Gotcha Trip

Between quarter-end at work and Merlin, my trip back to Kaz was postponed a couple of days. I was supposed to leave yesterday, 10/1, but am leaving instead tomorrow, Friday. Somehow, I've managed to be the least ready of all three trips this time around and am the proverbial chicken with its head cut off tonight. My house looks like a tornado hit it, but that is probably just how it will be anyway after Brady gets home, so what's the point? ;)

I'm a little worried about leaving my furbaby girl, Callie. She has never been alone and she already gets kinda weird when I'm traveling. She has also been looking for Merlin. It's heartbreaking. I know my wonderful petsitter, Kathy, will take good care of her, and several friends and neighbors will be checking in on her as well. Thank you to all of you! Makes it so much easier for me to concentrate on Brady when I know my other baby is doing okay.

I want to send a big Thank You to my good friends, Lyle and Elaine, for all their help and support thus far, while I'm gone again, and when I get home with Brady. I couldn't have done this without you! Also a big thanks to Dave and Kim for chauffering me to and from the airport, which is a good 45 minute drive from my house, several times now.

And last, but far from least, I want to send a huge thank you to my family, friends, and blog buddies who have provided such tremendous support during this entire process. It means the world to me and I know that I wouldn't have made it to this point without you. From the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU!!

A friend just reminded me that I am adopting during the month of October, which is National Adoption Month. How cool is that?! I'm not sure if my actual adoption date of record is the date I sign the paperwork (which will be 10/6) or the day the appeal period ended, which was yesterday. Either way, I'm excited to be going back to pick up my darling little boy and become a family.

It still doesn't seem real. With all the flurry of packing (ahem, still to do!), and checking and rechecking paperwork, and making sure I have all the gifts, and money, and baby stuff, and everything ready to leave for 3-4 weeks, the actual fact that this child is legally mine hasn't hit. I'm sure when I hold him again, and especially when we walk out of that babyhouse and I'm up all night for several nights in row, reality will slam me into the wall. I think I'm ready. I hope I'm ready. But ready or not, here we go! Catch you on the flip side of planet earth in a couple of days!