08-Apr 2010

Today we got a phone call from our social worker to say the birth family had moved from our town back to the town where the children come from - so they aren't two miles away like we were told!  we are over the moon and sooooooo relieved. that was the one thing we were very worried that the panel might defer or say no about.  She also said that intros have been put back by a week so we wont be meeting them until 27th or after.  Grrr...  Not very happy about that but hey it gives us more time to SHOP!

We have also been told that we WILL get an adoption allowance, a settling-in grant and they are considering a lump sum payment too!  This is more than what we expected so we are very happy indeed!  It means that I will not have to go back to work as soon as we had expected.  This will only serve to help the children attach and settle in much better and defer any money worries for longer making us happier bunnies - wooo hooo!

We have today finished the introductions books and the DVD (eek!)  Mungo is finalising the DVD and could be up a while!  I did the introductions book, it was the Tomy Talking Photo Album and is fantastic for children of all ages.  i did one for each child, named the books so they know whose is whose and we took it in turns to record the messaged with each of the eight photos, so they can get used to our voices.  We did pictures of:

- Mary and mungo by the front door
- The outside of the house
- Us in the kitchen / diner eating breakfast
- Us in the lounge watching the fish tank
- Us in the garden playing with toys
- Us in the bathroom with their names in sponge letter on the bath
- Their new granny and granddad playing in the park
- A close-up of us - so they can see mary's spots and mungo's warts lol

Each of the pictures is slightly different so their books are unique to each child and in total they all have 18 photos of us.  We also bought a little individual toy for each of them and they are in most of the photos too.  I even crocheted scarves for the toys and embroidered the children's initials on the scarves so they know whose toy is whose.  The toys will be their presents to them when we meet them for the first time!  The DVD followed a similar format to the pictures but without the grandparents.

I am still a bit fazed by everything that has happened and I don't feel that I can relax.  I think it's all the problems we have faced to get to this day.  And many, many times I never thought we would.  It hasn't been without its struggles and downright despair too many times. but through everything all our cyber friends - that's you! - all have kept us going.

Here is a MASSIVE thank you to everyone who has been there for us, who has supported us and has cried with us.  To everyone who has commented on our blog, sent cyber hugs / choc / wine, to everyone who has wished us well and given us advice, who has been in the dark with us and who has yippeed when things went right - this goes to you:  THANK YOU!!!

We seriously couldn't have got to today - or tomorrow - without you all.  So it's time to switch off the lappy and try to get an early night's sleep, ha ha!