Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

We are still waiting for our travel dates… they could be in our mail box RIGHT NOW!!! But when we check – just bills and junk mail.

We have had very little idle time in our adoption process. There has always been a pile of paperwork to do to help the waiting along. But now… just a couple of weeks have felt like an eternity. Yes, there still is the fundraising to do, and grants to search for and apply to, etc.

Fundraising is a funny thing… it takes your pride and pulverizes it. I have to keep in mind that I am doing this for little Vanya, who needs to come home to us. I know everyone who sends in the funds is doing it to bring him home as well. That gives me a little courage to step out and ask, for his sake.

The search for grants that we are eligible for is frustrating as well. Most of them have income limits that we do not meet as a two income family. I am happy that families with lower incomes have these grants available to them, but I wish there was some adjustment for location. It takes much more to pay the bills here on the outskirts of DC than it does in the wilds of Texas. If anyone knows of a grant that has a higher income limit or is willing to consider location, please email me!

One thing that has helped in the waiting is a dear friend in California that has sent me a large order of holiday knitting to get started on. Not only is it wonderful to be able to put that money in Vanya’s adoption fund, it is awesome to have something for my hands to do. And I do love yarn…

Ian is busy getting ready for our trip… Bulgarian phrase book, travel guide, researching flights, figuring out what to do about luggage (the airline on one of our last trips obliterated our bags – and then told us it was our fault for buying cheap bags…which they weren’t, they were a very nice present of high quality luggage – grrr!). As we may not get much notice, we need to be ready to grab our bags and go. Some people have received as little as seven days to get on a plane – although it may be as long as two months… or more. We are hoping for something in between, of course.

Good thing we already know the alphabet from studying Russian!

So August continues to creep by… but any moment now, our waiting to will turn into a frenzy of action. Oh, I can’t wait to see my little munchkin! To hold him in my arms! To see his great big smile and to hear his laughter! We know that he is ticklish from his pictures… hee hee… I can’t wait to find his tickle spots and play tickle bug with him.

One last thing – his picture! I am sure everyone is eager to see our little Vanya, but we are being very careful with his picture. We are not allowed to post it on the internet or email it to anyone. We want to be sure that the picture doesn’t get into the wrong hands and the only way to do that is to remain in sole possession of the file. This is for Vanya’s protection and a requirement of our adoption agency. The only exception to this was that we can share with our very immediate family– and they are under strict instructions to keep a close hold on the file. However, next time you see us in person, we can give you a peek – just ask! And soon, we will at a stage in the adoption when we will be able to show off pictures of our son to everyone… and show him off in person soon too!

I can’t wait to get home and check the mail!