Second visit with our Social Worker

It's been awhile since we have been on to post an update. Part of that is because not as much has been happening, and part of that is because the end of the school year is always super busy and we just haven't had time. We wanted to catch everyone up on what is going on so far.

First, we had our second visit with our social worker on May 1st. During this visit, I (Nellie) was the only one that met with her. This was a time that she was able to ask me some questions and get to know me on a more personal level. The questions were much more difficult than the first time around. The questions during our initial visit were more about different milestones and experiences that we have encountered during our lifetime. The questions this visit were more about our personal beliefs and parenting style/philosophy. Questions like, "What discipline style do you plan to use and what influences have played into that decision?" and "What barriers do you think you will need to put into place once you have a baby?". There were also some that focused more on adoption, like, "How do you think parenting an adopted child differs from parenting a biological child?" and "How can you support a newborn that will be going through the grief process of losing their mother?". All very good questions, but things I hadn't really thought about yet. Thankfully our social worker was so helpful and offered support to guide me through answering the questions. I definitely learned a little more and thought a lot more about the topics after the visit.

At the end of the meeting, she let me know that she would be taking some vacations so we won't schedule our last visit until after she gets back. Which is where we are in the process right now. We still have our fire inspection and profile book to complete. And one more visit with the social worker where she will meet with Chris one-on-one for the beginning of the visit and then do our safety audit of the house at the end of the visit. Once those things are complete, she will write up a summary of us, give it to someone else at the agency to read and approve and once we are approved then we will be shown to birth parents. I am thinking (and hoping) that we can start being shown to birth parents no later than the beginning of August.

So, while our progress has slowed down quite a bit, I think that once mid-June gets here, it will speed back up again and we can move forward. In the meantime, we are working on the nursery and practicing patience in hopes that things will move quickly soon.