Month 10
Happy New Year to you all - so far ours has been really good!!!
We were visited on the 6th December by Sarah and Jane (Sarah's Manager). The meeting was great and both they and Chris made us very relaxed. Jane went into more detail about the children and told us of their current situation. She also bought a DVD of the children for us to watch. This was so amazing to see and made us want them so much more. We discussed their issues again and their schooling requirements and how taking on these children would not be easy. Before they left Jane asked us if we had any concerns and if she had put us off at all, but we both agreed that we were very positive and very keen to progress. We asked her if she had any concerns about us and she didn't and was very happy with the match that Sue and Betty had made!!!
They wanted us to have a chat about the children that night and Chris would call us the next day after she had spoken to Sarah about their decision to take us to the next step.
We went out for a meal and then we popped to see Julia and Darren and had a long chat with them. We were both so excited and hoping for great news the following day.
Chris phoned the next day and all was well!!! Sarah and Jane were very encouraged by the meeting and they have put us up for a selection meeting on Friday 30th December!!! Sarah was also trying to sort a date for the matching panel and this was hopefully going to be in February.
We were both so pleased with this and very excited.
Christmas was lovely but quiet - can't imagine we will be saying that this year!! It was strange and hard to think of the children on Christmas Day. Even though we have not met them, after seeing the DVD they now feel 'real' and not a photograph from a magazine.
I love shopping so I adore the sales!! I have been very naughty and have bought some children's clothes. I set my alarm for 4.15am on the 27th December and was in the queue for Next at 4.45am along with a million other people. I got lots of gorgeous clothes for the children (and myself) and was very pleased with my purchases. I got home at 6.15am and set the alarm for 8.00am for Jeremy to go to work. When the alarm went off he turned and said 'Did you not bother going to the sale???' He didn't know I had left and come back!!!
The 30th December arrived. We knew it would be late afternoon when we heard as the selection panel was 2.00pm. My mobile rang at 3.30pm and it was some person asking if I wanted a Barclaycard - I won't tell you how quickly I got him off the phone!! Sarah called at 4.00pm to tell us we had passed and everyone thought the match was perfect!! The matching panel is set for Tuesday 27th February and if all goes to plan we will meet the children 10 days from that date!! In the meantime we are to meet the Foster Carer the children are with now and also to visit the school where the older child is at.
Jeremy's work has been brilliant and has given him three weeks off work for the visits and the children's move here. He also had some annual leave from last year and we have booked a week's holiday to Hong Kong at the end of January!!
To say we are excited is an understatement. Still a way to go yet as we know it is going to be hard when the children move in but we are so lucky that we have such a good network of friends and family who will be there for us.
Julie and Darren are amazing friends and as they have been through the adoption process know exactly how we are feeling and also Michelle and Tom who we met through the agency a year ago have been great support. They have been matched with a lovely little boy and their matching panel is early February, so they are really happy too.
A lot of people say to us that the whole process has taken so long, but we only started our preparation groups this time last year and look how far we have come. Its not been a easy twelve months but we totally understand why we had the preparation groups, why all the questions have been asked as the children are the priority and it would be totally devastating for them if the final match was wrong and it broke down.
The meeting for the Dinner Dance went well and I have been busy looking at locations for a venue for possibly next summer.
Think that's it for this month. this time next month we will be on holiday!!!!
Clare and Jeremy
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