So, so busy - the new systems training is killing me!
NO time to update properly here.
Give me another week & I'll provide a full update.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Weekend
We had a packed weekend, mostly spent in lovely surrounds.
Darren picked me up from work on Friday & we went & checked into The Swissotel on Market St. From the minute we walked in the door we felt like everyone was there just for us. The concierge took our bags & directed us up to level 8 for check-in. The staff at check-in were friendly & informative. We went up to our room on the 22nd floor, & as I put the key in the door I said to Darren "I'm expecting this room to be great" & it was. Lots of space, a king size bed & a gorgeous bathroom. Our bags arrived & the guy gave us a walk through of the room, telling us how everything worked - even the complimentary cappuccino machine!
We went & checked out the pool area so we could decide whether we would have a drink by the pool, in our room or at the bar. There were other people hanging around "our" pool. So we opted to have a drink in the Lobby Bar. It was there that I discovered my new favourite drink - a Toffee Apple. So, so good. I had 2 & was very close to drunk! We wandered back upstairs to get ready for dinner. I had a lovely bath, & got dolled up.
The Restaurant specialises in fondue - 3 types. We chose to not have the fondue as our main because Jess & Adam were coming to check in the next day & we thought it would be more fun to have it with them. So we both ordered steak & it was cooked to perfection. We then had a chocolate fondue for desert - very yummy. Then we headed upstairs to enjoy our room.
Next morning we had a great buffet breakfast, including made to order omelette's, waffles & rosti. We then walked to the QVB building to see if the Pandora shop was open, so Darren could get me some more Pandora charms for my birthday. It was open, I chose 2 new charms, one is a purple murano glass & the other is silver with amethysts in it. After the QVB we walked towards Darling Harbour, our booking at the hotel came with a double pass to the Aquarium or the Wildlife World. As Darren had never been to the Aquarium we chose that. It was ok, we saw the shark feeding - more sedate then I expected, & the dugongs were pretty cute also.
For lunch we headed to The James Squires Brewhouse on King St Wharf. This place is huge, way bigger then I expected. As the weather was really warming up & we knew we would be here for a while we chose to sit inside at a booth with comfy seats. I started with ice-water & Darren ordered a Highwayman brew. We just sat & relaxed, talking a bit about our course the next day & what might happen there. After about an hour Jess & Adam arrived & we ordered our lunch. Darren & I went small as we'd had that huge breakfast & knew we would be having an early dinner.
After lunch we headed back towards the hotel so Jess & Adam could check-in. Darren & I went into Myer for a bit. Then we all met up back at the hotel. Darren & Adam watched the V8's while Jess & I hung out in her room. We then got ready for dinner & went for a cocktail in the bar downstairs - I introduced Jess to the toffee apple & she like it too.
For dinner we all ordered the Fondue Chinoise, which consists of 2 different broths, one chicken based & one beef based, though not strongly tasting of these, being placed on the table in the traditional looking fondue set up. The idea was that you went to the buffet & selected from a range of raw meat & seafood that has been thinly sliced. There was also a large variety of dipping sauces, & a very large salad bar. You threaded your meat onto the skewers provided then used the broth to cook it. It was fun & something different & Darren ate his weight in prawns! Jess & Adam had the chocolate fondue for desert & Darren & I shared a banana cheesecake.
We all had tickets for Avenue Q - http://www.avenueqthemusical.com.au/ - so we headed to the Theatre Royal - at a fast walk - as we were running late! We made it in time & settled in to watch the funniest most inappropriate puppet show that I have ever seen. This is a great show, but definitely not for anyone who is easily offended & definitely not for kids!
When the show was over we went back to the hotel & stopped in the bar for another drink, we discussed if we were going to have breakfast together or not, as Darren & I would be leaving the hotel by 8am to get to the 8.50am start for our course & the others didn't have to leave until 11am. We decided if they were up they would join us but if not they wouldn't. They didn't - but a very groggy looking Jess wrapped in a towel knocked on our door at 7.15am & handed me an Eeyore pen for my birthday! Funny.
