The Bucket List

Hi all,  Here we are, mid October, and we're working on our Baby Bucket List.  One of the more exciting things on that list was to go see the Lion King on Broadway.  Having seen many shows, but never one on Broadway, I was really excited to do this before our little one arrives.  We did it!  It was such a big deal and very exciting to me!  The pictures above are from our weekend getaway to the Big Apple.  We packed a lot into our two days.  On Saturday, after we arrived, we went to The High Line.  This is an elevated park, built on an old rail line that was used by Freight Trains.  It was elevated to keep the trains away from Pedestrians, mostly for safety reasons.  The last freight used the railway in 1980 to haul cars filled with thousands of frozen turkeys!  Anyway, rather than tear it down, they turned the space into a "park" which is more of a really cool walkway that spans several blocks (like, 15 or so!).  There's benches to sit on, and areas where they host various types of events.  The trail is constructed to allow for plants and other vegetation to grow through it on either side.  It's a really interesting experience to be walking among some beautiful plants and flowers, and right under us is the bustling city!  We went to Central Park after that, and you'll see some pictures of the horse and carriages (we didn't take a ride this time...maybe next time!), and there's a woman playing violin and hola hooping at the same time.  Strange, but true.  We went through Strawberry Fields, the part of the park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon (hence the "Imagine" photo).  Finally, on Sunday we were off to Time Square and The Lion King, which is so beautiful and amazing, I can't adequately describe it.  From the first note, it was mezmorizing.  Completely.  We had excellent seats... row two of the Mezz section, over hanging the Orchestra.  We were so close to the stage, and in the first scene of act one, the opening song, one of the actors was standing in front of us, two rows up, singing and dancing.  Amazing.  The costumes, the colors, the choreography... I have never seen anything like it before.  I am in awe.  What a great thing for us to do to celebrate making it this far and to help us pass the time while we wait.  We're already making lists of things to see and do with our kids, and this is definitely on the list.  It's already been on Broadway for 15 years... When our kids are 7 or 8, it'll still be there.  I can't wait!!

10 months in

Tomorrow marks 10 months of waiting.  The significant event of the past month was renewing all of our clearances.  You may be interested in knowing that neither of us has become a criminal within the past ten months.  We're still ok to become parents.  Crazy, but true.  We've had some ups and downs this month, but overall, we're doing ok.  Sick of this waiting game, but ok none the less.  Our social worker sent us this email a few days ago:

"I did also want to take a second to mention something. Recently, a family who has been waiting almost two years decided to leave the program. They are frustrated and sad that the adoption process has taken so much longer than they expected. I am so sad for them. Sad that it hasn’t happened yet but also sad that they are so close and are choosing to give up. I hear their frustration and understand the feelings of despair. But I also know that families are formed through this process! I know that it often takes much longer than anyone hopes. That our own internal timeline cannot compete with the Universe. I know how painful it is for a woman to make this difficult choice and that it has to be right for her and that does not always match up to a waiting family.

Anyway, I’m sharing this with you because in talking with this other family about their decision I couldn’t stop thinking about the two of you. I know that you heard me during the homestudy process when I said “You could potentially wait 2 years” and that you knew that to be true, but also, deep down, that you hoped it wouldn’t be. I hope you are chosen soon, but if you are not, if you wait much longer than you had expected/hoped/dreamed I hope you will hang in there. I hope you will push through the pain and the sadness and the anger. I hope you will ask for support/help when you need it. I hope you will know that IT WILL happen, just not when you want it to. I hope you will know how we are all pulling for you.

Please never hesitate to reach out and ask for what you need. I will always do my best to be there for you!"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this publically, but I am constantly so amazed and blown away by the level of caring that they show to us, and the commitment that they have to helping us get through this.  I don't know how I could NOT share it.  We are so fortunate to have her as our social worker, our cheerleader, our support.  We did let her know that we're not giving up.  We pray that this will not last much longer, that we bring our baby home soon, but we can't imagine giving up and backing out.  If we left the agency, where would we go?  Certainly no place any faster than Open Arms is getting us.  To have to start again, to begin this wait all over again, does not sound like fun.  They're working hard for us, and we're sticking with them.

We had brunch today with some new friends that we met through Open Arms, who're right at about the same point as we are in the wait, maybe a month or two behind us.  They're feeling very much the same as we are... sick of it but determined to stick it out knowing that it'll all be worth it.  It's nice to have someone to experience this with.  It's nice to not be alone.