We managed to complete the third day of the course, which was a lot less heavy, and focused on parenting and having your child home. It is nice to feel we have completed that part, and will not have to travel to Oxford anymore. We are hoping to complete our other interviews over the next few weeks, and then get ready to travel to Reading (we think) for our panel appointment.
Apart from Catherine having a nasty cold, we feel OK about the next steps, and need to complete a bit more paperwork before our next meeting. Things are still moving along well, and we will let you know how the next interview goes.

The interviews are over for this week, and we feel happy with what we have shared and how things have gone. Today's was more about our skills as potential parents, and our strengths to cope with the issues we might face. We felt we could be open and share how we felt about a range of issues, and feel positive about the steps ahead.

Just so you know, some of the dates in the 'Still to Come' column have changed again, to fit around our social workers schedule and so that we can limit the time we have off work. We are learning that during this process you need to be flexible!!

Thanks for all your extra prayers this week. We feel we have indeed got on well with our social worker, and feel much more relaxed about the interview process now we have had chance to get to know her. Our next event is our final Course day away in Oxford. This will conclude the training part, and all that will be left will be a range of interviews. The last day they have assured us will be more relaxed and upbeat, focusing on having the child at home. The topics will be:

• Country links
• Naming your child
• Making a life book for an adopted child
• Managing racism
• the views of a young adopted person
• An adoptive parents speaks

We will get to chat to a parent who has recently been through the process, and ask questions. We are looking forward to completing the course, and really feel we have learnt a lot.
If you are praying, please pray for:
Good contact to be maintained with those on our training course
That we will have the energy to attend the training mid week and carry on with work the next day!
That we will continue to build a good relationship with our social worker

Thanks,

We have completed our first interviews and they went well. We talked to the social worker separately about growing up, our families and our lives together. We felt exhausted after Monday, but after resting yesterday, we felt much more awake today! We both felt the interviews were positive, and we chatted easily with our social worker. She asked a range of questions to clarify what we had written, but nothing was too tricky.
We are planning to have a day to ourselves tomorrow, to relax and not think about adoption all day! It is very hard to switch your brain off, and not to mull over the issues we are discussing, decisions we need to make and imagining what will go wrong! We didn't realise how emotionally tiring this would be, but we still trust and know that we are making steps in the right direction after waiting so long.
Thanks so much for the supportive words and prayers. We really do value each one! Be in touch Friday,

Hi all,
Two down, one to go! We had our second day of the preparation course yesterday, which was heavy going, but taught us a lot. Dealing with loss and grieving is a hard topic to spend the day exploring, but we feel better prepared and have ideas of how to help a child through. Our final day is next Wednesday.
Before that we have our interviews, starting this Wednesday. The social worker is coming to our home for all our interviews, so we don't have to travel, but the topics are again pretty deep. We are preparing our paper work before hand each time, and are looking forward to getting to know our worker better.
If you are praying:

• Thank God for those we have met on the course, and for all we are learning
• Pray that our relationship with our social worker will build as we get to know her and discuss our lives and hopes with her. It is very important that we get on well, as we will be sharing a lot about ourselves, and she will recommend us for continuing the process.
  
  Will let you know how this week goes, thanks
  

Just thought we would give you the topics we are finally going to cover in day two of the preprartion course! We will be travelling to Oxford on Sunday evening, ready for the course on Monday. We will look at:

• Loss and grief in adoption
• The birth parents' perspective
• Health issues
• Managing children's behaviour
• A story of parting (not sure what that is!!)
• Meeting your child overseas
• Exploring adoption with young children

Again a heavy day, this first heavy day in a heavy week! Half term will not be a rest, and we will be pretty busy catching up on all the appointments we missed due to the jolly snow! (It was beautiful but caused us some headaches!)

We would be grateful for your prayers as we embark on the week, prepare a few essays! and answer a lot of difficult questions. Thanks,

Guess what?! More snow! Not for us but for our social worker, so the meeting today was cancelled. We keep having to cancel these things, so we have planned with the social worker to cram everything into half term. It will be pretty intense but it should mean we catch up with the things we have missed. Maybe we will get there eventually!! Thanks for all your encouraging words. In His timing!!

We knew progress was slow, but we seem to be stuck in delays at the moment. Not only was Luke's interview cancelled, but the 2nd training day was also cancelled due to snow! Some of the other applicants and trainers were comming from London area, so they decided it was best not to travel. The only problem was we were already booked into our hotel in Oxford and out having an evening meal when we got a call explaining the situation!
We hadn't even got our food, so after eating, travelling back to the hotel and getting intouch with work it was late and the snow wasn't far behind. We made the decision to stay the night in Oxford and travel in the light rather than arrive home in the early hours. This meant we still had our time off from school, and may need to request another day to attend the rescheduled meeting. It has been arranged for 25th Feb, a week after half term.

Catherine is hoping to have her individual interview tomorrow, but there is more snow forcast so we shall see what happens! She has done her paperwork for the meeting.6 pages! 2000 words! It was hard work and felt pretty personal, but we have to keep reminding ourselves they are doing it for the child. If we forget that we could be quite bothered by it all. It seems unfair that we have to prove so much, and justify every decision and action, but we have to go with it and trust God in the process.

Will let you know what happens next, and hope the snow isn't causing you as much trouble!