We survived our home visit, and it went very well! Our social worker arrived 15 minutes early, which wasn't too bad. We sat down at the dining room table. R fixed coffee for her, and she quickly reviewed the biographical profiles that we had written. She didn't ask intrusive or difficult questions at all! (R. and I prayed before she arrived, and it definitely made a difference.)
She ended up being very helpful. She spent the rest of her time with us giving us some great information. She gave us the name of the person who will handle our apostilling. She also told us how to apply for the Title IV Non-recurring Special Needs benefit, as well as the adoption benefit for state employees. She mentioned the federal tax credit, which we already knew about, and she said that there is a state tax credit as well. She recommended that we contact the Health Department to have the baby evaluated for early intervention services (occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy). She also recommended that we enroll the baby in a Mothers Morning Out program for a couple of times a week to help with his language development. She said that if he is just with me, I will understand his grunts and not force him to talk. If he is around other small children, they will not understand him, and he will be motivated to talk better. Makes sense. I have waited a long time for this baby, and right now, I feel like I want to have him with me all the time! I think I can adjust to a few mornings a week though!
She also recommended that we domesticate his adoption, and that is something that we definitely plan to do. I want him to have a birth certificate in English, so his life will be easier later. She said we don't have to do this until after his first post placement report, so that helps. That gives us a little break in the paperwork.
Even though I didn't sleep much last night, I'm too excited right now to be tired. I'm so relieved and happy that it went well, and I'm so happy that we have made a huge step forward! We are closer to meeting our baby!
Thanks for all the positive thoughts and prayers!
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1 comment:
I'm so glad everything went well and that you were not more seriously hurt in your fall than you thought. The SW are so helpful and nice. They make the process pretty painless!
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