How '007 Of Us

So, we raced around yesterday making copies and getting documents notarized, all in a mad rush to make it downtown in time to have our documents certified by the Secretary of State before they closed. Add to that another frantic trip to Kinkos for yet more copies, the millionth fine-toothed combing of the whole shebang, and back into the car for the last minute dash to the Fed Ex office that closes at 6:15 p.m.

Or so we thought.

......for the last minute dash to the Fed Ex office that actually closes at 5:45 p.m.

We arrived there at 5:47, only to see the clerk firmly locking the door. Anguish ensued as I thought about waiting another day, about rescheduling the courier I'd just booked for the next morning, about going home with that damn envelope in my hand again.

So, just like a sad puppy peering through a window, I smushed my nose up to the glass and knocked...a little begging later and the reluctant clerk told us to drop our precious package into the drop box outside. The drop box which clearly stated that the last collection had already been made. Back to the window I went. More groveling, and the clerk assured me that if I just dropped the package into the box, she'd collect it and get it out before she left. Since that sleeve of cardboard contained all of my tears, dreams, and sweat equity of the last five months, entrusting it's collection to a clerk anxious to go home wasn't high on my list.

Armed with no alternate choices, we dropped the package. And then got back into the car, drove around the parking lot, and parked partially hidden behind a giant SUV to spy on the box. And waited. Fifteen minutes passed before, like a heavenly apparition, the clerk unlocked the door, floated over to the drop box, and collected our package. Feeling better for our sleuthing success, we went for dinner. Ice cream has never tasted so good.

I-171 H Arrival!!

After much waiting, we finally received our I-171H form this past Friday.

D. brought in the mail yesterday all nonchalant like...stood in the kitchen like nothing important happened while he opened junk mail, tossed envelopes, sorted bills, then turned to me and said, "So, do you think that they'd send such a big envelope to tell us our fingerprints didn't pass"? with a giant grin on his face......I don't know how he kept a straight face all that time. I would have been shouting from the rooftops (which I did as soon as he filled me in)! In a serendipitous twist of fate, after we went out to dinner on Friday my car wouldn't start and had to be towed to a repair shop. Lucky us, it broke down within walking distance of a bar. Since we had to take a cab home anyway, we decided to make the most of the opportunity - after all, a celebration was definitely in order!!

Today was spent in a mad rush getting documents notarized, copied and ready for a trip downtown for certification tomorrow. It feels so good to know that after all these months, we are truly almost done paperchasing!

Musings on the Wait

I've been tagged by Jessica to post 10 ways to stay positive and pass the time during our adoption wait. I have to say that it's been hard to be positive when we aren't even officially "waiting" yet, so this tag prompted me to really think about how we're going to spend the next year or so.

1. Read up on attachment/adoption issues and child development. Having never been a parent, I have no idea what to expect in terms of normal behavior for our daughter, and how to tell when more specialized help is needed. Also, I guess finally learning to change a diaper is in order.

2. Continue pursuing my hobbies while I still have time and real estate. Ponder paring down said hobbies to make room for miles of brightly colored plastic toys. Decide how to incorporate looms and dollhouses in the same square foot of space.

3. Decide where I'm going to put all of my stained glass equipment to make room for a nursery. Wonder if the vintage method of utilizing a dresser drawer as a crib constitutes child abuse.

4. Work on a lifebook for our daughter. Michelle inspired me with her beautiful digital scrapbooking pages (and the scrapbooking supplies I bought at the last convention really, really need to see the light of day).

5. Collect quilt squares for a 100 Wishes Quilt. Yay! Another hobby!

6. Decide where we'd like to move. Our house is teeny, and with three cats and a new daughter, I think it will feel even teenier as soon as we get back from China.

7. Travel while road trips are still enjoyable. (and to facilitate 5. above.)

8. Participate in DTC/LID activities. Getting to know other adoptive families has been a huge source of support and friendship for us.

9. Enjoy the anticipation and count down to the moment ahead, rather than counting up all the days still to come. Live, rather than wait, this next year away.

10. Saved the best for last - the nursery!

Spit and Giggles

Check out this video clip over at Lily and Kate, forwarded on by Rebecca of my DTC group (yes, I know - no DTC date yet, but we're confident that our dossier will be completed this month (barring another snafu with USCIS).

Just a little reminder that the best times in life are those that make us laugh.....at ourselves.