reflecting

The last couple of weeks were so delicious, I can hardly stand to see them go.  It was so, so fantastic to have JD home for ten days straight.  I can't even tell you.

The kids being out of school.

So many lazy mornings.

In fact, we had something happen...a once-a-year-fluke-kind-of-thing...

...one morning...

...we slept until...

9:00.

NINE.

Gasp.

Brooks and Jackson got so good about waking up and tiptoeing through the house to get themselves a cereal bar and slipping back downstairs to the Wii that we didn't hear a peep.  James slept until 9:00.  Payton and Avery (of course!) slept until 9:00.  It was amazing.  We woke up and couldn't believe our eyes when we looked at our clock!

Last week, it all started to unravel.

JD went back to work on Wednesday.

Now, tomorrow...it's officially over.

The kids go back to school.

It's reeally early mornings for us all.

It's always sad to me when these sweet spots in life come to an end.  I just want to continue on in this ethereal state.

I've also been full of reflection lately.  Wrapping up a very eventful year for us makes me want to reflect on this time last year.  Wow, it sure was a time of anticipation.  I think back and I can hardly stand the feeling I resurrect in my emotions.  Almost a sick-to-my-stomach angst to get to James.  And now he's been here for almost a year.  In some ways, I simply can't believe it.  In others, if feels like longer.

But the cool thing is, because of this little blog, I am able to go back and read what I wrote then.  In fact, there was even a post made on this very day one year ago.  Oh the angst.  The analysis.  The energy that went into surmising when he would be ours.

Funny, how I was talking about traveling in March and we left on March 1st.

I'm in awe of how far this child has come in such a short time.  The holidays were pure joy with him.  I'll post photos and videos soon.  So, so fun.

~~~~~~~~~~

march?

I realize not all adoptions are created equal.

But I can be a bit neurotic in times like this.

Ask JD.

But when you're crazily trying to anticipate something that you can't really anticipate well at all, it's helpful (for me) to hear other's experiences.  It just helps for me us to talk to other families who've been in our shoes and hear how things panned out for them in this final stage of this long, arduous process.

So, here's my hypothesis:

We're not traveling until March.

This is why...

It seems from others that the time between the Article 5 being issued (ours was *supposed to be* issued yesterday) and receipt of the Travel Approval is about a month.

Article 5 to Travel Approval = 1 Month

Travel approval to getting on the plane = 2 weeks

I know what you're thinking because I'm thinking it too...

A month from now, is mid-February.  Perhaps you'll travel by the end of February!?


A-ha!  There's a huge wrench in the plan one problem.

Chinese New Year.

It seems China kind of shuts down for a couple of weeks as they celebrate their grandest cultural tradition.  In fact, our agency doesn't even allow families to be in China traveling during that time.

So, my heart of hearts says it's gonna be March.

And that's okay, you know why?

Because A) it'll be here before we know it, and B) by the time we get back, it'll practically be Spring!

Glorious, life-giving, get-us-out-of-this-house, put-James-in-the-stroller-and-let's-go, Spring!

I cannot wait!  It'll be the best Spring ever!

~~~~~~~~~~

And it really was such an amazing Spring.  It's like we got off the plane and went straight to spending our afternoons sitting outside.  And watching him refuse to touch the grass.  Or know what to do when the breeze blew through his hair.  He was a baby then.  He's such a toddler now.