L.,
What an exciting time for you. Our boys are 6 and 9, both adopted through a social services agency run by our church. My husband and I have been leading an adoption support group for the last several years and have had many discussions concerning the dreaded homestudy. (Neither one of us are social workers, just active adoptive parents.)
The homestudy can feel daunting to say the least. You worry about every little detail and wonder if they are going to check the inside of the cabinets to see if they can find any dirt. (Ok, maybe I'm the only one who worried about that, I'm a little OCD) No one is coming through your home with a white glove. The social worker is there to get a feel for the environment of your home and whether or not it is a safe place for a child. They also want to see you and your husband in your "environment".
Be yourselves, don't overdo on the unnecessary stuff. Clean your home before the visit, but don't go overboard. No one who has children has a perfectly spotless home 24/7. You do not have to have baby gates installed, nor do you have to have any of the other million and one safety gizmos on the market today. Light a candle if you want, make your home smell good. No one expects you to take your life apart piece by piece while you're waiting for a baby. You are intelligent people, you wouldn't have made it this far if you weren't. They know you aren't going to set a candle down where a child can reach it. But right now, there are no children in your home. No stress.
Make sure you have working fire extinguishers in the appropriate locations (ie. laundry room, kithen, garage, and near the furnace). Also make sure the batteries in your smoke alarms are current, or at least current within the last six months.
Now, relax and enjoy the time you will spend with your social worker. He or she will be your greatest ally, your sounding board, and your avenue to a bringing that baby home.
I have tons of adoption resource materials, I've been doing this a long time. If you are interested in any other information, suggested reading, or just need another adoptive mom to bounce ideas off of, let me know.
You're in for an exciting, heartwarming, stressful, emotional, wonderful journey!
G.