[2xaround]

Congratulations are starting your next adoption!!! That is very exciting!!

My dh and I are waiting for a call from our social worker to begin our home study for our next adoption as well. We're adopting from Ethiopia. It will be so much fun watching your next journey. I would love to hear what it's like to adopt from Nepal.

Don't worry about a thing. We were not first time parents when we began our home study for our dd and we were nervous about the same things you have expressed. I found that my imagination wasn't even close to reality. Agencies aren't out there looking for perfect people. If they were, I know I certainly wouldn't have my dd today. They are looking for parents who will provide a loving, nuturing home and I have no doubt you'll pass that test with flying colors.

[Clare'sMom]

I am so excited for you all! Please don't go and forget about us, keep us posted! You are going to do Great with your homestudy, please don't stress to much!

I have to start by telling you we have the best social worker ever, she is just the nicest person and walked us through our first homestudy step by step... so now as "frequesnt flyer parents" she thinks its more fun just to talk to our kiddos... So on the last visit, she wanted to see were our older daughters rooms were, as we entered one of the rooms, one of my little daughters told her "this is the bed room where the dog poop is"..... yah my then 13 yr. old yorkie had an accident in there the day before and I had to shampoo the carpet... My "Angel" also told her thats were she sits when she is on the naughty chair??? WHAT??? the "time out seat" is in the kitchen...

I thought the poor woman was going to die laughing! Dog Doodie and all, she signed out homestudy with a smile!

Best of Luck!! Ann

[dianneemily]

My homestudy social worker told us a story about a family who had a 10 year old boy and wanted to adopt. When the social worker asked the 10 year old what he thought, he said "I'm fine with it, maybe it will get them off my back!"

As said previously, they want to pass you and don't worry, they will! they are not looking for perfection, but you love and care for Sabrina and that will be obvious.

[GuatMommy2Be]

You are probably an excellent mother... I don't think she is coming to critique your every parenting move... Try to calm down. Remember, they ARE looking for good parents (which you are), not looking to exclude people from adopting.

[humanpitchpipe]

The HS the second time around is a piece of cake. The SW asked us the same questions that were from our first homestudy (and this was with a different agency). And she only visited us once! And my house was no where as clean as it was the first time either. Good luck and God bless as you start your new adoption journey!

[arthymom]

Your post made me laugh. ;-)

Parenting doesn't come with a guide.

Just be yourself and be honest. We're all playing it

by ear most days, including your social worker.

Best,

[Mary Mulcahy]

I was lucky and had the same wonderful social worker for both adoptions and she already had been to my home a number of times, however for the post placement visit and Ricco's readoption, I wrote the wrong day and then Danny spilled a whole bottle of deterent on the carpet. Needless to say, she accepted the excuse and went on to approve me for Ricco's re-adoption. They don't want a perfect house or parent but one that show love and desire to learn. You have both.

Keep us up to date and the best to your family,
Mary, Danny and Ricco

[stephjoel99]

Congratulations, Mama!!! That is AWESOME NEWS!!! You are going to do great - and I have no doubt that you are awesome parents. The social worker would be crazy not to see that!

I'll tell you a quick funny story about our homestudy. Our oldest 3 at the time were 5, 3 & 1. Our homestudy providers are a husband and wife - and the husband was the main "interviewer" and they were at our house FOREVER. And ever. Amen. Seriously, though, I thought they'd never leave. And at one point my kids were getting antsy - they had done a good job of acting not like the wild animals that they are and I was feeling pretty smug.

The wife then decided to take my 5 year old on a "tour" of the house while the husband interviewed us. My 5 year old opened every drawer, every armoire - "this is where mommy hid the mess so you wouldn't see it." NICE! But we passed. It's funny now - but I almost DIED at the time. !!!

[candkss]

I AM SO EXCITED TO HEAR YOU ARE ADOPTING A BROTHER for your sweet princess...we love having a boy now too...Can't wait to follow your journey to your son

[Larue]

Thank you. You guys are really the best. Seriously I don't know what I would do without you to talk me off the ledge. No one else understands what this crazy journey is like. As I was explaining to my dear friend DeeVee, our social worker for Sabrina’s adoption had this really laid back, sort of bubbly personality, and I felt so comfortable talking to her. We relocated to Washington at the beginning of the year, and now have a new homestudy agency. And our new social worker is a bit more “clinical”. And now she's asking about our parenting skills. EEEECK!!! There are suposed to be skills?! I think Sabrina goes to daycare most days with her shirt on backwards. But I must say, we do have some awesome tea parties.

Here is my funny homestudy story...about 10 minutes before our social worker arrived to do our home inspection for Sabrina's adoption. I looked at our fully stocked 18-bottle wine rack and PANICKED! So I hid the bottles under our bed. Yeap, all 18 bottles under our bed. As she was doing her walk through, she glanced at the empty rack, and said "oh, there's something I've never seen. An empty wine rack". And then she cracked up.

This process is so fun! Thanks again for the encouragement.