Hello everyone!

Today we reached a milestone in the adoption process---we survived the 'home visit.' Our social worker, Julia, came to the house today at 4pm and was here until 6:30pm or so. She started by interviewing Jason and me together, asking many questions about why we have decided to adopt, what our expectations are, and how we plan to help Leila adapt in the United States. Julia then interviewed us separately, which felt a little like being on the "Newlywed Game." We couldn't help but compare answers after she left and decided that we were pretty consistent overall. She then took a tour of the home, which went well. The only things we were asked to do were to place our fire extinguisher in the kitchen and come up with an 'evacuation plan' in case of fire. Otherwise, she felt like we had enough space and plenty of 'room to play.' Finally, Madison got a chance to be 'interviewed.' She was a little shy at first, but soon warmed up and put on a show for the social worker. A sampling of the interview:

Julia: What do you think about having a sister?
Madison: Um, It's OK.

Julia: Are you excited at all?
Madison: Yes, half excited.

Julia: Well, what about the other half of you?
Madison: Well, I'm just worried that she'll only speak Chinese and I don't have a Chinese dictionary.

Julia: What is the most fun about living in this family?
Madison: Being the oldest. Oh, and, I have a lot of great resources.

Julia (looking puzzled): Resources...okay...what do you mean by that?
Madison: Oops, I meant to say relatives. I have a lot of great relatives.

Sometimes the kid just can't keep up with her vocabulary!

All in all, the visit went well. The home visit was the last piece of the puzzle in our home study, which is still at the typist. We now move toward finishing our Dossier and getting all of our documents certified and authenticated. Thanks to those of you that were praying for us today, and for Traci Mattis who came over for a couple hours to help me clean my house before the social worker got here. Now that's a great resource!