6 months!

We have made it to 6 months with the babies!  Day by day it is impossible to see growth, but month by month, and even week by week, the positive changes in these two are very apparent!  

Baby Boy

Wow is he talking!  His latest word additions are:  

• "Nope!" Instead of "no." So cute.
• "Aw Man!" when something falls.
• When I come home from work, he gives me a report of what they did that day, "Watched Dora!"  "Watched Cars!"  
• And I just heard him say this sentence to a friend, referring to his truck, "His name is Mack."  He is still hard to understand but he is getting it! 
• When I call, "Where are you?" He says "I'm right here!" and comes running.  Adorable.

I am trying to work on potty training with him, but he is not responding.  The one thing he is doing is telling me...right after...he poops in his diaper.  I'm hoping that we can start to try the potty.  I know the next 6 months are going to be big for him: potty training, big boy bed, big boy cups.  He is starting to slim down and I am guessing by his 4th birthday in December, he's going to look more his age and less like a baby (sniff, sniff!).  

Baby Girl

She is doing AMAZING!  I think we have battled the most ferocious battle for her heart and won.  She has really settled in more than I ever thought possible.  Her feelings of anxiety over who is in control (me, duh) and what my reaction would be to her misbehavior, has settled into comfort and familiarity.  The tension of when will the next fit be is gone (hopefully never to return).  She has stopped challenging my authority and she is for the most part compliant, pleasant, and easy (whew).  She is so very ready for preschool to start in a couple months and I just see her growing up before my eyes.  In fact, as they are both looking and acting so much less like babies than they did 6 months ago, I'm going to start calling them The Littles instead of The Babies.   

The Rest of Us

Big Brother and Big Sister are doing great.  Big Sister still harbors resentment against Little Sister.  I am hoping that gets better as Little Sister learns how to listen and respect Big Sister's belongings.  Both big kids are chillin' and enjoying summer laziness.  I have a checklist they have to complete each day including reading and activities, and then they can have screen time.  They are loving it.  Summer so far has been the perfect mix of business and relaxation on top of the usual work load.  

The Case

We are still waiting...any day now...for the arrest of the bio mom and step dad for the atrocious starvation of our babies (The Littles!) and other abuse against them and their siblings.  Up until this point, The Littles lawyer has not defended them very aggressively but now that we are halfway through the year, I believe that things are changing.  The judge handling the case is very pro-parent, and up to this point has criticized their lawyer and CPS for the boundaries they have set to keep the children away from the parents.  However, so far, it seems that the judge is upholding it and I know that The Littles' lawyer is trying not to say too much too soon in court because she doesn't want to give the parents' side time to create a defense. Bio Dad is also still a contender, but he still has to be able to provide a home adequate for all the children (ours plus their 3 siblings).  So much still has to play out and I certainly don't want to count our chickens, but I do feel pretty confident at this point that these Littles will be ours.  I know that is what the lawyer and CPS are both working toward.  Please keep praying that everything goes smoothly, and particularly, that the bio mom and step dad both get arrested for their abuse of these precious little ones.