Tell me about the first few weeks...

[Derbyshirelady]

We've been matched with an 8 month old baby boy who is coming home in a few weeks.

We've got spreadsheets about spreadsheets of the stuff we need to get, but would love to hear about the first few weeks when your little one comes home. Obviously we will be continuing the routine his foster carers have established, but how long was it until you introduced him to family etc? Any top tips much appreciated (already batch cooking - will be eating Bolognese for the next 3 months!).

Also tips on how to not burst into tears when buying baby stuff in shops welcome. It's been a long old journey to this point...for some reason a hooded towel set me off this weekend .

And don't worry about the lack of emotion - it comes

How is it going derbyshirelady? wonderful I hope! we begin intros today for a 6mo girl on a FtA placement, only 3 days of intros before she moves in with us. We have been following this advice too and have a large pile of frozen meals stocked up (and a bogey sucker safely stored away ready)!
We met her last Friday for first time and like your experience, it was odd, a little forced as everyone in the room stares at you as you hold your baby for the first time.. we had our SW, FC, FC's SW all there sat in a circle..
FC seems lovely though and text me last night to ask what we'd like for lunch today- lovely ice breaker and we had a little text chat about LO's progress etc. We set off in an hour to spend the afternoon with LO... can't wait!

Sorry for delayed response - has been totally bonkers this week. The little chap is absolutely gorgeous and we are besotted. Pause and plan meeting is tomorrow morning and we expect to bring him home finally straight after that. It has become really disruptive for him the last day or so actually - he has moved over to us as main carers and emotionally really, apart from bedtime, he goes back to FC after bath in his pj's. He is teething, has got a cough and with us picking him up every morning around his nap time he is just not sleeping properly which has culminated in him being majorly grumpy today and it is so hard trying to work out what is wrong. It is heartbreaking when he cries! I need to get a grip a bit more.

I have had a massive cry tonight. My DH and I are really snapping at each other as we are both mega tired and in shock - trying to do what's best and we don't always agree. We have made a pact tonight (while I was crying into a Big Mac - don't judge me, so tired and keep forgetting to eat when the little dude is here!) not to comment on what the other is doing unless the small one is in danger!

The start of intros was so surreal - like babysitting. Now I can smell him everywhere in our house - baby smell! And I am counting the minutes till we see his gummy smile again. So rewarding, emotional, tiring, hysterically funny (we've had a poo on sock incident). I have been writing a journal that we will be reading excerpts from at his wedding...

Ariel really hope all is going well for you. It's all very well having a full freezer, if you manage to remember to defrost stuff. My brain has fully left the building this week. On the plus side, I think I've lost a few pounds!

Thank you all for kind messages of support!

Intros are bonkers. I had a little meltdown midway through ours but once little one is home you and DH will find your way. It's normal to snap when you're tired but don't take it to heart. Our LO reacted similar to yours, didn't nap enough, started to get confused between us and FC. It all settled quite quickly once intros were done though. Coming home day was extremely emotional. I cried all the way to FC. It's quick and quite brutal for FC but there's no way around it. It was just the most surreal but wonderful feeling to bring LO home for good. Makes me tearful thinking about it even now.

Good luck tomorrow! The start of the biggest journey you'll ever go on :)

Just one teeny Ergo tip which you may not have come across:

• if you're finding that you wear it a lot and are wearing it with baby on your chest, try clipping the shoulder straps onto the diagonal clips so that they cross over on your back.

It does make putting baby in a little more fiddly (you have to slide them in from above) but I found it well with it as made it even more comfortable to wear.

Good luck!