The Pains of Construction

My house is covered in a layer of dust. My solution - I have tried to dust everything and put away things that will collect dust. The sheets covering the furniture make it look as if I am movin' out!
But check out my new master suite. This is my fabulous closet that will have shelves all along the back wall. Shelves for my precious shoes.
My new bedroom has a lovely tree outside the window. You can also see my parent's house. I am so thankful to have them. I am going to be a single mom and I am glad I have their support.

I can't wait until this is done and I can move into my new digs and prepare my old room for Gracie. I can't wait to put up her baby bed.

Progress

I feel like I am making progress. The addition is going well. It has walls and a roof. They plan to have shingles on it this week! They bought the bathtub earlier in the week, so they could get it in before they closed in the walls. Most importantly - the closet is going to be fabulous!

The most exciting news is that the referral could happen very soon. The best case scenario - we will be home by Christmas. That is only if EVERYTHING goes perfectly.

Most likely the referral will come in October and I can travel in January or February.

My sister Terri (who will be traveling with me) called me in a panic yesterday. She just found out that the one of the hepatitis vaccinations we'll be getting takes six months to complete! I had no idea that the shots are taken in stages. We have them scheduled.

Today was a good day. I feel like I will see my baby's face soon!

You HAVEN'T Got Mail

I am an insane person who checks her email constantly!! Everytime I expect to see that someone has gotten a referral and I am a bit closer. Even better - sometimes I think that MY referral could be in there.

I seriously need to relax.

That is easier said than done. With each passing day I become more impatient. I want to see her face and, as my friend Susan has heard over and over, I want to know how much she weighs. It's all about the shopping.

For now my world is filled with uncertainties. How long until my referral? How old is she? Once I get my referral, how long until I travel. Will my friend Susan and I get to travel together to get our daughters? Will airline restrictions prohibit me from bringing my laptop and new camcorder in my carry on luggage? Most importantly...how much will she weigh?

This is how my mind is working these days. Scary huh? Questions in my head. Over and over again.

I had a weird dream last night. I was at my house and I see my sister Terri (who is traveling with me to Vietnam) walking up the driveway. Terri is carrying a little Vietnamese boy she has just adopted. If you know Terri this is funny. She has raised two children and her youngest is a senior in high school. She doesn't want any more children. She said she will be more than content to rock MY baby.

I want to rock my baby too. I hope that I can do that soon.

Construction Begins

The builders will really get going tomorrow. It's been slow going so far (foundation stuff). Now they are beginning to frame everything up. I can't wait for the addition to be done because my house is a wreck.

I have a ton of things that are lingering around ready to fill the new space. Especially baby stuff. It's everywhere. I have the changing table tucked a corner of my bedroom. Piled on top of it is everything from clothes to bedding.

The really hard part is that I can do nothing until the addition is finished. I am moving into the new master suite and the baby will be in my room. I am ready to paint, put up the baby bed and make it look all sweet and soothing. Everything in my life requires what I don't have - patience.

Work has been busy this week and that has helped keep me focused. Next week things will slow down and I will once again have trouble concentrating. Nothing but baby on the brain.

Happy Birthday Nanny!!

Yesterday was Mother's birthday. She is know to many as Nanny. When my niece Crystal was born, my mother decided she wanted to be called Nanny by her first grandchild. She thought it sounded alot like her name - Nancy.

We all got together and grilled steaks last night. Earlier in the day I went and bought the birthday cake, potatoes, salad, etc. While I was out I picked up some things for myself. Some great, inexpensive t-shirts in a variety of colors, new underwear, etc. I also began picking up various medicines for the trip. That stuff is so expensive that I want to pick up a little at a time. That way I won't go into shock about the price of the otc medicines we'll need.

I have to think about something other than the baby (the inhumanity). I have to think about work this week. I am the fundraiser for the local PBS staton. We do two pledge drives each year. The August drive started last night. I hate pledge drives. They are, in my opinion, a terrible way to fundraise.

Can I concentrate on something other than my referral? I'll let you know how it goes.

Waiting...

Many people say that the hardest wait is not waiting for your referral, but the wait from referral to travel. I guess that I will know the answer to that question eventually, but right now I just can't imagine that.

All waiting is probably excruciating. The wait for my 171 was hard. It took nine weeks. Then it was a whirlwind of letters, notaries, certifications, etc. The my dossier was off. Now things are out of my hands. I should be praying for God to give me patience. I am not. I am praying for God to hurry up my referral and get my baby home by Christmas.

Patience. I really need that.

The furniture for Gracie's room is trickling in. Yesterday the chest of drawers came and the glider came earlier in the week. The baby bed is coming some time this month.

The real urgency is the addition. I am adding on a bedroom, bathroom and an ENORMOUS closet. The foundation has been laid and the builder was supposed to start today. But when I talked to him last night he said that it would be the end of NEXT week. The baby will be in my room. So until the addition is complete and I have a new room, I can't start on the baby's room.

I am not worrying so much about the paperwork anymore. Since Fed-exing my dossier I have been imagining all the possible problems in the paperwork. I am so afraid that some little, seemingly insignificant detail will be a problem. I just can't sweat it anymore. I am generally not a worrier and it was taking too much of my energy.

My dossier is at the embassy in San Franciso. After that it goes straight to Vietnam for translation. My prayer is that I will soon be in Vietnam also.

My friend Susan (who is also adopting from Vietnam) is probably so sick of me. She has to hear the same comments over and over from me. The most popular one is "I want to know what size she is." Life would be easier if I could shop with confidence.

She has become a great friend. I really hope that we can travel together to meet our daughters. How wonderful would that be?

How it all began...

I can tell you exactly when this all began. My dog Ellie (the most fabulous Yorkie in the world) had done something adorable and I reached for the phone to call Mother. I just had to tell someone how cute she was. That’s when it hit me...if I feel this way about my dog how much love would I have for a child. That was in November 2005.

My social worker visited my home in March 2006. The completed home study arrived at my home on May 15, 2006. I had my fingerprints done the next day! My I 171H came in at the beginning of July.

My dossier was received at VORF on July 28.