Getting Closer

Things are moving right along and we should be in Guatemala in a matter of a few weeks! We have the signed adoption decree, new birth certificate and passport. Currently we are waiting for the 2nd DNA to be performed (where they compare his DNA to make sure he is the original child that underwent the DNA with his birth mother). Once those results make it from the lab back to the US Embassy in Guatemala, they notify us via email of our embassy appointment date.

Very little had been done in this house to get ready until a few days ago. We did very few things to get ready because this has been such a roller coaster and we didn't want to look at the preparations for Aidan everyday when things were on such shaky ground. Then we got the word that we were out of PGN and THAT would have been a good time to start getting ready. But I think we were numb at that point. Then I got sick. I've been down for over two weeks with a horrible ear infection that made even standing up difficult for about eight days. I am finally feeling better.

Now we're at the point where we're paring down our list of what has to be done, not what we'd like to have done. Things like our pick-up paperwork and setting up the new crib are not options. Things like a clean house and a freezer full of pre-made dinners are. When we went to China to get Emmy I was a well-oiled machine. The level of organization rivaled shuttle-launches. Here's an example of how things are for child #2: I have some semblance of a list of things to do. I just remembered today that I need to get BABY FOOD to have in the house and take with us!

I think being sick helped me put a lot of things in perspective. One night as I laid on the couch feeling horrible, Emmy fell off a chair and busted open her head. Then we had horrible rains and our basement flooded and the living room ceiling had a minor cave-in. Couldn't do anything about any of it. It was all manageable chaos. Pretty much how I imagine having two kids will be. A clean house isn't necessary for a happy house. Knowing what we're having for dinner isn't always possible. Sometimes I'll feel bad and we'll just have to hunker down and wait for me to feel better. Dave and Emmy seemed to understand this, I was a little slow getting on board.

So here we are, just a handful of days away from being a family of four and even though my To Do is as long as my arm I know that getting on the plane and bringing home my baby is the only thing that matters.