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My brain is so full of thoughts after yesterday’s training – and of course, today is Resurrection Sunday and all that involves – but I really hope I can share some of the highlights from yesterday’s training and bless someone as I was blessed!
To say the training was intimate is an understatement. I think there were 15 in attendance. I was sorry they didn’t do introductions since there were so few, but I gathered a couple were workers, a few were foster parents and the rest were adoptive parents. Â Most of us had a working knowledge of FASD but I definitely think – if you like with someone on the Fetal Alcohol spectrum, you would do best to revisit any training you can get as often as you can.
First a few links. The training was hosted by the FASD Norcal group:Â http://www.fasdnorcal.org/Â Â Back in 2014 I was involved in early discussions and met with some people to convey the great need for local support groups. Â Sadly, at this time, the only groups I am aware of are in the Bay Area. But Eric and I are praying about starting something more local for us!
And, our trainer was Jeff Noble.  His website is FASDForever at http://fasdforever.com/ He has a newsletter, ebooks and a youtube channel.  He is a former house parent, foster parent and FASD educator in Canada.  Personally he has been an encouragement to my husband especially on Facebook and through his writings.
A few snippets that stood out to me during the day:
“They have the most unpredictable brains on the planet.”
“(They) look normal, talk normal, act disabled”
“Everyone has a brain. Everyone’s brain is different and normal for them.”
‘I’m bored’ can be translated ‘I don’t know what to do next.’
90% of our kiddos acquire anxiety or depression.
I’m realizing there is really too much to share in one post and I have some things I need to dig into a bit more in my own journey so I’ll be writing more later. Â If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Â I was extremely blessed to get to ask Jeff some questions I’ve been struggling with and I can’t wait to share more of what I learned!
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Part 1 :: Part 2 :: Part 3 :: Part 4 :: Part 5
This is the last part of our adoption story. Â The boys’ sister was born July 23, 2007 – J1 was 12.5, J2 was 10 and J3 was 6.5. Â I had been blogging for about 4 years now so much of her adoption story played out here as it happened.
This was our first adoption living in another state. Â That might have been why it took longer to have JGirl join our family but also, for the first time, the kids’ tummy mommy didn’t disappear. Â She was no better equipped to parent a child – much less care for herself – but they gave her a chance to try to prove she could. It was hard to wait. I hated the fact that her failure meant our gain. Â But really she didn’t have a chance. Â We know enough of her story to wish she had been given the chance of adoption. Â The chance to have a loving family who would help her realize she was worthy of so much more! Â 🙁 Â We made her a weather-proof photo album of the boys that would hopefully stand up to the rigors of her life.
In Oregon they have a registry for adoptees. If our kiddos want to reconnect with their birth family they can put their contact info in the registry. If their birth family does the same they will be connected. So far those old enough have not been interested. Â But we’ll see what happens in the future. However, I worry unless her lifestyle changes, she won’t be available to meet. Â 🙁
Our kids are now 21, 19, 15 and 8. Â My husband and I have learned so much about trauma, loss and the affects on the brain. We started to learn about TBRI from Empowered to Connect and last summer we were blessed to attend the NACAC conference in Long Beach, CA and hear Dr. Daniel Siegel – it was so encouraging and informative! Â We have made it past some of the hardest days with our oldest and want to help other families who find themselves in those circumstances.
