Long over due post - adoption panel

The last fe months have been exhaysting - balancing work, exam revision and practise with the adoption process which has pretty much taken up a day a weel (almost) for months.  We've had homework and have gone through our lives with a fine tooth comb, but finally we had our date for panel.

It was at 8 so we met beforehand for food (a bit of a nightmare for various reasons) and then met our SW.

We sat in the waiting room (was like waiting outside the head mistress's office) and chatted and I kept on jumping every time someone opened the door. Eventually a smiley woman came in and introduced herself as the vice chair and showed us through.

We walked into a room with 10-12 people sitting around three sides of a large table - we sat down and they introduced themselves. It was a range of SWs, lawyers, medical advisors, councillors and also a couple of women who had been adopted themselves.

I realised that I was shaking uncontrollably. They asked us a "warm up" question which was what did we think of the process and then they complimented our SW on her report and asked her what we were like and she was complimentary about us, and the cats got a special mention (they even had a picture of them!)

Then they asked a couple more serious questions - things like what sort of child did we see ourself with and other things. I realised that my quiet hubby had suddenly developed verbal diarrhoea and I couldn't get a word in edgeways. I was also still shaking.

They then showed us out and we went back to the waiting room, but hadn't had time to sit down when we were called in. We sat down and they told us that they were happy to let us know that they were going to recommend us for approval!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They also commented on how we are very open and obviously mutually supportive and how we have a very supportive network around us.

So very good news, we are absolutely shattered. And very happy, though it seems a bit surreal at the moment.

We have some nice things lined up - a weekend in Vienna and Christmas and a some concerts and a trip to Aus while we take our mind off waiting for a match. Not to mention the new kitchen that we need and the sorting out of rooms that we have to do!

Z