Post-Placement #2

Ellie is featured above with our social worker, Anne. We met Anne in December 2005 when we started our homestudy to be approved to adopt. Over the course of the next couple of months Anne got to know Nathan and I REALLY well and in March she assembled one of the most significant pieces of our official dossier: our completed home study report.

Tonight Anne was in our home for the 2nd of 6 follow-up reports we have to submit to Albania to let them know how Ellie is doing. Every country has different standards requiring the number & frequency of post-placement reports. Albania requires reports upon arrival; then 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months after placement in the permanent home. With each report Anne writes up, we include 6 photos of Ellie, one of which must feature all members of our new, happy & smiling family (the latter being a bit more difficult to come by, believe it or not -- we hope to get some family pictures soon, though).

We were encouraged by Anne's excitement and enthusiasm over Ellie's progress (she saw Ellie last on January 10). While we know Ellie has made progress, it is so reaffirming to hear confirmation from another party, especially one who hasn't seen her since we barely stepped off the plane! While playing on the floor with Ellie and her toys, we shared with Anne about the results of Ellie's doctor's appointments, hearing tests, developmental assessments, sleeping and eating habbits, interactions with us and others, etc., etc..

During the course of our conversation, Ellie would periodically scoot across the floor on her hands and knees for the next thing to catch her attention. Though crawling has become a regular activity on her part, we continue to marvel at her growing confidence in this area. Thanks to our newly acquired knowledge on the 'steps to walking' (via our PT, Beth), I did interrupt conversation on a few occasions with a, "Look at that!!!" to point out Ellie casually standing on her knees (one time to peer into the canvas bin for a particular toy, the other time to kneel by the hearth and bang her hands on the wood stove doors). Without understanding the significance of Ellie standing on her knees, I know I would have missed another sign of her continuing development. We are so grateful for the therapy which Ellie has now begun to receive regularly, both for the benefits it brings her and for the knowledge her therapists impart to us as her parents!

Before we knew it, an hour had passed and we were making tentative arrangements for post-placement #3 sometime this summer! Two down, four to go!