Over Christmas break we decided to provide respite again for our agency. Although I said we were “retired” from providing respite after the last experience, I once again ate my words and we agreed to give it another try. This time we were able to provide care for a baby almost 6 months old who will be from here forward known only as “Roly Poly” Roly Poly turned out to be the sweetest and most adorable baby we could ever have imagined. Roly smiled and cuddled with us instantly. Roly hadn’t yet mastered the art of sitting up completely, but had moved onto the art of crawling. Never having had an infant ourselves, were unsure what we were in for, but we did know we do not have a baby-proof home, especially one where the baby could crawl to items of their desire.
Before agreeing to watch Roly Poly we asked the boys what they thought and if they wanted to do it. Jarrett and I agreed that even if we were okay with it, we were not going to say yes unless the boys were okay with it too. When I presented the situation to them and asked them for a response, they immediately shouted yes and jumped up and down asking when the baby could come.
And so for Christmas not only did the boys wake up to presents from Santa but they also went to bed with the babbling noises of coos from Roly. The week Roly spent with us was a lot of fun with the boys getting the chance to help change dirty diapers (thanks Michael) as well as help with the bedtime feeding( thanks Gabriel). Also thank you to my Grandpa who helped on numerous occurrences with playing to feeding and entertaining while I was taking care of other things.
The boys instantly connected to Roly Poly and enjoyed playing together. Michael’s favorite thing to do was to stick his head in Roly’s lap to give Roly the opportunity to pull his hair. For some reason it made Michael giggle like crazy. And Gabriel’s favorite part was yelling for me when Roly had reached the edge of our carpet and was on the verge of entering the tile. Gabriel, the alarmer, made sure Roly stayed safe. Also, he became a master at making Roly giggle. From peak-a-boo to talking in silly voices, Gabriel has a natural ability at connecting with babies and younger children. Jarrett and I told him he will be a wonderful father someday (AFTER HE GRADUATES FROM COLLEGE, HAS A GOOD JOB, AND IS MARRIED). He agreed, even on video.
Although Roly was with us for 6 days, the impact made on our heart will be forever. I think I’ll forever wonder what Roly is up to and we pray that Roly’s life is blessed with a wonderful family and a life full of love. We hope Roly knows that for those 6 days we shared our love and our hearts and considered RP a member of our family. Although we were supposedly giving the foster family some respite and Roly a gift of love, the truth is Roly Poly gave us the greatest gift.
To see my Grandfather down on the carpet playing with the Roly was wonderful and for a few moments I saw a glimpse of the light in his eyes he had when my grandmother was still alive. And Roly Poly taught me a lesson I didn’t even know. I’ve always been afraid of agreeing to be a foster parent because I am afraid of growing too attached and risking true heart ache when the child returns to their birth family or to another family. The truth I learned is that although the heartache will be there, the joy and love we would gain during the process would be worth it in the end. I’m not going to lie, it was difficult to say goodbye to Roly and know that we may never meet again, but if I were to go back and do it all over again, I think we’d all say yes in a moment again. We had a lot of fun and will forever remember Christmas 2011 as the year Santa and Roly Poly came to town.
Until next time,
Angie
