Support worker visit

We had a visit from our support worker today, who came round to see how we're getting on, and to explain how to fill in some of the recording forms we need to do for Jack-Jack. When we told her that he arrived with absolutely nothing and that we've had to completely set him up, she suggested that we send proof of our receipts to Jane and see whether she could authorise a one-off payment to help towards the cost. Apparently this is discretionary and does occasionally happen. Although we don't get paid to foster, we do receive a fortnightly allowance that's supposed to cover Jack-Jack's needs - we've calculated that it will take almost two months of that just to cover what we've spent on him in the last 10 days, and by then he'll be in the next size up of clothes and will need a whole new wardrobe anyway so we'll be back to square one! The support worker also told us about a session that's taking place in a couple of weeks for foster carers to learn more about the matching and placement process which sounds interesting. It will be a good opportunity to meet other local carers anyway!

Jack-Jack has contact planned for tomorrow again, although if it keeps snowing at this rate I don't know whether the sessional worker will be able to get here to pick him up! I hope it does go ahead - it's been almost two weeks now since he saw his mum and it must be so confusing for him. They've told us that contact is due to be three times a week - if this is the case then the sooner it starts the better, so that it can become part of his new routine.

We're all new to this weaning thing, but Jack-Jack's very curious about food (especially if we're eating it at the same time) and is very happy to try anything we give him. He's now tried (aside from baby food) banana, rice cake, spaghetti shapes, toast and margarine, breadsticks, peeled grapes, blueberries, pasta and pesto, baked potato, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, lettuce, bread, a corner of a bourbon biscuit, cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, crumpet, innocent smoothie and weetabix. He's also had some extremely diluted fruit juice, but seems to prefer water (or sips of our smoothie if we're having some - we may have to start hiding in cupboards to drink it so that he doesn't notice - his "sips" are remarkably large for one so small!)