Today we met our social worker, Dalyn, and we did our home assessment & couples interview. We really had no idea what to expect (which made me pretty nervous), but Dalyn was great and very easy to talk to. Some of the questions were pretty darn personal, but we worked through it and responded as honestly as we could. Some of the information she gave us seemed like total common sense to us (ie: Never withhold food or basic necessities from your child as a means of punishment, Check the water temperature before you bathe your child), but we figured she's probably seen it all & she was just covering all her bases.
We filled out an endless pile of paperwork and as if all the hoops we've jumped through so far weren't enough, we were given yet another list of tasks. We each have to get a DMV clearance, a physical, a TB test, pass a water safety course, and pass a CPR & first aid course. We were also told during our home assessment that our entire house needs to be baby-proofed by next week. This means covering all our outlets, putting safety latches on every cabinet & drawer, installing locks on the oven, fridge & toilet, etc etc etc. We thought this was pretty ridiculous since we haven't even been matched with a birth mom yet, and even we were to get a baby tomorrow, it would be MONTHS before they would be at risk for sticking their finger in a socket or getting a knife off the kitchen counter! Nevertheless, it needs to be done in order to pass our home study. We just need to keep focusing on the end result... we're going to be parents to a beautiful son or daughter. When that day comes all this work will be worth it. :-)
Tomorrow we'll be assembling the crib for the nursery & then the baby's room will be just about complete! We're still waiting on a dresser but it won't arrive until the first week of August. I'll post pictures of the finished room (minus the dresser) at the end of this week. :-)
