Friday 7 November 2008

Signed Sealed and almost Delivered!

Me and Mr Messy went off to our Local Authority offices this morning to check through the dossier and to sign all the letters/forms we needed to sign. We checked through the dossier twice and it all looks to be there. It can't be that easy!! Admin Lady said the same thing, that she keeps thinking there must be something she is missing as it has all gone much too easily!!! The dossier will go to the DCSF on Monday and they will send the bits they have prepared to our Notary too. Wow!! Things are on their way!!

I read through the minutes of our Panel Meeting, not sure if I should or not, but if they didn't want me to they wouldn't have left me with the paperwork!! And according to the paperwork not all Panel Members supported our application! The objection was that we didn't have the depth and breadth of knowledge of Ethiopian culture as we did for China. And that the member didn't think we fully understood the difficulties of raising a black child in a white family/village and that we thought that having trinkets around the house was sufficient. Obviously we didn't get our views across sufficiently! We definitely don't feel that 'trinkets' alone will help our future little one feel like she belongs in our family/village. We KNOW that it is going to be a LOT of hard work to make sure our future daughter has connections to both Ethiopia and to Black British culture and we aren't complacent about that. It scares us how much of a responsibility we are taking on (and have already taken on with the adoption of Little Prince) and we will strive to live up to those responsibilities.

4 comments:

suzanne said...

I have come to learn that you will never, ever please everyone and as long as you please the majority then thats fine, and just accept this. You obviously did that and had enough support to pass you so dont let someones very personal and narrow minded opinion dampen this experience for you.
Hugs S

I would of read it also!

Janet said...

Hi S,
Thank you :-) I've been feeling down about it for most of the day (not helped that Mr Messy is working away and isn't back til tomorrow). Perhaps I just need that extra 'kick' every now and again to make sure I don't get complacent and to keep reminding me that I have to work hard.
Glad to hear you would have read it too lol.
Love
Janet
xxx

Rosie said...

I think you weren't meant to read the Panel notes...oophs! error by your LA there.Yet like Suzanne,I'd have read them aswell,its their fault if they left them in.
Sorry about what people have said,its hard when not everyone is as positive as you are.

Janet said...

Hi Rosie,
Admin Lady did say she'd taken out the referee's comments as we aren't allowed to see those, so I presumed everything left in the file was readable (although I did feel guilty!).
I'm trying to see the positive side, and hopefully the Panel Member's comments will push me/us to work harder to help our future little one not feel isolated.
Love
Janet
xxx


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