Thanks so much for your words of encouragement. It's overwhelming, really. Some of the comments I really appreciated:
From Julie: "if you are taking any kind of meds (tylenol, benedryl etc) find out the baby's weight right before you leave and check w/your pediatrician about dosages. (Great advice! Do you have a blog Julie?)
From Amy: "'listen'--all human beings have rhythms, have communication sounds...simply listen to silences, to grumbles, to squeals...they all tell you something..." (Yes! But if only my heart would stop pounding in my ears!)
From Jill: "Wouldn't it be awesome if her/she ends up enrolling at columbia in 17 years? " (Yes, but can you say scholarship??) (...and I notice you typed her/she by mistake...you think that means I'll get a girl??)
From Jenny: Man, you better start getting ready sista. (Amen, can I get a witness.)
Sonya had some questions:
Will you have a referral before you travel?
Yes, we will be told the gender, age and medical condition of the child. We will be able to speak to the nurse about the child upon receipt of the referral and whenever we want during our wait to travel. We will be emailed with a picture and then the entire referral packet will be mailed to us.
What age are most of the children at adoption?
Colombia typically places younger children with younger parents. Couples under 38 can adopt a 2 year old or younger. The older you are, the older the child you are allowed to adopt. We have asked for a newborn which I am assuming is on average 3-6 months old. We are told that the orphanage has a high placement of babies so there aren't many toddlers available.
Do you travel with a group from your agency or on your own?
We travel on our own, but there could be one or two other couples traveling at about the same time we are.The place where we will stay is just for adoptive parents so there will be couples from all over the place with us.
Is there an equal chance of adopting a boy or girl?
Yes, I think so. The orphanage asks that you do not choose a gender for your first child. So we don't know what we will get. I wish we knew, but it's okay that it will be a surprise.
I'd like to tell you that I am a little calmer now, but well, then I would be lying. I did reread the education materials (what I call the Big Book of Scary Lists) and did manage to break it down to things I will have to worry about first (getting a visa) second (packing) and third (what to do when we're there). I appreciate the offer of packing lists, but I think that would send me over the edge (except for you Erin, you, I need). I am the type of person that ALWAYS packs at the last minute. It forces me to focus and make decisions. I assume this time will be no different, except I will probably have purchased most baby things ahead of time. I also need to go shopping for clothes for me, which luckily is therapeutic.
The document packet was sent off today. DH practically had to pry it out of my hands. And though I know he is a responsible adult, I still found the need to tell him to be careful with it and to guard it with his childless little life. Now of course I have dreams of cargo planes crashing or the agency lady's kid spilling grape juice all over it or something. I'll let you know if we need to start tracking the package.
Now I know why you guys blog so often as you get close to the end. You need an outlet for all the swirling crazies in your head. I think you'll be hearing alot more from me now.
9 comments:
stephanie - that is a funny typo on my part... hmmm... some say i am a witch - or is it the other..
i hope you can take a laptop on your journey!
Sweet...lots a bloggin. I can't believe I didn't see your 171 post til today. I could have kicked myself for being a day off! I will be now on a constant check. Ahhhh....refresh.
Now, you definately need to get the nursery ready. And you need to buy all the baby crap. Packing for yourself, as you said, do it how you always do! I am looking forward to the whole stroller deal!
It is soo exciting. This news is soo good. I loved the DHL guy comment!
"The swirling crazies" -- love it.
This is defintiely a hectic time, but you will come through it just great. My way of dealing with the "swirling crazies" was by making lists and being even more anal-retentive about planning than usual. Which is ridiculous, really, because you only have the tiniest bit of control during the process and when you travel. I hope we hear news of your travel dates soon and like Jill, hope that you can take a laptop with you.
Congrats on getting the packet on it's way! Hopefully things move quickly from here and without any hiccups.
Good luck!!
It sounds like when THE CALL comes you will be jumping head first into a deep pool and swimming like crazy to keep afloat until you reach the other side and things calm down a bit. I would say prepare yourself, but you can never be fully prepared for this. And that is the exciting part.
I'm so excited for you! Take it one day at a time and pace yourself if you can. And remember, all babies really need is love, food, diapers, some clothes and a place to sleep. The rest of the paraphernalia is just gravy.
swirling crazies is an understatement. It's more like raving lunacy on my part. You sure as hell better post that tracking number if you get it. I need something to occupy my time!
I'm sooooo excited for you... by all means indulge in 'the swirling crazies'--just remember that, as in all things, there will be a reckoning of calm for you eventually...
Post a Comment