THE INSOMNIA PHASE OF ADOPTION

Sleep? What's that?!

Instead of a backache and giant basketball shaped middle that keep birth moms from sleeping right before delivery, adoptive moms have something else to contend with. A brain that refuses to stop thinking, it just keeps right on pestering you with impossible to answer questions like, what kind of prenatal nutrition did my child get? are we taking the right size shoes for his feet? will he be traumatized by all the losses he's going to experience? how will a busy 2 yr. old manage an 18+hr. flight? how will Pete and I manage a busy 2 yr. old AND a busy 4 yr. old on a 18+ hr. flight? Do they make sleeping pills that are safe for kids? Is it morally ethical for Pete and I to take the sleeping pills and trust in the kindness of fellow passengers to keep our kids out of the cockpit? And on and on it goes, with no respect for a Mother's need to rest. Nope, just constant thinking.

At least some of it paid off, we finally found a pair of travel shoes that Clara and I both agreed on. She wanted the sparkly pink rubber sandals from Target that light up when she walks. Brain in overdrive, to the rescue! It sent waves that reported to me a very firm NO. I wanted comfortable, sturdy, supportive, Mom-won't-be-carrying-you-all-over-China shoes. TA-DA! Keens! There is not a cuter pair of shoes in the history of girls footwear, Clara loves them. I love them. And they are made from recycled materials (in China of course).

And just for fun, I've posted a photo of the most current fashion trend for Spring. A bug catcher that doubles as a handbag (please note the infamous pout our runway model has perfected)

WA-HOO! WE HAVE OUR LOA!

ok, pretend you're at an Amusement Park and you find the biggest, most exciting, most panic-inducing, thrill ride in the park. You get in a very, very, very long line. You meet lots of other daredevils like yourself as you work your way through to the ticket booth. You pay your fees (this ride ain't cheap) and get handed a ticket (social worker/agency approval to adopt). Now you get in another very, very, very long line. By now, you're on friendly terms with the other daredevils, having shared all this time in line together. The line starts to move, verrrrrrrrrryy slowly, which is hard because you could really use a bathroom about now. But you don't dare get out of line. Finally, you get to the front of the line. You hand over your precious ticket that you sweat blood to buy (in adoption lingo this is called the DTC or documents to China, basically a dossier that includes every most private detail of your family's life, think I'm kidding? When was the last time a social worker documented the discipline techniques your parents used, or the marital status of all your siblings?!)

Gathering up your courage, you sit down in your seat and buckle up. Now the worst part comes, the roller coaster starts up the HUGE, SCARY and anxiety producing hill making that awful clicking sound as the car slowly (in a torture kinda way) goes up to the top. And of course you panic, should I have gotten on this ride? What the hell was I thinking?! Can I get off?! Is it too late?!! And then you reach the top (which is the LOA part of adoption, the very official and beautiful letter China sends to let you know they approve of you adopting in their Country) Ok, now you REALLY have to use the bathroom! But all you can do is look down, hold the hand of the person sitting next you and get ready to experience the ride of a lifetime.

We are on top of the hill, waiting for the coaster to tip over the other side. Here's to all the daredevils that get on this crazy ride. It's all worth it in the end.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER?

It's been a very long time since this little girl has fallen asleep on my lap, after a busy morning of bike riding and as Clara tells it, digging a basement with her buddy Ted (which entailed shoveling some left over snow piles and powering a toy back hoe), she requested some snuggle time with time Mom and I was more than happy to oblige. Of all things I've done throughout my life, being a Mother to this child has been the very best. We can't wait to do it all over again with Lu.

Time continues to move too slowly and we felt pretty disappointed when we didn't get our LOA (Letter of approval, the last step before travel approval) last week as expected. It's a complicated process when two very different Countries are working together to approve an adoption. Distance, language barriers, red tape and bureaucracy all play a part and though understandable, sure makes for one long, difficult wait.

In the meantime, we keep busy and love the wonderful daughter we have.

LU IS A VIKING! : )

Rumor has it that the red-brown color of Lu's hair is very rare and comes from the early Viking invasions in Northern China. (It is also considered very lucky.) So to all the Packer fans out there, (including Lu's now heartbroken daddy), beware — we've got ourselves a little Viking!

Thanks for the fun folklore Kim!

p.s. I bet this highly controversial post gets the most comments!