{Less Than} Four Days!

In under four days, I will be in the middle...fine, the beginning of a very long flight to Beijing.  I am very excited but am also uncharacteristically calm.  I am actually very grateful for the calm, as it seems to be helping me make quick(ish - it's still me!) decisions and get things done.  I have a lot to do for work and home and the trip before I leave, so I am trying to keep work at work and do trip stuff at home.  It helps that I am teaching the most amazing class with some really wonderful assistants this year, so I can prioritize and get things done that need to be done while I am there.  I am mostly packed except for my clothes, and in a bout of organizational inspiration, I decided I wanted to try to pack my clothes tonight AND lay out my clothes for the week so I don't have to decide what to wear all week, it's just done.  We'll see if it happens.

It seems like this process has flown by and dragged on all at the same time, and then that the end of the process is suddenly here.  I am so grateful to have made some incredible friends along the way.  In reality, an adoption that takes just a little under 11 months from the start to finish is really, really fast.  But when I think about the fact that I have friends who have gotten pregnant and had babies in that time or who got pregnant well into my process (or so I feel!) who are due any day - that seems long.  Ella has doubled in age since I received her referral - thankfully she was very very young when I got her referral (she was just shy of 11 months).  Believe me - I am not complaining about my timeline!  One of my dear friends logged in the same day I was is still waiting on a match.  It's the nature of adoption. It's more just an observation that time in adoption seems to move quickly and slowly all at once.  

On the practical side of things, I am ready to go, I think.  There are always more things you could need but ultimately I think we are in good shape.  She has a bed, she has a rocking chair, she has clothes (cute, cute clothes!), she has diapers and wipes.  I am ready to get her home and let her play with all her fun stuff!

I hope to post again before I leave, but if I don't, I will be doing my very best to post and keep people updated while in China!  I am so excited to see this beautiful, incredible country, experience another culture, and of course meet Ella! :)