Another thing of the list

We spent bits of today wandering around various places looking at buggies, cots/toddler beds and the like. Not getting any of that till we have been officially linked and met foster carer. However we did get something that has been on the list for a while - namely a fireguard.



So that is one more item off the list - poor Henry is getting used to these stair gates - particularly one at top which means he can no longer get into bedrooms. Well not until he learns to jump it that is.



 

Main fun for him will really start when we put the gate into kitchen doorway - we have no door - it now is the cupboard door on landing (don't ask it is a long story :D) This gate will block him from food and his cat flap - so we are suspecting we made need to find some way to make it easier for him to jump over. I wish somebody made a child gate with a cat flap in.....

 

Reflections on today

Well I have finally found time to blog again although it isn't going to be a long one. I hate Clearing...... Well actually I don't it just takes a lot out of me and involves me working 8 days solid - finally got some time off today. Shall see how we are doing when I go in on Tuesday - it's been tough again this year but we were getting there as of yesterday.

Anyway enough of my work life - time to talk about what this blog is supposedly about. We had the meeting with our potential link's SW today. In fact as T put it later we had SWs in our house today for the longest time thus far in the process as ours arrived at 1.15 and left at 4.45. She came early to discuss the child's SW questions with us before she arrived at 2.30 - which we both felt was valuable. Also finally managed to show her the fence round the patio which was partially her suggestion in the first place. It is now partially painted so doesn't quite look like it does below.

The pre-discussion made the subsequent 2 hr discussion go a lot easier. Not going to talk much about the questions as a lot were pertinent to our potential links story - and it is his story. Did talk a bit about his age and why we were not dead set on having a very young baby (honest answer - ever since I started thinking about adoption as a single mother 11 years+ ago for some reason I always envisaged a toddler). We also discussed a fair amount about attachment and we would foster the breaking of current attachment to foster carer and making attachment to us. Also got to here a bit more of his background and talk about contact (which is a bit of a minefield in this case).

His SW assured us he is still developing at the right pace and is a lovely little boy. He is well attached to his FC, and seemed to cope ok with his respite placements. Indeed apparently every FC he spends some time with wants to keep him. After it was all done and his SW left ours said she felt we had presented ourselves really well and answered the questions as she expected. Just got to wait with everything crossed till next week. Hopefully we should know on Tuesday after his SW has spoken to her manager. Then we should get some photos of him which means we can start talking a little to our families about him - well ok my sister & brother-in-law know a fair bit but they are adopters themselves.

I am feeling more positive than I did before - this does feel like the right match for us so just got to hope his SW agrees.

Going back in time…

Well we got the official letter yesterday to confirm we were approved - and a load of information plus some forms to sign :) On extract of minutes, it was nice to see the reasons for approval (7) and no concerns at all :D However it did show that it had actually taken us 9 months to get to this point - from application to approval which I hadn't realised. Thought it was November we put application in and in fact it was October (before prep course). I did say my memory is a sieve......

This week

Warning very rambling post - which is an indication of my state of mind at the moment.....

As T put it earlier this has been one interesting week. Starting with panel on Monday which was a real high and is still sinking in to be honest even if we had phone call on Thursday to tell it it was all final. Following that I worked Tuesday then have had three days with only partial working ( thankfully summer with no project students). I had what I thought was a migraine Wednesday morning which wasn't that unexpected - I tend to get them after stress has calmed down. But it never properly went and got worse so I looked at blood pressure. It was up beyond the tipping point for me so off to the Doctors I trundled on Thursday to get my dosage increased as we had thought may happen. Slowly sorting but I wish I didn't get these spikes in BP. Hopefully this dosage should keep me stable- T (being a pharmacist) has always said I may need a higher dose than I was initially on.

Today is Yorkshire Day

Well today is August 1st and hence it is Yorkshire Day. I was born in Harrogate and lived there till I was 21 months old. Then we moved away and all over Eastern England till we moved back up to Yorkshire when I was 17. I've basically lived here ever since (21 years now and counting). Mind you I am the one of us (two younger siblings) who sounds least like they come from Yorkshire even if I am the only one born here....

In many ways Yorkshire has been the steady place in my life - I lived in 8 houses with my parents before I finally brought my own place - and went to 7 schools before university. Throughout all that I had family in harrogate until after we moved back up here. Two parts of the country are 'home' to me - here in Yorkshire particularly amongst the Pennine areas and East Anglia (Norfolk & northern Suffolk). They are the areas my grandparents lived in so I have many memories of them - well pictures in my mind.

Meeting date

Well we have a date for meeting with our SW and the SW of the prospective link we hav. Not till 3 weeks to or row (23rd Aug)  by we have it :) Family finder for the boy has been talking to his SW as well as our SW. As it happens FF is the SW who did our initial visit and recommended us to go forward. She is friends from uni with some of our friends (T decided later he did remember her vaguely as we discovered this towards end of first visit) so as T says not only do we blame them for us but now for our potential son as well. She apparently approached our SW about this boy some months back and we would probably have heard about him sooner if it wasn't for my wobble at start of June due to losing Ricki & Grandma within a few days of each other.

Anyway we are getting more paperwork about the boy soon so should get a much better idea about him on paper anyway. Just hoping his SW likes us and our house as I am starting to feel a real connection. Looking good for our preferred panel date (end of October) at moment as our SW said 2 months from initial meeting. Just means I have 6 weeks of teaching to do....well it will keep me busy anyway:)