Sunday evening we got the call. It was the lady calling to do our home-study. In the world of adoption/fostering, this is THE APPOINTMENT. Neither Lori and I were too concerned about it, but we kept thinking we should be. I mean - it's important, right? But, we're ready.
We scheduled it for 4 pm so we could take off work early and be here. We were both home by 3 (overachievers) and opened some blinds, vacuumed the carpet, changed clothes......she arrived right on the dot at 4pm. Very nice lady named Crystal.
We got down to business right away. After initial introductions, she wanted to speak with one of us alone first. We chose Lori. I took the dog for a short walk. When I got back, I had some paperwork to fill out (there is a lot of that going on over and over). I sat out on the back porch with the dog while Lori finished her interview questions. The paperwork asked questions about my education, family, previous marriage, etc. Nothing too big. Nothing I haven't already fully disclosed already in this process.
When it was my turn to go in, Lori went out on the patio and filled out her part of the info. Most of the individual questions weren't so bad. Why do I want to foster/adopt? Many questions about my childhood. Am I close with my mom? Am I close with my dad? Am I close with my brother? Did they beat me? Did they fight? Did they drink? Did they molest me? Have I been arrested? Have I done drugs? What was my happiest and saddest memory as a child? What were my expectations of a child in my house? My childhood was a friggen Norman Rockwell painting. I'd go back and do it again if they'd let me. And I know most people wouldn't. It really wasn't hard saying nice things about myself, Lori, and my family. I almost felt guilty that I really didn't have much negative things to say.
Then, it was the dual interview. She didn't tell us, but during our conversation, it was evident that Lori and I were pretty much on the same page and had predicted how each other would answer some questions. So, the dual questionaire was a breeze. Most of the questions had to do with how we would handle discipline, rules, what our expectations were, etc. She also wanted to know how we got along as a couple. Again - I was feeling a little guilty that we don't fight. Our weakness as prospective adoptive parents is the fact that we've never been parents before. Our strength is that we chose to be foster/adoptive parents of a CPS child. We didn't have fertility issues that forced us in to this situation.
It really wasn't like an interview. She had done this for ten years and you could tell she knew exactly what info she needed, let us talk when we felt like we needed to expand on certain questions, then used that info for other questions as well. After a tour of the house to make sure we had all the "required" items in the house (and to compliment us on the color selections of our house) it was over.
Two hours, forty-five minutes. Not bad. To celebrate the completion, we went out to eat. When we were going through the steps to buy both of our houses, all momentus occasions were capped off with a trip out to eat. I figured this called for it.
I was expecting much more intrusive questions. I felt like I came across as a goody two-shoes. But, it's the truth. My previous mariage was discussed in detail. Mostly for the time spent with her kids....but also the story behind the breakup. I tell that story a lot (not near as much as I used to). But, I don't tell it in detail like I did today. It was strange to dig up all those details. Not bad, just strange.
Bottom line is we're ready to be parents. We're happy to be the cool aunt and uncle. But we're ready to be that AND parents now. I gave her my "Now we just go pick up our child tomorrow" joke on the way out the door. She seemed to appreciate it. Still - I'm not kidding. ;)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Class 7 - Sexual Abuse - That sucked.
After Saturday's long, but shockingly not so horrible class, we had high hopes that tonight's class wouldn't be as gloomy as expected. We were wrong. What a tough tough subject to cover. Especially when we know we're so close to having to deal with it in "real-time".
We started off by going over three scenarios of real cases and writing down how we felt about the child, the abuser, the parent, etc. Those three cases took up over an hour and a half. We were some angry classmates. I think we all had a hard time wrapping our heads around the fact that this stuff goes on and how often it happens. One of guys in class is a cop and shared some tough stories. One couple has kids from a very tough story about a family member. The rest of us sat in quiet disgust and sadness.
The second half of class went fairly quickly. There wasn't much change in our attitudes....but it went a lot quicker. I did learn a lot about how to handle some very tough situations differently than I would naturally try to handle them. But overall an emotionally, tough, draining session tonight.
On a positive note - Wednesday the case worker is coming for our home-study. To say we aren't nervous would be a lie. And it's an excited nervousness I think. We aren't nervous that we're going to do or say something wrong. It's just is THIS is the 3 hour interview that determines what kind of kids get offered the chance to come and stay with us. THIS is the time that controls how all case workers see and perceive us. Pretty big deal.
