Home Study... by Brenna

Yesterday I scheduled our first Home Study visit. We will have a social worker come to our home and do a walk through, as well as sit and educate us on issues that will arise with Adoption! Walk through.... that's kind of a scary notion. To have a person walk around your house and point out all the things that need to be fixed, removed or added to make it possible to bring your child into your home. **It's funny because our children are thriving quite fine with things the way they are right now. I'm sure this will make our home much safer and comfortable for all of us! :)

Some of things that are needed to be done feel silly but give the Home Study Agency peace of mind and security that are willing to make changes in effort to get our little girl. Anyway, we have moved all our cleaning supplies up high, instead of below the bathroom and kitchen sinks (which are out of the way, but still accesible and reachable to all of the kids). We have installed more smoke alarms (1 or 2 of which will go off because of the fireplace or my cooking). We have added child safety locks to our medicine cabinet (which by the way, all three of my children and in the future, Meggie will be able to open). We have checked the dates on all the medicine in our cabinet and the antiobiotic cream in the First Aid Box. We still have to purchase a fire extinquisher but this too will be an improvement. I'm feeling safer already! :)

Anyway, we are excited and nervous. You just never know what they will ask besides the questions that we have already answered in our huge packet of essay questions. BUT... we praise the Lord that He has provided us with a Christian social worker. She has also adopted a child and has been through the Home Study process and understands the emotions that come with it! How fortunate is that?

We also have completed our Apostile of our Marriage License from Kansas. Basically, we have ordered 3 certified copies of our marriage license and had them certified by the Kansas Secretary of State. They are a beautiful, shiny documents that are sent with our dossier, (packet of all our paperwork that is sent to Latvia). Done! Yeah!

Well, that's all for now. I'll catch up with you soon!