Can you wrap your mind around a number as large as 143,000,000?

Week 2

I can't believe that 2 weeks have passed already. At times it seems so slow and at others it is moving quickly.

I am a huge planner and I get so uncomfortable when I am not prepared. My husband gets irritated, because I take so much stuff everywhere we go. I am prepared for any type of weather and about any event imaginable usually. That requires a lot of stuff when you have two little kids. Thank goodness we have the minivan!

Anyway, I am not good at winging it and that is kind of how I feel it will be from here on out. With the change in policy, no one really knows what that will do to the wait time. With no referral in 6 weeks it is really hard to tell. I continuously try not to limit God, because I have seem too many things happen that were beyond my expectations. We could have a referral this summer or it could be December. It is just hard sitting in a 4-8 month time frame, because that window is so big.

Waiting is weird too, because previously you have been going like gang busters to get everything done. Now it's done and I feel really lost. I thrive on doing my part to accomplish something and now I can't do anything else to get my little girl home. I just have to wait and trust in the LORD.

(On a side not, we are still waiting for our FDL, so this change in process has been a good thing for us. We filed and were fingerprinted 5 weeks ago now.)

I continue to lift those traveling in my prayers, as well as those waiting for their travel call and those waiting for their referral. LORD, you are capable of anything. Move the mountains that seem to have built up and get some children home.

Light reading

I have been doing a lot of heavy reading lately as I try to get through all the adoption material I can, as well as many interesting books about issues in Africa. I asked my friend for a "light" book to read (she has her own personal library) and she passed on this great set of novels that take place in AFRICA. They are light-hearted, very human and let you see a little of life in Botswana. They are The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series written by Alexander McCall Smith. They are a little bit mystery, but not in the sense of any other mystery book I have read-no blood and guts here, and lot about humanity. Check out the first one in the series and see if you can put it down. I thought they were positively delightful!

Dare not enter my home today for if you do..

I feel like I am living in the Twilight Zone right now. My children are possessed by some mysterious and rather annoying creatures that force them to whine at anything and everything and burst into a dramatic display of tears after even the smallest upset. Luckily, the Lord has granted me laughter at my predicament and patience to make it through this bout of sickness.

(They are both sick with fevers, so I will forgive their silly displays today. If my camera was working, I would post pictures of their absolute misery.)

We are...

We have been officially waiting for one week now. This whole waiting for a referral is going to be a constant battle between my head and my heart. My head understands that God's timing is perfect and that our daughter is not ready yet or she would be with us. My heart yearns to know her, to hold her, to welcome her into her family now. I realize that we may have 39 more weeks of waiting and that some of those weeks my head will win the battle and I will be at peace and some of the weeks my heart will win and I may be a mess. I know that God will be with me no matter what, but I hope more often my head wins over my heart, so that I can be at peace.

Help stop the stigma of HIV

Read Tell Two, a great post by Erin a mother of two adopted HIV+ children. Then check out the post entitled Before and After to see pictures of her children pre and post adoption. This mother of 11 is a true inspiration!

And the winner is...

(Ok, so it seems some of you weren't getting my clue.

My fault! This is Keifer Sutherland in "24")

I don't know if I would have found out today, but I wanted to tell my case worker congratulations and that I hoped she had a great vacation since this is her last day. (She is graduating from college and is taking a little time off before coming back to AGCI full-time.) I thought I would be able to tell her on the phone when she called to tell me our number, but since I had not received a call by 4, I just e-mailed her. I did not mention the numbers, even though it was killing me not to. She very casually responded with a thanks and my numbers. She obviously did not understand that everyone who is supposed to get a number has been waiting by the phone all day!