rants and raves

Hello Blog (and blog readers - if there still are any left)!!

Given that it's been about one month since my last post -and a busy one too - I have no idea how to even begin writing a post to catch up.... As always seems to be the case, I've got a million thoughts and ideas floating around in my head, but not so much the [insert one: time/ patience/ words/ patience] to get it all out. So bear with me for a short-hand version of an update post, in the form of rants and raves (by the way, I feel like have I done this before, but I do not have the [insert one: time/ patience] to look back to be sure... at the very least, I'm pretty sure I've thought about it).

So here we go:

Rave: (why not start on a high note?)
In the month since I last posted, we've celebrated a number of milestones and events: my birthday, 13 months on the waitlist (now inching towards 14); the 3rd anniversary of the date the Ethiopian courts declared that we were a family....

Rant:
We never thought we'd get to 13 months (not to mention 14 and probably 15) on the waitlist for a referral.

Rave:
The adoption process seems to be slowly settling into a new normal. Things are so different than they were when we adopted Simon... and even from the day in Feb. 2010 when we started the paperwork for adoption round 2, but after a period of a lot of uncertainty and heightened emotions and fears, we finally feel like we can see the end in sight (and maybe even have an idea of when that might be - give or take a few months).

Rant:
Famine in East Africa. And the fact that it does not get the world attention it needs. Please educate yourself. And please help if you can.

Rave:
It's Summer time! Okay, technically this happened longer than one month ago, but it finally feels like Summer. And that is a very good thing!

Rant:
Paperwork revisited. It's happening. Our adoption paperwork is expiring and we have to start redoing things. Already down: doctors appointments and CIS fingerprints; yet to come: homestudy visit (and all accompanying documents), updated CIS approval.... Ugh.

Rave:
Having a three and a half year old. Challenging: yes. But so much fun. The things he says and does are endlessly entertaining - and completely fill my heart.

Rant:
Having a three and a half year old who has more energy than I ever did (e.g. during pre-bed storytime last night, he looked at me, jumped out of bed and said, "I have to dance" and then he did just that). Exhausting!!

ps Rave:
Pictures! I have many from this summer. They are coming. Soon.