In the adoption journey, I've summed up all of the traffic lights sort of like this....(lights can vary from family to family....smile):
Red Light: STOP! There's a problem.
Yellow Light: Okay, keep going but something may arise so be prepared.
Green Light: You've got an approval! Go, baby go! Things are lookin' good so run like the dickens! (smile, okay maybe run like the dickens is a bit exaggerated but you get my drift!)
Well on Friday, we went from Red Light as we waited for a decision about some of our paperwork to Yellow Light....your assigned social worker will be calling you next week! Woo hoo! Yep, it's yellow but this girl is lovin' that yellow light right now. She'll be calling next week so you know what that means for me....girl, get the house in order! Start cleaning! Do the rest of the laundry! Scrub the kitchen baseboards! Bake some cookies! LOL! We'll try to relax but I don't know.....
Hey adopting/adopted moms and dads....what did you do to prepare for your home study and how did things go?
7 comments:
I have little kids at home, so I made sure I wasn't running around frantically to prevent them from picking up on my stress!
I cleaned, but not a super-lot...I did have a crew come help clean up the basement, which had been a semi-construction zone and looked like one hazard after another! I think each social worker is different, so I'd say let the peace of God rule your heart and guide you how to prepare! Ironically, our 2 y.o. was napping while she was here, so she didn't even look at the bedroom that our new daughter will be sharing with her! We spent far more time talking at the kitchen table than she did surveying our household. Don't worry-it will go fine!!!
For the first adoption, I cleaned like a crazy woman. In fact- when it was time for her to arrive I had 2 loads of laundry that was clean but I didn't have time to fold so I hid it in the fellowship hall next door! (We live in the parsonage.) All that worry was for nothing. We mostly sat at the dining room table. She did look in every room and interviewed the kids with us in a separate room. (That was a bit worrisome because you just never what our son will say!) Overall- it was painless. I stressed way more than I should. This time around, I hardly even cleaned for her visit!
Hi Michelle! Just found your blog and looking forward to following along on your journey. If you ever make a necklace for the Congo, let me know! :) Love them!
We all love those yellow lights and love even more the green ones!!! Now I must admit..I cleaned like a crazy woman, like in the back of the wardrobes etc!! There really was no need :) I should have just put everything away and then do a bigger than normal clean!! i can so hear your excitement in your post and its wonderful to hear so go clean and be ready!!!
The first time we adopted, I cleaned frantically and had nice smelling food cooking in the kitchen (I actully threw a bunch of apples and cinnamon in the crock pot) before the social worker arrived. I was soooooo nervous! There was no need for my nerves. Our social worker is a wonderful woman who certainly wasn't there for a white glove inspection! Needless to say, for our second adoption, I was much more relaxed for visits from the social worker. Try to relax, I'm sure you'll do fine. All social workers are different, but I don't think any of them are looking for perfection :)
I cleaned (but like I really should be doing every week - so no major baseboard or window cleaning). Every room was in order but we stayed on the living room couches and talked all night. At the end of the night she said, "we'll do the home walk-through next time". Whaaaaat!?! Pleeeeeease look through now as my closets are even straightened!! The next visit she just walked through each room and noted where all the fire alarms were. That was pretty much the extent of it. Didn't even open a cabinet to check for safety locks. Don't stress over it, I would say! By the last visit, we were so comfortable with her that I would just straighten a bit before she came.
Okay, you guys have helped me so much. I'm doing my regular clean so we should be okay...I hope! (smile)
Lisa: I'll let you know as soon as we do something for the Congo. Shoot me an e-mail about it when you get a chance so that I'll have your e-mail info.... michelle365@me.com
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