Where we are....and when we will be there

Just to give you a little bit of an idea of what we have done..

Paperwork:
DSS Bio (one for Danny and one for me)
Paper on what we will accept and wouldn't be able to (anything from sexual abuse and bed wetting to cleft lip and blindness)
Physical evaluation for everyone in the fam
Dog records (shots, etc)
Proof of everything...where we live, work, who we know (note: they did a big reference check), when we were married, how much money we make, everything....

Visits:
Prelim visit from DSS worker (I think to make sure we weren't crazy, going to abuse the system, or wasting their time)
Fingerprinting (Seriously...)
Home visit from DHEC (the same folks who evaluate restaurants)
Multiple visits to have the windows in the bedrooms measured (to make sure someone can get out)
Visit from the fire inspector - we had to hand an emergency plan, an extinguisher, have every single alarm checked (Gracie did NOT like that), have the temp of the hot water checked

Training:
2 full days of training - this wasn't at all what I had hoped for or expected.  More of a parenting 101 class and less "nuts and bolts" (I need facts people!).

So far, we have finished everything with the exception of the following:
Danny needs to take the Day 2 training (scheduled in early March)
We need one more home visit (not entirely clear on what this will be for)

Next steps:
My understanding is that they will write up our "case file", send it off to Columbia to review and then will likely receive a few questions back about us or potentially missing information.  Understand that Columbia takes about a month to approve a license.  So...I ask the DSS case worker "Once we are licensed, how long will it be until we get a placement?"  Answer: "Oh, well I will be able to see you are licensed before you actually get the paper in the mail.  You will have a placement the SAME DAY"

Whhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!  Kind of sad if you ask me....sad that there are that many kids and that much of a shortfall of foster parents.  :(

Looks like April will be a crazy month!!