Its already Februrary!

Wow, I can't believe its been over a month since we signed our contract with Adoption Ark! Its been a VERY busy month. Saying that there is a lot of paperwork is the understatement of the year. I have been to 2 courthouses, 2 doctors, 1 police department, 1 FBI office, and 1, 2-hour long trip to Bradley, IL. We are almost done with the paperwork portion of our home study and have just a few meetings left. Then we can submit our dossier! I will be so excited for that package to make its way to Russia. The other night I was thinking that my baby is either in the process of being born, or already born and waiting for me thousands of miles away. I am so excited I can barely stand it. I'm not sure how I will make it through the 6-9 month wait for a referral or even worse, the 2-3 months between trips! I have always pictured my life with children in it, lots of them. And to know that we are at least on the road to making that happen makes me want to cry I am so happy. Its very different than being pregnant. People don't know that you are having a baby and those who do even treat it differently. But I truly believe it is just as special. I have learned so much about my husband through all of this already and I think this whole process is going to bring us even closer. What an incredibly patient and loving man he is. At least one of us has patience in this family. I have a feeling we are going to need it.