They come for a weekend and stay for a lifetime!

As many of you know, 8 of our daughters were adopted. Louisa came to us right after we got a new puppy. Lol...I mean really, who would ever plan to get a new puppy with a new baby around? No veteran mom would ever go and get a new puppy then bring home a baby, sheesh!

A good friend of mine, was a tribal welfare worker. Rebecca Zeledon was an inspirational ICWA worker for the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians. Rebecca's job was to help support families on the tribal lands and bridge communication with the child welfare system. There are many issues for the folks who live on the reservations...but substance abuse, and domestic violence are some of the top. After about a year, the tribe gave us permission to adopt Louisa...( since we are not native american...this is HUGE...typically ICWA, or the Indian Child Welfare Act insists Indian children in Indian homes...but Louisa was a sick baby needing breathing treatments and close monitoring....we were the best option at the time...<>)

Anyhow, Louisa came to us at the ripe ol age of 5 mos..."just for the weekend..." Lol...just for the weekend has now turned into 8 years~ Louisa, age 7, is simply beautiful, both inside and out.

Louisa loves to play on the trampoline, and run with the dogs. She is super with pets and hopes to become a baby doctor. I envisioned a baby doctor like our lovely pediatrician, Dr. Marlene Quilala...( she could give Jane Seymour a run for her money....Marlene is one of those docs who stops and chats w/ you at the grocery store...my kiddos are her kiddos too...a long lost art in medicine if you ask me...)Anyhow, back to the topic...Louisa wants to CATCH babies for a living...ewwwww...what could she be thinking, Lol...Cause I KNOW she has no real clue where those babies come from....That child has the # on the TV down...she knows right how to get to Discovery Health Channel and watch those babies be born, Lol...

What an amazing journey this parenting thing is...