Two more classes that seem to be much lighter subjects than a lot of the last 7. It's the home stretch and we're more than ready for it.
We started off by going over three scenarios of real cases and writing down how we felt about the child, the abuser, the parent, etc. Those three cases took up over an hour and a half. We were some angry classmates. I think we all had a hard time wrapping our heads around the fact that this stuff goes on and how often it happens. One of guys in class is a cop and shared some tough stories. One couple has kids from a very tough story about a family member. The rest of us sat in quiet disgust and sadness.
The second half of class went fairly quickly. There wasn't much change in our attitudes....but it went a lot quicker. I did learn a lot about how to handle some very tough situations differently than I would naturally try to handle them. But overall an emotionally, tough, draining session tonight.
On a positive note - Wednesday the case worker is coming for our home-study. To say we aren't nervous would be a lie. And it's an excited nervousness I think. We aren't nervous that we're going to do or say something wrong. It's just is THIS is the 3 hour interview that determines what kind of kids get offered the chance to come and stay with us. THIS is the time that controls how all case workers see and perceive us. Pretty big deal.
Two more classes that seem to be much lighter subjects than a lot of the last 7. It's the home stretch and we're more than ready for it.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
"The Big Class" - Discipline and Behavior
Today we had the class I was dreading. First, it was on Saturday for 8 hours. Second, I couldn't see how this subject matter would in any way be "fun".
But you know what? It was. I didn't know how much I actually LOVE hearing other people telling about their "Whooping" stories. Everybody had a story about how their parents whipped them growing up in one way or another. Some were probably beaten at or close to the level of what would considered to be abuse these days. But everybody told their story and had some humor to add with it. We spent most of the morning laughing.
With Foster Care in CPS - You can NOT physically discipline your kids. Period. Some people in the class have a hard time with that. More than I originally thought. A lot of parents in class already have kids and the threat of spanking is a real consequence for bad behavior. I think everybody understands WHY you can't spank a child who has been physically abused before being placed with you. But a lot of parents have a hard time figuring out alternative ways.
I felt like this was right in my wheelhouse. Maybe it's because I'm still "Uncle Steve" and don't have kids of my own. But, I was proud of the questions that Lori and I had that "real" parents commented on. At one point, a couple that we have become friends with told us during a break that he thought we were going to be excellent parents. We think we are, too. But to hear that from someone that I have learned to respect as a parent was cool.
We didn't have as many activities today. We all participated as a class instead of individual groups of 2 or 4. I like the classroom discussions more. I get a LOT more out of the REAL situations that some of these parents have already been through rather than trudging through the printed material. Marlene (our co-instructor) opened up a lot more about her past with foster-care. That really has been the most helpful part of all of this for all of us I think. I think our case-worker, Carry, has REALLY improved since the first class. I think it helps to know our little inside jokes, who to rely on for the answer she is looking for, the joke she knows in coming. I feel like we're a little more connected than we were. We even cracked some jokes about the uncomfortable situations that have popped up in previous classes. I thought they would have avoided it, but they hit it head on. I'm glad about that.
I'm glad to get the "Big" class out of the way. That's been looming large on our calendar for some time now. Only two more REAL classes left - Sexual Abuse and Preparing for Change. Then, the last Monday night is Panel Night. That's a class I'm really looking forward to.
Then give me a dang kid! No. After that, or maybe even before, our "home-study" starts. I think I'm looking forward to that. But, quite frankly, I just want them to give me a kid. I thought at this stage we would discover that there's a lot more we need to know before we're actually ready. Now, I think we're as ready as we can possibly be. We know we don't know everything. But I don't think there is much more we can learn before we're thrown to the wolves.
Can you hear the excitement in my typing? I'm just as excited today as I was when we decided to start doing this.
But you know what? It was. I didn't know how much I actually LOVE hearing other people telling about their "Whooping" stories. Everybody had a story about how their parents whipped them growing up in one way or another. Some were probably beaten at or close to the level of what would considered to be abuse these days. But everybody told their story and had some humor to add with it. We spent most of the morning laughing.
With Foster Care in CPS - You can NOT physically discipline your kids. Period. Some people in the class have a hard time with that. More than I originally thought. A lot of parents in class already have kids and the threat of spanking is a real consequence for bad behavior. I think everybody understands WHY you can't spank a child who has been physically abused before being placed with you. But a lot of parents have a hard time figuring out alternative ways.
