76 Days and counting

When it seems like forever, it's good to sit down, do the math, and rest assured that "forever" might be a strong word.  233 days ago we decided to take this adoption journey and turned in our preliminary application. 181 days ago we submitted our formal application with Bethany.  Our home study approval (and my Babies R Us anxiety attack) was only 10 weeks and a couple of days ago.  I don't know why, but that helps me put things in perspective a little bit. We have accomplished so much in that time.  The nursery is finished, minus a couple of details. We have chosen and met with our lawyer a couple of times and even written up a living will. I kind of went a little crazy on completing our registries, turns out you can get free stuff when you register at certain places. We have a pretty good idea of what we will and won't need. In a couple of weeks we will have reached our savings goal to pay the placement fee and lawyer, complete praise to the Lord!  Names for a boy or girl have been chosen ( i do however wish that they started with the same initial so we could monogram some things- must be the southern girl in me).  We are working on a pediatrician and planning to schedule some office meetings next week. Oh, and Our family profile has even been uploaded to Bethany's web page.

The nursery... 

 

So it seems we have almost all our ducks in a row... Which sounds great on paper but can do a number on us  emotionally (and by us I mean mostly me; Dave has proven himself patient and casually cool once again). When we had so much to do to "prepare" for the baby, I was distracted just enough to keep me from concentrating on the waiting timeline. But now that we are as prepared as much as possible ( I mean are new parents ever really prepared??) I can't help but watch the clock!  It can be challenging to remember that God has a specific and purposefully planned child chosen just for us and will deliver that sweet baby in our arms in His perfect timing, not mine!  Why is it that I feel like God needs my help, I mean He did create the universe and everything in it, I think he can handle this too!  Moments when the waiting can seem unbearable, I am so thankful for Dave's level head and other mommies in waiting. We've been so fortunate to have been connected with other couples going through this same journey. I've been able to pour my heart out and vent all of my frustrations to women who can say, " you're not alone, I've felt the exact same way." I don't take those women for granted and am so blessed to have them in my life! Each minuet that passes I find myself wondering about our baby and know that when we do finally get to meet him or her, it will be well worth the wait!