{Our referral acceptance packet, that is}. We completed all of the documents, had everything notarized, and put it in the mail today . . . exciting!
It’s amazing what can happen in a week (or in a day). Last Tuesday we weren’t even on the waitlist yet. Tomorrow will mark one week since we got waitlist numbers AND a surprise referral! The past week has been a complete blur, and I’m soooo tired. It’s worth every bit, though, when I look at the sweet face on the refrigerator, or on my desktop, or in my wallet, or in the notebook that I carry everywhere I go . . . you get the point – I have his pictures everywhere! Here’s a rundown of the week:
Wednesday (6/16) – Took Riley to summer camp, took Cole to VBS, taught my ESL class at NICE, picked Riley up from camp, picked Cole up from VBS, got call that our dossier had FINALLY been approved & got waitlist numbers (siblings – 38 & boys – 41), danced around the house all afternoon relieved that we had made it that far, got referral call & totally freaked out, went to small group in a daze & celebrated with friends, couldn’t seem to fall asleep because of excitement ….
Thursday (6/17) – Riley back at summer camp, Cole back at VBS, printed out referral acceptance forms and began completing them, made calls about international pediatrician review & letter, still couldn’t sleep that night because my mind was going in 100 different directions ….
Friday (6/18) – Riley back at summer camp, Cole back at VBS, faxed and emailed all medical documents, etc. to international pediatrician’s office, picked Riley up early from camp, went to Cole’s VBS program & cried when the kids sang “Mighty to Save” and I learned that their lesson that day was “God Gives us Family,” worked on “Adoptive Parent Transition Plan” (no small task), had phone call with international pediatrician to discuss our little guy’s medical information, went to the park with Brad and the boys for a MUCH NEEDED picnic and some fresh air …..
Saturday (6/19) – Photography session at 8 AM, drove to our social worker’s house in Smyrna so she could sign a form for our referral acceptance packet, worked on more referral paperwork, photographed a WEDDING from 3:30 – 9:00 PM, crashed when I got home – completely exhausted …..
Sunday (6/20) – Went to church with pictures in hand to show off little man, enjoyed worshiping and celebrating with friends, tried to rest some that afternoon, went to Target to buy a couple of small toys for Andrea to give to our guy when she’s there picking up her son next week (!!!!), went out to dinner at Mafiaozas to celebrate Father’s Day with Brad and the boys, stayed up until 1:30 AM finishing our “Adoptive Parent Transition Plan” (ugh!) …..
Monday (6/21) – Dropped Riley off at summer camp, grabbed a coffee traveler from Starbucks for my ESL class, stopped by post office to mail some Show Love shirts and the package for Andrea to take to Ethiopia, taught my ESL class, went to bank to deposit money into adoption fund account, picked Riley up from summer camp, hung out with Jenny & Elissa to make bracelets for Elissa to take on her trip to Ethiopia and Uganda (more on that later), had quick phone call with Julie, our case manager at AGCI, emailed transition plan to Emily at AGCI, photography session at 6 PM in Hillsboro Village, worked on editing a photography session because my client can only be so patient! …..
Tuesday (6/22) – Riley at summer camp, worked on editing session some more while Cole interrupted me 127 times because he was “bored” (which isn’t allowed at our house – there’s always work that can be done!), Brad and I had our transition plan call with Emily from AGCI (Wow! LOTS of good information and facing the reality of what all our little guy might be dealing with emotionally and psychologically when he gets home – more on that later, too), picked Riley up, we all went to the bank to have referral documents notarized, mailed referral packet (YAY!), took the boys to the library because I had promised, finished editing session and posted online, updated “fees” page on this blog (more on that later, too), and now I’m writing this post! ……
….. and all of that while trying to do all the other normal stuff like clean house, do laundry, cook dinner, pay bills, play with the kids, etc. etc.
I thought after we got on the waitlist that we’d have a little bit of a breather, but God had other plans (and I’m SOOOO thankful for them)! It’s been a whirlwind week, but it’s all good because it’s worth every single minute of it. I’ve got lots of blog posts swirling around in my head. Hopefully I’ll have some time this week to get them on here, so stay tuned! . . .
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