I felt like this was right in my wheelhouse. Maybe it's because I'm still "Uncle Steve" and don't have kids of my own. But, I was proud of the questions that Lori and I had that "real" parents commented on. At one point, a couple that we have become friends with told us during a break that he thought we were going to be excellent parents. We think we are, too. But to hear that from someone that I have learned to respect as a parent was cool.
We didn't have as many activities today. We all participated as a class instead of individual groups of 2 or 4. I like the classroom discussions more. I get a LOT more out of the REAL situations that some of these parents have already been through rather than trudging through the printed material. Marlene (our co-instructor) opened up a lot more about her past with foster-care. That really has been the most helpful part of all of this for all of us I think. I think our case-worker, Carry, has REALLY improved since the first class. I think it helps to know our little inside jokes, who to rely on for the answer she is looking for, the joke she knows in coming. I feel like we're a little more connected than we were. We even cracked some jokes about the uncomfortable situations that have popped up in previous classes. I thought they would have avoided it, but they hit it head on. I'm glad about that.
I'm glad to get the "Big" class out of the way. That's been looming large on our calendar for some time now. Only two more REAL classes left - Sexual Abuse and Preparing for Change. Then, the last Monday night is Panel Night. That's a class I'm really looking forward to.
Then give me a dang kid! No. After that, or maybe even before, our "home-study" starts. I think I'm looking forward to that. But, quite frankly, I just want them to give me a kid. I thought at this stage we would discover that there's a lot more we need to know before we're actually ready. Now, I think we're as ready as we can possibly be. We know we don't know everything. But I don't think there is much more we can learn before we're thrown to the wolves.
Can you hear the excitement in my typing? I'm just as excited today as I was when we decided to start doing this.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Paperwork - Check
Monday was President's Day, so there was no class. However, since we all needed to take a CPR class, we had one organized and eight of us went and did it. It was fun. The lady that taught it did it in a custom built room off of her house. She was funny - Redneck Teachin' is what she called it. We enjoyed her stories and while she did everything by the book to make sure we were "legal" we didn't spend a lot of time gabbing about things that weren't really practical to our situation.
That out of the way, we pushed to get everything copied and put in our file. The last thing was done today - a copy of my dog's vet records. We think that's it. We're pretty much done till the end of class (as far as we know). It really wasn't that difficult. We're SO ready for the home-study now.
We have our big eight hour course this Saturday - Discipline and Behavior Problems. This is the one that nobody looks forward to. Then we have another class Monday night. Sexual Abuse. Another bummer topic. But - every step is a step forward. We're enjoying our classmates more and more. Something I didn't think would happen after the first couple of weeks.
That out of the way, we pushed to get everything copied and put in our file. The last thing was done today - a copy of my dog's vet records. We think that's it. We're pretty much done till the end of class (as far as we know). It really wasn't that difficult. We're SO ready for the home-study now.
We have our big eight hour course this Saturday - Discipline and Behavior Problems. This is the one that nobody looks forward to. Then we have another class Monday night. Sexual Abuse. Another bummer topic. But - every step is a step forward. We're enjoying our classmates more and more. Something I didn't think would happen after the first couple of weeks.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Class 5 - Strengthen Family Relationships
Tonight was a pretty good class. We seem to get smaller and smaller each week. There are 11 of us now. We're bonding a lot more and there are a lot more personal stories being shared. We raced through the agenda and a lot of the class was spent with a lot of stories of what people had been through.
Marlene, our co-instructor, has been invaluable I think. She has fostered so many children, when someone has a question, it usually ends with a "What did you do Marlene?" And to her credit, she usually had to deal with the topic we are talking about in some credit and always shares. And tonight she brought up obscure problems. Sort of a "something to consider that you may not think about...." type problems.
At one point tonight, we had to role-play. Our scenario was of a 15 year old girl named Michelle who had been molested by her mom's boyfriend and put in a foster home. She was being coaxed by her foster mom to go to a visit with the birthmom. We had to act out a scene. Lori played the mother. Of course, I played Michelle. I did a lot of eye rolling and "whatevah"'s. We did pretty good. Sometimes I worry that we're a little dominating in our group. I don't know if Tammy and John mind so much. But I worry.
Next week we're off and then the Saturday following that we have an 8 hour class on Discipline. I can't say I'm looking forward to it. But....one more step. In the meantime, we're going to try to do CPR class, I have to get tested for TB, and a couple of other paperwork visits. I have to take an online class on Medical Consent Training. I'm probably doing that right after I finish this entry.
