The downpour is far from over

I wish I could elaborate more without letting the cat out of the bag.

Baby Hayden has been placed with my other brother and sister-in-law, the same couple who have Shaun's first biological (and born drug-affected) child. This is wonderful on so many levels. First, they have experience raising a drug-affected child and know first hand the trials and tribulations ahead for little Hayden. Their youngest is 10 and IN LOVE with babies, so they have more time, energy, and resources to give Hayden EXACTLY what he needs. Hayden is not a bad baby; I just did not have enough arms and Bryce was starting to act out because when you juggle two babies, there's very little time left for the lonely preschooler. I have a lot of respect for those of you with twins. I have no idea how you do it. :)

With one big life hurdle down in Casa Monahan, you'd think we'd be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, we just got some news that we are less than thrilled about. Once firmer decisions are made on the part of the ones involved, I will elaborate more.

Until then, stay tuned. :)

If it's not one thing...

...I am now a "mother" of three. "Mother" is in quotes because technically I am a mother to two and an auntie to one. My 3 month old nephew is currently staying with us and with his other auntie and uncle until his mom and dad are able to go through rehab and prove to the State of Washington that they can be responsible parents.

I would do anything in the world for this little guy, I truly would. He is a remarkably good baby, very adaptable and seems to be thriving despite the recent uproot. His mom and dad call and/or visit daily to check on him. I have seem some good things at our visits, and I'm hoping that they can beat their demons so that little Hayden can go back to them.

My kids are learning (Bryce especially) that I am one person who two arms and I just cannot do everything at once all the time. Bryce has been very patient with me, almost to a fault, because he will sit back and look for an opening to seek attention that rarely comes with two under the age of one. So, rather than seek negative attention (which he did nearly constantly at first), he tells me loudly, "mommy, it's MY turn!" and that is sufficient to remind me that I have another child that needs his mommy. Both babies have learned that I will leave them to fuss on the floor (as long as they're clean and fed), to tend to Bryce's needs, which I think makes Bryce happy. Not that he has some weird vendetta, but that mommy is putting him first for a while.

I can tell you that after the first week, when my sweet nephew left to go to his other auntie and uncle's house for a few days, I felt like I could do ANYTHING. Handling my kids alone seemed so dang easy I was pretty sure I could do it with one hand tied behind my back and my eyes closed. For safety's sake, though, I didn't do that. :)