So, let's see... I have
- booked an apartment
- made train reservations
- decided on what activities to bring for our visits (beads, matching game, puzzle, paper & markers, nail polish, balloons, eye-spy book, sticker book, activity book)
- looked through my stash of clothes
- updated almost all of my pre-court paperwork (still need sw to do her thing and to get my fingerprints done. again. waiting for cards to arrive as non-card prints didn't work last time.)
- arranged for a doctor to visit the orphanage on the second day
- lost my watch and lens cap (they're the ever-helpful "somewhere")
- mentally packed
According to the genius-spiral-bound-index-card-organizational-system I still need to
- do a little shopping (a specific game, a new lens cap, possibly a digital video recorder)
- confirm cat care
- grocery shop for this week
- clean
- put away laundry
- wrap up the school year (BIG to do there...field trip, sports day, game day, math assessment, grading, report cards, good-bye party, make photo dvd's, get pillow cases for the kids to sign for leaving students, phone and in-person interviews of prospective students...)
- meet with the movers for them to see how much stuff I have
- hand off some orphanage donations to V--and pack the rest in my car to await my return
- sub plans for while I'm away (yes, they'll still be working the last week of school)
- leave to attend graduation in five minutes
So, I'm a little busy. It's probably THE worst week for me to miss at school. And, yet, no one begrudges me this time at all. There's just a lot to do so that my absence is less inconvenient than it could be. But, no matter what gets accomplished and what doesn't I'll be in-region in a week (I'm going a day early to help with sleep and my composure.) ready to meet a little girl who may be d2b. We'll see...
21 comments:
When we adopted Ilya I missed THE most critical two weeks at the BEGINNING of the year. I think the end would have to be better, for your sanity, anyway....
I just hope you don't have to go back for court in time to miss THAT part of the year.
I like the photo DVD idea. I might suggest it to my second-grade-teaching friend. Do you make a lot of effort to have equal photos of every child? What if there turns out to be a few more of certain children, does that cause a problem?
So excited for you!
so glad to hear that the staff at school is supportive. that's an answer to prayer.
8 days. dang!
I'm also so excited for you. In the Beth Moore Bible study that we just finished, one of the points that she made was that God almost always plans things that are important at what seems to be the worst possible times for us. Hang in there, sweetie! Prayers for you from here!
You should look into getting a Flip video camera, if you have that available there. It's inexpensive, runs on regular AA batteries and plugs right into your computer and is super easy to save/email/format, etc. Plus it's small and you can just throw it in your purse.
Good luck with all your end of year stuff, and of course, with your trip.
Hello, wanted to introduce myself. I am a single mama who adopted a darling 20.5 mo little baby boy in 2004 from Kemerovo, Russia. I'm waiting to adopt my 2nd child, a baby girl, from Russia as well.
I have read your blog many times & find it so enjoyable! Your work with the 3.10 group of girlies has been a very enjoyable read.
I wish you well in your adoption journey to your daughter(s).
Visit my blog sometime! I would love to link to your blog from my blog, but I want to ask for permission 1st.
Blessings,
Nancy
I am sssoooo excited that you are FINALLY to this point. It's wait, wait, wait, then HURRY UP HURRY UP, then wait, wait, wait LOL! But I am so excited that you are in the busy part.
Don't worry about us. You take care of you and D2B. You are what's important. We will all survive.
Might I suggest though, that you do take some pictures and definitely buy a video camera. These are such precious memories that you want to have forever. I'm not saying take pictures of everything but there is nothing wrong with documenting the journey. For what others have told me, it is such a whirlwind, they are glad they documented some of it because there was no way they could remember all of it when it was all over. Even on major trips I have taken (which didn't involve life changing events) I look back and am glad I took pictures and journaled because so much happened there was no way I could remember it all.
BUT document for you and D2B, NOT us. This is YOUR story and even though we have been a part of your journey, we are still outsiders. Even with my failed adoptions, there are many details that I kept to myself or only shared with close family and friends. Some things should remain private.
Yes, the shopping...always remember the shopping :)
I'm so excited for you :) Can't wait to hear about it. Many prayers heading your way.
cm
I'm very excited for you, that you are to this point. It is a very wonderful and personal journey and everyone has their own way of dealing with it. We will look forward to hearing whatever you are up for sharing, whenever you are up for sharing it. In the meantime, we will keep you in prayer. God bless your journey.
Blessings on you....AAAAAAAAAAAACK! So exciting! (see how I start out all serene and stuff and then the inner cheerleader comes out and I squish my Russian born children and dance around the living room with spirit fingers??)
yay for preparations! so exciting!
You look very well prepared.
I agree that your time is to be spent with your D2B and it's "your" time. Of course, all of your blog readers will be thinking of you and wishing you well. We will be happy to hear whatever news you want to share with us.
Just looked at the calendar and you leave on Sunday!!!!!
You and your family back here in the US must be so excited!
Making a list always helps me feel better - even when I don't get it all done!
I'm praying for you and will continue next week. I'm so excited that you've finally made it to this point.
By the way, you're probably just going to fly into NYC, but if for some reason you want to do something else, there's a bed in Austin for you and d2b and someone who can speak some Russian :).
Kate, you are so wonderfully prepared, as we all knew you would be.
I second the suggestion to have a video camera with you. It was wonderful to look at it between trips, and I have video footage of our journey...not even close to every moment, but it brings back details we would not remember. And the sounds - background and otherwise - that were part of our son's daily life and the world he lived in before we became his parents.
I love your spiral cards. I had a spiral notebook that I recorded everything into. I didn't do too much journaling, so the sights and sounds combined with my memories help me remember more than the words alone.
Sunday is less than a week away - YIPEEEEE!
Oh it all sounds so exciting - and - thanks to the spiral index cards, so organized! Can't wait to hear more as the days tick away.
I am so excited for you! Watching (okay, reading) your posts as you finally embark on this step of the journey just makes my heart happy.
Lists are good. Lists are very good.
it is finally becoming real. yay
I keep looking in, thinking "this deserves a longer reply than I can give it right now" and wandering out again . . . of course that means that no reply ever happens so I am just going to poke my head in between shower and work and say YAY, planning, that is my absolute favourite part of most trips! It's the first thing that makes them seem a bit more REAL to me, you know? I am so excited for you, Kate; I hope that this is her.
*sends hugs and cheers and exultation*
holy crap - I leave town (and access to my blog feeds for 8 days or so and LOOK WHAT HAPPENS). Where are you now? What is going on? Dying over here!!
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