tonight, tonight...

We met the social workers yesterday and spent some time with Michael and his foster mother yesterday... and he is coming to our house this afternoon!

So, the tough part that we have to deal with is the reality... he is a foster child, still in the custody of Adams County. He is "ours, but not ours" during this time. There is a social worker concentrating on reunifying him with his birth mother and one working on terminating her parental rights. We are comfortable that the odds are with Michael staying with us forever, and we will treat him as if that is the case. However, we are confident that the system will come to the right conclusion.

In the meantime, yikes! Are we ready for a baby?! Here's the nursery and an introductory picture to Michael.

Standing by... Our file is finally complete, and we have a message from the adoption recruiter that she's calling at 5 to talk about a kid.

inspection and paint

We had our final home inspection today and passed... the Social Worker needs to file her final report, we have to send the cat's vaccination records to the county, and then we wait for "the call."

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the painting projects we've taken on as part of the home prep...

paint

We figured the fastest way to get the county to schedule an inspection was to begin a home project that would create all kinds of hazards for little ones... so we started painting! The problem with a nice open space and a great room is that it's hard to decide where to begin and where to stop...

So, with the entry half-done and ladders, plastic, and open paint cans everywhere, we got the call. Our home inspection is scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon!

That means that this week will be occupied with finishing the painting, cleaning the garage, getting stuff out to GoodWill, and studying the inspection/certification list to be sure we've missed nothing!

one more step

So, while WE are approved, the HOUSE has yet to be certified. Talked to the county social services folk on Friday, and they are working to get the house inspection scheduled in the next week or so.

I've moved the liquor (who knew we had so much booze?!) to a locked cabinet over the fridge... my brother-in-law says that's where his parents kept it, and he and his friends knew exactly how to get into it. But it should be a sufficient hiding place for a two-year-old.

I've installed a new egress ladder in the basement, since we blocked the one the builder put in when we built the deck. I've also updated the fire extinguishers with larger models.

I'm starting to clear out the current guest room, which will become the kid room. We've been using that closet for our rarely-worn suits, wrapping paper, and extra linens. Guess I'll have to do some more closet cleaning elsewhere in the house!

I'm really excited by the support shown by our family and friends. My sister and Alan's sister-in-law are both thrilled, and our parents (while cautious) are ready for more grandchildren.

With my luck, everything is going to happen at once this summer... we'll get a call about our kid(s), Alan will suddenly find a job, and his parents will find that their house sells before the new one is built!

We have many friends and family now ready to bring us their hand-me-downs (everything from car seats and cribs to clothing and toys), but we're resisting until we know who or what is coming to live with us!

Well, off to a bit more waiting. I think we're going to use the next few weeks to do a bit of painting. Time to add some color to more walls in the house.

a bit closer

Tonight, we installed the cat door (with a flap) to the basement and put latches on some key cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. It looks like I do need to get bigger fire extinguishers and order a window well egress ladder (amazon.com has them for $40). And I have to move the booze up above the fridge (I'll move pitchers to the buffet table in the dining room).

So much, it feels like I'll never be quite ready. Thankfully, I have some great moms nearby to help me out and tell me what really needs to be done.

always more waiting

We got the call this morning from Adams County Social Services. Our application has been reviewed and approved! Now comes the "matching" game... they have so many kids and a certain number of approved homes. They have to figure out which is the match made in heaven.

So, it's hurry up and wait...