I remember those crazy days waiting to travel (back then I had to wait a whole 45 minutes for my referral ... but almost 4 months to travel). Not that I enjoyed waiting (in fact I was almost diagnosable) BUT my heart is heavy with LONGING to be in process again and waiting. Let's just say, if you are waiting it's a good problem to have! I had some time to prepare before travelling and here are some of the things I was so glad I did:
1. I stocked up on cases of diet coke (and boy did I need them)
2. I stocked up on laundry detergent (boy did I need that)
3. Toilet paper, dry goods, frozen food ... stocked, stocked, stocked
4. I caught up on case notes (work related)
5. I set up an e-mail announcement group (in case I was able to e-mail from Ethiopia)
6. I organized my basement
7. I washed, folded, organized, folded, gazed at and smelled baby clothes
8. I read the car seat manual
9. I found friends who were in the same part of the process as I was (still friends to this day!)
10. Everytime I went somewhere I thought "maybe the next time I go here I'll have my baby with me"
11. I bought baby books
12. I gathered donations for the care center
If I had a week and the money I had before Lucy came home I would do all of this right now to help prepare me for winter with a 2 year old!
Happy waiting to all of you waiting ... and happy folding, shopping, referral photo gazing and dreaming!
*Photo is Lucy at around 7 months
3 comments:
I remember (I dislike having to apply this word already), pre-Makena. I stared into her empty crib every day and wondered when she would be home. I loved shopping for all of the baby stuff and stocking up on the necessities. Somehow, I felt I would NEVER be able to leave my house again :) I don't think I wanted to. I treasured the first year home with her.
I waited a whole month for her referral and it felt like an eternity. But I had been waiting for her for so many years that to wait another month felt unbearable.
Then when she got home I had a new set of worries that I wasn't prepared for. Mostly the cultural aspect of her adoption, the guilt of what her birth mom went through and what it meant for a country to lose their children to unjust circumstance.
It was a magical time to say the least and I too, am ready to do it all over again. I hope Stacy, we and our girls, will both get that opportunity.
OH my, what a beautiful pic! And, I remember the wait and all I did to get ready too. Blessings, Mama!
We don't haev a referral yet, so I haven't bought a lot of outfits to wash fold and gaze at, but there are still many other things to do. I guess I should start stocking up on all the things you mentioned. And probably a lot more...:-)
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