Home Study Visit

We had our first in-home visit with our home study social worker this morning. Prior to today's meeting, we've provided her with oodles of information about us but had primarily corresponded with her through e-mail, so we weren't sure what to expect. We were worried that it was going to feel like this:

But instead, it was a relaxed and informative conversation. She was friendly, easy to talk to and seemed to "get" us. She's helped around 1400 families through the adoption process and was able to provide us with a lot of information and advice. We spent a lot of time talking about domestic vs. international adoption and exploring how we reached our decision to adopt from Ethiopia. We walked through the paperwork and educational requirements and discussed what we've completed in and what is outstanding. We discussed the transition home and our becoming a multi-racial, multi-cultural family.

We were so proud of our girls, who welcomed her with great fanfare (they get such a kick out of having company) and then played sweetly together in the next room for nearly an hour (not one toy dispute!). She asked for a quick tour of our home, but did not peek in our hall closet or garage (which now look like they were organized by Martha Stewart herself). Nor did she walk out onto the patio that Mr. B pressure-washed at 6 a.m. this morning. But it feels soooooo good to have everything that needs to be done, done AND to have one more of our adoption requirements satisfied!