Busy Bees

Here is a quick list of what we have been doing since the last post (not quite 2 weeks).

1. Cleaned out "junk" room (ok, mostly cleaned)
2. Moved guest room furniture from would-be nursery to new guest room (formerly known as junk room)
3. Did some major spring cleaning around house (cleaned fans and chandeliers, cleared cobwebs on tall ceilings, etc.) 
4. Did more work cleaning out nursery
5. Went to friend's house to get some cute girl outfits, most not even worn!
6. Made trip to big baby box store to look at stuff, came home with D.isney P.ooh nursery set
7. Spoke with respective bosses about our "maternity" leave - planning on being gone last two or three weeks of school year
8. Spoke with HR about adding little one to insurance
9. Began looking for and speaking with lawyers to handle relinquishment (will talk to A to get her thoughts)
10. Went with another friend to a consignment sale - bought 33 outfits (onesies, sleepers, rompers, etc.) for about $2 each
11. Did some shopping on eba.y and A.mazon and ordered valances, dust ruffle, and border in Classic P.ooh
12. Visited boutique store to look at furniture (crib from sister is too old and on recall list) - considering purchase of convertible crib (crib, toddler, day, full bed) and matching chest of drawers
13. Joined Con.sumer Re.ports to research infant car seats - likely going to buy brand that fits in fancy stroller from my sister
14. Went back to big baby box store to return D.isney P.ooh set (there is the price of the crib!)
15. Went to another friend's house to get some infant toys, most not even used!

And that doesn't include teaching. Whew! I need a vacation.

And a Happy Birthday to Me!

A Whirlwind Weekend

The cast of characters:

Our Contact - A
Her Fiance - P
Their Son - T
Her Sister - S
The Hopeful Couple - Mike and Crista
(hereafter referred to as we or us)

We arrived at my aunt's house late Friday night, both of us anxious about meeting A on Saturday (March 12). After waking up on Saturday and visiting with my aunt for a bit, we headed to meet A at a nearby restaurant at 1 pm. Because P had not made it back in town yet, she brought her sister S. Before she pulled up, I was running the different scenarios in my head of how the initial greeting would go. Remember, we have only communicated via email for the past two months. Should I hug her? Would there be an awkward silence? She waved and smiled as she got out of the car and got T from the back seat. Mike and I looked at each other a bit in shock about how pregnant she looked. Were we not expecting that? We were waiting on the sidewalk and she walked up with her arms open. We hugged.

During lunch (where I ate very little), A took T to the bathroom at one point and S shared with us how nervous A was that morning. I think at that point, I was able to calm down just a bit. After lunch, we headed to a park so T could play while we visited. We continued chatting comfortably, but A would have to occasionally get up to get T's shoes or ball that were left behind as he played. Into the first long silence, I asked A how she was feeling about everything. Mike said, "That wasn't awkward." (insert nervous laughter) A is understandably still struggling with the emotions of having to make this decision, but she said she is as comfortable as she can be with making an adoption plan. S asked a few questions about us sharing pictures and stories, and we tried to assure her that we are committed to this being an open relationship. S then asked if we planned on being at the hospital. I said that it would mean a lot to us to be there, but we wanted to do whatever was most comfortable for A. A said, "They should be there since the child will be going home with them." Ahh! Mike and I just looked at each other in shock again.

As we were leaving at 5:30 with the sun going down, we planned to get together again the next day so P could meet us. Our Sunday meeting with A, P, and T went well. We went to a park and then to dinner. We all got along really well and just had a lot of fun hanging out. We were with them from 4-9:30 pm that day so it was a long weekend!

A's counselor at the agency called on Monday to see how our visit went since I had let her know we would be meeting over the weekend. I told her it went well. We all got along great and felt at ease. She said she would check in with A to see how she was doing after the meeting. On Tuesday (March 15), the counselor called to say that she had heard back from A. A also felt the weekend went well and was feeling better after having met us. A was ready to match. We agreed. : )

So, it looks like we might actually be parents soon because A is due on May 17.

Magazines and coupons A brought to us from her last doctor visit.

I wonder when this will start to feel more real.

: )

It is very difficult to convey emotions when writing emails.

My emoticon of choice is the generic smiley. : )

I also like sticking my tongue out. : P

Mike likes to give his smiley a nose. :^)

I feel like I want to use a smiley after every sentence when writing with our contact to display my wonderful sense of humor. She uses a combination of smileys and lol's. For some reason, I just find it weird to use lol, but I will endeavor to add it to my repertoire to broaden my horizons.


Oh, I guess I should tell you that we will be meeting her on Saturday.

: )