Getting Ready for Home Visit...

Chris and I have been working hard this past week (longer, actually) to get ready for our social worker's home visit on Saturday. I never realized what we have collected over the years and haven't gotten rid of! It is amazing what people collect and don't throw away. It is so easy to become a pack rat and hard to throw stuff out, but we are doing it! I think that we are ready for the Home Visit on Saturday (or at least we will be by Friday night). We pick up Joy at the airport in the morning and will take her back in the early afternoon. I know it is not a 'white glove' inspection visit, but you never know.....

We have childproofed all that we can think of, put the 7 pound fire extinguisher under the sink (behind a childproofed latch) and double checked the 2 CPS lists we have to follow.

Now, we just need to finish cleaning, hanging fresh towels in the front bathroom and wait. I guess that means that I need to stop writing and get back to work (laundry, dusting, vacuuming/sweeping, cleaning the kitchen, etc).....

Things are moving along

Only 2.5 days left with the kiddos at school! Then I get to work on the house stuff and the Home Study stuff. It will be nice to sleep till 5:30 (that's when Chris gets up) every morning!

I talked with Joy this afternoon and she will let us know the day she is coming down after talking with her husband (he will have the kids that day). We should know tomorrow if she is flying down on the 20th or 27th. We will pick her up at the airport and take her back (saves the cost of a rental car).

She sent us the information for a psychologist that one of the other families in the area used for their Psychological Evaluation that is required. I don't think that insurance will cover any of it (at least that is what I've been told so far), so I need to find out how much it will cost us. Please pray that insurance will cover part, if not all of the cost (or that the cost will be covered somehow!).

I've gotten information from Texas Children's International Adoption Clinic, and it will cost us $500 to set up a file for one child (each additional child costs $300). This will enable us to sit down with a pediatrician in the clinic and go over the Medical Check List that we need to re-do and re-submit. Please pray that God will provide at least $500 to set up a file.

We are still waiting for a written estimate from one of the painters we had look at the house,but at least we have picked out the colors we want!

I am about halfway through the 2nd Adoption Book (Adopting The Older Child [written in 1978]) and still have one more to go!

God gave us a mini-van!

Last Saturday we were able to pick up a mini-van that God gave us! It is a 1998 Dodge Caravan that seats 7, so now we have plenty of seating for our kids! We are REALLY excited about this addition to our family! It is in great shape and runs wonderfully. I got to drive it yesterday (Chris wouldn't give it up until then!) and it is really comfortable.

Now, we just need to finish other things.......

Not much going on right now

Chris and I plan to have Joy (we haven't checked with her yet) come down at the end of May to do the house visit and last interview. Still haven't read the other 2 books yet, but we are getting more stuff around the house done. Chris painted the garage door yesterday, so it doesn't look so bad! I am still trying to get used to the latches on the cabinet doors and drawers. After 2 broken nails, I've decided that short is good. I haven't had time during the day to find out about a psychologist yet. With super needy sewing students, phone calls from the office looking for students, meetings in my free time, I haven't had much time. Lunch is usually during class, instead of the 15 minutes I might have during my lunch period. Oh well, 5 more weeks to go then I get lots of free time! Of course, that means I have more time to get everything done that needs to be done....

Overwhelmed right now, but it's getting better!

Chris and I are still working on the Home Study stuff. We got home around 11:00 on Friday the 20th, after sitting in the Seminar all day and then driving home afterwards. Talk about exhausted! It took us a few days to get semi-caught up on sleep, although I don't feel like I am rested yet!

It was a great 2 days, but we hadn't had much time to really talk about what we learned when we got an email from our social worker the following Tuesday evening asking when (in April) can she come down for the home visit. As she was going to be out of town the last weekend, and Easter wasn't a good time, that left the first weekend and third weekend of the month available. Talk about extremely short notice! Since we haven't completed everything in the house that is on the CPS check list, the visit will have to wait! It took 2 emails and 2 phone calls to convince the social worker that we are not ready yet (in more ways than one!), but she has accepted that this is our process and we will let her know when we are ready. The good news is that we don't have to have all the other stuff (2 books, psychological evaluations, financial plan, medical check list) done before she sees the house. It all has to be done before the Home Study process can be completed and Final Approval is given to adopt.

