22 months!

Today my calendar tells me that we have been waiting 22 months since the day we were ICAB approved.  Today, for the first time in several months on a “monthaversary” I am not feeling frustrated, sad, depressed, or discouraged.  

Gregg and I made a big change in December when it came to playing the waiting game.  We’ve been hearing for a long time now that the wait for a 0-2 year old is up to 36 months.  The problem for us was, we were open to accepting a referral for a child up to the age of 7.  When we sat down to discuss it, we actually realized that parenting a 0-2 year old was not where we wanted to be at all anymore.  Things have changed over the years (8 next month) that we’ve been trying to adopt.  We’ve both gotten older.  Choosing to adopt Pooh and Tigger was huge for us – we realized that adopting a child that was a little bit older fit us.  What it boils down to for us is that we just want to be parents to a child.  That child does not have to be a baby.  That change was clearly something we needed to do, because I feel a million times lighter now.  I feel like the right child will come to us now, and when s/he comes, it will be in the right time.  And hopefully that time will just be sooner rather than later now.  

December was a crazy, insanely busy month at our house.  Every patient in all three of my doctors’ practices seemed to need to come in to the office, so work was really busy all month.  My 16-year-old cousin from Texas came to spend a few days with us prior to Christmas, which was really nice.  Thank goodness she did, or else I never would have taken the time off to finish my shopping or bake Christmas cookies.  On Christmas Eve, Gregg and I finished wrapping presents all of five minutes before we had to walk out the door.  Next year I really need to find a way to cut back.  

The day after Christmas one of our cats got really sick, and he was bounced back and forth to the vet for a few days.  We think it was an inner ear infection plus being thrown off schedule from my cousin’s visit that got him so sick.  He’s on the mend now, but it was a pretty scary week.  We’ve been nursing him back to health in what will be our little one’s room.  We joke that that room will certainly be ready for a child – it’s already been a labor & deliver room (when the kittens were born), an infirmary twice (for sick cats), and a teenage girl’s bedroom.  It should have no problem giving loving shelter to a young child.  

Gregg and I are hoping to have some good news on January 11.  He has a really big day that day, and if you might think to say a prayer for him, we’d appreciate it.  

The best of everything to all of you in 2011.  May you find the year filled with much love and peace, health and happiness.  We know that dreams will be coming true for a couple of families this year (Agnes!  Renee!), and we pray that referrals will keep coming this year so that more families will be complete!