Adventures in Adoption - Adjusting the Bills

In all the classes we took preparing for adoption, we were told a lot of stuff.  A lot.  Some of it was new, some was not (we do have three children already).  Some of it I thought was crazy.  Depending on which agency we refer to, some of the info was just plain scary.

Looking over my bills this morning, preparing for taxes - yes already, trying to get organized, I haven't had much time for that lately - I noticed an increase in places that I never thought of.

Adding people means adding:

• food - kids have to eat
• water - they have to bathe (even when they don't want to)
• clothes - ones that fit
• shoes - again, they have to fit
• diapers - depending on the age - sometimes just pull ups
• Toilet paper - for obvious reasons

Things I never thought to adjust:

• School supplies - I'm glad I stocked up when Office Depot had their .10 and .25 sales!
• Paper towels - we never use them.  I keep them around for company.  before this summer I had used less than 1 whole roll in a 12 pack.  I am down to just one half of a roll now.
• Replacing dishes - they seem to fall a lot more often now (only the glass ones you know)
• Baby supplies - I haven't had baby stuff in 10 years
• Personal care items - a 4 year old doesn't necessarily know that you don't need half a bottle of shampoo to wash your body
• Condiments - working at a preschool I learned that if a child doesn't like something, put ketchup on it.  They will eat almost anything with ketchup.  I have had a few kids who put picante sauce on everything!
• Sheets - I have a set for each bed and two extra.  However, if you have a child who frequently wets the bed it helps to have more than one back up (in case you can't get right to that mountain of laundry)
• Band aids - they make everything better.  Even things that don't show.

I love this ministry, you never know what you are going to see, hear, (smell!), and experience.  Just like in 'real life' you have to expect the unexpected.  I have kids, I thought I knew what I was doing.

God has a great sense of humor.  I had my son.  He was always easy.  He liked to be left alone to read and play.  

Then I had my first daughter.  I thought I knew what I was doing by now.

Nope.

She wanted to be in pageants, and craves attention.  Polar opposite of my boy.

Then I had Baby Girl.  

In science we are taught about opposites.  Did you know there are more than 2 sides?!  If you have more than 2 kids you know that!

Baby Girl is a mess - a tiny tornado.  She loves to help me clean, but somehow there is always more mess.  She loves to be outside and while pageants are on her list of things she has done, she prefers sports.

Ok.  So I have this now.  Right?

Nope.  God created us so uniquely different that each of the foster children we have had these past six months (11 total) have taught me something different.  Some good, some I probably never wanted to know.