Moving forward

Our home study approval came in last week. We had to get separate approval from the state before it was sent for our I171H. So, we made a mad dash and got all our documents apostilled and sent to our agency. It was a relief to get this all complete, finally.

Now we are waiting to see which region is moving along the best before we register our dossier.

I was a little impatient to get it registered but I understand why we should wait. Most of the regions shut down for vacations in July/August.

It has also been nerve racking with the conflict with Russia and Georgia and how adoptions might be affected. Hopefully things settle down and nothing changes.

Life goes on. Connor had his 5th birthday. I can't believe how big he is getting. I had my gallbladder out and have been recovering for 2 weeks. I'm feeling pretty good. Better here than in a hospital in Russia!

What to do while waiting..

For the most part, I think most adoptions take longer than expected and with our switching countries ours will be longer than we thought. We are at 1 year, 1 month right now. Some days/weeks the waiting is not as difficult. Other times, you wonder if anything is going to proceed in a smooth, timely manner. So, rather than stress out and let every detail of the process drive me crazy, I am trying to focus on some projects. I have made a list of several things I want to get done. Some of them aren't too exciting or fun but will give a sense of accomplishment once they are complete. I also told myself to finish one project before moving on to the next. Here are a few things from my list.

• Clean out and purge all closets starting with our bedroom. This is one I have really put off but I know will make me feel lighter once complete.
• Sort though outgrown toys and make a pile to donate or sell at a garage sale.
• Start on decorating the new baby girl room. This will be a fun one to do. I'm not going to get in a hurry with this but just do it a little at a time. Once we meet our daughter to be and are between trips, all the details will be finished.
• Have a garage sale in the spring.
• Last but not least I need to finish Connor's life book. This will be fun too. It has been hard to find a starting point. I may purchase a book to guide me. I love being creative but sometimes I need some inspiration/ideas.

So, there it is. For all to see. No excuses now....