Last visit DONE! We survived!

The social worker was at our house this morning for her final visit.  She walked around looking at each room (even the basement), and to her word did not peak in closets.  Good thing!  Apparently we have a lovely home, and she kept thanking us for cleaning it.  I'm a bit surprised that people don't always clean when she's coming.  The whole point is to make a good impression so our home study gets approved so we can adopt!  She was fascinated by my work room (the horse room) and the mini tack (I had some horses on display with tack on them so she could see what I do).  She also ooo'd and ahhh'd at the mural in the baby room, which isn't even close to being done yet, and looks forward to seeing it next time she comes to visit.  Hopefully that next visit will be post-adoption, and not to renew our home study.  She said that if we aren't matched within 12-15 months, we'll have to renew it.  Ugh! 

We did have a snag with the background check, as the paperwork that the agency sent us to fill out was apparently the wrong paperwork.  So after finding a time Sam could go during the day to get that paperwork notarized (for nothing), we waited half a month to get it sent back with the correct forms and had to do it all over again!  It's one of the things that takes the longest, so that was a bit disappointing.  We also talked to the lawyer, and they require us to get fingerprints taken and sent to the FBI for approval.  It's not required in NH, but some of the other states they deal with require it, so hopefully that doesn't take MONTHS to get back as well. 

Next step is to make an appointment with the lawyer to talk about what we are and are not OK with for potential matches, as well as talk about what they like to see in the profile.  Though we would have liked to have gotten that done sooner, we've been scrambling to make the house look as perfect as possible for the visit today, so have yet to get that done.  Sounds like we'll be waiting for multiple background checks anyway.

And although unrelated, I have been working on being gluten free for 2 1/2 weeks now.  I'm pretty convinced that gluten is my issue, as I've gone a week without having a single headache.  I'm still quite fatigued, but hopefully that will go away in time.  Also, I can now tell when I've accidentally had some gluten, and it's really frustrating how easily it happens.  I've been super careful, and still had 3 or 4 days last week where something I ate had gluten in it causing me to have horrible stomach aches.  I didn't think I was going to be that sensitive to it, and now I worry about ever eating at a restaurant.  I'm going to have to learn to speak up and be very specific with my orders, I guess.  At least the headaches seem to be gone, which was my worst symptom.

3 down, 1 to go!

I'm a little behind on updating, mostly because we've been so busy!  We've had to make an effort to spend some time together just Sam and I doing something other than work and adoption prep, which is new for us after Sam not having a job for 4 months.  No complaints on him having a job, but sometimes you just don't realize how time can fly by without that "us" time.  Sam and I have both had our solo home study appointments, and I survived mine.  Woo!  Well, we both survived, but I was the one nervous about it.  Not that we have anything to worry about, as the social worker assured me, but I still felt like I was not explaining myself well and saying stupid stuff.  Our last home study, the one that will actually be at our house, is scheduled for the 24th.  If only we'd finished our house prep, we could have had it this Friday!  Still so much to do, though.  At least we don't have to clean out the closets that much, as she promised she wouldn't look in those.  :) 

Thank you *SO MUCH* to everybody that's donated money and bought from our fundraiser pages!  Between my models sold and the money you all have helped us raise, we had enough to cover all of our pre-adoption expenses!  We've also recently received enough to cover most of the initial attorney retainer (I need to update the thermometer to the right to reflect that).  We still have quite a bit to raise, but it amazes me how when we needed it, the money was there.  We are now all paid up on pre-adoption expenses, have mailed in our notarized background checks, medical sheet filled out from our physicals, and are now just waiting on 1 birth certificate (come on Virginia *taps foot*), our proof of health insurance, and any outstanding references.  Time to start working on our "Dear expectant parent(s)" letter/profile and pick out our prettiest, most interesting pictures to include with it.  I'll be sure to update when everything is done and we are finally "EXPECTING"!