First time poster - and adopter :)

[madamh]

Good evening, everyone. I've been reading around for a while and now's as good a time as any to dip my toe in the water.

In a couple of days I will meet my matched 7 year-old for the first time. After being very small and far away for ages, this suddenly all feels very big and up close! For days, it seems, I have been trying to get as far ahead on household things as possible: everything cleaned, every scrap of clothing laundered and put away, a dry foods and household items shop of epic proportions.

Now... sit back and wait, twiddle my thumbs, get some sleep. I plan to go to the pictures on the afternoon before the meeting. Sitting in the cinema oohing and aahing over the shiny things in "Tron: Legacy" might help to keep me calm :)

I've written myself an enormous pie-in-the-sky battle plan that I know will not survive contact with the child, but it gives me something to aim for!

Oh, and I suppose that I should start practising: "Yes, I'm X's parent." :o

[flossymuldoon]

Huge congrats to you - how exciting!!!!

Yes, the shiny things in Tron will definitely suck you in! I hate sci-fi and i LOVED it!

I'm twiddling my thumbs too so i know just how you feel. We are waiting to find out whether a childs SW wants to go ahead with us. Been waiting since last Weds and i feel like i'm going to go mad at times!

Wishing you all the best for the first meeting. Let us know how you get on and how the battle plan pans out

[mumofloads]

Aww good luck to both of you.

We have adopted but we also foster. We fostered our dd from 3 days old before we adopted her so didn't really go through the first meeting stage.

I always feel for the adoptive parents just before their first contact. It must be so exciting like a million christmas eves all rolled into one.

I remember one time we had parents coming round to meet us and talk about two little boys we were fostering. They were not allowed to meet the children so we took them to a friend up the road. Unfortunately the SW turned up with them early. So they saw my dh walking up the road with their two little boys. Felt so sorry for them seeing just the backs of their children to be .

Hope it all goes ok. Keep us posted.

[hester]

I'm so excited for you! Congratulations and I look forward to hearing how it goes.

[Italiangreyhound]

Just wanted to pop on and say huge congratulations.

[Lilka]

Congratulations! There really isn't a much more stressful wait - but believe me, after placement, it sort of gets forgotten quite quickly!

But i still remember the first meeting with my first girl over 14 years ago now

More congrats!

[madamh]

Thanks for the good wishes - and all the very best to you, too, flossymuldoon!

[LovetoAdopt]

Congratulations! Meeting our DS for the first time was so special but to be honest I couldn't wait to get him home and be 'normal'. I found the introductions great in that they enabled him to get used to us etc, but doing the first few days of introductions in the foster carers home felt so fake and I felt like every move was being observed.

My best piece of advice would be to grin and bear it, knowing it is for a short time, listen to what the foster carers say and take it on board but even if it something you don't agree with just smile and nod, it will help give them piece of mind once he leaves them to be with his forever family etc even if it is something you don't foresee yourself continuing with.

Good Luck and check back in to let us know how it's going x

[Kewcumber]

I suppose that I should start practising: "Yes, I'm X's parent." - yes pratcise a LOT because you're going to feel like the babysitter for quite a long time if you are anything like me! I still sometimes do a bit of a double take when I hear myself say "my son"!

[NanaNina]

Good luck Lovetoadopt - Flossie - do you still not know about your baby - are you phoning your sw/child's sw - this just isn't fair to keep you waiting so long.

[flossymuldoon]

Have posted seperately with news' :-)

[madamh]

Righto, I've made a cake to take along this afternoon.

Unfortunately, there will be no calming shiny things as none of the "Tron" showings will end in time for me to catch my bus. Plan B involves pottering around doing needful things before heading out at 14:15, cake in hand :)

[madamh]

It was fine :) Got there early, without a lot of nerves, and we said hello. The foster carer did a lot of the running for the first few minutes, but then we all relaxed.

Lots of talking (child); lots of listening (me). We discussed joining the olympic team, shoulder dislocations, skeletons, buying wardrobes, pokemon, facebook, food, clouds, gardening and pets... enough to be going on with, I think!

I'm not terribly sentimental about family and didn't have any rush of "Oh, my child" - more an analysis of "fit", if that makes sense. A few issues to keep an eye on, and there'll be lots of adjusting for both of us, but it looks like a goer :D

[Kewcumber]

oh that all sounds very promising. I never did have a love at first sight moment that some people talk about though it doesn;t seem to have mattered in the long run as I am ridiculously besotted with DS now!

[madamh]

I think I'll just be happy to get a word in edgeways every now and then.

Silence... ah, how I'll miss thee :D