Marlene, our co-instructor, has been invaluable I think. She has fostered so many children, when someone has a question, it usually ends with a "What did you do Marlene?" And to her credit, she usually had to deal with the topic we are talking about in some credit and always shares. And tonight she brought up obscure problems. Sort of a "something to consider that you may not think about...." type problems.
At one point tonight, we had to role-play. Our scenario was of a 15 year old girl named Michelle who had been molested by her mom's boyfriend and put in a foster home. She was being coaxed by her foster mom to go to a visit with the birthmom. We had to act out a scene. Lori played the mother. Of course, I played Michelle. I did a lot of eye rolling and "whatevah"'s. We did pretty good. Sometimes I worry that we're a little dominating in our group. I don't know if Tammy and John mind so much. But I worry.
Next week we're off and then the Saturday following that we have an 8 hour class on Discipline. I can't say I'm looking forward to it. But....one more step. In the meantime, we're going to try to do CPR class, I have to get tested for TB, and a couple of other paperwork visits. I have to take an online class on Medical Consent Training. I'm probably doing that right after I finish this entry.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
First round of inspections
Sunday night. I remembered that I forgot to talk about what happened this week. It was a few small steps, but with every step this is becoming more and more real. This week has been full of inspections and prep for what is to come.
Late last week, we had our Fire inspection. The assistant fire chief of Belton came by the house (cost me $25). He was looking for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. It was super easy. I had to buy a five pound fire extinguisher and the kid-proof plug covers for the whole house. The inspector asked me to get a working flashlight and first aid kit. I had them, but they stay in my truck mostly. So, as soon as he left, I went and bought them.
We had done some pre-prep for the health and safety inspection. We bought a big tool-box to keep all our medication in. We locked it up and put it on top of the refrigerator. We also bought a little plastic cabinet to keep out in the garage. We lock up all our cleaning supplies out there. No biggie, especially for me. I rarely use the stuff. That happened on Tuesday and we passed with flying colors. It was free. Took all of five minutes. Belton inspectors are like that.
Cary, our instructor, came over on Friday to do our first home visit. We gave her the tour but what we were really interested in was to talk to her about "our situation" and our wants and needs. Lori and I have a bit of frustration because we want concrete answers to our questions. I think Cary wants to give us those....but she knows she can't. When will we get a kid? She don't know! We know that....but we want her to know. We didn't know what to do with the empty room. Crib? Bed? Disco Ball? We're signed up for 0-7 years old. Anything is possible. All in all it was a nice visit. We have most of our paperwork. We're missing a few little things but it should be able to be taken care of with a few phonecalls and some doctors visits.
After Cary's visit, we decided to take a stand or two. We went furniture shopping all yesterday. The price of a kid's bed is freaking unreal. We paid quite a bit for our cool king sized bed and mattress that we will never outgrow. Some of the beds that we looked at were as much or MORE than our king sized bed. That ain't right. My brother and sister-in-law have one that my nephew outgrew. We went over to look at it this morning. It's nice. I'm all for it. But, give my wife an excuse to shop.....
We went to IKEA first thing this morning. We ended up with a nice twin bed frame ($140), mattress ($120), and night stand ($40). All that was less than most of the "cheap" frames we saw the day before. It's all white, which is why we went with it. It'll be easier to decorate later. And whatever child I get, I can't WAIT to go through IKEA and buy some of the kid stuff we saw. If our kid likes frogs, we're SET! We figured, if we have to get a crib, we'll get one quickly. We'll need the bed sooner or later anyway. Oh....and we drove 50 miles to IKEA and 50 miles back only to find out that we didn't buy the "slats" to put the mattress on. So another 100 mile round trip to buy $20 worth of slats. ARG!
So....we're about ready for the "REAL" home-study lady to show up and grill us. I think, through everything that we've been through and we think we're going to go through, that home-study is the biggest day. That'll help everyone determine what child we end up with. Like I said, every step is an exciting one. Having people come to the home to see it is important. So far, nobody has looked at us like we're crazy.
Late last week, we had our Fire inspection. The assistant fire chief of Belton came by the house (cost me $25). He was looking for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, etc. It was super easy. I had to buy a five pound fire extinguisher and the kid-proof plug covers for the whole house. The inspector asked me to get a working flashlight and first aid kit. I had them, but they stay in my truck mostly. So, as soon as he left, I went and bought them.
