Almost 3 weeks as foster parents.
First and foremost, I want to thank everyone in the DU community for your kind words of support when I wrote of our foster son Tommy arriving in our home back on June 30th.
Back when he arrived, he was 4 days old and had his DHHS social worker brought him here directly from being discharged from the hospital in Augusta.
I said at the time that we would love the little jelly bean if for no other reason that it is a baby's RIGHT to be loved by his or her caretakers. We got to love him regardless of that. It is amazing seeing how this little peanut changes from hour to hour. He is a hungry little baby and he makes our 15 year old son look like he's on a hunger strike!
Maria (my wife) and I were very complimented yesterday when we took Tommy to his first pediatrician's appointment and the doctors who examined him stated that it was obvious that he was a very well cared for and well nurtured & loved & contented a baby he is. Apparently our treatment plan of lots of cooing, cuddling, playing, songs and belly bouncing has been successful.
We had a bit of good news/bad news yesterday. Apparently a cousin of his birth mother has expressed a desire to foster Tommy and it appears that they meet all of the criteria for taking Tommy into their family. The GOOD news is that Tommy will be with a younger family that is a blood relation. The BAD news is that, even though hi is only 3 weeks old, we will miss him and his company. The likelihood is that he'll be going by the end of this week.
Maria and I get the definite impression that we've earned a very good reputation with DHHS, so we're confident that they'll place another baby with us very soon. We hope so, because we really ENJOY parenting. SO, Tommy is likely to be moving on very soon. we'll miss him but we'll be happy for him. We will love the next baby as much and we plan on following the same treatment plan with the next little jelly bean!
Thanks for reading.
PEACE! 
= new reply since forum marked as read
...it'd be about 199, not the 2 cats & 1 doggie we do have.
We just LUV taking care of babies!
PEACE!
You sound like wonderful foster parents!
May I qualify that to little baby jelly beans, not the real ones?
I'm too danged fat to have too many of the real jelly beans...Yikes!
PEACE!
Thank you for caring for jelly beans. Each one will fill your heart and each one will leave a hole.
I can't think of a better way to describe our feelings about fostering!
PEACE!
PEACE!
I remember you initial post...you folks did good.
PEACE!
Opening your hearts and home to little ones in desperate need for care and love, and then being willing to let go, and do it all over again. You must be wonderful, giving, and loving people to open yourselves up to such great love and loss repeatedly. That you go in with your eyes open and arms wide is amazing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving safe refuge to these little ones and showing them love, and most of all stepping up, when there was no one else for this child at that time.
We would be open to adoption, but I'm 60 and it 'd probably be better for a little ont to not have a geriatric father!
PEACE!
This is a great OP!
...as my mom always called my son when he was little. The big danger is that we MAY just eat him up! 
PEACE!
but remember that you gave him some really great love at a very important time of his life. And noone can replace that. I hope you find a new baby soon. I so understand your need to be there for these kids who really need a lovinlg family and you are such a wonderful and rare blessing.
Thank you for what you do.
We were very surprised to find out that not many foster families in Maine want babies for some reason. 
PEACE!
With his birth mom's cousin, he'll be with blood relatives and he'll be able to have a relationship with mm, even if the cousin's family adopts him
Also, our gamily (our 15 year old son included) has earned a very god reputation with Maine DHHS, so e'll get another little peanut to care for before long. My wife and I suspect, too, that our son now KNOWS where he can get free babysitting when he becomes a daddy...Yikes!!!
PEACE!
Our son did a good job with this little guy, too, so it's really the 3 of us. We're very proud of our son and the man he's becoming! 
PEACE!