We got the car after breakfast & headed to Strawberry Hills for our course. We were both a bit nervous about what to expect. There are 26 people in the group - more than I expected, & it gets heavy straight away. I guess you know that these kids aren't in lovely homes & that is why they come into care, but I guess most people don't realise how bad the situation can be.
We had a full day, with a couple of breaks for the nice food that is supplied. We covered lots of stuff including confidentiality, which is a major thing. Darren did great - he stayed awake & participated well! I was a little worried I'd catch him napping - as he is doing long hours at work & when he's just sitting he usually goes to sleep! We have 2 more Sundays & then about 6 more assessments at our home. Our contact has told us that those assessments may not take place until next year.
We finished up at about 5.15pm & went straight to Loftus for my Birthday dinner. I did get the 2 pies as requested so that was yummy. I also got Dexter season 3 & some pj's. The night finished early as we had to get home & check the cats. They were happy to see us. But I was not happy to see their vomit.
Darren picked me up from work on Friday & we went & checked into The Swissotel on Market St. From the minute we walked in the door we felt like everyone was there just for us. The concierge took our bags & directed us up to level 8 for check-in. The staff at check-in were friendly & informative. We went up to our room on the 22nd floor, & as I put the key in the door I said to Darren "I'm expecting this room to be great" & it was. Lots of space, a king size bed & a gorgeous bathroom. Our bags arrived & the guy gave us a walk through of the room, telling us how everything worked - even the complimentary cappuccino machine!
We went & checked out the pool area so we could decide whether we would have a drink by the pool, in our room or at the bar. There were other people hanging around "our" pool. So we opted to have a drink in the Lobby Bar. It was there that I discovered my new favourite drink - a Toffee Apple. So, so good. I had 2 & was very close to drunk! We wandered back upstairs to get ready for dinner. I had a lovely bath, & got dolled up.
The Restaurant specialises in fondue - 3 types. We chose to not have the fondue as our main because Jess & Adam were coming to check in the next day & we thought it would be more fun to have it with them. So we both ordered steak & it was cooked to perfection. We then had a chocolate fondue for desert - very yummy. Then we headed upstairs to enjoy our room.
Next morning we had a great buffet breakfast, including made to order omelette's, waffles & rosti. We then walked to the QVB building to see if the Pandora shop was open, so Darren could get me some more Pandora charms for my birthday. It was open, I chose 2 new charms, one is a purple murano glass & the other is silver with amethysts in it. After the QVB we walked towards Darling Harbour, our booking at the hotel came with a double pass to the Aquarium or the Wildlife World. As Darren had never been to the Aquarium we chose that. It was ok, we saw the shark feeding - more sedate then I expected, & the dugongs were pretty cute also.
For lunch we headed to The James Squires Brewhouse on King St Wharf. This place is huge, way bigger then I expected. As the weather was really warming up & we knew we would be here for a while we chose to sit inside at a booth with comfy seats. I started with ice-water & Darren ordered a Highwayman brew. We just sat & relaxed, talking a bit about our course the next day & what might happen there. After about an hour Jess & Adam arrived & we ordered our lunch. Darren & I went small as we'd had that huge breakfast & knew we would be having an early dinner.
After lunch we headed back towards the hotel so Jess & Adam could check-in. Darren & I went into Myer for a bit. Then we all met up back at the hotel. Darren & Adam watched the V8's while Jess & I hung out in her room. We then got ready for dinner & went for a cocktail in the bar downstairs - I introduced Jess to the toffee apple & she like it too.
For dinner we all ordered the Fondue Chinoise, which consists of 2 different broths, one chicken based & one beef based, though not strongly tasting of these, being placed on the table in the traditional looking fondue set up. The idea was that you went to the buffet & selected from a range of raw meat & seafood that has been thinly sliced. There was also a large variety of dipping sauces, & a very large salad bar. You threaded your meat onto the skewers provided then used the broth to cook it. It was fun & something different & Darren ate his weight in prawns! Jess & Adam had the chocolate fondue for desert & Darren & I shared a banana cheesecake.
We all had tickets for Avenue Q - http://www.avenueqthemusical.com.au/ - so we headed to the Theatre Royal - at a fast walk - as we were running late! We made it in time & settled in to watch the funniest most inappropriate puppet show that I have ever seen. This is a great show, but definitely not for anyone who is easily offended & definitely not for kids!
