The Wait

Casey has been talking a lot about his "baby brother." He doesn't have a baby brother. Or sister. Just yet. The wait passed the six month mark in April, and I didn't even notice, really. When we were waiting for Marcie, the six-month mark was supposed to be magical-- it was how long families before us had been waiting. And yet, this six-month mark is just the first of many, many six-month intervals. It seems like every time we turn around, we hear a new estimate of the wait-- and it's always longer than the previous one. We're still thinking B.S. #3 is another 3 1/2 years away. And we explain this to the kids by telling them that we just have to wait our turn, like we did with them. And when Casey asks why we can't just put a baby in my tummy, I just smile, tell him that would be nice, but our baby is coming from another mommy's tummy-- just like he and Marcie did. And he says "ok," and moves on to another topic. Oh to be young. Six months is an eternity to a two year old or a five year old. Fortunately, they have no sense of time-- because we've promised them they can go on a big airplane with us to China the next time we go. But they don't really understand just how far into the future that might be. And while I do not feel the same sense of urgency waiting for B.S. #3 that I did waiting for Marcie, it's always there, nagging at me. Reminding me that our family isn't quite complete, as full and wonderful as our lives are now. Somewhere on the other side of the world a child will be born. Our child. And while I feel a calm sense of patience for now, I know that feeling won't last.

It's Official: We're Paper Pregnant!

We have our official Log-In-Date (LID)! This is wonderful news. It's the date China will use to match us with B.S. #3.

Our LID is October 9, 2007!

If the current estimates of 24 months pan out, we should be traveling in early December of 2009.

If the (more likely) speculation pans out (a 36 month wait), we should be traveling near the end of 2010. Yeah, it's a little later than we'd like, putting five years of distance (well, maybe 4 1/2) between Marcie and B.S. #3, but anything can happen.

And if the wait looks like it'll stretch longer than three years . . . well, I'd prefer not to contemplate that possibility. But being a worst-case-scenario planner, I realize that we may get antsy waiting and take alternative action in the mean time (translation: adopt another child while we wait for B.S. #3, who I suppose would become B.S. #4 at that point-- though, technically, if we label our kids in order of when we started the process, B.S. #3 will always be B.S. #3 even if he or she arrives fourth. But I digress).

So Other Grandma (the name my kids have given my mom) is in town this weekend, and Jason and I are off to Autumn in Vegas for a couple nights. Looks like we have something to celebrate (other than the new job, I mean).

The kids will keep O.G. (Other Grandma) busy-- yesterday they sliced up the pumpkin and cooked it like squash and mashed it. I think they plan to make a real pumpkin pie from scratch tonight (aren't grandmas great?!?). And tomorrow they're going to the annual fire station open house (after music and sports classes, of course).