One Step Closer

Well, it's been a while since I last updated. Not much has happened on the baby front. We're still waiting, but we have finished with our paperwork, and our social worker came over for our home study. He actually prefers for your house to not be spotless, so he can get a sense of how you really live. I did clean up, though I didn't do a deep cleaning where everything is perfect because that's just not realistic. The nice thing was he gave us a heads up at a church function. He tells me, "Your fingerprints are done, so we can do your homestudy now." Kyle looked at him and asks, "So how many carbon monoxide detectors would you like to see?" "At least one." That afternoon Kyle did a run to Wal-Mart and picked one up. He also picked up a mini safe to go in our larger safe for important paperwork like birth certificates, life insurance info and our marriage license. After we put the paperwork away, Kyle put all of his ammunition in the safe, so it wasn't lying around our bedroom. Isaac came by the following evening, walked through the house, and told me that he would turn in his report that week. And for now, that's it. We still have to take a couple of parenting classes, but they aren't offering anymore until later this month. And the fire station isn't offering a CPR class until September, but those 2 things won't keep us from getting our baby if he comes soon. And if he comes tomorrow, well, even though the house isn't completely ready, I have a place to put him! My wonderful sister-in-law gave us some of her old baby furniture. We now have a crib, a bassinet, a stroller/carseat combo, and a jogging/walking stroller. And a sweet family in our church gave us 2 totes full of baby boy clothes. Most of it is 3-6 months and bigger, but I was able to find a few 0-3 month and some newborn items. It was so fun to go through everything, and show it to my kids. "When are we getting our baby?" is a question I hear daily. My standard reply is "When Heavenly Father is ready to send him to us." I love the fact that they call him "our baby". They pray for him and for his birth mother every day. "Please bless us that he will come soon. Please bless his birth mom that she will be healthy." It's so sweet.
I had a conversation with another adoptive mother who strongly urged me to make sure that the day we bring him home, we don't invite anyone over who has given us cause to doubt, or who hasn't been supportive. She said to surround ourselves with people who love us, and who have supported us through this process. She said, "Have your husband park far away from the house so people think you're gone. Take the phone off the hook, and turn your cell phones off. Bring your children on your bed, and have family bed time, where you just snuggle together with the new baby. Have your hubby get takeout, and spend the evening being alone. Then invite people over the next day." I'm really starting to like this advice. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of it being just us for his first 24 hours home. She also encouraged us to do skin-to-skin. I first heard of this when our oldest was a baby in the NICU. They have the mom's take off their tops, only leaving on their bra's, and have the dad's take their shirts off. You strip your baby down to his diaper, and lay him on your bare chest. Since adoptive parents aren't usually there when the baby is first born, they don't get to bond immediately. Skin-to-skin helps with the bonding process, and I can attest to this from my past experience. It's a wonderful feeling, and I can't wait till we can try it with our baby boy.