My friends,

I am thrilled to announce that the program director has just emailed me (from the cottage I'm sure) to let me know the final piece of paperwork and the referral photos of my son have arrived. She is obviously on holiday so I have no details whatsoever…but when I do I will certainly share.

Tomorrow would be a great day for a phone call!

Stay tuned for more exciting news in the days to come!

Bev,
big brother Boomer
and…
sweet Benjaminh

Unbelievable

Well, the sidebar says it all.
August 31st.
Unbelievable.

In an effort to focus on the positive

1. I'm Canadian, adopting from Vietnam, with no September 1st deadline.
2. Ben2be, if he is who previously travelling families have been told he is, is still an itty bitty little guy. Most of the Canadian referrals I have heard of recently have been older than Ben2be's present age.
3. Orphanage paperwork in Ben2be's world might be completed slowly but nanny response times are quick and loving.
4. Summer break ends Tuesday. I'll be in a new position at school for which I have no formal training (teacher librarian), working a computer system for which I have no training, trying to keep 700 kids and their teachers reading, reading, reading. I'm in dire need of a distraction and this may be it.

You're next, soon, any day could change to NOW at any moment...

Updates...

Adoption News...

• (referral timeline given after matching email in late May-hopeful it will arrive in June)
• still waiting

Canadian Immigration Determination...

• (determinations are typically made in 2 weeks)
• tomorrow marks the end of week 9
• still waiting

Travel mate's broken foot surgery update...

• not necessary at this time
• 2 (or 3?) more weeks in the cast

My state of mind...

• 5 more days of summer vacation
• Teacher Librarian placement in a school of 700 students with no prior experience
• Experiencing lots and lots of waiting
• lots and lots and lots of waiting
• still waiting

So there you have it. Tomorrow morning I'm off to the cottage for 3 or 4 days. May the waiting miraculously end while I'm at the lake with a call that my sweet Benjaminh's referral has arrived.

Checking in- 27 months later

Well, it is 27 months later.

Tomorrow marks 27 months from the date I made the decision to adopt from Vietnam. 27 months from the day I went to the Agency information session and made my final country decision. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be waiting for my sweet son at this point in time. Unbelievable really.

All that is holding back Sweet Benjaminh's referral at this point is the release of one single document. So I wait (Tomorrow would be a great day for THE CALL!).

While I'm waiting I'd love to have my readers check in. I've been using Stat counter for about a week now and boy oh boy am I curious about my readers. I shot past the 10,000 reader's mark on Friday and I'm wondering who you are?

Some of you are very, very dedicated... but never, ever comment. I don't think Peterborough or Napean or St. George Newfoundland have commented and Jay, are you with my agency? And my real life friends, send a comment or else! I'd also love to match my U.S. readers to their state so I can dream about travelling south with Sweet Benjaminh to meet all of you!

So, check in in the comments or if you want to share details about where you are reading from shoot me an email at lazy2thebones@yahoo.ca

Bye for now, I have to go and cross one more day off the calendar.

No News in Adoption Land

Click here to read on...

Have you seen my mind?

It is a slippery slope to insanity and I'm on it. Thought I had fed the dog before I left the house to tutor a local little guy this morning but when I got back the pup was asking to be fed. Why exactly is the FOOD bowl full of WATER while it sits right beside the WATER bowl that is also full of WATER?

Hello? Have you seen my mind?

I am a Canadian. I do not have a government imposed deadline sitting right in front of me and yet I am still losing my mind while adoption angst takes up residence in the space where my brain used to reside. I wish big wishes for my U.S. bloggy friends each and every day. I watch their journeys closely. I take strength from their willingness to share the path to their babies and once they reach the end of the path share their life with their babies. What would we all do without this community of support, in real life and on-line?

Here is a little excerpt from an email I received today from a wise, experienced adoptive mama... Without women like this in my real life, the members of my extended Viet Nam family, I would have lost my way on this path long before I got to 27 months. I can hardly wait to introduce Benjaminh to this sweet lady (perhaps at the airport some day soon). Enjoy her words.

"Placing one's heart in the hands of fate is a perilously dangerous thing. One only taken on by the bravest of souls. And you are one of these. I have faith. I really do. Breathe in and out.

You will get there. It will be soon. Just keep breathing. Don't cry. Don't panic. Don't be angry. Just mark the time. Get rid of one day at a time."

I'm breathing. and my calendar is covered with x's.
One day at a time.

Stick the landing

I've just had a revelation! This adoption journey is like a balance beam routine.


Seriously, have you been watching the women tonight? Back flip with a twist and you get to land on a 4 inch piece of wood suspended a meter in the air? Or perhaps you would like to combine a couple of back flips and then land in a scissor split following that closely with a hand stand.


If I could walk forward to the end of that beam and jump off without hurting myself it would be a good day. To walk backwards, do a sweet little 180 and jump without breaking a leg would be miraculous.


The thing is I've been prancing around on that beam for 27 months! A few hops, a little spin here and there, arms out to stop the "wobbles". I even sat on the beam a few times to catch my breath...but I didn't FALL.

Now all I have to do is stick the landing.

The routine is almost over.