When the show was over we went back to the hotel & stopped in the bar for another drink, we discussed if we were going to have breakfast together or not, as Darren & I would be leaving the hotel by 8am to get to the 8.50am start for our course & the others didn't have to leave until 11am. We decided if they were up they would join us but if not they wouldn't. They didn't - but a very groggy looking Jess wrapped in a towel knocked on our door at 7.15am & handed me an Eeyore pen for my birthday! Funny.
We got the car after breakfast & headed to Strawberry Hills for our course. We were both a bit nervous about what to expect. There are 26 people in the group - more than I expected, & it gets heavy straight away. I guess you know that these kids aren't in lovely homes & that is why they come into care, but I guess most people don't realise how bad the situation can be.
We had a full day, with a couple of breaks for the nice food that is supplied. We covered lots of stuff including confidentiality, which is a major thing. Darren did great - he stayed awake & participated well! I was a little worried I'd catch him napping - as he is doing long hours at work & when he's just sitting he usually goes to sleep! We have 2 more Sundays & then about 6 more assessments at our home. Our contact has told us that those assessments may not take place until next year.
We finished up at about 5.15pm & went straight to Loftus for my Birthday dinner. I did get the 2 pies as requested so that was yummy. I also got Dexter season 3 & some pj's. The night finished early as we had to get home & check the cats. They were happy to see us. But I was not happy to see their vomit.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Aftermath
So to report on the DOCS visit. It was interesting. Lots of questions & information, leaving us with more things to think about.
The only answer we gave that was received with a small amount of negativity was that I would, after 4 or 5 months, have to go back to work for 3 days a week. Apparently they really don't like you to work more then 2 days, or for the child to be away from a parent for more than 2 days. But, I know that this won't be a major issue. Honestly if they knock us back for this reason alone, that would be crazy. I think they have to state what they see as the ideal situation & then they'll work with you to get as close to that as possible. Obviously I would love not to have to go back to work, but we have to be practical & do stuff like PAY THE MORTGAGE!
It was a 2 hour visit. We covered topics such as our infertility & how we have dealt with that (counselling), what age child we would like (under 2), whether we would do a short term placement (no), whether we would take siblings (maybe), whether we would take a special needs child (no), what we would do if the child was OK when it came to us but had issues in the future (deal with it as it comes, educate ourselves - would not send child back) and questions about the people in our lives.
We asked about medical records & medical care, travel, visitation with natural parents & siblings, the training course & a bunch of other stuff that came up.
She did a basic check of our place, seeing if there were any obvious dangers. The only thing we need to do - which we are anyway - is get some cupboard doors for the 2nd bedroom. The other thing we want to do is put some catmax catmesh up on our balcony so Supercat & Pyewackett can go outside without supervision, also the cat litter can go out there too.
The other thing we spoke about was how the process is very long, as I said previously I expected things to slow down. She thinks that after the course ends (27/09) that we could be waiting until next year for the next step of assessment to start. They are very understaffed. So we'll just wait.
Tonight we check into The Swissotel for our 2 night stay. I can't wait. Fondue for dinner tonight, buffet breakfasts, a visit to the Pandora shop & Avenue Q tickets for Saturday night, all leading up to day 1 of our course on Sunday.
Also I requested Hostage in a Pie & a Lemon Meringue birthday cake for Sunday night - I hope mum heard me!
The only answer we gave that was received with a small amount of negativity was that I would, after 4 or 5 months, have to go back to work for 3 days a week. Apparently they really don't like you to work more then 2 days, or for the child to be away from a parent for more than 2 days. But, I know that this won't be a major issue. Honestly if they knock us back for this reason alone, that would be crazy. I think they have to state what they see as the ideal situation & then they'll work with you to get as close to that as possible. Obviously I would love not to have to go back to work, but we have to be practical & do stuff like PAY THE MORTGAGE!
It was a 2 hour visit. We covered topics such as our infertility & how we have dealt with that (counselling), what age child we would like (under 2), whether we would do a short term placement (no), whether we would take siblings (maybe), whether we would take a special needs child (no), what we would do if the child was OK when it came to us but had issues in the future (deal with it as it comes, educate ourselves - would not send child back) and questions about the people in our lives.
