[DOUGTONYA]

WELL MY NAME IS TONYA MY HUSBAND IS DOUG, WE HAVE JUST STARTED THE PROCESS OF FOSTER ADOPT, WE HAVE A SON WHO IS 13 AND MY HUSBAND ADOPTED HIM IN 2003, SINCE THEN WE HAVE TRIED TO GET PREGNANT AND HAD A TUBIAL PREGNANCY, SINCE THEN WE DECIDED NOT TO GO THROUGH DOING IVF, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO GUARNTEES, AND I THINK THAT I WOULD JUST BE CRUSHED. SO WE HAVE THOUGHT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY CHILDREN OUT THERE THAT NEED A GOOD AND LOVING HOME SO THATS WHAT BROUGHT US HERE. WE HAVE ALREADY TURNED IN ALL OUR PAPER WORK, JUST WAITING FOR CLASSES TO START ON NOVEMBER 5TH IT IS NOT THAT FAR AWAY. WE ARE SO EXCITED I HAVE ALREADY PAINTED THE CHILDRENS ROOM. I HAVE A CRIB IN THEIE AND A TWIN BED, MY FAMILY HAS STARTED BUYING ME LOTS OF BABY THINGS. AND EVERYONE IS VERY EXCITED. I HAVE A HOMESTUDY NEXT WEDNESDAY, AND I'M KINDA NERVOUS WHAT DO THEY LOOK FOR , CAN YOU HAVE BEER IN THE OUTSIDE FRIG IN GARAGE, DO THEY OPEN YOUR DRAWERS, WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR, BESIDES THINGS THAT WILL HURT THE CHILDREN. WE ARE TAKING I FIRST AID CLASS THIS WEEKEND. SHOULD WE DO ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT gvglass@frontiernet.net THANKS TONYA HOPE TO HERE FROM YOU SOON

[1of2moms]

Fear not the home study (and please turn off your cap-lock, it makes things hard to read). They don't care if you have some beer in the fridge or if your baseboards are spotless. They want to know that you have room and that your home is safe. If you have firearms they need to be locked up. Our worker wanted a map of the house so I made one before she came over, saved her some time.

Good luck.

[kforkids]

The homestudy really is NOT a big deal. I know you will likely worry, but there is no need for panic or massive housecleaning. Beer in the fridge will be okay.
You will need to move things like stacks of magazines that might be blocking a door, but it is really more about safety than cleanliness.
I know you didn't ask this, but my advice would be to have relatives/ friends hold off on buying you things. Foster to adopt can be a very long road, and it can be heartbreaking to decide what to send back with a child who is being reunified. I speak from experience. We had twenty some foster children in our house before we finally got to adopt one. We were foster to adopt for more than 6 years before getting the child we just adopted. We even had one baby girl for 2.5 years- it was agonizing to decide whether or not to send on things that special family members had given me for her...
Think about what ages you'd be willing to take. What issues you can handle, etc.

[jackiesbooks]

In MD, every room needs 2 ways out. My CW drew a map. Did a quick walk thru and looked around our backyard. The majority of time he sat in our living room and talked to my husband and I and then talked to my teenage son without us.