SOCIAL WORKER...

When you mix a licensed social worker and the Geary clan crazy things are bound to happen!  We had our first home visit since Mekdes arrived yesterday and as per usual, the visit was colorful!   First of all, we all had to be home for this home visit and that in and of itself is a challenge for our crew.  We managed to schedule a moment when we had everyone home and thus our first post placement visit was scheduled.  In the past, both Shawn and I would shoot the "look"  to which ever child was saying something we really didn't want recorded in our home report, so I gave the girls the speech about being nice to each other and not saying anything inappropriate.    Well, the doorbell rang and 4 girls went scurrying around shouting "SHE'S HERE, SHE'S HERE!".   The fifth girl was just scurrying around with the others as it seemed like a fun thing to do.  Cherie (our social worker) came in and I took her coat.   In the moment I was gone hanging up her coat, I heard Emme say, "Oh, ya, we took Mekdes over to my friend Grace's house.  She didn't eat anything, but she had fun."  I couldn't sprint back fast enough.  "So you are not cocooning," Cherie said to me.  I assured her that we were and that going over to the Keegan's was just a brief outing.  Argh!!!!!     Regardless, STRIKE ONE....both Shawn and I were giving Emme the "look" as we proceeded to the family room.
We got through the initial  segment, how much does Mekdes weigh, what does she eat, when were your court appointments, etc. and then came the dreaded sibling segment.  First up, Margo. At this point, I am soaked with sweat as it has been rolling down my sides since the cocooning incident.  "So, Margo, do you like sharing with Mekdes?"  WHO ASKS A FIVE YEAR OLD IF THEY LIKE TO SHARE????  A swift and brief, NO, was given and then promptly written down in the post placement file.  "Does Mekdes do anything that you don't like?"  Margo proceeds to elaborate on how Mekdes will throw herself to the floor and cry when she doesn't get her way and that you can't understand anything Mekdes is saying.  I then had to field the questions of how do I handle the situation and how did I prepare our four older girls for Mekdes' arrival.  I won't bore you with the rest of the interviews, but suffice it to say that I was soaked in sweat and my tongue felt swollen by the end of that dreadful segment in the post placement interview.   Ha!  The other girls were interviewed and after each interview, the girls were dismissed to go down to the basement and play.
We continued on with more formal questions about social security numbers, citizenship, etc. when you started to hear some giggling coming from around the corner.  Before I could get my sweat ridden body out of the chair to investigate the source of the laughter, Mekdes came running into the family room releasing one toot after another.  It was like she was the leader of the tooting parade!  Margo was on the floor rolling and clutching her sides she was laughing so hard.  "So much for putting your best foot forward," Cherie said to me with a smile on her face.  "In case you haven't figured it out by now," I said,  "you never know what you are going to get when you enter the Geary household.  One thing is sure, you get an honest slice of our crazy life!"
So, our first post placement visit summary:  Mekdes is eating foods that generate an enormous amount of gas, yet she looks relatively healthy.  Margo isn't all together thrilled with sharing, but seems to have taken Mekdes under her wing and  Emme is willing to rat our her parents at the drop of a hat when they do not follow the rules.
This is the family picture we had to take as part of the post placement requirements.  Anna and Kate had just gotten back from hitting lessons, I just couldn't get warm that day and was wrapped in a blanket, Shawn had just spilled half his dinner down the front of his sweater.  Emme (of course) looks perfect and my two little M&M's weren't thrilled at having to take the photo in the first place!  I set the auto timer on the camera and came running over to join this motley crew.  Immediately, laughter broke out as Mekdes  tooted and no one could escape its wrath.  This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it as we are all laughing, except the tooter.  I wonder how this photo will read to the Ethiopian government?