Done!

Home study was this afternoon, though the licensing worker needs to come back a second time per the regulations. I totally could have lied about: 1. having a landline. 2. securing all of my household cleaners. 3. securing my medications.

Some reflections.

First, the appointment was at 2. At 2:09 (I can be precise because this is what my cell phone tells me) she called to tell me that she got lost. I gave her directions from where she was: "follow the road you're on and turn right on my street." At 2:36 she called again. Still lost. A little more complicated this time, as she was going the wrong way on my street, and for a few blocks (where she was), it is one-way. I try to give her directions but she wouldn't let me give them. She asked if there was anywhere to park and she would walk. I told her that she could park on the street, but if she drove to my building, there is a parking lot. At 3 pm she finally arrives. If she had only taken public transportation, she would have saved an hour of her time, an hour of my time, an hour of gas usage, and the stress that she then didn't know how to get back to her office. As I griped about this on facebook, it occurred to me that she could be testing me: "If you can maintain your patience as I call you repeatedly from five blocks away from your apartment but can't figure out how to get there, then you have the temperament to be a foster parent."

Then, she asked a lot of questions that (were completely appropriate and I wouldn't have minded answering them but) I had answered all of them previously in my mountains of paperwork. And much to my surprise, she had actually reviewed the paperwork before she came out to my home. So unless she wanted to see if my answers were consistent, it was a waste of time. And I just don't have answers to some of the questions. I remember that my mom made things miserable while I was growing up. I don't remember details. More questions are not going to help retrieve memories. And no, it isn't that "some things are difficult to talk about."

My ONE inept moment when I handed over an original (apparently, as I can't find my copy)? They lost it. It's the fire inspection report, too, which means that I can't just easily recreate it on my own. Crud. Other paperwork that they still need: dates of my various previous employment experiences, progress reports from my psychiatrist and therapist (because my MD's consultation with the psych was apparently not sufficient), and my very favorite--the name of a day care center near my apartment. This last is "proof" that I've considered the need for day care and know how to find it. They don't have to have any openings, I don't have to send the kiddo there, nothing like that. No, I just have to go through the exercise of identifying a day care center. That should be easy enough.

So it's just paperwork, a trip to Home Depot to get window locking things, and another visit. Maybe by Thanksgiving. :-)