Nesting Nesting Nesting!!!!

We are one step closer to bringing Miss Zoey home.  Friday the 3rd of February we received word that our NVC letter for Zoey has been cabled to the US Consulate in Guangzhou, China.  Now we are waiting for our Article 5 letter to be issued from there, where someone from our agency had delivered it last week (2/7) along with our DS-230 application and LOA.  This letter is basically the US's way to say all our paperwork is complete and we can proceed with the adoption.  Our Article 5 letter should be ready for pick up on Tuesday the 21st (takes about 2 weeks).  From there-it goes directly to the CCWAA, and we wait for Travel Approval from China!  Once we get the sought-after and esteemed TA, our agency requests a US Consulate appointment (CA) and our travel dates are set-we leave less than 2 weeks before that appointment for Beijing.  Crazy-we are really getting there!

So... I have to say that this nesting thing is truly not just for those who are about to deliver.  I am totally nesting.  I have bought bedding, lights, pillows, decorations, night light, wall decals, and clothes.  I have bought a new backpack for me for the trip, started my insane packing list (that I will have to seriously edit as we get closer), and I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to prepare me for this amazing journey-books on grieving children, attachment, general travel and adoption resource books.  I am also cooking (yes, preparing food - for those of you who know me, you probably know the wonder in this statement--I absolutely hate to cook, but really I have no choice).  Megs and I have also found the cutest little leggings, pj's, t-shirts, skirts, and cute little owl underwear.  Jenna and Molly picked out a cute little red tutu.  Flipping adorable.  Really, I haven't bought her too much-but it makes it real.  It is kinda cool to see how little she is going to be-those clothes are so tiny!  Also bought an Ergo carrier this week, got my SLR camera fixed and cleaned, bought new batteries for the camera, stickers and fun stuff to put in Zoey's backpack for the trip, and purchased some laundry packets and more of that kind of travel stuff.  Amazon should make me its poster child.  I think the UPS man is starting to make friends with the family.  Ha!  Apparently, my stellar timing was a bit off this past summer when I purged all the "young girl" toys, clothes, jogging stroller, etc...  I have to admit that the "restocking" has been fun-keeps me going.

We have (finally) decided on travel-just Jenna and I will go.  She is almost 13 and more responsible than most 16-year olds I know, and will be a great traveling companion for me.  She told me she is very excited to have me all to herself for a couple days, and then share me with Zoey-traveling a half a world away for 2 whole weeks.  Not sure it can get any better than that-my days of having Jenna all to myself are numbered-college is right around the corner... (well, not really, but time flies around here).  I have filled her in on variations of how this could go, and the potential issues we'll face as Zoey transitions into our family.  She is up for the task and I think she's going to do wonderfully.   I do think she'll come back a different person.  When I was 12 we were in Tokyo-that was a life-changing experience for me, and some of the best years of my pre-married/pre-kids life. And, with her magnetic personality, I am hoping she'll make the transition for Zoey a little less rough.  

Poor girl-the thought of putting her through all of the grief and pain that she is going to have to go through makes me very sad.  But I know it is a process she (and we) have to go through to integrate us into our family of 6.  Still makes me a little weepy when I really get to thinking about it-at 3 and a half years old she has to say goodbye forever to her foster family with whom she's been since she was 4 months old...and they have to say goodbye to her. 

Which is another thing-like a pregnancy, I am so emotional.  I tear up at radio commercials (pre-baby trademark for me), cry at the drop of a pin (not bad crying-good, but more of the amazed-at-this-incredible-opportunity-in-front-of-us kind of crying), and find myself totally scatterbrained, probably because I am so preoccupied...at work I do a little better-I can focus on my tasks.  At home-I am a little off-kilter even if we are running around like crazed maniacs.   

It still doesn't feel real...but the neatest thing-I have been following some families' experiences who are a couple months ahead of us in this process.  It is amazing.  Truly amazing.  

People have congratulated us and told us what a "great thing" we are doing.  It is kind of funny-I can see it that way, but I am more excited for her to be a part of our family and experience what she will bring to us, not us to her.   These children are so strong-I hope I am up to the task of being as good of a mom to her as she deserves.  

Going to say another prayer for Zoey-we are going to rock her world soon.  And she is going to rock ours.