My favorite part

12-29-2008

This is just a light post today because I have nothing much to add.

My favorite part of all the blogs I'm reading is the part where the family FINALLY gets to travel to ET and see their child!

Every blog I read, I try to figure out their travel dates through the timeline and narrow it down from there. Some of these blogs I have to go back a few years in time to get the "pick up" story.

I love the stories about Ethiopian Air, arrival in Addis, the people, the culture, the taxi drivers and the ride to the hotel, and best of all, the trip to meet their child. And then, there's always the part where the other kids in the family get to wear the traditional ET dress. Oh yea, and doing a project at the orphanage, or dancing with the kids in a ring at the orphanage. I hope I get to do that stuff too :-)

I find it hard to believe almost everyone has to spend the first day and night without seeing their child. I guess you are so jet lagged it's smart... but I don't think, if I was in the same city as my daughter, that I could rest until I was with her.

My social worker invited me to lunch on the day I get my fingerprints, which is nice, since we will be in the same city.

My cousin emailed me and suggested I start a baby registry and listed about 50 things I need to get! I called her and explained I should have plenty of time after getting the referral, and then the court date, and then passing court.... It's not like I will not have advanced warning. Plus, with the co-sleeping part of attachment parenting, who knows if I'll even need a crib? And with the long wait post referral, who knows what size she will be for a car seat, or clothes? So much to think about and figure out! It's nice my cousin is so excited though :-) I was very excited for her first child too. I even drew a comic book for her of her pregnancy that I thought (modesty here) was hysterically funny. It's nice we can share this excitement.

I know there are similarities and differences to a biological pregnancy, but I think adoption must be harder in some ways.... Like the not knowing WHEN. With a bio pregnancy, you know WHEN to a large degree, and you know what size your child will be to a large degree. You know you will need a crib and car seat, and which size car seat. If you are past a certain point, in biological pregnancy you also know that eventually that baby is coming. Period. With adoption, even that is not certain.

Well, I don't want to start a debate on which is harder to go through, so I'll end by saying I'm sure they are both difficult, and both with great rewards.