this time with just one baby in the house. it is so unique.  its such a joy to be a mother but also feel like life is manageable.  i know things wont always be this easy... soon esther will be crawling and walking, and (hopefully) soon we will be getting another foster baby.  but i am soaking in every moment while i can.

the early days were the easiest... she slept all day!  but even now, its nice that i can generally count on 3-4 hours of nap time per day.  and when she is awake she loves being carried in her moby or ring sling, which allows me to move throughout the house without having to worry about her.

i love that i can sit down and read a book to her whenever i want, or sing a silly song, or dangle toys above her for her to bat at.  but there is also plenty of time and space for me to hang out with friends,  hang out with other mamas, do housework, volunteer at various places, try new recipes, write blogs, do ministry at church, etc.

a time will come when i have to sacrifice more of these things that i enjoy to spend more time with our children.  but right now i can't help but to be incredibly thankful for this stage of life.

[and i cant end this post without a HUGE thank you to my hardworking husband for providing for us financially, so that i am able to focus on my household duties without the stress of a job.  thank you alex and i love you!!]