Of course, we will have to pay as we go (which is something we already knew and planned for), so that will slow the process down as well. We need $500 for the second half of the Home Study process, fees for the psychological evaluations & medical check list meeting with a doctor, and $3,500 for the 1st installment of the Agency Fee when we are given the Final Approval. Please continue to pray that the funds will be available when they are needed.
Chris has installed the drawer and cabinet latches in the kitchen, children's bathroom and our bathroom; as well as smoke/fire alarms in the 2 extra bedrooms and checked to make sure that the other ones work. You never think of all that is necessary until you get 2 check lists that CPS requires.

School has been rather busy lately, but should get better soon. My students are starting their sewing projects this week and that is always a good time for me. Chris is seriously considering going back to Wal-Mart part time this summer (after the home visit by the social worker) to earn more to go towards the adoption (and get the last 2 credit cards paid off). I have been working on more baby blankets to sell. Liz (my sister) and I spent the morning at the Seven Lakes High School 3rd Annual PTSA Garage Sale on the 28th and sold 3 blankets! One lady bought a nap mat from our online store: www.LandRDesigns.etsy.com when Liz reactivated it on Sunday the 29th! I am really praying that more will sell (when they all get posted). If you know anyone who is looking for baby blankets, Burpcloth Babies or children's clothing, please feel free to pass our store site on!

International Adoption Seminar

Chris and I attended the required International Adoption Seminar by Buckner this past week and it was great! We drove up Wednesday afternoon and came back after the seminar was over Friday night. It was a long and tiring trip, but well worth it all.

The Seminar talked about attachment & sensory issues our children may have and we will have to deal with as well. It helped that we both had finished the book: The Connected Child by Dr. Karen Purvis prior to the seminar as alot of what was discussed was in her book. We feel better prepared now, but we still know that there will be other issues that pop up when we get our children home. We also had a break-out session that was specific to Russia, and that gave us a better insight in what to expect as we continue in the process.

It was really neat to meet 2 other couples that are adopting from Russia that live in the Houston area (one is about 10-15 minutes away in Sugar Land, and the other is in the 290 area, which is still rather close)! They are both looking for 1 child, age 2 and under. We are already planning on getting together in May, probably at a support group meeting.

Chris and I are still really tired, but that is to be expected when given an overwhelming amount of information for 2 days and then driving home that second night! We did walk to the Celebration Station (it is next to the hotel we stayed at) to paly 2 rounds of Putt-Putt Golf Thursday night to de-stress. We had a lot of fun; Chris won both rounds (by just a few points)!

We now have a lot more to discuss and plan for, but God is with us and will provide. Attending the Seminar puts us about half-way through the Home Study Process...

One book down...

Chris finished one of the books we have to read "The Connected Child" and wrote his summary report. I started reading it yesterday at school, but didn't get very far. I should be able to finish it before we leave for the seminar on Wednesday. He started reading the next book "Adopting the Older Child". I had to find it on Amazon.com because it is out of print (was written in 1978), but it still has good information. Our social worker, Joy, said that she wanted us to read at least one book on adopting older children since we are asking for older children. I still plan to read the one my sister got us for Christmas, "Toddler Adoption" as part of my list since they may be older in age, but on an emotional/mental level of a toddler.

We are attending the required International Adoption Seminar with Buckner this next week in Dallas. We plan to drive up when Chris gets off at 11:00 on Wednesday and drive home after it is done on Friday so that we can pick up our dog from the vet on Saturday (it will save us about $60 at the vet's and one night at a hotel). It will make for a very long day, but we are okay with it. We had hoped to get together with friends in Burleson, but they are going to be in Houston visiting with their kids and grandkids.

As far as the other parts of the Home Study: psychological evaluations and getting the house ready, we are waiting until we finish with the Seminar this week. I have been a bit stressed out right now, so I need to wait and do one thing at a time. We have done little things around the house, but are waiting (for now) to do the big things.