The Homestead is Back to Rights

Our friends left this morning to return to the wilds of Canada (actually, a lovely little town that is decidedly unwild) and Homestead Mama and I are bustling around getting the house ready for our co-parent adoption home visit tomorrow.  YIKES, you might say and you'd be right.  I've changed the batteries in the smoke detectors, checked all the baby-proofing, the fridge is filled with food for kids, I hung up a carbon monoxide detector - all these things have been checked during the home visits of friends who have gone through this process before us.

We have secured five lovely letters of support from friends.  I have been so busy getting all our ducks in a row with the paperwork, cleaning, tidying, yardwork, et cetera that I forgot that the letters of support would be effectively love letters for our family.  I have been moved to tears at each and every one.  This annoying adoption process has forced Homestead Mama and I to be very conscious about things that many folks don't have to think about.  Being given the chance to read what other people that we love and respect think about us, our parenting, and our family has been an amazing experience.

And most fittingly, Pequita seems to have croup.  She was awake last night for a while barking like a seal and shnuffling with each and every breath.  She got a fair amount of sleep, as did we, but the 2nd or 3rd night of croup is supposed to be the worst, so we are expecting less sleep in the next few nights.  It is quite unsettling to hear your child struggle to breathe.  We have been running humidifiers all day and will continue to do so through the nights.  We'll be up and dressed by the 8am probation officer's visit tomorrow morning, and appropriately enough for parents of young kids, will be bleary eyed and tired.  Thankfully, the woman coming to inspect us is a mother herself, and bonus for us, her house is also under construction.  These facts ought to help our case, as things aren't as pretty as a Pottery Barn catalog in our home.  Yet.

Pictures to follow in the next few days.  There was much playing and 'nay-nay' time (naked) for the babies while their friend Canadian Baby visited.  They all ran (or crawled) screeching through the house nay-nay and giddy before their tubby every night.  Pequita and her friend got on exceedingly well, and were able to really enjoy each other this visit.  All us parents are thrilled, as we expect to have family vacations together with some regularity over the next few decades.