Tuesday 12 June 2007

Feeling Better :-)

Hello again everyone :-) Although I do realise I am probably talking to myself lol :-)

Well after a very miserable and pain filled few days, I am now feeling back to my normal self again wahoo :-) The doctor told me that if the pain got any worse I was to go to hospital and get checked over for appendicitis - problem is we had our Notary appointment on Monday morning, so there is no way the pain would have got worse until the appointment was over!! Luckily, the pain really didn't get any worse and I felt well enough to go to the appointment dressed normally and not wrapped up in a thick quilt!! It was not funny lying in bed in three layers of clothes, gloves and socks, and under two quilts STILL shivering!!!

I had been intrigued about what a Notary actually did - and now I know lol :-) He stamped each individual document with a ready made stamp, which he then signed. Then he 'sealed' each document with a red sticker seal - which was placed under a squisher device, that made a semblance of a wax seal. We worked our way methodically through the DfES checklist of documents, all of which were present and correct (phew!) and he even signed (not stamped or sealed though) each and every page of our homestudy - he said on past experience of doing China adoption dossiers, that the Chinese are extremely picky and he didn't want to miss something and hold us up. He was a lovely man and chatted away about his three grandchildren (all looked gorgeous in the photo he proudly showed us), told us that a Notary Public is a church appointed position (I had no idea!!), and admitted it wasn't a very highly paid occupation 'out in the country' but could be very lucrative in urban/industrial areas, especially if you do commerical notarising. See more than you'd ever want to know about Notaries :-)

Today Little Prince went on his very first (all day!!) school trip!!! We had a long discussion with his nursery teacher about his issues, and she persuaded me that he should be allowed the chance to go - although I did make her promise that she would ring me if there were ANY problems and I would drive over and get him. Well today dragged and seemed to be the longest day of my life!!! I was constantly worrying about how he was coping, if he was behaving (if he isn't coping he doesn't behave!), was he ok, would the teacher remember to take him to the toilet enough, did he miss me??? I rattled round the house wondering what to do with myself, couldn't seem to settle to anything - read half the paper, then watched some of the tv news, then read teletext, then checked my fave websites, then went back to the paper - repeat all day!!! I also ate copious amounts of chocolate and drank gallons of diet coke - they cancel each other out you know?!?!

It was quite scary standing outside the school waving to him sat high up in the coach, but I promise I didn't cry (not while anyone could see anyway). He automatically put his own seatbelt on, which impressed his teacher :-) I also found out from another mum, why there was no room for me on the trip!! The day after the letters were sent home I requested to be a parent helper - but was told the place had already been taken!! Apparently D's mum had told the teacher that D could only go on the trip if she went with him, as he was too young/small to go on his own!! My Little Prince, who has undergone more change/disruption in his short life than her D will ever know, needed his mum there MUCH more, but there was no room for me!! Aaaaargh!!!!

Finally when it was nearing 3pm (I was so excited!!) I drove up to school - couldn't face walking!! The coach had just arrived and the kids was getting out, I could see my little man stood with the teacher (she had said she would keep him in her 'group' so that she could keep a very close eye on him). He was a bit bog eyed and out of it, as he had slept the whole way back to school and only just woken up. But I got a big huge hug and kiss and told the trip was boring and he hadn't enjoyed it at all!! At home later he told me all the things he didn't enjoy like playing on the big slide with mud at the bottom (and now all up his legs and all over his hands - grubby is just the right colour for little boys!), buying a piece of tat from the shop (with his very own lots of pennies), seeing the farm animals (all he could remember were fish!!!) and eating his lunch with his friends. So it sounds like he had a wonderful boring time :-)

He didn't want to do much this evening apart from watch tv and play on the Playstation with his big sisters. He went to bed at his usual time, and apart from a few initial bellowed conversations, hasn't been heard since. I think his teacher achieved the, seemingly impossible - tired him out!!!

Mr Messy had his final OU exam today and feels it went well. The questions asked for opinions and he definitely has plenty of those!!! Little Miss Sensible also had one of her exams today and also felt it went well. So I'm proud of both of them :-)

OH and Little Miss Sensible if you are reading this - you ARE very cute for a grown up :-) and I love you lots :-)

And Kate - is that enough of an update for you :-)

5 comments:

Whatshername's Mummy said...

It'll do for today!!
I've blogged about you too (sort of ) today!
Very glad your better and very proud of your bravery today - the selfishness of other people can be incredible.
With love, as always,
Kate x
still Whatshername's mummy, but only for another 19 days or so!!

Janet said...

Glad you approve - I'll try to do better next time :-)

I bit my tongue and didn't say anything to D's mum - and to her he is a little prince too, so I can't really blame her. Just wish there had been more places available, or that I'd been quicker!! I'll know next time!!

Wow NINETEEN days to go - you must be walking round on cloud 9 :-) I'm going to cry reading your blog, while you are in China you know?? I'll have a snotty nose and a soggy keyboard and it will be all your fault!!!

Lots of love
Janet

PS the hat is lovely - take loads of photos :-)

Rosie said...

So pleased you are better and Little Prince was ok.
Interested about the notary..ours only stamped the papers once..he should have done it twice..but it did get sorted and he put it in a folder..DFES said this was ok.
Its interesting how they are all different?

Janet said...

Hi Rosie,

I'm still waiting to hear if our papers were ok at the FCO. But the Notary was so thorough and picky for us, that I have every confidence it will be ok!! That's a first for me - confident lol

Love
Janet
xxx

Anonymous said...

Hi! Interesting story of how your day went!! Felt like it was a diary you wrote in this area which is why it's an attention getter so to speak. Love your story! Thanks for sharing and keep it coming! :)


OUR ETHIOPIAN ADOPTION TIMELINE


25th May 2009 - See New Child again & Court Date

23rd May 2009 - Fly back to Ethiopia

26th March 2009 - Fly to Ethiopia :-)

3rd March 2009 - Dossier Arrived at Orphanage

26th February 2009 - Dossier sent to Ethiopia

22nd December 2008 - Dossier back at DCSF

28th November 2008 - Certificate of Eligibility ISSUED

6th October 2008 - PASSED Approval Panel

7th July 2008 - Homestudy Update Started

28th Feb 2008 - Told LA we wished to change country

OUR CHINA ADOPTION TIMELINE

Formally withdrew from the China Adoption Programme 17th July 2008

LID (Logged in Date) with CCAA 16th August 2007

Documents to China 10th August 2007

Passed Approval Panel 5th March 2007

Homestudy started 6th June 2006

First Contact with our LA 1st Jan 2006