Home Study Visit #1

We had our first home study visit on Friday, and boy am I glad that is over with!  Waiting for a stranger to come into your home and judge you isn't exactly a recipe for peace of mind for someone like me.  Due to some scheduling difficulties, we had to schedule her visit at a less than convenient time (try 9 am the morning after I work all day and don't get home until 11pm, the last week of school, and my Children's Chorus concert, and my daughter's birthday party with 17 kids...yeah, stressful.  And messy). See that picture?? Our house is a straight up circus pretty much all the time. But we managed to have a clean house, all kids dressed & fed and happy, and overall I think it went well.

Our social worker was really nice, and made us feel comfortable even though it is such a weird thing.

Social Worker: Hello, I've just met you.  What are your weaknesses?  Do you have fertility issues? Any abuse happening?  Let me walk through your home and judge you.

See?  Weird.

But it actually felt less weird than I thought it would.  She interviewed each of my kids 5 years old and older individually, and I was really nervous for that part.  Kids can say ANYTHING.  I'm pretty sure my children have told me with a straight face that they went to the moon for lunch.  And now I'm trusting those crazy little people to answer questions with the woman who will decide whether we are fit to adopt?!  I thought I might die from the stress of it all.

No worries, guys.  I made it through.

Turns out my kids are rock stars and all my worry was for nothing.  After she spoke with each of them she mentioned how impressed she was with their maturity and understanding.  She said that Ryah (our 9 year old) did something that she usually only sees in children much older.  I guess she had asked Ryah what might be hard about bringing home a little boy to our family.  Instead of Ryah talking about what might be hard for her (which is what the social worker was asking for), she began to speak about what might be hard for Landon (not his real name) when he gets here.  She said it might be hard for him to leave the only place he's ever lived, and it will be hard for him because he doesn't speak our language and won't know what we're saying, and he might be scared or sad.  The social worker was impressed, and my mama heart was so full of love for my sweet kids.  They all have the ability to be empathetic, and we have spent a lot of time talking about what this transition might be like for Landon.  Proud mom moment with that one.

Later the social worker asked me how I thought my kids would adjust.  I told her that my kids are one of the main reasons I feel we can do this.  They are all so good, so kind, helpful and loving with each other.  Not always, let's be real.  But overall I've got really great kids, and I know they will be wonderful siblings for this little guy.

**Side note: I should mention that I'm convinced that I have great kids because I made a deal with God before I even came to earth.  He told me that I would have to deal with some (or more than some) heartbreak and maybe a dysfunctional marriage (or two?), and I said that would be fine as long as he sent me angel children. Basically it's not my doing that made them so awesome.  It was God recognizing that if I had to deal with hard kids while I was going through some tough stuff in my life that I might have ended up in the loony bin.**

Anyway, our social worker comes back for her second and final visit next week, and after that we submit all our paperwork to United States Immigration and also to Landon's country for official approval!  That is the final step before we get travel dates to go visit him (not to bring him home, yet).  If all goes smoothly we are hoping to be traveling by late summer!

Keep saying prayers that the process goes smoothly and that our sweet baby Landon can be safe until we can get to him.

One less orphan.