Leavin on a Jet Plane

We finally have our travel dates! Thank goodness, as I had just dispatched Kevin to make an unpleasant phone call to our agency. Yep, totally did not have the rocks to do it myself. 

Although the embassy date is later than I had hoped, there is now a date. A deadline. I will meet my son in x number of weeks. Unbelievable! Having the travel dates set helps so much, especially since we still don't have any updated information or photos. The tenuous connection that your forge with your child before you meet them is so helped by the monthly updates (at least it was for me). You feel like you are a wee part of their life - you see them growing, wearing different outfits, smiling or crying, just looking different and new each time. I have to remind myself to really LOOK at his picture lately, I've becomed so used to it being around.

And in my most quiet moments, I just worry. I want to know if he's happy. If, right at this moment, he's smiling, crying, sleeping, eating...if someone is holding him, playing with him, giving him comfort (wishing it were me). I remember feeling this way before leaving to meet Lila, but it's way more intense this time around. I think about all of the things I want to be doing for him RIGHT NOW(feeding, changing, comforting, bathing, playing, loving) and my body just thrums with the desire to run and jump on the first flight to Addis.

Thankfully, I have a little Ethiopian girl FULL of energy to keep me busy and happy and entertained. Her latest catch phrases:

"Mommy, you crack me up!"

"Mommy, you're driving me crazy! Ugh!"

"Mommy, you're my best friend I ever heard."

"Mommy, I'm so proud of you."

After helping her Uncle John pick out furniture last night we headed over to Red Robin. Lila was ECSTATIC. As I told Kevin, every event of our meal was announced by my child like we were on a game show. "Mommy, it's my CHOCOLATE MILK!!!!" "Mommy, it's my CHICKEN NUGGETS AND FRIES!!!" And the best of all? My daughter got to meet Red Robin himself! Normally shy with gigantic, life-sized characters (and who wouldn't be? They really are kinda creepy), Lila walked right up to him, shook his hand and demanded that Uncle John take their picture.

Speaking of pictures, I promise I'll be posting a bunch next week. Completely forgot to download the new pics before Kevin left for his whirlwind European business trip with our camera in tow.

This does, however, give me time to really finish Elijah's room. The walls and painted and the crib is decked out in new bedding, but the room still looks woefully underdecorated. Wall decals, here I come!