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June 23, 2004
Roller coaster
It's been a weird week. First, you have to realize that our house was a rental unit for seven years before we bought it. As a result, a lot of it is in what I consider sub-optimal condition. Not awful or anything, but not where I would like it to be. In five years, we've managed to correct a lot, but not all of it.
Moreover, in our cleaning scheme, there are four levels:
- Us Clean: Sort of the standard level of mess. Clean, but cluttered, with last night's dishes often still in the sink, waiting to be washed before work in the morning.
- Sibling Clean: With the exception of Andy's wife Stephanie, none of the sibs necessarily keep house any better or worse that we do. So if they're visiting, we normally vaccuum, wash the dishes, and make sure things are more or less presentable. This is about as clean as our place ever gets.
- Grandparent Clean: I don't know why this is only Level 3. You might expect it to sit higher, but maybe our grandparents are more lenient than yours. Plus, I've been in my maternal grandmother's bedroom -- I've got nothing on her when it comes to stacking and piling. But at this level, the bathrooms are scrubbed, litter boxes scoooped, etc. Not sparkling, but definitely "clean," as opposed to "neat."
- Parent Clean: Our home has been "parent clean" about once a year since we moved in -- mostly by accident (right after spring cleaning, for instance). This means the cat boxes are not just scooped, but scrubbed. All the floors are mopped and spiffy, the bathroom chrome shines, and we vaccuum under the couch cushions. You might guess that both of us had fairly strict rules at home about what constituted "clean" when we were growing up.
Now we've had to add a fifth level: "adoption clean." We're spiffing the place up for our home visit on Sunday, and it's turning into quite a bit of work. Lots of it needs doing -- the usual floor cleaning, counter wiping, bathroom scrubbing, etc. Lots of it needs doing for other reasons. For instance, I know the SW isn't going to look in the cabinets and check the contact paper, but (a) what was in there was old, and (b) it was that "country cute" design that I can't stand. So last night it got ripped out and replaced, along with a complete rearrangement, weeding and cleaning of the kitchen cabinets in general.
It's completely nuts as a preparatory item prior to a home study visit, but it needed doing (and I should point out that after rearranging and cleaning the cabinets, our famously cramped kitchen actually has some -- not much, but some -- spare cabinet space). So it's been that kind of week. I finally put the foam in place for my photo/electronics cabinet (which, by the way, looks completely trick), we've cleaned each room thoroughly, and we're hoping to finish the kitchen/laundry room tonight.
After that, it's on with major projects like replacing baseboard, painting and so on. Again, not required for the home study, but in need of doing after five years, and a way to stay busy. Believe me, having a way to stay busy is a good thing.
I find myself regularly swinging between "I'm most likely going to have a daughter in a year or so!" (man, it even gave me a little shiver just typing it), and "Oh crap, I'm going to have a baby at home in a year or so!" I think about the examples I've had of both how to and how not to be a father, and I wonder if I can stack up. At least doing the house work keeps my mind occupied, and channels the nervous energy in one direction.
I keep thinking about what my Mom told me, her first child: "The doctor handed you to me, and the only thing I could think was 'Oh shit, what do I do now?'"
At least that sets the bar fairly low. :)
The paperchase stuff is moving along. Documents and a payment for our I-600 request are at CIS in Charlotte, and our fingerprints and background request are in Raleigh (where they will hopefully not be delayed too very long. The current plan is to contact CAWLI with our application next Monday or Tuesday, after we have a feel for the home study. We've also requested our letters of reference, and one is already in. It's not what I expected, but it's a very nice reference that should play well.
We've got our finances and financing lined up as well. At this point, we're already on the verge of the "waiting game." The big part that remains right now is meeting Sara Farrar in person, and finding out how we'll do with the HS.
Posted by at June 23, 2004 10:45 PM