Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Adoption Home Study

Is it bad that I'm at the parent open house and writing this blog entry? It's a free-for-all format, and so families and students are just dropping in at random. During the time I'm the only one in the room, I've:

1) Send a test off to Publications to have it copied. One of the benefits of working for a public school!

2) Ordered a potty chair and water-proof mattress cover off of Amazon. They will be delivered on Monday. More about that below.

3) Broken out in a sweat, as my room is still uncomfortably hot. I'm in a portable this year, and with these hot days, it doesn't matter if the windows are open and the fans are blowing. It reminds me of the Columbia Building at UP - the 'temporary' post WWII portable that FINALLY was torn down a year or two after I graduated. Well, at least there aren't 33 students in here, heating/ stinking up the place right now. And I do mean literal stink. Several of the boys 6th period come directly from PE. Oh the funk.

But to get to the subject at hand. On Monday, Jesse (our foster care licenser/ yenta) came to our house for the inspection and to just get to know us better. Things went really well - we walked away with a small punch list of things to do/ buy. (See Amazon reference above.) We need to put a child-proof thingy on the closet in the theater, as there are tools in there. Need to post the Poison Control number (1-800-222-1222) next to the phone. I just typed that number from memory, as it has such beautiful symmetry. Get a new fire extinguisher, as ours is 4 pounds 15.6 ounces, and licensing requires that it be 5 pounds. No, I'm not kidding.

But basically this list is short and easy to accomplish.

Kate also made a great impression, smiling, laughing, even asking Jesse to pick her up. "Uppa, uppa." It was really cute. Jesse asked us a few more interview questions - not as many as I thought she would, but we DID each fill out a 15 page auto-biography questionnaire.

Before now, we were supposed to get information in the mail about getting fingerprinted. Jesse is going to follow up with the person who is should be getting us that. Fingerprint result turn around time is either: 2-3 weeks on the short side OR 2-3 months on the long side. Jesse felt that since we will be working with Snohomish County and that we've both been printed recently, we're more likely to be on the short end.

When our punch list is finished, Jesse will come back out to confirm things are in order. With that, once our fingerprint results come back, we are licensed. Yep. It could be just that fast. Then when Jesse hears of what may be a fit, she'll call us to ask us if we accept or decline.

That's all I know for now. Keep us in your prayers!!!

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