We got to sit down with our (fantastic) social worker, Beth, (and her social-worker-in-training “shadow”, Amaris) again today- and over a period of three hours, we completed step 3 (of 5) of our home study: our individual interviews. I went first, from 9:30-11:00, then Kevin interviewed from 11:00-12:30.
I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this opportunity.
Much like the first and second interviews, it was a chance to PAUSE LIFE and reminisce about days gone by, and share our dreams for the days to come. Like chicken soup for the soul…lots of good stuff goin’ on up in here whenever Beth swings by. And by “in here”, I mean:
I want to remember so much about this day, so I’m going to jot down some things that made it extra special for future reference:
– It was raining. Not hard…just enough to make everything feel a little more mushy. (Outside AND inside, if ya catch my drift.)
– When asked what my favorite thing to do was as a child, I answered: “draw cartoons“.
I found these doodles in a box full of some of my childhood “stuff” the night before our interviews:
I didn’t realize how much I missed Garfield ’til I saw that. And by “Garfield”, I mean, being however old I was when I drew those.
– Kevin went to visit his parents during my interview.
I always feel a rise in my chest when I think about how much he loves them, and when asked about “something he does that makes me love him“, I answered: “breathes” with a laugh- but I meant it with all my might.
(I found out that Kevin answered almost the exact same thing when asked about me, and I’ll never forget floating over to hug him in the kitchen right after he shared that with me.)
– Max curled up in my lap during my interview, but by the end of Kevin’s interview, he had found a new spot to sleep on the floor, underneath the coffee table.
He was really well-behaved and his “mama” sure did appreciate it. He had to have some of his shots updated recently (for our home study), and his “mama” sure did appreciate him doing that for her, too.
Next up, a visit to our doctor’s office for physicals next Wednesday. No shots for us, but there’s bound to be needles for blood work. #Boo #ILookAway #DoYou?
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I was smiling all the way through your blog. I had forgotten how I felt through all of those steps…when we adopted our 4 children. It’s good to remember that there was lots too it.
I can hardly wait to hear on your blog….today we picked him/her or them up! When we went through it..we had all of these visions of who god would choose for us.
Our first two were two wild child boys…rofl…ages 4 and 6. In my head I had this little baby…etc..etc…nope they came into the house and immediately started sliding down the banister. Lets party! OMG! ROFL. It’s one of our favorite memories…we were out of our comfort zone…and it was ok. ::smile::
Hugs and thanks for reminding me.
21 years ago we walked the shore at La Jolla Beach with our new little boy..so wonderful the journey has been.. You will have such a life full of life!
Sweetness and more sweetness. Good stuff. 🙂
xo Heidi
We recently found out that we have a granddaughter on the way. I feel so blessed and so happy! I am totally feeling your excitement about your little one! Why cannot July 12th be here tomorrow, lol?
I am following you on your journey. It’s so exciting. I know you both will be fantastic parents. Thank you for sharing : o)
I just love you two! Your special child that God has already chosen for you will be so LOVED!!!
I am struck by how profound and exciting “paper pregnancy” is. I keep thinking the hard work you are putting in and the waiting is no less stressful or amazingly exciting than if your belly was growing. What a special time!
Yeah! We are still waiting to get our first home study set up. Things are moving really slow here and it’s hard. It’s so encouraging to see how well things are going there! Congrats on getting a little bit closer!
How amazing that you have to go through all that in order to receive a child…vs. all those people who don’t have to prove anything. Your child is going to be so loved…so blessed.
Dear Layla, I cross fingers for you too, in this adoption trip.
I love your cartoons, you are and were very very talented ! My son is 13 years old and we love to read Garfield. So I know those designs by heart and there’s no difference between yours and the original ones !
So glad everything is going so well with the adoption process! It’s so exciting to follow along! 🙂
It’s funny but I also loved everything about our homestudies we did for our 2 adoptions. It was a big step in the process we went through to get our daughters. It even was good when I found out my then 16 yr son told our caseworker he really wasn’t interested in getting a sibling. We got to talk about his feelings about being an only and how he was concerned and a little jealous about not being the center of our universe when his sister came home. He is 27, married and expecting his own son next month….and he adores his 8 and 10 yr old sisters and the feeling is mutual 😉
That is just the sweetest thing ever… “breathes”, Swoon.
You guys are going to be perfect parents, perfectly unique, and perfectly awesome.
I absolutely loved those cartoon Garfield books and I would save up and get them at the book fair at school. I’d trace the drawings, thank you for reminding me of a simpler time. Today our lab puppy is in surgery, and there is just enough rain inside that it is spilling out all over my face…
Your words and attitude remind me to stop and notice the little things around me. Thank you for that gentle reminder.
Continuing to pray for you and Sweet P. God is good and I am looking forward to meeting the child he has chosen for you.
So glad you are moving along the process…its great that we are going through it at the same time! i love your site, and have been meaning to look at it and voila! It will now feel even more special to read your blogs and give me some peace of mind and inspiration!
My husband and I have three adopted children. I was so excited with our home studies because it felt like finally something was happening! We had such great experiences. I with you and your husband the best on your journey to growing your family. Adoption is the greatest gift!
Hooray! It’s so nice to read about other people’s adoption process as well – especially those from other countries to see how they are similar, and how they are different. You’re a few steps ahead of us it seems. We just finished our 9 session training, and got word that all our references have been received. Our medical forms will be completed by the end of this week, then we can start our home visits. Woot. Looking forward to getting our ball rolling, and I enjoy following along with you both on your journey, through your posts and Instagram updates.
Yay for adoption and for being 1 step closer to bringing home your child/baby! So exciting!
We have 2 loves via adoption. It’s The BEST!
Moving along! So very excited for you both!
I know I’m chiming in late but my husband and I are in the process of adopting a two year old little boy. I was hoping to see what your 2nd home study consisted of but I keep getting redirected to this post instead. Is a link broken somewhere? I’d love to have some idea of what to expect. Praying big prayers for you and your growing family!
Hi Cori! Congratulations on your adoption process! 😀
Here’s a link to my Home Study #1 and #2 post:
https://theletteredcottage.net/adoption-home-study-1-and-2/
Thanks for checking with me about that. I didn’t know it wasn’t working, but I’ve got it all fixed up now! 🙂