First, I will update everyone on Dee Dee's Doodlebugs! These 3 boys have grown so much since I last posted. It is amazing to look at the pictures in the last post and see how much they have grown since the end of September. They are all happy, sweet, loving little boys. I cherish each and everyone of them. I love that I get to stay home and care for these precious little ones. God is AWESOME:)
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| Reid (Nov '10) |
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| Jones (Nov '10) |
I got the process started on getting licensed back in October. Well, after background checks, finger printing, taking CPR(adult/child/infant), First Aid, filled out all papers, made sure my check list was completed, painted the bonus room and decorated it, installed a shelving system in the bonus room closet, bought a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, lock boxes, and a fridge thermometer, we were FINALLY ready for the lady to come to our home for inspection and licensing. We set a date back in early December and she came out to our home. At this point, I still had NOT received the handbook with all the rules and regulations which was making me a little nervous since I was not knowledgeable of everything that I needed to know. She came on a Wednesday I believe......One of the first things she said was that I could not keep the children in our bonus room. They must be kept on ground level. She was surprised that I did not know this bit of info and that no one had told me. I was thinking it was probably in that handbook that I was still waiting on! I was very upset!! After all the hard work Troy and I had put into our bonus room I felt like it was for nothing if we decided to get licensed. She said I could keep the children in the guest room AND starting tomorrow, the children have to be kept downstairs (since she was going to go ahead an issue a provisional license). We continued our meeting and I was totally stressing out on the inside about how we were going to make this work. It would not have been as stressful if I did not have another baby coming but the plan was in the works for me to keep our Sunday School leaders little boy come January. She continued to go over all this paper work and violations that they look for when they come for their surprise visits. All the paperwork was making my head spin and I begin to feel like this was going to be more about keeping good documentation and less about the quality of the care for these babies. I had wanted to cry since she said I could not keep them upstairs so I was kind of ready for her to leave to so I could talk with Troy and get to feeling better. She did finally leave about 2 hours after her arrival and I had my little 1 star license. Troy and I tossed around some ideas but knew that we had to get the furniture out of the guest room and bring down all my baby stuff so we would be in compliance. Troy had a sales meeting that night so I knew we were in for a long night once he got home. Amazingly, we got everything accomplished and was prepared for the next day. Well, about 10am that Thursday morning, I was in tears and upset because it was not working out. The room was too small for 3 babies . myself, 2 pack-n-plays, and toys. I sat there thinking, "How in the world is this going to work with 2 more children AND another pack-n-play?" I called Troy and told him all the babies were upset and cranky, no one was taking a good nap, I had been stumbling over the silly baby gate all morning (not good when you are 6 months pregnant), and that I just did not think it was going to work. He said not to worry and to cancel the license if I wanted to. We would figure out a way to make ends meet and to trust in the Lord. So, I made the dreadful phone call to our SS leader and told her all about the recent fiasco that had been taking place in our home. I explained that I did not have it in me physically or financially to set up another room in our house for Dee Dee's Doodlebugs. I hate to put anyone in a bind and I felt terrible for letting them down and informing that I was not going to be able to keep their son. She totally understood and was very kind about the entire situation. After our conversation, I emailed the lady from the county and told her to terminate the license and I explained to her why. We were terminated that day and the all of us headed back upstairs after lunch where we all ended up having a great afternoon. So, I am not licensed and I can not keep more the 2 full time that are not mine. We do have some drop-ins on occasion which is fun for the babies and that helps a lot:) God is providing when I thought we were going to be struggling with only keeping 2. Some how we have seen an increase and we know it is all God. We just have to trust in him totally and know He is going to care for us when we are not sure about how things are going to work out. We are truly blessed and we can't imagine our lives without Reed, Reid, and Jones. We love them (Reid and Jones) like our own and are so thankful that we get to be a part of their lives!
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