Post-Placement Funny

I love my husband. Sometimes he makes me laugh so hard. Sunday, we had our first post-placement meeting with our social worker (SW), Mel, and prior to the meeting, he had asked that we email him with the responses to some questions. It was after ten o'clock at night when we were answering the questions and Gabe must have been feeling a little punchy because this is what he wrote for the "appearance, personality and character of children":

Josiah – Young, black male approximately 18 months of age; short, black, curly hair. Stands approximately 29” tall, last seen wearing blue bibs [overalls], a red onesie, and a camo jacket. Has very sociable personality, laughs constantly and loves to be around people.
Alexandra - Young, black female less than one year of age. Hair is about 1 inch long and is showing signs of curling. Almost exclusively seen in pink clothes. Almost 24” tall and nearly 19 pounds in weight. Armed with a piercing scream when offended. Is likely to smile and cuddle into your arms when nearing nap time.

We emailed this out late Saturday night. Our SW must not have had time to read it all because he didn't mention the unusual description. Let's just hope that it doesn't make it into the report like this. I can't imagine what the Ethiopian officials would think of this one. (Don't worry, we'll see the report before it is sent to AWAA and Ethiopia.)

The post-placement visit itself was very painless and went really well. We had a good time visiting with Mel for about an hour and half, most of which was spent talking about our trip to Ethiopia and a little about the adoption process. This is his first post-placement for Ethiopia, so we were able to fill him in on how the process differed from China. He asked us a few questions about the adjustment, attachment, head circumference, etc. He took a picture of me measuring the kids' heads when I whipped out the measuring tape. I have no idea what the pictures look like, but I'm sure we all look pretty silly. Both kids were glad to have another excuse to play with the measuring tape. I don't usually let them play with it, but here's what they looked like last time they found it in my sewing stash.We were meeting during their needy/clingy time of day, so they had to share our attention. It was interesting to see them react to the new people in the house. Josiah gets quiet around new adults until he gets comfortable. (With other kids, he's fearless.) With us there, it didn't take too long for him to open up. He happily played around us while we talked and only fussed a little when Mel got out his pen. Josiah let us know that he wanted one too. Well, he really wanted Mel's pen, but I substituted another (that had the ink removed). By the end of the visit, Josiah let Mel hold him and play with him. Alexandra was very vocal during the visit. She has just recently found her voice and she was flexing her new skills. I love hearing her talk, but the squealing I could do without. She must have been feeling a little shy because she snuggled into my shoulder some too. The kids were very patient and it was a good meeting.

Now I'm off to gather pictures from the last three months to send with the report.... Hmmmm, there don't seem to be many with me in them. Note to self: give Gabe the camera once and a while.

P.S. For those wondering about what Ethiopia requires the post-placement report include, here's the list. The answers to these questions are what we were emailing our SW late at night.
· Physical Stamina-mobility, etc.
· Intellectual Development-cognitive, speech and language skills
· Appearance, personality and character of child
· Health status of child-at time of adoption and now
· Include weight, height, head circumference, results of most recent physical examination & immunizations
· Report on any medical treatments for child with special needs, as well as any medical or developmental conditions
· Discuss child's and family's adjustment & attachment
· Discuss community and extended family’s response to child Discuss feelings and views of all.
· Education of child, if age appropriate. Discuss childcare arrangements, if applicable. Discuss method of education used by adoptive parents.
· Any changes in the family situation since the home study was completed (i.e. move, employment changes, health of parents, marital status, etc.) Discuss how adoption has changed the family situation.
· Daily routine and life of the adopted child (i.e. diet, sleep, play, etc…)
· Status of naturalization-family’s plans on re-adoption