We are still waiting to be approved, but with all of the paperwork finished, my mind has moved on to getting our home ready for future children. Number one on the list is working with our dog, Beckett, so he won't be aggressive to people who try to come in the door. He is a lover, but we really want him to get along with our future children (and any guests they try to bring over).
Number two is a massive garage sale. There is so much stuff stored in the playroom and guest room closets that absolutely cannot stay there should we bring a child home. Part of the process is just packing up things we don't need and organizing them so I can find them again if they go into a crate (like all of my crafting supplies, sheet music, quilting fabric, VHS tapes I still haven't converted to digital, and a small library worth of books). It isn't that the games and age-appropriate books can't stay in their rooms, but all of the training says things will be destroyed or broken. If I care about it, best it stays in a safer space until the hardest part of the transition is over.
Number three is rearranging the kitchen cabinets. RJ and I are both tall, so where things are in the cabinets is not really an issue. I imagine we do not want our children climbing on the counters to get to the cereal, or reaching over the gas stove for the oil and vinegar.
Number four is the garage. This is the scariest part for me, because I know that as fast as I clean it out, cleaning the upstairs rooms will inevitably mean that more things get stored in the garage. Our one car garage. That has a car in it. And the trash and recycling cans. And the cleaning supplies and scary chemicals we aren't allowed to have near the kids without supervision. Oh, and all the things we already store in the garage like lawn chairs, a tent, holiday boxes, a crate of items from my childhood, and Costco-sized portions of paper towels and toilet paper (which I am pretty confident I should make sure there is room for).
We're going to need more power plugs for additional devices and binders for all of their paperwork, and some kind of system that does not involve me dumping baskets of clean laundry on the bed in the guest room to make room in the dryer.
And then, I need to be getting myself ready. How am I going to take time for myself? How am I going to maintain my relationship with my husband? In addition to my mental health, should I also be getting in better shape (yes!)? Kids like to run around and I should at least try to keep up.
I'm not actually worried about these things, but I wonder about them. I wonder because I could be doing something proactive this weekend, but instead I read a book. I enjoyed the quiet of our home. The truth is, it'll all get done by whenever they arrive somehow. I am excellent at managing to a specific deadline and finishing well-past midnight the night before. I also have RJ and an amazing team of friends, family, and professionals who are going to be right here to help.
I like getting ready. Planning and preparation are my happy place. All we need now is a deadline.
Number two is a massive garage sale. There is so much stuff stored in the playroom and guest room closets that absolutely cannot stay there should we bring a child home. Part of the process is just packing up things we don't need and organizing them so I can find them again if they go into a crate (like all of my crafting supplies, sheet music, quilting fabric, VHS tapes I still haven't converted to digital, and a small library worth of books). It isn't that the games and age-appropriate books can't stay in their rooms, but all of the training says things will be destroyed or broken. If I care about it, best it stays in a safer space until the hardest part of the transition is over.
Number three is rearranging the kitchen cabinets. RJ and I are both tall, so where things are in the cabinets is not really an issue. I imagine we do not want our children climbing on the counters to get to the cereal, or reaching over the gas stove for the oil and vinegar.
Number four is the garage. This is the scariest part for me, because I know that as fast as I clean it out, cleaning the upstairs rooms will inevitably mean that more things get stored in the garage. Our one car garage. That has a car in it. And the trash and recycling cans. And the cleaning supplies and scary chemicals we aren't allowed to have near the kids without supervision. Oh, and all the things we already store in the garage like lawn chairs, a tent, holiday boxes, a crate of items from my childhood, and Costco-sized portions of paper towels and toilet paper (which I am pretty confident I should make sure there is room for).
We're going to need more power plugs for additional devices and binders for all of their paperwork, and some kind of system that does not involve me dumping baskets of clean laundry on the bed in the guest room to make room in the dryer.
And then, I need to be getting myself ready. How am I going to take time for myself? How am I going to maintain my relationship with my husband? In addition to my mental health, should I also be getting in better shape (yes!)? Kids like to run around and I should at least try to keep up.
I'm not actually worried about these things, but I wonder about them. I wonder because I could be doing something proactive this weekend, but instead I read a book. I enjoyed the quiet of our home. The truth is, it'll all get done by whenever they arrive somehow. I am excellent at managing to a specific deadline and finishing well-past midnight the night before. I also have RJ and an amazing team of friends, family, and professionals who are going to be right here to help.
I like getting ready. Planning and preparation are my happy place. All we need now is a deadline.
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