DooDoo

Our beloved Doo Doo (aka Deby from Chicago) came for a visit over the weekend. We had a wonderful time and we miss her terribly already. Deby flew into Austin on Saturday afternoon and stayed through Wednesday. I wish we could stop time to play more. After picking Deby up on Saturday, we picked up the newest member of the family, Shawna. Thank goodness Deby was here because Kim and I spent a few hours in the ER Saturday with the baby, who had 2 ear infections and a fever of 102.3. Deby stayed home with Maddie and had a Disney film fest. When we came home, here is what we found.





By Sunday, Shawna was feeling 100% better. The fever was gone and she was ready to play with Maddie. Here they are playing with the empty diaper box.




By Monday, Maddie and Shawna had pulled out a million toys to play with in the living room. Shawna seems fascinated by doll babies, so I asked Maddie to bring the baby stroller out for her. Kim predicted it would take 5 minutes before someone new was put in the stroller. She was right!




Shawna's case worker is coming to the house next week to give us more details about her case. What we do know is that she has been permanently placed in our home as a foster child. Her previous foster mother ended up in the ER Saturday night as well with an asthma attack. Kim and I stayed with her as long as we could because she is a single mom and drove herself to the hospital. She doesn't have asthma and had never had an attack. She was eventually admitted to the hospital for a few days to get her breathing right. So, Shawna was officially moved to our home.

The baby is extremely happy and is becoming more verbal every day. She says Hi, Hello, happy, dog. She knows sign language very well and signs more, please, milk, yes, and bye. Shawna started school at Mt. Sinai Christian Academy, Maddie's Alma Mater, today. I know she will do well. Her case worker hasn't been helpful in facilitating this transfer. It has been over a week to get a phone call from him. It makes me so sad to know that Shawna could be lost in the system if not for Kim's persistance. My honey is an incredible advocate for children. Kim called today about a hair appointment for Shawna. She has very course, broken hair. I am confident in my hair-combing skills, but I think she needs some professional help in the hair department. It makes me laugh to think about how much hair Maddie had at this age! Speaking of, Shawna will be 2 on August 18. She shares a birthday with my cousin, Ginger!

We will keep you posted on the progress of our newest member. Please keep us in your prayers!