Okay all you been there done that(BTDT) adoptive moms....I need to know what I should ask Addison's foster Mom....if she is there when we meet Addie. Please let me know what you would have asked for info on your child if you would have had the chance. And what you regret not asking:0) I so appreciate your input.
Not much news around here....lots of end of the year fun I will post on Saturday. Only 21 more school days left for the boys:0) 40 days until we fly to Beijing:0) My Mom will be staying with the kids while Howard and I are in China, with the help of my Dad (for a few days), My Aunt (for a few days)and my dear friend T. for a little break in between:0) I am so thankful we have such supportive friends and family!
So far with our Citizenship, I have contacted our MP Chris Warkentin's office and his assistant has faxed the Immigration office to see if they can speed up Addison's paperwork. I was in on Tuesday and they have heard nothing back as of today. Please, please pray for her paperwork as we cannot bring Addie home without this! Also I made a mistake on our LOA and forgot/missed checking the box saying YES we would accept Miss Guo Ying Wu!!! Duh!!! I must have been over excited;) So that set us back 6 days....so please pray for our Travel Approval. I believe it should only take 4 weeks at most so we should be fine if it has been sent by Alberta Adoption Services...I have yet to be in contact with them, however I have left a message:0)
I am sooo excited for the kids to be done school! So excited for us to meet Miss Addie! And trying to stay on a hardcore budget so my most wonderful, amazing, slendiferous husband can stay home and not work for most of the summer;) Budgets.....well lets just say they suck! But it will be well worth it to have my honey home for most of the summer:0) Have a fabulous Friday!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
First of all, I think it would be awesome to have your hubby home all summer. One thing I would do differently from last time is to stay very close to home as our own little family unit for as long as possible and just get to know each other.
ReplyDeleteIt is also my experience that ACS will not call back. If I were you, I would keep calling until you actually talk to them.
Are you waiting for Part One of the Citizenship?
I did meet Lilah's foster mother and didn't find that the info given to me was all that helpful. Their lives are just so different from ours that it is almost impossible to try to keep things similar for the children.
I would ask what her favorite food is. What is her schedule each day. Does she co-sleep. What does she like to play with. What upsets her and what comforts her. Has she been sick or injured. I would ask if she is potty trained, day and night. And will she tell you if she needs to go, or do they do something to encourage her to go. I have heard some just get put on at certain times, some use whistles to make them go... and has she only used a squatty potty...
Ask the orphanage if there was a note left with her...
Write your address on some address sticky labels and give to the foster family if you can. Bring some blanks and see if they can do the same thing for you.
ReplyDeleteI found the daily routine stuff info I was given only semi-useful. We had to create many of our own routines given the upheavel in her life, living in a hotel at first, etc. Also when she was finally really upset it came from such a place of grief that the regular comforting they did wasn't enough.
When I finally found the foster family months later through a search, the questions I asked were things our daughter had been asking.
1. Could they adopt her? Why not? (She really wanted to know and it turned out to be they were too old by the standards set).
2. Who was her "foster family", ages, jobs, etc.? Our daughter had memories of foster sister, brother, father, and grandparents. She likes to talk about them, and now we know a basis for where she was for two years and what her life was like.
3. Did she have any children friends? What activities did she do in the day? Did she go to a preschool (sometimes the orphanage)? My daughter tells me things, but they are sometimes contridictory so it's nice to have the facts for later especially.
4. What are their hopes for her? I wasn't suprised when our daughter's foster family expressed the hopes they had for her. It was touching to know they cared so much for her.
S.
We got a letter with all of Lilah's daily routine (mostly sleeping and eating). It was translated into english and it was SO very helpful.
ReplyDeleteColin was off for four months after we got home and I couldn't have done it without him, seriously. I really hope that works out for you too. I was a first time Mum though, that might have been the reason I needed him so much!!
Also, I taught Lilah sign language (about 8 signs) from the start and it really helped us both...with the language barrier and especially the frustration of not knowing what she wanted.
Lilah was in the swi, no foster parents, but I have read of families that keep in contact with the foster parents. Maybe ask for an address or email. Oh and I had the orphanage director write a note to Lilah on one of her books. It is such a special keepsake. I brought the "I love you like crazy cakes" adoption hardback book with us to China and he wrote a very special note to Lilah on the inside cover.
Jill