An Eventful Week
No deep thoughts this week - far too much action for that! We are rushing headlong towards Christmas along what seems like a never-ending obstacle course of events and happenings, with all their associated unsettling side effects.
Our week began with the departure of Twinkle. This was a planned move, albeit somewhat hastily decided, and precipitated no doubt by the fact that everybody finally admitted that there was no way a passport would be arriving in time for our Christmas trip abroad. It is sad as I'd hoped to take her (and indeed already booked and paid for her tickets!) but none of us wanted to contemplate having her in respite care over Christmas, so a move as early as possible was the only alternative really. From almost the start of Twink's time with us I have been telling any professional who would listen that she needed a home with no other children, or with only much older children. Various reasons have stopped her from being moved before, but once the move became inevitable, they were able to find her such a placement. I hope that, despite the timing and the stress of the move, it turns out to be good for her.
OB has proceeded to fill the sound-void left by Twinkle's departure with plenty of his own noise! It certainly has not been the quieter, calmer week I had hoped for! He is in a state of post-birthday, pre-Christmas excitement which I expect to go on for some time, not helped by the fact that we also celebrated Birdy's 1st birthday this week.
Before that milestone though, we had another, sadder one. Birdy's final contact with her birth mum took place this week. This is the fourth final contact I have taken a child to and I never get any more comfortable with it, which is probably a good thing. In the event, it passed without much incident. Everybody held it together and Birdy came home with another huge pile of gifts and keepsakes. I think she will need a memory cupboard rather than a box!
We had no less than two children's birthday parties to attend on Saturday and then, alarmed by the severity of Birdy's latest eczema flare up which wasn't responding to the hydrocortisone that usually works wonders, we all ended up at the walk-in centre. The tone of the visit was a bit accusatory I thought - maybe I'm sensitive or maybe there is a tone reserved for foster carers. I'm not sure. Anyway, I passed all the 'test questions' except for the one about "Has she had any Piriton?". My negative response elicited an incredulous, "Why not?!" from the doctor. Anyway, she has some now. And maybe there's a report winging its way to social services as we speak, complaining about how I haven't given a drug to an infant that isn't recommended for children under one. Or maybe the doctor has better things to do.
Today we had our Nativity performance at church. OB was Joseph. This is the second time he has played the role and on the way home he announced that he'd had enough of being Joseph now and would like to be a wise man next time. He did great though. He had a line to say which wasn't integral to the plot so if he bottled it nothing would fall apart. There was a bit of squirming when it came to his big moment, but he said it! Bravo OB!
So, yes, an eventful week. We have barely been home. My parents have been waiting to skype Birdy to sing Happy Birthday to her for several days now and I just haven't been able to get us all in front of the computer at a reasonable hour. Perhaps we'll manage it tomorrow and I'll take comfort in the fact that Birdy has no idea about birthdays at all and will just be thrilled by the smiley, familiar faces and the singing!
Our week began with the departure of Twinkle. This was a planned move, albeit somewhat hastily decided, and precipitated no doubt by the fact that everybody finally admitted that there was no way a passport would be arriving in time for our Christmas trip abroad. It is sad as I'd hoped to take her (and indeed already booked and paid for her tickets!) but none of us wanted to contemplate having her in respite care over Christmas, so a move as early as possible was the only alternative really. From almost the start of Twink's time with us I have been telling any professional who would listen that she needed a home with no other children, or with only much older children. Various reasons have stopped her from being moved before, but once the move became inevitable, they were able to find her such a placement. I hope that, despite the timing and the stress of the move, it turns out to be good for her.
OB has proceeded to fill the sound-void left by Twinkle's departure with plenty of his own noise! It certainly has not been the quieter, calmer week I had hoped for! He is in a state of post-birthday, pre-Christmas excitement which I expect to go on for some time, not helped by the fact that we also celebrated Birdy's 1st birthday this week.Before that milestone though, we had another, sadder one. Birdy's final contact with her birth mum took place this week. This is the fourth final contact I have taken a child to and I never get any more comfortable with it, which is probably a good thing. In the event, it passed without much incident. Everybody held it together and Birdy came home with another huge pile of gifts and keepsakes. I think she will need a memory cupboard rather than a box!
We had no less than two children's birthday parties to attend on Saturday and then, alarmed by the severity of Birdy's latest eczema flare up which wasn't responding to the hydrocortisone that usually works wonders, we all ended up at the walk-in centre. The tone of the visit was a bit accusatory I thought - maybe I'm sensitive or maybe there is a tone reserved for foster carers. I'm not sure. Anyway, I passed all the 'test questions' except for the one about "Has she had any Piriton?". My negative response elicited an incredulous, "Why not?!" from the doctor. Anyway, she has some now. And maybe there's a report winging its way to social services as we speak, complaining about how I haven't given a drug to an infant that isn't recommended for children under one. Or maybe the doctor has better things to do.
Today we had our Nativity performance at church. OB was Joseph. This is the second time he has played the role and on the way home he announced that he'd had enough of being Joseph now and would like to be a wise man next time. He did great though. He had a line to say which wasn't integral to the plot so if he bottled it nothing would fall apart. There was a bit of squirming when it came to his big moment, but he said it! Bravo OB!
So, yes, an eventful week. We have barely been home. My parents have been waiting to skype Birdy to sing Happy Birthday to her for several days now and I just haven't been able to get us all in front of the computer at a reasonable hour. Perhaps we'll manage it tomorrow and I'll take comfort in the fact that Birdy has no idea about birthdays at all and will just be thrilled by the smiley, familiar faces and the singing!
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