The PAR.....

......has arrived. Came in the post yesterday morning. On the whole it is a good reflection of our family, although as it is effectively a document which sells you to childrens' social workers, having so much praise and positivity in there felt a little weird. But I think that is down to the 'British', trait of not being comfortable accepting praise or compliments. It is much easier to be self deprecating!! There are a couple of minor inaccuracies but nothing that we feel strongly enough about to have to change, other than to point out where a couple of dates don't match up (same event but different dates given in different sections of the report).

I think the nerves are well and truly settling in. Flash in particular is having difficulty facing up to the change that is coming to our lives. He likes our life, he likes our lifestyle, he likes our freedom to do whatever he wants whenever he wants, he was ambivalent about he process and is doing it for me...... I could say the same thing, but at the same time, there is something missing and it feels as if we are in a 'comfort rut'. I can't explain how I feel, only that if our life remains as it is I will be bored forever. I guess I need a challenge and part of life's challenge to me is having a family, and I am ready to add to mine. But I also know I cannot do this unless Flash is fully on board. So (rhetorical question) do I put this down as pre-approval jitters or Flash admitting his true feelings? It is only with me he is like this. With our friends from prep group (we met up at the weekend) he was positive and bubbly and fully engaged in talking about all things adoption. I need to talk to him about it but he is away for work this week so it will be a weekend chat.

Thanks to Ali, my fellow blogger, I have taken up crochet. With reasonable success. So when I get a chance I will load up my efforts thus far. I am sure they will get better!! Off to buy some more wool now!!

4 weeks and counting.........

........until approval panel!

The time really has flown since we first met Bonnie and started home study. And it has been very strange not having our regular appointment. The profile we have do do for sending out to other agencies/LAs is nearly done. I find it very hard to 'sell' our family and what we can offer a child.

The bedroom is coming on well:

from this................................to this............................and currently.........

Just a little decorating job we thought!!

Meeting up with friends from prep group on Saturday so really looking forward to that. If my car is fixed. I have been smelling a strange rubbery smell, so took it in yesterday to get it looked at and they wouldn't let me take it home. The cambelt casing has cracked, and the cambelt is rubbing against it, hence the smell. So new cambelt needed as a precaution against any damage that might have been done to it even though It was done only 18 months ago. Oh well. No Easter eggs for the boys this year then!!

busy busy

Just a short post. So busy at work with marking and so on, extra time at the computer is not my favourite pastime at the moment.

We have finished home study yay! Bonnie has gone off to write the prospective adopters report and left us with a list of things to get done before approval panel including getting a fireguard, batteries for the smoke alarms (they were working a month ago-honest!), cupboard and drawer locks, medicine cabinet etc... And we have to do a one page flyer to start sending out to social workers. This consists of a photo of the three of us followed by 3-500 words telling the world all about us! What to say.....

Oh, and the carpenter started on the bedroom today so I am feeling hopeful that we might actually get it done before panel!