We had done some pre-prep for the health and safety inspection. We bought a big tool-box to keep all our medication in. We locked it up and put it on top of the refrigerator. We also bought a little plastic cabinet to keep out in the garage. We lock up all our cleaning supplies out there. No biggie, especially for me. I rarely use the stuff.
Cary, our instructor, came over on Friday to do our first home visit. We gave her the tour but what we were really interested in was to talk to her about "our situation" and our wants and needs. Lori and I have a bit of frustration because we want concrete answers to our questions. I think Cary wants to give us those....but she knows she can't. When will we get a kid? She don't know! We know that....but we want her to know. We didn't know what to do with the empty room. Crib? Bed? Disco Ball? We're signed up for 0-7 years old. Anything is possible. All in all it was a nice visit. We have most of our paperwork. We're missing a few little things but it should be able to be taken care of with a few phonecalls and some doctors visits.
After Cary's visit, we decided to take a stand or two. We went furniture shopping all yesterday. The price of a kid's bed is freaking unreal. We paid quite a bit for our cool king sized bed and mattress that we will never outgrow. Some of the beds that we looked at were as much or MORE than our king sized bed. That ain't right. My brother and sister-in-law have one that my nephew outgrew. We went over to look at it this morning. It's nice. I'm all for it. But, give my wife an excuse to shop.....
We went to IKEA first thing this morning. We ended up with a nice twin bed frame ($140), mattress ($120), and night stand ($40). All that was less than most of the "cheap" frames we saw the day before. It's all white, which is why we went with it. It'll be easier to decorate later. And whatever child I get, I can't WAIT to go through IKEA and buy some of the kid stuff we saw. If our kid likes frogs, we're SET! We figured, if we have to get a crib, we'll get one quickly. We'll need the bed sooner or later anyway. Oh....and we drove 50 miles to IKEA and 50 miles back only to find out that we didn't buy the "slats" to put the mattress on. So another 100 mile round trip to buy $20 worth of slats. ARG!
So....we're about ready for the "REAL" home-study lady to show up and grill us. I think, through everything that we've been through and we think we're going to go through, that home-study is the biggest day. That'll help everyone determine what child we end up with. Like I said, every step is an exciting one. Having people come to the home to see it is important. So far, nobody has looked at us like we're crazy.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Class 4 - Loss
Just got home from adoption class. The class is really starting to open up and become more friendly with one another. I'm very happy about that. We're getting along better with the couple we sit with. One couple hasn't been to the last two classes and no one is sure if they've dropped out or not. More kids for me. ;)
Tonight's subject wasn't as difficult to deal with as I expected. We talked a lot about the grieving process and the stages of loss (shock and denial, bargaining, acting out anger, depression, and coping). This stimulated a bunch of conversation throughout the group and even caused some drama. We even had a loss of our own tonight.
Last week, we had a new member of our group. For the sake of fiction, we'll call her "Eve". Eve is an African American proclaimed missionary who (these were her claims) spends 60% of her time in church and is VERY religious. When discussing fostering children with different races and/or religions, she spoke up. She didn't want to foster a black child because she felt like she was never accepted into the black community. She couldn't offer a black child the "black experience". The other black families in the class took offense to that (and I think we all did a little). I thought it evoked some VERY good conversations about what a child could go through in a mixed race family.
For instance, we have said that we would adopt a white or hispanic child. In reality, if there were a black or asian (or other) child that needed us, I don't think we would be opposed. But the issue is how to help the child deal with the transition. We want a child that can emotionally, physically, AND culturly connect with our family. We aren't sure we want the child to have to explain to all his (or her) friends why mommy and daddy don't look the same as him (or her). It's not that big of a deal - but we are starting with our "ideal" and working our way out from there.
Anyway, "Eve" felt like the class wasn't supporting her and/or her beliefs. I think some of us were trying to support her. But, she left class in the middle. Our instructors handled it very well and spoke with her outside of the class during a break. I think most in our class were relieved that we could get back to talking about the subject and away from talking about religion and race. I thought her "peculiarness" brought up some subjects that wouldn't normally be brought up....but with the limited time we have each week, it was probably for the best.
My biggest concern was for the children she wants to adopt. She spoke about helping them cope with grief and loss through prayer and the church. Our instructor delicately (and expertly) explained that her missionary work and parenting a CPS child should be separate. I would have liked to have spoken to "Eve" about it more. But, she was a little confrontational and just wanted to be accepted. I'm not sure we had that much time.
