Couple of Things

[netgirl_y2k]

Tiny, awesome news: a while ago I was talking about how two of my best friends had been going through the long, arduous process of trying to adopt a child. Well after, like, two years of paperwork, and interviews, waiting, and more waiting the adoption has come through. They are adopting a little boy of three, who likes dinosaurs and pretending to be a farmer.

He's coming to live with them in early January, and they're going to have a late Christmas then, because if you can't have two christmases in a fortnight when you're three and have just been adopted, then when can you? So I get to play Auntie Gillian, and have fun over the holidays trying to pick out the perfect present for a three year old.

Some cool things I have found out as an onlooker during this process: firstly, I didn't know this, but you still get the full year's paternity leave whether you have a baby or adopt an older child; and secondly, in addition to being able to prove that you're sober and able to keep the kid in shoes etc, the local authority the adoption was arranged through like you to provide evidence that you're not homophobic or transphobic, because who's to say that you won't get a kid who's gay or trans; which is apparently why my character reference, as someone who knows nothing about parenting but could testify that they're the very best sort of straight people, was very helpful.

I'm off to the rugby with the expectant parents this afternoon as a sort of celebratory last hurrah.

Wrote another fic; 7.5k in a week and written during the copious free time I've created by not watching the news or reading the papers:

Had A Dream I Was The Queen (woke up, still the queen) (A Song of Ice and Fire; Lyanna Stark/Elia Martell; Role Reversal AU)

"I have my son, I have a crown I never asked for, and seven kingdoms I don't know how to rule." Lyanna laid her hand on Elia's knee, squeezed, and said, "And I have you."

Comments

[themadlurker]

So happy for your friends, and very glad there are adoption authorities that take the trouble to make sure kids aren't going to end up in potentially hostile homes. Enjoy your future Aunting!

[netgirl_y2k]

I'm so happy for them too!

Not least because I've spent two years now pretending that I didn't notice them getting moist-eyed and wistful every time we saw a small child in a ridiculous onesie. I'll be an aunt, I'll be the one buying the ridiculous onesies (I saw a really cool Charmander one the other day!)

[dhampyresa]

Congrats to them and "provide evidence that you're not homophobic or transphobic" is very good to hear.

[netgirl_y2k]

There were also questions about the ethnic minorities you would be exposing the kid to (in the 'more is better' sense) and the gender roles in your household. This in addition to the standard solvency and sobriety questions; these social workers weren't screwing around.

[adafrog]

That is so awesome they check if the parents aren't phobic.
Congrats for them and you!

[netgirl_y2k]

I mean, they've been wanting this for so long, and they'll be great parents, so I would have been over the moon for them anyway, but, boy, did I need some good news right about now.

[fyrdrakken]

Congrats to your friends (and to you for the future aunting) and I'm glad the social workers are being so socially progressive in their background checks!

[netgirl_y2k]

Thank you.

I went and got and my photo taken today because they're making him a scrapbook of like: here's your new house, and your new room, and your mum and dad, all the way through to, here's your auntie Gillian.