Day 218

Every time I write the journal entry day I hope and pray that I never get to Day 400...the number holds no significance beyond the fact that I can't imagine holding out that long...But I suppose if you asked me on day 6, how I would feel on Day 218, I wouldn't have been able to imagine it either...

Anyway, the nursery is done!!! It's, by far, my favorite room in the house and I frequent it often...Many nights I sit and rock...and dream...and pray...I do want to put a monogram over the bed, but I can't do that until we know the sex and name of the baby!

My final addition makes my heart smile every time I see it...It's the perfect little ROCKSTAR side table!

I found a similar model at Marshall's Home Goods Store for $120.00. My bargain brain wouldn't dare let me spend that much, so I took the idea and scoured local Salvation Armys for months until I found the perfect [$10] piece! I should have taken a before and after shot....It was a nasty dark brown, water-stained plant stand that had 5 more shelves to it. I worked my magic...and viola! A perfect side table to someday hold bottles and burp cloths and journals!


I'm done feeling sad and depressed [for now!] and pulled myself up by the bootstraps, this week. I first thought about how much I love the nursery and how it really has been a labor of love for me. I ordered the furniture in May and continued working on the room for months! I bought and returned so many items trying to get the perfect look...I love that I was able to do that. So, then I started thinking...why not throw my full-force energy into similar baby prep tasks, while I have the time? My love-to-run-on-lists mind started working overtime thinking about all the fun things I could do. So, that's that. My new plan to work through the no-baby blues, includes the following:

• Finish reading "What to Expect The First Years." I read through a few chapters this week and am learning so much! Each chapter brings up points that I never thought about before. Why not be uber prepared and "read up" before the baby comes?

• Choose a pediatrician. This will take some research because I want our baby's doctor to be African American, as well, and I don't know of any in our area (no PC way to inquire about that over the phone!)

• Figure out whether or not we're going to do cloth diapers. (I'm on the fence for a multitude of reasons).
  

• Type up our official baby names in a Word document with meanings/verses/etc, so when the time comes we're prepared. Right now they are floating around in my head and on scrap pieces of paper!

• Get the diaper bag ready for the hospital in case we get a last minute call. This, of course, includes finding the most perfect "bring baby home" outfit and a phone list of who we are going to call (in order of importance)

• Call the insurance company for the paperwork (even though we can't submit it yet, it would be nice to have on hand)

• Apply for adoption grants to help alleviate some of the cost.

• Sign-up/attend classes that might help Ben and I feel more "expecting" (BRU has one next week on health and diaper care)

• Make enough meals to last a month and freeze them. (I've actually been wanting to do this for awhile. Even without a baby, it sure would be nice to just pull a homemade meal from the freezer each morning, for dinner that night!)
  

That's all I have so far...but I figure that will keep me busy through Christmas! If you're new to my blog you're probably thinking, "Oh! They must be matched!" No...not even close! I know it's a little crazy...maybe a little too optimistic to think we won't be matched and have to wait months...but this is the only way I know how to deal with the emptiness. If I do nothing, I cry. Keeping busy, however, makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something...like I'm that much closer to getting the call.

I probably am crazy...but, hey! at least we'll be the most prepared adopting parents you've ever met!!!
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Update: So I live for our agency's monthly newsletters which provides agency stats. The baby boy trend continues! In November there were 9 domestic babies adopted and 6 of them were boys!!!