Other than that, we got a lot accomplished tonight and everybody seems to be participating (well...at least 1 of each couple is participating...there are a couple of spouses that haven't said a word since they walked in a month ago).
We got fingerprinted and had our fire inspection today. I had to go get a flashlight (we already had one, but I figured we needed a new one) and a first aid kid (again....I've got one in my truck, but we're overachievers). Fire marshall was very nice and helpful. Tomorrow is the health inspection from the city. On Friday, our instructor (which may be our case worker) is going to do a home visit. I think Lori and I are very much looking forward to that. It's going to be informal, but our home is one of our "selling points" (if there is such a thing). We have tons of questions that just aren't appropriate for the classroom setting. Questions like - do we buy a bed? a crib? a sleeping bag? Do we paint the room? Get a dresser? Car seat? If we're fostering to adopt, could a child be placed with us instantly? How much of a heads up do we get? Is anything supplied for us?
Stuff like that. We finished our homework in class at the end today. I don't mind the homework - we've been doing it on Sunday nights. But, this gives us an opportunity to read more and discuss more. Too often Lori and I get focused on the homework and not what's really important. Each week we gain confidence and feel like we are in the right place at the right time. We hope that last
Tonight's subject wasn't as difficult to deal with as I expected. We talked a lot about the grieving process and the stages of loss (shock and denial, bargaining, acting out anger, depression, and coping). This stimulated a bunch of conversation throughout the group and even caused some drama. We even had a loss of our own tonight.
Last week, we had a new member of our group. For the sake of fiction, we'll call her "Eve". Eve is an African American proclaimed missionary who (these were her claims) spends 60% of her time in church and is VERY religious. When discussing fostering children with different races and/or religions, she spoke up. She didn't want to foster a black child because she felt like she was never accepted into the black community. She couldn't offer a black child the "black experience". The other black families in the class took offense to that (and I think we all did a little). I thought it evoked some VERY good conversations about what a child could go through in a mixed race family.
For instance, we have said that we would adopt a white or hispanic child. In reality, if there were a black or asian (or other) child that needed us, I don't think we would be opposed. But the issue is how to help the child deal with the transition. We want a child that can emotionally, physically, AND culturly connect with our family. We aren't sure we want the child to have to explain to all his (or her) friends why mommy and daddy don't look the same as him (or her). It's not that big of a deal - but we are starting with our "ideal" and working our way out from there.
Anyway, "Eve" felt like the class wasn't supporting her and/or her beliefs. I think some of us were trying to support her. But, she left class in the middle. Our instructors handled it very well and spoke with her outside of the class during a break. I think most in our class were relieved that we could get back to talking about the subject and away from talking about religion and race. I thought her "peculiarness" brought up some subjects that wouldn't normally be brought up....but with the limited time we have each week, it was probably for the best.
My biggest concern was for the children she wants to adopt. She spoke about helping them cope with grief and loss through prayer and the church. Our instructor delicately (and expertly) explained that her missionary work and parenting a CPS child should be separate. I would have liked to have spoken to "Eve" about it more. But, she was a little confrontational and just wanted to be accepted. I'm not sure we had that much time.
Other than that, we got a lot accomplished tonight and everybody seems to be participating (well...at least 1 of each couple is participating...there are a couple of spouses that haven't said a word since they walked in a month ago).
We got fingerprinted and had our fire inspection today. I had to go get a flashlight (we already had one, but I figured we needed a new one) and a first aid kid (again....I've got one in my truck, but we're overachievers). Fire marshall was very nice and helpful. Tomorrow is the health inspection from the city. On Friday, our instructor (which may be our case worker) is going to do a home visit. I think Lori and I are very much looking forward to that. It's going to be informal, but our home is one of our "selling points" (if there is such a thing). We have tons of questions that just aren't appropriate for the classroom setting. Questions like - do we buy a bed? a crib? a sleeping bag? Do we paint the room? Get a dresser? Car seat? If we're fostering to adopt, could a child be placed with us instantly? How much of a heads up do we get? Is anything supplied for us?
Stuff like that. We finished our homework in class at the end today. I don't mind the homework - we've been doing it on Sunday nights. But, this gives us an opportunity to read more and discuss more. Too often Lori and I get focused on the homework and not what's really important. Each week we gain confidence and feel like we are in the right place at the right time. We hope that last
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