Oh My, It's Really Happening!

Well, it's finally sinking in. I'm starting to realize how CLOSE we are to traveling, and how soon we're going to be holding our tiny and beautiful little girl. I was creating Countdown Calendars for Andrew and Sky so they can visually see how many days it is until school starts (9 days!) and they can see how long it is until we leave for Africa. They keep asking "How many days until____?" and I can say "Look at your calendar" instead of going in circles fifty times per day. When we're in country, the calendars will help count down the days until our return....I've heard this helps kids who are left at home. Anyway, this is what caused me to notice that, no matter which Embassy date we get, we're about 5-6 weeks away from traveling. Just seeing it was exciting.

I'm floored because it feels like we just started this adoption journey. It's been almost a year since we started the process in our hearts, but since we switched agencies it's been 7 months. I guess with 4 kids time really flies! I was bracing myself for the worst wait imaginable, just in case unexpected obstacles came up. I feel very, very blessed by the fact that we're leaving so soon. We'll have Amelie home just in time for her 1st birthday and her brother, Sky, is looking forward to a shared party for the both of them.

I'm starting to get things ready for travel. Amelie's things are all packed, and I'm working on special envelopes with small gifts and letters for Andrew and Sky to open each day that we're gone. We're hoping it cushions the pain of separation. After that's completed I'll be working on the Embassy paperwork and our packing. We're also determined to get the basement tiles completed prior to the trip... so much to do, and the urgency is becoming real as it all sets into our minds. Now, we're awaiting a specific Embassy date (we should hear something any day now) and then book our flight!