Reaching Out to Those in Need

Caring for Puck was a breeze...as is usually the case when having a single baby when you've had a string of twins for what seems like forever...so are things hitting a general state of calm? I wish!

Who's the chick with her hand down a glass in a bar? That would be me...no, I'm not wondering where the last of my drink went...I was called in to tend the bar at The Grind for a few hours one night, and me, being the Jane of all trades that I am, agreed...that and they paid me. ;)

Well, I hadn't been there long, when I noticed someone had brought a baby to the club...he was just sitting there with barely any clothes on, giggling. WTH? Ok, there was a part of me that kept saying, "Hadley, live and let live, don't interfere with how people raise their kids, you wouldn't want anyone doing that to you, right?" So...ok...maybe there was a good explanation for why someone had their little half-naked baby in a night club...ok, grr...

Well, as I'm tending, this woman walks up and orders a drink...obviously not her first...
Me: Hey, do you come here a lot?
Drunk Woman: *slurring* y-yeah...all the time...why?
Me: Do you know who's baby that is?
Drunk Woman: *still slurring* ohhh....yeah, tha-that's my baby...his daddy and I couldn't agree on who got to go out, so I was just ll-like, let's just take him along...he'll like it...and he does...see...

Yup, I saw...he was crawling through something sticky, picked something up and put it in his mouth, and almost got hit by the door...wow...great parenting...

Then she (her name is Kelsey Gonen) started dancing on the bar, yelling, "Look at Mama, Shan! Look at Mama!"

Not to be outdone, Shan's father, Emil Crockett, started dancing and yelling, "No, watch Daddy, your mom's a dirty whore! Watch your daddy!" O...M...G...quite possibly the most negligent parents I have ever heard of...

I really didn't want to leave the bar and poor Shan in the custody of his obviously unfit parents, but I had my own children to tend to...so as Emil was asking me for my autograph I told him, "I'm going to put my phone number on here, ok? If you ever want to drop Shan off with me when you all want to go out, just call. I'll be happy to watch him. I've got a little boy a little younger than him."

Well, I made a call to child protective services when I got home and they sent a social worker out to their house...apparently they were living in filth, Shan had no clothes, and neither of them worked. What little money they did get from Emil's unemployment check went to alcohol. They were doing a temporary removal of Shan and asked me if I would be willing to take him. Of course I agreed. How could I possibly say no?

So I took in Shan Crockett as a foster child. I put some clothes on him and started working with him on his skills...

It was also time for the twins to age up. Santana has a colorful personality and wardrobe to match.

Britney is much more feminine. She likes to keep her hair long and works on straightening it daily. She also wears a lot of soft colors like this pink.

The girls were a big help with Shan and Puck. Which is a good thing because I got another call from CPS saying that Kelsey and Emil had another child, another little boy that needed to be placed and wanted to know if I would consider taking him in. Of course I did!

His name is Brendon Crockett. He's almost a teenager and he's mostly quiet but extremely protective of his brother. I have yet to earn his trust, but hopefully I will soon.
(Just FYI, Brendon and Shan are not counting as children in my challenge, but I couldn't NOT take them in!)

Then, it's time for Puck's birthday! He has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen on a toddler! He looks a lot like me, but prettier!

Shan did so well working on his skills that he got to age up quickly. He's a little on the pudgy side, but he's such a sweet boy. I hope all that he's been through up to this point won't scar him for life.

Well, I went to find another sperm donor and I found this guy! He's definitely different! I'm sick of having babies that look exactly like me, I need some variation, so I hope this will work! His name is Alberto Restrepo.