Check Check Check!

We are checking things off the adoption list left and right!  It's been a while since I posted, but there wasn't really much to post.

ALL of our paperwork is turned in!!!!!!!

Mike and I each had our individual meetings with Geralyn.  These were pretty intense!  I met with her first and she asked me a whole bunch of questions about EVERYTHING.  My family, his family, drug use, alcohol use, religion, medical histories, etc.  I, of course, had nothing to hide, but I felt like I was being interrogated!  I know that's what has to be done, though :-)  The worst thing about this was that I couldn't talk to Mike about it until after he had his meeting.  She wants to make sure our answers match up.  Thank God I went first.  It would have been really hard for Mike to go first and not tell me.  I would have tried really hard to make him tell me ;-)

At the end of Mike's appointment, Geralyn set up our home inspection for yesterday.  I was incredibly nervous and anxious all week about this.  I knew all along we would do fine, but I tend to be a worrier.  In fact, Thursday night, I decided that a spring wreath on our door just wouldn't do.  I should make a fall wreath.  I didn't do it though.  I decided to come home and unwind with a glass of wine instead.  Good choice!

Geralyn was supposed to come at 9:00, but it kept getting pushed back and she ended up coming at about 1:00.  This made for an anxious morning of sitting around waiting.  I made some cinnamon coffee cake so our house would smell delicious :-)

When she got here, we all sat around the table so she could ask us any questions she had about our paperwork.  She talked to us a little more about our religious beliefs (this seems to be the hardest thing for Mike and me to articulate).  It doesn't matter to her what our beliefs are, but she has to be able to type up something specific in our report.  We talked about some different situations we may be open to (birth parents having mental illnesses, race, etc.).  Then, she asked a bunch of questions about our home and told us things that we already knew:  outlets have to be covered, medication and cleaning supplies have to be put so a kid can't reach it, we need to put a gate around our firepit, we should get chimes for the doors, and so on.  Obviously, none of this will matter until we have a toddler, but it's great to be prepared!  We took her on a tour around our house (which was super clean, thanks to my amazing husband!).  She just needed to check to make sure we have hot water, no loose wires, food in the fridge, and other stuff like that.  Phoebe was a perfect dog the whole time, too!  At the end of the visit, she gave us the good news....

WE ARE APPROVED!

As soon as we finish our profile book, we will be on a list and could get a baby at ANY TIME!

This is so exciting and terrifying at the same time!  Normally, parents have nine months to prepare for a baby.  We could wait a month or we could wait two years, we just don't know.  Even when we are selected by a birth mother, we still can't prepare too much in case she changes her mind.

It's weird, but I really fell like an expectant mother (emotionally, not physically).  I have been thinking about my future baby a lot.  Mike and I have been discussing the baby's room, names, and all kinds of other fun stuff.

Now, about that profile book...

This is definitely the hardest part of this whole thing for me.  This is what the birth mothers will look at to CHOOSE her child's future parents.  Luckily, if you know my husband, he tends to not freak out...like...ever.  So even though this is worrying me a ton, he has been able to help me through it and we got a lot done yesterday.  I will post later or tomorrow the progress of our books and would love opinions on it!

Until next time...

Katie
"DNA doesn't make a family, love does" - The Fosters