Made the call today - we've started our journey!

[Italiangreyhound]

Yay!

[Lilka]

Best of luck :)

Do you get a home visit for an initial chat now, or something else?

[adoptmama]

Good luck to you.

[GluttonDressedasLamb]

Hope everything goes well, and your journey will be short and smooth!

[Moomoomie]

I knew it would be you when I saw the thread title. All the very best for the journey ahead. You know where we all are if you need any help.

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Good luck!

[calmlychaotic]

ooo me too, was just about to post thread with very similar title! called at lunch today, they said actively looking for adopters! yay! good luck to you x

[Italiangreyhound]

Wow, thank you all. How great. Moomoonie how nice of you to know it would be me! calmychaotic keep me posted on your progress, please.

lilka I am not sure think it is a visit at home but not a home study, just a social worker coming to my house. Get the choccy biscuits out - but which kind!!! I am still in favour of the Choc Libitz ones!!

[LocoParentis]

Good luck!
I've got my envelope ready to post in the morning :)

[Happiestinwellybobs]

Good luck!

[cedar12]

Good luck!
I dont know if you remember me, but we were on an ivf thread together a long time ago now. We have just adopted a little boy and he is great. It has been such a positive experience for us all. We also have a birth daughter who is 9. Good luck again.

[Italiangreyhound]

Hi Cedar CONGRATULATIONS. So pleased it worked out for you. Please can you tell me how long it took from start to finish to adopt? Also how has your DD taken it all? You can private message me if you prefer. No worries is not. My DD is 7 now so might be 9 before we finish this journey too!

Thanks everyone.

[OrangeandGoldMrsDeVere]

Hey! :)
At last. I have seen you around for ages so it's lovely you are on your way.
Best wishes

[calmlychaotic]

I was talking to a really good but quite new friend today about her daughter and she told me she adopted her, i ddnt know and i hadnt yet told her i had decided to adopt too. She lives round the corner, still has all the contacts and info from when she adopted just made up i have someone who knows what its like and can help, seems so strange that she would choose to tell me this today too when i only started the process yesterday, fate .. must be!! i'll share any useful info i get x

[Devora]

Go go go!

[cedar12]

We were very lucky it has been pretty quick fot us. We went on a open evening for our local authority last june 2011. We then had a social worker come around in oct 2011 who advised us it might be better to go with a neighbouring authority as they couldnt place a local child with us. We phoned a couple and chatted over the phone. Got a good feeling about one so decided to go ahead with them. We met our social worker the week before xmas she was very good and really organised which helped. We started our home study straight away.We were ready for panel in april but clashed with our holiday so ended up going in may. Our little boy was placed with us in august.
Our dd has coped well. It has been easier as she is older i think, the bigger age has worked well. Her main complaint is she has to share the tramoline!! We talked lots to her through out the assessment. We alway make sure she has some one to one time after he has gone to bed which she enjoys, and have arranged a few special mummy or daddy days just for her. So far so good but it early days. I think its best to be very honest through out the assessment with them.
Good luck

[Lovesoftplay]

Whoop!!! How exciting :)

Good luck x x

[Ladyofthehouse]

That's great news! Hope it all goes well for you!

Keep us updated!

[funnychic]

Brilliant news you be at panel before you know it! xx

[Italiangreyhound]

It's scary, we have a meeting at our home on Wednesday and I am at work all day Tuesday so when do I clean!!!!

[Lilka]

You can learn the art of the 5/10 minute mad scramble clean

1. Find an empty cupboard, drawer or anything else out of the way
   
2. Grab lots of junk you don't have time to clear up and stuff it in there
   
3. Tadaaa, you're pretty much done!! Run the hoover across any really bad patches of carpet (I mean literally run with it). Or run a cloth over any very wet/damp/sticky bits of kitchen table/counter/floor
   
4. Squirt air freshener or women's deadorant, whatever's nearest. Or fling open windows and pray
   
5. Jam the doors of any room/cupboard/drawer the SW should never ever look in. For me, that's DD2's room and bathroom. If she went in there, she might be knocked out long enough for me to do some actual cleaning
   
6. The SW is here. This is the most crucial part. You must take a deep breath, and when you open the door, you must have the expression and demeanor of a woman who is calm, who has not spent the last 10 minutes running around panicking, a woman who is in control and ever inch the domestic goddess.....
   

Actually, if you succeed cleaning in that time, you frankly are a Goddess

Ooops, forget step "Grab the biscuits"!

[calmlychaotic]

loving the cleaning advice!
Italian - how did you get a meeting so quick! my council has said they have an open evening in october i can attand and take it from there. can i ask if you have gone with council or agency? i am already considering applying through someone else, had dealings with my LA before through work and they are not exactly proactive.

[thefatladyscreams]

Stumbled on this by accident and just so pleased and hopeful for you Italian. Any child will be truly lucky and loved to become part of your family. Your old mucker, TFLS x

[Italiangreyhound]

It's not this week! Sorry, but it is soon! It's just I work Tuesdays so tend to not do any cleaning when I am at work all day!

[Italiangreyhound]

Thanks TFLS very kind of you.

calmlychaotic I went with our local authority. To be fair there is more of a story. Message me and I will tell you more! We have been considering this for a long time! But we were not ready to make the call until this month.

THANK YOU for all your support.

[calmlychaotic]

Ooo ok, can't message off phone, I'll get on my laptop soon. A very lovely social worker phoned me today checking I was coming to the open evening and said they are looking for people and that they have children right now waiting. Made it all seem very real.