The last week has flow by at such a speed, my feet like they have not touched the floor and yet the car says we have covered over 500 miles! It has been interesting - we have been tested as they have started to push their boundaries with us, something that every social worker says is a great sign but the process has not been made easier since littlest one has a stinking cold and has been a proper tired little grump for the last 2 days.
It has been such an experience to have them in the house. There are toys absolutely everywhere as well as baby wipes and our cats are running scared as they are not used to having 2 small people thundering about the house. Meal times have included plastic plates and food everywhere but it is at meal times that we are challenged most as we know they eat pretty much everything and well but they have chosen to become more fussy which we are dealing with as positively and as firmed as we can.
The last 2 evenings have given us an insight into the end of the day - bath time and bed time to be specific but we have struggled as the timetable means we have to give them tea and then drive them back to their foster carers and they fall asleep in the care meaning they are tired and cranky and so they naturally seek out their foster carers rather than us. We are hoping this will change once the drive is removed from the day but that will not be until they move in. What has been really lovely has been giving them a good night kiss and cuddle and for them to ask if they will see us in the morning.
Tomorrow is a slightly less intense day - one appointment in the morning and then a quiet afternoon of jobs, shopping and preparation leaving Friday as P-Day - placement day and the day that we collect the children and bring them home for good. We have a plan that includes dinner out, might be the last chance we have for a while.
Glad things still seem to be going pretty much "on track". I think mealtimes are often problems for kids moving. They struggle so much with everything being out of their control, and food is something they can control; you can't make them eat. We had much the same with Munchkin when she moved in, and so did a lot of our friends who've had kids around that age. We just stuck to our guns, gently of course, she's only a baby, but I wasn't going to have an 18 month old deciding a steady diet of cheese and yoghurt was all they were willing to eat!
ReplyDeleteIt's tough watching your child seek someone else out to comfort them, but I think it's good that they are still seeking out the foster carers when they're tired etc. I would be more worried about possible long term attachment issues if they were doing the opposite.
Good luck with the move. Sounds like things are still going pretty well.
Best wishes,
Ilyssa,
(Hope your cats recover. Ours have got surprisingly used to our daughter quite quickly, once we got her to stop chasing them round shouting "'at, back, 'at, back". In fact they were really useful for teaching her to be gentle, and a bit quieter than she was used to being, because she was desperate for them to like her. I'm now fighting a losing battle to keep them from sleeping in her bed. Plus, feeding them or giving them treats was an incredibly useful bribe for getting round some of the more difficult post-placement behaviour!)