So busy... waiting

16 days ago our agency said they hope to have a referral for us within the month... maybe sooner, maybe later. That was 16 days ago. I have no cause to be anxious, no reason to check the inbox of my email every time I pass the office, no excuse for taking my cell phone from room to room as I go about the day. But, I do. That, and more. I am a little pathetic. And, the funny thing is, I think I am hiding this OCD behavior from the world. Not so.

Keith is totally on to me. He has played along with all of my neurotic attempts at passing the days. The latest distraction is a trivia game the beauty of which is that it can be played anytime, anywhere!! It is called: WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU ARE GOING TO DO WHEN WE GET THE CALL? The game consists of me saying, "What is the first thing you are going to do when we get the call?" And, then... he answers. Tricky, right???

While walking along Boston Harbor while celebrating our anniversary (7 years, thank you!), he was forced to play this game no less than 4 times... so patient. His answers ranged from the adorable (drive immediately to babys 'r' us and buy a pink dress) to the absurd (call her in Guatemala and introduce myself), and I truly appreciate his willingness to entertain my obsession. He is a lovely and kind man who deserves far better than scrambled eggs for dinner on Father's Day.

Well, as the title says, we are so busy. Our way too full schedule helps with the illusion that we are patient while we wait. But it is just that; an illusion.

I am giving away the magician's secret; tipping my cards, as they say.
Drum role please..........running around like a lunatic keeps me sane.

It looks something like this:

playdate, check email

sign Sam up for swim/tennis/soccer, check phone

get ready for brother's wedding (yay!), check email

workout, church, family... phone, email, phone

The crazier our schedule, the more to do, the less (seemingly) we stress about waiting.

16 days down. Any day now we will see a picture of our daughter. What will be the first thing we do when we get the call? Hmmmmmm.

Much love.

I-171H has arrived

Hooray! The I-171H has arrived. This simply means that we have been approved for immigration of an orphan. More importantly, it means that we can now receive a referral of a child. That, of course, could take several months... but we know that and are prepared to wait for that good news.

So, here's the story that those who know me will not find surprising:

As Sam and I pulled up to the house, I sidled up to the mailbox and hit the garage door opener. I remember hearing Sam asking to play with his friends because he could see them outside. For some reason, my heart was beating loudly, knowing on some level that the news we were awaiting was in that box! Well, anyway, it was. I can't explain how happy I was. (Imagine when we get the actual referral?!?) Seeing my own friends in the neighboring driveway, I drove past our own car and toward them. I rolled the window down and began to wave the form in the air for all to see... at which point it FLEW OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DOWN THE ROAD!!! Honestly. I threw the car in park, ran after it and did a jig right here on our little road! My sweet friends cheered and laughed... it was a great moment. Well, there you have it.

Our agency was very happy to hear our news, we faxed it over right away (thanks tom and leslie) and now we have entered a new kind of waiting.

In the months to come, I promise the updates will be more interesting than the "paper trail".

Much love.