Life is happening…hold on!!

Life has been a little busy and somewhat hectic. Being a part of a foster family definitely adds a little excitement every now and then. Two weeks ago a toddler was added to our number and last week her little brother came home from the hospital…now we are a family of eight, I always wanted a huge family so now my dreams are coming true. But in the middle of the night when the baby cries and wakes me up I kind of wonder what in the world I was thinking to dream such big things! It is so precious, though, to come home from school and help out with the kids. Now that I am in Early Intervention I can apply what I learn in school (at least my child development class) as soon as I get home: “David, the baby can’t see you clearly at all. You are just a big blur. At this age infants like to look at high contrast objects, black and white things. Maybe in a few months he will be more interested in the faces you make at him.”

This weekend was fall break so Beth and I took a trip to Tennessee to visit our grandparents. While we were there we also got to visit with our cousins and aunts and uncles. It was a nice trip but came at a rather inconvenient time with the baby coming while we were gone. As soon as we got home on Tuesday mom headed to bed for a much needed nap and I fixed dinner while the babies were at a visitation with their parents and Beth did some laundry.

I should better get going to church where I help with the Middle School Youth Group, that should be exciting too…Wow, so much is happening I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

1 Peter 3:13-16 (NASB)

I have CODOed*

Well, it is finally official! I am now in a declared major: Early Intervention. You may be asking yourself “Self, what kind of jobs do Early Intervention graduates get.” That is a good question, I’m glad you asked! According to the Purdue website: “Graduates pursue careers including developmental therapist, Early Head Start center caregiver, Early Head Start home visitor, infant toddler specialist in child care resource and referral agency, Healthy Families Indiana home visitor, and family educator.”

I am very excited to pursue this career and, hopefully end up with a job working with babies and their families (maybe even my own children at some point). Yes, I would like to be a stay-at-home mom sometime…funny, girls these days are encouraged to pursue careers in anything they want except as a wife and mother, but that is another topic for another day!

*CODO stands for Change Of Degree Objective. It is used as a verb at Purdue – e.g. “I am CODOing to Nuclear Engineering.”

**notice the nice fall colors