We asked about medical records & medical care, travel, visitation with natural parents & siblings, the training course & a bunch of other stuff that came up.
She did a basic check of our place, seeing if there were any obvious dangers. The only thing we need to do - which we are anyway - is get some cupboard doors for the 2nd bedroom. The other thing we want to do is put some catmax catmesh up on our balcony so Supercat & Pyewackett can go outside without supervision, also the cat litter can go out there too.
The other thing we spoke about was how the process is very long, as I said previously I expected things to slow down. She thinks that after the course ends (27/09) that we could be waiting until next year for the next step of assessment to start. They are very understaffed. So we'll just wait.
Tonight we check into The Swissotel for our 2 night stay. I can't wait. Fondue for dinner tonight, buffet breakfasts, a visit to the Pandora shop & Avenue Q tickets for Saturday night, all leading up to day 1 of our course on Sunday.
Also I requested Hostage in a Pie & a Lemon Meringue birthday cake for Sunday night - I hope mum heard me!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wednesday
So the chick from DOCS rings me on Friday - "can I come & see you guys on Wednesday" !!! Man, we have gone from nothing really happening to full speed ahead! although I do expect it to slow down again. Though it may not - confused? - me too.
So D & I are trying to work out our finances - because we will lose money while we do this. We don't care - but we do need to be sensible or at least try to be - & have some kind plan in place.
We are alternating between excitement & keeping calm, we want to plan for things but really can't until we know the age of the child. Even though we are requesting as young as possible, we don't know whether that will mean a little baby or a toddler who may already be used to sleeping in a big bed. I went to a linen party last week & couldn't even look at buying anything for the kid - one - I don't know cot or bed & - two - we are still being accessed & could possibly not get a placement at all. Although I think this would be highly unlikely.
So I cracked & made one purchase relating to this adventure. An over the car seat thingy. It goes onto the back of a front car seat & has lots of pockets to hold stuff in front of the child, while they are in the back seat. It wasn't boy or girl specific & I figure if things don't work out - I can use it as a christmas gift.
So D & I are trying to work out our finances - because we will lose money while we do this. We don't care - but we do need to be sensible or at least try to be - & have some kind plan in place.
We are alternating between excitement & keeping calm, we want to plan for things but really can't until we know the age of the child. Even though we are requesting as young as possible, we don't know whether that will mean a little baby or a toddler who may already be used to sleeping in a big bed. I went to a linen party last week & couldn't even look at buying anything for the kid - one - I don't know cot or bed & - two - we are still being accessed & could possibly not get a placement at all. Although I think this would be highly unlikely.
So I cracked & made one purchase relating to this adventure. An over the car seat thingy. It goes onto the back of a front car seat & has lots of pockets to hold stuff in front of the child, while they are in the back seat. It wasn't boy or girl specific & I figure if things don't work out - I can use it as a christmas gift.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Rescheduled
They moved the training. This is kind of OK & kind of a bummer.
The problem is that it now starts on the 13th of September. So instead of a lovely sleep in & leisurely buffet breakfast at our hotel - we are now getting up early & heading to the training place. Pluses are that by staying at the hotel we will actually be closer to the training location then we would have been if we stayed at home, and of course the quicker we do the training - hopefully the quicker we'll have a placement.
And I don't really feel like I'm allowed to whinge about it being bought forward - except that this day is also the day that Michael & Yan take Ayisha from me! Ha ha. So our plan to see them before they head to the airport will now not happen. Saves me from having a teary farewell I guess.
The problem is that it now starts on the 13th of September. So instead of a lovely sleep in & leisurely buffet breakfast at our hotel - we are now getting up early & heading to the training place. Pluses are that by staying at the hotel we will actually be closer to the training location then we would have been if we stayed at home, and of course the quicker we do the training - hopefully the quicker we'll have a placement.
And I don't really feel like I'm allowed to whinge about it being bought forward - except that this day is also the day that Michael & Yan take Ayisha from me! Ha ha. So our plan to see them before they head to the airport will now not happen. Saves me from having a teary farewell I guess.
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